Important Update ! If you attempt this mower charging modification beware you can damage the charger (s) if you simultaneously are charging and turn on the mower !.... you could damage the charger as their would be large current flow in the wrong direction through the charger. ( there are diodes that are providing a small amount of reverse current flow protection but i would imagine they would be very quickly burnt out rendering your charger useless). I will say this again ... If anyone is attempting this modification you need to understand the mower built in charging circuit is being bypassed and the mower cannot be turned on while being charged, nor can the charger remain on the mower plugged into the battery pack but disconnected from the AC. The charger(s) must be completely disconnected from the battery pack before you turn on the mower!
Thanks for another wonderful video of the Ryobi mower. I’ve always enjoyed acoustic guitar music, so thanks for the added treat! I also, appreciate your calm and paced narration. Thanks, again!
I am trying to understand how the batteries are being charged individually even though they are connected in series? Any chance you can elaborate? Thank you!
Hi Benny without going deep into years of electrical theory on series and parallel circuits, I will try to explain. Each 12 volt battery has its own charger connected to it when you need to charge them up, then (at the same time) all the batteries are connected in series when you want to mow. Even though you see everything connected together, you have to think of each battery as its own circuit , the 12 volts from each of the chargers only flows current in and out of the 1 battery its connected to, this way you can charge 1 or any number of the batteries at the same time.
Hello. I just watched your great video on the Solar furnace build. You mentioned a part 2, but I don't see it on the channel. Is it still available? Thanks.
Thanks for this timely video, I was replacing batteries too, one question doesn’t the charging current when all chargers are turned ON interfere with each other as the batteries are connected in series ? Would it take really long charging this with a noco 4x2amp charger ? Also do you still recommend the power pulse in this battery charging setup?
This is a good question. On the outset it would appear there would be some sort of current leakage between chargers, but as long as the mower is turned OFF and NOT plugged into the original charger and current is NOT flowing in the 48 volt series circuit, there can be no leakage between chargers as each charger is only connected to one individual battery and the current from one charger can only flow from one terminal of the charger to the other terminal of the same charger. Because the new chargers have built in float and pulse I have removed the Ppulse module. the 4x2 is a 2 amp quad charger, 2 amps x 13 volts is less than 30 watts per battery and it would take a very long time to charge up the batteries, it would still work but would take a long time.
I just changed out my 4 batteries on my rm480e mower last night. Everything is working electrically, however the mower will no longer forward or reverse. Ryobi thinks it might be the parking brake switch. Curious if you have thoughts.
I already have one NOCO 10, just have to buy 3 more. I was going to buy a NOCO 10 x4, this will be cheaper and simpler cabling wise. Thanks for the video.
Hi Brian. I am having an issue with my mower. I tested the batteries and they are nearly at full capacity. We tightened the wires, changed oil. And yet it’s close to dying after only about 1/2 acre of mowing even though I used to get much more. I’m not sure what could be causing it to lose power so fast. Any ideas?
LOVE YOUR VIDEOS! Can you list the items you installed? Or options? I was planning on swapping mines for lithium batteries, but they're too expensive. I live in Atlanta GA and I don't know if our winter weather will make that larger investment worthless in the future also. So I think this option is better long term.
Yes I can, batteries came from Interstate batteries ( sold all over Canada and the US ) and the chargers are from NOCO . They can be purchased online or at most department /automotive stores.
Hello Sir, instead of buying 4 individual chargers, could I buy only 2. I would still wire the 4 batteries individually but charge 2 of them at a time, and keep on switching everyday. Could that be good?
Hi Brian, Thank you for sharing your experiences and knowledge with all of us! I have a Ryobi RM480ex (100AH version) that is just over 2 years old and I mow about 2 acres. At the end of last season (September 2022), the battery meter showed a very quick battery percentage drop within only 20 min. I used to go for 1.5 hours with more than 60% charge remaining. Given the cost of replacing the batteries and not knowing whether I’m going be in the same situation in 2 years or so, I’m weighing your option of getting new lead acid batteries and upgrading the charging system versus converting to LiFePO4 batteries (which will come with their own set of unknowns, given quality control issues I’ve read about and their additional cost). Over the winter, the mower is stored in a heated garage and not used. I’m curious if you even considered going the LiFePO4 route, and/or if you have any comments about which solution I should consider. Many thanks.
