Don’t really get why the negative Nancys can’t be positive or just not watch. You don’t need to justify anything mate. I enjoy your in depth reviews and no nonsense approach. 💯
Nathan, I'm a 60yo that has spent my life working and associating with stacks of Aussie apex smart ar#es that know everything and truly believe they were put on this earth to tune everybody in as to how things really are... Mate!, you're never going to change what they think. Don't even respond. Just keep doing what you are doing. People with any kind of mature IQ can sort the bullsh#t reviewers out from the good ones. Stop justifying yourself. You have informed us all when you need to show transparency, that should be enough. 👍👏 JT from Kalamunda.
Great honest review well done. I have an Itech World 200amp/hour battery in my canopy and have give it a hard time using an induction cooktop and airfryer for over 18 months now and its never missed a beat so would recommend them to anyone.
Nath, fantastic review as usual. Very well structured, informative, accurate, fair and honest. You are one of the best at reviews. That’s for sure. As for the battery shutdown issue as others have mentioned, I feel it is delayed post heat peak because of the insulation you have placed on the battery. It will delay heat buildup but once heat soaked will take longer for the heat to dissipate and hence the BMS shutdown occurs a few hours post engine bay heat peak but coincides with battery and BMS peak internal temps. Would be good to test with and without insulation to see if there is a difference in shutdown times.
Thanks for the honest review. I had an Itech World 120ah battery, underbonnet, in my LC200. It shut down on me twice late in the afternoon when drving in 40 degree plus heat in QLD for over 8 hours at a time. Similar to as you described. It did come back later in the evening. Initially it was concerning, so I swapped that out and put that battery as a back-up in a Projecta PowerHUB. I now use the 120X PRO in the LC200, underbonnet, and heat shielded it in CarBuilders Heat Shield, much better material. We did the same drive and after another 12 months we haven't had an issue, so I do believe it is in the heat shielding and the ventilation of the engine bay at the end of a long hot drive.
Your videos truly are the most informative, balanced and USEFUL videos on TH-cam. Very impressed by this battery! Makes me rethink my 200amp of DCS at $3k Plus!
Thanks mate 🙏 Here's hoping this can help many others make that informed decision for their setup 🤞 Its certainly a good deal at the price they are currently selling for
I’ve had itechworld batteries for years. The one under the bonnet of my 100 series is about four years old now. Never did a capacity test but it has never given cause to need one. The Cruiser tows a caravan and the battery has been underwater too. The other three are under the bed in the van. They are doing what they are supposed to as well. Great review Nathan 😅
I’m sure someone has already said this, but the heat issue is probably heatsoak. When you are driving you probably have some sort of airflow through the engine bay but once you stop the battery is sitting next to that big old hot engine and nowhere for that heat to go. It’s probably a gump idea, but maybe you could put a 12v fan in the bay when you stop on those extreme days to move the air around.
Another very informative UNBIASED video, thanks Nathan for all your efforts and the great product reviews. Personally I don't care if you receive products from manufacturers for testing. Good on you. It would cost you a fortune if you had to go and buy all this gear sometimes to find it's not all it's cracked up to be. As long as the reviews are fair and honest which they always are. Keep up the good work. You help us to make informed decisions about products for our own setups thereby saving us money and time. You'll always get the knockers on these public forums. Cheers 😎👍PeterJ
Thanks Peter, I really appreciate that and I'm glad that there are some people out there who appreciate the time, energy and expense that go into these videos (even with the contributions of some businesses). I'll always strive to provide that objective review as we all know that nothing is perfect and sometimes certain products simply won't suit certain fit outs and personal preferences. Thanks again, Nathan. 🙏
The heat would be less when moving but when stopped the heat would increase before subsiding.Where can i buy one and i will test it in Canada up to -30c
Great Review! Always look forward to your lithium battery under-the-bonnet reviews. I have the Itechworld 120X and this just gives me the confidence that I've made the right decision.
Great honest and informative review as always. My DCS under bonnet setup is a touch under 5 years old and still going strong, yes it has lost some capacity but still far in front of any previous lead battery setup i have used and none of these would have lasted 5 years. When this setup dies i will only go lithium again as i believe its worth it and really dont care what anyone else thinks about it.
@@Dazza-u4c Well aware of the review you are referring to and his 'experience' doesnt reflect mine or others i know with DCS. Its not the first time this person has suddenly decided to bag a company when things dont go his way.
