Another vote for that hopeless DIP Switch diagram, I see the same question every day in one of the forums I help out in for Renogy, and it just defies all known formats. But well done getting it all in and going. A fair bit of heat gets pumped out of it so keep an eye on airflow (you probably already have though). And there's also the option of using the Cerbo outputs as triggers for turning the Renogy DC-DC on/off if you decide to have even more of a play, but it's probably not worth the faffing about for the one trip unless you particularly want to experience those features. Kudos for the way you put these videos together too, they're much more informative than you realise. Even though I use a dozen of these units every day, it's still good to be reminded of the features I don't use every day. And for the novices out there, it's a valuable resource.
Thanks, Paul! I worry sometimes they're boring for folks who just want to get theirs working, but I'm more interested in showing the process of learning. Really happy to hear it's still informative. ^_^
@@TheDigitalMermaid I think the fault finding process is the MOST important thing to teach people. Too many videos just show a basic "how to" without going into the details of why, what, where, when. Let's try to keep the next generation thinking for themselves ;)
My charger came with what I presume is an earlier version of the instructions. This version has what I now know to be a typo, whereby the S1 and S2 dip switches in the lithium Type 2 switch configuration were wrongly referred to as S3 and S4. It has taken me literally weeks to work through this and this video is the final link that reassures me I have finally got it right. Bloody nearly drove me mad!
A manual with actual mistakes.. What does that say about the company? Doesn't help that it has binary switches. Putting a decal with All the switch positions on the charger would help. Something to remember.. make sure the picture in the book is the same as IRL not upside down or back to front etc.
I love that moment of triumph at the end. As others already noted, seeing the problem solving process is the most educational part. I find it interesting as is. If you're concerned it's too boring, you could add some explosions. 🤷
I've watched a few of your videos, I like what you're doing, and we just happen to have bought the same DC/DC charger. My use of this charger is in my little camper shell on my pickup. The DIP battery chemistry switching explanation in the manual is funky! Outside of happenstance in trial and tribulations of weird quirks like tester leads slipping out, low grade fuses going poof and me forgetting to plug my modular design together which is intended to be removable, this could have gone smoother. I pulled 12 volts off an add a fuse, and sent that through a pilot switch where the switch leg activates the coil on a 300 amp solenoid under the hood then back to a chassis ground to close the circuit. That allows the 240 amp alternator to feed the 60 amps to the DC/DC charger and then into the 300 Ah Lifepo4 battery. On the switch, I jumped the switch leg to the pilot LED as well, then another wire from the pilot light terminal onto the D+ sense location to trigger the DC/DC charger. So there's one switch in the cab of my pickup to turn on and off the DC/DC charger and make electrical contact (or more importantly disconnect) through the solenoid at the same time if weather isn't Lifepo4 charging friendly, I also have voltage monitoring in the cab. A bit of a head scratcher for a little while, but it's all functioning as it should. Fine job you're doing here!
I'm really excited about seeing the sailing schematics/planning and seeing how you work through it. I enjoy the figure it out as you go approach and like the honesty of it. Great going and for sure the dip switch seems a terrible mess to understand. I'll keep watching and enjoy it tons!
I‘be been trying to get my 60a B2B working for 2 months. Had so many challenges like accidentally. blowing the midi fuse. Your video (dip switch setting particularly) helped me finally get the thing to charge. I thought since my battery bank was 13.2v that I’d be type 1 or closer to 13v than 14. Tried your dip switch setting and the thing finally started charging. Thank you! I subbed and liked!
Oh wow -- I wish I knew those terminal covers were removable! They are awful! I just installed one of these three days ago. One side of the unit was out of my line of site and I had endlessly-fiddly problems with those terminal covers and ended up cross-threading one screw as a result. If I had just watched your video a few days ago... :)
Smart lady... She taken the time to figure out how things work and why....As this stuff is not learn as you go. Unless you like spending lots of money to fix, when they burn up....And you still would need to know why it broke to start with...
Hooray. I monitored the fluid level in your drink (Scotch? Bourbon?) and was reassured that the situation couldn’t be actually dire, as there seemed to be as much booze at the end of the video as the beginning. Congratulations-I presume you toasted your achievement, as you should.
Ha ha! I think folks sometimes think I drink a lot, but really I often get so focused on what I'm doing, the drink mostly just sits there. Yup, had a wee toast when done!
I like your workaround. Another way that I know a few people do, is an inverter off the starter battery, powering a battery charger. I did something similar but different, for charging my LiFePO4 from a 240V source. I use two HP DPS-600PB B server power supplies, wired in series, which gives me 24V at 47A, that's 1128 Watt. I then use some DC circuit breakers that basically allow me to change the input into my Victron Mppt Charge Controller, from Solar to this HP Power Supply. Saved me buying a separate 240V Battery Charger. Also being Victron its fully Programmable. Actually, in use I just change the input and leave all the Mppt settings as they are. It works well.
Excellent Video thank you... just bought a 60 amp version of this to put LiFeP04 battery on my steam yacht to power the boiler burners (the Inverter kills the existing LeadAcid AGM battery)
A simple timer and large relais can charge every LiFePo4 from an alternator cheaply, just make sure that it charges for 10-15 minutes and disconnect for 5 to 10 minutes cooling down the alternator, this gets more charge into your battery that some expensive DC - DC charger.
