K7MDL
Senior Member
I am converting to LiFEPO4 battery or batteries over time in phases. Many have tread this path before here and have enjoyed reading the related Li conversion posts out of interest being a marine electronic tech and marine electrican for many years. I now have a need for LiFe battery in my truck cab sooner than later due to voltage drop to my ham radio gear so I am placing a 50A LiFe battery in the cab for now. Here is my particular install story.
I have a newer front dinette Hawk. The stock 2x 90Ah AGM batteries are still good (2yrs old) and are in a box at the back wall of the camper placing their weight aft of my axle, pushing me close to the rear GAWR limit. My truck is a 2016 Supercab F-150 with 1960lbs payload. I weighed it on CAT scale with full fluids and minimal cargo, just me aboard and 36 gallon fuel. I have 350lbs to spare overall but the Rear GAWR is just ~100lbs below the limit and I need to pull a small trailer around at times and need to add some more cargo. I removed some weight and replacing/relocating the battery will give me a lot more capacity to play with.
I do not use much water so run typically run with half tank FW, empty hot water tank, and only 1 of the 2 propane bottles. That saves maybe 160lbs+ overall, most of it forward of the rear axle. 1 propane bottle has lasted me over 1.5months on the road in temps to 35F, still more left to use. The cassette toilet tank is on the back wall but is only a few gallons and lasts quite a while. I do not run the furnace much and I hate cooking. A 160W solar panel keeps up when in full sun but struggles in part sun. Another 100W would help a lot, likely use a portable panel I can move around.
My goal is to replace the AGMs with 1 or maybe 2 LiFE batteries and place them in the driver side front under-seat storage area which looks like it has plenty of room. It also has direct access to the main wiring. This will result in overall shorter length battery cables reducing some voltage drop within the camper, as well as lower voltage drop total for power back into my truck cab to run my radios and amplifiers. Changing to a single LiFE 100A will save 120lbs aft of the axle, give me 10Ah more capacity than I have now, even more useful considering the voltages run a bit higher to keep my radios and amps happier. It will only add 22lbs for a single battery and be located in the front of the camper.
Phase 1 - today
Using the stock pair of AGM batteries and MPPT 100/15 solar charger. Added Battery Shunt and LCD monitor.
I installed a Renogy 300A BT enabled shunt (RSHST-B02P300-G1-US) in the current battery box. I added a 12" #6 cable between the shunt and neg battery post. Moved all the wires from the neg battery post to the load side of the shunt. My batteries used 5/16" bolts. The shunt has 3/8" posts. Most of the existing terminals are already 3/8 ring terminals so had very little crimping to do.
I replaced the stock solar monitor (Overland Solar, a Victron MPPT Control rebranded) with a Renogy One core LCD power system monitor (RSHGWSN-W02W-G1-US). It uses BT mesh to connect to several BT devices or wired CAN bus if needed. It has WiFi as well which is used for remote access from my phone. I have a MoFi cell modem/Wi-Fi router in the camper giving me 24/7 remote monitoring. It also has a RV Level Sensing feature which is handy to use while rolling the truck in a camp site and onto leveling blocks while looking at my phone for the angles. It will be moved with the LiFe batteries when the time comes.
The ONE core LCD unit mounting bracket fits in the exact same hole as the Overland Solar unit. In my camper (2022) the Overland unit is mounted in a small 5" square black panel on the face of the cabinet under the sink. Reaching behind the panel from the water pump door access, you can feel 4 screws, 2 on either side of the round plastic meter case. Feel around with a shorter Phillips screwdriver and remove the outer 2 screws. The aft screw was above the center line, the fwd screw below the center line. The back of the panel has an engraved UP arrow. Pay attention to this. With the panel off, unplug the Overland control cable. Remove the 2 remaining screws to separate the 2 pieces of panel. You can now unscrew the white threaded Overland mounting nut and remove the unit from the panel. Slips the Renogy ONE core mounting plate in, make sure it is level to the panel using the built in bubble level and drill some 1/16" pilot holes and use the provided screws to fasten the plate. I put a long level on my workbench, shimmed one end until it the level's bubble was centered, then set the panel on the level and adjusted the ONE core mounting frame to be level, tightened the 3 screws. The ONE core just slips in and turns a few degrees to the right to click into place later.
