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Topic: 2023 Entegra Ethos Li 20T - Lithium Battery notes. (Read 2917 times) previous topic - next topic
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2023 Entegra Ethos Li 20T - Lithium Battery notes.

For those interested in learning more about your Lithium Ion battery here is something I've learned after many hours speaking with Tech Support.  Our van keeps discharging from 100% to below where neither the Inverter nor the Main House Switch turns on after less than one month.  Not sure why.  We leave it in our garage so I turned off the Solar Switch inside the van but left the one on top of the roof ON (this may be something I'll turn off to test that out).  This is the 2nd time in 3 months that this has happened.  After 2 weeks I turn on the Sam Koons screen to show 97% charge so it goes bad rapidly after that unless the SOC is not showing accurate percentage.

So below is what I have learned.  We have a 20T model so the locations may be different if you have a different model.


To charge when SOC falls below 20%

   1. Turn OFF van
   2. Turn OFF Solar switch under bed (the one on the roof can remain on)
   3. Turn OFF Inverter
   4. Turn OFF Main Switch
   5. Plug Power Cable into van and lock
   6. Turn OFF Circuit Breaker
   7. Plug Power Cable into 120V, 30A receptacle
   8. Turn ON Circuit Breaker
   9. Turn ON Inverter - Multiple beeps and clicking will be heard
   10. Check Sam Koons screen in top cabinet - Verify voltage is between 20V-40V and Charging.
   NOTE: All Battery Cell voltages should be above 3300mv (3300mv/cell x 16 cells = 52.8V)
   11. Change Setting 09 on Lithium Battery to 54.8V  **
   12. Charge until battery humming stops and Sam Koons shows 0.0A or 1.0A charging.  Battery cells should all be above 3300mv and battery voltage should be over 54.0V.
   Note: This automatically recalibrates BMS so the SOC is really 100% and accurate
   13. Change Lithium Battery setting 09 back to 54.0V  **
   14. Turn OFF circuit breaker
   15. Unplug power cable from receptacle and van

** Lithium Battery is located under passenger-side bed

   To change settings
   
   1. Click Set button
   2. Click Up button until you reach the proper setting number
   3. Click Ent button to change the setting value
   4. Click Up or Down button to find the correct value
   5. Click Ent to set the value
   6. Click Set to end changes

Verify these Lithium Battery Settings

Setting number and values

08 - L16  (Lithium 16 cell battery type.  Make sure it's NOT SLD = acid battery)
09 - 54.0  (Only if not recalibrating, otherwise set to 54.8V)
NOTE: Battery Mfgr setting uses 54.4V, Jayco setting uses 54.0V
26 - DIS  (Disables beeping when Solar switch is ON)
28 - 30A  (If using standard 110V, 15A circuit, set this value to 15A
35 - 50.8  (Low voltage disconnect recover - whatever this is)
37 - 52.0 (Battery charging boost return setpoint)

Battery Notes

SOC loses about 7% over time
New vans need to be charged and uncharged many times to get accurate SOC readings
Sam Koons screen
   • 53.0V - Fully charged
   • 52.0V - 75% charged
   • 51.0V - 50% charged
   • 50.0V - 25% charged
   • < 50.0V - BAD - recharge ASAP
   • 48V - Alarm sounds
        - 45.6V - Cannot charge

Re: 2023 Entegra Ethos Li 20T - Lithium Battery notes.

Reply #1 –
Just got our van in July. Been having issues with inverter power cycling at random. A concern for sure but even more annoying is the fact it beeps every time it restarts which can happen in the middle of the night.

Van is now with dealer for repairs.

Also found out that Renogy battery used is a custom build which means
1- doesn’t have Bluetooth capability
2- won’t show in Renogy iOS app “Move DC”
3- Renogy customer care won’t support. Sends you to 3rd party

Fingers crossed LaMesa will resolve issue.
Playing around with raspberry pi and home kit.

Re: 2023 Entegra Ethos Li 20T - Lithium Battery notes.

Reply #2 –

Nice discovery to share.

Ethos included a chassis battery trickle charger via the Renogy Wanderer which is located in the first cabinet on the passenger side. My goal was to add Bluetooth so the unit would show up in the Move DC Renogy app. Bought the required part on Amazon

Amazon.com: Renogy Bluetooth Module RJ12 Communication Port Compatible...

Went to install and notice the port was not accessible because the unit is installed so close to the another piece of equipment. Most likely to make things look nicer and hide some of the wiring.

Now the discovery. After moving the wanderer up a few inches, I noticed it had 2 usb ports. Connected my iPhone and confirmed they are live.