And it's interesting he's now going all out with some hideously expensive import lithium units, obviously the most brilliant thing since sliced bread, just as the DCS were in the early days of his reviews. He simply can't be persuaded to try Aussie designed Itech products neither. According to him, too many negative results, Nathans reviews won't even persuade him. Oh well, it's His choice.
Sounds like heat soak with the cut off issue. Does the Redarc have a power supply mode? I use that feature with the Victron DCDC to "Jump Start" shut down lithiums. EV manufacturers implement an active heating/cooling system in their battery packs, it would be great to see something similar designed into an aftermarket house lithium iron battery. It would be interesting to see long term datalogging of the battery's temperature , under the bonnet.
Perhaps you could measure the temps around the battery? I expect the hottest time is well after the vehicle has stopped and there is no air flow. In addition, while your insulation might slow heat getting in, it will also slow the heat getting out. I'd be using a shield (similar to what Toyota fitted on the 80series) rather than wrapping it in insulation. Good thorough battery test - great work!!
My itech 120x pro died underbonnet in the middle of a cape trip right when i needed it. Im certain heat caused it. It shut down mod morning and did not come back to life until ar least 9pm. Problem was it had massively reduced capacity. It only last a couple of hours then shut off due to voltage. It did this every day whilst on the trip. Itech did warrant it, but i didn't bother putting it back under Bonnet.
Must be a really good quality battery! Reset on it's own, after a short Rest. Lucky you bought that brand! I'm still on 260ah of Aussie made Gels w 400w solar & 105ah of dual purpose agm / marine, hooked up to 200w solar, both sets on top of my Van & both share the Renogy 40amp DC-DC input independently, with 1 only Anderson plug input at any 1 time.
If your driving battery is being charged usually by alternator, right, and when parked by solar, as bms shuts down at 20% capacity, so its either not charging and drops to 20% or its heat and bms shuts it off at that 70 to 80 degrees
Nice Nathan, genuine use and testing. It's interesting what's unfolded over the last 6-12 months with more and more tests and examples of failures of the much more expensive DSC under bonnet batteries (a mate tested his at 17 & 22% loss over 18 months). My guess is the same haters are now a little butt hurt 🤪Realistically all brands are going to have the odd bad one.... The value per amp for these is fantastic and the degradation under bonnet is very acceptable.
not sure why people dont know this maybe its a bad idea? but you can just send some unregulated low amperage current to jump start the battery, directly connecting a solar panel to the battery for a moment will rescue the battery, I used to keep a wire to bridge the anderson plugs but now i just use a powertech shunt as i carry it with my anyway and its easy to connect for a moment
Good to see that the "under bonnet" is living up to the lithium hype and reputation. As lithium is becoming more and more the standard the prices will drop eventually which makes it even more interesting. Good informative video as always Nathan, keep m coming as they are fun to watch!
Good video and fair impartial review mate- thank you and keep it up 👏 Curious if you could do a review on the new iTECH400X PRO- that one interests me personally for use in my old Caravan as a drop in replacement unit. I understand that the one you reviewed is also a drop in replacement battery for older systems not designed for Lithium- I wonder what your thoughts are about using them as a drop in replacement and what you would thing WE need to do to keep them maintained - A new lithium Chager or just stick with what we have in our old caravan which is only designed for AGM battery charging ????Hmmm I wonder 🤔 Cheers for the info and effort you put into this test.
hey mate if you forsee yourself fully draining the battery till BMS cut out, you should put a momentary push button switch from the starter/alternator in feed to the battery output . saves you pulling out the jump pack every time you need to do it :)
Great wrap up on your lithium expirence. Thermal enersia is what I think you expirenced with the late afternoon battery shut down. . I've had issues with besser block equipment sheds reaching maximum internal temperatures about 8 hours after the external maximum daily temperature. Initially it was hard to believe until we did temperature logging.
Great content. I have been doing a similar experiment as well in my US LC200. I am using the SOK marine grade LiFePO4...it has self heating which will come in handy when I am in colder environments here in the US. But on a hot day when I shut off the engine, the BMS in the SOK battery triggers due to the rising heat under the bonnet from the hot engine. It has high temperature discharge protection. It makes my Redarc SBI212D cycle on and off as I think the current is being modulated by the BMS. Do you experience anything like this? Also the BMS makes the battery not discharge until the battery cools off....I was gonna try placing a thin "oil cooler/radiator" fan next to the battery and have a temperature triggered fan circulate air under the hood to help mitigate this problem. Thoughts?
Hey bloke! Great video. Im suprised by your results. Not my experience with lithium underbonnet. I think its a rather good look for the itechx. Most BMS shutdowns seem to be around 80 degrees. I agree though; i saw some unusual timings on BMS shut-downs & i think it had to be thermal heat soak. Great vid again.
