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mailand avatar image
mailand asked

SmartLithium batteries with the external BMS .... how to protect them during the charging process?

The topic is: Victron SmartLithium with the external BMS .... how to protect them during the charging process?
If I understand well there are following three available ways:
1) Battery Protect: it also be used as a charge interrupter in between a battery charger and a Li-ion battery. In this way the off signal coming from the BMS would close the recharge on the battery protect, isolating the batteries from recharging.
2) Cyrix-Li-Charge: it is another charge interrupter in between a battery charger and a Li-ion battery. As well as a battery protect, the off signal coming from the BMS would close the recharge on the battery protect, isolating the batteries from recharging.
3) BMS – battery charger direct connection (for instance with Orion DC-DC Charger or Phoenix Smart Charger). In this way the off signal coming from the BMS puts the charger directly into the off state.
Which of these three solutions can be considered the best?
Thank you in advance.
battery charging
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2 Answers
Stefanie (Victron Energy Staff) avatar image
Stefanie (Victron Energy Staff) answered ·

Hi @Mailand,

you maybe missing another option, which is DVCC controlled chargers, which are currently MPPTs and Inverter/Chargers like the MultiPlus. This is considered to be the best option. But of course, this does not include DC-DC or AC chargers.

Chargers like Orion Tr-smart DC-DC with a remote on/off terminal can be switched off by the BMS via Charge Disconnect. That's the most preferable way because it doesn't need an extra device. Unfortunately some MPPTs don't have such remote on/off port and option 1) can be used instead.

In some systems even all of the 4 options can or must be used. So it really depends on the type of chargers and the BMS you have.

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mailand answered ·

Thanks Stefanie for your reply. In my Victron SmartLithium system I have all Victron recharge sources and more in detail:

  1. AC-DC Phoenix Smart Charger 12/30 for charging from the shore power socket.
  2. DC-DC Orion 12/30 Charger for charging from the engine alternator / starter battery.
  3. MPPT 75/15 Smartsolar for charging from solar panels.

I can therefore disconnect all the recharging sources directly from the BMS control ... without any additional device. Isn't it?

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Stefanie (Victron Energy Staff) avatar image Stefanie (Victron Energy Staff) ♦♦ commented ·
Welcome :-)

No, not really. That's only true for 1. and 2. which you can wire up directly from the BMS charge disconnect to the remote on/off H port of the PSC IP43 12/30 and Orion-Tr smart 12/30.

For 3. I recommend using a Smart Battery Protect 65A (which gets wired up from your BMS charge disconnect as well) or the Victron VE.Direct non inverting remote on/off cable. But then you will lose the VE.Direct port (in case you need it as a connection to your GX device) as this gets occupied by the non inverting remote on/off cable.

Hope this helps.

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