12V/100amp Timeusb Lithium Batt - Which Charger for Correct Charging Protocols?

[Tin Man]

I am considering the Timeusb Lithium batts sold on Amazon. Vendor recommended, (2 in series) of their 12V/100amp Pro Lithium for my 24V/80# MK TM
I reached to vendor and they stated the following for charging....

#2 "Regarding the charger, we recommend a battery charger that supports LiFePO4 battery charging with 14.2V~14.6V charging voltage. And, we usually recommend a 0.2C charging current, that is 20A charging current for one Timeusb 12V 100ah battery."

I researched chargers and NOCO does not make a 20amp 2 bank charger.

For those of you using this same battery, what charger are you using?

Thanks

 

[Ray Clark]

I have a CHINs 100Ah LiFePO4 battery. I use the NOCO 5X2 dual bank charger. It accommodates LiFePO4 batteries as well as AGM and standard Lead Acid batteries. Each bank is switchable and keeps the switch settings between sessions.

NOCO is a good brand, and I'd have no qualms about using 10X2 or even 5X2. I think you're safe as long as you're not trying to push energy faster into a battery than it's rated to handle coming in.

It's hard to tell what the manual is really describing when the tech writers are offshore and may not have the language specificity we usually look for when we're reading technical documents. Even Google Translate has problems catching nuance in translations. I can write a letter in English, have Google Translate take it into German for my cousins, and they'll comment that it was hilarious because the translator didn't catch the nuances of the language.

 

[Tin Man]

I agree...not sure if the 20amp charger is what they think/believe should be used, or is it a REQUIREMENT for the battery in question. I am a total newb to Lithiums and want to be sure I don't void any warranties with Timeusb due to incorrect charging protocols.

 

[FuzzyGrub]

I think they gave you the maximum charge rate. My 20aH LiFePO4 has a maximum of 10A. I use a 5A Noco on it. If there were 15x2 or 20x2 chargers, you might need a special outlet and extension cord. You will be fine with a 10x2 that supports Li.

 

[Ray Clark]

... If there were 15x2 or 20x2 chargers, you might need a special outlet and extension cord. ...

Not if what you're discussing is the 15 or 20 Amps that comes out of the wall outlet. 20 Amps of 120V AC converts to about 220 Amps DC at 12V.

 

[FuzzyGrub]

Not if what you're discussing is the 15 or 20 Amps that comes out of the wall outlet. 20 Amps of 120V AC converts to about 220 Amps DC at 12V.

I was going more by the size of the cords on the auto shop chargers that put out 50A or so. There is loss of efficiency in the conversion, but a 14-16ga cord should be sufficient. My mistake.

 

[Tin Man]

I reached out to Timeusb again about the specific chargers… they stated 10amp would be just as good, just take longer to charge…, which is obvious. 10x2 as Fuzxy suggested it is! Going with a Noco.

 

[thill]

First, congrats on your 100AH TimeUSB PRO battery purchase. I saw they are on sale for $208.99 which is crazy.

I am very impressed with mine. I bought two inexpensive 10A smart LiFeP04 chargers for mine. One for each. They charge surprisingly quickly. Faster, I think, than a double battery setup. Here are the exact ones I have:

Amazon: LiFeP04 Smart Charger

They say 10A but sometimes the readout will be higher or lower, as the battery needs it. I also use them to charge my 8AH portable batteries, and they do a great job.

Back to the batteries, after a couple of cycles, they hit their full potential. Just remember to NOT charge them at the end of the day. Leave them at 30-50% charge when storing them. Don't charge to full capacity until the night before a big trip.

Please report how you like the power output of yours. Mine are very impressive compared to my lead acid batteries. I have yet to run them all the way down, as they last and last and last.

 

[Ray Clark]

First, congrats on your 100AH TimeUSB PRO battery purchase. I saw they are on sale for $208.99 which is crazy.

......

That's an unbelievable price. I paid about $350 for my CHINs branded battery in Spring 2022. I think the TimeUSB is a superior battery to the CHINs from everything I've seen.

A quick search shows an Interstate Marine Deep Cycle of same size (98 Ah) is about $190, but weighs 60 pounds, which is more than twice the TimeUSB. The price differential has been just about wiped out.

 

[thill]

Yes, exactly. In fact some of the AGM batteries cost more than the LiFeP04s.

The difference is that the AGM batteries are excellent starting batteries, whereas most lithiums are not rated for starting and can't charge directly from the motor, so they serve different purposes. The Dakotas are, but the price with give the average guy a nosebleed.

 

[flatheadsteve]

I think they lowered the price again or extended the sale...I just got 3 12v 50ah for $113 a piece...will use these for the trolling motor and take one of the existing 12v batteries and connect it to my house battery with a blue seas switch to double the house capacity

 

[thill]

That is a good price. What brand?

When I was looking at 50AH, they were all $159-$200 and up. I ended up getting the TimeUSB PRO 100AH for $219 on sale, and very glad I did.

