Download Relion Lithium Battery Charging Info and Troubleshooting 2

Thank you for purchasing Relion Lithium Battery. We truly appreciate your business. This document is
designed to aid your experience by providing information about charging, basic troubleshooting, etc.
Please let us know if you have any questions.
CHARGING
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Because of the different parameters required for charging lithium ion batteries as opposed to lead acid
batteries, we do not recommend using a standard lead acid charger for your RELiON Battery. Using a
lead acid battery charger with lithium ion technology presents risks of damage, decreased lifespan, and
overall suboptimal performance. We pride ourselves on providing the very best batteries on the market,
and we want all of our customers to have the tools to get the very best performance possible. Relion
Lithium chargers are specifically programmed for lithium ion technology. These chargers are
manufactured by Pro Charging Systems and Progressive Dynamics, they give you both the trusted brand
and confidence that your batteries will charge properly every cycle. If you already have a charger with an
AGM setting this is usually appropriate or featuring adjustable settings, you will need to alter those
settings to accommodate the lithium ion batteries. Each Relion Battery has a rate specifying the maximum
amount of current with which it can be charged. It is important to make sure that you do not charge the
battery with higher current than rated. Because of the 99% efficiency of the technology, bulk charging is
normally the only stage necessary to charge our lithium ion battery. If your charger can be programmed
to deliver constant current and charge up to 14.6V, there is no need for an absorb phase. Some chargers
require both a bulk stage and an absorb stage, programmed at different voltages. In this case, you would
set the bulk at 14.2V and absorb at 14.6V. RELiON lithium ion batteries need to reach between 14.4V
and 14.6V to be at full charge and deliver optimal results. If your charging voltage is higher than this
range and cannot be programmed to a lower voltage, it is not recommended for use with our batteries.
Likewise, if your charging voltage is lower than the required 14.4V–14.6V range, your Relion Batteries
will not reach full charge and thus will not perform to their full potential. If a float charge setting is
necessary to program your charger, it should be set to 13.8V. However, one of the many benefits of
Relion Batteries is that they lose less than 9% of their energy per year in self discharge. This allows you
to come back to a nearly fully charged battery even if it has been left idle for a long period of time.
Please note that for most orders, we fully charge our batteries prior to shipment for our customers’
convenience. In some cases, either due to customer request or expedited shipment, batteries are
shipped at 40% charge. This is the best voltage for storage of lithium ion batteries. The 40% state of
charge allows the batteries to be stored with minimal aging and self discharge. If you have any questions
about charging, please do not hesitate to contact a RELiON Power Pro . We are more than happy to
assist you in finding the proper charging solution to suit your needs.
TROUBLESHOOTING and USER GUIDE
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RELiON Batteries are outfitted with a sophisticated Battery Management System (BMS) that protects
against most outside factors that would normally damage a battery. The BMS provides these features:
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Low Voltage Protection – Automatically disconnects at 8V
Over Voltage Protection – Automatically disconnects at 15.8V
Short Circuit Protection – Automatically disconnects
Reverse Polarity Protection – Automatically disconnects
Internal cell balancing – Automatically balances cells
Charge Balancing – Independent balancing for batteries connected in parallel and/or series
Series and Parallel connections - contact RELiON POWER PRO’S for these applications.
If your RELiON Battery is not functioning correctly, please follow these simple steps or contact a
RELiON Power Pro.
First you need to determine battery voltage. Battery voltage can be read by using a standard DC volt
meter. (Follow manufactures instructions and safety measures). A fully charged 12 volt battery should
read 13.5 volts, an empty battery will read 12.2 volts. If your BMS engages, your battery internally
disconnects and will read zero volts. Because of this, a charger will not detect a connection and will not
charge the battery. This can be misinterpreted as a problem with the battery but is actually RELiON
battery protection.
The first troubleshooting step to take if your BMS engages is to simply disconnect each terminal
and reconnect. In many cases, this will disengage the BMS and your battery will be back to normal
working condition.
For some issues, such as BMS protection against low voltage, your Relion Battery can be reenergized by
applying (jumping) 12 volts to the terminals, much like jump starting a car battery, this can be easily done
with jumper cables. If this does not work, it will need to be charged in parallel with another battery that
has enough voltage at least 10 volts in a 12 volt battery, this allows the charger to detect a complete
circuit. You can use any type of 12 volt battery. Connect your charger directly to a working 12 volt
battery. Then, connect your Relion Battery in parallel (positive to positive, negative to negative) to the
first battery. The Relion Battery’s BMS will reenergize, bringing the battery back up to its voltage prior to
the BMS kicking in. After about 20 minutes, reconnect the charger directly to the Relion Battery, and the
charging process will continue normally.
In instances of Series or Parallel Connections, your RELiON batteries must be maintained to voltages
within 50 millivolts (or .05 volts) of each other. If your system gets out of balance you must charge each
battery independently with a 12 volt charger. Once charging is complete, let batteries stand for 4 hours
and then check voltage if the batteries voltages are not within 50 millivolts of each other… discharge
higher voltage batteries down to the lowest voltage battery, this can be done with a small 12 volt light or
similar discharge source. A 2 amp discharge (a single light) at 30 second intervals should reduce voltage
in small increments… repeat the process as needed until all batteries voltages are within the 50 millivolt
range.
Keep in mind that the batteries you purchase must be suited for your application. If the batteries are being
asked to deliver beyond their capability, issues will persist. Our RELiON Power Pros are here to ensure
each and every customer receives the battery (or batteries) ideal for their application. If you have any
questions or concerns about your product please feel free to contact a RELiON Power Pro for assistance.