Joe,
I have been checking into this, and there are 2 things that
you should be aware of first.
1. You probably want LiFePO4 batteries as opposed to "regular"
lithium-ion batteries. The latter are the ones more likely to catch on
fire although it is a possibility with both chemistries. The LiFePO4
main advantage is that the cell voltage rises when fully charged in a
way that is similar to lead-acid batteries. You can purchase 12-volt
batteries that are designed to be hooked up to a vehicle (lead-acid)
charging system, but the manufactures often have an * on that, no
hooking them in series for example. This is due to the battery
management system (bms) that equalizes the charge on the individual
cells. There may be a maximum charge and discharge current for example,
which leads to the second thing.
2. There is no real standardization in the products that are available.
It is really really important to read and understand the manufacturer's
specifications.
I bought a 20 amp hour battery to isolate the radio as an experiment and
it specifies that it is not to be connected in series to make a 24-volt
system. Their documentation states that if you want a higher voltage
battery from them you need to buy one. They are ok to charge or
discharge in parallel. This is all down to the capabilities of the BMS
electronics that they are using as I understand it. Different
manufactures, different specs.
Steve Thomas
Mystique
------ Original Message ------
From: cnc-list@cnc-list.com
To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com
Cc: joe.della.ba...@ssa.gov
Sent: Tuesday, September 14, 2021 9:27 AM
Subject: Stus-List anyone gone lithium?
My batteries are about shot and I am thinking of going to lithium
batteries. I have to say I thought I knew this stuff and it seems
massively confusing with a ton of directly contradictory information.
One big issue seems that if the BMS disconnects for any reason, that
will do a lot of damage to your alternator and perhaps other equipment
too. Add to that my regulator does not have a specific lithium setting,
I would need to get into the custom menus and try and make one.
What seems to be the best bet is just to connect the alternator to the
start battery and use a DC-DC charger to charge the lithium bank. Some
of them also take solar input, so that saves me buying a solar
controller with lithium settings, which is something else I don’t
currently have.
Joe
Coquina
Thanks to all of the subscribers that contributed to the list to
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list - use PayPal to send contribution --
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Thanks - Stu
Thanks to all of the subscribers that contributed to the list to help with the
costs involved. If you want to show your support to the list - use PayPal to
send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray Thanks - Stu
