Advice on Lithium Solar setup
Hello, I'm about to move into a conversion van full-time, 80% boondocking, and would like your advice about what I'm planning. My electrical requirements won't be much. I don't expect to use more t...
Forum Discussion
pianotuna wrote:
Brulaz,
All the reading I've done suggests that LI do not wish to be floated.
I've gleaned that 90% soc is going to give the best results, and that 20% is as low as you wish to go.
The question becomes does the maker "code" that into the battery management system? To me that would make the most sense.
Yes that's the problem. What is the BMS doing?
Battleborn says that while you can charge up their LiFePO4 cells at lower voltages, maybe as low as 3.4V per cell (13.6V for 4), you want to go higher to *balance* the cells, up to their recommended 14.4-14.6V. The balancing is strictly a BMS function and the BMS balancing procedure controls the individual cell voltages.
So what happens if you have only weak solar or alternator V's that never get up high enough to balance the cells? I dunno. But this guy on the other forum may have a BMS (LifeBlue) that's unsuccessfully trying to balance at low voltages. Again, I dunno.
I do like the BattleBorn's BMS though. They seem to have protected the cells against most issues, including low temperature. But still too expensive for me though. :(
