Tips, Tricks & Thoughts:
electrical
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New Features Coming On The Wakespeed WS500 Alternator Regulator
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Lithium Battery With External BMS Better For Winter Layup
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Fun you can have with ChatGPT5 A couple of weeks ago I read a particularly interesting article over at Pambo about the risk of trashing lithium batteries over a winter when the boat is stored in a cold location.
I highly recommend reading the original article in its entirety, but the key things I took away were:
- LiFePO4 batteries do self discharge over time. 2-3% a month is a good estimate.
- Parasitic loads that remain connected to the batteries can dramatically increase that discharge rate to the point that the batteries, if not regularly recharged, can be toast in just a month or two.
- Most lithium batteries will be damaged if charged with the temperature below about 5C (41F), not very cold, making things doubly difficult to manage while the boat is stored in a cold place.
- However, lithium batteries can be stored at much colder temperatures without damage; for example, Victron Smart Lithium can be stored down to -45C (-49F), which should work in most places.
Clearly the problem here, at least over say a six-month period, is not self discharge. For example, the battery could be charged to say 80% in the fall and six months later would be still a bit over 60%, assuming 3% (worst case).
Rather the real culprit is parasitic loads from the BMS as well as any connected monitoring systems, which can flatten the battery to destruction in a month or so.
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Lithium Battery Reliability and Backup
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Still Required?
Ever since we published my thought that lithium batteries had come of age, I have been pondering whether or not they have reached a point of reliability that would make me comfortable installing them on an offshore boat without the lead-acid serial backup we have recommended for years.
After all, we now have systems from Victron and Mastervolt that have, or at least can have if configured properly, redundancy with two or more BMSs. So surely the time has come?
After giving it a lot of thought, I’m not convinced, and would still install a serial lead-acid backup to support critical loads while upgrading to lithium on an offshore boat of mine.
Here’s why:
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Wakespeed WS500 Pro Programming Hack
2 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesMembers
As I mentioned in the last Tip, I was configuring the Wakespeed WS500 Pro alternator controller we have installed on our J/109 to use the whitespace feature and, although it’s not generally recommended, I was also messing around in advanced mode to get the most out of the alternator and our batteries—once a geek, always a geek.
Since we have a Pro, I was able to do all this tweaking using the Wakespeed App on my phone, but that has a downside: without a device plugged into the regulator I would have to turn on the ignition, or start the engine, to power it1.
With the first option the loud beeeeeeeeeeep from the oil pressure alarm would make me crazy, and I hate running an engine at idle for long periods.
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Wakespeed WS500 Alternator Regulator Deck Display
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Would have been better if I had cleaned the screen prior to taking the shot! I was reprogramming the Wakespeed WS500 Pro alternator regulator yesterday, to take advantage of the whitespace feature—more on that in a step-by-step guide by Eric Klem, all written, edited, and coming late this month.
While I was at it, I was able to display the charging voltage and mode the regulator is in (bulk, absorption, or float) on our on-deck plotter, as shown in the photo above.
Sure, given that Al Thomason at Wakespeed kindly arranged for us to get a replacement Pro regulator with Bluetooth for evaluation, I could see the same information on the app (and a whole lot more), but that would require me screwing with my phone, which I think is distracting when underway and therefore bad practice.
And of course those with the older WS500s (without Bluetooth) will find this doubly useful.
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Lithium Batteries Come Of Age
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A full system example from Victron. It looks intimidating at first, but if we take our time and understand the basic concepts, it’s actually quite approachable—kudos to Victron. That said, it’s our responsibility to make sure that our installation is safe and conforms to the standards for the country our boat is flagged in. And further, I would modify this system to get rid of the engine start battery alternator and charge the start battery through a DC/DC charger. The release of the new Victron NG Smart Lithium Battery, that I wrote about a few days ago, got me musing about where we have got to with lithium batteries generally. Here’s how I see the state of play through the lens of my own experience.