I left the Overland solar control unit plugged into the cable tied to a nearby water hose inside the cabinet. I can then look at solar performance if desired. I can see the same numbers on the shunt so I do not expect to use this much but it is free. Might unplug it later to save a small bit of power. It will be removed when the switch to the DC-DC charger is made later.
Power for the ONE core: I removed the 4 screws holding the water pump + water/battery level panel (aka water meter) and pulled it away from the cabinet several inches. I ran the supplied power cable from the ONE core under the sink along the existing power wire bundle under the counter, forward and down to the hole for the water meter. My camper has 5-Way Spring Lever Terminal Blocks for the 12V power to the water panel. White wire was GND, red was +12V. Each block had 2 unused positions so inserted my wires into them. Lift to the chosen lever up a full 90 degrees where it stops at a detent, insert the wire, then snap the lever down, pull test the wire.
A 50amp DC-DC charger with MPPT solar (Renogy RBC2125DS-21W-G2-US) is to be used. For now, it supplies a 50A LiFE battery in my truck cab with the radios. It will be moved to the camper when the I convert to LiFe later. It is an IP67 rated charger so considering mounting it outside the camper, just inside the left lower rear access door (under the fuse panel), or maybe under the back of the truck cab. When the truck is in the sun the cab temperature, like all cars, gets very high. The charger, even when it is idle, gets very hot in this very high ambient heat. Possibly a mild case of thermal runaway, though not bad enough to shut itself down. Outside the cab it stays cool at idle. Still thinking on this, I would like to avoid a dedicated battery run from the camper to the truck cab so placement is still TBD. It will charge the truck starting battery at up to a max of 1A (from solar) so the radios have to be on the load side of the charger. Under the cab makes the wiring easier but it is further from the LiFe battery in the camper and has (currently) smaller gauge wire, the truck side wiring is #6.
This all appears to be working well. One thing that seems to be undocumented - if you want to change the settings on the DC-DC charger, such as a charging voltage limit, you have to unpair the charger from the One core unit and pair it direct with your phone. Make your changes then pair it back to the One Core where it mostly just relays the values to the phone, (read-only). Only temperature unit seem to be changeable (F vs C). The Battery Shunt 300 seems like I can change all settings I tried via the One Core unit.
The MPPT100/15 stock solar charger can be configured for LiFe according to the manuals I found, it is well buried and seems to need a BT dongle added to access the charge profile via the Victron app (PC or phone). So I have a choice of keeping the MPPT 100/15 or replace it with the Renogy built in MPPT charger. The Renogy handles up to 25A so this is useful when I add more panel capacity. For now, keeping it until I install the DC-DC charger permanently.
Phase 2 - next year or 2 if I can wait that long
As mentioned I will replace the AGMs with a relocated LiFe battery under the front dinette seat. Will move onto the 50A DC DC charger and switch the solar panel(s) to it to get up to 25A charging power. I intend to keep the existing Iota 30Amp AC to DC converter (power supply/charger) and wire it on the truck side of the DC-DC charger. Loads will be on the battery side. The existing isolator can be removed, the DC-DC charger performs this function now. It only allows charging when the input voltage is high enough that it thinks the engine is running. The IOTA power supply at ~13.8VDC float will then charge the battery when on shore power. The DC charger rate is configurable for 10, 20, 20, 40, or 50A charge rates. My current 50A LiFe is spec'd for 50A max continuous charge rate. I set it to 10A or 20A. Some have purchased the 30amp version of DC chargers on the idea that it will limit the load on their alternator. You can achieve the same result with a 50A or 60A charger that has configurable output rates. The upside is you will not be limited on solar charge rate when the charger has a built in MPPT charger capability. On some of these charger units the solar charge rate is half the rated capacity, so 25A in the case of my 50A unit. One 160W panel can put out 10A so 15A won't make use of 2 of these size panels. Finally I may end up running a dedicated power cable for the camper to the truck cab for my radios. I have to think about how they will be powered when the camper is off. Maybe get a small 20A DC-DC charger and use my 50A battery.
So far running the 3 Renogy units I have not detected any RFI on 50 or 144MHz, nor on HF bands with the 6M loop antenna on my camper roof. Not using the built-in solar yet.