Great video, really good timing for me. Ive been preparing a lot lately to make starting off with LiFePO4 batteries videos. Including having 2 or more separate energy storage systems for stuff like the induction that you mentioned. I've long known that a LiFePO4 system may terminate a connection for various reasons, and so that needs to be planned for. I don't have a large project I want to work on, let alone the space or money to do so, so I have been spending a lot of time planning out smaller scale simulations. I also find it confusing to learn about LiFePO4 compared to other battery types, so my long term goal is to try to explain it to other people starting out in a way that is easier to understand.
I have built quite a few Lifepo4 battery packs to replace startup batteries on a car, pickup truck, Van and even 24v one for 5 metric tons 10 wheeler truck and it all been working fine. I used a specific bms model that was designed for that use case not the JK ...... The trick is to fully charge the before connect it to the alternator to not overload it. And yes the bms does turn off the charging but it was at 3.75v per cell not 3.65v so this rarely happens, and for that I am also using a Lifepo4 battery that can absorb voltage peak UpTo 3.8v. That was at least a year ago and no problem so far. I am experimenting with another 12v battery pack without bms and use an active balancer on my daily work truck. So for also no issues.
Everyone in the DIY space, batteries or otherwise, comes up with their own balance of acceptable risk and feature needs. It's part of what makes DIY fun. :)
Hi Maddy, this reminds me of a problem I’ve got; self made 14kw 18650 system running at 24v, but I’m just starting to get 48v gear. All my panels are linked into 24v, so I’m toying with some kind of dc-dc boost converter to make all those lovely 18650’s available to 48v gear. I know it would be very lossy, but it bugs me that when those 24v batteries are full, I’m tossing away all that lovely sunshine ☀️ 😉
Well done on the problem solving, hopefully a year later, this comment sees you out there sailing like a mad woman with a full electric drive boat. I'm curious though, at the time of initial recording, what made you choose the normal Dc-Dc charger over the model that has solar input? Was it a price or availability issue?
Now that I've caught up on videos, I'm looking forward to hearing about your trip. I see on Patreon that you made it home - congrats! - but I want to know how you got there! In particular, I'd like to know how you prepared for the trip, what route you took, what challenges you faced, etc. Did you take the ASA cruising courses? If so, were they helpful? Were the crew experienced boaters? I know you didn't just wing it, so I'd love to hear about your decision-making for the trip. I assume you've learned some things that will guide you for your future adventures. Some day I might like to do some cruising, and it would helpful to hear how you got into it. Yeah, I know there are many sailing channels out there, but most of them seem to be about bikinis more than anything. I know you want to get back to battery building, but if you could throw some cruising videos our way, I'd be happy!
Tomorrow I'm hoping to announce a live-stream this coming Saturday evening (Canada eastern time). I'm sure much of those questions will come up. ;) Also, most of that was documented and will be in coming videos, but one thing I didn't talk about was the ASA courses. Yes, they helped a lot. I did 101, 103, 104 and 118. The trip home was ... a lot. I've learned so so much. I can promise this; My video will never be a bikini sailing channel (I think I'd lose viewers, haha!).
@@charles.neuman18 Ah! You did, thank you very very much!! Note that there's going to be two patreon zoom get-togethers this Friday evening and Saturday morning (to try to cover different time zones). Hope to see you there! ^_^
Thanks, when you were doing it I was trying to figure out why you were attaching it to the output. Now I get it, you didn’t think of "it's isolated". We learn every day. To me it was "it expects to be attached to the starter battery, why are you doing that?" 😢
wwuuuhhhuuuu new vid. and the waiting did not kill me :-) and looking forward too the next one. In a way nice too se that I am not the only one how do not allways understand the text in manuals. Not knowhing that much about eletronics do not help. But most time after some WTF and some time on the web ( and some time sleeping on it) I get it to work. And then I ( like you i this vid ) knowh a bit more. Good to see that you got i too work and now have charging for the trip home.
A method that works well is simply adding some resistance from the alternator to the batteries. You use a cable capable of handling the max current of the alternator and then increase the cable length to introduce voltage drop at the current you decide you want. This works well with LiFePO4 because of the very flat charge curve. Simply take alternator regulated voltage, subtract about 13.6v divide the result by the current you want and that is the resistance you need in the circuit. In reality you often don’t actually need to add any because the existing wiring has enough resistance. 100s are doing this in hybrid lithium setups where the lithium is in direct parallel with the lead acid. You simply set the lithium BMS to disconnect at 14v and the lead acid protects the alternator during the disconnect.
I use 4 ga wire from my alternator to a coupler and 6 ga from that to the dc to dc charger input and 6 ga from a terminal lug attached to the body of the van to the negative input
Is it anyway that we can get all the parts that you use to put this system, go ahead and check the description if you have then ignore this post but I wanted pacifically to know exactly how you put this together and all the monitors names and where I can get them so and reproduce this beautiful thing you put. Tumi the monitors are the most important part and knowing how they are put together, so can you help me.❤
Je ne suis pas sûr, au final j'ai eu un problème d'alternateur, donc je n'ai pas pu l'utiliser. Les extrémités sont toutes deux assez ouvertes, donc je ne pense pas que le refroidissement serait un gros problème.
Question…. If one had an inverter/charger (such as on an RV), couldn’t one put the Renogy DC/DC between the output side of the Inverter/Charger and Lipo4 batteries? I’m looking for a short term solution before I change all of my gear over for an Airstream Interstate.
You mean an inverter/charger that can't directly charge LFP? If so, I would imagine yes, you could. You'll want to check the output of your charger and compare it to the config setting of the Renogy, but should be OK.
