Lithium Batteries upgrade with Intelli Converter Charger

[Sagecoachdriver]

Have been researching all options for battery replacement on my 2016 Forester 2701ds on Ford chassis with Intelli-power 60amp converter charger. I was going to get the Trojan SCS200 12v 100ah , but my neighbor who has a small toy hauler said he's going up lithiums. So I'm looking into them. I see they have the same 100ah rating but their characteristics for charging, discharging and maintenance are different. Has anyone upgraded and did you have to modify your converter charger? Yes, I am aware of the very significant cost difference.

[Iwannacamp]

Progressive makes a lithium charger....
https://www.progressivedyn.com/speci...power-centers/

At the price of the batteries.... I would make sure I have the best one and the right one for the job.

I have called Progressive before...very helpful

Get In Touch!
Progressive Dynamics, Inc.
507 Industrial Road
Marshall, MI 49068 USA

Ph: (269) 781-4241
Fx: (269) 781-7802

Lithium Battery Converter Sales
Dave Dykehouse

Cell: (805) 895-2179
email: PDIWEST1@aol.com

[Sagecoachdriver]

Originally Posted by Iwannacamp

Progressive makes a lithium charger....
https://www.progressivedyn.com/speci...power-centers/

At the price of the batteries.... I would make sure I have the best one and the right one for the job.

I have called Progressive before...very helpful

Get In Touch!
Progressive Dynamics, Inc.
507 Industrial Road
Marshall, MI 49068 USA

Ph: (269) 781-4241
Fx: (269) 781-7802

Lithium Battery Converter Sales
Dave Dykehouse

Cell: (805) 895-2179
email: PDIWEST1@aol.com

Did you make the upgrade? If so, how is it performing?

[babock]

I have 2 Battleborn and the PD lithium converter. I actually hardly ever use the converter since I have 700W of solar with a Victron controller.

I love the lithium batteries. No stress about leaving them discharged like a FLA or AGM battery. Can be discharged 100% if you can't charge them for a few days. I store them slightly discharged like a round 80% since they will live longer than if fully charged 100%.

Less voltage drop while using an inverter and they charge up VERY fast so if you need to charge with a generator, you aren't wasting extra hours of generator time.

[Iwannacamp]

Originally Posted by Sagecoachdriver

Did you make the upgrade? If so, how is it performing?

No. I replaced my old WFCO unit with a Progressive unit. Happy with that.

I usually only camp where there is POWER...it's normally hot here.

[Sagecoachdriver]

I would have thought there would be more responses. Anyway, I am looking at upgrading my PD4560 with the lithium converter charger PD4560LICSV (60-AMPS) and 1 or 2 Battleborn 100 amp 12v lithium batteries. Going to dip big time into my retirement savings, but what the heck.
My neighbor has already installed the PD4560LICSV (60-AMPS) and is hooking up his new lithium batteries today. He’s going on la long trip next Friday up to northern CA and Oregon for the holidays. I’m waiting to see how it performs for him. His small toy hauler has an energy grabbing 120v/12v fridge. He is hoping the engine alternator will provide most of the re charging while driving and toppling off with minimum generator use. I’m waiting to see what he has to say when he returns.

[babock]

Originally Posted by Sagecoachdriver

I would have thought there would be more responses. Anyway, I am looking at upgrading my PD4560 with the lithium converter charger PD4560LICSV (60-AMPS) and 1 or 2 Battleborn 100 amp 12v lithium batteries. Going to dip big time into my retirement savings, but what the heck.
My neighbor has already installed the PD4560LICSV (60-AMPS) and is hooking up his new lithium batteries today. He’s going on la long trip next Friday up to northern CA and Oregon for the holidays. I’m waiting to see how it performs for him. His small toy hauler has an energy grabbing 120v/12v fridge. He is hoping the engine alternator will provide most of the re charging while driving and toppling off with minimum generator use. I’m waiting to see what he has to say when he returns.

Just add a solar panel and controller to your install and take a 30% tax credit on the whole purchase and installation! Your BB batteries just got a 30% discount since they are part of the install.

Hopefully your neighbor has a battery monitor that will show how much charge is actually going to his batteries. My guess is that it won't be much unless he has a very large cable going between the alternator and his BB batteries. With my trailer and my BB batteries, I get a couple amps while towing.

[Sagecoachdriver]

Originally Posted by babock

Hopefully your neighbor has a battery monitor that will show how much charge is actually going to his batteries. My guess is that it won't be much unless he has a very large cable going between the alternator and his BB batteries. With my trailer and my BB batteries, I get a couple amps while towing.

He has the Trimetric system with battery monitor. He believes that the alternator will give him 30 amps with his wiring of 10awg. Is that expecting too much? I will tell him about the tax credit.

[babock]

Originally Posted by Sagecoachdriver

He has the Trimetric system with battery monitor. He believes that the alternator will give him 30 amps with his wiring of 10awg. Is that expecting too much? I will tell him about the tax credit.

