Protecting your alternator when switching to lithium, Sterling Power Alternator Protection Device (APD), Anchor roller and deceptive store manager, The quick hull finish job fix that turned into a significant epoxy job, Protecting the alternator from overheating, Protecting the alternator from a load dump, Someone accidentally disconnects the battery with a switch while the engine is running, The BMS, under voltage or over voltage protection disconnects the battery for some reason, A fuse is blown disconnecting either the battery or the alternator. So by having a second alternator with a properly regulated output, the lithium batteries can have it their way, and the rest of your chassis electronics can have it theirs. Large wire size, potentially up to 2/0 wire, should be used due to minimizing voltage drop (Less than 3%) while accommodating high charging rates. Most of the time you are able to reprogram your existing chargers to match our batteries’ charging profiles. This third edition (2018) Camper Trailer Book details every aspect of camper trailers and their use. © Copyright 2021 Battle Born Batteries. This would give us 42 amp hours into our battery bank for every hour we are driving. Battery power Another major difference between these two battery systems is the amount of available power each will deliver to your RV. The You Tube clip showing overheating Alternator when charging Lithium batteries is wrong and misleading. However, I have no way to charge the house lithium by alternator. If the Lithium battery is full and stops charging the alternator will be toast. The MC-614 has some nice features such as the Belt Load Manager that can limit the max load of the alternator, regulate the alternator based on temperature etc. The video in this blog highlights these lithium challenges and shows you what can happen when things go wrong - namely alternator overheating, smoke and an expensive alternator […] Keep in mind that you first need to make sure that your existing alternator can be controlled by an external regulator instead of the internal regulator. Alternator ~> Lead Acid Battery ~> Charge Relay or B2B Charger ~> Lifepo4 batteries, which is ok if the starter batteries are the same voltage as the house batteries but otherwise it somewhat defeats the purpose of installing lithium if you also have to install extra lead acids. Carl, I have passed along your email to our sales and tech team and one of them will be following up with you shortly. These ‘parts’ will wear out as you use them. then disconnect the lithium battery from the alternator and lead-acid battery (output 2) then disconnect all charge sources from the lithium battery (output 5) if the BMS measures a cell voltage below 3.2v (12.8v for a 12v battery) it disconnects the starter battery from the lithium battery to avoid discharge of the starer battery (output 2) or trailer hook-up. In a Camper Van or Motorhome, you’ve already got a generator built-in. It has a built in Combiner function so the trolling batteries will never . I thought of a isolator but it seems, theoretically, that when the isolator (relay) kicks in when is senses the low voltage on the LAB (Led Acid Battery) that it will connect the two battery banks together in an attempt to charge the LAB. The most common way of current limiting the alternator is to use a lead-acid battery for the alternator. Alternator: Most factory alternators will sufficiently charge our lithium batteries and do not require any changes. Which can be tuned to Lithium settings. Even though both battery types are classified as a 12V battery, a lead-acid battery sits at a nominal voltage of 12.6V while on the other hand, our lithium batteries sit at a nominal voltage of 13.6V. The most common application of this set up is for alternator charging. In this video, we put both a traditional and a regulated alternator through its paces. So, if we have a 220 amp alternator… that would mean the most amps we could see coming into our house battery bank is 154 amps. 75 A to 150 A charge current. Hi Lorne, thanks for reaching out. Found inside – Page 6The family of lithium batteries include the: • Lithium iron phosphate • Lithium manganese oxide • Lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide ... The electric generator is called an alternator because it generates alternating current (ac). We travel fulltime. So, to answer the question: “How fast will my house battery bank recharge while I’m driving?” You could VERY roughly calculate 50% of your alternator size in amps times the number of hours you are driving, and this will tell you how many amp hours will be pushed back into your battery bank. Boats have two battery banks in common