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  1. jdege

    "regular" solar system or portable power station?

    I'm using a Bluetti AC200MAX, as a temporary solution pending installation of a proper house bank. It was easy enough to install. It sits on a bench, and has a 12VDC output wired to the existing 12V distribution panel, so it'll power the bilge pumps if necessary. I have it's 120VAC charger...
  2. jdege

    Design of AGM & LiFePO4 / Solar system for my boat

    For me, the critical issue might be the risk of unexpected shutdown. There really is no way to know when a BMS is likely to just turn off.
  3. jdege

    Design of AGM & LiFePO4 / Solar system for my boat

    Battery Bank Management System (BBMS) Technology: A Proposed Standard for Managing an Off-Grid Electrical System with Both Lead and LiFePO4 Battery Banks
  4. jdege

    Design of AGM & LiFePO4 / Solar system for my boat

    The "problem" is that none of the commercial LiFePO4 charging options follow the manufacturers' recommendations with regard to charging regimes, because they're designed to charge based on voltage levels, and LiFePO4 cannot be safely charged using voltage levels to determine battery state. Or so...
  5. jdege

    Design of AGM & LiFePO4 / Solar system for my boat

    I claim no expertise, but if you're looking to create a mixed lead-acid/lithium system, you should take a look at Emily&Clark's Battery Bank Manager System. BankManager™ System You may not decide to get one, but reading through his explanations of why he designed it will probably help.
  6. jdege

    24 versus 12 V

    One thought - does your "12 V needs" include the bilge pumps? Maybe it's just me, but I want as few parts, and as few possible points of failure, on my bilge pump circuits as possible.
  7. jdege

    Source for assorted power connectors?

    My electric razor's wall wart outputs 5V at 1.2A. That's typical for the stuff I have that isn't already USB. My phone, my tablet, and my laptop will all charge at higher voltages, but they negotiate USB-PD directly.
  8. jdege

    Source for assorted power connectors?

    I've decided to replace most of my AC->DC wall warts with custom USB-PD cables. I'm moving onto a boat, and the idea of running my inverter just to provide 120V AC just so my electric razor's wall wart can produce 9V DC for my razor seems wastefully. USB-PD can provide power at various various...
  9. jdege

    Stainless mounting rails and clamps

    I've been musing about some alternative approaches. I've not used either of these, and I'm not sure I'd choose either, but when I get to where I'm mounting panels, I'll certainly consider their approaches. FLINrail+ LightLeaf
  10. jdege

    Stainless mounting rails and clamps

    In a marine environment, you'll want 316 SS, not 304.
  11. jdege

    Solar Powered Boat Generators

    On a boat you really need to look at battery chemistry. Most of the lithium chemistries are unsafe on a boat because they can spontaneously catch fire. A car fire you can walk away from, on a boat you don't have that choice. The only commercially available chemistry that is safe is LiFePO4 -...
  12. jdege

    24v batteries to run 48v motor

    Putting unmatched batteries into series doesn't work well. They won't charge and discharge together, so the combination won't allow you to access the full capacity of the two batteries. That said, they'll have the same problem in parallel. In both cases, you might get something less that 100Ah...
  13. jdege

    Switching between redundant systems.

    I'm building, in piecemeal fashion, the electrical systems for a liveaboard sailboat. What I have currently are two 48V, 100Ah LiFePO4 batteries, each powering a separate electric motor, and each with its own 120VAC->48VDC, 22A charger. And temporarily, I'm using a Bluetti AC200MAX for...
  14. jdege

    How long will a power station run in standby?

    There will be a 12V house bank. A lot of people prefer separate standalone batteries for their bilge pumps, independent of the house bank. I may consider that, someday.
  15. jdege

    How long will a power station run in standby?

    The boat is currently in a slip and the power station's charger is connected to shore power. All of this is temporary, I will be installing a proper house bank, with inverter, PV charging, etc. It's just not first on my list.
  16. jdege

    How long will a power station run in standby?