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Victron NG Smart Lithium Batteries
36 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesMembers
Ben Stein, over at Panbo, has just published a good review of the new Victron NG LiFePO4 batteries and related BMSs, well worth the time to read for most any cruiser who is even faintly interested in lithium batteries.
I won’t try to duplicate the excellent job Ben has done describing what makes this new system from Victron exciting, but rather I’m going to highlight a few things that jumped out at me as probably1 making this a good option for offshore cruising boats, particularly when paired with one or more Lynx Smart BMS NG(s):
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An Easily Removable Solar Panel
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As most of you are aware, because I beat the drum so often, I abhor cluttered decks on offshore boats, and one of my pet peeves is huge arrays of solar panels, particularly if they are clamped to pulpits or stanchions like so:
One wave strike, or even just a gale force wind, and this will end badly. Plus it’s just ugly and looks, and is, un-seamanlike.
But now there’s a carbon fibre panel that solves the problem:
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Battle Born Smart Batteries Initial Review
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OK, “review” is a bit of a stretch, but, hey, the word gets Google juice and, anyway, everyone on YouTube (many of them with no clue) uses the word for five minutes of breathless fan-boy blather, so fight fire with fire.
But, in reality, these are my thoughts.
Here’s my initial recommendation for these batteries and the associated Dragonfly IntelLigence®.
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Wakespeed WS500 Pro, Shipping
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Now Shipping
Al Thomason, co-founder and the designer behind our favourite alternator regulator, the Wakespeed WS500, gave me a call to say that the Pro model is now shipping to dealers and distributors and that the price is US$50 more than the original WS500, so around US$650. The harness, which will continue to be sold as an option for those who don’t care, or don’t want, BlueTooth control and monitoring, is extra.
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An Interesting Alternative To Lithium Batteries
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We are all aware that in yacht use the Achilles Heel of lead-acid batteries is that only about 50%1 of the rated capacity can be used on a daily basis.
But now Trojan, a well-respected brand, have released their AES AGM Battery with a claimed life of 1200 cycles to 100% discharge. These batteries are also purported to be able to withstand being left in a partial state of charge for long periods, repeatedly.
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Wakespeed WS500 Pro On Test
5 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesFree
Well, that was quick. It was just last week that I shared that the WS500 Pro was on time, and today what should turn up here at AAC World Headquarters, but a fully functioning production unit.
Al put on his red suit and slipped down the chimney to put it under the tree…wait, that’s not for four months, so I guess it was Fedex.
Anyway, thank you Al and Dragon Fly Energy for the evaluation unit.
Of course, being a cool calm guy who never gets excited by new technology, I put it aside and might get around to installing it six months from now…not.
The reality was that I had it out of the box and my iPhone connected to it within 10 minutes1—yes, it’s that easy.
And that highlights one of the features I like the best on the original WS500 and the Pro: both can be powered up on the bench so we can program them before installing on the boat.
As you can see, the Pro is being powered by a standard USB cable using an old Kindle wall wart, and my phone is connected to it via Bluetooth and showing the regulator monitoring screen.
See this Tip for why that’s a way cooler feature than you might think, as well as more information about the Pro.
I also verified that I can fully program the regulator from my iPhone over BlueTooth2.
By the way: the Pro automatically detects that it’s being powered by USB, instead of the harness, and so does not throw an error because there is no battery or alternator connected, like the WS500 does3.
Sane Password Implementation
Before I close, one other cool feature of the Pro I have not mentioned before:
The first time we connect a phone to a new Pro it insists we change its password before it will let us change any parameters.
Smart…do you want your brother-in-law playing with the configuration? Or maybe some super-smart but vindictive 14-year-old on the boat next door?
But wait, what happens if you forget the password, or maybe buy a boat with a Pro already installed? Not a worry, if we connect directly to the unit using the USB cable we can reset the password4.
Further Reading
- Much more on why the WS500 has long been the AAC recommended alternator regulator.
