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									Can I use a Benchtop power supply to charge a Lifepo4 battery? - Tools and Test Equipment				            </title>
            <link>https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/can-i-use-a-benchtop-power-supply-to-charge-a-lifepo4-battery/</link>
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                        <title>RE: Can I use a Benchtop power supply to charge a Lifepo4 battery?</title>
                        <link>https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/can-i-use-a-benchtop-power-supply-to-charge-a-lifepo4-battery/paged/2/#post-39697</link>
                        <pubDate>Tue, 25 Apr 2023 21:41:49 +0000</pubDate>
                        <description><![CDATA[@zander , thanks for those links, a lot of valuable information .]]></description>
                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[@zander , thanks for those links, a lot of valuable information .]]></content:encoded>
						                            <category domain="https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/">Tools and Test Equipment</category>                        <dc:creator>ddistrbd1</dc:creator>
                        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/can-i-use-a-benchtop-power-supply-to-charge-a-lifepo4-battery/paged/2/#post-39697</guid>
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                        <title>RE: Can I use a Benchtop power supply to charge a Lifepo4 battery?</title>
                        <link>https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/can-i-use-a-benchtop-power-supply-to-charge-a-lifepo4-battery/paged/2/#post-39696</link>
                        <pubDate>Tue, 25 Apr 2023 21:13:34 +0000</pubDate>
                        <description><![CDATA[Right, thanks for all your input so far.]]></description>
                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Right, thanks for all your input so far.</p>]]></content:encoded>
						                            <category domain="https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/">Tools and Test Equipment</category>                        <dc:creator>ddistrbd1</dc:creator>
                        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/can-i-use-a-benchtop-power-supply-to-charge-a-lifepo4-battery/paged/2/#post-39696</guid>
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                        <title>RE: Can I use a Benchtop power supply to charge a Lifepo4 battery?</title>
                        <link>https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/can-i-use-a-benchtop-power-supply-to-charge-a-lifepo4-battery/paged/2/#post-39695</link>
                        <pubDate>Tue, 25 Apr 2023 21:11:10 +0000</pubDate>
                        <description><![CDATA[@ddistrbd1 Probably the best resource for anything battery related is Battery University. The section on charging Lithium starts at BU- 409 read it and be enlightened. Don&#039;t miss the simple ...]]></description>
                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[@ddistrbd1 Probably the best resource for anything battery related is <a href="https://batteryuniversity.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Battery University</a>. The section on charging Lithium starts at <a href="https://batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-409-charging-lithium-ion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BU- 409</a> read it and be enlightened. Don't miss the simple guidelines at the end. Now that my <span style="color: #ff0000">secret resource</span> is known, I don't need to answer any more battery related questions, right????]]></content:encoded>
						                            <category domain="https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/">Tools and Test Equipment</category>                        <dc:creator>Ron</dc:creator>
                        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/can-i-use-a-benchtop-power-supply-to-charge-a-lifepo4-battery/paged/2/#post-39695</guid>
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                        <title>RE: Can I use a Benchtop power supply to charge a Lifepo4 battery?</title>
                        <link>https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/can-i-use-a-benchtop-power-supply-to-charge-a-lifepo4-battery/paged/2/#post-39694</link>
                        <pubDate>Tue, 25 Apr 2023 20:45:23 +0000</pubDate>
                        <description><![CDATA[@ddistrbd1 I would NOT buy that product. Something doesn&#039;t look right to me, and some of the wording is not relevant or misleading.
Look closely at their charge curve depiction, look at my ...]]></description>
                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>@ddistrbd1 I would NOT buy that product. Something doesn't look right to me, and some of the wording is not relevant or misleading.</p>
<p>Look closely at their charge curve depiction, look at my actual and look it up online. Online look for at least 5 sources before deciding the correct depiction and then compare them to mine and the Ali charger. If you can't read mine, just ask, and I will tell you. The absorb time is 2 hrs 2 minutes, remember how we told the charger to do an absorb cycle of 20 mins per battery and I have 6 batteries. I just found there supposed curve on the internet, here it is.</p>
6689
6690
<p> </p>
<p> </p>]]></content:encoded>
						                            <category domain="https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/">Tools and Test Equipment</category>                        <dc:creator>Ron</dc:creator>
                        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/can-i-use-a-benchtop-power-supply-to-charge-a-lifepo4-battery/paged/2/#post-39694</guid>
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                        <title>RE: Can I use a Benchtop power supply to charge a Lifepo4 battery?</title>
                        <link>https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/can-i-use-a-benchtop-power-supply-to-charge-a-lifepo4-battery/#post-39692</link>
                        <pubDate>Tue, 25 Apr 2023 18:41:53 +0000</pubDate>
                        <description><![CDATA[I must have misjudged your replies. anyhow it&#039;s good to know you&#039;re also a frequent buyer of that store.

