My 4x4 has an AGM starter battery, and a Victron 100Ah LiFePO4 charged by Smartsolar and Orion XS. I end my camping trips with dead starter battery and a full LiFePO4 battery. I need to use a NOCO charger to get the 4x4 moving again. The starter battery is getting drained by door opens triggering the computer/pumps (I don’t want to disconnect the battery).
I see a Li-Time solution that support the reverse charging and solar all in one.
The bulb is also restricting/regulating the current.
It’s been used for ages for charging batteries.
It’s the simplest “current regulator” and indicator that it’s charged/charging.
I read that it does not support Lead Acid and LiFePO4 batteries. Is this really a limitation?
It seems to be a diode drop with some current control. The more I look into this, I realize that the bulb and diode may be hard to realize vs creating your own constant current source!
I would like a plug and play solution and this VOTRONIC seems to meet my needs. Having issues getting it in the US.
I just used to trickle charge the starter battery from the 4A output on the inverter 12/1600va/70a multiplus. Just left it permanently on and always had enough PV throughout the day to charge and run everything.
just put a switch behind a switch? Assuming door lights on modern cars are still triggered by a simple switch somewhere in a door frame ? Why apply expensive solution ?
I got round a similar problem in my American RV by charging the Chassis (starter) battery with the solar and then charging the House (domestic) battery with the Orion XS DC/DC.
It’s not a 100% efficient system as there are losses associated with charging one battery to then in turn charge another, but if your solar is up to the task, and by the sounds of it yours is, then the confidence that you’ll always have a fully charged chassis battery and hopefully a fully charged house battery.
In practice you arrive at your destination with a fully charged chassis battery due to alternator charging, and hopefully a fully charged house battery, also due to the alternator, then during your stay the surplus capacity of the solar, after topping up the Chassis battery, charges your house battery.
It will require some finesse etc in the settings in the XS for lockout and alternator shutdown etc, as the XS won’t know the difference between the alternator and solar input, you’ll also need to set your bulk and absorption settings for the solar so as to trigger and match the solar charge parameters.
Hopefully that yives you an alternative solution to your problem
I was thinking of such an approach, however, I could not find anyone a description of anyone using it. I’m going to start with bulb and diode using the load output from the solar charger. Since I need to bring the starter battery cable over to near the solar charger, I will add a switch, so I can try this method as well. My main goal is set and forget. So we will see.