- Half of that was looking for a USB cable and wall wart. ↩︎
- At the time of writing, this requires a Beta test version of the app which is only available by invitation; however, Al tells me that the final app will be available to all within a week…damn, I kinda liked feeling special. ↩︎
- Said error didn’t have any negative effect, but I guess it alarmed (bad pun alert) people. ↩︎
- I think we would notice if said vindictive 14-year-old came aboard our boat and disappeared into the engine space carrying a USB cable and an Android phone or computer. ↩︎
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Wakespeed WS500 Pro On Time
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Late September
In April I hinted about a Bluetooth-enabled version of the WS500, our favourite alternator regulator, and in late June I confirmed that the WS 500 Pro had been announced, for shipment in “fall of 2024”.
That said, I always worry that products announced before they are ready to ship will be late, often horribly.
Anyway, the good news is that Al Thomason, designer of the WS500 and Pro, tells me that the new unit is on time:
- Early access production units ship next week.
- General availability is scheduled for late September, as promised.
- AAC will be receiving an early access evaluation unit soon—thanks, Al.
And further good news, I just received a notification that the Wakespeed app updated for Bluetooth is ready for early access testing on Android and iPhone (I’m on the Beta test list).
And if you just can’t wait to play with a WS500 Pro, Al himself will be at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival with a bunch of fully powered-up units during the first week of September.
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The Correct Shore Power Charger Profile To Use For Lead-Acid Batteries
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As I have written before, most shore power chargers are far less smart than they claim to be.
The problem is that unless chargers are connected to and compatible with monitoring systems like Victron Cerbo with Distributed Voltage and Current Control (DVCC) enabled, or Victron BMV with VE Smart Networking, they have no way to know when a lead-acid (or lithium) battery is fully charged, which requires measuring the charge current into the battery, exclusive of loads, (amps not volts), using a shunt1.
To get around this most shore power charger default programs tend to drop out of acceptance (typically 14.4 volts2) way before a lead-acid battery is properly charged and that can lead to sulphating and reduced life.
So what’s the answer? Well that depends on how we use our boat and the charger, but here are a couple of examples:
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WakeSpeed Pro Alternator Regulator Announced
8 CommentsReading Time: 4 minutesMembers
As we hinted a few months ago, Wakespeed have announced a new alternator regulator, the WS500 Pro.
Here’s the scoop based on an in-depth email conversation I had with Al Thomason, chief designer at Wakespeed.
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Q&A—Do I Need a Fail-Safe ABYC-Compliant Galvanic Isolator?
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The fail-safe galvanic isolator was invented by Dairyland Electrical Industries Question
Do you know why so-called “fail-safe” ABYC Galvanic Isolators are much more expensive than the Galvanic Isolators that are still allowed here in Europe?
Member, Henrick
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Don’t Buy Generation One Electronics
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I’m not sure how many times over the years I have beaten some variation of this drum here at AAC. Here and here come to mind, but I’m sure I have written it, or something like it, many more times.
And yet, when a new cool piece of gear comes out, what do we all often do, me included, but get all excited about all the awards it’s won and its cool new features and run right out and buy it.
Hell, I have done this more than once:
Let me see if I can be gentle about this…that’s a really stupid thing to do.
Oops…I guess I kinda failed the gentle test on that one. The good news for me is that, unlike with full articles, my editor does not see Tips before they are published!
Whatever, here’s why buying newly released products, particularly electronics, is…unwise:
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ARCO Zeus Ground Loop Problem
9 CommentsReading Time: 3 minutesMembers
I recently received a link to this forum thread on lithium batteries that includes a concerning quote:
Another note, during installation, there is a yellow and black wire on the Zeus alternator harness, “ALT GND” which is for a ground of the Zeus to the Alternator.
In some installations, this has caused a ground loop, so we are advising to not connect this wire during installation and simply tuck it away.
This is a serious smoking gun. Designing any electronic device with two grounded lines—connection to the negative in the case of boats—is poor practice and, further, being advised not to connect a wire that was provided for in the design is an indication of potential problems that will, I’m guessing, only get fixed with a hardware redesign of the Zeus.
Read on for why.
