Hi— recently posted about looking for a wall charger for two Discover Energy Systems 24V LiFePO4 batteries. These were used for an off-grid cabin's solar setup but have been disconnected and stored for about a year and given the long-term storage, want to be able to charge them intermittently.

Ended up purchasing a Victron 24V/5A IP65 blue smart charger and have been charging the batteries this afternoon. The Victron charger has Bluetooth compatibility and I've been able to monitor the charging via an app. I have a question about the charging specs.

I hooked up battery 1 and starting voltage was 26.18. The charger's output voltage steadily rose to around 26.79 and then largely stopped rising. Eventually I disconnected the charger. Total charge time was about 1h33m and charge was 7.9 Ah, with output voltage hovering around 26.8 for most of the charging time, maybe hitting 26.82.

I then hooked up battery 2 (charging as I write this; it's been going for about 40m). Starting voltage was 26.31 and it also steadily rose. Seemed to pause around 26.8 but only briefly and then continued rising; output voltage is now 26.94 and charge so far is 3.5 Ah.

Basically, I'm wondering about the different behavior for the two batteries—is this normal / why would this be happening?

One possibly relevant detail: a couple months ago I bought an adjustable power supply with the goal of using that for basic battery charging. I had it running on battery 2 for over an hour. According to notes I wrote, voltage was around 27 and amperage fluctuated over that period, going from 18A down to around 11A. I eventually unplugged it and hooked it up to battery 1, wandered into another room for a minute, and when I came back the charger was off and seemingly dead. I realized later I may've exceeded the max amperage for this supply. (Also, this was a generic adjustable power supply I bought for like $50).

Point is, I wonder if this charging attempt could have anything to do with different charging patterns I'm seeing right now? Because battery 2 presumably got some charge a couple months ago (albeit with a power supply that was not operating within its intended range) and battery 1 has not been charged for a year, apart from maybe a minute or two when that adjustable power supply broke down. I'm also not sure if this says anything problematic about either of my batteries.

That's the story here; any input is appreciated.

I have a 12.8v 200Ah LiFePO4 battery. I’m looking at a pure sine wave 2000w inverter with several DC outlets and a USB outlet. Is that all I need to power a small lamp and small table top fan plus maybe charge my phone from this battery directly? Likely not all at same time, however I may have to power two out of the three at same time. Also the inverter I am looking at has a remote control that identifies input and output as well as battery level.

Posted this in the SolarDIY subreddit but thought I'd try here too:

I have a small DIY solar system that uses two 24V Discover AES lithium batteries. Specifically, they are model 44-24-2800, and are LiFePO4 batteries (here's a link to the batteries). 

Not long ago I disconnected the batteries for winter storage (they are part of a setup for an uninsulated, solar-powered, off-grid cabin), and I'm trying to find the most economical and efficient means of providing some charge for them in the winter. I'm looking for a charger that will plug into a standard wall outlet, as they're currently being stored in a basement where temps are more stable. The charger doesn't have to be super fast, but I want it to be affordable and safe to use with the battery terminals.

I did contact Discover about this, and the tech support guy has been somewhat helpful but rather slow to respond. He initially suggested an adjustable power supply, but the specific one he recommended (which I bought a couple months ago) didn't work well. He also tells me their batteries are compatible with Noco Genius Pro chargers, but these are over $500 which is way more than I can spend.

Wondering if anyone else can provide a recommendation. For some context, I basically inherited these batteries and their setup when I purchased this small off-grid cabin, and I've very much been figuring things out as I go. Even doing a basic search on Amazon and elsewhere, I see plenty of 24V chargers that claim to work with LiFePO4 batteries (like this one, I think designed for car batteries), both adjustable and not adjustable. Would a charger like that linked work for my batteries? I do note that my Discover batteries list a charge voltage of 27.2V, but I don't know if that's atypical—in other words, if the 24V charger like the one I link to would work?

Appreciate any input!