Equipment used:
Renogy 300A BT enabled shunt (RSHST-B02P300-G1-US
Renogy 50A DC-DC charger with built in MPPT solar RBC2125DS-21W-G2-US
Renogy ONE Core power LCD monitor RSHGWSN-W02W-G1-US
MOFI4500-4GXeLTE-SIM7-COMBO 4G/LTE Router
Mike
K7MDL CN87
I have a newer front dinette Hawk. The stock 2x 90Ah AGM batteries are still good (2yrs old) and are in a box at the back wall of the camper placing their weight aft of my axle, pushing me close to the rear GAWR limit. My truck is a 2016 Supercab F-150 with 1960lbs payload. I weighed it on CAT scale with full fluids and minimal cargo, just me aboard and 36 gallon fuel. I have 350lbs to spare overall but the Rear GAWR is just ~100lbs below the limit and I need to pull a small trailer around at times and need to add some more cargo. I removed some weight and replacing/relocating the battery will give me a lot more capacity to play with.
I do not use much water so run typically run with half tank FW, empty hot water tank, and only 1 of the 2 propane bottles. That saves maybe 160lbs+ overall, most of it forward of the rear axle. 1 propane bottle has lasted me over 1.5months on the road in temps to 35F, still more left to use. The cassette toilet tank is on the back wall but is only a few gallons and lasts quite a while. I do not run the furnace much and I hate cooking. A 160W solar panel keeps up when in full sun but struggles in part sun. Another 100W would help a lot, likely use a portable panel I can move around.
My goal is to replace the AGMs with 1 or maybe 2 LiFE batteries and place them in the driver side front under-seat storage area which looks like it has plenty of room. It also has direct access to the main wiring. This will result in overall shorter length battery cables reducing some voltage drop within the camper, as well as lower voltage drop total for power back into my truck cab to run my radios and amplifiers. Changing to a single LiFE 100A will save 120lbs aft of the axle, give me 10Ah more capacity than I have now, even more useful considering the voltages run a bit higher to keep my radios and amps happier. It will only add 22lbs for a single battery and be located in the front of the camper.
Phase 1 - today
Using the stock pair of AGM batteries and MPPT 100/15 solar charger. Added Battery Shunt and LCD monitor.
I installed a Renogy 300A BT enabled shunt (RSHST-B02P300-G1-US) in the current battery box. I added a 12" #6 cable between the shunt and neg battery post. Moved all the wires from the neg battery post to the load side of the shunt. My batteries used 5/16" bolts. The shunt has 3/8" posts. Most of the existing terminals are already 3/8 ring terminals so had very little crimping to do.
I replaced the stock solar monitor (Overland Solar, a Victron MPPT Control rebranded) with a Renogy One core LCD power system monitor (RSHGWSN-W02W-G1-US). It uses BT mesh to connect to several BT devices or wired CAN bus if needed. It has WiFi as well which is used for remote access from my phone. I have a MoFi cell modem/Wi-Fi router in the camper giving me 24/7 remote monitoring. It also has a RV Level Sensing feature which is handy to use while rolling the truck in a camp site and onto leveling blocks while looking at my phone for the angles. It will be moved with the LiFe batteries when the time comes.
The ONE core LCD unit mounting bracket fits in the exact same hole as the Overland Solar unit. In my camper (2022) the Overland unit is mounted in a small 5" square black panel on the face of the cabinet under the sink. Reaching behind the panel from the water pump door access, you can feel 4 screws, 2 on either side of the round plastic meter case. Feel around with a shorter Phillips screwdriver and remove the outer 2 screws. The aft screw was above the center line, the fwd screw below the center line. The back of the panel has an engraved UP arrow. Pay attention to this. With the panel off, unplug the Overland control cable. Remove the 2 remaining screws to separate the 2 pieces of panel. You can now unscrew the white threaded Overland mounting nut and remove the unit from the panel. Slips the Renogy ONE core mounting plate in, make sure it is level to the panel using the built in bubble level and drill some 1/16" pilot holes and use the provided screws to fasten the plate. I put a long level on my workbench, shimmed one end until it the level's bubble was centered, then set the panel on the level and adjusted the ONE core mounting frame to be level, tightened the 3 screws. The ONE core just slips in and turns a few degrees to the right to click into place later.
I left the Overland solar control unit plugged into the cable tied to a nearby water hose inside the cabinet. I can then look at solar performance if desired. I can see the same numbers on the shunt so I do not expect to use this much but it is free. Might unplug it later to save a small bit of power. It will be removed when the switch to the DC-DC charger is made later.
