For my EPQ during my A-Levels I built a Powerwall, a simplified version of what Tesla manufactures. Alongside this I also built a 3D printer based on the Prusa i3 Mk2. To read about the 3D printer please go here.

A power wall is an energy storage system that can be used for off-grid systems, or can be used in conjunction with renewable energy sources to store excess energy during times of high energy output and held either to be used at times of low energy output or to sell it back to the grid when energy costs are high.

I decided to make a low capacity power wall that could power small household electrical items during power outages. As part of this project I also chose to build a 3D printer from scratch so that I could 3D print the battery holders for the Powerwall.

Looking back at this project, there are a number of aspects that I would redesign if I was given the chance, and other parts that were not the safest. Nowadays I am very safety conscious and always try to have a plan for what to do were something to ever go wrong.

Since building this 3D printer I have since replaced it with an Creality Ender 3 and disassembled it. This was due to its low precision and unreliability. I do now realise that I should have just bought battery holders to begin with and this would have made my EPQ a lot easier and would allow me to expand the battery pack in the future if required. Whilst this build was an unnecessary side project, it started my 3D printing journey and taught me a lot about automated machines and by extension robotics.

In the future I would like to build another 3D printer from scratch that is a Core-XY printer as I have seen first hand how quick and accurate they are at printing.