The Seplos 280 Mason DIY battery kit is a popular choice for home solar and off-grid energy storage. These kits are designed for LiFePO4 cells. The kits are from China, and most contents seem to be standard, but there may be some regional differences included by different suppliers. This is an unboxing of a kit supplied in the UK by Fogstar, and this version is with the Grade A, 304 ah cells.
I’ll begin this by saying that I purchased this kit, and I have no connection to Fogstar or to Seplos in any way. I have installed two of these in my own house, and have worked on some from other suppliers, for other people from time to time.
All in all, this kit is essentially just a case to house and protect the cells. It has reasonable compression of the cell pack, by way of a bolt on panel behind the front panel and BMS, and it is sturdily made. The second, and probably more important item, is the BMS itself, which controls, monitors and balances the cells.
What do you get?
The standard contents of the Seplos 280 Mason Battery Kit are:
Main Hardware:
- 1* Battery Case (Bottom case, Front Panel, Top Bracket, Front Bracket, Top cover)
- 1 * 48V 200A 16S Seplos BMS
- 1 * 58V 400A Fuse
- 4 * Handle
- 2 * PCB Board for BMS and Cell Connection
- 3 * Upper and Lower Latch lock
- 1 * LCD Screen
- 1 * LCD Screen Sticker
- 4 * Button Cap
- 3 * Wires (LCD Screen wire, PCB board A and PCB board Connector)
- 2 * Battery Terminals (P+ Terminal and P- Terminal)
- 6 * Copper bus bars (BMS connection)
- 15 * Aluminum bus bars (cell connection)
- 10 * Epoxy sheet (between cell and the case)
- 26 * EVA Tape (between cells)
- 1 * PC sheet (top cover)
Screws and Bolts:
- 12 * Phillip Hex M4 * 8mm (PCB board fix)
- 9 * Phillip Hex M5 * 8mm + Washer + Spring Set (ground cable and top bracket fix)
- 7 * Phillip Hex M6 * 25mm + Washer + Spring Set (front Panel fix)
- 10 * Phillip Round M3 * 8mm + Washer + Spring Set (BMS and LCD Screen fix)
- 12 * Phillip Pan M5 * 10mm (latch fix)
- 16 * Hexagan Socket Pan M4 * 10mm (P+/P- Terminals fix)
- 42 * Hexagan Socket Countersunk M4 * 10mm (Handle and battery case)
- 4 * Phillip Hex M6 * 14mm + Washer + Spring Set (foot fix)
- 5 * Phillip Hex M8 * 10mm + Washer + Spring Set (P+/P- Bus bar fix)
- 8 * Phillip Round M5 * 10mm + Washer
Grade A additions:
- Seplos Grade A busbars
Cells
In this kit, I opted for the 16 EVE 304 ah Grade A cells.
As you can see in the image below, these cells come with the threaded, two bolt busbar terminals. These terminals, in combination with the upgraded busbars, give a much more secure connection than the single pin connections that I’ve seen on most other cells that I’ve worked on.
Packaging and Delivery
The packaging was second to none. The whole lot came on a large pallet, well strapped down and very sturdy.
Unboxing the Seplos mason kit is actually quite challenging, as everything is so securely packed. The cells are in boxes of 4, with so much foam surrounding them, and such a snug fit, that there is no chance of them getting damaged. At least not without a serious accident.
The mason kit itself is similar, and would take a very substantial knock to cause damage.
The Verdict so far:
I have been very happy with the way each Seplos Mason kit has turned up, and with the quality of the contents.
Noticably, the Grade A busbars, whilst a small thing, make a huge difference. The quality compared to the standard aluminium busbars is like chalk and cheese. These Grade A bars are flexible, and will allow movement between cells, unlike the rigid standard bars. Also these busbars are nickle plated copper, which should be a far superior conductor than the lightweight aluminium.
All in all, I am very pleased. I hope this Seplos Mason 280 Battery Kit unboxing has been useful. I have no affiliation with the company, however, if you’d like to have a look at the Seplos site for this, then please follow this link. On there you can find more assembly instructions.
Please check out the battery build article coming soon.