Lithium Phosphate Batteries

[Mpery]

Hi, I have an Ample Power V3 charging a 200 amp/hr Lithium battery from a 120 amp alternator. It is locked into ABS with no float and set to Exide Gel. (It is my understanding that Lithium Phosphate batteries like to be charged then the charger is switched off until needed to recharge once more, with no float or trickle charge. By slightly under charging the battery, @ 14.2v this effective is being achieved). I would like to have the ability to manually open the field with a simple on/off switch. Will this damage the regulator? Also, is the temperature sensor required on a Lithium battery?

Thanks.

[Coulomb]

Do not switch the field. It could damage the regulator if done while charging. It's likely to lead to electrical noise problems, and the switch is likely prone to failure.

Put a switch in the On/Off wire.

[Mpery]

Thanks for the prompt reply. I will switch the on/off into the regulator. Is the temp sensor necessary for the lithium battery?

[Coulomb]

Yes, all batteries are temperature dependent.

[Mpery]

Please advise the correct dip switch settings to give me a peak charging voltage of 14.2v for my lithium batteries. Thanks

[Coulomb]

Exide Gel

[Sirius]

We have just installed Lithium Ion START batteries (Sinopoly SP-LFP300AH) (we previously had a gel battery).
For the past 4 years our House batteries are Lithium Ion batteries (600 AH).
There were ongoing issues with charging due to the incompatibility of the two battery types.
We are a cruising catamaran with twin motors each with an 80 amp alternator and an Ample Smart Alternator Regulator V3 model SARV3-12P.

Our issue is that the regulator is restricting current long before the batteries are fully charged.
We have switched to ‘Exide Gel’, all DIP switches on. You previously recommended for LiIon a Series Resistor of 500 Ohms adjustable to the BV1 line. Is this your recommendation for our set-up?

Note: The LiIon batteries reach 'absorption’ at 14.2 volts and maximum charge is 14.6 volts. When the batteries have been discharged to 60% they are still reading 13.2 volts and at 75% 12.8 volts.

Thanks Julie

[Coulomb]

First, understand that the only way a regulator restricts currentis because it has failed. The regulator can restrict voltage, which it does at the absorption set point, but only the batteries or the alternator can restrict current flow.

How are you measuring capacity? Erroneous capacity meters are notorious.

Yes, use a 500 Ohm resistor.

[Mpery]

Hi, I would like to restrict the maximum charging voltage of my Lithium Phosphate battery to 14.0v. How can I do this using my smart regulator V3?
Thanks