This might solve another project I have in mind which is to add internet via Mifi for security monitoring.

Playing around with raspberry pi and home kit.

Re: 2023 Entegra Ethos Li 20T - Lithium Battery notes.

Reply #3 –
Not sure if this will help anyone, but here is more information regarding the Entegra Ethos Li van:

1) Turn OFF Inverter - The Lithium Battery manufacturer insisted that you should NOT have the Inverter ON unless you intend to use 110V Outlets, the Stove or the Microwave - anything that is 110V.  The Inverter drains the battery about 5% per day and not really needed.  The Fridge, A/C Unit, Water Pump and Lights can all be powered by using the Main Switch (House Power Switch located on bottom near sliding door).
NOTE:  Inverter must be ON when driving to charge the Lithium Battery

2) Constant Beeping - We were very annoyed at constant beeping that started and lasted more than 5 minutes.  We could not figure out why since we were driving and heard beeps.  We came to the conclusion that the beeps indicated a switch from charging power either from the 2nd Alternator (Inverter ON when driving) or from Shore Power (plugged into 30A, 110V power source) and the Solar Panels (both Solar Switches turned ON). 
SOLUTION:  Change the Inverter Battery Setting number 26 (found under Passenger-side bed in 20T model) to DIS (DISABLED).  This is the Alarm Setting.  Once I DISABLED this, the beeping stopped and everything still functioned properly.
NOTE:  To change Setting 26:
1. Press the "SET" key to enter parameter setting mode.
2. Number 00 flashes and you can press the "UP" and "DOWN" keys to find the settings
3. IF NEEDED, to CHANGE the parameter program press "ENT" key and then enter the
setting listed below. Settings in the orange columns.
4. Finally press "ENT" to exit back to main screen.
5. Scroll through the settings one more time and confirm they were set correctly.

3) Bluetooth App - Our van came with Bluetooth.  Not sure the make or model but I found out that the iPhone App that can pair with the device is called "VegaTouch Mira".  After downloading I could pair my phone to the Bluetooth device and it mimiced exactly my Main Display Screen so I could control anything is the House with the app on my iPhone.  I could see SOC, turn on any light, display error codes, turn on A/C - anything the Main Display can control.  We bought our van in Feb 2023 so not sure if Jayco changed anything on their Entegra line since then.
NOTE:  The Main Power Switch must be ON in order for you to use the Bluetooth app.


A few more notes of interest for some:

1) These Ethos Li are new technology and our RV Dealer has no clue how anything functions.  It is best to call Jayco directly and they are VERY helpful.  I have been on hour calls with their Tech Staff many times and learned a lot!

2) I was told that leaving the Solar Switches ON would not matter whether the van is being driven, camping or stored.  Not sure if that is true or not, but I suggest turn the Solar Switch under the bed to OFF when storing.

3) We stored our van in a garage for about 1 month with 100% SOC and the Lithium battery was completely dead.  Once recharged and BMC was reset, it happened again about 2 months later.  Nothing we know of is in the ON position and the battery should not be dead in a month's time so we will continue to monitor.

4) The Water Valve Settings for your Fresh Water were tricky for us in the beginning. I added Numbered Labels next to each of the two valves from 1 to 6 so each valve setting was labeled so it was clear what valve positions we were using.

5) The Hot Water unit for Shower was also tricky.  Not sure I figured it out, but I believe The Top Shower Knob is used for heating the water. There are 3 positions for the Top Knob.  I labeled them as well.  Since the Top Knob turns completely around it was very confusing.  I figured out the Bump on the Top Knob is used as reference to position of the Knob.  I added a label with an arrow pointing the Bump so it is easy to know its location even if the Bump was at the bottom.  The position I labeled are "Fill", "On", and "Off".  I believe the "Fill" is used to fill the hot water tank.  The Bottom Knob is used for the shower itself.  I labeled them "Cold" and "Hot".  We never use this so I could be way wrong.

6)  After our first camping trip we checked out other people's sites.  We realized that the 2 other pieces of equipment we needed.  The first was a 30A, 110V Power Adapter that connects to the Power Source and indicates if there is anything wrong with the incoming Shore Power and also has Surge Protection for whatever reason.  The second was a Water Filter and Pressure Adapter.  This is used not only to filter the water source but also has a pressure regulator to ensure the PSI is not too high to damage your van.



Re: 2023 Entegra Ethos Li 20T - Lithium Battery notes.

Reply #4 –
Thanks for sharing.

Just did my first warranty visit with the dealer and they confirmed (confessed) that they had little knowledge about the lithium setup. As for the beeping, their answer was "Working as Designed". Used your steps for disabling the alarm.

