How to build a DIY portable power station

By Cheri Sicard
Portable power stations that can be charged with solar panels are amazing. I love mine and have long sung their praises. But folks in RV Travel’s RV Electricity Facebook group kept insisting I could make my own for far less money. Yes, even me. Well, personally I don’t have tools, skills, knowledge, nor the desire. But if you do, the team from ReeWray Outdoors has a step-by-step DIY portable power station video tutorial to show you just how easy it is to make your own solar-charged portable power station.

What you will need to make a DIY portable power station

• A lithium battery. David is using 100 ah battery
• A charge controller to get the solar power into the batteries
• An AC inverter because we don’t just want to store the solar power, we also want to be able to use it. David is using a 2,000-watt pure sine wave inverter that will handle up to 2000 watts continuous or up to 4,000 watts peak. This is double what is actually needed for this small system, but David wanted to build something he could expand on later. In the future, all he will need to do is add another battery and another solar panel or two.
• 8-gauge battery cable that will allow you to go from the charge controller to the inverter
• 50A breaker
• 12V DC socket with USB ports
• Large-gauge cable crimper and cutter
• Large-gauge cable stripper
• 20-foot 8AWG MC4 solar extension cables
• Cable management clips
• Multimeter/clamp
• Miscellaneous wire tie-downs, copper connectors, and shrink tubes
• 200-watt fuse or circuit breaker that will be positioned between the positive terminal on the battery and the positive terminal on the inverter. You typically will want this fuse sized to 10% of the continuous rated capacity of the inverter. Watch the video for details and convenient alternatives.
• 50-amp fuse or breaker that goes between the battery and the charger
• A piece of plywood to build your DIY portable power station on

Time to make your own portable power station

Once you have all your supplies, it is time to go to the workshop and put it all together. Rather than describe it here, it makes much more sense at this point to watch the video and follow along step by step to make your own DIY portable power station.

In the video, David also imparts good tips, wisdom, and advice along the way. For instance, why you don’t want to skimp and buy a cheap charge controller.

The next morning after putting it together, he tries out the solar generator function.

Overall the project does not look that difficult if you have a minimum amount of skills and electrical understanding.

Am I ready to do it, as some of the folks in the RV Electricity group suggested I do? Heck no. I am perfectly happy with my commercially made portable power stations. But if I were just a tad more mechanically inclined, my answer would be different.

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