good 48v 16s active balancer?
- Thread starter pctree
- Start date
If you get a good BMS with active balancing you probably won't need a separate balancer.
Or if he get a properly matched cells, he will not even need BMS with active balancing in the first place.
Anyway, I recommend him to buy JK 2A BMS, end of story. If he think JK BMS is bad, wait until he sees competitiors BMS...........
I wouldn't even mention the word "Daly" around my LiFePO4 cells. Go back through the older threads in the "DIY LiFePO4 Battery Banks" subforum. Lots of issues with the Daly BMS. There aren't a lot of recent threads, which I thought was due to people stopped using Daly.
houseofancients
Solar Wizard
Neey 4rth gen, 4a, can be used alongside of any bms
Shawn Hayes
Learning Everyday
Yes. This will work, and recommend over your current Daly BMS any time.
Not sure if you’re familiar with what those numbers/letters mean…. Just in case.
B2A=Balancer 2amp
24S= up to 24 in series
15P= 150amp charge/discharge
There are numerous YouTube videos on how to install the JK’s.
I’m not using JK’s for my whole home system. I do have two different JK’s operating two different 12v systems. One for a chicken coop (lights, automatic door, electric fence) and another for an irrigation system. They are great! The 2amp balancer really works.
Hedges
I See Electromagnetic Fields!
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- Mar 28, 2020
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Some of us are using PB2A16S20P
2A balancer, 16s for 48V, 200A
Up to 16 BMS in parallel.
This one doesn't have precharge built in, I think others do.
It can be open-loop or closed loop with some inverters. We used it with Sunny Island.
Of course we leave lots of margin to specs. I've set mine for 1A balance, an with multiple BMS per inverter it runs well below rated current (as do the cells.)
2A balancer, 16s for 48V, 200A
Up to 16 BMS in parallel.
This one doesn't have precharge built in, I think others do.
It can be open-loop or closed loop with some inverters. We used it with Sunny Island.
Of course we leave lots of margin to specs. I've set mine for 1A balance, an with multiple BMS per inverter it runs well below rated current (as do the cells.)
marionw
Solar Wizard
If you want just an active balancer with Bluetooth communications:
You can permanently install or as I have done, cut off each ring terminal and replace with alligator clips (solder, do not crimp) so I can use as necessary for any battery. Before cutting each ring terminal, note the wire marker on the ring terminal (balance lead number) and using some sort of tag, tag each balance lead before cutting off the ring terminal.
Enerkey 4A Active Balancer:
I used these alligator clips as they do not expose the bare metal mouth/teeth of the normal alligator clips.
You can permanently install or as I have done, cut off each ring terminal and replace with alligator clips (solder, do not crimp) so I can use as necessary for any battery. Before cutting each ring terminal, note the wire marker on the ring terminal (balance lead number) and using some sort of tag, tag each balance lead before cutting off the ring terminal.
Enerkey 4A Active Balancer:
I used these alligator clips as they do not expose the bare metal mouth/teeth of the normal alligator clips.
Shawn Hayes
Learning Everyday
Any pictures of your setup? Seems an answer to leaving active balancer connected or running constantly.
Assuming you only connect or use when balancing above 3.35-3.4 vpc?
houseofancients
Solar Wizard
The enerkey = a neey 4a ..
The cable loom is custom though, and I like it
marionw
Solar Wizard
Not as pretty or sexy as @BarracudaBob but it works.
The first time I open a battery I mark the cell to cell bus bars with a sharpie.
The cell connected via the large black cables to the BMS is generally cell One.
The B- and cell Zero leads connect at this point.
Working from Cell One toward the positive end of the cell string I mark the bus bar for each next pair of cells. For example, having identified cell One the bus bar on the other end would be the positive end of cell One and the negative end of cell Two and continue.
The positive end of cell Sixteen will have the balance sense lead for cell Sixteen as well as the B+ lead.
Oftentimes the BMS balance leads have nice little labels on the ring terminal that you can use to verify the positive end of a cell.
BarracudaBob
Harvesting free photons from clean fusion
I bought the fancy 15 amper but I'll tell you the truth. The 4 amp is all you need.
Those leads on both versions get all tangled up so if you figure out a way to prevent that, you're doing better than me.