My inverter charger (Magnum MMS1012-G) does not charge lithium and will float the charge (bad idea for Lipo). I figured...since the Magnum produces adequate current, why not pipe it into the Renogy 40amp DC/DC that's on my shelf and charge my LiPo's with the Renogy lithium profile. (so: Magnum -->Renogy DC/DC-->Renogy 170ah x3) I appreciate your quick response....the quickest in my experience since UA-cam started, lol @@TheDigitalMermaid
If you only wanted a one-off use you could have charged your lithium from the engine battery using it as a buffer to avoid the BMS surge and limited the amps drawn by connecting the two batteries with a longish length of say 8AWG - as the current rises the undersized connecting will drop in voltage which would then moderate the current - it sounds like a bodge but was used for years on RV's
I think the draw would have still been an issue. The load (LFP in this case) is still going to try to draw as much as it can, the only difference with longer wire is turning some of it into heat.
I am not 100% sure, but the DIP switches had OFF position on top, not at the bottom. So I believe you did not configured the switches OK. The correct setup should be DOWN, UP, DOWN, DOWN, UP, I guess. I might be wrong, it's not 100% visible how you've set them up during the process. Great video though!
I'm thinking I'll just buy Clark's battery maintainer and use a thermal switch on the alternator sonif it gets to hot it will shutdown before damaging itself. Also I'd the BMS shuts off the boat wont go dark with a little bit of lead in the system to keep everything going.
i think that's why these systems are sold in pieces....it's probably no problem, ( no regulation violation ), and becomes at the installers own risk, and that's all. but people need to know that 38.4Vnom is a saltwater maximum, beyond which it is at your own risk. and i think systems running higher than that would have to be dismantled before reselling the yacht.
Unless you're going to show documentation or evidence to back up your claim that anything higher than 38v is safe, stop saying that under my videos. I'm giving you this chance to back up what you say by citing sources. If you don't, I will start removing comments. I don't want new users confused by unfounded safety statements. The marine industry at large has safety rules below 60v DC. You are the only person I know who has ever said that's not ok, so the burden of proof is on you.
Some groggy thoughts while coffee brews. In automotive settings a DC-DC (or even plain relay) works well. WIth a relay the NEG return is typically through the steel chassis which introduces significant resistance (I=V/R). My 100Ah LFP pulls ~32A from the 180A alternator in this configuration, for example. And there is external airflow through the grille to cool the alt. Marine applications seem to be much tougher, hot engine rooms with no external airflow for either the alt or a DC-DC. Much smaller alternators. In this environment I see why boats often use external regulation with temp sensing/derating. We might automate crude derating on the Reno with a NO thermal switch on the alt. Alt gets hot, switch closes and provides 12v to the Reno's current limiting ("performance regulation") terminal, dropping it to 5A (12.5% of rated). Subjective note: I'm not in love with Renogy's Li profiles, which have no quasi-float (voltage floor). That's cool if there are no loads, but with loads running bank voltage will pogo between the Absorption and rebulk (13.2v IIRC) setpoints. Given the canned options I might be tempted to use the lead mode, Absorping at 14.1v and quasi-floating at either the 13.2v or 13.5v option. We could also use a thermal switch on the battery bank to disable D+ for a poor man's low-temp charging cutoff. Eager to see it used in anger in the install.
I have agm lessuire battery's. I'm not sure what dip switches to use tbo .. the battery's are 2x 95ah agm .. honestly you seem to know stuff more than others what would you recommend my dip switches to be ?
Also I just ran a fused switch from input, to the ignition line . I probably didn't need a fuse but I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and melt wires
I'm sorry, I'm not familiar enough with the charger to say really... I figured out what to use for my LFP setup, but then I had alternator problems and ended up not even using it in the end. :(
It is tinned to help prevent corrosion, that's the biggest difference. The good stuff has more stands for better flexibility, and the insulator is generally designed to handle oil, grease, etc.
Heh, I need to make a video for this, it's a common question. :) The short answer is, "slowly". The longer answer is that I'm not planning to use my batteries like most people do. That is to say, most people think about going out on a sail, and recharging to full when they get back to their slip. In my case, I plan to float somewhere between empty and full, rarely reaching all the way in either case. So if there's power being made, I can store it, and when I need extra range, the capacity is there. It's why I'm building such a large bank. The more specific answer is; I'm designing the prop/motor/controller for maximum regen capabilities, and on passages when I can't recharge, I'll be sailing mostly so I'll get a fairly constant source of power from the prop day and night. The solar will be "bonus" when it's available, and hopefully offset the house loads.
I installed the same unit and now I find I have to jump start the battery every morning. I have a switch instead of ignition power but the switch has a light so I know I shut it off and still idle the engine to top off my lead acid battery. I replaced it once thinking it was a weak battery and the new one does the same even though it’s a better brand.
@@TheDigitalMermaid I checked for a parasitic draw using my meter on the negative. It didn’t show anything and I’ve actually disconnected the charger to see if that helps. What I suspect is that the lithiums drain more power than the alternator can deliver and it robs it from the battery. My van has a place for an auxiliary battery so I’ll add that to see if it helps.
@@franciscoburgos787 The LFPs can suck up a significant amount of current, limited only really by the BMS. Have you compared the amps leaving the alternator to the amps going into the battery? If the difference is minimal, you're probably right.
@@TheDigitalMermaid I believe I finally resolved the issue by stepping up to a 250 amp alternator. I have not had to jump the starting battery since the upgrade.
Minn Kota got approved for 38V user installable ( 12 cell per series string ) on salt .... so i am guessing that is where the new regs are going to be going. and, with that, i am putting my money on 38V as far as my development work goes ... i hate to design things over again.
