I so appreciate all these battery videos. I’m only sad I’m not in a position to use this info right now. Hopping to in another year or so. Thank you so much for all the work you put into this series.
Super valuable realistic video, including challenges like getting the thing to power up. I'm 6 months out from starting my stealth box truck camper build but this is giving me confidence I can pull it off. Also, always wanted to try sailboat life so that might be the next adventure😊⛵.
You're helping me over my fear. I worked in the film biz ages ago and saw some heavy duty shocks from connecting step downs on set. Scarred me for ages. I am going to be buying a boat and I am realizing 12v is not as scary as big transformers lol. Good info thanks!
Yep that magic smoke will get you every time. I can't say I haven't let it out a couple of times. A nice useful video Clark. Keep the good stuff coming.
Thank you so very much for this post! I bought one, did some medium-easy dismantling and followed your instructions with occasional double checking from manual and 🎉 This solved all my balancing problems! From ordering the bms to case closed took only 72hrs. I ordered it from local dealer. May your winds be smooth
Have to add to this bank manager topic that I use Relogy’s dc-dc charger in between leads and LiFePo4. I believe it’s solid solution as well but I’m not a professional
The BankManager has a lot of advantages over the DC-DC approach, chief among them is battery life. But there are many ways to do things. I have started selling BankManager to guys who's first li batteries didn't last that long.
@@Clarks-Adventure is it too bold to ask if you could simplify the benefit for the battery life once more (over dc/dc approach). You are probably right and I should now learn this well
@miikariikonen149 it's covered here, especially in the article by Conrad at the bottom. www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms But in short every other charge controller you will find charges li to a voltage. That's OK (but not correct) for lead but Li is much more sensitive.
@@Clarks-Adventure I think I got it. Let’s do a test. Do you accept my solution better if I tell you that I have single 200Ah. There is no bank to be managed?
Thank you for sharing your knowledge....very helpful. Would you please describe your method of opening up the case. It looks like there is black glue holding the top cover. How best to remove cover with minimal damage. thank you!
If you go back to my earlier battery review videos I go into that and film it It's not easy!! Easiest way would be to check out the "leader board" linked in the description of this video
JK is a very good bms, 2A active balancer, easy programming and nice price vs quality for loads less than 200A. However I prefer a storage system big enough built from adequate LFP cells Winston, eve etc. Never the drop in pack replacement. Preferably a REC bms with separate contactors for handling large loads safely like windlasses, inverters etc.
I have 4 JK 250 amp 48v BMS's. I ordered screens with mine which allow me to turn on and off the bms. I also have 2amp active balance and it takes time to get all cells balanced. Around 30 complete charges for my 280ah cells. now they are top balanced perfectly. I have my bms start balancing when 1 cell hits its max voltage. 55.2 volts. so 16 cells each will have 3.45 volts. some cells will hit 3.45 first and bms takes 2 amps from that cell and gives it to the lowest voltage cell. keeps doing this as long as .005 voltage difference is present. This is the highest in voltage I want each cell to go. Sure I can go to 3.65 volts but why 3.45 to 3.65 is about 5% of total capacity. on the lower side I do 3.0 volts. This get me around 85-90% of my total capacity. It causes to much heat in cells to get that little extra out and that is what hurts Lithium (heat). Cold also hurts lithium.
You should consider a BankManager. Cells can actually obtain damage to their cathodes at any voltage over 3.37v when already at 100 POC. Take a look at Conrad's article linked to the bottom of www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
One for each battery by definition. But you can put your cells in parallel if you want one battery. Just make sure you can live with the BMS current limit.
Do you feel a solder joint is appropriate for joining the wires versus a crimped butt joint with shrink tubing (mainly strain relief since it is enclosed)? Boats take a lot of forces and vibrations which could fracture the solder joint eventually. Also, you said in a comment that this BMS has CAN communications. The one on Amazon doesn’t (just rs485). Does it come with a converter that isn’t listed? Does it support RV-C and/or VE-can protocols? Can (pun not intended) it support DVCC BMS control or Wakespeed alternator control with pre-BMS shutdown signals? Enjoyed the video
Fantastic video, Clark! I got three of the Redodo 12V 410Ah batteries and my only disappointment with them so far is the lack of connectivity. I'd love for them to be able talk to a Cerbo GX - could you do a video on adding a BMS with CANBUS support?
@@Clarks-Adventure oooooooh - that’s what I’m talking about! 😍 My original BMS’s are rated for 250A continuous, but I think I’m willing to trade the 50A loss for canbus! Thanks again for being awesome!
Can you install a capacitor (like on an air conditioner unit) to soft start all initial loads so that the battery doesn’t have to start high intensity loading cycles over its life? Can you mount it to (inside or outside) the battery case?
I wouldn't. Caps have obvious advantages but they cause current control issues. A battery like this can put out crazy power for a few seconds as it is.
Great video ! How difficult is it to integrate self-diagnostics into the BMS and/or safe-mode backup? (Limp home mode) ... Or auto-transfer to secondary power source?
