Robberts DIY Projects

I'm Robbert Lievens, known online as Robbert DIY Projects. I've always been interested in electronics, electricity, and figuring out how things work.

I'm not a trained electrician or electrical engineer. Everything I know comes from years of experimenting, building, making mistakes, and learning from them.

As a kid, I took apart old radios, computers, and anything else I could get my hands on. That curiosity eventually led me to programming, microcontrollers, electrical installations, solar energy, and battery storage.

These days, one of my biggest interests is making my home more energy independent.

I enjoy finding practical ways to generate, store, and use energy more efficiently. And whenever possible, I prefer building the systems myself rather than buying a complete solution.

Building my own Victron home-battery system

One of my biggest energy projects is my Victron home-battery installation.

I've built a three-phase system using three 5 kVA Victron MultiPlus units combined with 48 kWh of LiFePO4 battery storage.

Instead of having a company install everything, I wanted to understand the entire system myself: how the batteries connect, how the inverters work together, how to distribute power across three phases, and how to make the installation work safely.

I've documented the process on my YouTube channel, including the wiring, components, configuration, and decisions I made along the way.

For me, battery storage isn't just about having electricity available when the sun isn't shining. It's about understanding how energy flows through a home and learning how to become less dependent on the electricity grid.

Generating electricity with solar panels

Solar energy is another important part of my setup.

I've installed 12 solar panels on one of my garden verandas, and I'm expanding the system with another six panels on a second veranda.

The panels are connected to my Victron installation, allowing me to combine solar generation with battery storage.

I like experimenting with different configurations and understanding how much electricity I actually generate, store, and consume.

What interests me most is how all these components work together as one system.

Heating water with solar energy

I'm also interested in using the sun for heating, not just electricity.

One of my projects was building a homemade solar swimming-pool heater using black-painted PVC electrical conduit instead of expensive dedicated solar heating hoses.

The idea was simple: let sunlight heat the water as it passes through the pipes.

Under suitable conditions, the system helps keep our swimming pool at around 30–32°C.

I enjoy projects like this because they show that you don't always need expensive equipment to make use of renewable energy.

Sometimes a simple idea, a bit of experimentation, and affordable materials can get you surprisingly far.

Learning from mistakes and sharing what works

I don't make videos because I consider myself an expert. I make them because I enjoy sharing what I'm working on and learning from other people.

One example was my 16 kWh battery video.

Someone watching noticed that the MEGA fuse I had used didn't have a suitable interrupting capacity for the installation.

After looking into it, I realized they were right.

I researched the issue, found an Adler EF3 fuse as a suitable replacement, and made a follow-up video explaining what went wrong and how I corrected it.

That's an important part of my approach.

I don't pretend every decision I make is perfect. I share my experiences, including mistakes, so others can learn from them too.

Electrical installations and battery systems involve real risks, and I believe it's important to keep questioning your choices and checking whether something can be done better.

Why energy independence interests me

For me, working with solar panels, home batteries, and efficient heating systems is about more than just saving money.

I enjoy understanding how things work and finding ways to rely less on external energy sources.

Building my own systems gives me the freedom to experiment, make improvements, and understand exactly what's happening behind the scenes.

I don't claim to live completely off-grid. My projects are about moving toward greater energy independence, one improvement at a time.

And that's also why I enjoy sharing my experiences through OFFGRIDDR.

I believe practical experience, real measurements, and being open about both successes and failures can help others who want to become more self-sufficient.

My philosophy is simple: almost everything in the world is for sale, but making something yourself is much more satisfying than buying it.