Lithium batteries and alternator protection.
The six 6 volt lead-acid house batteries in my class A DP have gone bad. I am looking to replace them with 6 Battleborn 100Ah 12v LiFePO batteries. Eventually I will be adding solar. I am not look...
Forum Discussion
Ref alternator voltage, our 2016 Ram 3500 produces 14.3v - 14.4v about 95% of the time. However, there are times when it drops to 13.9v when the batteries are discharged and the alternator is under high load charging the batteries. This typically happens when we have to repeatedly start/stop the engine in very hot weather after the truck had been sitting for a few weeks.
On the flipside, while operating in very cold weather, typically less than 20f, alternator voltage on our Ram can ramp up as high as 15v. The first time I saw this happen, I was envisioning all kinds of over-voltage damage throughout the truck. However, according to Ram this is normal operation. The higher voltage is needed to properly charge lead-cell batteries in very cold weather.
Ref overcharging via the 7-pin, a lifepo4 (with a properly functioning BMS) would have to be subjected to =>14.6v continuously for days/weeks at a time to be overcharged. Odds of a vehicle producing that high of a voltage at the 7-pin connector (after flowing through a 10-20 ft run of small gauge wire with high voltage drop) are very low. Odds of a vehicle running continuously for days/weeks at a time . . . practically zero.
On the flipside, while operating in very cold weather, typically less than 20f, alternator voltage on our Ram can ramp up as high as 15v. The first time I saw this happen, I was envisioning all kinds of over-voltage damage throughout the truck. However, according to Ram this is normal operation. The higher voltage is needed to properly charge lead-cell batteries in very cold weather.
Ref overcharging via the 7-pin, a lifepo4 (with a properly functioning BMS) would have to be subjected to =>14.6v continuously for days/weeks at a time to be overcharged. Odds of a vehicle producing that high of a voltage at the 7-pin connector (after flowing through a 10-20 ft run of small gauge wire with high voltage drop) are very low. Odds of a vehicle running continuously for days/weeks at a time . . . practically zero.