Power for the ONE core: I removed the 4 screws holding the water pump + water/battery level panel (aka water meter) and pulled it away from the cabinet several inches. I ran the supplied power cable from the ONE core under the sink along the existing power wire bundle under the counter, forward and down to the hole for the water meter. My camper has 5-Way Spring Lever Terminal Blocks for the 12V power to the water panel. White wire was GND, red was +12V. Each block had 2 unused positions so inserted my wires into them. Lift to the chosen lever up a full 90 degrees where it stops at a detent, insert the wire, then snap the lever down, pull test the wire.
A 50amp DC-DC charger with MPPT solar (Renogy RBC2125DS-21W-G2-US) is to be used. For now, it supplies a 50A LiFE battery in my truck cab with the radios. It will be moved to the camper when the I convert to LiFe later. It is an IP67 rated charger so considering mounting it outside the camper, just inside the left lower rear access door (under the fuse panel), or maybe under the back of the truck cab. When the truck is in the sun the cab temperature, like all cars, gets very high. The charger, even when it is idle, gets very hot in this very high ambient heat. Possibly a mild case of thermal runaway, though not bad enough to shut itself down. Outside the cab it stays cool at idle. Still thinking on this, I would like to avoid a dedicated battery run from the camper to the truck cab so placement is still TBD. It will charge the truck starting battery at up to a max of 1A (from solar) so the radios have to be on the load side of the charger. Under the cab makes the wiring easier but it is further from the LiFe battery in the camper and has (currently) smaller gauge wire, the truck side wiring is #6.
This all appears to be working well. One thing that seems to be undocumented - if you want to change the settings on the DC-DC charger, such as a charging voltage limit, you have to unpair the charger from the One core unit and pair it direct with your phone. Make your changes then pair it back to the One Core where it mostly just relays the values to the phone, (read-only). Only temperature unit seem to be changeable (F vs C). The Battery Shunt 300 seems like I can change all settings I tried via the One Core unit.
The MPPT100/15 stock solar charger can be configured for LiFe according to the manuals I found, it is well buried and seems to need a BT dongle added to access the charge profile via the Victron app (PC or phone). So I have a choice of keeping the MPPT 100/15 or replace it with the Renogy built in MPPT charger. The Renogy handles up to 25A so this is useful when I add more panel capacity. For now, keeping it until I install the DC-DC charger permanently.
Phase 2 - next year or 2 if I can wait that long
As mentioned I will replace the AGMs with a relocated LiFe battery under the front dinette seat. Will move onto the 50A DC DC charger and switch the solar panel(s) to it to get up to 25A charging power. I intend to keep the existing Iota 30Amp AC to DC converter (power supply/charger) and wire it on the truck side of the DC-DC charger. Loads will be on the battery side. The existing isolator can be removed, the DC-DC charger performs this function now. It only allows charging when the input voltage is high enough that it thinks the engine is running. The IOTA power supply at ~13.8VDC float will then charge the battery when on shore power. The DC charger rate is configurable for 10, 20, 20, 40, or 50A charge rates. My current 50A LiFe is spec'd for 50A max continuous charge rate. I set it to 10A or 20A. Some have purchased the 30amp version of DC chargers on the idea that it will limit the load on their alternator. You can achieve the same result with a 50A or 60A charger that has configurable output rates. The upside is you will not be limited on solar charge rate when the charger has a built in MPPT charger capability. On some of these charger units the solar charge rate is half the rated capacity, so 25A in the case of my 50A unit. One 160W panel can put out 10A so 15A won't make use of 2 of these size panels. Finally I may end up running a dedicated power cable for the camper to the truck cab for my radios. I have to think about how they will be powered when the camper is off. Maybe get a small 20A DC-DC charger and use my 50A battery.
So far running the 3 Renogy units I have not detected any RFI on 50 or 144MHz, nor on HF bands with the 6M loop antenna on my camper roof. Not using the built-in solar yet.
Equipment used:
Renogy 300A BT enabled shunt (RSHST-B02P300-G1-US
Renogy 50A DC-DC charger with built in MPPT solar RBC2125DS-21W-G2-US
Renogy ONE Core power LCD monitor RSHGWSN-W02W-G1-US
MOFI4500-4GXeLTE-SIM7-COMBO 4G/LTE Router
Mike
K7MDL CN87
