![]() (In reality, a 12V LiFePO4 battery’s resting voltage will usually be closer to 13-13.5 volts, so I’d expect a voltage of around 26-27 volts.) I got 26.4 volts, which is exactly in line with expectations.Ĭheck! My two 12V 100Ah batteries are now wired in series, resulting in a 24V 100Ah battery bank. Because I wired two 12V batteries in series, I expect to measure a voltage of around 24 volts. If you want, check your battery bank’s voltage with a multimeter. So now you have a series string of 2 batteries. You’ll often hear connected batteries referred to as a “string” of batteries. That’s it! Your batteries are now wired in series. Just use the color of cable you prefer or have on hand.Ĭonnect the other end of the battery cable to the positive terminal of another battery. ![]() I prefer black, but there’s no right or wrong choice. Note: Some people prefer to use black cables for series connections, others prefer red. Thread the cable’s ring terminal through the bolt, then screw the bolt back on the terminal. To do so, use a ratchet or screwdriver to unscrew the terminal’s bolt. Step 1: Connect the Negative Terminal of One Battery to the Positive Terminal of AnotherĬonnect the battery cable to the negative terminal of one battery. Optional: Multimeter - for checking battery bank voltage.Screwdriver or ratchet - for tightening bolts.1+ battery cables - the number of cables you need is the 1 less than the number of batteries you’re wiring in series.2+ identical batteries - I’ll be using Chins 12V 100Ah LiFePO4 Batteries. ![]() Series connections can also be used to wire multiple 12V lead acid or lithium batteries together to make a 24V, 36V, or 48V battery bank, which is useful in DIY and off-grid solar applications. It’s particularly useful for wiring two 6V lead acid batteries, or four 3.2V lithium cells, to make a 12V battery. Wiring batteries in series sums their voltages and keeps their amp hours the same. Look in your battery’s product manual or spec sheet for these limits. For instance, with 12V LiFePO4 batteries, it’s common for them to be able to handle up to 4 batteries wired in series, and up to 4-10 wired in parallel. Most batteries have stated limits regarding how many of them can be wired in series and parallel. Don’t exceed the max series and parallel string lengths of your batteries.On most batteries, the terminals will be color-coded red for positive (+) and black for negative (-). Before connecting your batteries, identify the positive and negative terminals on each.This helps ensure each battery can split the current equally. For parallel connections, your battery cables should be the same length.The battery cables should fit your batteries’ terminals, and they should be the right wire gauge for handling the maximum amount of current your device(s) will draw. Buy the right battery cables for your battery.You can also solar charge them if you’re into DIY solar. The easiest way to do this is to buy a compatible battery charger and separately charge all of them to 100%. All your batteries should be at the same state of charge before you wire them together.(There are certain situations where you can use dissimilar batteries, but I won’t cover those in this tutorial.) Because brands may make changes to their batteries and BMS’s over time, you should also buy them around the same time. They should be the same age and from the same brand. They should have the same voltage and capacity. I’ll also cover when to use series or parallel wiring.Ĭlick on a wiring method to jump to its instructions:Ħ Things to Know Before Wiring Batteries in Series & Parallel In this tutorial, I’ll show you step-by-step how to wire batteries in series and parallel, as well as how to combine the two to create series-parallel combinations.
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