Are any of you using a solar panel to charge KX2 battery?

[John Parnell]

Hello!

 

I am a newly minted KX2 owner and this is my first post here - so be gentle
J. So far, I am having a ball with the rig and enjoying discovering it's
many features.


Just before ordering the KXBT2 battery pack for the KX2, I called Elecraft
and asked if the unit could be charged with a solar panel - I like
backpacking with QRP. A few years ago (using a Hendricks PFR3 QRP rig), I
found that a small folding solar panel and charge controller works well with
a A123 LiPo 12V 3 Ah bat and saves me quite a bit of weight in my pack vs
using gel cells. My practice is to charge one battery while using the
another. I first contacted the bat distributor's tech person who said that
it would charge just fine based on the specs for my small Morningstar charge
controller.. the bats and folding panel weigh less than 1.5 lbs.


Since the KXBT2 is a different voltage, I thought I should call Elecraft and
ask if this setup would likewise work with it.  Their rep told me that the
KXBT2 should ONLY be charged via the provided AC charger. Now that I have
one, I am delving a bit and found this: a " Venom 2-4 Cell AC/DC RC LiPo
Dual Battery Balance Charger" on Amazon (designed for RC use). It is small
and can charge 2-4 cells @ .1-3Amps and accepts 10-18VDC as well as AC. It
could easily be set to match the 12.6V @ 2A output of the Tenergy AC
charger.


https://www.amazon.com/Venom-RC-Battery-Balance-Charger/dp/B00GYPG5JU/ref=sr
_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1468956041&sr=8-2&keywords=12v+lipo+charger


So, my question is: Has anyone tried charging their KXBT2 bat with a solar
panel? ..or. do any of you foresee any issues using the above gear to charge
the KXBT2? (Thinking out loud, I would think that some sort of charge
controller specific to the KX line  would be a popular accessory for
Elecraft to make available,  considering that portability is a main draw for
this stuff)


73 -  de John, K7HV


 


 


 

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[ktalbott]

I use the iMax B6 DC-to-DC charger. http://tinyurl.com/j8mxpub It will
charge almost any battery technology in many combinations of stacks /
parallels.  It provides CC/CV charging for packs with internal
min/max/balancing as well as standard connections for those that require
external balancing.  CAUTION! You must know what your battery expects and
program the charger properly.  The charging output uses banana plugs and
adapters, so even more care is required.  Another model with AC or DC inputs
is available for $27.
GL de ken ke4rg

-----Original Message-----
From: Elecraft [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of John
Parnell
Sent: July 19, 2016 16:24
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [Elecraft] Are any of you using a solar panel to charge KX2
battery?
Hello!
I am a newly minted KX2 owner and this is my first post here - so be gentle
J. So far, I am having a ball with the rig and enjoying discovering it's
many features.
Just before ordering the KXBT2 battery pack for the KX2, I called Elecraft
and asked if the unit could be charged with a solar panel - I like
backpacking with QRP. A few years ago (using a Hendricks PFR3 QRP rig), I
found that a small folding solar panel and charge controller works well with
a A123 LiPo 12V 3 Ah bat and saves me quite a bit of weight in my pack vs
using gel cells. My practice is to charge one battery while using the
another. I first contacted the bat distributor's tech person who said that
it would charge just fine based on the specs for my small Morningstar charge
controller.. the bats and folding panel weigh less than 1.5 lbs.
Since the KXBT2 is a different voltage, I thought I should call Elecraft and
ask if this setup would likewise work with it.  Their rep told me that the
KXBT2 should ONLY be charged via the provided AC charger. Now that I have
one, I am delving a bit and found this: a " Venom 2-4 Cell AC/DC RC LiPo
Dual Battery Balance Charger" on Amazon (designed for RC use). It is small
and can charge 2-4 cells @ .1-3Amps and accepts 10-18VDC as well as AC. It
could easily be set to match the 12.6V @ 2A output of the Tenergy AC
charger.
https://www.amazon.com/Venom-RC-Battery-Balance-Charger/dp/B00GYPG5JU/ref=sr
_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1468956041&sr=8-2&keywords=12v+lipo+charger
So, my question is: Has anyone tried charging their KXBT2 bat with a solar
panel? ..or. do any of you foresee any issues using the above gear to charge
the KXBT2? (Thinking out loud, I would think that some sort of charge
controller specific to the KX line  would be a popular accessory for
Elecraft to make available,  considering that portability is a main draw for
this stuff)
73 -  de John, K7HV
<snip>

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Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
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Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
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