I don't know who Minn Kota is, bit I've not heard of anything being settled on 38v. 48v on the other hand is getting more popular all the time, as it's under the 60v mark where things get a lot more dangerous.
@@TheDigitalMermaid oh god yeah, some nut jobs are running 72V like a death wish.. Minn Kota is corporate user installable electric trolling systems...so you only 10v over where the new safe limit is probably going to land.
@@TheDigitalMermaid you act so smart, but i swear you are as dumb as a rock....do you really think Minn Kota would set themselbes up for a class action law suit ???
gee, let's try to figure out how high a voltage we can run on salt before someone could get killed ??? you can bet they have a lot of money in research behind that number.
= just bye coincidence = ALL of my Rolls ( four spools of 100' each / red / black ) of 8 AWG Marine Grade Tinned Copper Wire are "ANCOR" brand :-) COOP ...
I know that term, but I don't really like it. When someone struggles with poor English, I try to remember that whoever wrote it knows more English than I know Manderine or Cantonese.
I was thinking about trying to meet up with folks along the route, but the schedule is so wildly unpredictable that I'm not sure how well it would work. I'll post to patreon as I go, and see if I can swing at least short visits with folks along the path as I get a better feel for when I'll be where. I would love to meet up with folks though!
Like, I get that they're trying to cram as many options as they can into the dip switches, but I think a few more switches for a more user friendly config would be a worthy trade off.
@@MarkRose1337 Agreed, if they showed the desired setting and a simple table of "set jumpers 1~4 as A/B/C/D", that would have been clearer with the same number of dip switches.
Another vote for that hopeless DIP Switch diagram, I see the same question every day in one of the forums I help out in for Renogy, and it just defies all known formats.
But well done getting it all in and going. A fair bit of heat gets pumped out of it so keep an eye on airflow (you probably already have though). And there's also the option of using the Cerbo outputs as triggers for turning the Renogy DC-DC on/off if you decide to have even more of a play, but it's probably not worth the faffing about for the one trip unless you particularly want to experience those features.
Kudos for the way you put these videos together too, they're much more informative than you realise. Even though I use a dozen of these units every day, it's still good to be reminded of the features I don't use every day. And for the novices out there, it's a valuable resource.
Thanks, Paul! I worry sometimes they're boring for folks who just want to get theirs working, but I'm more interested in showing the process of learning. Really happy to hear it's still informative. ^_^
@@TheDigitalMermaid I think the fault finding process is the MOST important thing to teach people. Too many videos just show a basic "how to" without going into the details of why, what, where, when. Let's try to keep the next generation thinking for themselves ;)
@@PowerPaulAu This comment makes me happy. ^_^
My charger came with what I presume is an earlier version of the instructions. This version has what I now know to be a typo, whereby the S1 and S2 dip switches in the lithium Type 2 switch configuration were wrongly referred to as S3 and S4. It has taken me literally weeks to work through this and this video is the final link that reassures me I have finally got it right. Bloody nearly drove me mad!
A manual with actual mistakes..
What does that say about the company?
Doesn't help that it has binary switches.
Putting a decal with All the switch positions on the charger would help.
Something to remember.. make sure the picture in the book is the same as IRL not upside down or back to front etc.
I love that moment of triumph at the end. As others already noted, seeing the problem solving process is the most educational part. I find it interesting as is. If you're concerned it's too boring, you could add some explosions. 🤷
**boom** :p
I've watched a few of your videos, I like what you're doing, and we just happen to have bought the same DC/DC charger. My use of this charger is in my little camper shell on my pickup. The DIP battery chemistry switching explanation in the manual is funky!
Outside of happenstance in trial and tribulations of weird quirks like tester leads slipping out, low grade fuses going poof and me forgetting to plug my modular design together which is intended to be removable, this could have gone smoother.
I pulled 12 volts off an add a fuse, and sent that through a pilot switch where the switch leg activates the coil on a 300 amp solenoid under the hood then back to a chassis ground to close the circuit. That allows the 240 amp alternator to feed the 60 amps to the DC/DC charger and then into the 300 Ah Lifepo4 battery. On the switch, I jumped the switch leg to the pilot LED as well, then another wire from the pilot light terminal onto the D+ sense location to trigger the DC/DC charger. So there's one switch in the cab of my pickup to turn on and off the DC/DC charger and make electrical contact (or more importantly disconnect) through the solenoid at the same time if weather isn't Lifepo4 charging friendly, I also have voltage monitoring in the cab. A bit of a head scratcher for a little while, but it's all functioning as it should. Fine job you're doing here!
Welcome, and thanks for watching. Sounds like a fun project you've got there.
Renogy also makes a version with dual inputs, One from the starter/alt side and another input from PV (built in mppt), Manages it automagically .
I'm really excited about seeing the sailing schematics/planning and seeing how you work through it.
I enjoy the figure it out as you go approach and like the honesty of it. Great going and for sure the dip switch seems a terrible mess to understand. I'll keep watching and enjoy it tons!
I‘be been trying to get my 60a B2B working for 2 months. Had so many challenges like accidentally. blowing the midi fuse. Your video (dip switch setting particularly) helped me finally get the thing to charge.
I thought since my battery bank was 13.2v that I’d be type 1 or closer to 13v than 14.
Tried your dip switch setting and the thing finally started charging.
Thank you! I subbed and liked!
I'm really happy to hear this, and you're very welcome! ^_^
Will come back and watch again. Ordered the 40A version to replace my old DC to DC charger in my Promaster.
Good luck with it! I was disappointed my alternator decided not to play nice, so I didn't get to actually use it in the end.
