Pre-Build - Troopy Electric options 24v to 12v (1 Viewer)

[olivertwist]

@umpqua In my research/learning spawned from this post, I’ve learned that there are a couple reasons why you don’t want to charge lithium directly from the alternator. You want to put a DC to DC in between that can properly charge the battery.
Here’s a link I came across, but there are other sources too.

Careful - Alternator Charging Lithium - Victron Energy

Charging lithium batteries from an alternator, be that in a boat or vehicle, presents some challenges when compared to the straightforward nature of charging lead based batteries. The video in this blog highlights these lithium challenges and shows you what can happen when things go wrong –...

www.victronenergy.com

As for wishing you had 200Ah, just add another 100Ah battery in parallel to your existing one. Make sure when you initially set them up that they are balanced, but after that you should be good to go for a while.

 

[olivertwist]

There's another article that I can't find, but it talked about lithium batteries requiring 14.4 to 14.6-Volts to fully charge, and the alternator rarely if ever puts out that much, much less with any consistency, so the other big issue is that your battery never gets fully charged. With a proper BCDC charger you can be sure to get a full charge. Anyways, that's what I've absorbed in the last week or so, I'm sure these other guys can chime in with some more info.

 

[umpqua]

Good info to have. I watched the video. I think that the breaker must have tripped on my alternator because it was having to work too hard to charge the battery. There's a lot to learn here.

 

[TonyP]

I'm glad I checked into this thread.

Hijack I know but I'd like to find some 24v driving/spot lights. I checked the aurora Aurora Off-Road Lighting Solutions - LED Bars - USA Based, Better than Rigid site and didn't see much of anything. Maybe they are having trouble with their website.
g
Even further rabbit hole hijack...forgive me.
A couple of weekends ago I camped in temps that dropped into the low 20's. Ran the heater quite a bit. Lights. It was cloudy and under evergreen shade so I didn't put out the 200w solar blanket. Got there Friday afternoon and left Sunday morning. I noticed on Saturday late afternoon that the 100amp Lithium volt meter had dropped to about 10v. I started the truck and let it run for 30 minutes or so and brought the battery back up to about 13. Turned off the truck, went to bed that night with the heater still running. Woke up the next morning (Sunday) and the 12v had completely gone dead. No power to any 12 accessories. Drove the truck home (90 mins) and the 12v system is still completely dead. I went by batteries plus and they put a volt meter on the battery and it was less than 2amps. I took the truck home and plugged in the shore power. I have a Sterling charge controller that set for Lithium. Quickly it brought the battery back up to charge. Looking under the hood I discovered that a breaker had flipped between the 12v alternator and the battery. I understand the breaker might have tripped because the battery was too low for the alternator to charge.

The Lithium battery that I use supposedly has an on board "BMS"; battery monitoring system. It will shut the battery off if it discharges too low or turn it off in an overcharge situation. I have nothing between the 12v alternator and the lithium battery.

Should I be running something between the alternator and the lithium or is it ok to rely on the BMS?

I'm a mechanical moron and Divemedic or anyone else please school me on what's what. If I was doing anything over again I would buy at 200amp lithium battery. It's my first time using one and honestly I think I've had better luck with the tradition lead acid battery. It's what I know.

Thanks.

What amp is the breaker that flipped? A lithium will pull a LOT of amps if it's charging.

 

[MyCruiserisaHogBeast]

I'm taking a different approach. I really wanted to leave the factory electrical system stock, this truck has been really reliable and everything works great. I also have a gnarly 12v stereo that includes a slick Marine MB Quart class D 5 channel amp that's really compact and sounds really impressive for what it is. From my searching there's nothing like that in 24v. I have a 1200w 24v to 12v step down converter on the way. I've done some research, spoken with some friends who know electrical and spoken tot he manufacturer and it should work. I'm going to run a small painless fuse box off of it, and it'll also go straight to my amplifier like the positive of 12v battery. It's going to power my stereo, lights and a few other 12v accessories. I might have made a difference choice if I as going to power a winch, but I'm gonna roll with the factory PTO and see how much trouble that gets me in to.

 

[SNLC]

Nothing wrong with a PTO other than in the factory configuration you will lose approach angle. Can be remedied by custom mounting the winch. A lot of advantages to the PTO, it could care less for example if you run it all day long at full load. They are more difficult to match your wheel speed while winching and can bog an engine under these conditions but a 1HDT shouldn’t have to much problem with this. Having the right axle gearing and low gearing can also easily solve this issue.

Cheers

 

[divemedic]

So, I’m probably an outlier on this: I’m not a fan of lithium batteries for this application. Mind you I’m a pretty simple guy and I have a tendency to let the good idea fairy whisper in my ear.