Hi, Is the battery for cranking or is it for both, being that deep cycle battery is used to run appliances over longer periods compared to a crank battery that is made and used to release energy rapidly, hence starting battery. So which is it
And can you 'fully' rely on this battery? The answer is obviously NO due to it shutting down when residual heat cooks the temp sensor for a few hours. One day you will need this batt to get you there......and it shuts down. Thanks for the honest review, I will stick to stop start agm technology batt under bonnet.
Hey Mate Can i ask what you are using for your cranking battery and how you configure your 12v accessories under the bonnet. Just bought a lc200 and my wiring even though clean, doesn't seem correct. It would be awesome to understand yours
Hey mate ive got a really stupid question here, ive just brought an iTechworld 120x with the M8 bolt terminals. I have no idea how these terminals work. Am i supposed to put the lugs underneath the bolt and both washers and tighten the terminal down? One of the washers is split, is this supposed to be tightened until the split washer flattens out? How many ring lugs can you attach to a terminal before the connection suffers? There wasnt much wiring or installation info with the battery at all
yes i believe so, that is what i do, the cable lugs go on first then the flat washer, then the split washer with the terminal bolts going through last you can probably have as many as you can fit on there, it all acts like a electrical bus so i dont think it matters, i have 3 sets on mine
Hi mate, just as a majority suggest here, it's a heat soak issue due to zero air circulation once idle. I think that's the issue. Im absolutely amazed you didn't think to produce you thermo gun at the time and get an internal temp, you must have been heat affected yourself 🥵🥵🥵🥵. Beer o'clock time. I'm having an issue with my BCDC under bonnet location, its reaches temp and shuts down, bit of a downer as it stops any solar input also. I installed a fan as suggested here but alas it just stirs the hot underbonnet air, so not rectified. Hence I'm in the process of relocating the BCDC to better air circulation. As always, regards Wealie.
Yes, it must be the heat soak issues, however I don't think its in relation to slow speeds as the drive I did on the 4th occasion was all sealed highway driving (without the trailer) and it had plenty of airflow. It must just be that long exposure to the constant heat that just builds up slowly over the day 🤔 I did get the thermo gun out once, but it's very hard to measure around the hot engine with the extreme temps from there and it really only measure the external casing temperature which is significantly different on the top cap (uncovered) to the side panels. 🥵 Yes, the BCDC chargers suffer from the same issue. I've not had any issues with my one installed up front in front the radiator at this stage 🤞 Cheers
Hi Nathan, This appears to typical for the battery's I've tested. Installed in 4WD and campers. Brand on the battery does not really matter. Unless its a eBay special..... Sigh.(Some are OK. maybe) The ones that seem to degrade the least. Are ones installed in vehicles that are charged 100% daily. With light loads. Eg 1 fridge and some lights ect. Campers seem degrade more. I have not been able to pin down why? The degrading is less with age. Year on year. As this technology is fairly new to be popularised. It is hard to get 12V battery's that are over 5 years old for testing! Unless I get old Telstra cells. Quality lithium's probably will still be going strong in 10 years. Maybe at 75-80% of original capacity. But that's no reason to bin them. You would be on your third set of AGM's by then, and still have more usable capacity. I believe the iTech products are the same as a popular Chinese brand. Sold in the USA and Europe. (you cannot buy it here) But in saying this. There has been NO compromise on quality on their battery's. Value wise, they could knock a couple of hundred $ off. When compared to the other brand. But you get local support and warranty services. So there are really no complaints.
Nathan, once again, great job, thanks! I’ve asked this before and you didn’t answer me for whatever reason but I’ll try again & we’ll see if I get a better result. You were running the ITechworld’s starting battery at one stage and you were having trouble with it levelling with your auxiliary battery so you pulled it out, did you ever sort that issue and put it back in? If not, why not and if so, what are the results with it?
