looks like there is a new V2 of this battery?
new website and new docs up from last month. . . .
new website and new docs up from last month. . . .
sure, but given that *most* of the time (not today, the sky was black as night at 5pm) the solar panel keeps it fairly well charged, that’s not too much of a problem. We never plan to go seriously off grid for a long time, but a few nights here and there in Aires would be good.
Interesting. Reading the bit about the battery going into dormant mode and requiring a wall charger to release it (though perhaps this only applies to the new version?) I wondered if this is what had happened to mine, and I guess a faulty charger could cause this?
any chance of some screen shots from the app?
it seems a lot of standard chargers will only achieve 80% SOC due to the charging voltage level . . .
the lifepo4 batteries take a slighly higher voltage to charge , , which is the Lithium profile part. . . .
but well done lifos for coming clean and stating the facts . . . . thats good to see.
as @Deaky mentioned the new Ctek SE version has a lithium profile . . . .
So maybe look at upgrading your Ctek to the new one:
D250SE
Product information
Dual input 20A charger with selectable charge voltages
Enjoy more and relax
With award winning Swedish technology, the dual input D250SE allows you to enjoy your vehicle more with maximized battery capacity as the ideal charger for vehicles without access to a mains power supply.
The D250SE is a fully automatic, 5 step charger that supplies up to 20A of power to any 12V lead-acid or lithium* service battery from 40–300Ah. It has selectable charge algorithms for AGM and lithium* batteries and can use power through its dual input from alternator, solar panel and wind power. When the service battery is fully charged, the D250SE will automatically redirect maintenance charge power to the starter battery. The D250SE can maintain a stable output up to 20A to vehicles fitted with smart ECU controlled alternators and also has a temperature sensor for optimised charging, regardless of weather conditions. *) 12V lithium batteries (LiFePO4, Li-Fe, Li-iron, LFP)
more info on DC-DC : Dc-dc Charger (for Leisure Battery) -- How I Done It --
and Lithium batteries: Lithium Lifepo4 12v Batteries - - - Time For An Upgrade ? - - -
.
the lifepo4 batteries take a slighly higher voltage to charge , , which is the Lithium profile part. . . .
but well done lifos for coming clean and stating the facts . . . . thats good to see.
as @Deaky mentioned the new Ctek SE version has a lithium profile . . . .
So maybe look at upgrading your Ctek to the new one:
D250SE
Product information
Dual input 20A charger with selectable charge voltages
Enjoy more and relax
With award winning Swedish technology, the dual input D250SE allows you to enjoy your vehicle more with maximized battery capacity as the ideal charger for vehicles without access to a mains power supply.
The D250SE is a fully automatic, 5 step charger that supplies up to 20A of power to any 12V lead-acid or lithium* service battery from 40–300Ah. It has selectable charge algorithms for AGM and lithium* batteries and can use power through its dual input from alternator, solar panel and wind power. When the service battery is fully charged, the D250SE will automatically redirect maintenance charge power to the starter battery. The D250SE can maintain a stable output up to 20A to vehicles fitted with smart ECU controlled alternators and also has a temperature sensor for optimised charging, regardless of weather conditions. *) 12V lithium batteries (LiFePO4, Li-Fe, Li-iron, LFP)
- 20A fully automatic temperature compensated charging for batteries from 40-300Ah while you’re on the move
- Dual input (solar and alternator in parallel)
- Smart alternator compatible
- Selectable lithium* and lead-acid mode
- Solar panel regulator with Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT)
- *) 12V lithium batteries (LiFePO4, Li-Fe, Li-iron, LFP)
- Battery separation replacing diodes and VSR relays
- Selectable AGM option – 14.4V or 14.7V
- Maximised charging for better battery life and performance
- Temperature sensor to compensate for hot or cold conditions
- Splash and dust proof (IP65)
- Compatible with SMARTPASS 120, SMARTPASS 120S for the ultimate 140A power management solution
- 2-year warranty
more info on DC-DC : Dc-dc Charger (for Leisure Battery) -- How I Done It --
and Lithium batteries: Lithium Lifepo4 12v Batteries - - - Time For An Upgrade ? - - -
.
Albeit that the 250SA does not have a profile for Lithium batteries the symptoms sound more like a poor connection somewhere between the Ctek and the battery or the battery and ground.
@Malcyb did you get things sorted and if so what was the issue?
