Sike Power LiFePO4 battery packs

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Charging LiFePO4 correctly and what ruins a pack

Most premature LiFePO4 failures are charger and temperature problems rather than cell problems.

LiFePO4 wants a constant-current then constant-voltage profile with a correct absorption voltage and no float stage held indefinitely at a high voltage. A charger configured for lead-acid will apply an equalisation or float regime that a lithium pack does not need and will not thank you for.

Charging below freezing is the single most damaging thing most users do without realising. Lithium plating at low temperature causes permanent capacity loss, which is why a smart BMS blocks charge below a threshold. A pack that refuses to charge on a cold morning is protecting itself, not failing.

The third common error is a charger and inverter that disagree about the pack's state because they are not communicating with it. Where the inverter supports RS485 or CAN, use it: letting the BMS tell the inverter what it needs is more reliable than both guessing from voltage.

Specifications

Charge profileCC/CV, no indefinite high-voltage float
NeverCharge below freezing; the BMS will block it
Best practiceLet the BMS talk to the inverter over RS485 or CAN

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