Hi Peter, I'll let Nathan explain his outcome but I can answer this from my prospective. The 1420CA-Pro (Itech cranking battery) has to seperate from any auxiliary house battery just as all other cranking batteries require, hence we utilise voltage sensitive seperation devices. The issue is: Redarc BCDC units, battery isolators etc. usually seperate at 12.7volts. That voltage leaves the lithium cranking battery voltage too low for reliable starting, exactly as Nathan experienced. I was fortunate, Itech explained that issue to me when purchasing mine. The recommendation is a programmable Victron unit allowing you to set a higher seperation voltage. Myself, I didn't wish to go down that avenue as it's just another fancy piece of tech to learn about that may well fail. My answer was a simple one. I once utilised a Redarc SBI12, it's a voltage sensitive relay. I replaced that with the Redarc BCDC25D. The Redarc SBI12 is just a relay with voltage sensitive circuit bolted on. I removed the voltage sensitive circuit, connected the relay activation coil directly to ignition wire (wiper motor in GU Patrol), hence ignition on, relay activated, ignition off relay open. You now take you cranking battery positive to the relay, then onto your normal DCDC charger, thus you auxiliary house battery gets supply whilst ignition on hence alternator charging both batteries. Ignition off, batteries immediately seperate, auxiliary/house battery only draw down, the 1420CA-Pro stays at peak cranking voltage. Be aware, your DCDC charger still provides any solar panel voltage to auxiliary/house battery/s. My Itech 1420CA-Pro was installed 5/5/22. 22 months of great reliable starting ompth. I happy with my choice and am happy to recommend to anyone considering one.
@@ianweal3081 I’ve got the cranking lithium fitted to my lc200 as well and also very happy, I’ve just held off with putting another lithium under the hood because of what happened with Nathan. Thanks for your explanation, it helps to know what actually needs doing.
Glad to hear your impressed with 1420CA Pro as well. I think you'll find Nathan is running both Itechs, 1420CA Pro and 120X Pro under bonnet, exactly as you wish to. In my GU Patrol I elected to run my auxiliary batteries (3 X Itech 54amp = 162amp) in the rear, as the space allocated under bonnet is directly beside Turbo, far too hot for any battery in my opinion. At least yours are up front in ambient air flow. Hope you get your reply. I actually though he covered this in another video but my ay be totally wrong. Regards
Open it uppppp please… it’s not the heat man, its contents will let us know why these will hold up, understanding the mosfet configuration and if they are using super caps is the only way to know if their “battery tech” is running within specs of the chemistry. From what I’m reading the specs seem pretty “off the shelf” for a standard BMS with the short circuit protection delay set high.
It'll be isolated from the crank, connected to the BCDC which is connected to both. Once the BCDC sees the crank battery is fully charged, it will begin sending charge from the alternator to the lithium aux battery. Because the BCDC acts as an isolator, when you drain down the aux battery, it wont let any charge from the crank battery power devices connected to the aux battery, so you will always be able to start your car
Great results but it is a surprise considering scientific tested says that Lithium ion battery optimal operation range when charging is between -20 to 60 C . Battery degradation happens outside of those temperatures. Maybe your protective insulation on the sides keeps it for the most part under 60 C.
For sure, I understand the the lithium chemistry may suffer at those ends of the optimal use range, however so far so good. I'd expect the majority of the time I'd be running within those parameters. 👍
After a career in the battery industry spanning 18 years I can tell you that your test was flawed in so many ways that make your results totally disconnected from the battery capacity specification. The only valid information you presented was the comparison between each test as long as the conditions were the same. I can't understand why you didn't research the correct method to capacity test a battery, the information is widely available.
Don’t really get why the negative Nancys can’t be positive or just not watch. You don’t need to justify anything mate.
I enjoy your in depth reviews and no nonsense approach. 💯
You're telling me 🙄 Ah well, in the end I'm happy with the performance of this unit 👍 Appreciate it mate
👍
Nathan, I'm a 60yo that has spent my life working and associating with stacks of Aussie apex smart ar#es that know everything and truly believe they were put on this earth to tune everybody in as to how things really are... Mate!, you're never going to change what they think. Don't even respond. Just keep doing what you are doing. People with any kind of mature IQ can sort the bullsh#t reviewers out from the good ones. Stop justifying yourself. You have informed us all when you need to show transparency, that should be enough. 👍👏 JT from Kalamunda.
Completely agree mate. A very genuine fella. Easy to watch and plenty of detail to keep you interested.
Great honest review well done. I have an Itech World 200amp/hour battery in my canopy and have give it a hard time using an induction cooktop and airfryer for over 18 months now and its never missed a beat so would recommend them to anyone.
Nath, fantastic review as usual. Very well structured, informative, accurate, fair and honest. You are one of the best at reviews. That’s for sure.
As for the battery shutdown issue as others have mentioned, I feel it is delayed post heat peak because of the insulation you have placed on the battery. It will delay heat buildup but once heat soaked will take longer for the heat to dissipate and hence the BMS shutdown occurs a few hours post engine bay heat peak but coincides with battery and BMS peak internal temps. Would be good to test with and without insulation to see if there is a difference in shutdown times.
