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Review of the Li Time mini 100AH LifePO4 battery and how it can expand the capacity of any Solar Generator. *Note – The …
Date: August 24, 2023
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Review of the Li Time mini 100AH LifePO4 battery and how it can expand the capacity of any Solar Generator. *Note – The …
I don't see a link to the charger you used to charge the 12v battery.
Great video. Could you please link to the battery charger you mentioned? Thanks
craig, which charger is that, i dont see the link ..thank you
Actually if you read the fine print it is not recommended to mount LFP batteries upside down.
Do u have a link for the battery charger?
What alligator clips are those, most alligator clips can, or at least they say, can only allow 300 watts, what brand do you have
Fantastic video! Can I safely assume that if I use only 1 24v 100an lifepo4 battery I would achieve the same result of almost 500 watts charging?
Being Canadian as well I’m always looking at cold temperatures operating
"Solar Generator Capacity" means the capacity to provide AC power at a specific maximum wattage for a total run time…. All that you are showing is a way of charging a power station when house AC or solar is not available…. In the TRUE sense of the wording, this video does not increase run time as would an external high amp battery pack would…. To extend run time, a DC voltage source equal to the rail or bus voltage that the inverter requires to output AC is required…. Now, if the AC load is LESS than the input wattage of charging with this method, the run time = capacity would be considered expanded….
what is the link for the small charger for the battery ? Thank you for your information
so i connect the batteries in series if i were to use them with a power station?
parallel if i bought an inverter for the batteries?
sort of confusing stuff
These smaller LiFePO4 batteries are made using the soft, pouch type cells, rather than the aluminum prismatic cells that are typically found in drop in lithium batteries. They apparently have a greater energy density. I have two of them, of this brand, and they weight 19.5 lbs, which is over 5 lbs less than the standard battery by the same company.
I know that using two of these batteries in parallel to provide 200 AH of power to a trolling motor sounds like a good idea, but, in a lightweight inflatable tender, that would give you more run time than you would probably ever use in a single day. In the same tender, you would think that two of these batteries, in series, running a 24 volt trolling motor, would get you from point A to point B much faster, but it won't. If you had a very heavy boat or if your inflatable was loaded down with 8 passengers, that might be the case, but in general, a couple of people in a light tender will be able to do entire day trips with a 12 volt motor and just one of these batteries. 24 volt motors have more thrust to move heavy boats, but the prop design and RPM limits the speed that you can get from them.
I really like the idea of expanding the capacity of a solar power station/generator by putting two batteries in series. I knew that a boost converter could be utilized to get a single 12 volt battery to recharge a power station, but it never occurred to me to just series two 12 volt batteries to achieve the same result. I guess the magic of an MPPT solar charge controller is what accounts for the high input current you got with the series connected batteries. Demonstrating the inadequacy of the cig socket for this purpose was very informative, so thanks for that.
Low temperatures don't affect the DISCHARGING of this battery chemistry. CHARGING them at temps below 32 F WILL ruin them. Starter batteries for cars can deliver hundreds of amps of current for 10 – 20 seconds, when needed, to start a large cold engine in a cold northern environment and these type batteries just can't do that. Lead acid and AGM starter batteries are specifically designed to deliver those huge amounts of Cold Cranking Amps, 600 – 800, in many cases, and then be immediately recharged by the car's alternator. Small gasoline engines on a boat, however, don't require that kind of amperage, so that's why, even though they say don't use them for starter batteries, you got away with doing it on your boat.
I know from my own experience that the load tester that you used is basically limited to 10 amps. The rating on LiFePO4 batteries is based on draining them at .2 times their AH rating. That means a 100 AH battery needs to have a 20 amp load applied to test its capacity. A lesser load will give an inflated number, such as you got, and a higher load will reveal a capacity lower than advertised. I know that sounds nit picky, but I didn't make the rules. They are there to give accurate "apples to apples" criteria for meaningful comparison.
Gave you some love and a thumbs up! Wish I knew how to sail!