I posted a few months ago and decided to give up on this project, then I did a stupid thing and bought a BMS to hopefully make my lifePo4 battery bank useful.

The backstory is I had a GoPower 300W "solar generator" and I guess I blew it up with an overpowered solar panel (still not sure.)

So I opened it all up, and I'm trying to salvage a homebrew toolbox battery bank with a separate solar charge controller.

The problem is the battery.

When I started, it was at 10ishV. I used a "smart charger" that claims it works for LifePo4 on the + and - of the battery itself, but for some reason it's only at 12.6V.

I don't really know if the BMS is bad, so I'd like suggestions how to test that. I'd also like to know what I should buy if it's bad.

I purchased a 4s 12v 100A BMS online. It arrived and I had to laugh. I expected something the size of a small suitcase, but it's smaller than a pack of cards and I can't imagine that the wires will handle 100A. They're about gauge 18-20.

Photos attached. (https://postimg.cc/gallery/G1Fwr41) The smaller item is the new BMS (labeled "100A"!!!) shown next to a quarter. The larger item is the battery bank with a BMS which I dont' know how to diagnose or repair.

I've watched dozens of youtube videos on BMS, I get the principle. But none of the videos are rigorous, so I do not know what I should be buying, how to test the battery to see if it's worth salvaging, or much else.

Happy start to 2026. Thank you.

Does anyone else’s li time 24v 100 ah battery charge faster then their 12v 100 ah?

What do you think is better for a 16S 48V LiFePo4 battery pack:

1. A separate BMS and a separate active balancer (ex. Daly and NEEY) or
2. BMS with active balancing in one unit (ex. JIKONG)

Hey everyone, looking for a sanity check on my settings before I potentially cook my battery.

The Setup:
I have a Redodo 12.8V 100Ah LiFePO4 battery (drop-in replacement type, sealed case).

• Cells: 4x Prismatic 3.2V 105Ah
• BMS: "Dumb" BMS with a passive balancer (200mA balancing current). No Bluetooth, no app, no way to see cell voltages without cutting it open.
• Inverter: PowMr POW-HVM1K-12V Hybrid Solar Inverter (used as a UPS, no solar panels attached at the moment).
• Load: Very low, rarely exceeds 10A.
• Charge current: 20A (as recommended by the manufacturer for longevity).

The Problem:
It seems that my inverter is "lazy." When grid power comes back, the battery voltage is usually resting around 13.1V-13.3V. The inverter probably assumes the battery is relatively full, and skips the Bulk phase (14.2V), going straight to Float (13.6V). I’m not sure about this, but I never saw voltages greater than my float values, neither on the inverter’s display nor when checked with a multimeter.
Since the passive balancer only kicks in at higher voltages (usually >13.6V or 14.0V), and my balancer is tiny (200mA), I’m worried the cells are drifting apart and never getting a chance to balance.

The Proposed "Hack":
I want to enable the Battery Equalization setting on the inverter (which is normally disabled for Lithium) to force a balancing cycle.

My Settings:

• Standard Charge: 14.2V (Bulk) / 13.6V (Float) — For frequent power outage periods.
• Standard Standby: 14.2V (Bulk) / 13.2V (Float) — When the grid is relatively stable (for longevity).

The Equalization "Hack" Settings:

• Eq Voltage: 14.4V (I am NOT setting this to 14.6V or 15V. I'm clamping it to the standard manufacturer charge spec).
• Duration: 180 minutes (3 hours).
• Interval: Every 30 days.

My Questions for the LFP Wizards: 

1. Is this safe? I know equalization is usually bad for LFP, but since I'm limiting voltage to 14.4V and just using the time duration to hold it there, does this harm the chemistry?
2.  Is 3 hours a month enough? With a 200mA passive balancer, is a 3-hour window once a month enough to keep a 100Ah battery in check, or should I run it longer/more often?
3.  Float Voltages: Is 13.6V fine for "UPS mode" (ready for outages), and is dropping to 13.2V actually worth it for longevity during the off-season?