I have the same combination of CTEK 250SA and lithium battery and discovered (with forum help) that on EHU there isn’t enough voltage to charge the battery via my Sargent EC155. My Lifos was installed with the wall charger attached so on EHU I plan to plug a cable into my 240v socket and into the wall charger to charge the battery (just got a 3Amp laptop cable with figure 8 connector). Hoping this allows me to top up the leisure battery every time I’m on hook up. Remainder of the time it’ll be alternator and solar panel.
Unfortunately I can’t get the LiFOS app to work - recognises my battery via Bluetooth but doesn’t present me with any values!
I have the same combination of CTEK 250SA and lithium battery and discovered (with forum help) that on EHU there isn’t enough voltage to charge the battery via my Sargent EC155. My Lifos was installed with the wall charger attached so on EHU I plan to plug a cable into my 240v socket and into the wall charger to charge the battery (just got a 3Amp laptop cable with figure 8 connector). Hoping this allows me to top up the leisure battery every time I’m on hook up. Remainder of the time it’ll be alternator and solar panel.
Unfortunately I can’t get the LiFOS app to work - recognises my battery via Bluetooth but doesn’t present me with any values!
Yeah sorry I went quiet... there’s been some progress however I can’t say I’ve completely got to the bottom of it.
my installer reckoned it was likely to be caused by a faulty CTEK, and so the other week I took it down to be replaced. I’m now in the process of testing it out some more and I’m getting to grips with the app. @Ian28 are you using the android or IOS version? I’ve had no joy using it on my android phone (it sees the battery but nothing happens when I try to connect to it) but works much better on my iPad. Using this I’ve found a few things....
1. I am guessing there might well have been a fault with the CTEK. Prior to its replacement I certainly had a couple of occasions when we lost all power when we we in fairly bright daylight so should have been getting some charge from the solar panel. Since replacing it this hasn’t happened (yet!) and the one time we had some weak sunshine the app told me the battery was charging. I have lost power once but think I had completely flattened the battery. This is what still really bugs me since if this happens you have no option but to connect it to the EHU - it does not charge from the alternator. You only need to connect it for a minute or so; then you can disconnect and it will start charging from the alternator again when you start the engine. I assume this is because the battery has gone into the dormant mode referred to in their brochure. This “feature” is very annoying and leaves me not feeling confident about going off grid, although by paying close attention to the app in future, hopefully we can avoid the situation occurring.
2. It seems I can fully charge the battery from either EHU or the alternator. I bought a mains adaptor the other day so I could connect my hookup cable to a 240V socket at home and it works fine. Using either method I can get the SOC to 100%.
3. I realised rather belatedly that the CBE PC100 tells me next to nothing about the battery’s charge. According to the manual the LEDs are just a voltage readout and as I’ve been steadily discharging the battery (now down to 15%) with the fridge on full blast all 3 LEDs remain illuminated, which presumably is consistent with the app showing voltage only having dropped slightly from 13.8 when fully charged to 12.8 now. So from now on I’ll ignore the CBE and use the app instead.
I’d wondered if there was a way of getting the battery out of its dormant mode without needing to be near a mains supply. I thought it might be possible to connect in series, the EHU cable, my EHU - 240V adaptor and a 12V - 240V inverter, plug the latter into the dash 12V socket and start the engine. I’d only need to do this for a short time, just long enough to allow the battery to start charging from the alternator again. I contacted LiFOS technical support and they said “Yes you could connect it up to another charger via an inverter (150w max depending on the charger you are using) but this isn’t an ideal way.” So I might purchase a small portable inverter to see if this does the job - or does anybody think this is crazy?
my installer reckoned it was likely to be caused by a faulty CTEK, and so the other week I took it down to be replaced. I’m now in the process of testing it out some more and I’m getting to grips with the app. @Ian28 are you using the android or IOS version? I’ve had no joy using it on my android phone (it sees the battery but nothing happens when I try to connect to it) but works much better on my iPad. Using this I’ve found a few things....