Oh wow -- I wish I knew those terminal covers were removable! They are awful! I just installed one of these three days ago. One side of the unit was out of my line of site and I had endlessly-fiddly problems with those terminal covers and ended up cross-threading one screw as a result. If I had just watched your video a few days ago... :)
Awe, sorry you didn't find it in time to help. Next time though!
Smart lady... She taken the time to figure out how things work and why....As this stuff is not learn as you go. Unless you like spending lots of money to fix, when they burn up....And you still would need to know why it broke to start with...
Great stuff solving the setup.
Thanks, Kennith!
Just thinking about your trip.
I do hope you are doing ok .
Can’t wait to hear all about it. You are amazing for taking on this adventure.
Thanks! I got home yesterday. It ... was a lot, but the boat and I are back in Canada. :) Videos coming back soon!
Good job working thru the bugs. Would have like to see under the covers of the DC-DC. Thanks for sharing
Maybe there will be a tear-down after I get home? Will have to see if anyone else wants it before I do that though.
It's good to learn from others troubles. Thanks for being the guinea pig.
haha, happy to! :)
Hooray. I monitored the fluid level in your drink (Scotch? Bourbon?) and was reassured that the situation couldn’t be actually dire, as there seemed to be as much booze at the end of the video as the beginning. Congratulations-I presume you toasted your achievement, as you should.
Ha ha! I think folks sometimes think I drink a lot, but really I often get so focused on what I'm doing, the drink mostly just sits there. Yup, had a wee toast when done!
Great. 👍 I'm putting 1 Li Fe 230A in my van for power.
I love your videos, within a few years I’ll built my own electric propulsion based on your learning experience. Keep up the great work!
That's awesome, keep me posted when you start on your own conversion!
Yay! Always good to see you succeed. I hope you are almost ready to head north.
Getting there! Less than two weeks left to go.
I like your workaround.
Another way that I know a few people do, is an inverter off the starter battery, powering a battery charger.
I did something similar but different, for charging my LiFePO4 from a 240V source. I use two HP DPS-600PB B server power supplies, wired in series, which gives me 24V at 47A, that's 1128 Watt. I then use some DC circuit breakers that basically allow me to change the input into my Victron Mppt Charge Controller, from Solar to this HP Power Supply. Saved me buying a separate 240V Battery Charger. Also being Victron its fully Programmable. Actually, in use I just change the input and leave all the Mppt settings as they are. It works well.
That inverter option would work also, but probably still more expensive. The Victron system is really nice.
No, just no. For a start you introduce two sets of inefficiencies, and you have to buy two devices instead of one.
Excellent Video thank you... just bought a 60 amp version of this to put LiFeP04 battery on my steam yacht to power the boiler burners (the Inverter kills the existing LeadAcid AGM battery)
Congrats!
Another step closer Maddy, well done
Thanks, Scott!
Hi, Maddy. I love your videos. One request. Please do not have a glass of whiskey near any of your electrical gear. Whiskey is highly flammable.
It's 40~40%abv, 80~90 proof, that shouldn't be flammable.
A simple timer and large relais can charge every LiFePo4 from an alternator cheaply, just make sure that it charges for 10-15 minutes and disconnect for 5 to 10 minutes cooling down the alternator, this gets more charge into your battery that some expensive DC - DC charger.
That might help with heat, but not sudden disconnects.
Great fun and very helpful in sorting out my own unusual project. Thanks!
You're very welcome!
Well done. I like your process. 🎉
Thank you, Valkrie!
I have been enjoyed, so thank you for delivering.
Great video, really good timing for me. Ive been preparing a lot lately to make starting off with LiFePO4 batteries videos. Including having 2 or more separate energy storage systems for stuff like the induction that you mentioned. I've long known that a LiFePO4 system may terminate a connection for various reasons, and so that needs to be planned for. I don't have a large project I want to work on, let alone the space or money to do so, so I have been spending a lot of time planning out smaller scale simulations. I also find it confusing to learn about LiFePO4 compared to other battery types, so my long term goal is to try to explain it to other people starting out in a way that is easier to understand.
Let me know if you have any questions as you start on your project!
I wished always a smart woman like you. Thanks for you video. I just bought a charger like that one.
I have built quite a few Lifepo4 battery packs to replace startup batteries on a car, pickup truck, Van and even 24v one for 5 metric tons 10 wheeler truck and it all been working fine. I used a specific bms model that was designed for that use case not the JK ......
The trick is to fully charge the before connect it to the alternator to not overload it. And yes the bms does turn off the charging but it was at 3.75v per cell not 3.65v so this rarely happens, and for that I am also using a Lifepo4 battery that can absorb voltage peak UpTo 3.8v.
That was at least a year ago and no problem so far.
I am experimenting with another 12v battery pack without bms and use an active balancer on my daily work truck. So for also no issues.
Everyone in the DIY space, batteries or otherwise, comes up with their own balance of acceptable risk and feature needs. It's part of what makes DIY fun. :)
Hi Maddy, this reminds me of a problem I’ve got; self made 14kw 18650 system running at 24v, but I’m just starting to get 48v gear. All my panels are linked into 24v, so I’m toying with some kind of dc-dc boost converter to make all those lovely 18650’s available to 48v gear. I know it would be very lossy, but it bugs me that when those 24v batteries are full, I’m tossing away all that lovely sunshine ☀️ 😉
Heh, it's one of the main reasons I want to have a water-maker... I don't want to waste available power to full batteries!
Super interesting! Thanks for the video, very cool topic to learn about
Thanks, Whatever your name is! ^_^
Well done on the problem solving, hopefully a year later, this comment sees you out there sailing like a mad woman with a full electric drive boat.