for service and cranking. - Yes, but not necessarily to full charge, due to the fact that most Alternators are adjusted for the lower voltage requirements of the vehicle Lead/Acid Battery (approximately 13.9-Volts). An option boost feature lets your house batteries start your ignition when your starter battery is dead. Alternator temperature should be checked with a temperature controled relay which disconnects the Lifepo4 service battery bank from the Alternator. Smart Alternators can charge parallel Batteries (non lithium) through ISOLATOR (not B2B charger). This is also a very rough figure because as the batteries get closer to full, the slower they will charge. Connect the 12V Pin of Scotty for 12V power in vehicle and also use for winch support. Email: liv@edholm.info Since lithium batteries have such a low resistance, the lithium battery will take all the charge current the alternator can deliver. This causes the alternator to deliver the max charge current until the battery is fully charged. If the alternator has no other way to deliver it’s current, the load dump will most likely burn the alternator diodes and destroy the alternator. DC to DC charger and new converter at $260 each. The You Tube clip showing overheating Alternator when charging Lithium batteries is wrong and misleading. Question: Wondering if you know of any Inverter/Charger that would also take on alternator charging/regulation for LiFePO4 batteries. This many Lithium batteries needs a lot of solar panels. If the alternator is disconnected from the battery, there is a high chance of damaging either the alternator or the different loads (or both). Irie to Aurora Powers Their Cross-Country Travels with Battle Born Batteries! It is important to have properly mounted temperature sensors to enable the charging to be scaled back in the case of high alternator temperature and to adjust the V for lead battery temperature variations. Battle Born recommends the Victron Orion TR Smart 12/12V-30A Isolated DC to DC Charger for charging needs. Found inside – Page 94It can be expected that by optimization of material compositions and perhaps alternator operating strategies, such high DCA ... As lithium-ion batteries do not share the DCA weakness described above, they have been suggested as an ... Däremot var installationen väldigt mycket mer krävande än vad jag trodde den skulle vara. The charge relay works in reverse when the solar or inverter/charger increases voltage to house battery during charging and it rises to over 13 volts, it connects the house to engine battery to charge it. You can't run them both directly off of the alternator without damaging your lithium batteries. Found inside – Page 23Chemical sources can be divided into alkaline batteries, acid batteries, neutral batteries and machine electrolyte ... such as zinc-manganese dry batteries, zinc-mercury dry batteries, zinc-silver dry batteries, and lithium batteries; ... I am not quiet sure if you need a dump protection for the Alternator when you replace only lead-acid service batteries with Lifepo4. My van has lithium as a house battery and lead acid as a starter battery. The alternator’s job is to keep that battery full. The Li-BIM (Lithium Ion Battery Isolation Manager) is a popular isolator designed specifically for use with Lithium Batteries.It has higher voltage open/close parameters that allow the isolator to open and close at more appropriate times depending on if the alternator is charging the house battery bank or shore/solar is able to charge the starting . With lithium batteries, we have a great source of power. The installation of the alternator and regulator, conversion to the serpentine belt, and calibration of the tachometer will be in a later post. Varying alternator sizes and vehicle setups make predicting charging rates with accuracy, difficult. Found insideDuring battery discharges, a chemical reaction deposits lead charging a battery from an alternator, ... For this reason, lithium ion batteries are much lighter than other types of rechargeable batteries of the same capacity. When choosing your isolating component, you will want to make sure that it is recommended by the Battle Born Battery team. to be able to leave in the summer of 2020. Your alternator always has to have somewhere for its power to go or it will self destruct. Why isolated? But since we only had a V-belt, we also had to upgrade to a serpentine belt since single V-belts can handle max 70A alternators. Some of the best ones are the Balmar MC-614 and the WakeSpeed WS500. This is not high enough to fully charge the lithium batteries. As much as I would like 100+ amps coming to my batteries, sometimes it’s risk vs reward and getting