Question for the group about charging via the alternator. The manual is not clear which lead me to believe anytime the engine is running the house battery would be topped off. Did some testing yesterday, and charing only worked when the master switch is on. Can anyone confirm the expected behavior?
Playing around with raspberry pi and home kit.

Re: 2023 Entegra Ethos Li 20T - Lithium Battery notes.

Reply #5 –
Yes, for the alternator to charge the lithium battery you need to have the master house switch on while driving. In order for you to charge the lithium battery by shore power, you need to have the inverter button on.

Re: 2023 Entegra Ethos Li 20T - Lithium Battery notes.

Reply #6 –
@RamVan Thanks again for confirming.

Don't really like requiring master house switch on for alternator charging for 2 reasons, 1- Fridge drawing power when not needed 2- I forget to turn the switch off which leads to 10% battery drain per day cause of fridge.

I called Dustin @ Dehco, the contact listed in manual, and he offered the backstory why Jayco did what they did. That said, he also pointed out one could rewire the APS-500 setup to bypass master switch in favor of the ignition switch. So I will be shopping around for an renogy installer to get that done.

Has anyone gotten after market changes done to lithium setup in the San Francisco Bay Area?
Playing around with raspberry pi and home kit.

Re: 2023 Entegra Ethos Li 20T - Lithium Battery notes.

Reply #7 –
The Inverter is the one that drains the Lithium Battery at a faster rate over the Master House Switch.  Both will operate the fridge on their own if you have either one ON.  I turn the fridge off if I'm not using it (turn knob to 0), then it will not draw any power either way.  You should keep the Inverter OFF unless you need to use the 110 outlets, the stove top or the microwave (anything requiring 110V).  Note the A/C Unit runs off 12V so you do not need the Inverter ON to run it.

Re: 2023 Entegra Ethos Li 20T - Lithium Battery notes.

Reply #8 –
@RamVan

Given the inverter usage, makes sense that Jayco is thinking about not using its PV charging capability and going with a standalone charge controller. Guess I will put this on the things to upgrade list.

Cheers
Playing around with raspberry pi and home kit.

Re: 2023 Entegra Ethos Li 20T - Lithium Battery notes.

Reply #9 –
Hi, I see that @RamVan noted that the AC runs off of 12vdc. I own a 2022 Ethos Li and having issues with my AC, but it is a 48vdc AC unit. Did Entegra change the AC for 2023? Thanks.

Re: 2023 Entegra Ethos Li 20T - Lithium Battery notes.

Reply #10 –
Hi Dean Here. new to the forum. Just acquired in June 2023 Ethos Li 20t  Only been out 4 times, to hot in Florida till winter.
the first 3 trips went without any issues with alternator charging .
just recently La Mesa preformed 3 TSB one of which was replacing the 300amp alt fuse to a 200amp. left Fort Pierce to Hollywood Fl. batt at 59 soc  2 hrs drive at highway speeds  got home soc at 54. check the fuse it was good,  had inverter on and master switch on.

as per Jayco. charged batt with cord to 100 soc and did a reset.    let drain down to 84 soc. took it out for a 1.5 hr drive keeping engine above 2000 rpm. got home still 84soc.    firefly screen says const/volt/amps. no faults. aps 500 flashing orange. 

LaMesa and phone calls. bad  probably have to call Jayco tech again.  but hoping someone has a a experience with this

thanks Dean

Re: 2023 Entegra Ethos Li 20T - Lithium Battery notes.

Reply #11 –
Quote from: RamVan –
Yes, for the alternator to charge the lithium battery you need to have the master house switch on while driving. In order for you to charge the lithium battery by shore power, you need to have the inverter button on.

ThAnk you this answered my question i asked in another forum .
 

Re: 2023 Entegra Ethos Li 20T - Lithium Battery notes.

Reply #12 –
@ElectraLi

Just dropped off van for the fuse replacement. Fingers crossed.

Battery died on us a few weeks ago during a cloudy period. Jayco asked that we take it in for analysis. Tech as dealer said they have dealt with 3 similar cases this year, all leading to battery replacement.

Observations:
1- Renogy no longer carries the 52.1V batteries
2- Called Renogy and they no recommend going with the 48v/50ah system.
3- Jayco updated design for MY24. PV charging which no longer is being routed through the inverter.

Hope you were able to resolve the alternator charging issue.

P
Playing around with raspberry pi and home kit.

Re: 2023 Entegra Ethos Li 20T - Lithium Battery notes.

Reply #13 –
I took my van to our dealer and they let the batteries go dead , ended up doing a battery replacement on warranty.