Iota Balanced Battery Bank Charging Instructions

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Optimal Charging for

Multiple Batteries in a Bank

With the IOTA DLS

From the

IOTA Power Products

Technical Library

Content Highlights

When connecting multiple batteries in parallel to create a larger battery bank,

it turns out that “not all batteries are (necessarily) treated equal.” Depending on

your connection method, some batteries can be charged harder, worked harder,

and discharged faster than others. Harder working batteries will typically fail

sooner than the other batteries in your bank, and, in some cases, will fail early in

their expected lifespan. The culprit is a small, yet impactful amount of resistance

between your battery connections. “Balanced Charging” is a way of eliminating

this problem by evenly distributing the resistance between the connections across

all of the batteries, allowing you to reap the maximum potential of each battery,

and ensuring that they all have a similar, lengthy lifespan.

The effects of resistance

between lead connec-

tions in multi-battery

banks.

Countering lead resis-

tance through the

“Balanced Charging”

wiring method.

The optimal “Balanced

Charging” wiring

method for maximum

battery life and perfor-

mance.

Summary of content (4 pages)

PAGE 1
From the IOTA Power Products Technical Library Optimal Charging for Multiple Batteries in a Bank With the IOTA DLS Content Highlights The effects of resistance between lead connections in multi-battery banks. Countering lead resistance through the “Balanced Charging” wiring method. The optimal “Balanced Charging” wiring method for maximum battery life and performance.
PAGE 2
Optimal Charging for Multiple Batteries in a Bank Effect of Resistance in an Unbalanced System Realizing the effects of resistance on batteries connected in parallel is best demonstrated through a common method of wiring them (see Figure 1). In typical applications, the batteries are connected side-by-side (negative to negative, and positive to positive), starting with the first battery connected to the second, and so on until connecting to your battery charger.
PAGE 3
From the IOTA Power Products Technical Library Method 1 for Balanced Charging The first and easiest method to achieve ‘Balanced Charging’ is to simply reverse direction of one set of leads and wire them starting from the opposite end of the battery bank (see Figure 3). By doing this you have achieved the criteria of ‘Balanced Charging’- each battery will draw current through exactly three interconnecting leads. However, this method of wiring is still not perfectly balanced.
PAGE 4
Optimal Charging for Multiple Batteries in a Bank Method 2 - Perfectly Balanced Charging (Continued) Now your battery bank is ‘perfectly balanced’ and each battery will draw the same amount of current for the charger, meaning that your entire bank will charge equally for optimal life of all the batteries in the bank. Note: even though the examples demonstrated this wiring method on four batteries, this method can be employed on any battery bank containing an even number of batteries (ex: 6, 8, 10).