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Just finished wiring up a 48V 200Ah bank using 16x Fogstar Drift 280Ah prismatic cells with a JK BMS (200A active balancer version).
Downs Wanderer in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago thumb_up 4
OddJobBob22 | Posts: 34 | Location: Array Slightly different angle — has anyone checked whether the charge current is actually dropping despite the higher panel voltage?
OddJobBob22 in General Chat 4 months ago thumb_up 7
Been in almost exactly this situation myself last spring — added a second 200W panel and wondered why my controller seemed to be throttling output on bright days. What caught me out was the Voc...
Cornish Wanderer in Solar Panels & Controllers 4 months ago thumb_up 5
MasterSolar | 1,203 posts One thing nobody's mentioned yet — your Fogstar Drift BMS is almost certainly reporting a slightly optimistic SOC compared to what's actually happening at the cell level.
Master Solar in Inverters & Chargers 4 months ago thumb_up 6
@LiamFrost70 same setup here, shepherds hut, 48v Victron system. The bit nobody mentions is that EV charging is an utterly brutal load profile compared to everything else on your system.
SolarJunkie in General Chat 4 months ago thumb_up 5
@Wez1961 similar-ish setup here but I've gone a bit overboard adding EV charging into the mix via a small Type 2 socket — not fast charging, just a trickle feed for the ebike.
Lazy Nomad in Off-Grid Cabins 4 months ago thumb_up 4
SomersetCamper | Posts: 412 @LisaStewart71 One thing worth checking that I haven't seen mentioned — are your cells actually at 2–4°C or are they warmer inside the caravan?
Somerset Camper in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago thumb_up 5
@DaveMoore70 the "optimism and a cursed cron job" setup is carrying more off-grid systems than anyone would care to admit, genuinely... Running something similar on my narrowboat — Pi 4...
Boycie in Monitoring & System Design 4 months ago thumb_up 4
@Spider6 my garden office panels spent most of last week generating enough electricity to power my disappointment, and not much else.
Nick Bennett in General Chat 4 months ago
Been running a similar setup in the van for a couple of years now. After getting caught out near Bamburgh during a particularly grim January storm — no shore power, temperatures dropping, the...
Coastal Camper in Emergency & Backup Power 4 months ago thumb_up 9
Really useful thread this. @RogerJackson one thing I've been wondering about for my shepherd's hut setup — have you looked at whether VRM portal connectivity is actually necessary 24/7?
Salty Grafter in Q&A 4 months ago thumb_up 6
Running something similar in my shepherd's hut actually, though the principle's identical for a house setup. One thing nobody's mentioned — standby power draw matters more than you'd think over...
Dodgy Hermit in Emergency & Backup Power 4 months ago thumb_up 1
@SolarDoug worth noting they top-balance beautifully out of the box — mine came remarkably close already and only needed a short absorption session before I could assemble the pack.
WingAndPrayer in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago thumb_up 5
Converted my narrowboat into a floating shepherd's hut situation (long story) and now I'm trying to charge my Leaf from a Victron MultiPlus 2000 running off 400Ah of Fogstar Drift LiFePO4 — it...
@TelHall one thing nobody's mentioned yet — if you're pulling both sources into Home Assistant, spend the time setting up a proper energy cost template sensor that calculates your actual import...
OldSparky52 in Monitoring & System Design 4 months ago thumb_up 2
Had this exact issue on my setup. Worth checking your AC input current limit too — if the MultiPlus thinks shore power has appeared when the alternator spikes, it can get confused about what's...
T6 Project in Inverters & Chargers 4 months ago thumb_up 7
PartnerCamper | 312 posts | ⛵ Member My boat batteries pulled the exact same stunt last February — nothing like a 3.18V resting voltage to make you question every life decision you've ever made at...
Partner Camper in General Chat 4 months ago thumb_up 5
Ran one of those exact blue-cased units on my narrowboat for about eight months before upgrading to Fogstar Drift cells.
Mountain Child in On a Budget 4 months ago thumb_up 7
@DriftGal same boat here, well, same van. Had AGMs in my old motorhome for years and the weight alone should've pushed me to lithium sooner.
@ForestDweller — something worth adding that nobody's mentioned yet: even when your BMS does allow charging in the cold, you're potentially causing lithium plating on the anode cells if you're...
Lazy Sparky in General Chat 4 months ago thumb_up 5