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Following along and interested to see what you finally come up with. My contribution to the thought process so far is consideration of the following (with enough buffer): Ability to capture energy (Solar Panels) 3,200 (ish) watts (x 10 hours/day) = 30 KWh Ability to store energy (Batteries)...

Solar panels on a car . . . not a bad idea, but as well noted, the power would only be a supplement to what may be needed. It is a nice thought that while your car is sitting in a workplace parking lot all day, that it would be re-gaining some of its charge.

I think I'm good with the way I have them connected. :)

I'll keep the wring options under consideration, but I'm onto the DC-DC charger configuration and my alternator woes. Here are the 4 prescribed ways of configuring batteries in parallel as shown on the Victron website. I have essentially used the a combination of the first and second method...

While we are concerning ourselves with wire and bus bar resistance and the potential voltage differences . . . 00 AWG copper has a resistance of approximately 0.079 ohms/1000 feet. My 33 inch battery lead wires (call it 3 feet) have a resistance of . . . 0.079/1000 x 3 = 0.000237 ohms @...

There is one additional consideration that the installation manual makes note of in larger battery arrays (4P, etc), is to join the batteries together for balancing. They don't show it in the simple 2 parallel installation, but it still could apply, because it is one of the preparation steps...

Just reading up on the Orion TR Smart, I plan to re-wire it to be remote activated. The User manual described a few ways of remote activation; a couple of them involving ignition key sensing. #1) Using the H-pin The switch in the diagram would essentially be the ignition voltage when the key...

The fire extinguisher that you see in the pictures is a fixed mount automatic system, typically found it boats (often referred to as a 'halon' system, although I don't think they use halon). It is heat activated and also sends a signal to the engine ignition system and dash panel display. Here...

Yes, I was thinking that was an issue. Of course, I had someone tell me it would be OK, but perhaps it was not good guidance. Thank you. 👍

Actually, I hoping to get some guidance on the Orion Tr Smart DC-DC charger . . . which is not happy, based on my testing. I have the settings as follows if I recall correctly: Set up as a charger Standard alternator Smart LiFePO4 battery Using on/off jumper Engine shutdown protection enabled...

The photo obscures the view of a portion of the cables, but it is wired just like the manual shows. The diagrams in post #25 are different than the manual states. Now, I don't often read the manual for things like this, but in this case I did. . . . sort of . . . I do see that you altered...

A quick update . . . After some testing and trial operation . . . The solar charging is working fine. Charging from shore power via the Xantrex Freedom SW 2012 and the ProNautic 1203P are both working fine. Charging from the engine alternators . . . not so much. I ran the Port (left) engine...

Well, maybe take it up with the folks at LiTime . . . Their connection instructions per the manual are this: . Which I have done. As mentioned, the cables are a bit longer than I'd like (33 inches).

Here are a couple of 'finished' pictures . . . battery boxes and ID labels in place. The system seems to be working well. Not much solar, due to cloudy/rainy days. I have not fired up the engines either, since overnight temperatures still get a bit cold. . . .

Yes . . . one would think that the BMS in the LFP batteries could be modified so that it does a slow enough shut-off to give the electric field in the alternator time to collapse. Might not be much time is needed (1-2 seconds ?). As you mentioned . . . I think the Balmar module puts enough...

Based on Patrick's experience, it looks like stand-alone LFP starter batteries are not ready for prime time. It seems like the battery(ies) would need a DC-DC charger to buffer the alternator . . . and probably one of those Balmar modules.

Yes, BS in engineering and an MBA . . . what we called "MBA-Tech" back in the day. Flextronics . . . I recall them being in Massachusetts along I-495. I worked for Data General in Soutbroro MA coming out of school. Then spent some time on the west coast as well in MA working in the...

Actually, I do. (I have an MBA) . . . time will tell.

When I started planning my LiFePO4 upgrade last year, 100 Ah batteries were about $500. When I bought them recently they were down to about $300. I would expect continuing price drops, but it is hard to say how much. I think the more pricey batteries will probably come down more so than the...

Looks like most of the decent sized 'starter' LFP batteries are $500+ . . . probably because of the BMS being able to handle the amps. So, not a thing right now from a cost perspective, but consideration for future as prices come down.

Good comments so far. Thanks folks ! I may try this at some point if my SLA starter batteries get 'tired'.

Greetings, A question for future considerations . . . I am seeing a few so-called LiFePO4 'Starter' Batteries come on the market, claiming to be "plug 'n play", and I know some marine engine manufacturers are listing them as OK to use with engines (mostly outboard engines I believe) that have...

Nice idea to share non-electrical DIY projects . . . I do a whole bunch of stuff DIY ranging from home remodeling to boat work, auto's, etc. Here are some of my finer projects . . . Custom extended swim platform for my previous boat (all made from scratch . . . well fiberglass & foam actually...

Thanks for your comments. Actually the batteries are now in battery boxes which are screwed into the battery shelf. The picture shown is one of the more final work-in-progress pictures, but not completed. As for the battery connections, I did hook them up as per the manufacturer's...

Since the chargers are quite different I did not consider it a best practice to have them both going at once. Some technical bulletins advise caution in using dissimilar chargers in parallel. I came across stuff like this . . . "Important: Not all chargers can be paralleled safely! Consult...

Greetings @solidseb . . . I just finished a system for my boat (power boat), and like you I did not know much about LiFePO stuff going into it. :unsure: I have a thread here on the Marine section if you want to look through it...

Here is the engine bay as it was originally . . . 7 (seven) 31-AGM batteries at 72 lbs each. Lots of weight and not much open space. There were originally 4 battery banks Starboard Engine ('Fred') - 1 Battery Port Engine ('Barney') - 1 Battery Accessory - 1 Battery Inverter - 4 Batteries ...

OK - Quick Update . . . The system is done and installed. I went with the EPEver DuoRacer solar controller instead of the Renogy, and the Orion TR Smart DC-DC Charger (Looks like the XS is not readily available yet). Here is a picture of the component panel with a few finishing touches...

Thanks for everyone's help on this. I think I am all set on the design. :LOL: I was hoping the Victron Orion XS units would be readily available when I am buying the components, but I may have to go with the older model (Smart TR) based on availability over the next couple of months. I am...

Thanks. I did have a design that used the AGM's to charge the LFP's (which would really be the alternators providing the power source). The Renogy unit is a (newer) 'dual input' unit designed to combine solar charging and a starter battery (alternator) to charge a house battery (which...

Greetings, I'm new to the forum and looking for some guidance. I have a twin engine boat that has a fairly complex electrical system and has 7 AGM batteries divided into 3 banks (originally it was 4 banks, but I joined 3 & 4 into a single bank). I added a 100 watt Renogy solar charging system...