Hi Vermonty I use the mower with the snow blade attachment in winter to push snow as do many other owners and lithium anything will basically self destruct if used when too hot or below freezing, so the choice for me was simple Lp deep cycle. Lithium has its place in the industry, light weight and energy dense. Sodium Ion is the new comer on the test bench, not yet readily available it is estimated to be the frontrunner of the Lithium generation replacement. I never owned an old brick cell phone but I did see people use them and they were gigantic by comparison of todays portable phones, Gym memberships weren't necessary back then because of the 5 lb brick you were holding. lol Lithium IRON is much safer than the ION counterpart ( not nearly as many garage fires) but comes at more than double the cost of Lp . If you are looking for advice I would first try to de-sulfate the batteries with a better charger, the charger that came with my mower was just a basic 2 stage, I now use a de-sulfating 5 stage and have gotten 5 years out of my first set of batteries. 0 maintenance Lp batteries do not exist, they may sell them as no maintenance but lead deep cycles batteries do loose acid vapor over time through the charge and discharge cycle. On CZcams I saw one gentleman drill tiny holes (1/8th inch) in the top of each cell and replenish the lost levels with some fresh sulphuric acid with a medical syringe and then silicone the holes shut with good results. I think I am going to try this on my old set of batteries and test the results. Keep in mind No matter which way you decide to go, batteries don't last forever and you will eventually need to purchase a 3rd or 4th set. I you do go Lithium please purchase a high quality BMS with an appropriate charger. All the best
I had the 75AH version but recently converted to 100AH lithium (LiFePO4). I was shocked to see that after I mowed my yard I had only used about 8.5% of the battery pack, whereas with the old lead acid batteries it used to drop to about half when I was done (until a few weeks ago when I could only get about 20 minutes of work out of it, prompting the conversion).
That may have more to do with the way that battery state of charge is measured. The mower is really just measuring voltage drop, which tends to fall off quickly for SLA batteries, and then hover around the halfway point for a long time before dropping further. Not sure why, but LI batteries always seem to provide a much more accurate reading of their state of charge percentage.
Thanks for the great video. Just curious, how long did your original batteries last and were you replacing the batteries due to them failing. I only have 45 hours on my original set and they need to be replaced as I get no more than 30 minutes of run time (75ah). Kept them plugged in to the charger all year, but I bet the Minnesota winter took its toll as I do not have a heated garage. Guess I could move down south ;)
Hi Kenneth The original batteries lasted 5 years and I just replaced them. A proper battery maintainer With a pulse technology built in will keep your batteries lasting longer as its usually the buildup of Sulphate that causes the battery to fail.
Thanks for your video,I don’t understand how you charge each battery individually,what is the process also I have the Ryobi partly taken apart ,want to know how to desconect the censor wire
yes you can charge a 12 volt battery that is connected in a series of batteries , for me to explain how this works would take too long and this is the wrong forum for that, I would recommend you watching more videos on series and parallel battery charging to help you understand it better. the sense wire is disconnected from the battery in the battery compartment shown in one of my videos. you are welcome have a watch to see how it is done
Thanks for the video, I have the same mower you do. Would the following batteries by okay to use for when I have to replace the original ones? Interstate Batteries 12V 75Ah Deep Cycle Battery (DCM0075) Sealed Lead Acid Rechargeable SLA AGM (Insert Terminals) Thanks for your input.
Hi Mark The terminals are important to get the post bolt style like the ones I show in the video, but i suppose you could modify the wiring to use the insert terminals ( I am not sure) .
