6v Battery and Iota power converter sizing

[donks2]

Hi All,

In the process of designing our solar system. My question is about the existing power converter, Iota DLS-30. Here are the specs:
Input v 108-140 vac
Input W 500w
Input frequency 50-60 hz
Output amps 30
Output volts 13.4 vdc

I've done all the power usage calculations, using 44 amp/day all DC.
Goal is to be able to go 2 days w/out charging, 3 would be better. Also will be able to charge sometimes from shore power.
I've decided on 175w panel on the roof and either 60w or 100w portable for when the roof isn't enough.
Going to go with two 6v batteries, that will provide around 220 ah

So, Will my present Iota DLS-30 be sufficient?
And any recommendations on 6v batteries?

Thanks for any thoughts, this has been a brain bending exercise!

 

[Vic Harder]

Hi All,

In the process of designing our solar system. My question is about the existing power converter, Iota DLS-30. Here are the specs:
Input v 108-140 vac
Input W 500w
Input frequency 50-60 hz
Output amps 30
Output volts 13.4 vdc

I've done all the power usage calculations, using 44 amp/day all DC.
Goal is to be able to go 2 days w/out charging, 3 would be better. Also will be able to charge sometimes from shore power.
I've decided on 175w panel on the roof and either 60w or 100w portable for when the roof isn't enough.
Going to go with two 6v batteries, that will provide around 220 ah

So, Will my present Iota DLS-30 be sufficient?
And any recommendations on 6v batteries?

Thanks for any thoughts, this has been a brain bending exercise!

Donks2... bad news, maybe. Your IOTA has nothing to do with solar, it is for shore power only. And even that needs to be tweaked with the addition of an IQ4, because the default 13.4v is not what your batteries need either. You will need a solar controller. I like the Victron brand, and have bought from PSKY before and will again.... Note the table. The 75/15 is big "enough" for your roof panel. If you want to just one controller for both, otherwise you will need to go bigger.
https://shop.pkys.com/Victron-Energy-MPPT-7515-Smart-Solar-Charge-Controller-with-Bluetooth_p_2779.html

Batteries - Have you seen the Ultimate Battery thread here? I like Rolls, Trojan and there are other good ones if those won't work for you.

Good news! At 44 AH day, x2 = 88AH, so you will want 180AH minimum, so your battery size of 220AH that you suggested above is perfect.

More good news: 175W of solar on the roof will provide about 175W/15v = 11.7A * 80% (typical max efficiency given dirt, angle of sun, etc) = 9.3A. Running ALL DAY on a sunny 10 hour day that will yield close to 90AH. So, on an average day of 4 hrs of daylight, you will practically be keeping up with your demand.

Are you planning to charge via the alternator too?

 

[esimmers]

Be especially careful how you calculate total battery AmpHour capacity if using 6-volt batteries. You will be connecting the batteries in series to get the 12 volts required by your electrical system. Two 110 AH, 6-volt batteries connected in series are the equivalent of a single 12-volt battery of 110 AH capacity, not 220 AH.

Remember: A series connection adds the voltage of the two batteries, but it keeps the same AH rating. A parallel connection adds the AH rating but keeps the same voltage.

 

[donks2]

Donks2... bad news, maybe. Your IOTA has nothing to do with solar, it is for shore power only. And even that needs to be tweaked with the addition of an IQ4, because the default 13.4v is not what your batteries need either. You will need a solar controller. I like the Victron brand, and have bought from PSKY before and will again.... Note the table. The 75/15 is big "enough" for your roof panel. If you want to just one controller for both, otherwise you will need to go bigger.
https://shop.pkys.com/Victron-Energy-MPPT-7515-Smart-Solar-Charge-Controller-with-Bluetooth_p_2779.html

Batteries - Have you seen the Ultimate Battery thread here? I like Rolls, Trojan and there are other good ones if those won't work for you.

Good news! At 44 AH day, x2 = 88AH, so you will want 180AH minimum, so your battery size of 220AH that you suggested above is perfect.

