Post #2467852

2026-04-21 05:27 UTC

@flipsideza@fosstodon.org That's another thing to consider, LiFePO4 doesn't mind not being fully charged. In fact, if you're going to store it without using it, they recommend doing so at ~50% SOC. Lead acid likes to be charged. So if you figure on most of the cycling happening below 100% SOC, it kind of works out. LiFePO4 however doesn't like to charge at colder temps (usually below freezing), so take that into account. For lead-acid, you probably want to size things so it charges to 100% more often.

Replies (1)

@toroidalcore@masto.hackers.town 2026-04-21 05:29

@flipsideza@fosstodon.org Now that said, a controller is probably a good idea. Something regulating the battery voltage to about 14.5-14.6 V will probably let the BMS equalize the cells a bit better. There are cheap ones available, and I think some mesh nodes have ones built in. This was thrown together, since I had the battery and panel already with PowerPole connectors, as well as a Y-cable. So it was just plug and play.

Open ##2467853