Short version on why I don’t like lithium. Expensive! Their performance characteristics don’t warrant the cost when compared to other batteries. They scare me. If it’s involved in a fire it’s extremely hard to extinguish. If I had lithium batteries I’d also have an 11lbs Halotron in the truck. I’d also have a way to quickly remove the battery. Finally they’re finicky to charge. As Tony mentioned above. Good constant power is required.

Lead Crystal is my preference for an aux battery. Much cheaper. Absorb solar power very efficiently and tolerate voltage depletion very well. They function down to 4v without damage. Mind you most electronics won’t function that low but it’s a good safety net I think.

To answer you question; honestly I don’t know. I’d start with your circuit breaker and bms? Did they functioning correctly. If so, your demands are exceeding the system abilities. Heaters are power hungry. I honestly bet you’d be better off running an inverter and an electric heating blanket.

 

[divemedic]

I'm taking a different approach. I really wanted to leave the factory electrical system stock, this truck has been really reliable and everything works great. I also have a gnarly 12v stereo that includes a slick Marine MB Quart class D 5 channel amp that's really compact and sounds really impressive for what it is. From my searching there's nothing like that in 24v. I have a 1200w 24v to 12v step down converter on the way. I've done some research, spoken with some friends who know electrical and spoken tot he manufacturer and it should work. I'm going to run a small painless fuse box off of it, and it'll also go straight to my amplifier like the positive of 12v battery. It's going to power my stereo, lights and a few other 12v accessories. I might have made a difference choice if I as going to power a winch, but I'm gonna roll with the factory PTO and see how much trouble that gets me in to.

MHD900/5-24V

For 24V systems only: 5-Channel Class D Marine System Amplifier, 100 W x 4 + 500 W x 1Thanks to its ability to act as a "one-box solution", the MHD900/5-24V is ideal for installations where space is at a premium and sound quality is the paramount goal.While extremely compact, this amazing...

www.jlaudio.com

 

[TonyP]

So, I’m probably an outlier on this: I’m not a fan of lithium batteries for this application. Mind you I’m a pretty simple guy and I have a tendency to let the good idea fairy whisper in my ear.

Short version on why I don’t like lithium. Expensive! Their performance characteristics don’t warrant the cost when compared to other batteries. They scare me. If it’s involved in a fire it’s extremely hard to extinguish. If I had lithium batteries I’d also have an 11lbs Halotron in the truck. I’d also have a way to quickly remove the battery. Finally they’re finicky to charge. As Tony mentioned above. Good constant power is required.

Lead Crystal is my preference for an aux battery. Much cheaper. Absorb solar power very efficiently and tolerate voltage depletion very well. They function down to 4v without damage. Mind you most electronics won’t function that low but it’s a good safety net I think.

To answer you question; honestly I don’t know. I’d start with your circuit breaker and bms? Did they functioning correctly. If so, your demands are exceeding the system abilities. Heaters are power hungry. I honestly bet you’d be better off running an inverter and an electric heating blanket.

Lithium is a little wonky but the benifits are there and substantial. A lithium like Battle Born is a drop-in replacement for an AGM with built in leveling, temp safety sensors, ect... The temp limitations are a concern but I had my lithium in the engine bay of my 200-Series, bombing through the Baja desert, with intake temps above 135 degrees and it was still accepting a charge. Sitting in the sun all day or winter camping might cause issues.

I'm planning on reusing my 100aH Lithium and stacking another in parallel for long trips. Fingers crossed I don't die in a firey blaze.

 

[divemedic]

I hope we can smash beers at some point.

 

[roscoFJ73]

They scare me. If it’s involved in a fire it’s extremely hard to extinguish.

Same here, a family lost their house and all their possessions near me the other night recharging a power tool while they slept. I dont even like recharging my phone or battery packs while I sleep.
But they have improved.

 

[MyCruiserisaHogBeast]

MHD900/5-24V

For 24V systems only: 5-Channel Class D Marine System Amplifier, 100 W x 4 + 500 W x 1Thanks to its ability to act as a "one-box solution", the MHD900/5-24V is ideal for installations where space is at a premium and sound quality is the paramount goal.While extremely compact, this amazing...

www.jlaudio.com

I stand corrected! That’s a nice unit with a nice unit price tag, and only a little bigger than my MB Quart amp. If for some reason I have issues with the direction I’m going I might set my sights on that.

 

[MyCruiserisaHogBeast]

Nothing wrong with a PTO other than in the factory configuration you will lose approach angle. Can be remedied by custom mounting the winch. A lot of advantages to the PTO, it could care less for example if you run it all day long at full load. They are more difficult to match your wheel speed while winching and can bog an engine under these conditions but a 1HDT shouldn’t have to much problem with this. Having the right axle gearing and low gearing can also easily solve this issue.

Cheers

I have a BJ74. I’m planning on snugging it in there with a new bumper. I want to keep it for the cool factor and the things you mentioned above.