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Current draw

itsallgood

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Joined
Sep 24, 2019
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Ottawa Ontario Canada
I have this small dc buck converter to charge some LiFePO4 cells and it is rated for 3A max. I also have a AC lithium charger rated at 14.5v 40A. Is there any way I can limit the current so it doesn't blow my buck converter or do I have to find a different charger?
 
You limit it by not putting it in situation to overloading it and using a fuse or breaker. They can take short time overloads. From China, I wouldn't use it over half that current. They often use maximum device rating and not how it was built for heat dissipation.
 
The item supplying current to the lifepo4 cells should be current limiting itself. You can get buck / boost / etc boards off ebay that are both voltage regulated and current limited. As efficientPV said, it's all cheap junk so buyer beware.

 
The item supplying current to the lifepo4 cells should be current limiting itself. You can get buck / boost / etc boards off ebay that are both voltage regulated and current limited. As efficientPV said, it's all cheap junk so buyer beware.


Well I tested the buck converter and the output v was significantly lower than than the input and I couldn't adjust the output as the sparse instructions implied. Sent it back and I will get a variable, regulated power supply instead. On to my next issue ...
 
A very low ohm resistor can also be in series to limit current. 1 ohm at 1A would be a voltage drop of 1V, about what a dead cell would be. Just take a little longer.
 
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