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Old 09-28-2021, 03:02 PM   #1
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Adding LiFe04 to 2017 Micro Minnie 2106DS

I have a 2017 Micro Minnie 2106DS and want to switch from lead acid batteries to Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFe04) battery. What changes need to be made for this change to work correctly?
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Old 09-28-2021, 04:50 PM   #2
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Hi, I am also interested in making the switch and have a lot of questions. It seems like everyone installs them in the pass thru area, what is the reason behind this? Thanks Ron
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Old 09-28-2021, 07:17 PM   #3
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I have a 2017 Micro Minnie 2106DS and want to switch from lead acid batteries to Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFe04) battery. What changes need to be made for this change to work correctly?
Hi Wenn, Welcome aboard!

I’m going to make a couple assumptions since there wasn’t a lot of information in your post. I’m assuming you want to replace your lead acids with one 100AH LiFePO4. If so, you can just swap it for the lead acids. Then the only other piece of equipment you will need is a LiFePO4 charger for a bare bones system. At this point I would also recommend a battery monitor, but it isn’t necessary for the system to work.

As far as the charger goes, to keep things simple, assuming your 2017 Micro Minnie’s power center is the same as the power center in our 2016 Micro Minnie, which is a WFCO WF-8955, you can simply replace the whole unit with the newer WFCO WF-8955LiS power center which has a switch to change the charge profile between lead acid to LiFePO4, A second option, would be to replace your power center with a WFCO WF-8950L2PEC power center, though it only has the LiFePO4 charge profile. A third option, would be to replace your current power center’s main board with the WFCO WF-8950L2-MBA main board to give you the LiFePO4 charge profile. A fourth option would be a standalone LiFePO4 charger, such as a Progressive Dynamics PD9145ALV. All of these charger options will run around $200 more or less if you do the work yourself.
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Old 09-28-2021, 07:31 PM   #4
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Thank you for the information. This is exactly the information I was looking for. And yes your assumptions are correct.
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Old 09-28-2021, 07:49 PM   #5
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Hi, I am also interested in making the switch and have a lot of questions. It seems like everyone installs them in the pass thru area, what is the reason behind this? Thanks Ron
Mainly to keep them away from sticky fingers due to the additional cost per battery. Another reason is to keep them warm in freezing temperatures so they will accept a charge. Generally, the battery monitoring system used with LiFePO4s won't allow them to charge if their internal temperature gets below 25 degrees F or so. Charging at low temperatures will damage LiFePO4 batteries.
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Old 09-28-2021, 08:36 PM   #6
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Thank you for the information. This is exactly the information I was looking for. And yes your assumptions are correct.
Your welcome.

Whatever LiFePO4 charger you decide to go with, keep the charge rate at 50 amps or lower for one 100AH battery. All of the charger recommendations above are rated to charge LiFePO4s at 50 amps or less.
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Old 09-29-2021, 06:39 AM   #7
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I followed Fred’s guidance, and my LiFePo4 install went well. I did a few things different. Instead of the charger options he mentioned, I went with a new inverter charger and mounted it very close to the battery with 1/0 cable and gave it its own cutoff switch. If you plan to add an inverter at some point, it’s easier, though more expensive, to just go with an inverter/charger from the beginning. It simplifies wiring, obviates the need for a transfer switch, and can “power share”. Most are also Bluetooth programmable for battery type and charge amperage. With a quality inverter/charger of 2000w or more paired with a quality LiFePo4, you can run everything in your trailer, including the microwave (although not all at the same time). If you don’t plan on adding an inverter in the future, it’s cheaper and easier to just upgrade your existing charger/power center. If you do plan an inverter, it’s cheaper and less hassle to do it when you install the battery. I charge at 75amps. Just as long as you stay within the battery maker’s specs.
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Old 10-03-2021, 04:32 PM   #8
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I have a 2017 Micro Minnie 2106DS and want to switch from lead acid batteries to Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFe04) battery. What changes need to be made for this change to work correctly?

Consider SiO2 instead. No changes are needed with them. They do better than Li at both extremes of temperature.
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Old 10-03-2021, 05:54 PM   #9
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Consider SiO2 instead. No changes are needed with them. They do better than Li at both extremes of temperature.
SiO2 are a strange animal. As far as I can tell, there is only one manufacturer: Azimuth.

Their pricing is 2/3 of premium Li suppliers like Battleborn but more than cheap but well reviewed (except for freezing) Li batteries from SOK, Amperetime and CHINS.

They are more than twice the cost of similar AGM batteries.

So what's so great about these. Any independent reviews? They seem to be similar in performance and pricing to Firefly batteries. Firefly seems to have faded into the woodwork in the face of cheap Li batteries as above.

When only one supplier embraces a battery chemistry that makes me wonder.

David
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Old 10-03-2021, 11:29 PM   #10
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SiO2 are a strange animal. As far as I can tell, there is only one manufacturer: Azimuth.

Their pricing is 2/3 of premium Li suppliers like Battleborn but more than cheap but well reviewed (except for freezing) Li batteries from SOK, Amperetime and CHINS.

They are more than twice the cost of similar AGM batteries.

So what's so great about these. Any independent reviews? They seem to be similar in performance and pricing to Firefly batteries. Firefly seems to have faded into the woodwork in the face of cheap Li batteries as above.

When only one supplier embraces a battery chemistry that makes me wonder.

David

David They are made by Soneil. They can be totally discharged to 10.5 volts over 600 times and still retain 80% of the oem capacity. There are a few reviews, for example one from the owner of the sanidump website. Their temperature tolerance puts Li to shame. They do not sulphate. They are quite different to AGM, other than being sealed, with less liquid (water). They can be discharged at 4c continuous which makes them ideal for large inverter use. They can be discharged at 9c for 5 seconds which makes them an excellent starter battery.
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Old 05-03-2022, 08:13 AM   #11
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David They are made by Soneil. They can be totally discharged to 10.5 volts over 600 times and still retain 80% of the oem capacity. There are a few reviews, for example one from the owner of the sanidump website. Their temperature tolerance puts Li to shame. They do not sulphate. They are quite different to AGM, other than being sealed, with less liquid (water). They can be discharged at 4c continuous which makes them ideal for large inverter use. They can be discharged at 9c for 5 seconds which makes them an excellent starter battery.
I believe what David was getting at is if Sio2 batteries are superior to LiFePO4 batteries then why aren't they more common? They have been around for quite a while and yet they have very few reviews and only 1 manufacturer.

Amazon has 3 reviews and they are not old enough to accurately gauge battery life:
https://www.amazon.com/recyclable-li.../dp/B077W42CWW

I was considering them myself. But in the end I decided that I didn't want to be a guinea pig and potentially waste a lot of my money. It wouldn't be the first time which claims by a manufacturer were not 100% true. LiFeP04 batteries have been around long enough and used by enough people that their specs are well known and proven.

Maybe Sio2 batteries are the next big thing. But I'll wait for now. I just bought LiFePO4 batteries with the self heating option to aid in colder temperatures. The temperature range is the only reason I was considering Sio2 anyway. Sio2 also weighs the same as lead-acid batteries. Which creates a lot more weight with large battery bank setups.
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