People who expected them end of December got them start of Feb on the other forum I think, so looks like there is different batches coming through. Dunno. They were quite happy to refund me they said if I couldn't wait.
Fogstar Batteries
- Thread starter Donk
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- fogstar lithium battery
Interestingly, just watched DC Guys YouTube review and noticed that the manual that came with his battery (105AH) stated a max charging cap of 100A but the spec sheet on their website states 50A (which makes more sense to me) @Dellmassive, any thoughts?
Could be a typo.
The charge rate is dependent on the cells they use and the BMS they use.
50A would be the max I'd charge these batteries at.. but manufactures like to play play top trump with spec numbers.
Having said that discharge rate is more important as that will lock in the size inverter you can run off it.
Also important is the lowest current that the BMS can detect.... Ie led lights and USB chargers, dash cams etc..... I'd it's not low enough you will get a lot of BMS drift.
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The charge rate is dependent on the cells they use and the BMS they use.
50A would be the max I'd charge these batteries at.. but manufactures like to play play top trump with spec numbers.
Having said that discharge rate is more important as that will lock in the size inverter you can run off it.
Also important is the lowest current that the BMS can detect.... Ie led lights and USB chargers, dash cams etc..... I'd it's not low enough you will get a lot of BMS drift.
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You can charge lithium up to a maximum rate of “C”. Where C=the battery capacity. For maximum battery life the recommended rate is C/3. Which in your case would be 105/3= 35A. In extreme circumstances you can charge at C/1=105A. This is why Lithium needs good management, they aren’t self regulating like lead acid batteries.
Have a look at the lithium section over here .....
www.t6forum.com
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Dellmassive’s "How I Done It" blogs.
-- Dellmassive`s -- "How I Done It" -- thread -- ************************************************** Dellmassive`s -- "how I Done It" -- Thread ************************************************** Kit List And Stuff -- How I Done It & What I Use --...
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Fwiw.
I run the Roamer sb230 battery which has a 100A max charge.
Charged with a Renogy 50A dc-dc charger.
But I set the current limit in the dc-dc settings to 30A.
I also drop the charge voltage down to 14.2v
That's a sweet spot for me, it keeps all the temps low and doesn't stain the cable install.
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In a pinch when camping and need a fast top-up charge I adjust the settings and set the DC-DC charger to 50A with a 14.6v voltage.
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Then change back after to the chill out settings.
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Charging at 50A and above on a 12v system is serious, and needs a beefcake cable install and fuse blocks.. . . Stuff starts to got hot very quick at those rates.
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Yup, similar here. I charge the SuperB at 30A with the good old Victron Orion. The Mains charger is 15A and the solar is whatever mood the sun’s in. The only time things get warm is if the battery is low & we start driving & the Orion kicks in at full chat. But that doesn’t last long, and a thick piece of aluminium durbar plate as a heat sink helps mitigate that.
Just got email from them (after I chased) saying its now expected end of April, i'm not in a massive rush and it seems a good deal so will likely wait. If you're thinking of ordering I'd maybe wait till they have stuff in stock
I keep watching. My LB is pretty goosed so fingers crossed there are some spare at the end of April.Just got email from them (after I chased) saying its now expected end of April, i'm not in a massive rush and it seems a good deal so will likely wait. If you're thinking of ordering I'd maybe wait till they have stuff in stock
My 105ah came a couple of weeks ago but only had the time to fit in Friday.
Took the old AGM out and was surprised how much it weighed had forgotten how heavy it was
I have a ctek 250se and was a bit worried about how well it would charge lithium battery as have read of problems in past, it seems to be doing okay, on solar at least witb the Fogstar.
It came about half charged and after a afternoon and morning of solar (200w) was up to 100%
I have mounted it on its side, I have a plywood board all the electrics (and battery) are sat on, it would probably fit stood upright directly on the floor if you didn't have a swivel.
The Bluetooth monitoring works well, over a good distance, at the moment it seems like a good buy
Took the old AGM out and was surprised how much it weighed had forgotten how heavy it was
I have a ctek 250se and was a bit worried about how well it would charge lithium battery as have read of problems in past, it seems to be doing okay, on solar at least witb the Fogstar.
It came about half charged and after a afternoon and morning of solar (200w) was up to 100%
I have mounted it on its side, I have a plywood board all the electrics (and battery) are sat on, it would probably fit stood upright directly on the floor if you didn't have a swivel.
The Bluetooth monitoring works well, over a good distance, at the moment it seems like a good buy
Just as an update to this, my ctek 250se is now behaving the same as Dellmassive described in his testing, letting the battery drop to 13.3v before then returning it to a higher state of charge, this equates to the battery dropping to about 70%. I've ask Fogstar if there's anything I can change in the BMS settings but suspect i needed a new DC charger.
