flboy wrote:. Make sure to top balance your new cells first thing. That is important.
Yes. Top balancing and everything else associated with getting the new cells up and going is why I don't have time to get my new battery together yet. I won't start until I have time to get it all done.
I plan on putting the cells in their 4s configuration with BMS, and strapped together under pressure first to charge them most of the way up with the BMS and my solar charge controller. So I will have to configure the BMS and check the temperature cutoff. Then configure my controller for lithium.
Actually the BMS should be good to go for the first charge, but I plan on changing the conf after balanced to reduce the high and low percentages for regular use.
After its initial charge, I will take the cells back apart and put them strapped together in parallel to top balance them with a lab power supply. That may take awhile. Then when done I will put the cells back in series and into their case, and mount them into place with all of their connections.
It is still cold here. We were 18deg yesterday morning. I don't know that I am ready to trust the bms with low temps yet, and I don't want to leave a space heater on in the CT while I am gone. So that is the second reason I am not starting yet. My immediate next project is to set up a small battery heat pad for my cells.
This is pretty new to me am I missing any steps?