Lithium 'Smart' Batteries

[Pro-Worx]

As you can see I'm a noob. I am a motorcycle rider that tows a cargo-trailer and Im hooking up a small solar rig for all power requirements.

Currently have a Renogy 50AH lithium 'smart' battery' in a Giantz battery box, and a 100W Renogy solar panel. Question I have is; do I need a solar controller since the renogy battery has a built in management system? (I do have one, just checking as would be far more convenient in portability and options if didn't require one).

Looking in near future to add a 12V fridge. Also looking to add a Anderson plug alternator charge setup when riding.

Thanks in advance.

 

[gnubie]

Yes. The BMS does not regulate anything. All it does is watch the current and if excessive disconnect, watch the voltage of the entire battery and if too low or too high disconnect, and watch the cell voltages for the same and disconnect, and watch the temperature and disconnect.

The charger's job is to regulate the current and voltage supplied to the battery to be within the specs for the battery (you have to ensure this, the charger doesn't know what is wired to it). The type of charger comes into play. If it is a MPPT type it will optimise the power from the panel(s) too. There are conditions for using a MPPT controller, so the choice of panels vs battery voltage is important. PWM chargers have panel voltage vs battery voltage conditions too but make no attempt to optimise power from the panels.

You probably have a '12v' class panel, so you may be at the limits of where you can use a MPPT controller. If you post a link to the exact model panel someone will be able to give you some more advice in that regard.

 

[Pro-Worx]

Yes. The BMS does not regulate anything. All it does is watch the current and if excessive disconnect, watch the voltage of the entire battery and if too low or too high disconnect, and watch the cell voltages for the same and disconnect, and watch the temperature and disconnect.

The charger's job is to regulate the current and voltage supplied to the battery to be within the specs for the battery (you have to ensure this, the charger doesn't know what is wired to it). The type of charger comes into play. If it is a MPPT type it will optimise the power from the panel(s) too. There are conditions for using a MPPT controller, so the choice of panels vs battery voltage is important. PWM chargers have panel voltage vs battery voltage conditions too but make no attempt to optimise power from the panels.

You probably have a '12v' class panel, so you may be at the limits of where you can use a MPPT controller. If you post a link to the exact model panel someone will be able to give you some more advice in that regard.

Thank you

I have;

Renogy Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery 12 Volt 50 Ah​

Renogy 100 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Panel (Compact Design)​

Wanderer Li 30A PWM Solar Charge Controller​

 

[gnubie]

OK, you have everything already and with that equipment list you are ready to go.

When it comes time to add the fridge you should work out how many watt hours the fridge uses to make sure you have enough solar panel power and battery capacity to carry it.

 

[Pro-Worx]

OK, you have everything already and with that equipment list you are ready to go.

When it comes time to add the fridge you should work out how many watt hours the fridge uses to make sure you have enough solar panel power and battery capacity to carry it.

Thanks.... yeah the fridge will be equiv of a
Dometic
CFX-28 Fridge

I guess I was trying to expand my options on being able to have another mobile solar panel I can hook up easier to chase the sun when stationary, as the one above is fixed to the top of my trailer.

I will most likely be unhooking the battery box from the panel at night so I can access the outputs easier.


Again Im a noob and trying to expand my solar horizons and options, so thank you for your patience.

 

[snoobler]

Dometic CoolFreeze CFX 28 - Portable compressor cooler and freezer

Dometic CoolFreeze CFX 28 - A powerful and uncompromising compressor cooler with special CFX electronics. Energy-saving and quiet operation.

www.dometic.com

40W of power. You should confirm it's 24 hour usage with something like a kill-a-watt meter.

 

[dragonzzr]

Basically having the equivalent setup as Pro-Worx but with a VRLA battery and i was wondering if the PWM controller would be ok for charging a "smart" LIFEPO4 battery as a direct drop in replacement for a VRLA. Note that there is an option to set program the PWM controller (Steca PR-2020) to alter the charging profile for High/Low voltage Connect/Disconnect. The manufacturer specs says its not designed for lithium batteries but since there is the BMS isnt it safe to use with modified profile ?

Also the fridge is powered from the LOAD terminals of the charge controller , not directly from the battery. Does this affect how the BMS work or not ?