I’m putting together a DIY 12V power station for a continuous off-grid livestream, and I want to make sure I’m sizing the cables, fuses, and disconnect switch correctly before I buy everything.

One of the reasons we decided to go with multiple 12V batteries instead of one huge battery is because my dad will be the one working with this setup a lot, and he can’t lift a 100-pound battery. We wanted something more manageable that we could still combine into a larger battery bank.

This setup is going to be used for a continuous off-grid livestream. It will be running Axis cameras, a network switch, an outdoor ONT, and a router, which should come out to around 100 watts of continuous power draw. The inverter itself uses about another 10 watts, so the total continuous draw should be around 110 watts.

One of the main reasons we went with multiple 12V batteries is because my dad can’t lift a 100-pound battery, so we needed something that would be easier for him to handle while still giving us enough capacity for the livestream setup.

What we purchased:

• Batteries: 3 × DC HOUSE 12V 150Ah LiFePO4 Batteries with Bluetooth, SOC Indicators & Low-Temperature Protection
• Battery charger: 1 × DC HOUSE 12V 10A Smart LiFePO4 Battery Charger for LiFePO4 & Lead-Acid
• Inverter: 1 × Renogy P2 700W Pure Sine Wave Inverter, 12V DC to 120V AC

What we’re planning for the setup:

• All three 12V 150Ah batteries connected together in parallel for a 12V 450Ah battery bank
• Positive and negative busbars
• Fuses between the batteries and equipment
• A battery disconnect/master switch so we can easily shut the whole DIY power station off
• Solar later, but for now we’ll recharge with the battery charger
• This will eventually be powering equipment for a continuous off-grid livestream

We were originally thinking about using 2 AWG cable for most of the high-current connections, but the more I’ve been reading, the more I realize that the correct wire size depends on both the amperage and the length of each cable run.

I’ve also read that on some very short cable runs, something like under 7 inches, a separate fuse may not always be required, but I’m not sure if I’m understanding that correctly. I really just want to make sure we buy everything we need and build this safely, especially since this setup is intended to run for long periods of time.

My questions are:

1. What size cable should I use from each battery to the busbars?
2. What size cable should I use from the busbars to the 700W inverter?
3. Is 2 AWG overkill, appropriate, or not large enough for these connections?
4. What size main fuse should be installed between the battery bank and the rest of the system?
5. What size fuse does the Renogy P2 700W inverter need? I cannot find this information on Renogy’s website.
6. Where should the fuse for the Renogy 700W inverter be installed? At the busbar, near the inverter, or somewhere else?
7. Should every positive cable coming off the busbar be individually fused?
8. Can you add a fuse directly to a busbar, or is there even a need to? Would it be better to buy a fused busbar instead of a regular busbar and separate fuse holders?
9. Is it true that very short cable runs sometimes don’t require a separate fuse, or should I still fuse them?
10. Is ANL appropriate for these fuses, or should I be using something like MRBF instead?
11. How close to each battery should its fuse be?
12. Since we are connecting all three 12V 150Ah batteries together in parallel, should each battery have its own fuse before connecting to the positive busbar? If so, what size fuse and cable should be used for each battery?
13. What gauge cable should we use for the different lengths and parts of the system?
14. We want a master on/off switch on the DIY power station so it’s easy to completely shut it down. Where in the system should the disconnect switch go, and what amperage rating/type of switch should we use for this battery bank?
15. Should the master disconnect switch shut off everything, including the inverter and anything else connected to the busbars?
16. Since this is going to be used for a continuous off-grid livestream, is there anything we should do differently when sizing the wiring, fuses, busbars, or disconnect switch because the system may be under load for long periods of time?
17. Is there anything else I’m forgetting that we should include to make this DIY power station safe and reliable?

I’m not trying to size everything as cheaply or minimally as possible. I’d rather go a little oversized on the wiring if that gives us some headroom and helps reduce voltage drop and heat.

