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Changing from SLA to LifePo4 batteries
dochubert:
Balance continues to improve slightly daily.
The 3 cells that are a bit low are gradually coming up. (getting closer to the rest)
So will leave the settings where they are and watch for a few more days.
I do like these batteries!
Pete:
Good to hear that it is working out for you Doc.
I hope that all the work setting them up is worth it and they last a long time.
So far I am loving my new setup too, the sealed lead batteries I have are enjoying having the capacitor bank to make starting things easier. The 500 farad capacitor bank are doing a great job and my compressor just fires up straight away with no hesitation.
Pete
dochubert:
Thanks Pete,
Glad your capacitor bank is working out for you. Sounds interesting. Did you describe it in another post? (I haven't been paying attention lately, sorry)
The shunt balancer seems to be a success! I will be leaving the settings on the charge controllers where they are (56.8v bulk, 56v float) unless I see some reason to change them. Balance is very good. Probably as good as I can expect from used batteries.
Now I just have to put the same type balancers on my 24v bank.
dochubert:
Got some work done on the 24v bank balancer setup. Bought 4 of these heatsinks and cut them in half.
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Cut some wood pieces and attached as shown.
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The balancers/heatsinks will be electrically isolated from one another, which means the balancers can be mounted to heatsinks without insulator pads (better heat transfer). These heatsinks are not very big, but my experience with the huge heatsink on the first set (48v setup) tells me it was overkill. Hopefully these small individual sinks won't be 'underkill' and will do the job.
On the backside, two 12v standard 4" fans temperature controlled.
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Still awaiting delivery of the balancers, and haven't completed paralleling all the module cells, but some progress anyway.
Pete:
Hi Doc looks like you have a plan going there.
I don't know enough about lithium batteries but it sure seems that they want a lot of stuff to control them.
I read somewhere that a University in Queensland (oz) is working on another lithium battery chemistry. They had one sort working but it was not so good on the number of charges cycles it could do, then they worked out that adding sugar to the cells coated the cathodes and allowed their charge cycles to be 100 times more.
I guess that in the not too distant future we will see massive improvements in battery technology.
I would love to have an electric vehicle but at the moment the costs are too high. One day maybe they will be cheap enough and we will be able to charge them on our solar system. ( we don't drive much, it is too lovely where we live to want to go out too often).
If the fans don't work you could always put the fins of the heatsinks in a tank of water to cool them.
cheers
Pete
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