Settings for lifepo4 on epever tracer 4215bn? (newbie)

[Gueyog8a7]

Hi I am new to all this and just bought all my gear. I eschewed the newer epevers and went for the older tracer bn on Wills recommendation that it is heavy duty and robust.

Very pleased with it as it seems exactly as described but could someone guide me on how to setup my lifepo4 battery with it since apparently they are not made to use them out the gate. I bought the mt50 controller with it as well.

People elsewhere were saying why would you buy a controller that doesnt support lifepo4 when you bought a lifepo4 battery. The answer is clear when you see the far superior build quality of the tracer bn series.

First time doing anything like this so keep the kid gloves on for me.

I have seen a couple of videos on youtube which I looked up before purchase where it seems I just have to change settings in user mode to ones other people more knowledgeable than me have decided on but want to make sure it is right as would not want to do anything to harm my brand new lifepo4 battery.

The ones they do those settings on do not seem to be the tracer bns but rather the plasticy epevers. Does this not matter and the same would apply for mine?

Thanks.

Btw the battery is the fogstar drift 105ah.

 

[AlpineJoe]

Hi I am new to all this and just bought all my gear. I eschewed the newer epevers and went for the older tracer bn on Wills recommendation that it is heavy duty and robust.

Very pleased with it as it seems exactly as described but could someone guide me on how to setup my lifepo4 battery with it since apparently they are not made to use them out the gate. I bought the mt50 controller with it as well.

People elsewhere were saying why would you buy a controller that doesnt support lifepo4 when you bought a lifepo4 battery. The answer is clear when you see the far superior build quality of the tracer bn series.

First time doing anything like this so keep the kid gloves on for me.

I have seen a couple of videos on youtube which I looked up before purchase where it seems I just have to change settings in user mode to ones other people more knowledgeable than me have decided on but want to make sure it is right as would not want to do anything to harm my brand new lifepo4 battery.

The ones they do those settings on do not seem to be the tracer bns but rather the plasticy epevers. Does this not matter and the same would apply for mine?

Thanks.

Btw the battery is the fogstar drift 105ah.

Check out my discontinuous thread here

Budget MPPT recommendation - Epever BN 40A 150V - was Eco-Worthy 60A 150V MPPT

I'm starting to put my off grid setup together finally. Looking to peel off ~ 200W of 24/7 power consumption, and have a power source if we have any planned or unplanned power shutdowns. My system will be 24V with LiFePO4 batteries that total up to about 400AH of storage. I'm going to feed...

diysolarforum.com

I too bought 4215bn because of the passive cooling and huge lugs. The ones I bought were newer units with LiFePO4 support built in. That said, I do not like their built in LFP settings, so I'm using USER as battery type. In my thread above there is a list of what settings I am using for a 24V system.

Can you confirm yours do not list LFP as a battery type?

Also, read up on mine getting stuck but a firmware update fixed the problem. Yours might be older units and not be plagued with the problem.

 

[mikefitz]

Does this not matter and the same would apply for mine?

Should not matter, although duration settings may no accept zero time.

Fogstar in their data sheets recomend 14.4 volts charge and 13.8 volts float. My preference is Victron default settings of 14.2 charge and 13.5 float.

You will find varying suggestions on settings for the Tracer, I suggest,

Temperature compensation , set to 0 or disabled

Charging limit voltage 14.7
Over voltage disconnect 14.7
Over voltage reconnect 14.6
Equalizer charging voltage 14.2
Float charging voltage 13.5g
Boost charging voltage 14.2
Boost reconnect voltage. 13.2
Low voltage disconnect 11.0
Low voltage reconnect 12.5
Under voltage warning 11.5
Under voltage warning reconnect 12.0
Discharge limit voltage. 11.0
Over discharge disconnect 10.5
Equalizing duration 10 min
Boost duration 30 minutes

The only values that control charging are, Temperature compensation, Boost volts and duration, Equilization volts and duration , Float voltage, Boost reconnect voltage.
Most of the other settings are warnings and load output control, set these up to suit your system if the load outputs are used.
Equilization volts and duration are not needed for lithium, set to safe values.