This is my first time building something like this, so I’m trying to double-check everything before ordering the rest of the parts.

I’m putting together a DIY 12V power station and I want to make sure I’m sizing the cables, fuses, and disconnect switch correctly before I buy everything.

What we purchased:

• Batteries: 3 × DC HOUSE 12V 150Ah LiFePO4 Batteries with Bluetooth, SOC Indicators & Low-Temperature Protection
• Battery charger: 1 × DC HOUSE 12V 10A Smart LiFePO4 Battery Charger for LiFePO4 & Lead-Acid
• Inverter: 1 × Renogy P2 700W Pure Sine Wave Inverter, 12V DC to 120V AC

What we’re planning for the setup:

• All three 12V 150Ah batteries connected together in parallel for a 12V 450Ah battery bank
• Positive and negative busbars
• Fuses between the batteries and equipment
• A battery disconnect/master switch so we can easily shut the whole DIY power station off
• Solar later, but for now we’ll recharge with the battery charger

We were originally thinking about using 2 AWG cable for most of the high-current connections, but the more I’ve been reading, the more I realize that the correct wire size depends on both the amperage and the length of each cable run.

I’ve also read that on some very short cable runs, something like under 7 inches, a separate fuse may not always be required, but I’m not sure if I’m understanding that correctly. I really just want to make sure we buy everything we need and build this safely.

My questions are:

1. What size cable should I use from each battery to the busbars?
2. What size cable should I use from the busbars to the 700W inverter?
3. Is 2 AWG overkill, appropriate, or not large enough for these connections?
4. What size main fuse should be installed between the battery bank and the rest of the system?
5. What size fuse does the Renogy P2 700W inverter need? I cannot find this information on Renogy’s website.
6. Where should the fuse for the Renogy 700W inverter be installed? At the busbar, near the inverter, or somewhere else?
7. Should every positive cable coming off the busbar be individually fused?
8. Can you add a fuse directly to a busbar, or is there even a need to? Would it be better to buy a fused busbar instead of a regular busbar and separate fuse holders?
9. Is it true that very short cable runs sometimes don’t require a separate fuse, or should I still fuse them?
10. Is ANL appropriate for these fuses, or should I be using something like MRBF instead?
11. How close to each battery should its fuse be?
12. Since we are connecting all three 12V 150Ah batteries together in parallel, should each battery have its own fuse before connecting to the positive busbar? If so, what size fuse and cable should be used for each battery?
13. What gauge cable should we use for the different lengths and parts of the system?
14. We want a master on/off switch on the DIY power station so it’s easy to completely shut it down. Where in the system should the disconnect switch go, and what amperage rating/type of switch should we use for this battery bank?
15. Should the master disconnect switch shut off everything, including the inverter and anything else connected to the busbars?
16. Is there anything else I’m forgetting that we should include to make this DIY power station safe?

I’m not trying to size everything as cheaply or minimally as possible. I’d rather go a little oversized on the wiring if that gives us some headroom and helps reduce voltage drop and heat.

This is my first time building something like this, so I’m trying to double-check everything before ordering the rest of the parts.

Edit 1: I should have added that this setup is going to be used for a continuous off-grid livestream. It will be running Axis cameras, a network switch, an outdoor ONT, and a router, which should come out to around 100 watts of continuous power draw. The inverter itself uses about another 10 watts, so the total continuous draw should be around 110 watts.

One of the main reasons we went with multiple 12V batteries is because my dad can’t lift a 100-pound battery, so we needed something that would be easier for him to handle while still giving us enough capacity for the livestream setup.

I’m putting together a DIY 12V power station and I want to make sure I’m sizing the cables, fuses, and disconnect switch correctly before I buy everything.