towed to the shop or performing a parking lot alternator change due to an overworked/overheated alternator, just plain sucks, IMO; but please use your own judgement when making this decision for your own camper. Found inside – Page 173237 On Reader Service Card o WORLD Octob ER 2001 Special Advertising Section BALMAR BALMAR ALTERNATORS AND REGULATORS ength, ... Wireless outdoor sensors transmit by radio waves and are solar-powered with backup lithium batteries. This means that when the engine is running and the isolator is allowing the house battery bank to charge, the Li-BIM will allow charge for 15 minutes, disconnect charge for 20 minutes to allow the alternator to cool, reconnect for 15 minutes, disconnect for 20 minutes, and this cycle will continue the entire time the engine is running. Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Full charged lead acid batteries will "rest" at 12.6 to 12.8 volts. Clear and logical, this extensively illustrated guide will enable the reader to be their own diesel mechanic. As Nigel Calder says: 'there is no reason for a boatowner not to have a troublefree relationship with a diesel engine. Keeping the lead-acid for cranking will prevent an open-circuit in case of BMS-disconnect. The Lithionics Battery lithium-ion house battery upgrade is relatively simple in that we do not need to cut into/ tap into any of the OEM Mercedes wiring and by adding/ connecting a Sterling Power BB1230 12 Volt DC to 12 Volt DC battery to battery charger with 30 Amps output, we do not void the Mercedes OEM alternator warranty. For most people, their goal is to power these ‘house’ batteries off of solar, which is great! Found inside – Page 380The charger in such a system is really the alternator and thus has additional design considerations such as load dump and inductive kickback effects that must be considered for their impact on the battery. A good example of a colocated ... Faster charge acceptance, lower weight, and using a lower state of charge to eliminate two batteries has appeal to this sailor. When this happens, this creates heating issues within your system arise which can damage your batteries and onboard components. I can set my inverter/charger to lithium and my solar charge controller lithium; both attached to the house battery. Programming your Balmar alternator regulator for Lithium Ion batteries Posted by Peter Kennedy on 10/12/2018 to Alternators Here are the default settings for the Balmar MC-614-H alternator regulator set to Lithium Ion batteries: It can charge at a rapid rate, potentially over 100 amps depending on the vehicle. Oct 07 2019 at 10:26 AM. On DC-DC Chargers, this voltage is also programmable so it will work for Lithium, AGM, Carbon Foam, Salt Water, or whatever other . One of the key features with the lithium batteries is the low internal resistance that enables the quick charging. This means that if we were pushing 100 amps into our house battery bank over the course of an hours drive, we will have refilled 100 amp hours into our house battery bank. Thanks for reaching out. While at the same time, disable options such as temperature voltage compensation that you don’t want with lihtium. You need this unit in line because lithium sits at a higher voltage and requires different charging parameters than lead acid. I have already committed (gave charge card number to the sales rep to go ahead with purchase) to a quote that includes an upgraded inverter. What I cannot find information on is if the BMS ( battery management system) in the lithium battery will protect the alternator and the car charging system. You see the big problem is Internal Resistance. As a result of the previously mentioned differences, our team strongly suggests you do not tie your lithium battery bank directly to your lead-acid batteries. In this article, they end up using a different type of protection of the alternator then us. Keep in mind that in the Victron tests the alternator sits on a workbench surrounded by nice fresh air. How to Choose the Best Kayak Trolling Motor Battery: Lithium vs. Lead-Acid, Lithium Technology Spurs Electric Boat Innovation, 10 Awesome Spots for Boondocking in Arizona Where Solar Is Great, Why LiFePO4 Makes the Best Solar Battery Storage, Equalization: Disable if possible or set to 14.4V, Charging Current: 50A per 100Ah of battery. Especially regarding the following. Some have several levels of distribution. If you have any additional questions please give our sales and tech team a call at 855-292-2831. To effectively current limit the alternator, you would have to use a DC-DC charger that is rated much less than the alternator. Enable alternator charging to a drop-in lithium battery