I'm curious though, at the time of initial recording, what made you choose the normal Dc-Dc charger over the model that has solar input? Was it a price or availability issue?
Now that I've caught up on videos, I'm looking forward to hearing about your trip. I see on Patreon that you made it home - congrats! - but I want to know how you got there!
In particular, I'd like to know how you prepared for the trip, what route you took, what challenges you faced, etc. Did you take the ASA cruising courses? If so, were they helpful? Were the crew experienced boaters? I know you didn't just wing it, so I'd love to hear about your decision-making for the trip. I assume you've learned some things that will guide you for your future adventures. Some day I might like to do some cruising, and it would helpful to hear how you got into it. Yeah, I know there are many sailing channels out there, but most of them seem to be about bikinis more than anything.
I know you want to get back to battery building, but if you could throw some cruising videos our way, I'd be happy!
Tomorrow I'm hoping to announce a live-stream this coming Saturday evening (Canada eastern time). I'm sure much of those questions will come up. ;) Also, most of that was documented and will be in coming videos, but one thing I didn't talk about was the ASA courses. Yes, they helped a lot. I did 101, 103, 104 and 118. The trip home was ... a lot. I've learned so so much. I can promise this; My video will never be a bikini sailing channel (I think I'd lose viewers, haha!).
@@TheDigitalMermaid Cool! In the meantime, I joined Patreon and see you have tons of updates there.
@@charles.neuman18 Ah! You did, thank you very very much!! Note that there's going to be two patreon zoom get-togethers this Friday evening and Saturday morning (to try to cover different time zones). Hope to see you there! ^_^
Mermaid LADY
GREAT Job
need more Shows like THIS
THANK YOU
D+ is positive when engine running/alternator is running/turning .
Thanks, when you were doing it I was trying to figure out why you were attaching it to the output. Now I get it, you didn’t think of "it's isolated". We learn every day. To me it was "it expects to be attached to the starter battery, why are you doing that?" 😢
Oh, as soon as my friend mentioned the isolation, I was like "ooooooh, ok, ya, I should have thought of that". Haha
@@TheDigitalMermaid Yes, I figured you were kicking yourself when your friend mentioned that. Happens to me all the time.
Great Video …. Very informative 🎉
Glad you enjoyed it, Cal!
wwuuuhhhuuuu new vid. and the waiting did not kill me :-) and looking forward too the next one. In a way nice too se that I am not the only one how do not allways understand the text in manuals. Not knowhing that much about eletronics do not help. But most time after some WTF and some time on the web ( and some time sleeping on it) I get it to work. And then I ( like you i this vid ) knowh a bit more. Good to see that you got i too work and now have charging for the trip home.
Thanks! The next one will be back to normal boat work, finally. :)
I swapped my old Atomic4 engine with an Electric yachts kit on my Catalina30 this was b4 lithium, man a lot has changed
It really has... LFP has changed everything, and BLDC motors have been a big game changer too, though they've been around longer.
HOWdy T-D-M, ...
Great REVIEW :-)
COOP
the WiSeNhEiMeR from Richmond, INDIANA
...
Right around 21:00 i had to laugh cause i was like you need to attach the d+ to the POS input wire
A method that works well is simply adding some resistance from the alternator to the batteries. You use a cable capable of handling the max current of the alternator and then increase the cable length to introduce voltage drop at the current you decide you want. This works well with LiFePO4 because of the very flat charge curve. Simply take alternator regulated voltage, subtract about 13.6v divide the result by the current you want and that is the resistance you need in the circuit. In reality you often don’t actually need to add any because the existing wiring has enough resistance. 100s are doing this in hybrid lithium setups where the lithium is in direct parallel with the lead acid. You simply set the lithium BMS to disconnect at 14v and the lead acid protects the alternator during the disconnect.
No thanks.
I use 4 ga wire from my alternator to a coupler and 6 ga from that to the dc to dc charger input and 6 ga from a terminal lug attached to the body of the van to the negative input
I'm hoping to use 4awg, hoping to install it tomorrow. Will see if I've got the wire and ends I need.
Is it anyway that we can get all the parts that you use to put this system, go ahead and check the description if you have then ignore this post but I wanted pacifically to know exactly how you put this together and all the monitors names and where I can get them so and reproduce this beautiful thing you put. Tumi the monitors are the most important part and knowing how they are put together, so can you help me.❤
Bon travail ... Mais comment se comporte la ventilation interne de ce Renogu 40A ? Le coffret chauffe t-il ?
Je ne suis pas sûr, au final j'ai eu un problème d'alternateur, donc je n'ai pas pu l'utiliser. Les extrémités sont toutes deux assez ouvertes, donc je ne pense pas que le refroidissement serait un gros problème.
Merci@@TheDigitalMermaid
Very informative
Coming here late to the show did you get the sail boat home?
Yup! Just editing the last video before the trip starts!
Question…. If one had an inverter/charger (such as on an RV), couldn’t one put the Renogy DC/DC between the output side of the Inverter/Charger and Lipo4 batteries? I’m looking for a short term solution before I change all of my gear over for an Airstream Interstate.
You mean an inverter/charger that can't directly charge LFP? If so, I would imagine yes, you could. You'll want to check the output of your charger and compare it to the config setting of the Renogy, but should be OK.
