12V BATTERY BASICS: Featuring the NEW Li Time Mini 12V 100Ah LiFePO4 Battery

[@gaylorddowd1390]

I have 3 of these Li Time 100 Ah minis. I absolutely love them. I'm 76 years old; and that lighter weight is truly appreciated. The smaller size is a great feature that helps me the way I use them. I'm using Vigorpool Captain 1200 solar batteries to run my two refrigerators. By connecting these Li Time 100 Ah minis to these Vigorpool solar batteries using the Anderson connectors I double the capacity and run times of my solar batteries. When the power gets low, I swap out to a freshly charged Li Time mini and keep on powering my refrigerators. This system is working great for me. I also believe these mini 100 Ah batteries actually hold a little more power than my full sized Ampere Time 100 Ah batteries. These are a win win improvement!

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

NIce!! And, quite coincidentally, I'm working on a review of the Vigorpool Captain 1200 for the past month or so! Should be out next week.

[@baneverything5580]

I use the 300 ah Ampere Time for emergency air conditioning. It got me through five Louisiana power outages during extreme heat emergencies since June. I power a 400w Frigidaire air conditioner with it and usually recharge it with a 20 amp plug-in charger. My solar setup is limited by small wires to about 300w max. I need to install 6 awg short cables to my battery and get 8 awg MC4 cables so I don`t have to use series solar panels. Sun is limited to 5 hours a day here in summer.

[@TheGrainSideUp]

I am new to Lithium and I am looking to swap out my RV lead battery for Li, but I want to keep the weight down as much as possible. I have been eyeing a LiTime 200ah battery, but I saw these minis at 19lbs. I thought 2 to these minis would weigh less than that one 200ah battery. I have a solar charger and converter that will work with Li. What do you think?

[@Brad_Sevens]

This product is really great! I've been using this battery for cooking while camping, and it's small and portable. Thanks for sharing!

[@KiaSoulTravels]

What do u have for cooking a airfryer?

[@leeinwis]

@@KiaSoulTravels flame thrower

[@GrayBeardOverland]

Thank you for your clear and concise explanations in helping your viewers sort through the Battery/ Power Station maze.

[@shermangriffin2722]

Great video. I just picked this battery for a quick build power station. Your video covered everything I needed with the basics for powering my 12v fridge. Well made video with lots of easy to digest information. I am also very impressed with the performance of this battery, thanks for doing that testing.

[@Mike-yt6np]

Thanks. I have had the mini for more than a year in RV use. It's pretty decent for the price. No problems yet.

[@HaywoodKitty]

I have been using LiTime batteries for my solar power system for six months now, and they've been working flawlessly. The compact size and light weight make them easy to install, and the fast charging time is impressive.

[@F3hunter-2024]

Great video! Put this bad boy on my wish list 2 weeks ago hoping it would get reviewed. Having Li Time batteries in my system already, which perform extremely well, I was hoping this new design would be comparable in performance. That appears to be the case~ Thanks again!

[@ericklein5097]

I setup my cutoff voltage on my first (of two) minis (from Powerqueen but an identical battery) to 9.5V and it was still going which surprised me. I emailed PowerQueen and found out their BMS parameters are little different. They shaved some off the top end but are going a little too low on the low end. Here's the email I got from PowerQueen on BMS specs 1、Single cell overcharge protection V 3.58 CELL MAX > 3.58V 2、Single section overcharge recovery V 3.48 CELL MAX < 3.48V 3、Single-section over-discharge protection V 2.25 CELL MIN < 2.25V Charging recoverable 4、Single-section over-discharge recovery V 2.45 CELL MIN > 2.45V 5、Equalized turn-on voltage V 3.455 I was happy to see they ditched the 3.65 or 3.75V cutoff for max cell voltage and went down to 3.58 which is MUCH better. We all know there is NOTHING to be gained above 3.60, the voltage skyrockets even at a low charge.

[@amham48]

Very nice review and explanation. There are many reviewing but this was well above average!