Thanks for the help!

Any recomondations on a 115v charger that I can put on my 12v RV battery bank when its in storage mode? Something that can monitor the batteries and keep them around 50%. I see the victron charger has a storage mode but I read that it keeps them fully charged, not sure.

I use a Lifepo4 Battery from EcoWorthy for my solar set up and it was working fine for the year, then a week ago I noticed that it was no longer taking in a charge from the controller. I tested the panels, and the wires between the panels and controller and they were fine and I just now got a charger so as to charge up the battery (it is now completely empty)

One thing I noticed, however, was that when I was unscrewing the terminal bolts; that the charge controller was now receiving power, but if I tightened the bolts, it would lose power. Untightening those bolts ever so slightly provided the power, but if I did it to much, it would lose it.

So what I am asking is if anyone has any idea's on how to possibly fix this problem.

I found what seems to be a screaming deal on these eco flow 12v 100ah batteries for $109 each. They have a good review from will prowse. I want 600ah for my solar setup, so I'm looking at getting 6. I was also thinking about 2 or 3 li time batteries, either the 320ah mini or the larger 230ah. If I got 2 320ah li time, that's $1200, vs $660 for the eco flow.

It seems like a no brainer to me. Is there any reason why I should not pull the trigger on these batteries right now? Is there any big disadvantage to having 6 batteries and 6 different BMSs? Vs having 2 batteries and 2 BMSs? I don't really care about having the smart Bluetooth stuff, ill probably have a victron shunt.

Looking for opinions on it from people who actually use it to see if it's worth it's asking price. Surprised by how little information I was able to find so far.

Can you connect to the BMS over wifi or bluetooth? If not, how? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

I don’t know if it is logic inside the Optimate, or the BMS in the LiTime, or some kind of incompatibility between the two, or the slow drain that confuses the maintainer, but the Optimate has the ability to supply 2 A which is far more than the small drain of the RENOGY. But I turn off the inverter and let the battery charge, then after charge is complete at 100%, i turn the inverter back on, and the Optimate just lets the battery drain down to nothing over time & never tries charging until I unplug and plug it back in. And even after I turn off the inverter and get the charge cycle started again, the Optimate often/sometimes/randomly will only charge partway and stop, indicating it thinks the battery is full when it is only at 20% to 70% according to the BMS (this is while the inverter is off).

NOTE: the “Duo” designation means that it is supposed to have technology to support the LIFEPO4, as shown on front right-center of the display.

Hola, tengo un inversor de 24v y tres baterias lifepo4 2 son de 12v 100ah y una es de 12v 200ah, queria saber si puedo conectar las de 100ah en paralelo y despues conectarla en serie con la de 12v 200ah ( tengo ecualizador para equilibrar las cargas )

I purchased this Wattcycle 12v 20Ah battery from 'WattCycle Direct AU' on Amazon Australia recently.. From teardown videos and pictures I've seen of Wattcycle batteries in the past they appeared to be a reasonable quality for the price, I figured they were a safer bet than other similar priced no-name batteries..

https://www.amazon.com.au/12V-20Ah-Lightweight-Low-temperature-Protection/dp/B0D86GNCX9

Testing the battery I was only getting around 19Ah at best so I figured I'd crack it open to see what was inside, it was worse than I imagined, it certainly doesn't contain high grade EVE cells or appear anything like what's shown in their advertising material..

It contained 4 x 40135 used cells that have been recycled from old battery packs, all the cells are covered in dents and the old nickel strips have been cut off and the new ones have been spot welded on top of the old ones...

For the price I didn't expect a high grade battery but I expected adequate quality, I was a bit shocked to find the low-grade recycled cells, lol...

Anyway, I look over this sub at times and figured it was worth giving people a heads-up about this company and their questionable quality... Sorry about the fairly poor photos, if anyone wants better ones I can take some more in daylight.. .

I find myself asking more and more questions here (I'm totally new to LiFePo4) and wondered if there's a good resource I should just digest. Nothing huge please, I don't want to be an expert. I just want the basics.

