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Redodo Miniature Deep-Cycle Battery Can 4x Your Power Supply
Jul
The oldsters at Redodo, a battery producer, just lately reached out to us as a result of they needed us to check their 12V 100Ah Mini LiFePO4 battery. After testing it and seeing the place it could match, I’m not solely going to advocate it to readers seeking to exchange a lead-acid deep-cycle battery, but additionally to anyone who wants to avoid wasting house and weight for his or her 12-volt power storage wants.
The Downside This Battery Solves
Like most automotive and RV fanatics, I’ve been utilizing 12-volt batteries for a very long time. For those who’ve ever had a automotive’s battery exit, you in all probability know the wrestle. For those who’re the “choose issues up and put them down” form of one who spends plenty of time on the health club (significantly in case you’re a man), it won’t seem to be a giant wrestle to raise a battery out of a automotive’s engine bay, however in case you’re a not-so-muscular girl, it’s a more durable job to get that factor out and take it into AutoBone (Good —Ed.) or Sam’s Membership to check and/or exchange it.
This challenge is an excellent larger problem in case you’re working with deep-cycle batteries, such as you’d use for a trolling motor or an RV. They’ve obtained extra storage and you may deplete them to decrease ranges, however they’re even larger and heavier. Even worse are issues like golf carts, telecom batteries, and different large hunks of lead that provide help to get some juice.
Worse, lead-acid deep cycles typically solely final just a few years at finest. In automobiles, non-deep cycle batteries are likely to final 2–5 years (and generally much less time), whereas an RV battery would possibly have to be changed yearly or two because of disuse between tenting journeys and holidays. Plus, all of those batteries have to be maintained and saved in a ventilated house to keep away from hydrogen gasoline explosions and acid getting all over the place if issues go terribly mistaken.
As EV and cleantech fanatics ought to know by now, battery expertise has improved loads in any grownup lifetime. Heck, even since 2000, the scale, weight, and price of power storage have all dropped drastically, whereas sturdiness and ease of upkeep are all up. On prime of what we’ve seen in EVs for the final decade or so, barely much less dense however way more sturdy LiFePO4 batteries (aka “LFP”) are additionally now on the scene.
Most firms providing a alternative for a deep-cycle battery use some great benefits of newer battery expertise to offer us with extra power storage and longer lifespans, and within the case of LiFePO batteries, higher security. However, till I obtained this assessment unit in, I hadn’t seen a producer attempt to give us better flexibility and smaller battery sizes.
Specs & Options
You possibly can find full specifications and features on Redodo’s website, so I’ll simply talk about a few of the highlights of what you’ll get on your $349 (as of this writing) in case you order one.
The largest factor is that this smaller battery from Redodo, which is somewhat smaller than a six pack of power drinks, provides you 100 amp-hours of storage (1.2 kWh). This is similar power storage {that a} typical lead-acid deep-cycle battery provides you, but it surely’s solely round half the scale of an RV battery. That is fairly spectacular, particularly for the value.
The 12V 100Ah Mini LiFePO4 battery can be fairly gentle, has a foldable and detachable carrying strap/deal with, and has detachable posts. This makes not just for flexibility, however straightforward portability, and loads much less wrestle for individuals who aren’t health club rats.
The final large factor is that it likes working with others. You possibly can hook as much as 4 batteries in parallel and in sequence, for a most of 48 volts and 400 amp-hours (@48 volts), or a 20 kWh battery system. Not all customers will wish to do that, however the choice is there if you wish to construct one thing actually cool, both at dwelling or on the street.
My Testing
I don’t at the moment have an RV helpful to check the battery with, so I made a decision to place the battery to an excellent more durable take a look at: hooking it as much as an influence inverter and pulling as much as 1000 watts from it. I had no downside drawing practically the complete 1,000 watts to energy a window air conditioner with it. So, clearly, it really works effectively and received’t allow you to down with deep-cycle wants (which normally aren’t as robust).
Because of some yard work, I wasn’t capable of get nice photographs, however I had no downside utilizing it with a 60-watt folding photo voltaic panel and Renogy cost controller. Simply remember to get a cost controller that’s appropriate with LiFePO batteries if you wish to cost one (or extra) with solar energy. The consumer guide has full particulars on what settings to make use of with a appropriate cost controller.
Essential be aware! The perfect half: Redodo is providing a reduction to CleanTechnica readers once you use the code [CT4] for 4% OFF!
How It Can Double or Quadruple Your Power Storage
Having labored with deep-cycle batteries in RVs, what immediately got here to thoughts for me was simply how a lot power storage you could possibly get away with right here. Not solely is the unit half the scale of a typical deep-cycle, however you’ll be able to safely run it down low as a substitute of getting to maintain it above 50% such as you would with a lead-acid battery.
Which means simply considered one of these batteries may give you twice as a lot usable storage as a lead-acid deep-cycle battery, however you have got room for 2 of those for each regular deep-cycle, so you’ll be able to quadruple your storage in the identical house and with much less weight. Many RV home battery banks use two or three deep-cycle batteries, and this Redodo Mini battery can serve in that capability simply as effectively. You possibly can put as much as 4 of them in parallel to get a 400 amp-hour system at 12 volts, and if you should utilize 24 or 48 volts, you’ll be able to go for much more storage in case you’re sensible about battery placement.
The Guide Makes It Straightforward
Lastly, one of many issues that I appreciated most concerning the 12V 100Ah Mini LiFePO4 battery is that it comes with respectable documentation. In contrast to what you would possibly get at a giant field retail retailer, they don’t assume you’re a battery knowledgeable once you purchase considered one of these. The guide provides you all the particulars on charging, discharging, connecting, and organising a bigger battery system. They assume you don’t know a lot, so anyone can work with these (assuming you’re taking cheap precautions with electrical energy).
Even higher, the guide and fast begin information are available in a waterproof zipper pouch in an effort to maintain the guide helpful after set up in an RV or different harsh setting. So, they actually did assume this product via, from begin to end. Don’t neglect: Redodo is providing a reduction to CleanTechnica readers once you use the code [CT4] for 4% OFF!
Pictures courtesy Jennifer Sensiba / CleanTechnica.
This text is sponsored by Redodo. A 12V 100Ah Mini LiFePO4 battery was supplied to the writer freed from cost for the needs of this assessment.
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