I usually set the voltage between 3.42 - 3.45v to start the balance, the fourth generation is far better than the previous versions.
marionw
Solar Wizard
My tags make the untangling a bit harder. I may someday clip the alligator clamps and go with heat shrink labeling before re-attatching the alligator clips. For $58.00 the 4 amp balancer can't be beat and it does work for me on the occasion I need to use it. The Bluetooth app is not bad either.
If only each battery had a jack on the front that exposed the balance leads, wouldn't have to remove the battery from the rack and open it up. I could spend more time sipping scotch.
BarracudaBob
Harvesting free photons from clean fusion
The 15 amp came with some beautiful clips and nice silicone wire but it tends to get all jumbled. So since I'm only doing 16 cell I break it up in groups of four one through four five through 8, 9 through 12, 13 through 16.
wpns
Solar Joules are catch and release
https://a.co/d/5YOB7H8 Might work?
Shawn Hayes
Learning Everyday
So has anyone considered using a JK BMS solely for its active balance feature?
I know there’s active balancers out there, but the JK’s app and balancer is great.
Expensive for just an “active balancer” but very trusted, easy to control and user friendly.
Example: I use Batrium to control my system. But it’s passive balanced. I have JK BMS 2a24s but never used and laying on the shelf.
My batteries are pretty well balanced as is. However after reading this thread, it occurred to me, you don’t have use the JK BMS as a BMS to charge/discharge, just use the leads to power up the JK and turn balance feature on.
Thoughts?
I know there’s active balancers out there, but the JK’s app and balancer is great.
Expensive for just an “active balancer” but very trusted, easy to control and user friendly.
Example: I use Batrium to control my system. But it’s passive balanced. I have JK BMS 2a24s but never used and laying on the shelf.
My batteries are pretty well balanced as is. However after reading this thread, it occurred to me, you don’t have use the JK BMS as a BMS to charge/discharge, just use the leads to power up the JK and turn balance feature on.
Thoughts?
BarracudaBob
Harvesting free photons from clean fusion
I have heard enough bad news about JK that I stayed away. Usually I top balance a battery pac with an active balancer and it isn't needed anymore.
I have a new JK BMS 2A active balancer unopened. There isn't a reason I could use it as an external balancer.
Shawn Hayes
Learning Everyday
Just wondering if or how it would work if tried?
I’ve watched several of “Andy’s Off Grid Garage” videos about different balancer options, seen his results, but never heard anyone using a JK that way….
BarracudaBob
Harvesting free photons from clean fusion
just get the 4amp active and call it a day.
OzSolar
Whatever you did, that's what you planned.
I've had good luck with three JK's on various builds for myself or others. None of them over 2 yrs old so I can't speak to thier long term reliability.
Off the top of my head, there are a few factors that contribute to well balanced cells:
1. Quality cells
2. Matched cells (by the vendor and/or by the end user)
3. Initial top balance
4. BMS that can balance cells
5. Correct configuration parameters
6. Correctly installed cells
#3 was gospel up until about two years ago. With the more powerful active balancing BMS people are saying to just connect all the cells in series and let the BMS take care of it. Yes, that works, eventually. I'm still not a fan.
1 through 4 can all be done and if the BMS/charging configuration is wrong it has the potential to screw it all up.
My Overkill Solar (aka JBD) BMS was not considered an active balancing BMS. After four years my cells were still very well balanced.
1. Quality cells
2. Matched cells (by the vendor and/or by the end user)
3. Initial top balance
4. BMS that can balance cells
5. Correct configuration parameters
6. Correctly installed cells
#3 was gospel up until about two years ago. With the more powerful active balancing BMS people are saying to just connect all the cells in series and let the BMS take care of it. Yes, that works, eventually. I'm still not a fan.
1 through 4 can all be done and if the BMS/charging configuration is wrong it has the potential to screw it all up.
My Overkill Solar (aka JBD) BMS was not considered an active balancing BMS. After four years my cells were still very well balanced.
BarracudaBob
Harvesting free photons from clean fusion
Couldn't agree more about #3 especially in pre-assembled welded rack cells. They will never be right until you get them all balanced together.
houseofancients
Solar Wizard
eventually they will balance, but may take a few cycles ( like a 100 or so ;-) )
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