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Makita LXT Power Station

Don't want to shell out on a BAC01 and PDC01? This one runs about a quarter of the price for 1500W AC, in a normal MAKPAC case :)

thijs-koppenThijs Koppen
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Battery-powered tools have become the go-to way to get the job done when working off the grid. Many power tools are available on one battery platform or another, but sometimes you need some good 'ol AC. For a long time, this could only be accomplished with a generator, but with the advances in battery technology, power stations have become more powerful and cheaper than ever before.

Of course, one could pick up a self-contained unit from the likes of EcoFlow, Bluetti, or whatever brand you like, but others are already neck-deep in a specific battery platform for their power tools. For me, that's Makita, and when I saw their BAC01 being mentioned on Tools and Stuff's Makita News May 2023 video, I started thinking. Lots of researching, planning, and procrastinating later, this is the (WIP) result!

Key points
- Runs off 4 LXT 18V battery packs
- 1500W output (3kW peak)
- 360Wh capacity with 5Ah packs (432Wh with 6Ah packs )
- Fits in a large MACPAK case (otherwise known as Type 3 or Mbox3)

Planned upgrades
- Individual battery pack voltage/current monitoring
- Multiple USB(-C PD) outputs

Challenges
One of the biggest pain points while planning this project was finding an inverter that could run off the 72V provided by 4 18V battery packs connected in series, while still being powerful and compact enough. The only one I was able to find was this custom order from AliExpress, which came in a well-padded box and didn't break the bank. After ordering, I specified my exact requirements via chat with the seller, and it took less than 2 weeks to arrive.

Another challenge was designing a holder for the battery packs which were small enough to fit, and allowed for routing the 10AWG cables, while still allowing access to the contacts of the Makita 644808-8 terminal. Although they're not quite as reusable for other projects, all the mechanical dimensions could still be a good reference for other designs.

Makita LXT Mount v2 Left.STL

Standard Tesselated Geometry - 46.47 kB - 02/19/2024 at 09:18

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Makita LXT Mount v2 Right.STL

Standard Tesselated Geometry - 56.92 kB - 02/19/2024 at 09:18

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  • First Test

    Thijs Koppen • 02/18/2024 at 19:55 • 0 comments

    I went to a nearby forest to take a few aesthetic pictures for my Instagram and test the power station by charging my car. It did charge, just not much :)

  • Building the Power Station

    Thijs Koppen • 02/18/2024 at 19:19 • 0 comments

    I didn't make pictures while assembling the battery pack holders, but it didn't take more than clamping the Makita 644808-8 terminal between the two parts of the 3D printed parts, then screwing it tight with the DIN912 M4x40mm screws and DIN985 M4 lock nuts.

    Then came sawing, drilling, and countersinking the alu composite panel:

    Attaching the battery pack holders using the DIN7991 M4x16mm screws and DIN958 M4 lock nuts:

    Mounting the inverter using the DIN7991 M5x16mm nuts and DIN985 M5 lock nuts:

    I then cut and crimped the cables to length, keeping in mind to leave enough space to place and remove the battery packs. Use the FLDNY 5.5-250 crimp terminals to connect to the battery pack holders, and the RNB 5.5-8 crimp terminal for screwing into the inverter:

    After a quick test fit, I cut holes for the outlets, mounted it, and connected it to the inverter:

    And that's job done! :)

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Discussions

Victor Toal wrote 03/01/2024 at 13:15 • point

This is interesting, I am also pretty deep into Makita tools. Have you looked into what might have ro be done differently for the 40v battery platform?

  Are you sure? yes | no

Thijs Koppen wrote 03/03/2024 at 18:35 • point

Hej Victor, as far as I'm aware, the 40V XGT battery packs are 36V nominal, like combining two LXT packs. That would mean the inverter I used would work fine off 2 XGT packs. One of the bigger headaches would probably be trying to make the packs fit in the case. Also, sourcing the terminal to connect to a pack might prove more difficult, and you'd have to redesign a new holder around it. Hope that helps!

  Are you sure? yes | no

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