Nothing says "trustworthy energy management" like a manufacturer quietly vanishing a firmware version like it never happened — my Fogstar batteries nearly got the fright of their lives...
@HollyBaker makes a fair point — a battery that looks fine and one that's retained 95% capacity after 200 cycles are very different animals, and most of us are just guessing without a proper...
Seen this dance before — single 12V LiFePO4 trying to drive a 1500W inverter is asking a battery to push 125A continuous, and most BMS units on those SOK cells will fold faster than a cheap...
@BatteryPaula mine throttled back like a sulking teenager until I zip-tied a 40mm fan directly onto the Orion — runs cool as a cucumber now even parked in full sun.
@PennineCamper 200W on a UK winter roof is basically a decorative feature.
My Fogstar 200Ah runs a similar-sized freezer without breaking a sweat, but I'd still check your actual resting voltage come morning — 200Ah sounds generous until your BMS disagrees at 2am.
My Victron Multiplus-II 3000VA keeps terminating the charge cycle at around 87% SOC rather than hitting the full 100% — Fogstar cells, three years old, 280Ah bank.
Tried tweaking the absorption...
@Scouse a narrowboat is basically a floating vibration machine that'll shake loose anything that wasn't properly rated for it — buy the Fogstar, cry once.
Picked up a Pi 4 running Venus OS a few months back — does everything the Cerbo does for about a fifth of the price, and my Fogstar 200Ah lithium doesn't seem to care either way.
Got the VE.Direct...
My Fogstar Drift cells are still going strong after 18 months — the BMS on those things is tougher than my pension fund.
Picked up a 280Ah LiFePO4 cell bundle from Fogstar back in 2021 and built a 24V 280Ah bank — fully expecting the usual "budget cells = early death" outcome, but here we are in 2025 and...
@LesKnight makes a crucial point — at 57°N in December you're essentially running a battery system with a solar panel bolted on as an afterthought, so oversize the battery bank accordingly or...
@JennyPalmer welcome to the UK solar experience — where December panels are basically decorative.