The price you bought at definitely make getting multiples more appealing. A 50 AH house battery will run your livescope, fishfinders, radios, lights, ETC for a long time.

So what do you do? Turn the battery switch on when sitting and off while running the engine? Or is there a limiter so the engine can charge the lithiums?

 

[flatheadsteve]

I got time usb pros. The lithiums will be In the center console and will get charged with a min kota precision on board charger I plug into when on shore. The main house battery (agm) is in the bilge but I plan to keep one of the existing agm batteries that was for the trolling motor and it will become a second house battery that the outboard can charge. The blue seas switch will allow me to turn off all power( I do this while towing I've hit bumps on the highway and had rocker switches turn on) and select which battery the outboard charges or both.

 

[LDUBS]

I got time usb pros. The lithiums will be In the center console and will get charged with a min kota precision on board charger I plug into when on shore. The main house battery (agm) is in the bilge but I plan to keep one of the existing agm batteries that was for the trolling motor and it will become a second house battery that the outboard can charge. The blue seas switch will allow me to turn off all power( I do this while towing I've hit bumps on the highway and had rocker switches turn on) and select which battery the outboard charges or both.

I also have the MK on-board Precision charger for my TM battery (Group 31 AGM). It is an older model and I don't think it has an option for LiFePO4. Sounds like that is a newer upgrade. I guess if I ever upgrade to Lithium I'll have to get a new charger too. Drats!

 

[flatheadsteve]

I also have the MK on-board Precision charger for my TM battery (Group 31 AGM). It is an older model and I don't think it has an option for LiFePO4. Sounds like that is a newer upgrade. I guess if I ever upgrade to Lithium I'll have to get a new charger too. Drats!

Not sure when they may have added it mine is the 3 bank 10 amp and I assume a 2023 model but it could be a 2022.

 

[LDUBS]

Not sure when they may have added it mine is the 3 bank 10 amp and I assume a 2023 model but it could be a 2022.

I think the Lithium enhancement happened mid 2021. Mine is a 2018 model - single bank. I have a separate NOCO charger in the back for the starter battery.

My group 31 TM battery comes in around 60#. I'm happy with it and in no hurry to replace it. When the time comes, I'll be glad to get the lighter weight Lithium battery.

 

[thill]

Steve,
I think you will love your battery. Hopefully, your charger is made for LiFeP04 batteries.

This morning, I ordered a 50AH TimeUSB battery to run my new Livescope and front FF unit. It was on sale for $119. I wanted something better than the 8AH AGM's I've been using.

I just got one of the smart chargers I have listed above, and am going to keep it separate from the rest of my charging system. I just need to add a splitter, so that when I plug my boat in, it fires up both chargers.

One thing I learned is that these batteries last longer if you store them at 30-50% charge. So, unlike lead batteries, you do NOT want to charge back to full after every trip for the best life. Just charge the night before a trip.

 

[thill]

I agree...not sure if the 20amp charger is what they think/believe should be used, or is it a REQUIREMENT for the battery in question. I am a total newb to Lithiums and want to be sure I don't void any warranties with Timeusb due to incorrect charging protocols.

No, not a requirement. Mine recommends a 20A for speed but says a 10A will give a longer service life. Read your manufacturer's literature, but I'm pretty sure most are that way.

Not sure that applies to the Dakota STARTING batteries. Those are a different animal.

 

[flatheadsteve]

Steve,
I think you will love your battery. Hopefully, your charger is made for LiFeP04 batteries.

This morning, I ordered a 50AH TimeUSB battery to run my new Livescope and front FF unit. It was on sale for $119. I wanted something better than the 8AH AGM's I've been using.

I just got one of the smart chargers I have listed above, and am going to keep it separate from the rest of my charging system. I just need to add a splitter, so that when I plug my boat in, it fires up both chargers.

One thing I learned is that these batteries last longer if you store them at 30-50% charge. So, unlike lead batteries, you do NOT want to charge back to full after every trip for the best life. Just charge the night before a trip.

For the price I couldn't go wrong. I had to do something before next season we came close to draining the only starting/house battery once last year . I was almost going to switch the trolling motor to 24v( easy to do with the garmin)allowing me to take the 3rd battery In the console and tie it to the main starter/house battery. That would have cost me nothing but left me with a 24v trolling motor on 2 group size 27 batteries in a 20ft boat that weighs 3500lbs or so. I'm sure it would have worked but I bet those group 27 batteries would get wore down fast on a windy day or with heavy currents. I also looked at upgrading the single starter/House battery to something bigger but my bilge area is already quite crowded a group 27 is about all that will fit back there. Those 3 little 50ah batteries take up less space than 2 group 27s allowing me to run those and an additional agm in my console and still have more space than I did before. Hopefully they run the trolling motor all day even in the worst of conditions. I think they will with 36volts I'm rarely above 50% throttle on it. I'm really excited I might even have enough room left over in the console to store something other than batteries and a charger.

 

[thill]

...I'm really excited I might even have enough room left over in the console to store something other than batteries and a charger.

Nice! In addition to the weight savings, which is notable.