My inverter charger (Magnum MMS1012-G) does not charge lithium and will float the charge (bad idea for Lipo). I figured...since the Magnum produces adequate current, why not pipe it into the Renogy 40amp DC/DC that's on my shelf and charge my LiPo's with the Renogy lithium profile. (so: Magnum -->Renogy DC/DC-->Renogy 170ah x3) I appreciate your quick response....the quickest in my experience since UA-cam started, lol @@TheDigitalMermaid
I had to take my renogy apart many times to tighten down the terminals on the circuit board
Well that's not good...
@@TheDigitalMermaid they are aluminum blocks essentially soldiered and two little screws holding them to the board
Wish I could show you my 600 ah setup in my 98 ford e250 and I use the renogy 40 dc charger myself
Hi thanks for the video. Is the dcdc charger also a MPPT solar reg?
Nope.
If you only wanted a one-off use you could have charged your lithium from the engine battery using it as a buffer to avoid the BMS surge and limited the amps drawn by connecting the two batteries with a longish length of say 8AWG - as the current rises the undersized connecting will drop in voltage which would then moderate the current - it sounds like a bodge but was used for years on RV's
I think the draw would have still been an issue. The load (LFP in this case) is still going to try to draw as much as it can, the only difference with longer wire is turning some of it into heat.
@@TheDigitalMermaid Watch: Lithium Hybrid on my Narrowboat - My Alternator gets hot [Ep 36]
exciting video!
:D
24:58 -Yes, that moment when it works. It is always the point of: i can do it...
It's the moment that makes all the struggle worth it. :)
= you forgot SAFETY 1st !!!
STEEL TOED House-Slippers !!!
LOL
COOP
...
I am not 100% sure, but the DIP switches had OFF position on top, not at the bottom. So I believe you did not configured the switches OK. The correct setup should be DOWN, UP, DOWN, DOWN, UP, I guess. I might be wrong, it's not 100% visible how you've set them up during the process.
Great video though!
I'll double check when I install tomorrow.
@@TheDigitalMermaid the dip switch orientation ie off is up was on the previous page
Is it possible to use a Victron Orion Tr smart also? Is there a current limit on the Renogy or Victron to make sure cables won't melt?
Amperage is limited, yes. Dunno about the Orion, but if the specs say it can, I don't see why not.
= I love Love LOVE your HEAT GUN stands UP on it's own accord ( on it's BUTT ) !!!
COOP
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I'm thinking I'll just buy Clark's battery maintainer and use a thermal switch on the alternator sonif it gets to hot it will shutdown before damaging itself. Also I'd the BMS shuts off the boat wont go dark with a little bit of lead in the system to keep everything going.
Seems like another fine approach.
@@TheDigitalMermaid well for now, anyway, I'm keeping the diesel. When it comes time to replace it, maybe a different story.
i think that's why these systems are sold in pieces....it's probably no problem, ( no regulation violation ), and becomes at the installers own risk, and that's all.
but people need to know that 38.4Vnom is a saltwater maximum, beyond which it is at your own risk.
and i think systems running higher than that would have to be dismantled before reselling the yacht.
Unless you're going to show documentation or evidence to back up your claim that anything higher than 38v is safe, stop saying that under my videos. I'm giving you this chance to back up what you say by citing sources. If you don't, I will start removing comments. I don't want new users confused by unfounded safety statements. The marine industry at large has safety rules below 60v DC. You are the only person I know who has ever said that's not ok, so the burden of proof is on you.
Some groggy thoughts while coffee brews. In automotive settings a DC-DC (or even plain relay) works well. WIth a relay the NEG return is typically through the steel chassis which introduces significant resistance (I=V/R). My 100Ah LFP pulls ~32A from the 180A alternator in this configuration, for example. And there is external airflow through the grille to cool the alt.
Marine applications seem to be much tougher, hot engine rooms with no external airflow for either the alt or a DC-DC. Much smaller alternators. In this environment I see why boats often use external regulation with temp sensing/derating. We might automate crude derating on the Reno with a NO thermal switch on the alt. Alt gets hot, switch closes and provides 12v to the Reno's current limiting ("performance regulation") terminal, dropping it to 5A (12.5% of rated).
Subjective note: I'm not in love with Renogy's Li profiles, which have no quasi-float (voltage floor). That's cool if there are no loads, but with loads running bank voltage will pogo between the Absorption and rebulk (13.2v IIRC) setpoints. Given the canned options I might be tempted to use the lead mode, Absorping at 14.1v and quasi-floating at either the 13.2v or 13.5v option. We could also use a thermal switch on the battery bank to disable D+ for a poor man's low-temp charging cutoff.
Eager to see it used in anger in the install.
I have agm lessuire battery's. I'm not sure what dip switches to use tbo .. the battery's are 2x 95ah agm .. honestly you seem to know stuff more than others what would you recommend my dip switches to be ?
Also I just ran a fused switch from input, to the ignition line . I probably didn't need a fuse but I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and melt wires
I'm sorry, I'm not familiar enough with the charger to say really... I figured out what to use for my LFP setup, but then I had alternator problems and ended up not even using it in the end. :(
Wakespeed WS500, I want, I want, I want :)
Same, but I don't want to pay that much! Haha.
@@TheDigitalMermaid when my Balmar regulator fails I'll get the Wakespeed and that way the Color GX can tell it what the charge voltage limit is.
Wow cool 😎
I wasn't aware there is special wire for marine. I would have thought that regular sheathing would be okay!
It is tinned to help prevent corrosion, that's the biggest difference. The good stuff has more stands for better flexibility, and the insulator is generally designed to handle oil, grease, etc.
Yes, and Ancor is pretty much the "gold standard" for marine use. I use it, and I am in the desert, good stuff and no worries about corrosion.
