Need 5-10A DC-DC lithium battery charger

[Hawkeye Ed]

I'm looking for a small DC to DC battery charger (no more than 10 amps) that I can use to charge a small LiFePO4 battery which, the manufacturer says, should be charged between 5 and 10 amps. I've searched long and hard but no luck so far.

The closest I've come is the Renogy 12V 20A DC to DC On-Board Battery Charger which can be set to charge at either 20A or 10A. But I'm hoping to find something smaller in physical size.

https://www.renogy.com/12v-20a-dc-to-dc-on-board-battery-charger/

 

[splitting_lanes]

Victron has a 9amp dc/dc converter

https://www.amazon.com/Victron-Ener...ocphy=9032131&hvtargid=pla-762278083390&psc=1

 

[Hawkeye Ed]

Victron has a 9amp dc/dc converter

https://www.amazon.com/Victron-Ener...ocphy=9032131&hvtargid=pla-762278083390&psc=1

That 9amp dc/dc converter is a nice little unit for outputting a single voltage. I'm still hoping for not just a converter but a battery charger with changes to its output voltage depending on the battery's state of charge.

 

[oldwave]

That 9amp dc/dc converter is a nice little unit for outputting a single voltage. I'm still hoping for not just a converter but a battery charger with changes to its output voltage depending on the battery's state of charge.

Victron Orion dc to dc are multifunction either a power supply mode or battery charger mode and are very flexible to adapt to the battery types. I have the 18 amp version. You cannot limit the output amperage but the charge voltage is programmable. Pretty hard to beat their equipment. Ymmv

 

[Centex]

Victron Orion dc to dc are multifunction either a power supply mode or battery charger mode and are very flexible to adapt to the battery types. I have the 18 amp version. You cannot limit the output amperage but the charge voltage is programmable. Pretty hard to beat their equipment. Ymmv

Just to be clear about the several types ('lines') of Victron Orion-Tr offerings ....

The Victron Orion-Tr converter line only provides single-stage output. An example is the 12|12-9(Amp) unit linked on Amazon in a previous post. The express intended application is only as a regulated power supply, not as a battery charger.

The Victron Orion-Tr charger line does indeed provide the option of either 3-stage battery charging OR single-stage power-supply mode. Unfortunately, the lowest nominal output model in Victron's Orion-Tr charger line is your 12|12-18(Amp) which exceeds the OP's required <10A output and as you point out that can't be limited.

Yep, all nice equipment but for distinct applications; the converter line units are a bit less expensive and a bit physically smaller than comparable charger line units for folks needing only a regulated DC>DC power supply with fewer bells and whistles (e.g. might be great for regulating high-voltage LiFePO4 system output to voltage-sensitive appliance control-boards).

The Datasheets for both Orion-Tr converter and charger lines are attached FYI.

 

[oldwave]

I stand corrected
The 18 amp would be the only option. I have heard that they are coming out with a redesigned Orion that will integrate into the Cerbo Gx also, perhaps that will be more flexible on the lower models

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

I thought the CerboGX stuff is mostly pretty high power, like for whole house solar appliations

 

[oldwave]

I thought the CerboGX stuff is mostly pretty high power, like for whole house solar appliations

Vernon gx is a monitoring device that integrates a wealth of information. It monitors my inverter charger, my solar controller, my victron smart shunt, 3 Bluetooth temperature sensors and my propane level sensors. These all appear on my 5 inch touch screen. It also has two relays that can be normally off or on. I use one of them to turn on power to the amplifier for my tpms and the other one for a fan in my inverter battery space. When I’m home the cerbo connects to victron servers and I can remotely monitor the star of charge of batteries and the solar performance.

I’ve just scratched the surface of this device as it’s extensible through a programming language.

It’s been fun .

 

[alanmalk]

I'm looking for a small DC to DC battery charger (no more than 10 amps) that I can use to charge a small LiFePO4 battery which, the manufacturer says, should be charged between 5 and 10 amps. I've searched long and hard but no luck so far.

