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  1. #1
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    400 AH Lithium Battery Bank Converter

    Currently have 400 Ah lithium battery bank but looking to upgrade in the future to 600 Ah. Boondocking energy hogs with residential fridge making ice, 5 cu foot freezer in the garage plus everything else. No problem usually getting a few day's of bad weather but if using the generator to help with the batteries I dont feel I'm getting the payoff on charging.

    Replaced the original converter with Progressive Dynamics PD9160ALV after upgrading to lithium batteries. When it is charging I am lucky to be getting 30 amps. This could be the need for the resettable circuit upgrade. If the batteries do get low I can hear the circuit constantly resetting.

    Any suggestions on a replacement convertor and/ or circuit?
    2019 F450 CC
    2021 Momentum 395MS-R

  2. #2
    Site Team xrated's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ktnissen View Post
    Currently have 400 Ah lithium battery bank but looking to upgrade in the future to 600 Ah. Boondocking energy hogs with residential fridge making ice, 5 cu foot freezer in the garage plus everything else. No problem usually getting a few day's of bad weather but if using the generator to help with the batteries I dont feel I'm getting the payoff on charging.

    Replaced the original converter with Progressive Dynamics PD9160ALV after upgrading to lithium batteries. When it is charging I am lucky to be getting 30 amps. This could be the need for the resettable circuit upgrade. If the batteries do get low I can hear the circuit constantly resetting.

    Any suggestions on a replacement convertor and/ or circuit?
    If that converter is only providing 30A at charging, especially if it is in the Constant Current stage or Bulk stage, it's very likely that you have some serious voltage drop issues going on between the charger itself, and the battery(s). Voltage drop occurs when connection points/switches/etc have a somewhat high resistance through them. Another possibility is the wire/cable is just simply too small of a gauge wire and or the connection issues. It's worth checking the charging circuit out to find the voltage drops and eliminate them if there are some....and there probably are.

    I'll give you an example of my current setup. I found, between the charger and the battery, the voltage was dropping by 6/10ths of a volt. That doesn't sound like much, but once pretty much of the voltage drop issues were resolved, my charger, which is capable of producing approx. 43A of power output, will be sending 42.xxx amps to the battery in Constant Current mode....or bulk mode, whichever you prefer.
    Last edited by xrated; 07-15-2023 at 11:36 AM.
    2016 F350 CrewCab Dually
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  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by xrated View Post
    If that converter is only providing 30A at charging, especially if it is in the Constant Current stage or Bulk stage, it's very likely that you have some serious voltage drop issues going on between the charger itself, and the battery(s). Voltage drop occurs when connection points/switches/etc have a somewhat high resistance through them. Another possibility is the wire/cable is just simply too small of a gauge wire and or the connection issues. It's worth checking the charging circuit out to find the voltage drops and eliminate them if there are some....and there probably are.

    I'll give you an example of my current setup. I found, between the charger and the battery, the voltage was dropping by 6/10ths of a volt. That doesn't sound like much, but once pretty much of the voltage drop issues were resolved, my charger, which is capable of producing approx. 43A of power output, will be sending 42.xxx amps to the battery in Constant Current mode....or bulk mode, whichever you prefer.
    I had not even considered a voltage drop, thank you. I'll get in there and look, I have a clamp meter. I should use it.

  4. #4
    Site Team xrated's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ktnissen View Post
    I had not even considered a voltage drop, thank you. I'll get in there and look, I have a clamp meter. I should use it.
    A voltage drop is found with a DC volt meter....not a clamp on Amp meter. Start at the converter and take a voltage reading while it is at full charge mode, and write it down. Then follow the wiring all the way back to the battery or batteries, taking a voltage reading at every single connector/splice, junction or terminal strip, battery disconnect switch (on both sides of the switch) and any/all crimped connectors along the way. Write them down, and when you are done, see how much the voltage has dropped from the original voltage at the converter. .1 is nothing to worry about. .5 or .6 is a concern and will cut down on charging current. More than that and you might need to replace almost everything.
    2016 F350 CrewCab Dually
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    Excessive Payload is a Wonderful Thing

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  5. #5
    Seasoned Camper SilentService's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ktnissen View Post
    I had not even considered a voltage drop, thank you. I'll get in there and look, I have a clamp meter. I should use it.
    I'm having the same issue but with a 600 amp lithium battery setup. Same converter but only charging batteries at 30 amps (Victron BMV-712 monitor) with a 4500 watt generator. since I reused the same 6 gauge wire, I suspect that's my problem. It's about a 10-15ft run to my batteries. Once I get to my trailer, I will do the clamp meter as well. Keep us posted on your results.
    Tim & Lori
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    When I had that converter the most I would see was around 40 amps.

    I have a multiplus II now. Rated for 125amps. I’ll see right around 100 amps in bulk charge now.
    2021 Solitude 375 RES-R
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  7. #7
    Site Team xrated's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SilentService View Post
    I'm having the same issue but with a 600 amp lithium battery setup. Same converter but only charging batteries at 30 amps (Victron BMV-712 monitor) with a 4500 watt generator. since I reused the same 6 gauge wire, I suspect that's my problem. It's about a 10-15ft run to my batteries. Once I get to my trailer, I will do the clamp meter as well. Keep us posted on your results.
    When I built my LFP battery and then needed a Lithium charger, I moved the new charger a lot closer to the actual battery, and went with 2 ga. cable. I still had some voltage drop and went through the connections and the battery disconnect switch, etc...as I described above. I started out with a .6 or .7 voltage drop and when I was done, replacing wires/cables, polishing connectors or replacing them, a new battery disconnect switch, etc, etc.....I now show a .1 voltage drop at the battery. It was a combination of several things, but the bottom line is that you can get rid of most of the drop, but it just depends on how much time and money you want to spend on making things better.
    2016 F350 CrewCab Dually
    2018 Momentum 394M...Heavily Modded!
    2023 Suzuki GSX-S1000 GT+
    Excessive Payload is a Wonderful Thing

    "If it ain't fast....It ain't Fun"

  8. #8
    Site Sponsor jlspence99's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ktnissen View Post
    Currently have 400 Ah lithium battery bank but looking to upgrade in the future to 600 Ah. Boondocking energy hogs with residential fridge making ice, 5 cu foot freezer in the garage plus everything else. No problem usually getting a few day's of bad weather but if using the generator to help with the batteries I dont feel I'm getting the payoff on charging.

    Replaced the original converter with Progressive Dynamics PD9160ALV after upgrading to lithium batteries. When it is charging I am lucky to be getting 30 amps. This could be the need for the resettable circuit upgrade. If the batteries do get low I can hear the circuit constantly resetting.

    Any suggestions on a replacement convertor and/ or circuit?
    Very familiar problem. I had a similar issue on my 2019 303RLS with same converter charger and also with 400 Ah lithium battery bank. I found my charging circuit (from charger to DC distribution panel, to DC bus bar in front compartment, through battery disconnect switch, to battery) was about 35 feet of 6 ga wire. First thing I’ve done is remove 17 feet of wire by placing the battery disconnect in the front compartment. That’s gotten me from 35 amps to 45 amps. Next I’m going to tackle the wiring between the charger and DC distribution panel and DC panel to battery bank.
    Jeff & Susan
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