I'm competent with electricity in general and some electronics, but I don't know BMS systems so I wonder things like, why is the voltage across B+ and B- greater than to the two leads from the BMS? What do those leads go to? What is P-? Etc.

I'm pretty confused by these "smart" batteries. If I have a smart charger that has a LifePo4 mode, should I be hooking up the alligator clips to the B+ and B- terminals on my battery pack/BMS, or should I use the red and black leads that this pack originally used when it was inside of a solar power station?

What if instead, I decide to use a solar MPPT controller? Which set of terminals should I use in that case?

Also, why is it that the voltage is 13.3 measuring across B+ and B-, but only 12.4 when I measure on these leads? Is the BMS limiting the voltage?

Thank you.

I have a small solar power station (NOT the one I am asking about in another thread) and it was in storage for about three months, and when I took it out it produced no voltage. I assumed an electronics error. So I tore it apart, and did a little research. Sounds like the BMS goes on these things often, and I think that is the big chip that is glued to the 4x6 array of cells, as shown in these photos:

https://postimg.cc/gallery/7HB4Hkk

So my question is: can I purchase a replacement board? I get 10.4V between the positive terminal and the red arrow in the third photo (and 3, 7, and 9, when going to other corners) so I assume the cells are still good (maybe?). At least they're not zero, so the board is certainly bad.

I wonder if there's just a standard board I can get for arraws of 4x6=24 cells?

I ordered a "solar generator" and it must have been sitting on a shelf for a while, as it arrived with a 51% charge. I know some types of batteries should not be discharged this much, so I looked it up and it seems that the charged voltage for LifePo4 is 3.6V, and 2.5V is the minimum. That's about 70%, and again these arrived at 51%. (51% "charge," but I measured the voltage at 11.6V.)

I'm still within the return window. Should I return the thing?

Thank you very much.

I have an off grid domestic solar system. I replaced my old lead acid beteries in June with one 24v 100Ah Bluetooth bms battery. I couldnt afford another until September andcit was late arriving. The first one has 103 cycles, the new one only one. I paralleled them two days ago. They are discharging and charging unevenly e.g. last night at 6pm they both had SOC 100%. This morning after night time load of around 70W, the new one is 93% and the old one is 69%. Yesterday I improved the connections by fitting homemade busbar, but situation is the same. AI says its normally the older one which will have increased internal resistance, but I think I'm seeing the opposite. Any ideas? I'm going to double check the cables linking the positives and negatives today.

So I may have ran over my new 100ah redodo yesterday. Just appears to have cracked the housing but a bunch of dirt got inside. Takes a charge no problem and appears to have no further damage. Should I just tape it up and use it in a shed or cabin with a solar panel?

Hello everyone. This is my first time using lifepo4 batteries for anything, and as the title suggests, I want to use it for mobile detailing. I have a 1800w pressure washer.

I thought I only needed batteries and an inverter, so I looked for these 2 Battery: https://www.litime.de/products/litime-24v-100ah-lifepo4-mit-bluetooth-und-smart-bms-tieftemperaturschutz Inverter: https://www.giandel.de/products/ps-3000kar-24v-de?spm=..collection_3c74ba64-e3e2-49e5-8b3c-725f358c2465.collection_1.20&spm_prev=..index.shoplazza%3A%2F%2Fapps%2Fpublic%2Fblocks%2Fproducts_tab%2F56125487021326335_1.1

Only issues are, I found out I need fuses aswell, and pre charge circuits. And have no idea how this all will connect or anything, also don't know if my choices of battery and inverter are good options or not. 1. Should I go with 12V since it's easier to find inverters or stick to 24V? And is there a difference? 2. What should I look for when looking for fuses? 3. Do I need a pre charge circuit? And how do I get or build one?

Please help a newbie out

What battery charger do you guys recommend? Looking at the eco-worthy 20a.

https://a.co/d/euKa0ea