Depends on how long the cable is. If he has 10 feet of cabling(round trip which is 10 feet of positive and 10 feet of negative) he will have 0.6V drop total. If the alternator is at 14.0V, that will bring it down to 13.4V which will likely not be good enough. If his cabling is longer than that, it will be even worse.

[JLeising]

Interesting thread on lithium upgrade:
http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ml#post1990217

This is the second thread I have seen that comments on max current from LiFeP being an issue with starting the generator. Seems like wiring the generator starter to use the chassis battery might be a work-around, if this issue is real.

[mlmay12]

Originally Posted by babock

I have 2 Battleborn and the PD lithium converter. I actually hardly ever use the converter since I have 700W of solar with a Victron controller.

I love the lithium batteries. No stress about leaving them discharged like a FLA or AGM battery. Can be discharged 100% if you can't charge them for a few days. I store them slightly discharged like a round 80% since they will live longer than if fully charged 100%.

Less voltage drop while using an inverter and they charge up VERY fast so if you need to charge with a generator, you aren't wasting extra hours of generator time.

I also have 2 Battleborn Batteries and the PD Lithium Converter as well as 400W Solar and a Zamp Controller with a Lithium Charging Profile. The Victron BMV-712 Monitor is a must in my opinion. I have never run out of power even when extended boon-docking in cold weather. Everything has worked perfectly and have had no problems in 10 months on 12 trips.

[Sagecoachdriver]

Originally Posted by mlmay12

I also have 2 Battleborn Batteries and the PD Lithium Converter as well as 400W Solar and a Zamp Controller with a Lithium Charging Profile. The Victron BMV-712 Monitor is a must in my opinion. I have never run out of power even when extended boon-docking in cold weather. Everything has worked perfectly and have had no problems in 10 months on 12 trips.

Does your converter charger have the charge wizard option? I called PD and they gave me the upgrade part number which is PD4560LiCSV and said it is a must for the lithium batteries. But in reading their part on their site, it says without charge wizard.

[mlmay12]

Originally Posted by Sagecoachdriver

Does your converter charger have the charge wizard option? I called PD and they gave me the upgrade part number which is PD4560LiCSV and said it is a must for the lithium batteries. But in reading their part on their site, it says without charge wizard.

It does not have the charge wizard. Lithium Batteries require a constant charge of 14.2 to 14.6 Volts.They do not need a Float or Equalization. The Battery's built in management section (BMS) will disconnect internally if the voltage is too high or too low. I shut off my Converter Circuit Breaker in the Power Management Center if I am going to leave my RV plugged in for an extended period of time. These Batteries are amazing.

Converter Section is a very easy swap out.

[babock]

Agreed...no charge wizard for the PD lithium converter. I always store my RV with the Battle Born discharged slightly... around 80%

[babock]

Originally Posted by mlmay12

It does not have the charge wizard. Lithium Batteries require a constant charge of 14.2 to 14.6 Volts.They do not need a Float or Equalization. The Battery's built in management section (BMS) will disconnect internally if the voltage is too high or too low. I shut off my Converter Circuit Breaker in the Power Management Center if I am going to leave my RV plugged in for an extended period of time. These Batteries are amazing.

Converter Section is a very easy swap out.

I am curious why you have a cable on the negative battery post and one going to your shunt.

[Sagecoachdriver]

Interesting, so I usually have my shoreline hooked up at home and I have a .5amp parasitic draw on the batteries constantly. How would you handle that? If I use my battery cut off, there is still a .1-.2 amp draw probably from the dash radio. Here's a photo of the battery compartment. As you can see there are many cables.

[babock]

Originally Posted by Sagecoachdriver

Interesting, so I usually have my shoreline hooked up at home and I have a .5amp parasitic draw on the batteries constantly. How would you handle that? If I use my battery cut off, there is still a .1-.2 amp draw probably from the dash radio. Here's a photo of the battery compartment. As you can see there are many cables.

Could be the LP detector. If you have a propane dometic fridge, it could be the antifrost heater.

My cutoff switch is in line with the battery so everything gets turned off.

I have a switch that I installed inside my trailer that turns off all power to the radio and the 4 USB outlets I installed.

[mlmay12]

Originally Posted by babock

I am curious why you have a cable on the negative battery post and one going to your shunt.

The way the Victron Battery Monitors work is by tracking everything that goes into and out of the batteries. That is why it is so accurate. The shunt has to be inline with the ground between the batteries and the chassis ground. The other negative cable goes to the other battery to link them in parallel. Absolutely every Amp-Hour has to go out through the shunt and in through the shunt. The gauge will give you an exact SOC percentage, Amp-Hours used and remaining, voltage, amps going out and in as well as a bunch of other information. It is very accurate, I actually put a 900W heater on my inverter and ran it down to 20% left, still read 13V. Lithiums can be run down to zero.

[mlmay12]

Originally Posted by babock

I am curious why you have a cable on the negative battery post and one going to your shunt.

The other black cable goes to the negative terminal on the other battery,

[mlmay12]

With no wiring diagrams provided by Dynamax it takes some work to track where all the cables go throughout the MH. Here is what I have come up with on the Isata 3 so far.