Thanks for the honest review. I had an Itech World 120ah battery, underbonnet, in my LC200. It shut down on me twice late in the afternoon when drving in 40 degree plus heat in QLD for over 8 hours at a time. Similar to as you described. It did come back later in the evening. Initially it was concerning, so I swapped that out and put that battery as a back-up in a Projecta PowerHUB. I now use the 120X PRO in the LC200, underbonnet, and heat shielded it in CarBuilders Heat Shield, much better material. We did the same drive and after another 12 months we haven't had an issue, so I do believe it is in the heat shielding and the ventilation of the engine bay at the end of a long hot drive.
👍
Your videos truly are the most informative, balanced and USEFUL videos on TH-cam. Very impressed by this battery! Makes me rethink my 200amp of DCS at $3k
Plus!
Thanks mate 🙏 Here's hoping this can help many others make that informed decision for their setup 🤞 Its certainly a good deal at the price they are currently selling for
I’ve had itechworld batteries for years. The one under the bonnet of my 100 series is about four years old now. Never did a capacity test but it has never given cause to need one. The Cruiser tows a caravan and the battery has been underwater too. The other three are under the bed in the van. They are doing what they are supposed to as well. Great review Nathan 😅
Agree 100% on both the value of all the videos XporingOz puts out. I feel the same about my DCS twin's under the bonnet of my 200 series too!
Those DCS batteries are terrible. Lose 30% in less than a year and it's not exposed to underbonnet heat.
Nathan, I love your work! It is putting me at ease with my battery being in the engine bay. Thank you very much for the video.
A perfect review, our caravan has a complete Itechworld system running 3 of their batteries and it works perfectly. Great product. Thanks Nathan.
Thanks mate, glad to hear I'm not the only one with good experiences 👍
@@XploringOz They are the best to deal with when you have a question too. After sales is excellent.
I’m sure someone has already said this, but the heat issue is probably heatsoak. When you are driving you probably have some sort of airflow through the engine bay but once you stop the battery is sitting next to that big old hot engine and nowhere for that heat to go. It’s probably a gump idea, but maybe you could put a 12v fan in the bay when you stop on those extreme days to move the air around.
Another very informative UNBIASED video, thanks Nathan for all your efforts and the great product reviews. Personally I don't care if you receive products from manufacturers for testing. Good on you. It would cost you a fortune if you had to go and buy all this gear sometimes to find it's not all it's cracked up to be. As long as the reviews are fair and honest which they always are. Keep up the good work. You help us to make informed decisions about products for our own setups thereby saving us money and time. You'll always get the knockers on these public forums. Cheers 😎👍PeterJ
Extremely well said, cheers to you Peter.
Thanks Peter, I really appreciate that and I'm glad that there are some people out there who appreciate the time, energy and expense that go into these videos (even with the contributions of some businesses).
I'll always strive to provide that objective review as we all know that nothing is perfect and sometimes certain products simply won't suit certain fit outs and personal preferences.
Thanks again, Nathan. 🙏
The heat would be less when moving but when stopped the heat would increase before subsiding.Where can i buy one and i will test it in Canada up to -30c
Great Review! Always look forward to your lithium battery under-the-bonnet reviews. I have the Itechworld 120X and this just gives me the confidence that I've made the right decision.
Just wondering Nathan if your heat reflector material is actually holding the heat in? Might be testing without it on a big run maybe.
Another outstanding review Nathan. Keep doing what you do so well!!
Thanks Greg, I appreciate that 🙏 Hope you travels south are going well, we'll catch up soon enough 👍
Great honest and informative review as always.
My DCS under bonnet setup is a touch under 5 years old and still going strong, yes it has lost some capacity but still far in front of any previous lead battery setup i have used and none of these would have lasted 5 years. When this setup dies i will only go lithium again as i believe its worth it and really dont care what anyone else thinks about it.
Interesting considering some you tubers had terrible results with DCS batteries under the bonnet. Massive battery degradation in 12 months.
@@Dazza-u4c Well aware of the review you are referring to and his 'experience' doesnt reflect mine or others i know with DCS. Its not the first time this person has suddenly decided to bag a company when things dont go his way.
And it's interesting he's now going all out with some hideously expensive import lithium units, obviously the most brilliant thing since sliced bread, just as the DCS were in the early days of his reviews.
He simply can't be persuaded to try Aussie designed Itech products neither.
According to him, too many negative results, Nathans reviews won't even persuade him.
Oh well, it's His choice.
Sounds like heat soak with the cut off issue.