If the cells are not well balanced , ( the app should show cell volts) during the Boost duration period and cell overvolt warnings occur , reduce the Boost voltage and increase the boost duration.

If you get unexplained warnings and odd SOC readings from the BMS in the app, contact Fogstar, the BMS may need an update. ( I think the issue is limited to a small batch of batteries )

Mike

 

[Gueyog8a7]

Check out my discontinuous thread here

Budget MPPT recommendation - Epever BN 40A 150V - was Eco-Worthy 60A 150V MPPT

I'm starting to put my off grid setup together finally. Looking to peel off ~ 200W of 24/7 power consumption, and have a power source if we have any planned or unplanned power shutdowns. My system will be 24V with LiFePO4 batteries that total up to about 400AH of storage. I'm going to feed...

diysolarforum.com

I too bought 4215bn because of the passive cooling and huge lugs. The ones I bought were newer units with LiFePO4 support built in. That said, I do not like their built in LFP settings, so I'm using USER as battery type. In my thread above there is a list of what settings I am using for a 24V system.

Can you confirm yours do not list LFP as a battery type?

Also, read up on mine getting stuck but a firmware update fixed the problem. Yours might be older units and not be plagued with the problem.

Thanks, I havent fired it up yet to know so maybe it will as I only bought it this last week or so. I am just waiting for some more of the kit to arrive which should be today.

I just presumed non of them wouldnt, since the first videos I saw which said they did support it were the cheap plasticy looking ones, no videos of bns stating it, but I will check once I get the remaining parts to connect it to the battery. Waiting on the megafuses/holders and some other little bits to tie it all together.

 

[Gueyog8a7]

Should not matter, although duration settings may no accept zero time.

Fogstar in their data sheets recomend 14.4 volts charge and 13.8 volts float. My preference is Victron default settings of 14.2 charge and 13.5 float.

You will find varying suggestions on settings for the Tracer, I suggest,

Temperature compensation , set to 0 or disabled

Charging limit voltage 14.7
Over voltage disconnect 14.7
Over voltage reconnect 14.6
Equalizer charging voltage 14.2
Float charging voltage 13.5g
Boost charging voltage 14.2
Boost reconnect voltage. 13.2
Low voltage disconnect 11.0
Low voltage reconnect 12.5
Under voltage warning 11.5
Under voltage warning reconnect 12.0
Discharge limit voltage. 11.0
Over discharge disconnect 10.5
Equalizing duration 10 min
Boost duration 30 minutes

The only values that control charging are, Temperature compensation, Boost volts and duration, Equilization volts and duration , Float voltage, Boost reconnect voltage.
Most of the other settings are warnings and load output control, set these up to suit your system if the load outputs are used.
Equilization volts and duration are not needed for lithium, set to safe values.

If the cells are not well balanced , ( the app should show cell volts) during the Boost duration period and cell overvolt warnings occur , reduce the Boost voltage and increase the boost duration.

If you get unexplained warnings and odd SOC readings from the BMS in the app, contact Fogstar, the BMS may need an update. ( I think the issue is limited to a small batch of batteries )

Mike

Thanks, as above, I will check to see if the device supports it first as I do not want to do unneccesary tinkering if I dont have to. Just want to get it up and running safely to get some electrics!

 

[Gueyog8a7]

Hey guys I managed to get the first electrics going yesterday. I powered the mt50 and went through the options and was pleased to see lfp as an option.

My battery supplier confirmed I should choose lfp4s for mine. Will these settings safe through connecting/disconnecting the system or you have to do it each time it is reconnected because I dont have anything installed in my van and will be much jiggling around in the meantime I guess while testing things so wondering if those settings will be sticking.

Also would it wreck the battery if you somehow missed it and they were on default? Is this only an issue when the panels are connecting and charging because I havent got to that stage yet anyhow. Plan move to that soon now I have gotten some success with initial powerup of the other stuff.

 

[AlpineJoe]

Hey guys I managed to get the first electrics going yesterday. I powered the mt50 and went through the options and was pleased to see lfp as an option.