Brian Could you please provide an update on how your battery chargers/maintainers are performing charging each battery separately? I elected to use the same approach as you except I use four, 4amp chargers/maintainers, one dedicated to each battery. I had removed all four batteries from the mower over the winter (I’m in Wisconsin) and placed them in my basement each on their own dedicated charger/maintainer. They were hooked up from late October until last weekend when I put them back in the mower. I mowed a couple days ago, first time this year and the meter only dropped 10%. This after mowing almost 3/4 acre, mostly flat but some ditch slope near the road. I connected each unit again but since they are only 4amp it will probably take a few days for each battery to fully charge up again. Since I only mow once per week I don’t think it will be a problem being a slow charge. How quickly do your batteries come to full charge after you plug them in being your chargers are 10 amp? Thank you Eric
My batteries are doing excellent and I love the new charging system. I push this mower Way harder than it was designed to service. I mow about 5 acres twice a week. Our mower is now 6 years old. I normally only get about 3 years out of a gas mower then they burn out, so I am very happy with this one. Because we live off grid ( now 14 years) we only have a 5 KW inverter so I can charge or 2 at a time without going over my daily electrical budget , the fridge , freezer and water pumps have room to run freely when they need to. Once I an finished mowing, 2 batteries go back on charge till the next day then I switch to the other two batteries, works perfect for my situation, Once charged up they automatically all go into desulfation mode and I can leave them like that all year long. Over winter we get very cold -40 here and I leave them outside plugged in all winter long with no problem. You are right 4 amp per 100 AMP battery is a bit undersized but there is no harm in charging them slowly. FYI the battery gauge meter on the mower is not to be considered accurate, it measures Ah capacity via voltage sag from 48volts or 56volts peak which is a terrible way to do it but it will give you a vey crude ball park idea of the state of charge. thanks for stopping in .
Hi, This is excellent! I’m keen on upgrading as you have, however I recently received 4 new 75ah batteries so won’t upgrade to 100 ah until required. My question is I have purchased 2 Noco genius 10 (They are expensive here in Australia) and was hoping that would be enough to charge the 4 75ah batteries and if so how to wire them?
Yes, absolutely you can use just 2 chargers but you will only be able to charge 2 batteries up at the same time, once they are charged you will have to find a way to connect to the other two batteries and charge them up as well. One charger can only charge 1 battery at a time.
@@solarbrianyvonne Thank you, I thought that would be the case. I have ordered 2 more Noco charges. I so appreciate the time and effort you must put into your videos and then the time to reply to everyone’s questions. Keep up the good work.
Hi Brian I can’t thank you enough. I have now installed my 4 Noco charges and all seems ok so far. I have another query regarding repair mode, would there be a benefit running it periodically or routinely and would I need to remove batteries to do so or leave them in the mower wired as they are to charge. Thanks
Do you know if there would be a problem if you accidentally turned the mower power on while the noco chargers are connected? This bypasses the charge port cut off relay but I don't know if that would even damage the charger or not.
Hi OC This is a great question ! Thank you for asking it . Yes you could damage the charger as their would be large current flow in the wrong direction through the charger. ( there are diodes that are providing a small amount of reverse current flow protection but i would imagine they would be very quickly burnt out rendering your charger useless). If anyone is attempting this modification , you need to understand the built in charging circuit is being bypassed and the mower cannot be turned on while being charged, nor can the charger remain on the mower plugged into the battery pack but disconnected from the AC. The charger(s) must be completely disconnected from the battery pack before you turn on the mower.
@@solarbrianyvonne Thank you so much for clearing that up. Good you rigged yours with individual noco chargers that have disconnects. Unfortunately my new genpro10X4 that has 4 10 amp banks doesn't have any disconnect points in the charge wires, it only has terminal eyes so I will have to unscrew each time until I buy some aftermarket plug kits that I can leave the pigtails on the battery.
Hello again Brian, Well, I bought a Ancel Battery tester and a Noco GENIUS10 charger. I charged all 4 batteries (1 at a time), and then ran the 'Repair' function on each. After re-testing, 3 of the four OEM batteries show 53 - 55% 'Healthy', but the 4th shows only 1% 'Healthy'. Would you recommend I replace this bad battery, or replace all 4? I wonder if adding one new battery to the 3x 2+ year old batteries is a waste of money? Thoughts?
Hi Vermonty You have asked a valid question . SO you found the culprit a failed battery in the string , well done! just as everything else, batteries have a life expectancy . I got 5 years out of my first set but started desulfating them almost immediately and never depleted the charge to 0 thus I gave them the best possibility to stay in their top shape. first some free critical information: You may or not know But I live offgrid ( 14 years) and in the evenings my lead acid battery bank has to keep my farm running all night long, or I wake up to septic pumps not starting in the basement and melted ice-cream in the kitchen. Twice a year I perform an equilize on my farm battery bank, this is basically an over charge on the bank by about 1 volt for 30 minutes, it is quite hard on the batteries, causes them to heat up and causes all the batteries to gas off quite heavily so you have to refill them before you start and after with distilled water. What it accomplishes is to reset the internal resistance of each cell and bring them back into a ( resistance alignment ) with one another. now for my answer: It is generally considered a bad thing to install new batteries with old because the new battery will have a lower resistance than the old ones and will charge and discharge according to the older ones, that being said one battery is far cheaper than buying 4 new ones, so the outcome of having a running mower would be acceptable in my opinion. I would be curious as to why you had one battery fail ? did it run out of Sulfuric acid ? or was there a mechanical failure? Kind regards
Hello, I'm a bit confused about this setup. How do you actually charge? Do you pull out the whole battery pack out and then plug each batter to the Noco chargers? You have to do that after every mowing? Thanks in advance!
