cmpct_cmpr
New Member
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2020
- Messages
- 17
Hi folks,
came across @Will Prowse 's videos on Youtube just recently - amazing, thank you so much for the good work and your willingness to share your knowledge!
I live in Germany and started to dig into solar power on my small RV just some months ago, this is my setup:
2 x 100W flex panels on the roof, in a serial circuit
1 x Votronic charge controller SR220 duo digital, it has temperature control on the battery and an extra display (V/A/W/Wh)
The battery is still my old 12V lead-acid with 75 Ah.
Since this week, I have an Ective pure-sinus-converter with 1500W attached to the battery - what a joy to have 220V (standard voltage in Europe) in the RV when not connected to shore power at a campsite...
Next project: a bigger and better battery. I'd love to get a LiFePo4, but the prices!
After having watched some of Will's videos, I decided to give a DYI build a try.
cells
I plan to buy 4 of these 200Ah cells I found on Aliexpress:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/400...=20200928122400251350816012500005223910_1&s=p
They ship from Poland, which is faster and avoids problems with customs charges. The cells are about $ 632
bms
I am lost when it comes to a BMS. I'd like one with Bluetooth that works on my iPhone, just to take a look at the stats from time to time.
Finally, I want to put all in a box and replace my current battery with it. It is mounted under the drivers seat, so space is scarce, I have about 320 width, 240 length, 220mm of height available. This should work out well, the single cells are 174 x 57 x 201mm.
solar charger compatibility
I can change the settings of the solar charge controller to adjust its loading to a LifePo4.
shore power charger compatibility
There's a built-in charger for the batteries in the RV, as soon as it is connected to shore power. It is optimized for gel or lead, it cannot be reconfigured to LiFePo4.
I appreciate your answers, comments and advice!
came across @Will Prowse 's videos on Youtube just recently - amazing, thank you so much for the good work and your willingness to share your knowledge!
I live in Germany and started to dig into solar power on my small RV just some months ago, this is my setup:
2 x 100W flex panels on the roof, in a serial circuit
1 x Votronic charge controller SR220 duo digital, it has temperature control on the battery and an extra display (V/A/W/Wh)
The battery is still my old 12V lead-acid with 75 Ah.
Since this week, I have an Ective pure-sinus-converter with 1500W attached to the battery - what a joy to have 220V (standard voltage in Europe) in the RV when not connected to shore power at a campsite...
Next project: a bigger and better battery. I'd love to get a LiFePo4, but the prices!
After having watched some of Will's videos, I decided to give a DYI build a try.
cells
I plan to buy 4 of these 200Ah cells I found on Aliexpress:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/400...=20200928122400251350816012500005223910_1&s=p
They ship from Poland, which is faster and avoids problems with customs charges. The cells are about $ 632
- Do these seem ok, and reasonable?
bms
I am lost when it comes to a BMS. I'd like one with Bluetooth that works on my iPhone, just to take a look at the stats from time to time.
- As far as I understood, I do not necessarily need temperature control, as my solar charger already has a temperature-sensor?
- How many constant A should the BMS be able to deliver, given the 1500W converter?
- Do I need to "program" the BMS? (I'd rather not!)
- Can anyone recommend one that is available in Europe?
Finally, I want to put all in a box and replace my current battery with it. It is mounted under the drivers seat, so space is scarce, I have about 320 width, 240 length, 220mm of height available. This should work out well, the single cells are 174 x 57 x 201mm.
solar charger compatibility
I can change the settings of the solar charge controller to adjust its loading to a LifePo4.
- Is this ok?
shore power charger compatibility
There's a built-in charger for the batteries in the RV, as soon as it is connected to shore power. It is optimized for gel or lead, it cannot be reconfigured to LiFePo4.
- Is this a problem?
I appreciate your answers, comments and advice!