I like your real world perspective. Specs are nice, but will the toys do the job is my bottom line. I hope your have a great sailing season. I used to sail on Lake Michigan as a kid.
Does the LiTime mini use pouch batteries?
I think I would opt for the 24volt battery
Great video
Thanks
We really need to stop using the phrase solar generator as it is a misnomer. I believe it is intentional. They are simply power banks or batteries. So adding a battery to a battery is nothing new.
Just got EcoFlow delta pro with a 400 watt panel and had a high of 482 watts that’s 482 watts from a 400 watt panel!!!!!! Is there a E-Mails that we could talk thanks Steven
Good info.
Thank you Craig, excellent video.
20:55, I have also discovered that delivering 24v to my solar generators is a game changer whether from a 24v battery or 2 panels in series.
During an emergency this has pulled my family through several days of a power outage.
I just purchased 2 Li Time 100AH batteries to replace my 2 100AH in my camper, save space and weight, now using the regular 100AH wired in series in home to back up my portable power stations. I was also not expecting how much more power I can transfer to the power stations at 26 volts compared to using 12 volts. Bought a BougeRV 40A MPPT solar charge controller, put quick connect plugs on it and can use it to charge my home and camper batteries directly form solar.
I use their 300ah LiFeP04 in the camper I live in with a 2000w inverter and 60 amp and 10 amp MPPT solar charge controllers. I use it with my solar and a 20 amp plug in charger to top it off before storms. If I set my air conditioner thermostat conservatively I can easily get over 12 hours of cooling or more if it`s connected to solar. My little air conditioner draws a max of 400 watts. When it`s only about 80 degrees it can run it for 24 hours. The big battery comes in handy for a lot of things during power outages. I also use 11 solar power stations between 250 and 700 watts for my dorm fridge (two 500w), freezer (two 700w), 12v rice cookers (several 300w ones), and the rest for lights, USB fans, WIFI, extra storage, etc. I have 680 watts of glass solar panels, 120w, 100w, 60w, and several 30w to 20w folding panels, plus three small glass panels for backup direct power for my best larger portable radio receivers that plug into their power ports. I also use rechargeable batteries for everything that have chargers that can use my folding panel ports or power stations. I`m in a hurricane zone.
Often those power stations will assume charging from 12v assumes a cig lighter socket good for only 120 watts or less. When they see more than 24v they assume charging from solar and will attempt to extract the maximum usable power.
Instead of doing a 24v battery (whether purchased or wired up yourself) you can also use a DC to DC boost converter to step up a single battery to the solar input range specified. It will cost a little bit of efficiency, but usually a lot cheaper and smaller than two batteries and more flexible in the output voltage available to match the specs of the power station.
Sarah's brother Mark needed reliable power for his off-grid cabin and after some research he discovered the LiTime lithium battery. Thanks to their high capacity and long life, he is now able to easily power his cabin. Later we also bought 4 batteries for our RV and they worked well.
Great video. Which smart charger are you using to charge the 12v batteries? What size cables are you using to connect the batteries in parallel? Do you recommend fusing the batteries when connected in parallel? The allpowers seems like a great device. Thanks for sharing.
Another point to add most vehicles need hundreds of amps to start most 12v batteries are really not designed to pump out that many amps..you might get away with things like Generator,bikes and lawn mowers..
I bought the 12v 100ah mini and used 2 times. I use on my kayak for a trolling motor. My original battery was a 12v 55ah (I think agm, weighed 37 lbs. My new 12v 100ah mini weighs just under 20 lbs. So it’s saving me 17 lbs. I use my trolling motor for most of day and I’m good. My original 12v 55ah battery died on a few trips. Thus I upgraded. Good for me so far.
Thank you Craig and Janice, great video! Kind of want to see how the battery looks after a while! Will you make another video to give feedback?
A very good review
Keep in mind, old type of alternators on engines designed for lead acid that doesn't have internal control will burn out when connected to lithium battery, this is because it doesn't control the maximum current. Lithium battery has a very low charge resistance so if a power source does not have internal current control it will burn because of extreme current.