@Dellmassive Are the renology the current go to on DC-DC I would go for the 30 I think and limit the charging to 20 so wiring was kept the same, I have 200W of solar.
@Dellmassive Are the renology the current go to on DC-DC I would go for the 30 I think and limit the charging to 20 so wiring was kept the same, I have 200W of solar.
Yes - it the ctek d250 charge profile as witnessed in testing here --> [Guide] DC-DC Charger (for leisure battery) -- How I Done It --
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I have the Renogy dc50s with the BT module.
I set mine to current limiting at 30A.
And use separate Victron mppt for mobile solar.
For that battery I'd recommend getting the 50A charger now and setting current limiting to 20A untill you can swap out the feed cables and fuses for 50A rated kit.
i have this charger ( with Bt2 adapter):
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and run this MPPT - mobile when needed.
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I have the Renogy dc50s with the BT module.
I set mine to current limiting at 30A.
And use separate Victron mppt for mobile solar.
For that battery I'd recommend getting the 50A charger now and setting current limiting to 20A untill you can swap out the feed cables and fuses for 50A rated kit.
i have this charger ( with Bt2 adapter):
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and run this MPPT - mobile when needed.
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more info on the DC-DC chargers:
and MPPT:
SOLAR:
DC-DC:- Dc-dc Charger (for Leisure Battery) -- How I Done It --
- Charging Starter and Leisure batteries with same charger - Victron
- DC-DC Charger - AUTO VSR - feature testing
- Stop/start...regen...smart Alternator... Dc-dc Charger For Leisure Battery Or Not?
- Victron 12/12/30 DC-DC Charger
- Renogy DC50S DC-DC charger
- Redarc BCDC1250D DC-DC charger
- Votronic DC-DC standby charger - or not !
- Renogy Bt-2 Monitor
- Renogy 20A DC-DC Charger (no solar)
- CTEK D250SE DC-DC Charger
and MPPT:
SOLAR:
- Solar Pwm & Mppt Controllers - How I Done It -
- Mobile Solar Panels ? . . . - How I Did It -
- What Solar Panel & Controller? - How We Done It -
- Solar Panel Cutting Hole In Roof !!! - How We Done It -
- 300w Plus Solar Club -- How I Done It --
- Solar Sheds & Other Non-t6 Solar Projects - How We Done It -
- [Guide] Solar Cables? . . . - How I Did It -
- [Guide] Solar Cables? . . . - How I Did It -
- 50w 12v socket Dash Fold panel
- 50W Bluefusion Fold panel
- 200W Lensun Fold panel
- 110w Lensun Flex panel + Mag tape
- 100w Renogy Eclipse fold panel
- 160w PhotUnis Flex rear gland panel
- 100w Renogy suitcase
- 120w Bluefusion fold panel
- 200w Lensun flex panel
- 200w Renogy suitcase panel
- 100w Renogy suitcase 2021 vsn
- 150w PU flex rear gland panel
- 160w Renogy flex rear gland panel
- 200w Renogy suitcase Kit - V2
- 150W Lensun Black Flex Panel
for reference the 50A Renogy DC-DC cable and fuse specs:
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75A & 65A MIDI fuses,
4AWG cable
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75A & 65A MIDI fuses,
4AWG cable
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Hi @Huba - I think I have a failing AGM LB which is indicated by issues with my fridge.
Very interested in going lithium and have found the Fogstar 100A. I see they’re preorder - if I can ask how long did you have to wait for yours? And are you happy?
It looks like a good option and info above is useful. My fear in the short term is whether a) I’d get it in time for a trip in July and b) whether I’d need to upgrade my charging hardware. I currently have a Sterling B2B and a portable Halfords smart charger that I can see has a lithium profile but not sure if it’s suitable.
I ordered mid January and it came start of May. The battery has worked as expected. The Bluetooth monitoring works well, so am happy. I think it said it was going to arrive end of March when I ordered so it was late. I think they ask for a 10% deposit now rather than full payment I made
I'm not sure about the sterling B2B others may be able to help.
I haven't changed the ctek yet as although it's dropping to 75% sometimes this time of year the solar is charging it up quickly when it does charge. I think I'll change it eventually to renergy one
A VSR is not capable of charging a lithium battery period. You need a DC-DC charger with a lithium profile
Thanks deaky. You mean like the victron chargers that you use when connected to the mains to charge it?
How do you charge it while driving?
No, not a mains charger. A DC-DC charger is a battery to battery charger. Look at Victron Orion or CTEK