1. I am guessing there might well have been a fault with the CTEK. Prior to its replacement I certainly had a couple of occasions when we lost all power when we we in fairly bright daylight so should have been getting some charge from the solar panel. Since replacing it this hasn’t happened (yet!) and the one time we had some weak sunshine the app told me the battery was charging. I have lost power once but think I had completely flattened the battery. This is what still really bugs me since if this happens you have no option but to connect it to the EHU - it does not charge from the alternator. You only need to connect it for a minute or so; then you can disconnect and it will start charging from the alternator again when you start the engine. I assume this is because the battery has gone into the dormant mode referred to in their brochure. This “feature” is very annoying and leaves me not feeling confident about going off grid, although by paying close attention to the app in future, hopefully we can avoid the situation occurring.
2. It seems I can fully charge the battery from either EHU or the alternator. I bought a mains adaptor the other day so I could connect my hookup cable to a 240V socket at home and it works fine. Using either method I can get the SOC to 100%.
3. I realised rather belatedly that the CBE PC100 tells me next to nothing about the battery’s charge. According to the manual the LEDs are just a voltage readout and as I’ve been steadily discharging the battery (now down to 15%) with the fridge on full blast all 3 LEDs remain illuminated, which presumably is consistent with the app showing voltage only having dropped slightly from 13.8 when fully charged to 12.8 now. So from now on I’ll ignore the CBE and use the app instead.
I’d wondered if there was a way of getting the battery out of its dormant mode without needing to be near a mains supply. I thought it might be possible to connect in series, the EHU cable, my EHU - 240V adaptor and a 12V - 240V inverter, plug the latter into the dash 12V socket and start the engine. I’d only need to do this for a short time, just long enough to allow the battery to start charging from the alternator again. I contacted LiFOS technical support and they said “Yes you could connect it up to another charger via an inverter (150w max depending on the charger you are using) but this isn’t an ideal way.” So I might purchase a small portable inverter to see if this does the job - or does anybody think this is crazy?
You need a "dumb" charger to get the battery voltage high enough for the Ctek to begin charging. A very basic work shop charger without any smart features is what is needed. You will find that all modern intelligent chargers, whether DC-DC or AC-DC will have low voltage shut down. The other thing that you could do is use one of those lithium powered booster packs to raise the voltage. This is probably a better option as it frees from the need for mains power. Something like this
GB40 1000A NOCO Jump Starter
Or use a battery guard to set a low voltage shut off and stop the battery voltage going below the required 10.5 volts or whatever it is for your model of Ctek.
GB40 1000A NOCO Jump Starter
Or use a battery guard to set a low voltage shut off and stop the battery voltage going below the required 10.5 volts or whatever it is for your model of Ctek.
Thanks for the ideas... I’d been wondering about something like this, however where our leisure battery is located it would be a terrible faff to connect crocodile clips to it, which is why I was thinking about connecting “something” to my EHU socket. Could I do that with one of these?
No but you could connect into a cig lighter socket if you have one connected to the leisure battery or you could wire in a quick connect set up.
unless we’re at cross purposes, this is roughly what I was thinking of. I envisaged connecting something like this to the 12V dash socket (powered by the van battery)...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/BESTEK-Inv...&qid=1574873918&sprefix=12v+in,aps,146&sr=8-5
Connecting this to one of these...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00D45VPXO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Connecting this to my hookup cable connected to my hookup socket.
then firing up the van and crossing my fingers! Does that make sense?
I wouldn't recommend it! For this kind of set up to work you would need a pure sine wave inverter and I don't know of one that comes fitted with a cig plug.
oh
do you think that could actually damage the battery? Strange that LiFOS said it should work, unless they didn’t follow my description - I didn’t point them at specific products. So picking up on your previous comment, yes the leisure battery does power a 12v socket. In which case, are you implying I should be able to connect the jump starter to this? If so I couldn’t figure out if there was some spec of cable that would do the job, though I see there’s a 12v output on the device?
It's the battery charger that wouldn't work unless it was a pure sine wave inverter and depending on the how the rest of the installation was done there could be other complications. Having given this some more thought it would be cheaper to just use a small dryfit battery instead of a booster pack and it would be easier to connect up to a cig plug. Something like a Yuasa 4ah would do it.
You mean one of these?
NP4-12 Yuasa 12v 4Ah Rechargeable Battery
How would I connect that to the 12v socket?
NP4-12 Yuasa 12v 4Ah Rechargeable Battery
How would I connect that to the 12v socket?
Yes, or anything similar. A metre of two core cable, a 5 amp inline fuse and a cig plug. If you're not sure I could make it up for you.
Similar threads
