Willis DXERS'CORNER // REMOTELY from the garden

Last winter's experiences showed how important it is to have a well-equipped emergency battery. My LiFePo4 battery is ready for this eventuality. With a total capacity of 50 Ah, it provides more than 10 hours of additional power. Weighing only 6 kg, the battery can be recharged at home in just 5-7 hours. The battery comes with a charge status indicator and a controllable app. A special charger with a fixed voltage of 14.6 V ensures proper charging.

However, the battery can be used for more than just emergencies. When the sunny days become shorter, it relieves the main power supply of the calcium batteries and thus creates additional reserves.

If the winter of 2025/26 is as cloudy as the last one, a second LiFePo4 battery is available. It is always charged and can be easily replaced in the station if necessary.

Bring on the season!

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An app can be used to analyse the charging behaviour of the batteries via bluetooth

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Reasons:

The batteries have been poorly charged since the beginning of autumn and are therefore most likely sulphated. A specially manufactured charger is intended to remedy the situation by dissolving this chemical process, if this is still possible. As there is no other power in the shack, the batteries were removed and sent to the home office.

An insulated battery container is being developed to improve battery care and maintenance in the future. It will have a separate heater to ensure smooth operation. A separate power supply for this element is essential and planned.

A DC LC Low pass filter (CE, Chinese Export), inserted between the battery and the NUC, also turned out to be the cause of the current problem. Whilst it was still running perfectly in summer, it began to show weaknesses in winter. I removed the device.

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