LiFePo4 Batteries

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Re: LiFePo4 Batteries

Postby bdosborn » Fri Jun 21, 2019 5:58 pm

KennethW wrote:This is the battery I have.(Lifepo4) So far I like it good power and easy to solar charge. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/BLS-12V ... st=ae803_5


Nice. I still haven't tried mine out camping, just haven't been able to get out. :cry:
That's something I didn't realize until after I bought a new MPPT charger, you skip the absorption stage that a lead acid battery requires, shaving hours off the recharge time.
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Re: LiFePo4 Batteries

Postby Esteban » Fri Jun 21, 2019 7:09 pm

Does anyone have experience with Firefly Oasis - Carbon foam AGM batteries? They cost considerably less than LiFePo4 batteries. The Oasis G31 battery is priced at $512. The G31 battery (supposedly) can last for ~1000 discharges to 80% DOD or ~3600 discharges to 50% DOD.






Last edited by Esteban on Fri Jun 21, 2019 10:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: LiFePo4 Batteries

Postby KennethW » Fri Jun 21, 2019 8:17 pm

The fire fly says after 1000 cycle at 80% discharge the battery lost 50% of it's power. A lithium is rated as bad when it is at 80% power.
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Re: LiFePo4 Batteries

Postby John61CT » Fri Jun 21, 2019 9:08 pm

Yes I've installed a dozen FF banks.

They do not have all the same advantages of LFP but are absolutely unique in resisting PSOC abuse and allowing lower discharge usage when necessary.

Biggest problem is getting them, production has not been able to catch up with demand, last set was backordered 4+ months.

Contact the master distributor Bruce S @ OceanPlanet for referral to an authorized dealer.

Do not work with anyone importing from India bypassing Bruce's dealers if you want good service & warranty.

https://www.google.com/search?q=+maine- ... efly+oasis

Maine Sail's actual review (paid subscription)
https://www.practical-sailor.com/issues/37_53/

Further discussion start a new thread
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Re: LiFePo4 Batteries

Postby bdosborn » Tue Aug 20, 2019 8:46 pm

An update, I finally went camping and used the new battery. The recharge time seems faster than it was before probably because there's no absorption stage with the Victron MPPT controller. I think the Victron is a little more efficient that the Morningstar it replaced, I was seeing a touch more power coming in than I expected. Victron's Bluetooth cellphone interface is really nice, lots of good information. I installed a Renogy DC to DC charger so I can recharge the LiFePO4 from the truck alternator safely. I added the 20A model instead of the 40A as I don't think the truck wiring could take much more than 20A. I wired it so it comes on with the running lights and it worked as advertised, I saw 20A of charge current coming in through the Victron Battery Monitor. It rained most of one day and the PV panels still brought the batteries back to full (about 40 amp-hrs), which was a pleasant surprise. I was sure the battery wouldn't get fully charged due to the overcast but it did. So far so good, the LiFePO4 is great.

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Re: LiFePo4 Batteries

Postby aggie79 » Wed Aug 28, 2019 11:39 am

bdosborn wrote:An update, I finally went camping and used the new battery. The recharge time seems faster than it was before probably because there's no absorption stage with the Victron MPPT controller. I think the Victron is a little more efficient that the Morningstar it replaced, I was seeing a touch more power coming in than I expected. Victron's Bluetooth cellphone interface is really nice, lots of good information. I installed a Renogy DC to DC charger so I can recharge the LiFePO4 from the truck alternator safely. I added the 20A model instead of the 40A as I don't think the truck wiring could take much more than 20A. I wired it so it comes on with the running lights and it worked as advertised, I saw 20A of charge current coming in through the Victron Battery Monitor. It rained most of one day and the PV panels still brought the batteries back to full (about 40 amp-hrs), which was a pleasant surprise. I was sure the battery wouldn't get fully charged due to the overcast but it did. So far so good, the LiFePO4 is great.

Bruce


Bruce,

It's good to hear your experience with the LiFePO4 battery and Victron MPPT.

I'm interested to hear more about the Renogy DC to DC charger. Are you powering it through the 7-pin RV connector or are you using separate conductors and Anderson-type connectors?

Thank you and take care,
Tom
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Re: LiFePo4 Batteries

Postby bdosborn » Wed Aug 28, 2019 7:04 pm

I'm running it through the trailer connector. The connector is the pinch point as the wire is about a 14#, which is undersized for 20A, much less the 30 or so amps the input pf the DC converter requires. I've got my fingers crossed that it doesn't burn up, but if it does I'll have to run a dedicated wire. I have #6 wire on the truck and #10 from the trailer connector to the DC converter. FYI, I had to up-size the truck wire, it was a 18# stock(??!!!). The trailer connector wire is why I didn't go with the 40A version.

The converter seems to work as advertised, pumping 15-20 amps (depending on the battery state of charge) at 13.5V into the battery. I didn't get a chance to see if it finished the battery charge politely by tapering charge current off at 14.6V. So it seems to work as you would expect and its a must have if you want to charge a LeFePo4 battery from your tow vehicle. FYI, the truck has a 140A alternator so the additional load isn't a problem, I would be careful on a car to make sure your alternator has the capacity required.
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Re: LiFePo4 Batteries

Postby aggie79 » Thu Aug 29, 2019 7:49 am

Thanks again Bruce! :thumbsup:
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Re: LiFePo4 Batteries

Postby bdosborn » Sat Jan 04, 2020 7:57 pm

I finally got around to load testing the LiFePO4 battery. I used 144 amp-hrs and have a capacity of 180 amp-hrs so I discharged it down to 20%:

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It only took 3 hours to charge it back up; it would taken half a day to completely charge a LA battery. I really like how the Iota charger works, steady 45 amp charge, tapers the current at the end when the battery reaches 14.6V and then floats the battery down to 13.5V.

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Re: LiFePo4 Batteries

Postby John61CT » Sat Jan 04, 2020 9:14 pm

Soory but how do you know your actual 100% SoC capacity if this is your first load test?

And why are you going so far up the voltage curve? Hope you don't plan to do that in normal usage, only point to hitting the max like that is when benchmarking SoH.

Link again to the cells, BMS / BM etc you actually purchased. . .
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Re: LiFePo4 Batteries

Postby featherliteCT1 » Sat Jan 04, 2020 9:38 pm

Bruce,

Thanks for posting that real life data. I continue to learn from your postings.
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Re: LiFePo4 Batteries

Postby bdosborn » Sun Jan 05, 2020 2:25 pm

featherliteCT1 wrote:Bruce,

Thanks for posting that real life data. I continue to learn from your postings.


:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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