My goal was extended, off-grid, portable capability with LiFePO4 and solar charging. I believe I have achieved this with the Bioenno 4.5 Ah battery, PowerFilm R28 rollable solar panel and Genasun GV-5 solar charge controller. (This combination works, but there are some caveats that I won't get into now.) The main component that makes this a viable solution is the the battery's internal management board, which protects against over-charging and over-discharging and balances the cells
Bioenno isn't the only manufacturer that provides internal cell balancing. For example, any LiFePO4 battery that's sold as a drop-in SLA replacement also offers this. (I recommend Bioenno for their customer service--Kevin is a HUGE asset to this company--and because their 4.5 Ah battery is more ideally suited for portable QRP operation in terms of size and weight (1 lb.) than any other LiFePO4 battery I found.) I mention this to make the point that internal balancing circuits are now commonplace. I assume they are trustworthy, and so far, experience confirms this--I see no degradation of the battery after multiple charge cycles. Jeff, for my education would you please explain the advantages of using a balancing charger with a non-self-balancing battery over using a non-balancing, LiFePO4-compatible charger with a self-balancing battery? --Dave ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [email protected]