    I'm refitting a boat. Because of this I've pulled both starter and house batteries. Eventually these will be replaced, but for now I've wired the 12V DC output of my power station to the house bank distribution blocks. There's nothing running on the house bank except the bilge pumps, but the...
  17. jdege

    Epoch vs. Kilovault

    I have a pair of Epoch B48100Bs and I have no complaints about the batteries, or the chargers. But the app doesn't impress me. Bluetooth connection page displays all Bluetooth devices, not just batteries. Can only connect to one battery at a time. Must explicitly disconnect from the first...
  18. jdege

    Sailboat batteries: EVE/CALB or Fortune/Winston?

    There are commercially available LiFePO4 batteries that are rated IP67 or better. Of, of course, you could always install them in battery boxes.
  19. jdege

    Sailboat batteries: EVE/CALB or Fortune/Winston?

    A great many LiFePO4 installs are in the bilge...
  20. jdege

    Configuring Victron BMV-712?

    So it would. Battery capacity: 105Ah Charged voltage: 56.8~58.4V (58.4 is max voltage at full charge) Discharge floor: 20% Tail current: 1~3% Charged detection time: 3m Peukert exponent: 1.05 Charge efficiency factor: 99% Current threshold: 0.1A Time-to-go averaging period: 3m
  21. jdege

    48v bank, dual inverter question

    If you're putting two AC sources on the same wires you're going to have to do something to ensure they stay in phase. Do the Victrons support that?
  22. jdege

    Configuring Victron BMV-712?

    I contacted the manufacturer and sent them a screen shot of the configuration page and they sent me a set of recommended values.
  23. jdege

    Charging a 48V bank?

    The primary drive behind my repower is to get two props on her, again. The existing single offset prop results in a boat that simply can't be steered at slow speeds. I went with the Elco primarily because they use standard outboard chassis - the very same as Yamaha and Tohatsu. This means they...
  24. jdege

    Sailboat batteries: EVE/CALB or Fortune/Winston?

    Maybe I've been watching too many YouTube videos of Haulover Inlet...
  25. jdege

    Sailboat batteries: EVE/CALB or Fortune/Winston?

    I'm thinking that a fast powerboat will encounter far higher shock loads than a sailboat, regardless of whether coastal or open ocean.
  26. jdege

    Two Victron Orion DC-DC converters?

    I have a small 12V 12Ah motorcycle battery that could serve.
  27. jdege

    Two Victron Orion DC-DC converters?

    I have a Bluetti AC200MAX, that can supply 12V 30A that I might plug in to the house bank distribution blocks, just to have something to power the bilge pumps if needed. Not a permanent fix, but should work in the short term.
  28. jdege

    Two Victron Orion DC-DC converters?

    I'm in the process of replacing the diesel on my boat with a pair of electric motors. I had had two 12V lead-acids, a 100Ah house and a starter. What I have now is two independent 48V 100Ah batteries, and no starter or house. I don't need the starter, anymore, but I do need something to power...
  29. jdege

    Charging a 48V bank?

    I wish I could provide you with data, but I haven't splashed, yet. I ended up going with a pair of Elco's EP-9.9 outboards, powered by a pair of Epoch 48V 100Ah batteries. I'm just finishing building the motor mounts, I should be splashing later this week. That's far more engine than I think...
  30. jdege

    Extention cord as Pv wire. Is it unsafe?

    Yep. Doing it "wrong" might well work fine, for a while. But will it last in a harsh environment?
  31. jdege

    Identifying Anderson connectors

    I have a pair out electric outboards that came with power cables that use Anderson connectors. The max current is 100A at 48V, so I figure the connectors are at a minimum SB120, but they could be SB175 or SB350. Is there some way of identifying which, from a visual inspection?
  32. jdege

    Extention cord as Pv wire. Is it unsafe?

    I'm currently converting a sailboat to electric propulsion. I have the motors, controllers, and batteries in my basement, wired up and working. Some of the wire I'm using is welding cable and welding lugs that I cut and crimped myself. Welding cable will carry the current, but it doesn't stand...
  33. jdege

    Extention cord as Pv wire. Is it unsafe?

    The old saw is "if you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?" I'd be fine with using an extension cord - as a temporary emergency fix. But I'd make damned sure it was temporary.
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