Axis/Vegas Lithium Swap, Who has done it?

[Lysergeon]

Ok so, I just said screw it and disconnected the batteries at about 60% (removed negative terminal) and that was all good... until, I realized my stereo won't run on shore power for some reason... I recently upgraded the crappy Axxera head unit to a way better Sony AX7000, and it has worked great... however.. now with the shore power on, and batteries disconnected... it won't turn on ... wtf? makes no sense... I checked the 15A fuse under the hood, all good.. but stereo does not turn on.. reconnect battery, it comes on no problem.. Any ideas on this one? (

[taylorbob1]

On Vegas/Axis the Axxera or replacement head unit is powered via the House Battery bank. Not the Chassis Battery under the hood.

That’s why many on this forum complain abt “parasitic drain”
That drain is caused by the head unit (and C02 sensor)

You can always re-wire if you desire so that the 12V to power the head unit comes from the Chassis battery.

[Lysergeon]

No, I get that, but it still doesn't explain why the shore power/converter isn't powering the head unit unless my lithium's are connected.. unless I am missing something?

[taylorbob1]

I’ll wait for other experts to comment…

I can tell you that when my USE/STORE solenoid went out (and had to be replaced)…even with Generator running or Shore Power plugged-in, my Axxera radio would not turn on.

That’s because the Axxera is NOT wired thru the Converter.
That’s my experience.

[Lysergeon]

Thanks for the input, seems like that is the case here... seems a bit ridiculous... is there a way to connect the radio to the converter (for a noob like me) lol... seems unlikely... so my options are... go without my new upgraded sound system for the winter... or ... risk destroying my $2200 batteries...

Awesome..

[taylorbob1]

Suggest, if you haven’t already done so, you register with Thor so that you can get your wiring diagrams.
That will show you where the head unit is wired into the house batteries.

But it sounds like you might want to wire to the chassis battery as well.
This would mean a 3-way switch on dash (house battery vs chassis battery vs completely off).

That way you can decide how and when to power it.

A fairly straight forward mod.

[Lysergeon]

Originally Posted by taylorbob1

Suggest, if you haven’t already done so, you register with Thor so that you can get your wiring diagrams.
That will show you where the head unit is wired into the house batteries.

But it sounds like you might want to wire to the chassis battery as well.
This would mean a 3-way switch on dash (house battery vs chassis battery vs completely off).

That way you can decide how and when to power it.

A fairly straight forward mod.

Hmm, Thor responded and said that "The radio is connected to the house batteries and would require them to function. " But that is strange... because I used the axxera radio for weeks with the batteries disconnected... It was only after changing the head unit that I had the issue. this makes no sense..

[DavidEM]

On my 2021 Axis 24.1 the radio is definitely powered from the house batteries. With the battery disconnect switch off, it doesn't work even with the chassis engine running.

David

[taylorbob1]

Originally Posted by Lysergeon

Hmm, Thor responded and said that "The radio is connected to the house batteries and would require them to function. " But that is strange... because I used the axxera radio for weeks with the batteries disconnected... It was only after changing the head unit that I had the issue. this makes no sense..

You’re mistaken, head unit does not work if house batteries are properly disconnected.
So if your Axxera was working and you thought the house batteries were disconnected…well then, you're solenoid did not function properly and all that time your house batteries were actually still connected.

[DavidEM]

How many times have you guys gotten bad information from Thor Customer Support. In my case it is running 25% bad, 50% don't know and I ultimately had to educate them and 25% good.

David

[Lysergeon]

Originally Posted by taylorbob1

You’re mistaken, head unit does not work if house batteries are properly disconnected.
So if your Axxera was working and you thought the house batteries were disconnected…well then, you're solenoid did not function properly and all that time your house batteries were actually still connected.

Well, I mean the negative terminal was disconnected so, not sure how they could have still been connected also, the lithiums went into storage mode (could not connect to them via bluetooth anymore) so, I imagine the batteries were disconnected.. I guess the radio was just working by magic... or more likely some weird wiring f%#k up by either Thor or the ppl who installed my batteries/converter/inverter... who knows...

anyway.. I guess I am leaving the batteries on for the next few months... the guy from powerroad(lithium company) said it should be fine, they are 110ah batteries but they only charge to 100ah unless you force them over, for this exact reason, (long term on charge, to avoid damage) so he said should be fine for a few months.

Cheers all.