This one has an emergency mode that disregards all safeties. See next week's video for details on setup and operations Only one I've seen with this feature
Question: when everything is wired up and I probe the main battery positive and the P - of the BMS with my multimeter, I get 12v when the BMS is OFF. In another JK BMS setup video he’s getting 0v when BMS is off, which makes sense to me. Is something wrong with my BMS? Shouldn’t it be 0v when turned off? When I turn it on, battery positive and P - of the BMS reads about 10v. Seems kinda weird because “discharge” setting is “off”. This is a fresh install on fresh EVE 304ah prismatic cells and I haven’t adjusted default BMS settings yet
I sold the battery. But I've had no complaints. It's a friend with my phone number who has it so I'm sure it's working. He has an undersized battery bank so it's being put through its paces
So, basically half the battery. I guess still having the case makes this better than building your own battery. So does that mean it is worth picking up broken lifepo4 batteries?
Hi there. I'm an electrical engineer. If your BMS isn't doing everything needed to manage the pack and you need a "bank manager" then you do not have the proper BMS. I've designed battery storage systems for EVs, marine, and stationary storage. BMSs do all of the management, monitoring, protection, and control.
As an electrical engineer you should always be open to more research in case you missed something. I suggest you start with Conrad's article linked to the bottom of this www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
@@Clarks-Adventure"don't count on them for charging for long life that's a completely different thing" Absolutely incorrect. And your "bank manager" that you linked is to manage two chemistries in the same system (a horrible idea in its own right" I'm open to new ideas but I'm straight up saying that your claim in the video that any system would need a "bank manager" for proper charge and discharge is factually incorrect. If a system cannot manage the bank for charge then it isn't a BMS, it's something simpler like a battery over discharge system. Be it an Orion, Victron, or otherwise, this janky "bank manager" isn't required on a properly designed bank.
I hope your batteries last a long time. Best of luck If you actually want to look into this I suggest Conrad's article linked at the bottom this as a good start www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
![Adding LITHIUM to your LEAD battery bank [Capable Cruising Guides]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tAuPfgZgXec/mqdefault.jpg)
I so appreciate all these battery videos. I’m only sad I’m not in a position to use this info right now. Hopping to in another year or so.
Thank you so much for all the work you put into this series.
Thanks
Super valuable realistic video, including challenges like getting the thing to power up. I'm 6 months out from starting my stealth box truck camper build but this is giving me confidence I can pull it off. Also, always wanted to try sailboat life so that might be the next adventure😊⛵.
Consider a BankManager. You won't be sorry.
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
I live in a 98 Ford van
Reasons i have customized batteries in my van setup cause daly makes it easy and i can view it all in the app
You're helping me over my fear. I worked in the film biz ages ago and saw some heavy duty shocks from connecting step downs on set. Scarred me for ages. I am going to be buying a boat and I am realizing 12v is not as scary as big transformers lol. Good info thanks!
12V can still ruin your day if you short something out. Remember that batteries are always on.
@@marklapierre5629 For sure, but it's not like sticking a fork in my mouth to test a 110 outlet lol!
Yep that magic smoke will get you every time. I can't say I haven't let it out a couple of times. A nice useful video Clark. Keep the good stuff coming.
Thanks
Thank you so very much for this post! I bought one, did some medium-easy dismantling and followed your instructions with occasional double checking from manual and 🎉
This solved all my balancing problems! From ordering the bms to case closed took only 72hrs. I ordered it from local dealer.
May your winds be smooth
Have to add to this bank manager topic that I use Relogy’s dc-dc charger in between leads and LiFePo4. I believe it’s solid solution as well but I’m not a professional
The BankManager has a lot of advantages over the DC-DC approach, chief among them is battery life. But there are many ways to do things.
I have started selling BankManager to guys who's first li batteries didn't last that long.
@@Clarks-Adventure is it too bold to ask if you could simplify the benefit for the battery life once more (over dc/dc approach). You are probably right and I should now learn this well
@miikariikonen149 it's covered here, especially in the article by Conrad at the bottom.
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
But in short every other charge controller you will find charges li to a voltage. That's OK (but not correct) for lead but Li is much more sensitive.
@@Clarks-Adventure I think I got it. Let’s do a test. Do you accept my solution better if I tell you that I have single 200Ah. There is no bank to be managed?
Thank you for sharing your knowledge....very helpful. Would you please describe your method of opening up the case. It looks like there is black glue holding the top cover. How best to remove cover with minimal damage. thank you!
If you go back to my earlier battery review videos I go into that and film it
It's not easy!!
Easiest way would be to check out the "leader board" linked in the description of this video
My new BMS arrived through Walmart. Looks like the same as the one from Amazon that is out of stock.
JK is a very good bms, 2A active balancer, easy programming and nice price vs quality for loads less than 200A.
However I prefer a storage system big enough built from adequate LFP cells Winston, eve etc. Never the drop in pack replacement.
Preferably a REC bms with separate contactors for handling large loads safely like windlasses, inverters etc.
I love the "Magic Smoke" comment. There speaks an Electronics Engineer. To me they are all "Black Boxes" but I'm hammer and Spanner.
