The inverter I installed in 2020 was limited to 6000 watts output, not enough to reach the minimum specification for Level II charging, 7500 watts. Also, it had some problems starting with the charging loads. I often had to start the charge at lower rate and adjust the rate upwards to something like 5000 watts. Workable, but something better would be nice.
Continue reading →With the completion of 95 copper bus bars, I was nearly ready to assemble the Really Big Lithium Ion Battery. There is a little process involved though. The Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePo) cells I was using had been in storage for a while and though new, would need a some maintenance. There would be 64 of them, arranged in 16 sets of four cells.
Continue reading →The next upgrade for our Solar Power System was a Really Big Lithium Ion Battery (RBB). When we first installed the system in 2020, I didn’t have a cost-effective solution for Lithium Ion (LiFePo4 chemistry). That came later with the acquisition of a lot of LiFePo4 cells. Since then, I’ve built two small batteries to get used to the technology; one as a portable solar generator, and a slightly larger one to power the ham shack. With those under my belt, it’s time to tackle a 48-volt battery to replace the existing lead acid batteries.
Continue reading →Previously, I wrote about Upgrading a Solar Power System and mentioned a cache of new Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePo4) cells. The “ThunderSky Winston” cells had come from a Segway repair operation and were new. A little looking around the ‘net revealed they were still available from GWL Group. With a capacity of 60 Amp Hours (AH) and nominal voltage of 3.3 volts, they looked useful for building a 12-volt Solar Generator.
Continue reading →
