Just finished my conversion! Everything seems to be working fine, but it's raining a lot here in the NE so I haven't actually mowed yet. But I tested it in the garage briefly. I installed the battery monitor and connected its power wire to the switched terminal in the ignition switch, so that...
Successful 1st Mow! Only took about 35 Ah total, so plenty left. My yard size is a bit over an acre, with some steep hills. Suck it, Ryobi!
Opened the box back up right after and touched everything (lugs, bus bars, BMS) and it's all cool to the touch. This is amazing.
Thanks for sharing - that was useful. I looked through my batteries' datasheet and it says nothing about compression or fixturing. So I'm not going to stress over it.
Yeah that's the same charger from my link above. My concern is that at 19A, I'm not sure if I would want to to rig it to plug into the Ryobi charger port, since that is all 14AWG and designed for the 13A Delta charger. So then an alternative could be to wire it into an Anderson-style plug that...
I think most of us joined just for this thread also!
Double-check that these batteries will fit (they should). You might need new connecting cables for the battery terminals and series connections if the Ryobi ones don't work with the terminal post geometry of the new batteries. Hopefully...
My 2 cents on the whole charging thing. I've continued to use the original Delta-Q charger with my converted system and at this point I see no reason to get a different charger. Given that cutting my entire 1 acre lawn uses only about 35Ah, I can easily maintain my SoC very comfortably between...
Wow, that looks great! Please let us know how it works out. I'm exploring my options on how to tackle this myself. I'll keep an eye on battery hookup. How much did you pay for the cells? Right now I'm considering the easy route of trying out the cheap 12V 100Ah options on Amazon (like Ampere...
This may be related to the lockout circuit, similar to what happened to @UltrasoundJelly (see the bottom of post #338). When you turn the key, do you hear the lockout relay "thud"? If not, you might want to try bypassing the lockout circuit like he did.
I can't imagine this being related to the...
Oh that's nice. Is this Amy Zheng? Did you PM her directly? I see that I can get many good options on powerwholesale.net. I read somewhere that they are the same inventory as what Amy Zheng offers.
Just ordered my batteries! Went with CALB 100Ah cells (L160F100B), via Amy Z. $940 shipped, but already in a USA warehouse so I'll get them within a week. Then ordered an Overkill 16s BMS, but just learned that it's on backorder, so that may take some time to get to me. In the meantime I can...
Can you not return it? For the money of a new mower plus a battery conversion you could just buy an EGO or Greenworks zero-turn. Or wait until the new Lithium Ryobis come out (https://www.toolboxbuzz.com/lawn-garden/lawn-mower/ryobi-new-80v-lithium-zero-turn-riding-lawn-mowers/).
Whoa, this trend continues to blow up!! This is awesome.
@icenov, regarding the arrows in your photo: you're correct. The left arrow points to the thermistor, which you ONLY need if you plan to use the original Ryobi Delta charger (I do, so I kept it connected to the charge port). If you're...
Hi @UltrasoundJelly, that's awesome to hear there's more of us out there! Just to be clear, @AMDPower deserves all the credit here!
If you go with the single 48V battery, I bet you can just tie it down using a couple straps, and forget about the bolt. I think having it secured is a good idea. I...
I have not. It might be a good idea to reach out to them about this. @AMDPower, do you have a contact point for them? I recall you had some communication with them in the past.
A couple of guys doing the same conversion as me purchased this one: https://www.amazon.com/58-4V-Charger-LiFePO4-Battery-Smart/dp/B07CXQBQ8D/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=48v+lifepo4+charger&qid=1632939264&sr=8-6, which is no longer available. They opened the housing and found a pot that adjusts...
@Jakeman that's great! Got pictures?
I'm a bit confused about the monitor initially showing low charge. This monitor has no way to know state of charge if it's not calibrated. Usually you would have to fully charge the batteries first, then set the monitor to 100%. Then after that the monitor...
Actually, I'm charging at 3.55V first. Going for a two-step approach. I'm measuring an 80mV drop between power supply and battery. But this drop is getting smaller as the current keeps dropping. I'm using a banana-to-alligator lead between PS and battery, which I know is not ideal but given that...
Just found these two 48V chargers by EG4. https://shop.signaturesolar.us/collections/48v-battery-chargers
Both have a 5yr warranty. I just wish they had a 10A version at an in-between price! But maybe the 5A version would be just fine... If we're now getting enough range to comfortably finish...
Thanks. Yes, it maintains the settings and remembers the remaining capacity. One thing I just realized though is that without power, it will not monitor the current when the batteries are charging. So I will have to remember to turn the key to the 'on' position when charging. So maybe you should...
Hey guys, that's awesome that you've been already getting some mows out of your new batteries! How does the range compare to what it once was when your machine was brand new? My batteries are expected to arrive today and the BMS sometime on Tuesday, so I'm hoping to have my rig ready before...
Also found this one: https://www.invertersupply.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=199400&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-4SLBhCVARIsACrhWLX5LrpOI4zk03boglETnoot8JiAd7M5PY_7lr-iIjcF9Zxd-xgd-ssaAnRTEALw_wcB.
