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solar power with lithium-ion battery

Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2012 11:18 am
by xbaha
hi, i am planing to make a charged RB with solar system, but instead of traditional acid, i want to use lithium-ion battery because of weight issues.
i was reading recently about some differences and i had 2 major points to consider:
1. if the solar voltage dropped below the source voltage, a diode is used to prevent the reverse charge from the source.
2. if the lithium-ion battery is fully charged it should disconnect (through a controller).

please if someone has tried to use lithium-ion battery i would love to hear about their experience, and what problems to expect.

thanks.

Re: solar power with lithium-ion battery

Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2012 1:54 pm
by routerboardPro
Lithium cells are quite fussy about how you charge them. If you overcharge them they can swell, vent and catch fire.

I would strongly urge you to obtain a proper charger/charging_circuit for the type of cells you intend to charge. Assuming you want a 3-cell lithium pack (11.1v), you could perhaps look at using one of the cheap chargers used in the radio control R/C hobby, and hook that up to your solar regulator?

Re: solar power with lithium-ion battery

Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 4:30 pm
by xbaha
any recommendation for a good controller?

Re: solar power with lithium-ion battery

Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 12:58 am
by Mack
I have looked it before on the net and I see that there are no solar powered charge controllers where it is specified to work with Lithium-Ion batteries. LiIon battery recharging needs several safety checks.