[Elecraft] Concerning Bioenno LiFePO4 Connectors

[Kevin der Kinderen]

Hi Erik:

I don't know the answer. I suspect you cannot charge and discharge at the
same time. Bioenno's support has been pretty responsive so you might find
an answer there.

I believe Bioe is working on a product similar to the West Mountain PWRGate
but specifically for LiFe batteries. Then combining charge and discharge
makes more sense. I've run the PWRGate here with a marine battery for a
while. I could see tucking away a similar product for the LiFe batteries
into a go box.

The chargers I have I bought with the batteries. I leave them plugged in
and charging all the time ready for hitting the road.

Kev


On Wed, Jul 26, 2017 at 10:03 AM, Erik Tkal <etksubs at gmail.com> wrote:

> I wonder how operating a rig with the battery connected to the charger
> affects the charger operation?  Does the charger perform the Constant
> Current charge and switch over to the trickle for LiFePo charging, or does
> the PCM manage that?  Would there be any adverse effects to the charger if
> the radio tries to draw too much?
>
>   Thanks and 73,
>   Erik Tkal  -  W1QED
>
>
>
> On Jul 23, 2017, at 20:19, Kevin der Kinderen <kkinderen at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I asked Bioenno about the  use of the connectors and pointed out their site
> shows the barrel is for charging and the Powerpoles are for discharging. I
> was told this is not correct and that they will fix the information on
> their site. They have a process to go through with their product people so
> it won't happen quickly. However, they did update their FAQ section:
>
> *LFP:  Why is there a separate DC barrel plug connector and PowerPole
> Connector on my battery?  Can I charge through either connector? *
>
> On our PVC Pack LiFePO4 batteries, there are two separate connectors.  The
> first connector has a DC barrel plug and the second connector has an
> Anderson Powerpole connector.  The two connectors are indeed wired in
> parallel on the PCM (protection circuit module) that is integrated in every
> single battery pack.  So it is perfectly okay and fine to charge through
> the PowerPole connectors. Many customers requested two separate connectors
> in the batteries, in order to keep the battery's charger attached to the
> battery, such that the battery and charger can be stored in a portable
> Go-Box.  At the same time, customers can leave the PowerPole connector
> attached to the radio communications equipment, without having to
> repeatedly disconnect the charger from the battery, and attach the radio
> communications equipment.  However, we understand customers want to charge
> through the Powerpole connectors and use various other third party
> products.  We provided the two sets of connectors, simply for convenience
> purposes.
>
>
> The entire FAQ is found here:
>
> https://bioennopower.com/pages/faq-lifepo4-batteries#c
>
> 73,
>
> Kev K4VD
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