Hi Joen The batteries stay in the mower, the connections for charging are under the seat, they connect to each 12 volt battery . when charging I lift the seat and connect 4 chargers. when mowing I lift the seat and disconnect the 4 chargers . all connections just simply stay under the seat till i need them again.
@@solarbrianyvonne , Ah, I see. That makes more sense. I noticed in the video (around 10:00 mark) that you were disconnecting the batteries with simple snap on/snap off connectors. Did those wires and connectors come with your charger purchase? Or did you have to set them up yourself?
The 100 amp hour batteries are too large for the single 48 v power pulse, it doesn't have enough of a kick back voltage to pernitrate all 4 batteries in series and push the sulfate back into solution, especially if they are older batteries and have a higher internal resistance , the 12 v units do a much better job, so I went with 4 -12 volt chargers with pulse technology built-in instead .
cant , that would be a $4000.00 mistake where I live, lithium batteries are useless in colder climates ( they self destruct unless they are heated like in the tesla vehicle ) and many people use this mower to push snow in the winter with the snow blade attachment so AGM is a much better choice.
These batteries make the Ryobi lawnmower a money pit. I have a 300 and need a 2nd set of 4 batteries after I bought the mower in 2021, the batteries last barely 12 months. The mower is used year round, therefore the winter storage issue does not apply. The first set was replaced under warranty, the 2nd set I need to pay out of pocket, and with the 3 year extended warranty you get 50% reimbursed. But the insurance only pays a max $500 for batteries. A $350 warranty for a max. $500 cover. Means I am on my own in the third year, and then this mower becomes completely uneconomical garbage. Does anybody have experience with lithium replacement batteries for the ryobi mower.
Important Update !
If you attempt this mower charging modification beware you can damage the charger (s) if you simultaneously are charging and turn on the mower !.... you could damage the charger as their would be large current flow in the wrong direction through the charger.
( there are diodes that are providing a small amount of reverse current flow protection but i would imagine they would be very quickly burnt out rendering your charger useless).
I will say this again ... If anyone is attempting this modification you need to understand the mower built in charging circuit is being bypassed and the mower cannot be turned on while being charged, nor can the charger remain on the mower plugged into the battery pack but disconnected from the AC.
The charger(s) must be completely disconnected from the battery pack before you turn on the mower!
Where is part two of the heating the sale of greenhouse videos please
Thanks for another wonderful video of the Ryobi mower. I’ve always enjoyed acoustic guitar music, so thanks for the added treat! I also, appreciate your calm and paced narration. Thanks, again!
you are welcome , thanks for stopping in !
Great video as always! thank you my friend!
you are welcome
I am trying to understand how the batteries are being charged individually even though they are connected in series? Any chance you can elaborate? Thank you!
Hi Benny
without going deep into years of electrical theory on series and parallel circuits, I will try to explain.
Each 12 volt battery has its own charger connected to it when you need to charge them up, then (at the same time) all the batteries are connected in series when you want to mow.
Even though you see everything connected together, you have to think of each battery as its own circuit , the 12 volts from each of the chargers only flows current in and out of the 1 battery its connected to, this way you can charge 1 or any number of the batteries at the same time.
Very helpful video. Happy, Blissful, Good Health and Full of Abundance New Year 2023 to you and to Everyone.
thank you and to you as well.
When is part 2 of the solar heat going to be released?
He is not posted a new video it over a year since posting these three videos I hope he's okay
Can you finish the build on the solar furnace, it would be useful for me to see if you've done a better job
Thanks for the video. I might have to upgrade my batteries next year. Just wondering if your desulfator worked well?