I&#039;ll try to wrap to this battery in double quotes.but you already know which batte...]]></description>
                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p>@ddistrbd1 I order lots of stuff from Aliexpress. Not sure where you got the idea I don't.</p>
<p>I must have misjudged your replies. anyhow it's good to know you're also a frequent buyer of that store.</p>
<p></p>
<p>The battery looks like a typical prismatic with pros and cons, which I am sure you are now informed of.</p>
<p>I'll try to wrap to this battery in double quotes.but you already know which battery I'm talking about.</p>
<p></p>
<p>If you send me a link to the charger, I might be able to reassure you or caution you,</p>
<p>The [] is also available on Amazon for roughly the same price but the seller sounds a bit iffy, so I 'll wait 2 weeks to get the same thing from Aliexpress. </p>
<p><span> 14.6V 20A LiFePO4 charger.</span></p>
<p><span>can charge any LiFePO4 battery at a rate of 20 amps.can charge a 50Ah LiFePO4 battery in 2.5 hours, or a 100Ah battery in less than 5 hours, </span></p>
<p><span>It is not recommended to charge lead-acid batteries or SLA, AGM batteries.</span></p>
<p><span>Battery Protection: SCP,OVP,OCP,OTP</span></p>
<ul class="product-specs-list util-clearfix">
<li class="product-prop line-limit-length" data-spm-anchor-id="a2g0o.detail.0.i10.dc2d22e2iJZwLb"><span class="property-title" data-spm-anchor-id="a2g0o.detail.0.i11.dc2d22e2iJZwLb">Charging mode: </span><span class="property-desc line-limit-length">CC.CV.Trickle</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span>Charger output 14.6V 20A ±0.2</span></p>
<p>Sorry for limited specs, couldn't find more info.</p>
<p></p>
<p>but it will most likely be just a semi-educated guess. Mostly I wish you good luck, but 'play' with it outside on a concrete surface. Do NOT try to put out any fire if t should happen with water, get an approved fire extinguisher. Also, wear eye protection, gloves and clothing appropriate to the risk. Sorry if I am sounding negative, but my <em><strong>lawyers tell me that in a public forum like this, we must be careful with what we say, or there can be very serious repercussions.</strong></em></p>
<p></p>
<p>Believe me I know what you're talking about, I am 70 years old have had many hobbies, newcomers  who come a site like here(as well as many other hobbyist sites) always get the safest,most kosher answers , in other words you can not give guidance with a warning (you could do it but do it at your own risk" so instead the safest most acceptable advice are the only choice left.</p>
<p>Edit:the link thingy didn't work </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>]]></content:encoded>
						                            <category domain="https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/">Tools and Test Equipment</category>                        <dc:creator>ddistrbd1</dc:creator>
                        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/can-i-use-a-benchtop-power-supply-to-charge-a-lifepo4-battery/#post-39692</guid>
                    </item>
				                    <item>
                        <title>RE: Can I use a Benchtop power supply to charge a Lifepo4 battery?</title>
                        <link>https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/can-i-use-a-benchtop-power-supply-to-charge-a-lifepo4-battery/#post-39691</link>
                        <pubDate>Tue, 25 Apr 2023 17:30:34 +0000</pubDate>
                        <description><![CDATA[@ddistrbd1 I do a few Amazon reviews and can tell you many of them are either paid-for or village idiots with a free unidentifiable platform to spout nonsense on. Remember, some still think ...]]></description>
                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[@ddistrbd1 I do a few Amazon reviews and can tell you many of them are either paid-for or village idiots with a free unidentifiable platform to spout nonsense on. Remember, some still think the Earth is flat, or we faked the moon landing 6 times. Because you bought it on Amazon, if something is wrong with it, returning it is simple, so give it a good workout for the first month or whatever the return window is. I really hope to hear that all is well and working well.]]></content:encoded>
						                            <category domain="https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/">Tools and Test Equipment</category>                        <dc:creator>Ron</dc:creator>
                        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/can-i-use-a-benchtop-power-supply-to-charge-a-lifepo4-battery/#post-39691</guid>
                    </item>
				                    <item>
                        <title>RE: Can I use a Benchtop power supply to charge a Lifepo4 battery?</title>
                        <link>https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/can-i-use-a-benchtop-power-supply-to-charge-a-lifepo4-battery/#post-39690</link>
                        <pubDate>Tue, 25 Apr 2023 17:13:53 +0000</pubDate>
                        <description><![CDATA[@ddistrbd1 I order lots of stuff from Aliexpress. Not sure where you got the idea I don&#039;t. The battery looks like a typical prismatic with pros and cons, which I am sure you are now informed...]]></description>