Thanks
I have 4 JK 250 amp 48v BMS's. I ordered screens with mine which allow me to turn on and off the bms. I also have 2amp active balance and it takes time to get all cells balanced. Around 30 complete charges for my 280ah cells. now they are top balanced perfectly. I have my bms start balancing when 1 cell hits its max voltage. 55.2 volts. so 16 cells each will have 3.45 volts. some cells will hit 3.45 first and bms takes 2 amps from that cell and gives it to the lowest voltage cell. keeps doing this as long as .005 voltage difference is present. This is the highest in voltage I want each cell to go. Sure I can go to 3.65 volts but why 3.45 to 3.65 is about 5% of total capacity. on the lower side I do 3.0 volts. This get me around 85-90% of my total capacity. It causes to much heat in cells to get that little extra out and that is what hurts Lithium (heat). Cold also hurts lithium.
You should consider a BankManager. Cells can actually obtain damage to their cathodes at any voltage over 3.37v when already at 100 POC.
Take a look at Conrad's article linked to the bottom of www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
Do I need one unit for each lithium battery? Or can I monitor a bank wired together.
One for each battery by definition. But you can put your cells in parallel if you want one battery. Just make sure you can live with the BMS current limit.
Do you feel a solder joint is appropriate for joining the wires versus a crimped butt joint with shrink tubing (mainly strain relief since it is enclosed)? Boats take a lot of forces and vibrations which could fracture the solder joint eventually.
Also, you said in a comment that this BMS has CAN communications. The one on Amazon doesn’t (just rs485). Does it come with a converter that isn’t listed? Does it support RV-C and/or VE-can protocols? Can (pun not intended) it support DVCC BMS control or Wakespeed alternator control with pre-BMS shutdown signals?
Enjoyed the video
I think I read about canbus in the manual but you should check yourself.
The solder will be fine. There is no torque on these joins the way I did it.
Fantastic video, Clark! I got three of the Redodo 12V 410Ah batteries and my only disappointment with them so far is the lack of connectivity. I'd love for them to be able talk to a Cerbo GX - could you do a video on adding a BMS with CANBUS support?
This one has canbus support but my Cerbo isn't installed yet
@@Clarks-Adventure oooooooh - that’s what I’m talking about! 😍 My original BMS’s are rated for 250A continuous, but I think I’m willing to trade the 50A loss for canbus! Thanks again for being awesome!
Can you install a capacitor (like on an air conditioner unit) to soft start all initial loads so that the battery doesn’t have to start high intensity loading cycles over its life? Can you mount it to (inside or outside) the battery case?
I wouldn't.
Caps have obvious advantages but they cause current control issues.
A battery like this can put out crazy power for a few seconds as it is.
Great video !
How difficult is it to integrate self-diagnostics into the BMS and/or safe-mode backup? (Limp home mode) ... Or auto-transfer to secondary power source?
This one has an emergency mode that disregards all safeties.
See next week's video for details on setup and operations
Only one I've seen with this feature
Question: when everything is wired up and I probe the main battery positive and the P - of the BMS with my multimeter, I get 12v when the BMS is OFF. In another JK BMS setup video he’s getting 0v when BMS is off, which makes sense to me. Is something wrong with my BMS? Shouldn’t it be 0v when turned off? When I turn it on, battery positive and P - of the BMS reads about 10v. Seems kinda weird because “discharge” setting is “off”. This is a fresh install on fresh EVE 304ah prismatic cells and I haven’t adjusted default BMS settings yet
Yes seems odd.
@@Clarks-Adventurethanks! Now I know that I need to investigate more, much appreciated!
How is that BMS that you replaced working?
I sold the battery. But I've had no complaints. It's a friend with my phone number who has it so I'm sure it's working. He has an undersized battery bank so it's being put through its paces
Showing not currently unavailable. Hopefully soon.
I hope so.
I got the same screw driver lol
So, basically half the battery. I guess still having the case makes this better than building your own battery. So does that mean it is worth picking up broken lifepo4 batteries?
I would!!
Unavailable? Ok, I must be getting to geezerhood. It should say "Not currently available".
Hi there. I'm an electrical engineer. If your BMS isn't doing everything needed to manage the pack and you need a "bank manager" then you do not have the proper BMS. I've designed battery storage systems for EVs, marine, and stationary storage. BMSs do all of the management, monitoring, protection, and control.
As an electrical engineer you should always be open to more research in case you missed something.
I suggest you start with Conrad's article linked to the bottom of this
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
@@Clarks-Adventure"don't count on them for charging for long life that's a completely different thing"
Absolutely incorrect. And your "bank manager" that you linked is to manage two chemistries in the same system (a horrible idea in its own right"
I'm open to new ideas but I'm straight up saying that your claim in the video that any system would need a "bank manager" for proper charge and discharge is factually incorrect. If a system cannot manage the bank for charge then it isn't a BMS, it's something simpler like a battery over discharge system.
Be it an Orion, Victron, or otherwise, this janky "bank manager" isn't required on a properly designed bank.
I hope your batteries last a long time. Best of luck
If you actually want to look into this I suggest Conrad's article linked at the bottom this as a good start
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
Yea but sometimes it's better to have a another method in place
@@Clarks-Adventure That isn't research - that's an opinion by a layman.