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Solar: Lead-Acid Battery Saver, Potential Lithium Wrecker
20 CommentsReading Time: 3 minutesMembers
The above is a graph of battery voltage on our J/109, currently still out of the water but uncovered.
As you can see, each day shortly after dawn our solar panel starts charging and since, other than the first day when I was aboard and using power, there are no significant loads and the batteries are fully charged, the voltage rises rapidly to ~14.4 (temperature dependant): acceptance for our AGM lead-acid batteries.
And, after a predetermined time, and because the batteries were full anyway, our solar regulator drops the charge voltage a bit, and then at dusk it shuts down.
Lead Loves It
This is absolutely wonderful for lead-acid batteries because that chemistry is:
- Tolerant of being held for long periods at acceptance voltage, even when already full.
- Lead-acid battery internal resistance rises a lot with state of charge, so even though the voltage is still at acceptance very little current flows (amps) so little or no damage is done.
- Quickly wrecked due to sulphating from being left in a partial state of charge.
We might even say that solar makes lead-acid batteries wonderful again.
Lithium Not So Much
But this same pattern would shorten the life of lithium batteries because:
- Tolerant of being held for long periods at acceptance voltage, even when already full.
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Don’t Fill Lead-Acid Battery Space With Lithium
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In this Tip I’m building on the last Tip in which I concluded that huge battery capacity makes little sense for most usage profiles.
It’s tempting when replacing a lead-acid bank with lithium to simply default to installing all the lithium capacity that will fit where the lead-acid batteries were. And indeed that might make sense if the boat had far too little battery capacity in the first place.
But defaulting to that strategy without doing a bit of basic math could cause us to not only spend way more money than we need to, but also to forgo a wonderful benefit of lithium batteries.
Here are a couple of rules of thumb that will help when deciding how much lithium capacity we should install in place of lead acid:
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Huge Battery Banks Generally Make No Sense
9 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesFree
I’m working on the second part of the Adventure 40 electrical system specification.
One of the fun things about this project is that since we are starting with a blank page, rather than upgrading an existing boat, which I often write about, design fundamentals become more apparent.
Here’s one that just came to mind:
(more…)
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WakeSpeed And Victron Get Even More Cuddly
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I’m on the Beta test list for software Upgrades to the WakeSpeed WS 500 alternator regulator.
Not because I like testing new software—only marginally more fun than having a root canal, in my view—but because I’m a huge fan of the regulator and firmly believe it’s currently by far the best option for charging most battery banks on offshore yachts, both lead acid and lithium, and so I like to keep up with what my friend-over-the-phone and chief-of-all-things-technical at Wakespeed, Al Thomason, has been cooking up.
The latest release announced that the WakeSpeed will now work with Victron Distribution Voltage and Current Control (DVCC). This matters a lot more than it might appear to at first glance:
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Cover The Negative Terminal On Batteries
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One of the things I love about my job is that, despite having maintained and refitted boats for over 50 years, I’m still learning, often as the result of the discussions we have in the comments.
This has certainly been the case here as I think about reducing short-out risk on batteries, particularly lithium. One realization leads to another.
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Another Danger With MRBF Fuses
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The great discussion on my recent article about proper battery fusing and particularly the potential danger of MRBF fuses failing closed, instead of opening the circuit in the event of a short circuit, reminded me about another big downside of these kinds of fuses that actually negates the supposed advantage of being able to install them on the battery terminal.
Take a look at the graphic above. As you can see, the fuse comes with a little rubber cap that I bet is there to satisfy the ABYC requirement to insulate all battery positive terminals from possible shorts.
First off, having used these fuses on the small lead-acid bank on our J/109, I can tell you that little cap is pretty useless. It refuses to stay in place and does not properly cover the exposed parts of the battery lug.
Wait, it gets worse: The other problem is how the heck can we insulate the metal part that bolts to the battery terminal?
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Lithium Start Batteries
5 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesMembers
There are now battery vendors advertising drop-in lithium batteries rated for engine starting.
If ever there was a solution looking for a problem, this has gotta be it.