Does the Redarc have a power supply mode? I use that feature with the Victron DCDC to "Jump Start" shut down lithiums.
EV manufacturers implement an active heating/cooling system in their battery packs, it would be great to see something similar designed into an aftermarket house lithium iron battery.
It would be interesting to see long term datalogging of the battery's temperature , under the bonnet.
Perhaps you could measure the temps around the battery? I expect the hottest time is well after the vehicle has stopped and there is no air flow. In addition, while your insulation might slow heat getting in, it will also slow the heat getting out. I'd be using a shield (similar to what Toyota fitted on the 80series) rather than wrapping it in insulation.
Good thorough battery test - great work!!
My itech 120x pro died underbonnet in the middle of a cape trip right when i needed it. Im certain heat caused it.
It shut down mod morning and did not come back to life until ar least 9pm. Problem was it had massively reduced capacity. It only last a couple of hours then shut off due to voltage. It did this every day whilst on the trip.
Itech did warrant it, but i didn't bother putting it back under Bonnet.
Must be a really good quality battery! Reset on it's own, after a short Rest. Lucky you bought that brand! I'm still on 260ah of Aussie made Gels w 400w solar & 105ah of dual purpose agm / marine, hooked up to 200w solar, both sets on top of my Van & both share the Renogy 40amp DC-DC input independently, with 1 only Anderson plug input at any 1 time.
If your driving battery is being charged usually by alternator, right, and when parked by solar, as bms shuts down at 20% capacity, so its either not charging and drops to 20% or its heat and bms shuts it off at that 70 to 80 degrees
Nice Nathan, genuine use and testing. It's interesting what's unfolded over the last 6-12 months with more and more tests and examples of failures of the much more expensive DSC under bonnet batteries (a mate tested his at 17 & 22% loss over 18 months). My guess is the same haters are now a little butt hurt 🤪Realistically all brands are going to have the odd bad one.... The value per amp for these is fantastic and the degradation under bonnet is very acceptable.
not sure why people dont know this maybe its a bad idea? but you can just send some unregulated low amperage current to jump start the battery, directly connecting a solar panel to the battery for a moment will rescue the battery, I used to keep a wire to bridge the anderson plugs but now i just use a powertech shunt as i carry it with my anyway and its easy to connect for a moment
Good to see that the "under bonnet" is living up to the lithium hype and reputation.
As lithium is becoming more and more the standard the prices will drop eventually which makes it even more interesting.
Good informative video as always Nathan, keep m coming as they are fun to watch!
Thanks Simon 🙏
I've been impressed and it does exactly what I was hoping for 👍
Cheers
Good video and fair impartial review mate- thank you and keep it up 👏 Curious if you could do a review on the new iTECH400X PRO- that one interests me personally for use in my old Caravan as a drop in replacement unit.
I understand that the one you reviewed is also a drop in replacement battery for older systems not designed for Lithium- I wonder what your thoughts are about using them as a drop in replacement and what you would thing WE need to do to keep them maintained - A new lithium Chager or just stick with what we have in our old caravan which is only designed for AGM battery charging ????Hmmm I wonder 🤔
Cheers for the info and effort you put into this test.
hey mate if you forsee yourself fully draining the battery till BMS cut out, you should put a momentary push button switch from the starter/alternator in feed to the battery output . saves you pulling out the jump pack every time you need to do it :)
Great wrap up on your lithium expirence. Thermal enersia is what I think you expirenced with the late afternoon battery shut down.
.
I've had issues with besser block equipment sheds reaching maximum internal temperatures about 8 hours after the external maximum daily temperature. Initially it was hard to believe until we did temperature logging.
Yes, I'm thinking this was the case, overall very impressed with how it performed in the grand scheme of things 👍 Might need to start temp logging
Great content. I have been doing a similar experiment as well in my US LC200. I am using the SOK marine grade LiFePO4...it has self heating which will come in handy when I am in colder environments here in the US. But on a hot day when I shut off the engine, the BMS in the SOK battery triggers due to the rising heat under the bonnet from the hot engine. It has high temperature discharge protection. It makes my Redarc SBI212D cycle on and off as I think the current is being modulated by the BMS. Do you experience anything like this? Also the BMS makes the battery not discharge until the battery cools off....I was gonna try placing a thin "oil cooler/radiator" fan next to the battery and have a temperature triggered fan circulate air under the hood to help mitigate this problem. Thoughts?
Hey bloke!
Great video. Im suprised by your results. Not my experience with lithium underbonnet. I think its a rather good look for the itechx.