                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[@ddistrbd1 I order lots of stuff from Aliexpress. Not sure where you got the idea I don't. The battery looks like a typical prismatic with pros and cons, which I am sure you are now informed of. If you send me a link to the charger, I might be able to reassure you or caution you, but it will most likely be just a semi-educated guess. Mostly I wish you good luck, but 'play' with it outside on a concrete surface. Do NOT try to put out any fire if t should happen with water, get an approved fire extinguisher. Also, wear eye protection, gloves and clothing appropriate to the risk. Sorry if I am sounding negative, but my lawyers tell me that in a public forum like this, we must be careful with what we say, or there can be very serious repercussions.]]></content:encoded>
						                            <category domain="https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/">Tools and Test Equipment</category>                        <dc:creator>Ron</dc:creator>
                        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/can-i-use-a-benchtop-power-supply-to-charge-a-lifepo4-battery/#post-39690</guid>
                    </item>
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                        <title>RE: Can I use a Benchtop power supply to charge a Lifepo4 battery?</title>
                        <link>https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/can-i-use-a-benchtop-power-supply-to-charge-a-lifepo4-battery/#post-39689</link>
                        <pubDate>Tue, 25 Apr 2023 16:58:33 +0000</pubDate>
                        <description><![CDATA[@zander , that last post of yours covers a lot of good information, thanks .
I understand the logic behind a worry free /top quality tools or instruments  and since you don&#039;t know my budget...]]></description>
                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>@zander , that last post of yours covers a lot of good information, thanks .</p>
<p>I understand the logic behind a worry free /top quality tools or instruments  and since you don't know my budget you can only start from the very top .</p>
<p>Right now I got all the information I needed and already bought my first Lifepo4 battery for the price of $200 Canadian$, I also ordered a$100 on a charge which is lifepo4 specific and does not charge any other type of battery. </p>
<p>all of this was to give you an idea on how much I'm willing to spend and therefore the project at hand can not be anything elaborate.</p>
<p>I priced the chargers you linked, found a couple of them on Amazon dot ca and they were way above my budget but they gave me an idea how expensive they can be, the one I bought was from the store you dislike the most (Ali EXpress) but I'm sure you agree that for many of us newbie hobbyists that store is a godsent, but let's not go there, opinions vary.</p>
<p>I learned a lot from this brief conversation with you, it was important for me to know why I couldn't just use my benchtop PSU to charge the 30ah battery and asked the same question from the amazon sellers and reviewers/ others,and came to a consensus that buying a proper charger is a wiser move than I thought.so I did but not the best of the best.</p>
<p>I'll see how it performs when I receive it in 2 weeks.</p>
<p>Thank you again for your posts,links, comments and most of all your patience.</p>]]></content:encoded>
						                            <category domain="https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/">Tools and Test Equipment</category>                        <dc:creator>ddistrbd1</dc:creator>
                        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/can-i-use-a-benchtop-power-supply-to-charge-a-lifepo4-battery/#post-39689</guid>
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                        <title>RE: Can I use a Benchtop power supply to charge a Lifepo4 battery?</title>
                        <link>https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/can-i-use-a-benchtop-power-supply-to-charge-a-lifepo4-battery/#post-39687</link>
                        <pubDate>Tue, 25 Apr 2023 15:18:45 +0000</pubDate>
                        <description><![CDATA[@ddistrbd1 I assumed as much, but the same gear is used any time you need to charge a battery ((DC to DC) | (AC to DC)) (charger) and/or convert DC to AC (inverter)
That is why my link 

...]]></description>
                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>@ddistrbd1 I assumed as much, but the same gear is used any time you need to charge a battery ((DC to DC) | (AC to DC)) (charger) and/or convert DC to AC (inverter)</p>
<p>That is why my link </p>
<blockquote>
<p><span>For you, I would recommend the Victron Blue Smart IP65 12V 25A. </span><a href="https://www.victronenergy.com/chargers/blue-smart-ip65-charger" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">https://www.victronenergy.com/chargers/blue-smart-ip65-charger</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>is for a charger only, 12V at 25A as specified by your battery manufacturer.</p>
<p>QUESTION You seem to be worried about cost, like most of us, so should you tell us your budget? I think it is critical to know more about your use case as well. AS I have not seen any mention of monitoring equipment, local/remote requirements, safety, accuracy, etc.</p>