@@john_in_phoenix Yup! If it can survive on the ocean, it's pretty sure to survive almost anywhere else.
good luck to you
Thanks!
how are you going to charge that huge battery bank once the Diesel is gone?
Heh, I need to make a video for this, it's a common question. :) The short answer is, "slowly". The longer answer is that I'm not planning to use my batteries like most people do. That is to say, most people think about going out on a sail, and recharging to full when they get back to their slip. In my case, I plan to float somewhere between empty and full, rarely reaching all the way in either case. So if there's power being made, I can store it, and when I need extra range, the capacity is there. It's why I'm building such a large bank. The more specific answer is; I'm designing the prop/motor/controller for maximum regen capabilities, and on passages when I can't recharge, I'll be sailing mostly so I'll get a fairly constant source of power from the prop day and night. The solar will be "bonus" when it's available, and hopefully offset the house loads.
I installed the same unit and now I find I have to jump start the battery every morning. I have a switch instead of ignition power but the switch has a light so I know I shut it off and still idle the engine to top off my lead acid battery. I replaced it once thinking it was a weak battery and the new one does the same even though it’s a better brand.
Can you use a clamp amp meter to check if there's a parasitic draw somewhere?
@@TheDigitalMermaid I checked for a parasitic draw using my meter on the negative. It didn’t show anything and I’ve actually disconnected the charger to see if that helps. What I suspect is that the lithiums drain more power than the alternator can deliver and it robs it from the battery. My van has a place for an auxiliary battery so I’ll add that to see if it helps.
@@franciscoburgos787 The LFPs can suck up a significant amount of current, limited only really by the BMS. Have you compared the amps leaving the alternator to the amps going into the battery? If the difference is minimal, you're probably right.
@@TheDigitalMermaid I believe I finally resolved the issue by stepping up to a 250 amp alternator. I have not had to jump the starting battery since the upgrade.
@@franciscoburgos787 Glad to hear!
Did you get the boat home?
"Tune in to the next episode..." ;)
Minn Kota got approved for 38V user installable ( 12 cell per series string ) on salt .... so i am guessing that is where the new regs are going to be going.
and, with that, i am putting my money on 38V as far as my development work goes ... i hate to design things over again.
I don't know who Minn Kota is, bit I've not heard of anything being settled on 38v. 48v on the other hand is getting more popular all the time, as it's under the 60v mark where things get a lot more dangerous.
@@TheDigitalMermaid oh god yeah, some nut jobs are running 72V like a death wish..
Minn Kota is corporate user installable electric trolling systems...so you only 10v over where the new safe limit is probably going to land.
@@RulgertGhostalker what is it about Minn Kota that their decision is a bell weather for the industry?
@@TheDigitalMermaid you act so smart, but i swear you are as dumb as a rock....do you really think Minn Kota would set themselbes up for a class action law suit ???
gee,
let's try to figure out how high a voltage we can run on salt before someone could get killed ???
you can bet they have a lot of money in research behind that number.
= just bye coincidence = ALL of my Rolls ( four spools of 100' each / red / black ) of 8 AWG Marine Grade Tinned Copper Wire are "ANCOR" brand :-)
COOP
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i need one of them for my vehicle...... but it sounds like i need to win the lottery first.....ha ha
The Renogy is cheap, if that's what you mean. About $180cad shipped. If you mean the Wakespeed, well, ya...
Their 20A version of this is $110. No bad for a DC-DC charger compared to what else is out there.
the bad chinese/english is often refered to as “Chinglish”, from UA-camr “Not a Rubicon” 😂
I know that term, but I don't really like it. When someone struggles with poor English, I try to remember that whoever wrote it knows more English than I know Manderine or Cantonese.
@@TheDigitalMermaid yes, I’m sure we’d do horribly translating English to their various dialects as well. Technical terms are especially difficult..
May need to hookup similar soon, for some the living room is in the boat.
My boat's saloon is kinda my living room now. :D
you saying you re not organized!!!! thank god you didnt see my workbench.
lol! We've all got our workkable chaos...
My dc to dc is set for 14.1 i think
I thought mermaids didn't have toes 😂
I must say, this human thing is quite annoying. :p
Well, you said "Solder", not "Sodder", so you are all good here ;-p
Haha! My brother is a plumber and it's an ongoing thing between us. He hates when the 'L' is pronouced. Haha
Would love to meetup in NY. Albany?
I was thinking about trying to meet up with folks along the route, but the schedule is so wildly unpredictable that I'm not sure how well it would work. I'll post to patreon as I go, and see if I can swing at least short visits with folks along the path as I get a better feel for when I'll be where. I would love to meet up with folks though!
❤❤❤❤
LTO BATARYA
BANA
DESDEK
GÜC
KAYNA
GÖNDERME
ŞANSINOLABILIRMI
ACAMA
BANA
DESDEK
OLURMU
SENDEN
YANIT
BEKLİYORUM
Slm
HI HIIIIIII great feeling
You didn't need the icharger between the p/s and the renogy.
Oh?
God bless 😅
ok!!!
May i say you have lovely hair.
Never seen a bc-dc?
bc-dc?
I need a smart woman like u
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That switch diagram has the worst layout!
Like, I get that they're trying to cram as many options as they can into the dip switches, but I think a few more switches for a more user friendly config would be a worthy trade off.
@@TheDigitalMermaid Or just repeat the words off/on in the diagram instead of merging the cell. I was super confused by those manual pages at first!
@@MarkRose1337 Agreed, if they showed the desired setting and a simple table of "set jumpers 1~4 as A/B/C/D", that would have been clearer with the same number of dip switches.