[vealessi]

While I eventually want to upgrade to Lithium Ion, I am short on time and taking off on a 6-wk trip in a few days; was worried about getting into a big project that I couldn't finish. I did want to upgrade battery power, however, to be better self contained. This is my $400 solution, and I'll do Lion next year.

(2) 6V 250Ah batteries - I think I saw somebody say that the stock 12V batteries are ~80Ah, so this should be a 3X improvement. These batteries are 1.25" taller than stock, so required some modification. I removed the step (1" thick), and had to cut out a bit of the sheet metal. I plan on building a .75" border with a 5/8" plywood step, and dropping the rubber from the original step on top - I think it will end up at roughly the same height and look.

The batteries I bought from Batteries Plus are: 250Ah 6V flooded 11.75x7x11.5" 73lbs Duracell Ultra SLI6V225S $200

Here are before/after pics

[DJB]

Hi, I'm new to the forum (and motorhomes) so I hope I'm jumping in at the right place. I am replacing the original batteries with 2 lithium 100 ah and plan to wire this as per the attached diagram. So far I've disconnected the original bim as I'm putting in a DC-DC charger and I replaced the converter with a WFCO WF-8950L2-MBA for lithium batteries. Just wondering if anyone has any comments or suggestions on how I am planning to proceed and secondly if anyone know what the 100 amp breaker under the steps if for? The diagrams I've found seem to indicate it goes to the generator? I though the generator produced AC and the converter feeds DC back to the batteries?

[taylorbob1]

I thought that the BIM serves a purpose so as to not run down the chassis battery

[DJB]

The bim was for lead acid and the dc dc charger is tripped by the ignition so current onlys flow when the engine is running.

[outro702]

Originally Posted by tomangie

This is more than you may want, but my lithium & solar system has been working perfectly for me for the last 2+ years in my 2018 Axis 24.1. It can be seen at https://youtu.be/x_PjAGheBnM
Since we always boondock at 30 ski resorts in the winter (w/ Ikon ski passes) & dirtbike in the summer, we never hook up to shore power. We don’t have to start the generator to make coffee & microwave breakfast in the morning. We never run out of power for our heated blankets overnight. We can even run the AC without the genny for about an hour with the soft start upgrade. Lithiums do not like freezing weather, so this is all under the bed and behind insulation from the back & sides. I removed the converter because the lithiums stay charged with the solar panels most of the time. Otherwise, the generator can charge the lithiums very quickly. I like that I can check the solar & battery stats & history with the Victron iphone app. Lithiums are relatively light batteries & can go down to almost zero percent charge without damaging them.
$6,236 total cost from two years ago:
Victron Multiplus 12/2000/80-50 - $1,150
Smartsolar 100/30 - $226
Monitors: battery, MPPT, Inverter - $500
breakers & wire & lugs - $200
four HQST 100w Mono panels - $460
four 100Ah BattleBorn lithium batteries - $3,700

How did you disable the alternator charging?

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by outro702

How did you disable the alternator charging?

He probably didn't. A 2018 came with a BIM (Battery Isolation Manager). He probably replaced it with a Li-BIM.

[DJB]

I disconnected the original BIM, alternator now charges through the DC-DC charger which is a BIM and limits the current to 40 amps to ensure the alternator is not overloaded. I wired the ignition lead through a switch by the driver so it can be turned off when not on the highway, again to make sure the alternator is not overloaded.

[klrock]

I just finished installing 200 AH of Lithium batteries along with the lithium specific converter and all is working well. However, I want to replace the existing Trombetta BIM with the Battleborne LI-BIM 225. Unfortunately Thor tech support was not able to supply detailed wiring specs or diagram for the existing system.
Has anyone here made the BIM upgrade and can supply this information. I can do electrical upgrades okay but I need to no which wire is connected to what.
Thanks
Kerry

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by klrock

I just finished installing 200 AH of Lithium batteries along with the lithium specific converter and all is working well. However, I want to replace the existing Trombetta BIM with the Battleborne LI-BIM 225. Unfortunately Thor tech support was not able to supply detailed wiring specs or diagram for the existing system.
Has anyone here made the BIM upgrade and can supply this information. I can do electrical upgrades okay but I need to no which wire is connected to what.
Thanks
Kerry

If you have a Trombetta relay you don't have a BIM, you have a BIRD. If you have a standard BIM it is a simple wire-for-wire replacement to a Li-BIM. Changing from a BIRD/Trombetta to a Li-BIM is a bit more complicated but should not be too difficult.