@bobbie_ohio, wow that is terrible news, really sorry to hear. Loose battery terminals is the first thing that came to mind. I torqued mine to 4 Nm (M6 aluminum), but now after reading what happened to you I'm going to open mine up and see if everything is still tight (perhaps everyone should do...
Cells have been slowly charging at 3A in series for about 20 hours now. The Overkill app estimates that they are at full SoC (based on current over time), but the cells voltages are still lagging. Based on the charge voltage curves, I expect these numbers will start rising sharply very soon...
Thanks, you make a good point. I was trying to play it safe but as long as I'm monitoring the process I see that I might as well get more current and get there faster.
Did either of you consider these from Battery Hookup at some point? https://batteryhookup.com/products/new-battery-hookup-lifep04-32650-3-2v-5000mah-cells-1
They're cylindrical cells, and there's been some positive results reported. I can get 16 'cells' for $880. Not sure how they compare to...
Sorry to hear. Regarding your first question, it could be a number of things. For starters, I would check that the overall series voltage of the batteries is what it should be (mid 50's, or up to 58V when fully charged), and continuity test on the main fuse.
Regarding your second question, it...
I called them and they said it is not adjustable. From everything I've found, it seems that the standard LiFePO4 charger is set for a max voltage of 3.6 or 3.65V per cell. Adjustability does not seem to be a common parameter, which makes me wonder if I'm asking the wrong questions. And now the...
Wow, I must admit I would have been very tempted if I saw it before purchasing my cells. But the money saved plus the learning experience is totally worth it.
Hi @FilterGuy,
I've been following your Top-Balancing write up (so well written, by the way!). I've been doing it with a CV/CC PSU that unfortunately only reaches 3A max. I first had them in series with BMS and finished off in parallel as you suggested. I set my voltage to 3.6V and eventually...
Hi @bushi12. If you don't mind me asking, how is your EG4 charger working out for you? I'm building a 16s 48v setup and I'm looking for a charger. I will be using an Overkill 16s BMS. Do you just let the EG4 charge it up to its max voltage of 58.4V? Or do you set the Overkill to go into...
Hi everyone,
I am building a 16s system with CALB 100Ah cells and an Overkill 16s BMS.
The new cells arrived at about 40% SoC (according to the seller). Before top-balancing, I decided to first slowly charge them up in series (at 3A) until one cell reaches 3.55V, and then I will put them in...
Nice find on that charger! And also nice find on the current adjustability of the AIMS. This makes the AIMS very appealing.
I'm tempted to just stick to the Delta charger for now. It seems to me that the main differences between SLA and LiFEPo chargers have to do mostly with what happens at the...
AMDPower, thanks so much for undertaking and documenting this! I've been on the same boat with my Ryobi (exact same as yours) for some time and there is very little DYI content out there on this type of conversion. You are paving the way for many of us.
I'm following this thread with excitement...
They're rated for 100A continuous and 200A peak (10 sec). But with the 125A fuse in the mower, I feel it's more than enough.
I'm not sure if the meter is the exact same dimension as the one in the Ryobi but at 2in diameter looks very close. If I can't fit it in as a direct replacement then I...
Yeah. It has two connectors: one with 3 wires (yellow, black, red) going towards the instrument panel, and another one with a single blue wire going towards the charge port. What USJ did was disconnect the blue wire and connect it directly to battery positive (48v). This will permanently disable...
Oh I see, you're using the EG4 just to top balance. I have a DC power supply that I was planning on using for this (though much less powerful and will take a little longer even for my 100Ah pack). But my plan is to do the same: bring them up to about 3.55V in series then do the last bit in...
Hi zamondo,
I'm not an expert, but I don't think you *have* to charge them separately if you go with 4 batteries in series. As long as their BMS have overcharge protection, then series charging should be fine. If they are well-balanced out of the factory, I think they would hold very similar...
Not
Not me, should have thought of that. Most lock nuts are stainless steel, which worry me might significantly reduce conductivity between posts and bus bars. Found these aluminum ones, a bit pricy but might just get them...
Very nice, I just ordered the same one.
@tentious, that's a very good perspective on compression. You're right, not worth stressing about it for our application.
Thanks for the responses. You guys were right, it was just a matter of patience. It finally took a turn after about 5 more hours and voltages started to rise much faster. So total charging time was close to 25 hours, which means their original SoC was closer to 25% than 40%. One cell hit...
@ryobilifepo4user, i agree with the others that your batteries are most likely not charged. How long did your charge each battery for? With a 5 amp 12V charger, it would take 20 hours per battery to go from empty to full. Definitely not a good charger for your setup.
Are you sure it's lithium-powered? I can't find any information online other than the AGM-powered ones (at the prices that you mentioned).
These are all the riding mowers listed in the Ryobi website: https://www.ryobitools.com/products/outdoor/mowers/riding-mowers
They're all have lead-acid...
Hi everyone,
I'm putting together a 16s 100Ah battery bank with an Overkill 16s BMS. This bank will power an electric ride-on lawnmower (basically doing an AGM to LiFePO4 conversion). I have a question about selecting a charger. I noticed that LiFePO chargers (such as this one, or this one)...