Yes any desulphated system is better than not having one.
Hello. I just watched your great video on the Solar furnace build. You mentioned a part 2, but I don't see it on the channel. Is it still available? Thanks.
Thanks for this timely video, I was replacing batteries too, one question doesn’t the charging current when all chargers are turned ON interfere with each other as the batteries are connected in series ? Would it take really long charging this with a noco 4x2amp charger ? Also do you still recommend the power pulse in this battery charging setup?
This is a good question. On the outset it would appear there would be some sort of current leakage between chargers, but as long as the mower is turned OFF and NOT plugged into the original charger and current is NOT flowing in the 48 volt series circuit, there can be no leakage between chargers as each charger is only connected to one individual battery and the current from one charger can only flow from one terminal of the charger to the other terminal of the same charger.
Because the new chargers have built in float and pulse I have removed the Ppulse module.
the 4x2 is a 2 amp quad charger, 2 amps x 13 volts is less than 30 watts per battery and it would take a very long time to charge up the batteries, it would still work but would take a long time.
I just changed out my 4 batteries on my rm480e mower last night. Everything is working electrically, however the mower will no longer forward or reverse. Ryobi thinks it might be the parking brake switch. Curious if you have thoughts.
I already have one NOCO 10, just have to buy 3 more. I was going to buy a NOCO 10 x4, this will be cheaper and simpler cabling wise. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for stopping in .
Did you get three more Noco 10, or a 10 x 4? I am thinking about the 10x4, but it'd be a single point of failure vs. the 4x1 units.
@@pewpewpow4681 I bought 3 more Noco 10's;
Hi Brian. I am having an issue with my mower. I tested the batteries and they are nearly at full capacity. We tightened the wires, changed oil. And yet it’s close to dying after only about 1/2 acre of mowing even though I used to get much more. I’m not sure what could be causing it to lose power so fast. Any ideas?
LOVE YOUR VIDEOS!
Can you list the items you installed? Or options? I was planning on swapping mines for lithium batteries, but they're too expensive. I live in Atlanta GA and I don't know if our winter weather will make that larger investment worthless in the future also. So I think this option is better long term.
Yes I can, batteries came from Interstate batteries ( sold all over Canada and the US ) and the chargers are from NOCO . They can be purchased online or at most department /automotive stores.
Hello Sir, instead of buying 4 individual chargers, could I buy only 2. I would still wire the 4 batteries individually but charge 2 of them at a time, and keep on switching everyday. Could that be good?
Hi Brian,
Thank you for sharing your experiences and knowledge with all of us!
I have a Ryobi RM480ex (100AH version) that is just over 2 years old and I mow about 2 acres. At the end of last season (September 2022), the battery meter showed a very quick battery percentage drop within only 20 min. I used to go for 1.5 hours with more than 60% charge remaining.
Given the cost of replacing the batteries and not knowing whether I’m going be in the same situation in 2 years or so, I’m weighing your option of getting new lead acid batteries and upgrading the charging system versus converting to LiFePO4 batteries (which will come with their own set of unknowns, given quality control issues I’ve read about and their additional cost). Over the winter, the mower is stored in a heated garage and not used.
I’m curious if you even considered going the LiFePO4 route, and/or if you have any comments about which solution I should consider.
Many thanks.
Hi Vermonty
I use the mower with the snow blade attachment in winter to push snow as do many other owners and lithium anything will basically self destruct if used when too hot or below freezing, so the choice for me was simple Lp deep cycle.
Lithium has its place in the industry, light weight and energy dense.
Sodium Ion is the new comer on the test bench, not yet readily available it is estimated to be the frontrunner of the Lithium generation replacement.
I never owned an old brick cell phone but I did see people use them and they were gigantic by comparison of todays portable phones, Gym memberships weren't necessary back then because of the 5 lb brick you were holding. lol
Lithium IRON is much safer than the ION counterpart ( not nearly as many garage fires) but comes at more than double the cost of Lp .
If you are looking for advice I would first try to de-sulfate the batteries with a better charger, the charger that came with my mower was just a basic 2 stage, I now use a de-sulfating 5 stage and have gotten 5 years out of my first set of batteries.
0 maintenance Lp batteries do not exist, they may sell them as no maintenance but lead deep cycles batteries do loose acid vapor over time through the charge and discharge cycle.