bank. This is because the load characteristics and capabilities of these batteries are drastically different which can lead to safety issues. Found inside – Page 42Depthfinders use some power, but a trolling motor is the biggest drain on a battery's juice. ... cell using nickel-zinc chemistry, much like the familiar nickel-cadmium or lithium- ion batteries so widely used in handheld electronics. "All wired up! Now, Using the same specs from earlier. Standard alternator regulators, for instance, are designed to charge at 14.4V (or 28.8V for 24V marine systems), but a nominal 12V lithium ion phosphate battery will only reach 12.8V when fully . However, I have no way to charge the house lithium by alternator. The three BB batteries will be running the 5th wheel travel Trailer. As lithium ion technology is becoming more readily available our team has noticed an outpour of questions. It came with two alternators. Recently we heard how Stefanie fitted Lithium batteries and renewed the electrical system on board her yacht Taku Moe. Prices for identical batteries (but with different brand names) vary hugely. This is a reasonably cheap solution that both current limits the alternator (B-B charger) and protects the alternator form a load dump (lead-acid battery). I currently charge FLA with my 400 watt solar and 100 amp marine alternator. That being said, you can get . As long as you don’t get an open circuit there is no need for dump protection. A standard flooded battery, of either the starting or deep cycle type, can accept charging current equal to 25 percent of its available capacity. Imagine what would happen to your navigation equipment if they would get a load dump from the alternator of more than 80 V. The simplest and most likely cheapest solution to handle the load dump from the alternator is to add a load dump protection device such as the Sterling Power Alternator Protection Device (APD) that is built to handle an alternator load dump. Lithium Batteries generally need to be charged at 14.4-14.6 volts once they get near 100%; Vehicle Alternators generally put out 13.5V to 14.5V depending on their quality, design, and age. DIY Solar Electric Install on a 1976 Airstream Argosy, 2000w INVERTER | 200-400Ah Lithium | 200 TO 700W SOLAR Camper Wiring Diagram. Found inside – Page 233See Belt-Alternator-Starter “BaSiCs online Battery Sizing and Configuration System”, 63 Batteries, 1, 28–33, 65 abuse tolerance abuse testing, 139 certification testing, 148–151 characterization and performance testing, 142–146 DVP&R ... This kit is ideal for van conversions and skoolies. The boost in voltage is INCREDIBLY important for being able to charge higher voltage lithium batteries from alternator that can’t quite put out that much voltage. Under $50 I think. Found inside – Page 33The stator of the alternator is made from steel laminations and carries a three - phase winding in its slots . ... The examples of batteries being investigated for future use include lithium ion , lithium polymer ... My concern is charging a lithium battery on the factory charging system. I'd like to use the Victron Orion TR Smart 12/12V-30A Isolated DC to DC Charger to connect the AGM start battery to the BB lithium house so when the engine runs, the Orion will see the increased voltage of the AGM and charge the lithium house. With a small case alternator running at max, it’s a high risk that it would overheat, especially at low RPM, since the internal cooling will not be as effective at these low RPM:s. The Victron blog has a great article and video about this and how the small case alternators overheat. Wiring a battery in lithium Batteries Parallel is a way to increase the amp hours of a battery (i.e. So far it has worked great for my Battleborn batteries. Each pack contains 4 cells of Lithium Manganese Nickel Oxide (LMO) chemistry. Those batteries will serve me between 3 to 4 years and cost about $300 every time. With lithium batteries, we have a great source of power. The new standard lithium program . It’s a good size for your alternator and for high voltage charge as well. But I guess the isolated covers all ground senario. For maximum battery life the alternator charge should be sized to not exceed the recommended charge current. A battery can be charged quickly even at very low RPM, especially when connected to an Alpha series alternator. Mercedes Sprinter 3.0L 6 Cylinder 3 Belt Dual Alternator Bracket Kit with 12 Volt 280 Amp Alternator for Lithium Battery Fits Years 2007-UP When you need more output than the factory alternator or a single High Output Alternator can handle, or want the safety and security of a secondary alternator, a Nations dual alternator bracket is the .