The TLDR; is the title:
Can I replace the functionality of a Juntek-1300 with a Renogy BT-2 if I do not use the relay function of the Juntek?
Here is a more detailed explanation of my situation:
I'm currently updating my car camping battery with the addition of a Renogy DC-DC 50A Charger to charge on the go via solar and alternator. (Until now I only charged the LiFePo4 battery pack at home with an AC-DC charger.)
My current setup is: 4s LiFePo4 battery pack
DalyBMS with Bluetooth 300A Fuse Juntek-1300 busbar to consumer and fuse panels
While being the best option at the time (with price considered), I was not too fond of the Juntek-1300 as the settings setup is annoying and it needs a lot of additional wires/components.
In the process of updating the system, I also want to split the battery pack (cells + BMS) and the rest of the electronics (Renogy, busbars, fuse panels) into separate boxes for easier carrying and a more flexible installation into my vehicle. The Juntek doesn't really work well with this as the shunt should be with the battery pack but the display unit with all the logic should be connected to the more accessible "distribution-box" but if I disconnect the two boxes for carrying the display unit loses power and all its information.
The Renogy BT-2 gives similar information output as the Juntek with basically no additional wires and components, settings can be set via an app rather than a unintuitive control unit. Additionally, it is simply connected to the Renogy DC-DC charger and it gets its information from voltage and no shunt so there is no information "lost" when the two boxes are disconnected.
As I don't use the relay function of the Juntek, the "only" difference in usability is that the Juntek calculates the state-of-charge via a shunt (current) and the Renogy only via voltage which is more of an estimate than a measurement. How much does the calculation (Juntek) vs. estimate (Reneogy) matter in actual use?
The reasoning behind installing the Juntek for me was to get accurate SOC information but the annoying setup and the fact that the setup gets reset if the BMS shuts off kind of defeated the purpose for me and I often didn't use it at all.
Can I replace the functionality of a Juntek-1300 with a Renogy BT-2 if I do not use the relay function of the Juntek?
Here is a more detailed explanation of my situation:
I'm currently updating my car camping battery with the addition of a Renogy DC-DC 50A Charger to charge on the go via solar and alternator. (Until now I only charged the LiFePo4 battery pack at home with an AC-DC charger.)
My current setup is: 4s LiFePo4 battery pack
DalyBMS with Bluetooth 300A Fuse Juntek-1300 busbar to consumer and fuse panelsWhile being the best option at the time (with price considered), I was not too fond of the Juntek-1300 as the settings setup is annoying and it needs a lot of additional wires/components.
In the process of updating the system, I also want to split the battery pack (cells + BMS) and the rest of the electronics (Renogy, busbars, fuse panels) into separate boxes for easier carrying and a more flexible installation into my vehicle. The Juntek doesn't really work well with this as the shunt should be with the battery pack but the display unit with all the logic should be connected to the more accessible "distribution-box" but if I disconnect the two boxes for carrying the display unit loses power and all its information.
The Renogy BT-2 gives similar information output as the Juntek with basically no additional wires and components, settings can be set via an app rather than a unintuitive control unit. Additionally, it is simply connected to the Renogy DC-DC charger and it gets its information from voltage and no shunt so there is no information "lost" when the two boxes are disconnected.
As I don't use the relay function of the Juntek, the "only" difference in usability is that the Juntek calculates the state-of-charge via a shunt (current) and the Renogy only via voltage which is more of an estimate than a measurement. How much does the calculation (Juntek) vs. estimate (Reneogy) matter in actual use?
The reasoning behind installing the Juntek for me was to get accurate SOC information but the annoying setup and the fact that the setup gets reset if the BMS shuts off kind of defeated the purpose for me and I often didn't use it at all.