What we purchased:

• Batteries: 3 × DC HOUSE 12V 150Ah LiFePO4 Batteries with Bluetooth, SOC Indicators & Low-Temperature Protection
• Battery charger: 1 × DC HOUSE 12V 10A Smart LiFePO4 Battery Charger for LiFePO4 & Lead-Acid
• Inverter: 1 × Renogy P2 700W Pure Sine Wave Inverter, 12V DC to 120V AC

What we’re planning for the setup:

• All three 12V 150Ah batteries connected together in parallel for a 12V 450Ah battery bank
• Positive and negative busbars
• Fuses between the batteries and equipment
• A battery disconnect/master switch so we can easily shut the whole DIY power station off
• Solar later, but for now we’ll recharge with the battery charger

We were originally thinking about using 2 AWG cable for most of the high-current connections, but the more I’ve been reading, the more I realize that the correct wire size depends on both the amperage and the length of each cable run.

I’ve also read that on some very short cable runs, something like under 7 inches, a separate fuse may not always be required, but I’m not sure if I’m understanding that correctly. I really just want to make sure we buy everything we need and build this safely.

My questions are:

1. What size cable should I use from each battery to the busbars?
2. What size cable should I use from the busbars to the 700W inverter?
3. Is 2 AWG overkill, appropriate, or not large enough for these connections?
4. What size main fuse should be installed between the battery bank and the rest of the system?
5. What size fuse does the Renogy P2 700W inverter need? I cannot find this information on Renogy’s website.
6. Where should the fuse for the Renogy 700W inverter be installed? At the busbar, near the inverter, or somewhere else?
7. Should every positive cable coming off the busbar be individually fused?
8. Can you add a fuse directly to a busbar, or is there even a need to? Would it be better to buy a fused busbar instead of a regular busbar and separate fuse holders?
9. Is it true that very short cable runs sometimes don’t require a separate fuse, or should I still fuse them?
10. Is ANL appropriate for these fuses, or should I be using something like MRBF instead?
11. How close to each battery should its fuse be?
12. Since we are connecting all three 12V 150Ah batteries together in parallel, should each battery have its own fuse before connecting to the positive busbar? If so, what size fuse and cable should be used for each battery?
13. What gauge cable should we use for the different lengths and parts of the system?
14. We want a master on/off switch on the DIY power station so it’s easy to completely shut it down. Where in the system should the disconnect switch go, and what amperage rating/type of switch should we use for this battery bank?
15. Should the master disconnect switch shut off everything, including the inverter and anything else connected to the busbars?
16. Is there anything else I’m forgetting that we should include to make this DIY power station safe?

I’m not trying to size everything as cheaply or minimally as possible. I’d rather go a little oversized on the wiring if that gives us some headroom and helps reduce voltage drop and heat.

This is my first time building something like this, so I’m trying to double-check everything before ordering the rest of the parts.

Edit 1: I should have added that this setup is going to be used for a continuous off-grid livestream. It will be running Axis cameras, a network switch, an outdoor ONT, and a router, which should come out to around 100 watts of continuous power draw. The inverter itself uses about another 10 watts, so the total continuous draw should be around 110 watts.

One of the main reasons we went with multiple 12V batteries is because my dad can’t lift a 100-pound battery, so we needed something that would be easier for him to handle while still giving us enough capacity for the livestream setup.

We are finally getting internet to a remote location that we been working on getting for a while. We thought after all that we finally be able to live stream. Nope didn't think about the need for a computer and how we going to stream.

Well we have found 3 cameras we keep circling back to

1. Axis we may have access to some free ones but you have to get software that streams directly to youtube.
2. CCTV the price is good but nothing no 60fps
3. ptz optics they are not outdoor rated

What we want:

• 4k but we could go all the way down to 1080p
• 60fps we are filming wildlife
• we wanted and or opened to RTMP with camera youtube (no computer required)
• we can do laptop/tablet if that would be better work around

If there is a better way we are 100% open to any ideas. We cant do the live streaming at our main house its to noisy and the edge of the woods is about 1000ft from the house. The internet in the woods we are getting will be fiber.