More good news: 175W of solar on the roof will provide about 175W/15v = 11.7A * 80% (typical max efficiency given dirt, angle of sun, etc) = 9.3A. Running ALL DAY on a sunny 10 hour day that will yield close to 90AH. So, on an average day of 4 hrs of daylight, you will practically be keeping up with your demand.

Are you planning to charge via the alternator too?

Thanks for your reply, Vic, you have been super helpful. I forgot to add that I'll be using the Victron MPPT 100/20 and the battery monitor. Opps, big omission in my post! Will the IOTA still need 'tweaking'? What is IQ4?

I'm planning on adding a plug on the camper for the portable, and wire the panels in parallel, hence the 100/20.

And also use the alternator for charging, as it is set up from when we had the camper installed at Equipt Outfitters in Salt Lake.

The IOTA question came up as I was looking into lithium batteries, and the Battleborn folks said that the IOTA was not sufficient, another $250 for that, plus my head really started to swim, so that pushed me back to AGM. But it got me wondering about the existing IOTA and the added power. Clearly I'm getting a grasp, but there are still blank spots! Lithium sounds great, but with my shallow knowledge (getting deeper each day) of how all this stuff REALLY works, I may be best off sticking with the old school battery technology.

I have seen the battery thread, so much good info, but my eyes tend to cross. I was wondering what brands folks have had good luck with. But I'll head back there, and dive in again.

esimmers- Thanks for the heads up. I'm looking at 2 6v each 220AH. As one 12v with those #'s would be an immoveable object for me!

Again, I have learned SO much, and I am so appreciative of the help received!

 

[PaulT]

“The IOTA question came up as I was looking into lithium batteries, and the Battleborn folks said that the IOTA was not sufficient, another $250 for that, plus my head really started to swim, so that pushed me back to AGM. But it got me wondering about the existing IOTA and the added power. Clearly I'm getting a grasp, but there are still blank spots! Lithium sounds great, but with my shallow knowledge (getting deeper each day) of how all this stuff REALLY works, I may be best off sticking with the old school battery technology.”

The Iota should work with the Battleborn batteries with one potential issue. Check your particular Iota to see if it has an IQ4 module. There are 3 possibilities:
1. No IQ4 module
2. Plug in IQ4 module
3. Built in IQ4 module
When I called Battleborn on this issue, I was told that a DLS-30 without an IQ4 produces voltage about 13.5 volts and thus is too low to charge the Battleborn. If the IQ4 is the one for AGM, it should work although not ideal for the Battleborn. Iota sells the IQ-LIFEPO which will work fine with the Battleborn. To that end, I bought the IQ-LIFEPO as I plan to buy the Battleborn GC2 & wanted to have my charging system ready when I suddenly find a full wallet.

If your Iota has a built-in IQ4 made for flooded lead acid, you may want to replace it with a plug-in version to better match the Battleborn requirements.
https://www.iotaengineering.com/pplib/IOTA_DLS_Product_Guide.pdf

Paul

 

[Jack]

I recently spoke with LiFeBlue battery support about using their battery in our Fleet. When I asked him about the Iota IQ-4 his comment was that the IQ-4 Lithium doesn't work. But he was more specific. He said that the Iota will not go into bulk mode unless the battery is sufficiently discharged. He said he had exchanged a number of emails with Iota and their response was that either dischage the battery (not sure what level), or disconnect the battery from the Ioat and then reconnect it.

LiFeBlue says their batteries are specifically designed for RVs and that they are "drop-in". You can charge from the alternator, from the AGM Iota, or your AGM charge controller, including all three at the same time (your start your engine while still connected to shore power on a sunny day) - they have an internal battery management system (BMS) accessible over bluetooth.

 

[craig333]

I think you'll be fine (with the IQ4 or the LIFPO) since your solar will be doing the bulk of the charging it won't matter if the IOTA isn't a perfect match for charging once in a while.

I wonder if LiFeBlue has tested the IOTA or is that just theoretical?