On CZcams I saw one gentleman drill tiny holes (1/8th inch) in the top of each cell and replenish the lost levels with some fresh sulphuric acid with a medical syringe and then silicone the holes shut with good results. I think I am going to try this on my old set of batteries and test the results.
Keep in mind No matter which way you decide to go, batteries don't last forever and you will eventually need to purchase a 3rd or 4th set.
I you do go Lithium please purchase a high quality BMS with an appropriate charger.
All the best
I had the 75AH version but recently converted to 100AH lithium (LiFePO4). I was shocked to see that after I mowed my yard I had only used about 8.5% of the battery pack, whereas with the old lead acid batteries it used to drop to about half when I was done (until a few weeks ago when I could only get about 20 minutes of work out of it, prompting the conversion).
That may have more to do with the way that battery state of charge is measured. The mower is really just measuring voltage drop, which tends to fall off quickly for SLA batteries, and then hover around the halfway point for a long time before dropping further. Not sure why, but LI batteries always seem to provide a much more accurate reading of their state of charge percentage.
Thanks for the great video. Just curious, how long did your original batteries last and were you replacing the batteries due to them failing. I only have 45 hours on my original set and they need to be replaced as I get no more than 30 minutes of run time (75ah). Kept them plugged in to the charger all year, but I bet the Minnesota winter took its toll as I do not have a heated garage. Guess I could move down south ;)
Hi Kenneth
The original batteries lasted 5 years and I just replaced them. A proper battery maintainer With a pulse technology built in will keep your batteries lasting longer as its usually the buildup of Sulphate that causes the battery to fail.
I live in TX and the 100ah only last about 2 years. I keep mine charging non stop.
Thanks for your video,I don’t understand how you charge each battery individually,what is the process also I have the Ryobi partly taken apart ,want to know how to desconect the censor wire
yes you can charge a 12 volt battery that is connected in a series of batteries , for me to explain how this works would take too long and this is the wrong forum for that, I would recommend you watching more videos on series and parallel battery charging to help you understand it better. the sense wire is disconnected from the battery in the battery compartment shown in one of my videos. you are welcome have a watch to see how it is done
whatever happened to the solar furnace build part 2 video? I saw part 1 but no part 2?
Thanks for the video, I have the same mower you do. Would the following batteries by okay to use for when I have to replace the original ones?
Interstate Batteries 12V 75Ah Deep Cycle Battery (DCM0075) Sealed Lead Acid Rechargeable SLA AGM (Insert Terminals)
Thanks for your input.
Hi Mark
The terminals are important to get the post bolt style like the ones I show in the video, but i suppose you could modify the wiring to use the insert terminals ( I am not sure) .
Brian
Could you please provide an update on how your battery chargers/maintainers are performing charging each battery separately? I elected to use the same approach as you except I use four, 4amp chargers/maintainers, one dedicated to each battery. I had removed all four batteries from the mower over the winter (I’m in Wisconsin) and placed them in my basement each on their own dedicated charger/maintainer. They were hooked up from late October until last weekend when I put them back in the mower.
I mowed a couple days ago, first time this year and the meter only dropped 10%. This after mowing almost 3/4 acre, mostly flat but some ditch slope near the road. I connected each unit again but since they are only 4amp it will probably take a few days for each battery to fully charge up again. Since I only mow once per week I don’t think it will be a problem being a slow charge.
How quickly do your batteries come to full charge after you plug them in being your chargers are 10 amp?
Thank you
Eric
My batteries are doing excellent and I love the new charging system. I push this mower Way harder than it was designed to service. I mow about 5 acres twice a week. Our mower is now 6 years old. I normally only get about 3 years out of a gas mower then they burn out, so I am very happy with this one.
Because we live off grid ( now 14 years) we only have a 5 KW inverter so I can charge or 2 at a time without going over my daily electrical budget , the fridge , freezer and water pumps have room to run freely when they need to.
Once I an finished mowing, 2 batteries go back on charge till the next day then I switch to the other two batteries, works perfect for my situation, Once charged up they automatically all go into desulfation mode and I can leave them like that all year long.
Over winter we get very cold -40 here and I leave them outside plugged in all winter long with no problem.
You are right 4 amp per 100 AMP battery is a bit undersized but there is no harm in charging them slowly.
