Dakota Lithium??

[Letterkenny]

Originally Posted by CaptainRivet

Too many parallel LFP batteries are not always good. Thats again lead thinking...
Best would be get 2x200AH with the LI time, you still have the backup option but less imbalances as the 4 BMS influences and can fool each other. They have no leading master and slaves BMS, that you only get with valance batteries but they cost a liver...

With LFP (and drop ins in general) is best to have one battery with 4cells/12V or 8cells/24V. If not get their biggest capacity one and multiple of that so you get as less parallel as possible. They are much more reliable then LA. Thats the reason Winston offering 400, 700 and 1000AH cells...

Well space is my issue as well. Their 400ah might just fit but it would be really close whereas these guys fit pretty nicely (3 at least) and then I’d just have to put the fourth in a new battery box compartment I’m building.

[MV Caroline]

Originally Posted by ggray

Anyone here using Dakota Lithium batteries?

Have they worked well?

I had not heard of them before, but I'll be needing new batteries soon so I'm reading up on Lithium.

I am not sure yet how long they will last, but I am just in the process of installing Dakota LiFePo4 135 Amp hour house batteries. They, so far, seem to last about four days of running the house circuits without charging. I have used 6 in of these in the house bank for a total of 810 amp hours. they are extremely compact and the best density of charge out there.

[thecicada]

Hey ggray I live in Mpls, About four years ago I went on that same search. I found those batteries and started to dig around. 90 + % of all these high and low end lipo batteries are made right there in china. Very little difference in any of them. I settled on CHINS, 330.00 each with a $30.00 coupon each delivered to my door from Amazon. Beginning of the season I put my mallard on the local lake using two of them in parallel for 200AH at 12V, tied into a renogy 100W panel as usual, this time I tripped my cockpit led strip but did not see it because it was daytime. Three weeks or so later I arrived to find my rover mppt was saying 50% charged. I found the lights and turned off the string and waited. Within two hours the system returned to proper voltage and the bulk charging cycle came on line. Chins are selling for 225.00 or so at this time...Hope this helps, PS Never looked back at the Dakota's, Vince

[TxCoastSailor]

We installed DL batteries about 18 months ago and have not had any issues. The decision to go with DL was driven by the dimensions of their batteries and our battery compartment. We could get more AH with DL than with any other option at the time.

[CaptainRivet]

Originally Posted by Letterkenny

Well space is my issue as well. Their 400ah might just fit but it would be really close whereas these guys fit pretty nicely (3 at least) and then I’d just have to put the fourth in a new battery box compartment I’m building.

the parallel cables must have the exact length between all 4 parallel batteries, take care about that if you put the 4th in different battery compartment
Winston 400AH cells are 460-480AH in reality an far superior to Li Time or the other chinese budget drop ins.
Winston has also smaller 300AH that would definitly fit then, have 350AH in realty and are still far superior to 4x100AH LI time.

or go 4x 304AH EVE cells, they cost about 650Euro 4 cells and if you don't wanna build case you will find several complete kits with BMS like from sun&fun kits.
the LI TIme batteries have EVE 100AH cells in them, so 4 in parallel makes 16x100AH cells and 4 independent parallel simple 10$ BMS. better are 4x304AH cells with one good BMS...

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by CaptainRivet

Expensive ones like victron: Winston or Calb

budget i would choose electrodacus or müller jk BMS

Victron are now using ordinary prismatic cells.

Electrodacus couldn't supply BMSs recently when I looked.

Pete

[CaptainRivet]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Victron are now using ordinary prismatic cells.

Electrodacus couldn't supply BMSs recently when I looked.

Pete

You have a photo or a source confirming victron not using winston cells anymore?
Calb are ordinary prismatic cells, i heard rumors they are switching to Calb but could never find a confirmation.

ElectrodacusBMS just write the founder dacian or go to the Electrodacus Forum and ask if someone can supply one. I could always get one in 2-3 weeks delivery time here in europe, US should be easier as its made in Canada.
ElectrodacusBMS is good for hybrid banks and if you have victron equipment that can be switched via remote (or similar but thats rare). If not then i would chose a different BMS. The big disadvantage of Electrodacus its made for one big bank, having several 1p4/8S batteries each with a BMS does not really work well with Electrodacus, you can but its quite complicated and not worth the hassle then.
If you don't use it as hybrid bank or with a big windlass FET BMS like JK are OK. Have a look at the new JK BMS, it even comes with a 2A active balancer now and integrates nicely with the cerbo GX or raspi running it.

[Sailing August]

I have 2 x Mastervolt AGM 270Ah batteries.
540 amp hours for $2000 dollars.
I like them very much.

[CaptainRivet]

Originally Posted by Sailing August

I have 2 x Mastervolt AGM 270Ah batteries.
540 amp hours for $2000 dollars.
I like them very much.

thats LFP thread...AGM house if they run dry because of eg an alternator regulator failure you get a thermal runaway causing first a swimming gas chamber and then a fire.
most dangerous lead chemistry on boats, for me overall
For 2000$ i have a 900AH LFP conisting of 304AH EVE cells with the just&fun battery kit or 400AH winston cells with Rec/JK/Electrodacus BMS.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Victron are now using ordinary prismatic cells.

Electrodacus couldn't supply BMSs recently when I looked.

Pete

Heck even my "cheap" $300 Power Queen 100ah 12v batteries use prismatic cells (I have seen the tear down review). I have no idea what BMS it uses and don't care, but know it works from the same.

[Wandering]

Originally Posted by CaptainRivet

You have a photo or a source confirming victron not using winston cells anymore?
Calb are ordinary prismatic cells, i heard rumors they are switching to Calb but could never find a confirmation.

ElectrodacusBMS just write the founder dacian or go to the Electrodacus Forum and ask if someone can supply one. I could always get one in 2-3 weeks delivery time here in europe, US should be easier as its made in Canada.
ElectrodacusBMS is good for hybrid banks and if you have victron equipment that can be switched via remote (or similar but thats rare). If not then i would chose a different BMS. The big disadvantage of Electrodacus its made for one big bank, having several 1p4/8S batteries each with a BMS does not really work well with Electrodacus, you can but its quite complicated and not worth the hassle then.
If you don't use it as hybrid bank or with a big windlass FET BMS like JK are OK. Have a look at the new JK BMS, it even comes with a 2A active balancer now and integrates nicely with the cerbo GX or raspi running it.

The JK has had a 2A active balancer option for quite some time. It's not new

[CaptainRivet]

Originally Posted by Wandering

The JK has had a 2A active balancer option for quite some time. It's not new

Hankzor store has a new version, i meant the new JK inverter BMS, deliverable since 2weeks..so yes thats new starting with 8S/24V.

New is the normal 300A 12V version with 2A active balancer.

[Letterkenny]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Heck even my "cheap" $300 Power Queen 100ah 12v batteries use prismatic cells (I have seen the tear down review). I have no idea what BMS it uses and don't care, but know it works from the same.

I’m currently having 400ah of Li Time 100ah mini batteries installed on my boat. Whole bank was under $1k with CA sales tax and fit my space perfectly. Dakotas I could maybe fit their one 200ah battery which was going for like or 225ah of Battle Born or Relion for $2,400. Dockmate said to go name brand because these cheap Chinese ones don’t have the actual capacity they claim but most research says they do and even if it was 50% capacity, I’d have the same size bank at less than half the cost which seems like a no brainer to me.