[@jenniferdowney5648]

I was skeptical about LiFePO4 batteries at first, but after trying out LiTime's product, I was impressed with its performance and long lifespan. I used them on my trolling motor and electronics for 8 hours in wind, my battery percentage at the end of the day on both batteries 100%, couldn't believe it!

[@mrhalfstep]

Thanks for this video! I think the lighter, more compact battery is very, very cool. I think I'm gonna buy one to use on the trolling motor for my small inflatable raft. I've already switched to a LiFePO4 battery because of the weight savings and longer run time over Lead Acid, but now it seems that I can save even more on weight and also on space. Win, Win! I recently learned that the fuse doesn't have to be in the Positive cable in most applications. That recommendation apparently came about from the automotive use of storage batteries. In a car, the negative or ground wire is mostly made up of the vehicle's steel chassis. Since the positive wire is usually a long wire running to each electrical device and the purpose of the fuse is to protect the wire, on a car, the preferred place for the fuse is the positive. If you are running a copper wire from both the battery neg. and the battery pos. to the device, like an inverter or a wench, the fuse can be put in whichever wire is most convenient for your installation.

[@nicholaycalhoun1681]

The abyc says you’re wrong

[@mrhalfstep]

What is the abyc?@@nicholaycalhoun1681

[@mrhalfstep]

Now that I know that you're referring to the ABYC standard for boat wiring, I think I'm still right. Do you realize how many boats use the same chassis grounding system as automobiles. The positive wire has the fuse because it is usually the only actual "wire", just as in a car. Besides that, the ABYC just makes "recommendations" that are followed "voluntarily" and they don't really explain the reasons why they make some of the recommendations. They may choose the positive wire simply because it works whether you're dealing with a chassis ground or an actual 2 wire circuit, but I know enough about DC electrical theory to know that, if you use 2 physical wires, the fuse will work fine in either of them.@@nicholaycalhoun1681

[@mrhalfstep]

They also have these as "Like New" with a 4 year warranty for $299! Just bought 2 of them.

[@813fabricationanddesign]

Great video and nice Pearl snare!

[@tonydoris1980]

I have this battery in my YakAttack CellBlok, one of the key benefits for me is that it's lightweight, especially with the battery compartment on the rail of my kayak. I've had zero issues charging it or having it hold a charge. I'd definitely buy a second one if I needed it.

[@99ROADRIDER]

New to solar, find your channel very helpful.

[@carolyncummings1724]

This mini looks like a winner

[@jwhite19822000]

Hoping they make a 200ah mini soon!

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

Yes! That would be cool.

[@jobisrael8313]

👍👍 I clicked your link and I saw one was 230 amp hours and I read the warning sign. It said do not reverse connections to the battery. So do that mean you cannot charge your front battery with your back/home batteries. 11-21-23

[@baranjen]

Thank you, as always, for all your effort that you put into these videos. Really appreciated. Is there any possibility of also adding metric dimensions, weights, temps etc? It would really just up the enjoyment of your excellent videos without having to keep pausing them to do the calcs. Greetings from South Africa.

[@brandonsamuel2497]

Hey there, this is actually a funny coincidence… I’m looking to power my two electro voice zlx 15s at the beach for a event next month… I see you have one in the background lol… I want to build a power station with a battery and inverter… my knowledge on amps, amp hours is pretty limited, but I can somewhat understand…. My question to you is in your opinion what do you believe the best battery and inverter (watts) would be good if I wanted to run those speakers for about 6 hours on medium to high volume…. your input would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

I'd have to test to be certain, but I think you could get by with a single 100ah battery and a 1000W inverter. You definitely don't want to go super cheap on the inverter or you'll get noise in the speaker. I'd highly recommend picking up a cheap watt meter and actually measure the consumption on your system for a couple of hours to get an average Watts per hour. Take that number and multiply it by the number of hours you need to run, then add 20% for inverter loss and you should have a pretty accurate sense of how much capacity you really need. amzn.to/3OvRqZU. For the inverter, this would be a decent choice (assuming you're not pulling more than 1000W, which I don't think you will...but again, the watt meter will tell you for sure): amzn.to/3OuAD9j

[@oversizedoverlanding2365]

Awesome video, extremely thorough. I'm between the regular 100ah LiTime and the Mini. The only real difference I can find is the type of cell (prismatic vs pouch) and obviously the Mini is lighter/smaller. The Mini is $10 more. I will be using it to power a trolling motor. I'm leaning towards the Mini for smaller size. Do you have any recommendation? Thanks!

