Roamer Lithium LiFePO4 Seatbase battery

[RoamerBatteries]

As promised, here is some extra info on the unique seatbase model of our 200Ah LiFePO4 battery, currently on sale with a preorder discount at www.roamerbatteries.com. Next stock is due for delivery to customers 3-10th May. We are currently offering a 10% preorder discount making the price £855. Delivery anywhere in the UK is £50 via private courier.

Sorry about the amateur photos, this batch was sold out before it arrived so I only had a couple of hours to do a quick tear down and take some pics before repackaging and sending out to customers. Will take some better photos next time!

For those that haven’t seen the other thread, this is a custom shape 200Ah LiFePO4 designed specifically for the T5/T6 seatbase. and is low enough to fit under a swivel seat. It has Bluetooth monitoring, a continuous charge and discharge rating of 120A (240A peak) and low temperature charge protection. Dimensions are 330mm x 290mm x 180mm.

It’s tight but and fits perfectly between the seatbase rails with about 5mm to spare. Terminals use M8 bolts. The low profile handles sit flush with the top of the case so will let you lower it in without increasing the overall height.




Height wise, it sits pretty much level with the top of the base




The shape of the seatbase means it sits at the back leaving a gap at the front… here’s how it sits when installed with terminals at the back:




And at the front:



We designed the terminals to sit on a lower platform which makes cabling easier, and prevents snagging cables with a swivel seat. Ignore the chopped up seatbase




Inside the case you can see the construction using A1 prismatic cells, copper busbars and soldered joints.




The Bluetooth BMS balances all cells and provides protection against under/over voltages, under/over current load and under/over temperatures. Low temp charge protection kicks in at 0C and releases at 5C.




You can configure BMS settings on the app – so for example you could set the under voltage to 12V if you want to prevent battery discharging below 20%



Let me know if any questions!

 

[Jean-Louis Bourdon]

hey quick question. i just did the first charge in my garden since the battery is booked to be installed 22 sept. I charge with a victron blue smart charger 12 30 1 configured for lithium. while monitori'g the charge I saw it jumped from 120ah to 200ah (see graph) still pulling 30A though... & the victron still confirms it's in Bulk what's happening here!?

 

[RoamerBatteries]

Hi Jean Louis, you need to charge and discharge the battery a couple of times before the BMS will show the correct state of charge. SoC is taken from an internal shunt so it needs to calibrate itself.

Give it a full charge using your Victron Bluesmart charger until it goes into float mode. You’ll probs get a single cell overvoltage warning from BMS when it’s at 100% which is normal, don’t worry about this.

It’ll be fine leaving it fully charged for a couple of months but if you’re able to, connect a load to take it back down to between 40% to 80% SoC before storing it.

Give me a ring if any issues

 

[Jean-Louis Bourdon]

Hi Jean Louis, you need to charge and discharge the battery a couple of times before the BMS will show the correct state of charge. SoC is taken from an internal shunt so it needs to calibrate itself.

Give it a full charge using your Victron Bluesmart charger until it goes into float mode. You’ll probs get a single cell overvoltage warning from BMS when it’s at 100% which is normal, don’t worry about this.

It’ll be fine leaving it fully charged for a couple of months but if you’re able to, connect a load to take it back down to between 40% to 80% SoC before storing it.

Give me a ring if any issues

ok thanks, . i had been told the best % to store it long term is 75% i'm pretty sure i didn't charge it completely. i stopped shortly after taking the screenshots. the interesting thing is that it was predicting reliably, 100Ah at 50%, then it reached 120 at 60%, so far so good, then 200Ah/100% instantly.
I'll leave it like this. the victon told me i must have charged about 80Ah in the battery, from 30%

 

[RoamerBatteries]

Yea that’s weird that it jumped up but it’ll work itself out over a few cycles so nothing to worry about. Yep 75% is ideal so if you do charge fully then stick a 12V load on it for couple of hours to drop it down a bit before storing

 

[Steele T6]

Hi, I have a standard VWT6 Kombi. There are factory looms under both front seats. Any ideas how the 200A battery is installed to fit around this ?

 

[Deaky]

Hi, I have a standard VWT6 Kombi. There are factory looms under both front seats. Any ideas how the 200A battery is installed to fit around this ?

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Its usual to remove the plugs from the cage that secures them to the seat base and tuck them either under the floor or beside the battery. Looking at photo's of the battery above there's loads of space down the sides of it.

