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Hello from Las Vegas, NV

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JGM197

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Hi, My name is Greg and just ran across this forum after seeing Will's review of a Jackery 1500.
I'm actually building a similar box from scratch because I feel like I can get better components for less money by building the box myself.
But I am new to the LiFiPo world and have a few questions.
First, my old system was a very old Goal Zero Yeti 400 that was one of their original boxes that used AGM batteries. I also have a GZ Boulder 100 solar panel.
Over the years I've replaced the AGM a few times and now I'm ready to build my own box.
I've purchased a Rynogy 100amp 12v battery because I'm not comfortable building the battery and BMS components from ground level.
So here is my questions.
1. Can the LiFiPo batteries be laid down on their side with the terminals on the side or should I keep the battery upright? That will be helpful in the box purchase.
2. I plan on converting the connector on my Boulder 100 from the GZ 8mm plug to a more industry-standard MC4 connector but I haven't decided yet on which charge controller I'm going to use. This is not a huge off-grid system, just my 100amp 12v battery and a single 100w solar panel. Which Solar Charge Controller would go well with this combo?
3. I've picked out the Victron Energy Blue Smart IP65 12-Volt 15 amp Battery Charger as my charger and since I'm new to the LiFiPo world, should I keep the charger plugged in to the unit all the time when it's not in use?

Thanks again for the help, I hope this is the right place for these questions.

Greg ~
 
Last edited:
JGM197 said:
But I am new to the LiFoPo world and have a few questions.
Click to expand...

"LiFoPo" is new to me. A common abbreviation is LFP.

JGM197 said:
1. Can the LFP batteries be laid down on their side with the terminals on the side or should I keep the battery upright? That will be helpful in the box purchase.
Click to expand...

It depends on the battery/cell manufacturer. They should indicate permitted orientation(s).

JGM197 said:
2. I plan on converting the connector on my Boulder 100 from the GZ 8mm plug to a more industry-standard MC4 connector but I haven't decided yet on which charge controller I'm going to use. This is not a huge off-grid system, just my 100amp 12v battery and a single 100w solar panel. Which Solar Charge Controller would go well with this combo?
Click to expand...

Will recommends several:

https://www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-charge-controllers.html

Any 10A or more will work fine.

JGM197 said:
3. I've picked out the Victron Energy Blue Smart IP65 12-Volt 15 amp Battery Charger as my charger and since I'm new to the LFP world, should I keep the charger plugged in to the unit all the time when it's not in use?
Click to expand...

If you like. Best results will be obtained by a high quality connection like ring terminals as opposed to alligator clips.
 
sunshine_eggo said:
"LiFiPo" is new to me. A common abbreviation is LFP.



It depends on the battery/cell manufacturer. They should indicate permitted orientation(s).



Will recommends several:

https://www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-charge-controllers.html

Any 10A or more will work fine.



If you like. Best results will be obtained by a high quality connection like ring terminals as opposed to alligator clips.
Click to expand...
Thanks Sunshine for the quick response.

Re: the LiFePo name... I meant to say LiFiPo - See here: Battery Name

Re: battery Orientation, I went through the actual manufacturer's owners manual and there is no mention of orientation.

Re: Solar Charge Controller - Thanks!

And I do plan on using ring terminals for the charger.
 
JGM197 said:
1. Can the LiFiPo batteries be laid down on their side with the terminals on the side or should I keep the battery upright? That will be helpful in the box purchase.
Click to expand...
I know they cannot lay flat. Some say you "can" put them on their side but the fluid inside will only cover part of the anode. I cannot imagine ever doing this with nice cells.

JGM197 said:
2. I plan on converting the connector on my Boulder 100 from the GZ 8mm plug to a more industry-standard MC4 connector but I haven't decided yet on which charge controller I'm going to use. This is not a huge off-grid system, just my 100amp 12v battery and a single 100w solar panel. Which Solar Charge Controller would go well with this combo?
Click to expand...
For 100W, just about anything is fine.
100amp hour 12v battery (unless you are referring oddly to a 100 amp BMS, just confusing using wrong units)

For solar, is 100 the biggest your array will ever get?