[@denalewis3473]

Great video !! Did you do a video on that Newair 48qt fridge ? I just bought one waiting for delivery, Would love to know how long that fridge and freeze would run on that Li time mini 100ah ?? Thank you for all your doing !

[@jorgepadilla4137]

I have a question. How long will I be able to riun a Portable AC that pulls 860 watts off of two of these batteries? I'm Using a 1000w inverter to run it. By the way nice Video, very specific on how to start your own system. looking forward to seing more.

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

There are a LOT of variables here so all we can do is make some assumptions and estimate. If we assume that the compressor will only be on for 50% of the time (given the temp setpoint, and the room's insulation properties), you could estimate that the combined 2100Wh usable capacity of 2 of these batteries through an AC inverter, divided by 430Wh, should get you just under 4.75 hours of runtime....or only about 2.4 hours if the compressor has to run continually.

[@baneverything5580]

I use the old manual control Frigidaire AC. It draws only 400 watts.

[@SlimSh8E]

Does anyone have any ideas as to how this "mini" battery has as much power as the regular sized 100 Ah? Could there be downsides?

[@garyhumphrey4204]

Hi, thanks for the great info, I have 2 of the mini’s and looking for a way to see how much time and capacity is remaining while using real time I see the Bluetooth info from shunt and looks like it showed over 2 hours but actually was only about 15 minutes while you ran the test? Is that correct? Is there a gauge that will accurately reflect real time capacity remaining while using? Thank you

[@garyganser2451]

How high do you recommend charging batteries to and discharging to. I currently go up to 80% and down to 20% hoping to keep my battery lasting as long as possible. Will be getting my first 'pouch' battery this week, would that be any different?

[@lenb8436]

I have two of these Li Time mini 100ah lithium batteries. I know this battery does not have low temperature protection, but do you know if it has the ability to shut down charging ability below 32 degrees?

[@lovelyblondeblu]

I just bought one to put under the passenger seat of my 2005 T1n Sprinter. It will hook up to an 1800w Tripp Lite inverter that was already in the van w an AGM attached. They ruined the AGM by leaving the inverter on and draining the battery. Can I just hook up the new battery? Or do I need anything else to change from AGM to lithium.

[@montanaplease]

What degital device would I need for this battery for it just to simply display what my percentage is left on the battery? Not interested in bluetooth

[@NerdThingsAndMore]

Thanks

[@MichaelArnold-k3n]

I'm sad.. Never did add the Amazon link for the adaptors.

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

SMH.... Sorry! I fixed it. :P

[@fluffypinkpanda1592]

I just ordered a mini. Would i be able to use an EverStart MAXX 3 Amp 6V/12V Automotive Battery Charger for walmart?

[@lenmiles5150]

Based on your review of the Li Time mini battery I bought two of these and they have performed well. Have run our 12 volt fridge overnight successfully. My concern is that since these batteries do not have low temp protection (I’m in the NW suburbs of Chicago), is it enough to disconnect the battery cables to prevent the solar panel from charging when below freezing. We’ll be heading to Florida in a couple months. I’ll leave the batteries disconnected until we get to a campground where the temps are consistently above freezing. Or… Should I disconnect the batteries and move to my home, placing them on a slow trickle charge.. I’m hoping disconnecting the battery cables will be enough for that 2 month period. Thanks.

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

I think you're fine just disconnecting the solar charging cables. They concern isn't so much the temperature it's trying to charge the cells while they are frozen, that is, the main problem, the battery itself can certainly handle some low temperatures without any as long as you're not actively trying to charge it.

