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Top Balancing "How to"

You can't go wrong with a TEMco hydraulic crimper - I'll get one of those. Good idea.

I'm partial to JBD contractor based BMS but that's all I've ran and they have been excellent.
Others have had great success with the OG JK w/ 2A balancer
A 2a stand-alone active balancer would be a good thing right?
Batrium would be the Cadillac - does anyone stock those things in the US of A?
 
Batrium only available from Australia.

I have Batrium in my house. I built the shop system using JK. I do miss having cell level graphing on one screen but if the cells are matched and properly balanced, it should not be a problem. Buy quality cells from reputable sellers. Makes life easier.
 
Overkill is saying the og JK bms is no longer being produced: https://overkillsolar.com/product/4s-bms-120a-lifepo4-24/
@HRTKD already mentioned it. Overkill sold JBD, I would have recommended Overkill if they didn't stop selling them for there own Pathfinder.
I'll read that Smart JK thread from beginning to end while I wait for Overkill to actually deliver the Pathfinder/Nomad smart bms :) !!
Hahaha, good look. I've been waiting for it for a while now.
 
That's a JBD, not a JK.

I had two of the Overkill Solar JBD BMS. They were bulletproof.
My bad! Dyslexia I guess!! Yes I see JBD's are readily available on Alibaba, and there are even one that stocks in the USA, so shipping quickly to the left coast, California. I think I'll get one of these to test...
 
You can't go wrong with a TEMco hydraulic crimper.

I'm partial to JBD contractor based BMS but that's all I've ran and they have been excellent.
Others have had great success with the OG JK w/ 2A balancer.
Batrium would be the Cadillac.

My generic amazon special bench power supply has worked fine. I always verify the voltage with a trusted meter if I'm doing anything I want precision on.

Battery Hookup had some beefier bench supplies a while back, not sure if they are still in stock.
Yes I'm intrigued with the JBD Contactor series cuz they have one that can not only do 200a contiguous, but also peak 600 amps. I assume there's a large electro-mechanical relay in there giving it that ability?

There's no drawback, other than size, to this higher rating right? I might try starting a small car or boat engine with it just to test. Has anyone else used these for car starting?

I couldn't figure out what to buy from the Batrium site. Confusing product descriptions, so although it might be a Caddy, it might be the wrong car for me. I'll call them...
 
Yes I'm intrigued with the JBD Contactor series cuz they have one that can not only do 200a contiguous, but also peak 600 amps. I assume there's a large electro-mechanical relay in there giving it that ability?
That's my understanding.
There's no drawback, other than size, to this higher rating right?
None that I've found, they are beefy.
I might try starting a small car or boat engine with it just to test. Has anyone else used these for car starting?
The minimum cell count is 7S, unless you have a 24V starting system I don't see how they would work.
JBD does have some 4S units they claim can start a car but I haven't tested them with anything meaningful loads; they power a backup system that keeps my Solar Assistant alive.
 
Wow! That one was so cheap it scares me :oops::LOL:!! How is this working for you and how long has it been?

My application will include building banks over 40v so I'm sure I'll need at least a 60v bench charger psu.
This one is a bit more expensive and has a higher current rating. Can't find the exact model avaliable anymore but its all push button on my unit.
Voltage is not too far out, but will do some more tests. Perhaps there is a way to calibrate these units? I don't have a fancy fluke meter yet, but all my multimeters measure different to each other.
 
My application will include building banks over 40v so I'm sure I'll need at least a 60v bench charger psu.

How about SCC & PV array for charging full pack?
I have Outback MX-60. good for 12V, 24V, 36V, 48V, 72V banks and set equalization voltage & time etc.

It can have second life as part of your system.

I would think high current bench supply only for individual cells or parallel top balancing.

Since I have spare Sunny Island inverter chargers I also use them to charge 48V pack. But I used the Outback SCC for 12V pack, because my 12V battery chargers aren't adjustable.
 

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