Most BMS shutdowns seem to be around 80 degrees. I agree though; i saw some unusual timings on BMS shut-downs & i think it had to be thermal heat soak.
Great vid again.
Hi, Is the battery for cranking or is it for both, being that deep cycle battery is used to run appliances over longer periods compared to a crank battery that is made and used to release energy rapidly, hence starting battery. So which is it
And can you 'fully' rely on this battery? The answer is obviously NO due to it shutting down when residual heat cooks the temp sensor for a few hours. One day you will need this batt to get you there......and it shuts down. Thanks for the honest review, I will stick to stop start agm technology batt under bonnet.
Nice rewiew bud, well presented, and very informative. You have my subscription, I want to see more. Thank you!
Awesome, thanks mate. Appreciate that 🙏
Now thats what you call a review. 😎
Hey Mate
Can i ask what you are using for your cranking battery and how you configure your 12v accessories under the bonnet. Just bought a lc200 and my wiring even though clean, doesn't seem correct. It would be awesome to understand yours
Great video, as the one is "missing ". Love watching. 👍
Cheers mate 👍
Hey mate ive got a really stupid question here, ive just brought an iTechworld 120x with the M8 bolt terminals. I have no idea how these terminals work.
Am i supposed to put the lugs underneath the bolt and both washers and tighten the terminal down?
One of the washers is split, is this supposed to be tightened until the split washer flattens out?
How many ring lugs can you attach to a terminal before the connection suffers?
There wasnt much wiring or installation info with the battery at all
yes i believe so, that is what i do, the cable lugs go on first then the flat washer, then the split washer with the terminal bolts going through last
you can probably have as many as you can fit on there, it all acts like a electrical bus so i dont think it matters, i have 3 sets on mine
Hi mate, just as a majority suggest here, it's a heat soak issue due to zero air circulation once idle.
I think that's the issue.
Im absolutely amazed you didn't think to produce you thermo gun at the time and get an internal temp, you must have been heat affected yourself 🥵🥵🥵🥵.
Beer o'clock time.
I'm having an issue with my BCDC under bonnet location, its reaches temp and shuts down, bit of a downer as it stops any solar input also.
I installed a fan as suggested here but alas it just stirs the hot underbonnet air, so not rectified.
Hence I'm in the process of relocating the BCDC to better air circulation.
As always, regards Wealie.
Yes, it must be the heat soak issues, however I don't think its in relation to slow speeds as the drive I did on the 4th occasion was all sealed highway driving (without the trailer) and it had plenty of airflow. It must just be that long exposure to the constant heat that just builds up slowly over the day 🤔
I did get the thermo gun out once, but it's very hard to measure around the hot engine with the extreme temps from there and it really only measure the external casing temperature which is significantly different on the top cap (uncovered) to the side panels. 🥵
Yes, the BCDC chargers suffer from the same issue. I've not had any issues with my one installed up front in front the radiator at this stage 🤞
Cheers
Hi Nathan,
This appears to typical for the battery's I've tested. Installed in 4WD and campers.
Brand on the battery does not really matter. Unless its a eBay special..... Sigh.(Some are OK. maybe)
The ones that seem to degrade the least. Are ones installed in vehicles that are charged 100% daily. With light loads. Eg 1 fridge and some lights ect.
Campers seem degrade more. I have not been able to pin down why?
The degrading is less with age. Year on year.
As this technology is fairly new to be popularised. It is hard to get 12V battery's that are over 5 years old for testing! Unless I get old Telstra cells.
Quality lithium's probably will still be going strong in 10 years. Maybe at 75-80% of original capacity. But that's no reason to bin them. You would be on your third set of AGM's by then, and still have more usable capacity.
I believe the iTech products are the same as a popular Chinese brand. Sold in the USA and Europe. (you cannot buy it here)
But in saying this.
There has been NO compromise on quality on their battery's. Value wise, they could knock a couple of hundred $ off. When compared to the other brand. But you get local support and warranty services.
So there are really no complaints.
Really enjoyed your presentation. Subbed.
great vid mate, id love to test my DSC units.
Nathan, once again, great job, thanks! I’ve asked this before and you didn’t answer me for whatever reason but I’ll try again & we’ll see if I get a better result. You were running the ITechworld’s starting battery at one stage and you were having trouble with it levelling with your auxiliary battery so you pulled it out, did you ever sort that issue and put it back in? If not, why not and if so, what are the results with it?
Hi Peter, I'll let Nathan explain his outcome but I can answer this from my prospective.