<p>The block diagram consists of the following (using my country's standards, yours may be different)</p>
<p>Primary reliable input power 110VAC</p>
<p>Charger to convert 110AC to '12'VDC (actually goes as high as 14. x) at enough amperage to do a full change in a time frame you desire (for your battery, they specify 25A, but smaller is ok, it will just take longer)</p>
<p>If you want to know what is going on, a Bluetooth-enabled shunt. By going the Smart Shunt way, you avoid the costs associated with a conventional wall-mounted meter. Here is the Victron link <a href="https://www.victronenergy.com/battery-monitors/smart-battery-shunt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LINK</a></p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>NOTE</strong></span> If you are only going to put the battery on charge and then remove it, then come back later to charge it again, then the shunt is not that useful. See the charger docs for recommendations regarding monitoring, or just set a timer for at least an hour, maybe 2, to be absolutely certain.</p>
<p>If the batteries you intend to charge do NOT have built-in or accompanying BMS, then you will need to spend between a few tens to a few hundred dollars to get a BMS. I much prefer them built in so no connections can accidentally become disconnected, resulting in a catastrophic event. A Battleborn 50AH battery is a good choice for that. They cost roughly $650USD.</p>
<p>Use a wire calculator to determine what you need in the welders' cable for the run's distance. Some people try to save money on the wire as copper is very expensive these days, but that one-time saving results in a lifetime of losses in the form of heat. NOT wise. </p>
<p>If you are building for 'conditioned' space, normal copper lugs and bus bars can be used, but if it is in non-living quarters, then only get marine-grade lugs, wire, and bus bars. Of course, heat shrink all connectors using the best quality double wall with adhesive to further protect against corrosion (after all, it is an electrical reaction). You will likely have a minor heart attack when you see the price of marine-grade breakers. I know I did, but your life may depend on it, so bite the bullet. FYI, breakers are sized to save the insulation from burning. You will need, in your simple case, 2, one on the DC input and one on the DC output. </p>
<p>I think that covers it, other than tools (all tools of good as a minimum quality), wire cutters with your largest grade as the midpoint, manual or hydraulic lug fasteners, heat gun, and the usual collection of normal electricians' tools.</p>
<p>I looked up breakers for you. I highly recommend the Blue Sea brand, this is an area with a lot of fakes so I don't take chances. Here is the link to a 30A marine grade breaker <a href="https://amz.run/6d38" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LINK </a> here is non-marine grade, 1/5 the cost, but I would never use <a href="https://amz.run/6d39" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LINK </a></p>
<p>I recommend a fellow called Will Prowse if you want a more in-depth understanding. Check the following link for an overview of him, then watch some videos and maybe buy his book. Yes, it's mostly about solar and RVs, but the engineering for batteries, chargers and misc stuff is all the same. NOTE NOTE search his YT chan when learning about a product as he will do follow-up reviews in case they 'cheaped out.' This happened many times. This is how science works, we change our minds when the facts change, but the other guys do not. Check this link to get an understanding of Will <a href="https://shopsolarkits.com/blogs/learning-center/who-is-will-prowse-diy-solar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LINK </a></p>]]></content:encoded>
						                            <category domain="https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/">Tools and Test Equipment</category>                        <dc:creator>Ron</dc:creator>
                        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/can-i-use-a-benchtop-power-supply-to-charge-a-lifepo4-battery/#post-39687</guid>
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                        <title>RE: Can I use a Benchtop power supply to charge a Lifepo4 battery?</title>
                        <link>https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/can-i-use-a-benchtop-power-supply-to-charge-a-lifepo4-battery/#post-39683</link>
                        <pubDate>Tue, 25 Apr 2023 06:36:19 +0000</pubDate>
                        <description><![CDATA[Good to know, I am not investing big money on a solar kit or anything remotely close to it, at least not yet but it is an interesting subject to know/learn so any information such as you jus...]]></description>
                        <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Good to know, I am not investing big money on a solar kit or anything remotely close to it, at least not yet but it is an interesting subject to know/learn so any information such as you just mentioned always pique my interest.</p>]]></content:encoded>
						                            <category domain="https://forum.dronebotworkshop.com/tools-equipment/">Tools and Test Equipment</category>                        <dc:creator>ddistrbd1</dc:creator>
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