My battery supplier confirmed I should choose lfp4s for mine. Will these settings safe through connecting/disconnecting the system or you have to do it each time it is reconnected because I dont have anything installed in my van and will be much jiggling around in the meantime I guess while testing things so wondering if those settings will be sticking.

Also would it wreck the battery if you somehow missed it and they were on default? Is this only an issue when the panels are connecting and charging because I havent got to that stage yet anyhow. Plan move to that soon now I have gotten some success with initial powerup of the other stuff.

Settings are saved so no worries there. And yeah, default is only a problem when charging. Since you don't have your panels connected, not an issue.

 

[Gueyog8a7]

Settings are saved so no worries there. And yeah, default is only a problem when charging. Since you don't have your panels connected, not an issue.

I set it yesterday to lfp4 and 100ah. It was weird as the 100ah didnt seem to save and kept jumping back to 200ah but somehow it seemed to save but dont know how.

Here is the battery info for reference.

Is that all I have set now and am I ready to connect the panels? Want to test each one individually on the ground to make sure they work before gluing to the roof.

 

[Gueyog8a7]

Settings are saved so no worries there. And yeah, default is only a problem when charging. Since you don't have your panels connected, not an issue.

Hi my settings do not save. See my other thread I made. Any ideas?

 

[Gueyog8a7]

Should not matter, although duration settings may no accept zero time.

Fogstar in their data sheets recomend 14.4 volts charge and 13.8 volts float. My preference is Victron default settings of 14.2 charge and 13.5 float.

You will find varying suggestions on settings for the Tracer, I suggest,

Temperature compensation , set to 0 or disabled

Charging limit voltage 14.7
Over voltage disconnect 14.7
Over voltage reconnect 14.6
Equalizer charging voltage 14.2
Float charging voltage 13.5g
Boost charging voltage 14.2
Boost reconnect voltage. 13.2
Low voltage disconnect 11.0
Low voltage reconnect 12.5
Under voltage warning 11.5
Under voltage warning reconnect 12.0
Discharge limit voltage. 11.0
Over discharge disconnect 10.5
Equalizing duration 10 min
Boost duration 30 minutes

The only values that control charging are, Temperature compensation, Boost volts and duration, Equilization volts and duration , Float voltage, Boost reconnect voltage.
Most of the other settings are warnings and load output control, set these up to suit your system if the load outputs are used.
Equilization volts and duration are not needed for lithium, set to safe values.

If the cells are not well balanced , ( the app should show cell volts) during the Boost duration period and cell overvolt warnings occur , reduce the Boost voltage and increase the boost duration.

If you get unexplained warnings and odd SOC readings from the BMS in the app, contact Fogstar, the BMS may need an update. ( I think the issue is limited to a small batch of batteries )

Mike

Hey I tried these settings. Most saved ok but

Charging limit voltage 14.7
Over voltage disconnect 14.7

give param error when trying to save. I noticed this is due to the readings being the same and putting disconnect higher (I think that is the one or otherwise the other way round) will allow it to save so 14.7 and 14.8 will save, is this ok? Also there is no over discharge disconnect for mine. Are these discrepancies due to different software/hardware used for inputting?

Settings are saved so no worries there. And yeah, default is only a problem when charging. Since you don't have your panels connected, not an issue.

Do the settings above look ok to you for my battery? Good to get 2nd/3rd opinions.

 

[pollenface]

You need to follow specific rules when programming Epever, as listed in the manual (ignore the part about "Lead Acid Battery" the rules apply to ALL parameter settings under USER battery type)

Over Voltage disconnect MUST be higher than Charge Limit. Charge Limit can be set equal to Boost if desired.

Over discharge disconnect is listed as Low voltage disconnect

Over Voltage Disconnect and Low voltage disconnect relate to Loads attached to the Load terminals.

 

[Gueyog8a7]

You need to follow specific rules when programming Epever, as listed in the manual (ignore the part about "Lead Acid Battery" the rules apply to ALL parameter settings under USER battery type)

Over Voltage disconnect MUST be higher than Charge Limit. Charge Limit can be set equal to Boost if desired.

