Thread: Lead Crystal

Dont want to go down the path of changing my system, trays etc etc. I am looking at LC as an aux battery and need informed input as to what i can expect in real world use.

Also PM price for a LC 110 please.

Thanks
pd

Originally Posted by Milton477

Some discussion here: LiFePO4 or Lead Crystal to replace AGM?

Thanks for sharing the thread, I am committed to go down the LC route this time around but love to explore large scale DIY LiFePO4 set up for home.
Are you able to share your the technical details please and where to source material etc.

Many Thanks,
pd

Originally Posted by dazzler

So what is my option around dual battery charger with solar then? I was under the impression the smatpass would compliment the higher charge rate of the LC, no?

I just fitted an 80 watt solar panel to the roof rack, ran the wires to a 10amp regulator in the battery box, connected that to a circuit breaker as an added precaution against a regulator failure and then connected to the starting battery. A Traxide with cable and 60 amp fuses then connects the starting and auxiliary batteries.
The solar and alternator keep the starting battery charged so the Traxide maintains a connection to the auxiliary battery which also stays charged.
This setup has worked fine for two years and never tripped the circuit breaker.
So, no need for a DC-DC or anything else.

I have had my setup for nearly 3 years and happy with it. I suppose it is a lazy way of doing it, but hey it in there and working so not really wanting to muck around with it.

All I wanted at this stage is to get feedback around LC and the questions around sizing/charging etc, but thats too late now aswell. I have just made purchase of 3 LC batteries for my traveling group.

Moving on, I want to investigate Li setup for my next upgrade (may be even stick a lot of that in the basement which can help mining altcoins )

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

A Traxide with cable and 60 amp fuses then connects the starting and auxiliary batteries.
The solar and alternator keep the starting battery charged so the Traxide maintains a connection to the auxiliary battery which also stays charged.

Yep works better than anything else on the market.

With nearly 30 years of experience, the system has well and truely proved it works.

Well, that's very interesting.....
I was in talking to my mate who had the Sales Rep for Lead Crystal Batteries in his shop talking about them selling the LC Batteries. After a long conversation, my mate decliined the offer to sell them due to a couple of reasons


1. The size of the charger that is required to charge them (sales rep quoted at least 30% of the Battery capacity is req'd).
2. If the LC battery is continously discharged/recharged, then the is a good chance that the battery can get a "memory" where by it will not fully charge.
3. The 3rd thing and I'm not sure if I this heard correctly, but the LC batteries will not hold their voltage as the capacity is drained out of them.




I'm not sure if the Sales Rep new his product or not, but with the cost of them compared to the AGM's, I think for the moment I'll be staying with the AGM's

Originally Posted by drivesafe

Hi Rob and you can use any size charger you have or want to have.

I have been experimenting with a range of charger sizes and like any lead acid battery, Lead Crystal batteries charge better with smaller current chargers, but I have used a 60 amp battery charger to charge a flat ( discharged down to 10.5v - 0% SoC ) 70Ah Lead Crystal battery and other than it getting warm, not hot, just warm, it charged without a problem.

I have also charged the same battery with a 2 amp charger and while it took days to charge, the battery ended up in a higher state of charge ( greater capacity ) than was achieved with the 60 amp charger.

Hi Rob and I have no idea where that rep is getting his info from. I regularly talk to the owner of Betta Batteries and none of this crap has come up in the discussions I have had.

Originally Posted by Robmacca

1. The size of the charger that is required to charge them (sales rep quoted at least 30% of the Battery capacity is req'd).

Already covered above.

Originally Posted by Robmacca

2. If the LC battery is continously discharged/recharged, then the is a good chance that the battery can get a "memory" where by it will not fully charge.

Mate, this one is off with the fairies. Memory is something that occurs in NiCad batteries, and there is no such thing in any form of lead acid batteries, including Lead Crystal batteries.

As I have posted earlier, I have been carrying out some rigorous tests on these batteries, and the one thing I have found, the more you use them, their capacity increases, be it by small amounts but none the less, their capacity increases.

If they suffered from memory effect, they would LOOSE capacity.

Also note, most lead acid batteries will gain capacity if continually discharged and immediately recharged. But if you do not use ordinary lead acid batteries, including AGMs, they can permanently loose some of their capacity. And ordinary lead acid batteries, including AGMs, must be fully charged before leaving them for long periods, and even then, they need regular maintenance charging, even month or so, or again, they can be permanently damaged.

Whereas, while Lead Crystal batteries will loose a VERY small amount of their capacity if left unused for VERY long periods of time, but they can be stored in ANY STATE OF CHARGE, do not need to be periodically "topped up", and as soon as you start using them again, they quickly regain their full capacity after just a few discharge/charge cycles.

Originally Posted by Robmacca

3. The 3rd thing and I'm not sure if I this heard correctly, but the LC batteries will not hold their voltage as the capacity is drained out of them

Lead Crystal batteries are a form of lead acid batteries, and they have the same discharge characteristics as any other lead acid batteries except Lead Crystal batteries can be continually cycled down to 0% which most other lead acid batteries can not be.

Based on expected lifespan and the fact you get 20% more usable capacity than most AGMs, Lead Crystal batteries actually work out much cheaper then elcheapo AGMs.