LTO (Lithium Titanate Oxide) – The Ultimate Battery for Dash-Cam parking recording (DIY)

[GPak]

@EricSan , Lately, I mostly use 4S/184Wh LTO Battery which works flawlessly, never had any issues with 7S/322Wh either, but I am thinking to reconfigure it to 6S/276Wh with the newest high efficient compact size auto back/boost charger and without any converters, for a 12V system, in a much smaller box.
The temperature outside isn't that hot yet, I wouldn't consider it hot until I see 95°F consistently.

On Ecoflow,
I don't think it's a shorted cell that will cause the PS to die completely and create a lot of smoke and smell.
The problem is somewhere else.
Which output? AC or DC, at what rate?
Does it really discharge PS?
Can you re-charge it back?

I believe Ecoflow has an internal fan and overheat protection, so at worst it would shut down due to heat, and resume working as it cools down.
Is it still under warranty? I would try ecoflow support.

 

[EricSan]

Yeah, still under warranty, so I need to give them a call. It stopped functioning after a week of 95-97 or so. It does has an internal fan. I thought it was also supposed to not charge/discharge when too hot/cold as well. When its turned on with nothing plugged in, it shows a power draw of 22w to 44w, so the battery doesn't last long at all. It charged from dead flat to 100% in about 10 mins when it should be closer to 60-80mins. I've just been using the 5v USB output and charging via the XT60 plug, no other outputs are active. Just wondering if you ran into any temp related issues so far...

 

[GPak]

Yeah, still under warranty, so I need to give them a call. It stopped functioning after a week of 95-97 or so. It does has an internal fan. I thought it was also supposed to not charge/discharge when too hot/cold as well. When its turned on with nothing plugged in, it shows a power draw of 22w to 44w, so the battery doesn't last long at all. It charged from dead flat to 100% in about 10 mins when it should be closer to 60-80mins. I've just been using the 5v USB output and charging via the XT60 plug, no other outputs are active. Just wondering if you ran into any temp related issues so far...

No, no issues due to heating, with LTO, but outside temps here are around ±85°F and not very sunny so far.
Last year I was running N150 PS at otside temps up to ±100°F with no issues, either for PS or Mini2.

The issue as you described is not easily logically explainable, I do not see how heat could cause that.
LFP cells are usually rated to 140°F/60°C, and are the limiting factor, electronic components can work at higher temps.

 

[EricSan]

Thanks for some additional details. Glad to hear you haven’t experienced any temp related surprise issues so far.. Tech support has a protocol that I am following: 1) firmware update, followed by 2) State of Charge Recalibration. The recal is performed by three successive full charge/full discharge cycles. I’m part way through that process now, still showing a phantom 34w DC power draw with nothing connected. Perhaps something downstream from the batteries fried as the first charge cycle took about an hour which is pretty usual from an AC cord. Charge cycle yesterday took only 5-10 mins.

 

[GPak]

Hopefully the protocol helps.

This 34 W discharge, if it is real, must turn into heat somewhere.
If not under the warranty, I would suggest to opening PS and using an infrared temperature "gun" to try to find any hot spots.

 

[EricSan]

Yeah, that’s a fair amount of heat that should be easy to find, even by touch.

App shows the fluctuating wattage draw (anywhere from 12 to 44w - and way high for that outlet) is coming from the USB-A circuit. My guess is that it’s a cooked 5v voltage regulator because it doesn’t output consistent or correct voltage. USB-C circuit puts out good voltage and current, as does the AC outlet, and the 12v socket. Battery holds a charge so long as it is turned off, so it looks like it is also fine. Have to finish the 3x charge/discharge cycle, which seems to be working, and give them a call back.

If it dies again after warranty service, I’ll build your 4S LTO circuit. Temp range is wider and I can tailor the USB output voltage to my needs for a long cable run to the camera.