Battleborns with Balmar 614 and not smoking your alternator

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by Eastward ho 24

Yes I have a 170Amp alt.....

I think you might not be an electrical engineer or an electrician? Not being pejorative, it's just very difficult to provide a few sentence explanation to someone without a background in a technical field like this one and you're missing the point by a good bit here.

I would highly recommend you hire one of the above to at the very least check off your plan and your as-built. Or better yet hire them to come up with your schematic and check your as-built. Doing electrical work without really knowing what you're doing is one of the few things that can lead to a fire and a fire is one of the few things that can really ruin your day at sea.

[Eastward ho 24]

"prevent this by diverting any high spike build up to earth, this is effective from full power
to no power fault events on the alternator"

Today after drawing up the wiring diagram I see there would be no path for it to divert it to negative. However just reading the literature, specifically what I copied above I thought it was. I understand it keeps a load on the alt if the battery's disconnect now. But what do they mean by the above quote?

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by Eastward ho 24

"prevent this by diverting any high spike build up to earth, this is effective from full power
to no power fault events on the alternator"

Today after drawing up the wiring diagram I see there would be no path for it to divert it to negative. However just reading the literature, specifically what I copied above I thought it was. I understand it keeps a load on the alt if the battery's disconnect now. But what do they mean by the above quote?

Again it's a high voltage spike it's preventing, not high amperage. It doesn't take much in the way of wire thickness to divert a momentary voltage spike at the level we're talking about here.

[Eastward ho 24]

Gotcha

[Marrigoround]

I wonder if I can jump onto this thread as it is recent and relevant...

I currently have (3) 100 ah Battle Born batteries and a West Marine AGM starter battery and charge them both with shorepower (Victron multiplus 3000) and/or solar panels (640 watts via victron mppt 100/50). The two banks are connected via a Magnum Energy Smart Battery Combiner with a 200 amp isolator solenoid. Everything is monitored with a Victron BMV 712.

I installed all of this and understand most of it. Now the time has come for me to upgrade the original 50 amp alternator and I'm looking at a 100 amp Balmar with the MC-614 voltage regulator. Speaking with sales at PKYS, I have been warned about a connection directly with the lithium house bank because Battle Born batteries have an internal BMS and therefore cannot communicate properly. This post, among others, has me concerned about all of the things that I do not understand with alternators specifically as they relate to lithium chemistry, sooo....

I was wondering if I could connect the new alternator and regulator directly to the AGM start battery and use the Smart Battery Combiner essentially as a DC to DC charger to charge the lithium bank. This model of combiner boasts a bi-directional capacity. I have confirmed that most of my electrical needs can be met with the solar panels, but my wife and I do like using hot water and understand that the sun does not always shine, so the alternator is intended mostly as an auxiliary charger when away from shore power.

What do you guys think? Is this possible? Am I out of my league? Any creative suggestions?

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Eastward ho 24

>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


I just can’t seem to understand does the regulator work on a time regime. As in I’ve programmed the regulator bulk float and absorption times? If I’m in a situation where my solar (which is yet to come) has my bank full and I start the motor does the regulator see its full and just float? Or is it hell bent on running the bulk absorption and float as per time that is programmed.?>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I have an MC-612, in for 15 years. I regularly see this "timer" question come up on this and other boating forums, including Maine Sail's excellent "How to program a Balmar external regulator."


I read and reread the charging regime page. In your MC-614 manual Regulator Operation, page 7 (the pdf download version, which I find is identical to my printed 612 manual) it describes how it checks over & over again. And all it CAN check is V.


My conclusion is that changing the time periods does little based on how the manual says they operate.


And if I ever want to get back to bulk or extend it after it's dropped from bulk, I just turn my ignition switch off & then on again.


Which is the same as extending the bulk time anyway...


I have FLA, so may be different than Lith requirements, but it seems you've done that with your V limits. FLAs come up to voltage slowly, so yes, it seems Lith are quite different.



Good luck in this and all your other issues in your decision making process.

[mitiempo]

Marrigoround

It should work but be sure to get temp sensor for the alt and battery. The Battleborn will accept all the alt has if down a ways and the Magnum will not limit this. The alt should also be dialed back to say 70% output which will help to keep it cooler as well as extend its life.

[Marrigoround]

@mitiempo

Thanks for your reply.

[c.spots]

I already have a similar system for my AGM start batteries. But I have enough solar that I only want the alternator to do heavy lifting. No sense working an alternator and engine, when the solar does it for free, so I set the charge parameters much lower than you have.
Particularly if you have LFP batts, an alternator temp sensor is a good idea.
All my charge sources charge the house bank, and the start batts are maintained (and charged every day), by a VSR (voltage sensitive relay).
I plan (but it not in stone yet), to keep the system when I get LFP. The goal is to have LFP start batts also. The same 100 amp continuous discharge and charge rate (100amps), as the house bank. The hope is that the circuit would remain open, and the start batts become part of the house bank. I might expect to lose a few cycles of the battery life, but by having a bigger bank, might help by not running the batteries as low, as often.
If there is a catastrophic battery failure, the VSR circuit would close at about 12.7-8 volts, and still leave a function start battery.
I’m open to comments please.

[Eastward ho 24]

After a first trip with the set up I left the battery's to drain down to 13.1-12.9 after a 2 hr steam they were back to 100% 14.3v the alt and 614 did taper off the amps down to 1amp when they were full. I didn't constantly watch the monitor but seemed to do what it's intended to do. I have the alt in small engine mode and it was putting out 90amps for the first hour or so. After that I had other things to watch. Upon arrival I did check output before shutting down and was at 1 -3 amps. Everything was off except for the GPS plotter

[jc1409]

Originally Posted by Eastward ho 24

I just can’t seem to understand does the regulator work on a time regime. As in I’ve programmed the regulator bulk float and absorption times? If I’m in a situation where my solar (which is yet to come) has my bank full and I start the motor does the regulator see its full and just float? Or is it hell bent on running the bulk absorption and float as per time that is programmed.

Eastward ho, what did you determine regarding the above?