[@lenmiles5150]

@@ReeWrayOutdoors Thanks for the quick reply. I’ll take your advice.

[@StansE250]

The ‘reluctance’ that many consumers have had in adopting this Smaller, Convenient form factor, is the use of Pouch Cells vs. the “standard” Prismatic Cells. While pouch cells aren’t actually “new”, since they’ve been used in laptops, tablets, cellphones, and EVs for some time, the use in Mobile Solar applications IS new. Safety is a primary concern here. I have yet to get any CONCRETE unbiased info on their stability in a vehicle Solar install. Will P drilled holes in a pouch cell, and it exploded quite dramatically. Another channel, the person drilled A Bunch of holes, doused with water, and had little drama. I have emailed the couple of brands that have produced “Mini” batts like this, and None have given me Any useful information on Safety factors incorporated in to the design. And YES, I’m well-aware of the difference between Li Ion, and LifePO4. So …. Thoughts …. Anyone ? 🤔🤓

[@StansE250]

At this time, LiTime, Redodo, and Power Queen offer these …..

[@niffrig]

That is not true. Will Prowse drilled holes in a solid "state" Lithium pouch battery. That caught on fire. If it is a LiFePO4 pouch battery it would not catch on fire but it would vent.

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

From what I've seen, LiFePO4 chemistry, if compromised, will generate a fair amount of heat, but tends to just smoke like a beast without actually catching fire, like Lithium NMC. So definitely not risk-free, but substantially less risk of fire.

[@Osborn-mj4qc]

Lithum batteries are very friendly to us travelers, even in the desert, where there is no power supply, we can power our devices through solar panels. Thank you,

[@markprice8725]

thinking about putting two li time lifepo412v 100 ah do a lot of camping in the cool what do think?

[@Snailmailtrucker]

No link for the Cigarette Lighter adaptor ! Liked/Subscribed anyway !

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

Doh!! Haha Fixed it. Thanks for letting me know. :)

[@Snailmailtrucker]

@@ReeWrayOutdoors Do you have a favorite 12 volt Battery Breaker switch ? Link ? Thanks !

[@cordeliabrown3745]

Do they work in tesla model cars

[@theoh6260]

Do they make any batteries like this (lithium ion) that you could replace a standard golf cart battery without any modifications needed?

[@Sylvan_dB]

Many people are doing this. Search youtube... If your cart is 48v then you could use 4 of these in series to get 48v, or you can get (more expensive) batteries that provide 48v directly.

[@niffrig]

Roypow and Epochtimes make golf battery drop in batteries that have BMS's that can handle high C rates

[@theoh6260]

@@niffrig Thank you. I needed a simple solution. Thanks.

[@StonerSmurfin]

I'm thinking about building a new off-grid man cave that is completely solar powered. I would like to run all my appliances such as a tv and lights that I can use without using an inverter at all. The lights of course are the easy part but is it possible to use a normal AC wall outlet and wire it up for 12/24 volts? The label on the back of the tv says it will run off DC I just don't know how to use it for DC power.

[@Sylvan_dB]

Don't use a normal wall outlet for D.C. It is unsafe and does not meet electrical code because it is unsafe. Most of the time people use hobby connectors like the XT60, and the amateur radio folks have standardized on the anderson powerpole connectors for 12v. I don't know anything about your TV, but usually there is either a separate connection for D.C. or the cord detaches and you would use a different cord with the TV connector on one end and the appropriate D.C. connector on the other end.

[@StonerSmurfin]

Thanks for the info. It's a LCD tv with the cord that disconnects, looks like a plug for the tower on a desktop computer, so the option to use a different cord is the option I think I will be looking into.

[@trishallenson4691]

Currently on Amazon for 299 with a $40 discount coupon.

[@jamespeters920]

Saw a video recently about using a resistor to eliminate the dreaded spark. Is this true and if it is, what size resistor would be needed? Thanks in advance!

