FireFly Battery Operational User Notes

[kmacdonald]

I wouldn't sweat the charge efficiency too much since the average charge efficiency varies with every cycle because the DOD is different for every cycle. It's always going to be approximate. Ballpark is good enough.

[RickG]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

You sound big time charged! Should maybe consider changing your reset/sync setting.

I have my solar controller set for 5 hours of absorption. I think that would be bad as it looks that the FF only spend a couple hours to get to 100% by the time my 640W can get them to 14.4V. But my controller also has a current limit and I have that set to 9 amps currently (would be a little less than 1% plus daytime house load), so the solar dropped to float when it saw that.

I am going to change my alternator regulator to only an hour at absorption. That really means 2 hours as I have the bulk voltage set the same. I think better to end up at 98% SOC than boil out the batteries!

It's basically Zeno's paradox in action as the batteries asymptotically approach some ideal fully charged state that doesn't matter given PSOC capabilities. The coulomb count got down to -10.8Ah while I was scraping the bottom. The solar panels in float are covering the house load plus another amp or so. I'm going to manually sync to 100% before happy hour. I will see how the 92% charge efficiency does tomorrow.

I use the Balmar MC-614 regulator configuration from Bruce Shwab at Ocean Planet Energy - 30 minutes bulk at 14.4V, 60 minutes absorption at 14.4V, 6 hour float at 13.4V.

I thought brewing beer was a hobby that took patience. Tuning a battery monitor is one of this never finished exercises. I need to define good enough pretty soon so that I stop checking the batteries like they are old FLAs. The current battery monitor settings look 98% correct.

Cheers, RickG

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by RickG

II will see how the 92% charge efficiency does tomorrow.

How did the 92% seem to work for you?

I haven't had afternoon sun in a week so the batteries haven't gotten to reset conditions. I turned the battery charger on, which only seems to get to a 13.9V condition at 25-30A before deciding to go to float.

[RickG]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

How did the 92% seem to work for you?

I haven't had afternoon sun in a week so the batteries haven't gotten to reset conditions. I turned the battery charger on, which only seems to get to a 13.9V condition at 25-30A before deciding to go to float.

Still working this out. We seemed to get with 12 amps of 100% and charge went down to 2-3 amps. I manually synced to 100%. That was one time. We've around 80% SOC this week. We're going into a rainy period. I need a couple of sunny days in a row to get back close to 100%.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by akopac

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A couple questions:
1. Has anybody come up with a CEF number for the Link 10 yet?
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Don't know if you've seen these yet:


For everyone installing a battery monitor: The "Gotcha Algorithm" thread, a "MUST READ"

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4922.0.html

DEFAULTS are factory settings that are made to be modified to suit your setup.

Also read this one:

Programming a Battery Monitor (by Maine Sail)

https://marinehowto.com/programming-a-battery-monitor/

[akopac]

So my solar and shore power regulators are perfectly setup. My ample power alternator regulator even though I set it up for what seemed be the closest option (Optima) wants to keep charging even though they seem full. I shut it off. Any thoughts?

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by akopac

the closest option (Optima) wants to keep charging even though they seem full.
Attachment 223814

don't understand, what is it doing?

[akopac]

I removed shorepower. Motored for an hour. The regulator led show its in gassing mode. Volts at 13.65. I shut it off. Glad I have a disable switch.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by akopac

I removed shorepower. Motored for an hour. The regulator led show its in gassing mode. Volts at 13.65. I shut it off. Glad I have a disable switch.

What is "gassing mode"? Volts without amps at same time don't tell much.

[RickG]

Is the alternator regulator set to charge bulk or absorption for a set time? I searched and could not find a manual for your regulator.

Cheers, RickG

[akopac]

Pretty close to same as Charles industry C-Charger

[sailorboy1]

Come on! You want help tell us the the volts and amps not a riddle.

[akopac]

I’m moving the boat for haul out. Been on the water all day. I’ll get back to you when I can get clearer answered your

[sailorboy1]

The 92% charge efficency seems to work with ny battery monitor. The past week the bm has rest twice and both times it was reading about -6ah when it hit the conditions of 14.4v, 1% C20 current and held for 3 minutes.

It also deems that the batteries nl5 need about an hour at 14.4v to finish off. Much improved over the time it took my old FLA Trojans

[docrn]

Hoping some of you battery experts can explain what might be going on with my FF’s.

I have 3 G31’s and my monitor reads a 62% SOC at 11.80V (134 consumed amp hours). Shouldn’t my voltage be higher than that at 62% SOC?

This leaves me thinking I’m due for a restoration charge but my boat came with a ProMariner 40amp charger and it has very limited programming capabilities. I’m also thinking it might not be adequate unless I only do a restoration charge on one battery at a time.

TIA