What are the best Lithium Marine Batteries for house and engine batteries

Discussion in 'OnBoard Electronics & Controls' started by oceancruiser, Jan 14, 2014.

  1. florin
    Joined: Jan 2014
    Posts: 5
    Likes: 0, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: Auckland NZ

    florin Junior Member

    Hi Bert
    I'm also curios to see how the sugar "battery" story unfolds. Sugars are the energy carriers just about anything living uses so off to a good start. Not sure why they call it a battery though as it's clearly a fuel cell. The competition, if any will be with hydrogen, methanol or other synthetic compound fuel cells, not lithium or other batteries.
     
  2. BertKu
    Joined: May 2009
    Posts: 2,521
    Likes: 47, Points: 58, Legacy Rep: 223
    Location: South Africa Little Brak River

    BertKu Senior Member

    I basically agree with you.
    Bert
     
  3. John Perry
    Joined: Nov 2003
    Posts: 308
    Likes: 53, Points: 28, Legacy Rep: 129
    Location: South West UK

    John Perry Senior Member

    I am not sure you understand my point. Sure, Honda and Yamaha both make small petrol generators that have 12v outputs, but these low voltage outputs dont seem to be suitable to take full advantage of the high charge rate possible with lithium batteries. Taking the Yamaha EF1000iS as typical of the small end of the range, this generator has close to 1kW maximum 230V AC output but only 8amps maximum output at 12V. Say you have a nominal 100amp-hour lead acid battery, or alternatively a nominal 62 amp-hour lithium battery, these being about equivalent in their effective capacity. Its going to take several hours to fully charge either type of battery from the DC output of this generator, whereas if you had a generator that could put the full power of the same petrol prime mover into generating at low voltage you could charge the lithium option in about one hour. This would reduce the time that you have to put up with the noise and reduce the fuel usage. Of course, you could alternatively put the AC output of the generator through a battery charger, but that would seem to be a more roundabout way to do it and it would need to be a big battery charger, battery chargers carried on small boats normally only being intended for overnight charging at fairly low current from shore power.
     
  4. groper
    Joined: Jun 2011
    Posts: 2,483
    Likes: 144, Points: 73, Legacy Rep: 693
    Location: australia

    groper Senior Member

    Wouldn't hard to make up a home made gizmo I would think... First a transformer to bring down the 240v down to 14v, then a bridge rectifier with high current diodes and then some capacitors to even out the voltage bumps. Probably need some means of governing the load as the internal resistance of the lithium battery is very low. Plug this into the 240v outlet of the genny and bingo?
     

  5. pdwiley
    Joined: Jun 2008
    Posts: 1,004
    Likes: 86, Points: 48, Legacy Rep: 933
    Location: Hobart

    pdwiley Senior Member

    Funnily enough I have one of those big rectifiers. Long time ago before the advent of cheap DC welders CIG sold a big AC-DC box you could attach to your stick welder. You could then do a scratch start TIG job (not aluminium though) if you had to, or run DC rods.

    Mine has been sitting under a bench in search of a purpose for years now. Perhaps I should think about selling it. I'll never use it again (famous last words).

    PDW
     
Loading...
Similar Threads
  1. Charlyipad
    Replies:
    19
    Views:
    2,958
  2. 5teve
    Replies:
    7
    Views:
    2,058
  3. JosephT
    Replies:
    11
    Views:
    4,939
  4. MrPopper
    Replies:
    12
    Views:
    10,403
  5. vondoom
    Replies:
    3
    Views:
    4,173
  6. oceancruiser
    Replies:
    8
    Views:
    2,914
  7. jamesgyore
    Replies:
    64
    Views:
    9,354
  8. Karl_T
    Replies:
    37
    Views:
    16,494
  9. ChrisN67
    Replies:
    12
    Views:
    12,710
  10. SailBella
    Replies:
    21
    Views:
    5,114
Forum posts represent the experience, opinion, and view of individual users. Boat Design Net does not necessarily endorse nor share the view of each individual post.
When making potentially dangerous or financial decisions, always employ and consult appropriate professionals. Your circumstances or experience may be different.