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

Yep! Those are super cheap and work great! Here's what you're looking for: amzn.to/41SZDue

[@Sylvan_dB]

You could also use a normal #2 pencil (I recommend 4+ inches long). Sharpen both ends. Hold inverter cable to graphite pencil lead at one end, touch other end of pencil lead to battery terminal and hold like this for 30 seconds or so. With alacrity, drop pencil and connect inverter cable to battery terminal. Or use a 12v incandescent bulb like a car taillight or headlight bulb - it will light and then go dimmer as the inverter charges. There may be a small spark on initial connection, but nothing "dreaded" about a small spark.

[@jamespeters920]

@@Sylvan_dB Great tip!

[@nothingbutthetruth7900]

Sir how do I know how many mAH my snap on battery is per cell?....it's a 2.5ah battery with 9 1.2v NI-CD pls....it is not printed on the side

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

It's early in the morning and I haven't had my coffee yet...but I think we need to know the voltage of the battery pack. Then we could probably figure out, based on the 1.2V of the 9 individual cells (if I'm reading that right) how they're connected. And from that we should be able to calculate the individual cell mAh.

[@lovesdoggies1481]

Yes teach me

[@itsthevitz]

How would you recommend connecting to a USB powered device?

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

There are a couple of simple solutions you could use. Here's one with battery clamps for quick attach/detach: amzn.to/46jWSW1 Or, here's a couple of USB connectors with direct DC leads that you could crimp ring-terminals onto: amzn.to/44jhBHS Or you could just get a female 12V socket with clamps like this: amzn.to/3prZtMX and just plug in a 12V car to USB adapter when you need it like this: amzn.to/3NrgfUH Hope that helps!

[@TheMajictech]

A $300 fluke meter is an inexpensive one, for a fluke 😅

[@AgainsttheGrane]

Isn't it just the same battery with a smaller case and less side padding

[@ovchannelag5238]

👍👍👍

[@bobbyjoe6250]

What type of charger/inverter does these batteries require?

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

You really just need something with the voltage that matches the configuration you're going to have them in. If just a single 12V battery, a 1000W 12V inverter would be ideal. This is a decent 1000W inverter: amzn.to/3owosOL I have the 2000W version, but they're solid little inverters. As far as a charger, I think I put a link to a suitable charger in the video description if you want to check that out.

[@baneverything5580]

A 20 amp plug-in LiFeP04 charger is how I top mine off before storms.

[@nicholaspirola3380]

can i use this battery to power a 70lb boat electric motor that runs on 12v!?thanks

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

Yes if it's a trolling motor that doesn't pull more than 100A continuous

[@nicholaspirola9083]

I specify that I have a 70 lb brushless electric motor that runs on 12v to Makes carpfishing is the 12v 100mh or the 12.8 mini model better?

[@wjess3569]

Unfortunately, they only have a C/2 rating.. I need a 1C rated battery.. Otherwise.. price and quality look good.

[@Randy_G]

I was hoping these were around 10c-15c rating so i could replace the 96ah Headway cell bank I have in my car for my stereo system. So these are only 2c rated..?

[@wjess3569]

@@Randy_G I talked to LiTime.. They assured me the battery had a 1C rating... but, for charting it is a 0.4C rating.. I don't know enough about LIFO batteries to understand this. My want is to be able to recharge as rapidly as possible

[@Randy_G]

@@wjess3569 Wow, well thank you. I have a 290A HO alternator on my AGM and Headway LiPePO4 with double runs of 1/0 OFC. Thank you.

[@RustyCas999]

Appreciate the video but I came for a review of the battery. The “overview” in the middle is superfluous imo.

[@TheMajictech]

Your quotes on full and empty voltage’s are off, I would never discharge one of those below 12.2 volts at the lowest. Welcome to your batteries shortened life if you do

[@roncotton7963]

Stay away they have zero service when you need help your on your own They do not get back to you

[@nicholaycalhoun1681]

If you ask them if they’re ul listed or have any other basic safety paperwork they say they can only send it to people who have bought their product already, then send you a meager discount code. Trash