If you want to experiment, try playing with this boost converter. It is adjustable to provide a constant voltage at a user-selectable limited current. It does not however adjust the output voltage while in operation - it is fixed at whatever you select at start.
https://www.amazon.com/Boost-Module...eywords=Boost+Converter&qid=1690643065&sr=8-7

 

[TTMartin]

I'm looking for a small DC to DC battery charger (no more than 10 amps) that I can use to charge a small LiFePO4 battery which, the manufacturer says, should be charged between 5 and 10 amps. I've searched long and hard but no luck so far.

The closest I've come is the Renogy 12V 20A DC to DC On-Board Battery Charger which can be set to charge at either 20A or 10A. But I'm hoping to find something smaller in physical size.

https://www.renogy.com/12v-20a-dc-to-dc-on-board-battery-charger/

I'm using the Renogy 20 amp set at 10 amps to charge my trailer through the power pin on the 7 pin connector while towing. Its size isn't really that bad in my opinion.

 

[AndyB1720]

You could use a drone/RC model hobby 'balance charger' like this B6-V2, available at eBay and Amazon, as well as hobby supply places.
It can charge LiFePO4, LiPo, NiCd and Pb chemistry, adjustable charge rate up to 6-amps. It's powered by any 11-18v DC source, including the optional AC adapter.
I use it on my electronics bench for some small 12-volt batteries I have. See the photo(s). There will be some menu selection to set the chemistry, voltage and charge rate, but you don't need the balance function for a simple 6-volt or 12-volt battery.
Photo 1 shows the charger on my bench, ready to charge a small 6-Ah LiFePO4 test battery; 3 input possibilities: AC adapter, clips to a larger battery, and 'cigar' plug like in my Escape or my TV. Photo 2, types of chemistry/batteries. Photo 3: input jack, 11-18v DC.

-Andy B

 

[Tonny LR]

I'm looking for a small DC to DC battery charger (no more than 10 amps) that I can use to charge a small LiFePO4 battery which, the manufacturer says, should be charged between 5 and 10 amps. I've searched long and hard but no luck so far.

The closest I've come is the Renogy 12V 20A DC to DC On-Board Battery Charger which can be set to charge at either 20A or 10A. But I'm hoping to find something smaller in physical size.

https://www.renogy.com/12v-20a-dc-to-dc-on-board-battery-charger/

Check out NOCO 5 or NOCO 10. It has multi function chargers. You can review it on you tube.
Tonny LR

 

[Hawkeye Ed]

Check out NOCO 5 or NOCO 10. It has multi function chargers. You can review it on you tube.
Tonny LR

NOCO chargers are great; I have a couple. Unfortunately for this intended purpose they are powered by 120v AC, not 12v DC.

 

[Hawkeye Ed]

Here's what I've found so far:

Thanks for all the help finding a small DC to DC charger for LiFePO4 batteries.

So far the search has found:

Powerwerx DCDC-8A Powerwerx DCDC-8A 14.5V, 8A Adjustable DC-to-DC Battery Charger for 12V LiFePO4 Batteries



Tecmate Optimate TM500 Amazon.com



B6 V2 Balance Charger https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P71CKFW
(This is the one suggested by AnbyB1720 in Post #11. It's advertised as charging LiFe batteries which I'm not sure is the same as LiFePo4 but AnbyB1720 seems to find it works OK)



I'll keep you posted if I find more.

Ed

 

[alanmalk]

Pay close attention to the specifications.
For example, product #2 only has a maximum output of 13.2 VDC. Not enough to charge LiFePO4. And product #3 says its input is 240 VAC (might be 120 VAC for the US), but still is not a DC-DC converter.

 

[AndyB1720]

Correction: Product #3, the B6-V2, is a true DC-DC device.
The AC power spec is for the (optional) AC power supply.

The B6-V2 is meant to be powered by a nominal 12-volt source, capable of supplying suitable current (about 8amps).
That's so Radio Control hobbyists can recharge in the field from their cars/portable supplies.

See my Photo 3: input jack, 11-18v DC.


It does a great job charging my LiFePO4 batteries, 6 Ah, 20 Ah, and 100 Ah.


Hope this helps-


AndyB