Most reacted posts

Well, I can say that with all the lower powered stuff, like from Genasun, and nearly ALL small pwm controllers - zero rfi. Hang one onto your dc rails, and things might be different, as it is no longer an rfi issue, but a conducted-via-the-dc rails issue. :) So yeah, don't be too upset...

Forgot - don't short-cycle it. A minimum of 5-10% discharge if cycling is good to go by. You can reach a stage where if you discharge less than that all the time , and always recharge to full, not enough lead is turned into lead-sulfate across the surface, and develops back in an irregular...

The problem with discussing EQ in a solar application, especially when you see an EQ setting in a solar controller is typically not the real thing, and manufacturers, dealers, and end-users get things mixed up in the discussion. A TRUE EQ for a flooded battery is fine, where it takes anywhere...

Is it me that I might be drinking too much coffee when I see these numbers? Is it possible that the Renogy inverter is a 120v output model and not 240v, and hurting the microwave (unless it auto-adjusts) and also misleading the arlec monitor designed for 240? I'm probably crazy, but had to...

What we're most interested in is the formation and ageing process. This takes time, energy, sometimes human labor, which means money. If you rush this process, (due to customer demand or other forces), there can be a likelyhood that the cells are "Grade A" when they come off the line and...

A somewhat laughable (expensive) story of my early-adopter mis-information woes. Or read as "What NOT to do!" Early on, when the only cells we could get in any large capacity to drive DIY EV's and other hobbiest stuff, there seemed to be some confusion about LFP vs Non-LFP charging procedures...

LFP - the only smart choice. The example I give to some is that of motorcycle LFP batteries being installed just 3 inches from your butt. There's a reason we don't use other lithium chemistries for that, unless one is just plumb crazy. And of course like all batteries, any battery in...

Honestly, no I cannot. A trusted old EV'er friend (rip) tipped me off. But that was back in the day when we were told that it was ok to top-balance at 4.2v. Other little things, like graphs copy-n-pasted from others, and lacking important detail was common, so lack of manufacturer details...

Whatever you do, don't set your balance trigger at 3.2v. That is too low, and YES, it will unbalance the cells because balance is only done once you are well into the upper-knee of charge. Even 3.4v is skirting the hairy edge. At a nominal 3.2v, due to LFP's flat charge profile, that voltage...

Yep - it's called the "edge of cloud" effect. Little bit of magnifying going on there. One reason if you are running near the edge of a cheap controller with no stated headroom specs, I always double it. Ie, if all I really need is a 5A controller, I'll bump it up to 10A just to be sure if...

I'd move it to the cooler hallway - unless that means a much longer cable run which leads to voltage drop problems. Much of the high-heat damage is amplified by having cells charged up to full and staying that way, but looks like you are actively using them and not leaving them at full charge...

I hate to say it, but have you done your social engineering after any such event and your system survives? Ie, being the only guy on the block with power - and with light on at night after a week or so, people can get jealous and you stand out like a light-house beacon and may have to defend...

Well, that's not just right. In other words, you are renting them, and then leaving me to buy your returns unknowingly, or raising prices for us all. Thanks.

I'm going to channel my inner Professor Jeff Dahn : Op has vendor supplied battery and bms Also has vendor supplied black-box charge/discharger with special sensor. Has his own multimeter (possibly high end that tracks similar to special vendor supplied sensor) No reason given (other than...

Right! Normally you would not want to run up to 15.5v on a normal cyclic basis but what that did was a conservative refresher one, which produced good results. Here's the chess-game moves again: Normally a true long 15.5v EQ of a many hours with all those maintenance goodies at hand takes...

Other than gross differences in balance, cell voltages measured at rest are not that meaningful and you can be led into a false state of trust. Voltage / balance differences are meaningful while *under charge*. THAT is where it matters most.

A fully charged LFP can easily come to a resting voltage of 13.5v. (about 3.38v/cell resting). Fully charged to capacity, there is little to no CV current flowing when applied.

I'd contact them, or go to their site to get the recommended procedure if you are a prospective purchaser, or original-owner. This is especially important to demonstrate a warranty. Generally speaking, there is no need, nor is it actually desirable to HOLD lithium batteries (lfp or non-lfp) at...

Wow, that's a bummer. Ignore crazy old grandpa's advice here who likes to yell at clouds... :) It seems like this is a losing game of getting manufacturers to hold to their stated Ah capacity. Some make it, but many don't, despite exposure. Will has helped, but overall.. It is nice that...

Most likely from reducing that initial max CV rate from 4.2v down to 4.0, and even the sometime later to something like 3.9v, so punters like me who didn't realize you only do this once, and then revert back to a more normal 3.65v max for the rest of life. I was working with pre-yellow...

Only one way I know of:

It's one of the oldest cons in the book. Speaking of which, you have purchased their book right? Oh, and before you could make money with click-through links, "dirty electricity" meters were popular too. The bigger problem is all that dirty radio and television signals pouring through your...

Dude, that chart ROCKS! Thank you! (Assuming all cells are well-matched and balanced... perhaps @Will Prowse would be interested in testing this with an unused pile of batts sitting around ..) What isn't charted of course is the time-vs-current element needed to reach that tail-current. In...

The fun is in the details however. Until the sun goes down. If it reach full charge at breakfast time, not so good. If you reach full charge late in the afternoon, and 10 minutes later the sun goes down throwing the big universal master switch, not so bad. Thing is, generalized statments...

It was fascinating to see how we get away with paralleling a bunch of cells at first with just finger-tightening without any fireworks due to the really poor initial contact. No drama! Good on him for demonstrating that. The point I was making that I've run into this over-current problem in...

18650 is merely a size, not an indication of chemistry. Theoretical questions such as these show that you are unsafe and need MUCH more real-world knowledge before you hurt yourself or others. At the very least, stop thinking of 3.7v nominal 18650's, and stick with 3.2v nominal LFP / LiFeP04...

The wondering is whether it is just a case of some foam spacer being bigger than they should be, maybe a sloppier Monday-morning build, or if there is a true former-owner 3rd party return issue kind of thing. One just can't tell for sure to make a definitive recommendation. After seeing those...

Heh, yep. Back then many didn't know that there even was a difference in lithium chemistry, and so treated their cells like what they knew - LiCo and variants. Actual specs were sometimes hard to find, and when Winston's had a 4.0v "max" charge, that seemed close enough to what they were...

Bud's advice is sound. Please know the difference between a sealed gel, and a sealed agm. They have different CV charge voltage values. One will undercharge and one will overcharge if you don't get it right. Vehicular starter batteries are also not the right match, since they are designed...

You spent good money on a very nice battery, so don't cheap out with your tools like amateur-ish hacks like using a cheap PSU - which aren't designed to have voltage from a battery on their output terminals. Much like being a fine furniture craftsman, and using a sawz-all to make your cuts. :)...