 

[Steele T6]

Its usual to remove the plugs from the cage that secures them to the seat base and tuck them either under the floor or beside the battery. Looking at photo's of the battery above there's loads of space down the sides of it.

thanks Deaky , but would I not crush the factory wiring if I installed the Roamer 200A (as it sits on the floor)or do you relocate the wiring to the side of the battery ? I just cant get my head around it if there is space . I have asked Roamer for a picture of how it would be installed

 

[Deaky]

Bags of room here

 

[Steele T6]

thanks Deaky. So do you just secure the connectors when then are removed from the housing to the underside of the seat , to stop them rattling around ? As you can probably guess this is my first first conversion . Building a house seems more simple at the moment than a conversion as don't want to end up with a bag of bits

 

[Deaky]

thanks Deaky. So do you just secure the connectors when then are removed from the housing to the underside of the seat , to stop them rattling around ? As you can probably guess this is my first first conversion . Building a house seems more simple at the moment than a conversion as don't want to end up with a bag of bits

No need. Unplug the connector, un clip the socket from the frame then plug them back together then stuff the lot down the side of the battery. If you're worried about rattles you could put a bit on lining cloth or carpet around the bundle.

 

[Steele T6]

Thanks , so would you put the Roamer 200A under the passenger seat and put the dc-dc under the drivers side ?

 

[Deaky]

Thanks , so would you put the Roamer 200A under the passenger seat and put the dc-dc under the drivers side ?

I think you'd have to unless you could make some sort of upright bracket and fit a smallish footprint DC-DC charger to it, maybe a Victron Orion, so that it pokes through the hole in front of the seat base. Depends what you want to do drivers side, Sub woofer or night heater maybe?

 

[bobbybasic]

It's definitely a tight fit but with careful planning theres space to fit the Redarc DC-DC down one side, fusebox at the front and room to feed the cables down the other side of the battery. I've not finished yet, so here are some of my work-in-progress pics. I think I've made that front panel four times now! I stuck some shaped wood to the sides then bolted the charger and midi fuses to that. I recommend getting hold of an old second hand seat base and having a poke about to see what fits, then transfer everything over to your van when you're done.

 

[Steele T6]

Thats a very neat installation. A great job and thank you for your help. A few more questions if thats ok .
Which way do the terminals go and how have you secured the battery ?
have you put in a master / midi fuse box ?
Is the redarc bolted through the side wall of the seat base ?

 

[bobbybasic]

I have bolted on 2 metal L brackets to the seat base either side of the battery, from these I have attached a standard battery clamp (using J Bolts). It's rock solid but I'm not that happy with this solution, currently looking at an alternative for this.

The midi fuses were supplied to me as part of the kit by @travelvolts and I've labeled them on the pic below.

The Redarc is bolted onto wooden boards, the boards are stuck to the side of the seat base. I did not want to drill any external holes. I have made similar wooden boards for the other side for potential future installs (shunts etc). The midi fuses are screwed into the wood as well.

Pics showing wiring layout, battery terminal location as well as the ugly battery clamp. Terminals face into the van and now have proper terminal covers (not pictured), a custom panel also fits to the seat base to hide the lot away (also not pictured).

Hope that helps

 

[Steele T6]

many thanks for sharing photos of the install, it is looking very tidy and well thought out. I see that you have secured the battery with a threaded rod , do you have a plan B ?.

Can you put a threaded spacer fixed from underneath, through this existing hole at the front and attach a bar across the front ?



Threaded spacer

 

[Steele T6]

Its usual to remove the plugs from the cage that secures them to the seat base and tuck them either under the floor or beside the battery. Looking at photo's of the battery above there's loads of space down the sides of it.

Hi Deaky , When I take the plugs out of the cages do they come out complete or are they in two halves ? If its the latter will I get any warning lights coming on if I pull them apart ?

 

[Deaky]

If you do it when the ignition is off then you will not get any warning lights. They are in two halves. Remove the upper half, this will leave the bottom half clipped to the cage on the seat. Unclip the bottom half from the cage then plug the two halves back together. You'll then be able to remove the cage from the seat base.

 

[Steele T6]

Brilliant , many thanks. The bit I don't understand is that the holder has spare ways for fuse holders . Is there not a smaller cage or is that what comes with a standard OEM fit ?