If so:

You will love the bluetooth setup, firmware updates and monitoring. Good up to 14V battery x 15A charging = 210W solar
JGM197 said:
3. I've picked out the Victron Energy Blue Smart IP65 12-Volt 15 amp Battery Charger as my charger and since I'm new to the LiFiPo world, should I keep the charger plugged in to the unit all the time when it's not in use?
Click to expand...
I'd hold off on this and buy only if you need more than charging by solar. Very low self discharge so keeping it plugged in is silly.
 
MisterSandals said:
I know they cannot lay flat. Some say you "can" put them on their side but the fluid inside will only cover part of the anode. I cannot imagine ever doing this with nice cells.


For 100W, just about anything is fine.
100amp hour 12v battery (unless you are referring oddly to a 100 amp BMS, just confusing using wrong units)

For solar, is 100 the biggest your array will ever get?

If so:

You will love the bluetooth setup, firmware updates and monitoring. Good up to 14V battery x 15A charging = 210W solar

I'd hold off on this and buy only if you need more than charging by solar. Very low self discharge so keeping it plugged in is silly.
Click to expand...
Yes, I'm new to all the terminology. it's a Renogy 100amp hr battery

Thanks for the solar charger link and info regarding orientation. I'll keep it upright in the box.
 
Thanks, everyone for the assistance. To answer MisterSandals question about holding off on the AC charger, and just going with the MPPT charge controller....I'll actually be using the AC charger way more often than the Solar Panel. I'm building a portable power box to power my telescope and computer when I go out to remote sites. I've been using a YETI400 for my needs in the past but the old AGM battery in it is once again getting to the point where it no longer holds a charge all night so I decided to go with the LiFiPo4 battery and build my own. Here's a video of the box I'm almost duplicating. YouTube BatteryBox Build
I received the Victron Solarcharger you recommended. I went with the 75/10 model since I only use the 1x 100w GZ Boulder100 panel. The only time I use solar is on my camping trips.

So now I have another question.
The Victron Solarcharger has Bat -+ and PV +- which I understand is the battery and Solar Panel, but what is the Load-+ ports used for?
I've seen several videos and it seems nobody is using them.

Thanks again!
 
MisterSandals said:
Are you going to GSSP in a few weeks?

You can put small loads on there. Its just more stress on the SCC so i avoid pulling loads from there.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info.
No, unfortunately I'm not able to get off work this time of year. At least not long enough for that trip.
 
JGM197 said:
So now I have another question.
The Victron Solarcharger has Bat -+ and PV +- which I understand is the battery and Solar Panel, but what is the Load-+ ports used for?
I've seen several videos and it seems nobody is using them.
Click to expand...

They have a separate current rating. If you needed a battery powered device, the load terminals provide an alternate means of battery connection with additional on/off and cutoff controls.

If you didn't want the device to be able to drain the battery without being switched off:
1685627474274.png

If you wanted to have DC lights turned on at sunset:

1685627555717.png
 
Hey guys, thanks again for helping this newbie out on this project of mine. I realize it's not a huge off-grid system like many of you build, but this seemed like the best location for help with my battery box. All I'm building is a portable battery box like a Jackery or Goal Zero to power my telescope when I go to remote locations. I've finally finished the box and just have one charging-related question.
First, here's the box.
i-W29NhV9-L.jpg
i-npBzdK4-M.jpg


Now, here's the question. I've got a Renogy 100AmpHr battery - RBT100LFP12-BT is the model #
My charger is a Victron Blue Smart charger 12v/15A
When I first connected everything the battery was at 48% which I guess is normal for shipping. I connected the charger directly to the battery and plugged it in. When It first turned on the charger it went to "Normal" mode so I pressed the mode button to switch it to Li-ion mode and the charging proceeded as it should. While it started, I read through the owners manual for the battery and the charger. From what I read it would charge in "Bulk" mode until it reached 95% and then switch to "Absorption" mode until fully charged. Well, my rig stayed in "Bulk" mode until it reached 99.1% and then it just seemed to stop there as can be seen in the battery and charger screenshots below. For fear of possibly damaging the battery I unplugged the charger and now I await a response from the helpful members here.
i-znXxHZj-XL.png
i-3SdPPfS-XL.png

These two app screenshots were taken at the same time. As you can see, the battery says it is at 99.1% but the charger says it is still in Bulk mode and charging seems to have halted at 99.1%
 
OK, so it's not going to hurt anything that the battery is at 99.1% but still in bulk charge mode?
 
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