Over discharge disconnect is listed as Low voltage disconnect

Over Voltage Disconnect and Low voltage disconnect relate to Loads attached to the Load terminals.

Do the numbers given above by Mike look ok then? I have no idea really so have to go by what others say. This is my first time doing this and have no idea what makes a good or bad setting yet!

I just was another reply from epever warning that my battery might be at risk using their older tracer

Ok, that means that TracerBN series controller is the old version, can not support lithium battery, you can set lithium battery parameters at User battery type, but that controller doesn't have the lithium battery self-activation and low temperature protect function, if you don't mind it, you can use the User battery type, but please notice about the low temperature, we afraid it will damaged your battery.

This is protected by the battery itself though right? Is it the BMS or something else? Oh iirc the fogstar drifts have some mechanism to heat themselves at low temperature which will protect from this issue they are speaking on. Just asking for confirmation from those more knowledgeable.

 

[MisterSandals]

Do the numbers given above by Mike look ok then?

Yes, mikefitz is a smart guy. He went the extra mile and researched your battery makers recommended charge settings.

Give those settings a go and report back if you see anything odd. Watch for any cell voltages diverging as the battery goes over 13.8V or so. Once you get a runner, its pretty quick that that cell hits over voltage at which point you may need to back off some settings until you get the cells balanced better.

 

[pollenface]

Do the numbers given above by Mike look ok then?

Perfect

 

[Gueyog8a7]

Epever have sent me these

 

[pollenface]

I suggest lowering float to 13.4-13.5v as well.

 

[Gueyog8a7]

Can you guys explain the readouts on the monitor screen. I read the manual all the way through and still am not clear. I know load section can be ignored. For pv and the battery icons what does x.xA pertain to as the bottom figure? I know amps. For the pv I guess it is what amps it is producing in realtime? What about for the battery though? I am thinking it is what total load is being drawn is that it? How would mppt be able to tell that though? Or is it how much it has been charged? If it is the former it means that the power it takes to keep the mppt going is more than what the pv is drawing and it is usually something like .3 for the battery bottom number and .1 to .2 for the pv number. A sad state of affairs if this is the case.

I also am led to believe this since if I leave it on for a while then the battery icon keeps going down and down although yesterday voltage went from 13.2 to 13.3. First positive charge day!!!??? Aslo why is this readout not said to be an accurate gauge of the batterys charge state? I thought if it is topped up it will be like 14 something then depleted it will be 12 or whatever v so why is that not a good gaude of battery charge state and people getting other supplementary items like smart shunts? Total charge readouts also read something for the first time: 0.01kwh .

Seems I am going to have to get something like b2b charger as people are advising to take me through the rest of winter and probably spring too.

 

[Gueyog8a7]

I suggest lowering float to 13.4-13.5v as well.

Is there possibility to destroy the battery if a setting were wrong? Not saying what people might give are wrong just want to know what worst case is.

 

[pollenface]

Is there possibility to destroy the battery if a setting were wrong?

Yes

 

[pollenface]

Can you guys explain the readouts on the monitor screen. I read the manual all the way through and still am not clear. I know load section can be ignored. For pv and the battery icons what does x.xA pertain to as the bottom figure? I know amps. For the pv I guess it is what amps it is producing in realtime? What about for the battery though? I am thinking it is what total load is being drawn is that it? How would mppt be able to tell that though? Or is it how much it has been charged? If it is the former it means that the power it takes to keep the mppt going is more than what the pv is drawing and it is usually something like .3 for the battery bottom number and .1 to .2 for the pv number. A sad state of affairs if this is the case.

Take a photo, I don't follow what you're saying

Aslo why is this readout not said to be an accurate gauge of the batterys charge state

I thought if it is topped up it will be like 14 something then depleted it will be 12 or whatever v so why is that not a good gaude of battery charge state and people getting other supplementary items like smart shunts? Total charge readouts also read something for the first time: 0.01kwh .

Fully charged open circuit voltage is not likely to exceed 13.3-13.4v

Epevers SOC reading is relative to the Low voltage disconnect setting. Try it, change the LVD and see the difference it makes. It's voltage based and thus not a real time representation of SOC.