Rover John
I think the alternator was overheating due to load. I think the test was set up to see what would happen to the alternator when battery was in a discharged state hence no controller.
BMS internal protecting battery. ( I’m thinking about the internal battery BMS)
Am I wrong, I thought you could put a lot of current into a discharged battery.
Thanks Russ
You can put a lot of current into a discharged battery. Hence the danger to the alternator. From the Rolls Battery (AGM) manual:
"The recommended charge current is 10%-20% of the AH capacity of the battery bank, based on the 20 Hr AH rate (C20). Higher current levels may cause the battery bank to overheat. A lower current may be used; however, this will prolong charge time and increase the potential for sulfation build-up."
10% of the 250AH battery bank I had before is 25A. Because of the internal resistance of AGM (all lead acid actually) I would see an in-rush of 90A and then it would quickly scale back to 40 and then continually decrease as the battery charged up.
With Lithium batteries, there is negligible internal resistance, so they will charge to full at whatever you can throw at them. However, the maximum recharge rate is 1C (or 100 Amps for a 100-Ahr battery), and a recommended max of 0.5C for battery longevity.
So my battery bank in the camper (2 100AH Battleborns) will gladly accept 200A... is that smoke I see?