The 1420CA-Pro (Itech cranking battery) has to seperate from any auxiliary house battery just as all other cranking batteries require, hence we utilise voltage sensitive seperation devices.
The issue is:
Redarc BCDC units, battery isolators etc. usually seperate at 12.7volts. That voltage leaves the lithium cranking battery voltage too low for reliable starting, exactly as Nathan experienced.
I was fortunate, Itech explained that issue to me when purchasing mine.
The recommendation is a programmable Victron unit allowing you to set a higher seperation voltage.
Myself, I didn't wish to go down that avenue as it's just another fancy piece of tech to learn about that may well fail.
My answer was a simple one.
I once utilised a Redarc SBI12, it's a voltage sensitive relay. I replaced that with the Redarc BCDC25D.
The Redarc SBI12 is just a relay with voltage sensitive circuit bolted on.
I removed the voltage sensitive circuit, connected the relay activation coil directly to ignition wire (wiper motor in GU Patrol), hence ignition on, relay activated, ignition off relay open.
You now take you cranking battery positive to the relay, then onto your normal DCDC charger, thus you auxiliary house battery gets supply whilst ignition on hence alternator charging both batteries. Ignition off, batteries immediately seperate, auxiliary/house battery only draw down, the 1420CA-Pro stays at peak cranking voltage.
Be aware, your DCDC charger still provides any solar panel voltage to auxiliary/house battery/s.
My Itech 1420CA-Pro was installed 5/5/22.
22 months of great reliable starting ompth.
I happy with my choice and am happy to recommend to anyone considering one.
@@ianweal3081 I’ve got the cranking lithium fitted to my lc200 as well and also very happy, I’ve just held off with putting another lithium under the hood because of what happened with Nathan. Thanks for your explanation, it helps to know what actually needs doing.
Glad to hear your impressed with 1420CA Pro as well.
I think you'll find Nathan is running both Itechs, 1420CA Pro and 120X Pro under bonnet, exactly as you wish to.
In my GU Patrol I elected to run my auxiliary batteries (3 X Itech 54amp = 162amp) in the rear, as the space allocated under bonnet is directly beside Turbo, far too hot for any battery in my opinion.
At least yours are up front in ambient air flow.
Hope you get your reply.
I actually though he covered this in another video but my ay be totally wrong.
Regards
Happy trails, Cowpoke
Thanks mate 👍
Good timing for their March madness sale. Just have to get it through the department of finance.
Good stuff ... Thank you.
Open it uppppp please… it’s not the heat man, its contents will let us know why these will hold up, understanding the mosfet configuration and if they are using super caps is the only way to know if their “battery tech” is running within specs of the chemistry. From what I’m reading the specs seem pretty “off the shelf” for a standard BMS with the short circuit protection delay set high.
is it isolated from your cranking battery? How does this work?
It'll be isolated from the crank, connected to the BCDC which is connected to both. Once the BCDC sees the crank battery is fully charged, it will begin sending charge from the alternator to the lithium aux battery. Because the BCDC acts as an isolator, when you drain down the aux battery, it wont let any charge from the crank battery power devices connected to the aux battery, so you will always be able to start your car
What's the discharge tester you use? Thanks
Hey mate, something very similar to this - ebay.us/5Ihcj5
Cheers 👍
Lovely ep
Thanks mate, appreciate it 👍
Good testing video 👍
Thanks mate 🙏
It's not bad how capacity held up considering how tortured it is in the environment
Great results but it is a surprise considering scientific tested says that Lithium ion battery optimal operation range when charging is between -20 to 60 C . Battery degradation happens outside of those temperatures. Maybe your protective insulation on the sides keeps it for the most part under 60 C.
For sure, I understand the the lithium chemistry may suffer at those ends of the optimal use range, however so far so good. I'd expect the majority of the time I'd be running within those parameters. 👍
But, But, how can I throw mud at itechworld batteries when you are talking real world facts?
45282 total cumlative ah drawn on my old itech 120 and still going strong.
Bad reviews are either poor instalation/setup or agenda driven.
Thats awesome and great to hear! I hope that the new 120X PRO can do the same, either way it will fill many other with confidence to hear this. 👍
After a career in the battery industry spanning 18 years I can tell you that your test was flawed in so many ways that make your results totally disconnected from the battery capacity specification. The only valid information you presented was the comparison between each test as long as the conditions were the same. I can't understand why you didn't research the correct method to capacity test a battery, the information is widely available.
Would be great if you did a video sounds like you are the best equipped for the job
I’d watch that video
And you will of course provide a link to your video on this subject. Thanks in advance