Lion Energy Safari UT Safety Mode is a PAIN

[Will Prowse]

I have tested the Lion Energy Safari LiFePO4 batteries on 3 systems since receiving my set and the initial inverter draw for charging up the capacitors loves to trigger the OCPD on the battery, putting the batteries into "safety mode". And getting these batteries out of the safety mode is a pain in the butt! I had to figure it out with trial and error:

1. Press the power button on the top of the battery (only button on the battery) for less than a second, and wait till the SOC battery capacity LED lights turn on.
2. Press and hold down the button a second time until the battery capacity lights turn OFF.
3. Test voltage of battery with a volt meter. You will know the battery is out of the "safety mode" when you have a voltage of 10-14.4 volts.
   

What drives me crazy is that I will put 2 of these batteries in parallel, attach an inverter, and only ONE battery will go into safety mode.

Then I have to disconnect the batteries and inverter, press the buttons repeatedly till it goes out of safety mode (which can take 5 tries at times), then wire everything up again. Big pain in the butt!

There is obviously a work around, but it is not very beginner friendly. You can use a resistor to charge up the inverters capacitors, then connect inverter, and the batteries will not be in safety mode...

But I connect lots of these drop in lithium batteries to inverters and they usually have a 1/2 second OCPD to handle surges. Lion energy batteries are the only ones that constantly go into safety mode. I never have this problem with battle borns/valence/ruixu/DIY bms lifepo4's. Only lion safari.

I actually like these batteries. They are small and work well. They did falsely advertise the capacity when first released, but it is a decent battery. Once it is hooked up, it will not go into safety mode at all. I have pushed the batteries for months now, and they work well. You can learn more about them by clicking here if you want

 

[victorpr]

Thanks as always.

 

[Rider]

Can you pre-charge with a different battery, then connect the Lions?

 

[Bob]

Noble prize for Lithium battery development.

Lithium-Ion Batteries Work Earns Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 3 Scientists (Published 2019)

John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino were recognized for research that has “laid the foundation of a wireless, fossil fuel-free society.”

www.nytimes.com

 

[Mac6792]

I have tested the Lion Energy Safari LiFePO4 batteries on 3 systems since receiving my set and the initial inverter draw for charging up the capacitors loves to trigger the OCPD on the battery, putting the batteries into "safety mode". And getting these batteries out of the safety mode is a pain in the butt! I had to figure it out with trial and error:

1. Press the power button on the top of the battery (only button on the battery) for less than a second, and wait till the SOC battery capacity LED lights turn on.
2. Press and hold down the button a second time until the battery capacity lights turn OFF.
3. Test voltage of battery with a volt meter. You will know the battery is out of the "safety mode" when you have a voltage of 10-14.4 volts.

What drives me crazy is that I will put 2 of these batteries in parallel, attach an inverter, and only ONE battery will go into safety mode.

Then I have to disconnect the batteries and inverter, press the buttons repeatedly till it goes out of safety mode (which can take 5 tries at times), then wire everything up again. Big pain in the butt!

There is obviously a work around, but it is not very beginner friendly. You can use a resistor to charge up the inverters capacitors, then connect inverter, and the batteries will not be in safety mode...

But I connect lots of these drop in lithium batteries to inverters and they usually have a 1/2 second OCPD to handle surges. Lion energy batteries are the only ones that constantly go into safety mode. I never have this problem with battle borns/valence/ruixu/DIY bms lifepo4's. Only lion safari.

I actually like these batteries. They are small and work well. They did falsely advertise the capacity when first released, but it is a decent battery. Once it is hooked up, it will not go into safety mode at all. I have pushed the batteries for months now, and they work well. You can learn more about them by clicking here if you want

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Given these are on clearance at Costo I'm considering getting some. Will - would these work well with my MPP all in one or will I be dealing with constantly resetting these?

 

[Stiffmeister]

I'm in the same boat as Mac6792. You can't beat that price!! I just do no know if we can do 48V parallel setup yet.

 

[Stiffmeister]

I just got off the phone with Lion Energy. You can run a 48V (4x12 series) and multiple strands (parallel). I'm going to order eight of them and try them out.

 

[Mac6792]

my other concern with these batteries is that they are a non standard Ah rating at 90 vs 100. I'm running a 24 volt set up and as these are now discountinued I think that limits my ability to add on later. Whats the net result of have series pairs of differing Amp hr ratings? That's a no no correct?

 

[Bob142]

I was told directly by Lion Energy that you cannot put a UT 1200 in series with a UT 1300. As for a series pair, they claim you can put a 1200 in parallel with a 1300 without issue. I'm not sold on that idea, which is why I went looking for a UT 1200 to complete my parallel bank.

 

[Mac6792]

Bob142- Let be me be more clear with my question as Lion's reply to you above doesn't really explain what will happen- For example I buy 4 90ah batteries now. 2 strings of series connected in parallel at 180ah 24v. If I buy 2 battleborns later can can I add another series connected pair in parallel at 100ah? My question is really about capacity and charging/discharging. I guess it's kind of a newb question but will the 100ah string charge and discharge fully irrespective of the 90ah pairs? I'd want to insure full capacity of all batteries in the bank and not risk overcharging anything. Will the BMS in each battery handle all of it? Will one parallel string in the series discharge the other as the Amp hours are not matched?

 

[Mac6792]

Ok so I think I have my answer - I just picked up 4 of these - Great price

 

[erik.calco]

I was told directly by Lion Energy that you cannot put a UT 1200 in series with a UT 1300. As for a series pair, they claim you can put a 1200 in parallel with a 1300 without issue. I'm not sold on that idea, which is why I went looking for a UT 1200 to complete my parallel bank.

You need your in series to have the same capacity and voltage range. Your in parallel can have different capacities, but do need the same voltage range. Their logic makes sense.

Where it gets weird is when you want to add LTO to your LFP bank. You can probably find a happy place with 11S LTO and your 24V LFPs, but you won't get 100% capacity. Ordinarily you'd think a narrower capacity is good for long life, but with 20,000 cycles of LTOs, who cares about extending their life? lol

@Craig is doing good research on LTO capacity at various voltage ranges that we can use to optimize when he publishes his complete data.