question

Gonenc Ozkul avatar image
Gonenc Ozkul asked

Can Cyrix-Li-Ct work without a starter battery ?

We are installing a Lithium HE system on a boat. One alternator is dedicated for the Lithium batteries, so there is no starter battery. The question is can we connect the alternator directly to Cyrix-Li-Ct ?

Lithium BatteryCyrix Battery Combiner
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1 Answer
Justin Cook avatar image
Justin Cook answered ·

@Gonenc Ozkul, the Cyrix is specifically for connecting two batteries under certain conditions, and isolating them under other conditions. If you don't have two batteries, what are you hoping to gain by using a Cyrix? It's an intelligent relay, but not an intelligent charger; in very simplistic terms, it just uses the first (or "start") battery to regulate the charge on the second battery, which makes it inadvisable for usage in the application you suggest.

Unless your dedicated alternator already has a smart multistage regulator, I'd highly suggest using something like a Sterling Alternator-to-Battery Charger (sized according to your alternator output and your bank nominal voltage) like the AB12210, which would give you the LiFePO4 charge profile that you really need to keep your new (and usually very expensive) LFP bank optimally charged.

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