FYI the battery gauge meter on the mower is not to be considered accurate, it measures Ah capacity via voltage sag from 48volts or 56volts peak which is a terrible way to do it but it will give you a vey crude ball park idea of the state of charge.
thanks for stopping in .
Hi,
This is excellent!
I’m keen on upgrading as you have, however I recently received 4 new 75ah batteries so won’t upgrade to 100 ah until required. My question is I have purchased 2 Noco genius 10 (They are expensive here in Australia) and was hoping that would be enough to charge the 4 75ah batteries and if so how to wire them?
Yes, absolutely you can use just 2 chargers but you will only be able to charge 2 batteries up at the same time, once they are charged you will have to find a way to connect to the other two batteries and charge them up as well.
One charger can only charge 1 battery at a time.
@@solarbrianyvonne Thank you, I thought that would be the case. I have ordered 2 more Noco charges.
I so appreciate the time and effort you must put into your videos and then the time to reply to everyone’s questions. Keep up the good work.
Hi Brian
I can’t thank you enough. I have now installed my 4 Noco charges and all seems ok so far. I have another query regarding repair mode, would there be a benefit running it periodically or routinely and would I need to remove batteries to do so or leave them in the mower wired as they are to charge. Thanks
Do you know if there would be a problem if you accidentally turned the mower power on while the noco chargers are connected? This bypasses the charge port cut off relay but I don't know if that would even damage the charger or not.
Hi OC
This is a great question ! Thank you for asking it .
Yes you could damage the charger as their would be large current flow in the wrong direction through the charger. ( there are diodes that are providing a small amount of reverse current flow protection but i would imagine they would be very quickly burnt out rendering your charger useless).
If anyone is attempting this modification , you need to understand the built in charging circuit is being bypassed and the mower cannot be turned on while being charged, nor can the charger remain on the mower plugged into the battery pack but disconnected from the AC.
The charger(s) must be completely disconnected from the battery pack before you turn on the mower.
@@solarbrianyvonne Thank you so much for clearing that up. Good you rigged yours with individual noco chargers that have disconnects. Unfortunately my new genpro10X4 that has 4 10 amp banks doesn't have any disconnect points in the charge wires, it only has terminal eyes so I will have to unscrew each time until I buy some aftermarket plug kits that I can leave the pigtails on the battery.
Hello again Brian,
Well, I bought a Ancel Battery tester and a Noco GENIUS10 charger. I charged all 4 batteries (1 at a time), and then ran the 'Repair' function on each. After re-testing, 3 of the four OEM batteries show 53 - 55% 'Healthy', but the 4th shows only 1% 'Healthy'. Would you recommend I replace this bad battery, or replace all 4? I wonder if adding one new battery to the 3x 2+ year old batteries is a waste of money? Thoughts?
Hi Vermonty
You have asked a valid question .
SO you found the culprit a failed battery in the string , well done!
just as everything else, batteries have a life expectancy . I got 5 years out of my first set but started desulfating them almost immediately and never depleted the charge to 0 thus I gave them the best possibility to stay in their top shape.
first some free critical information:
You may or not know But I live offgrid ( 14 years) and in the evenings my lead acid battery bank has to keep my farm running all night long, or I wake up to septic pumps not starting in the basement and melted ice-cream in the kitchen.
Twice a year I perform an equilize on my farm battery bank, this is basically an over charge on the bank by about 1 volt for 30 minutes, it is quite hard on the batteries, causes them to heat up and causes all the batteries to gas off quite heavily so you have to refill them before you start and after with distilled water. What it accomplishes is to reset the internal resistance of each cell and bring them back into a ( resistance alignment ) with one another.
now for my answer:
It is generally considered a bad thing to install new batteries with old because the new battery will have a lower resistance than the old ones and will charge and discharge according to the older ones, that being said one battery is far cheaper than buying 4 new ones, so the outcome of having a running mower would be acceptable in my opinion.
I would be curious as to why you had one battery fail ? did it run out of Sulfuric acid ? or was there a mechanical failure?
Kind regards
Hello, I'm a bit confused about this setup. How do you actually charge? Do you pull out the whole battery pack out and then plug each batter to the Noco chargers? You have to do that after every mowing?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Joen
The batteries stay in the mower, the connections for charging are under the seat, they connect to each 12 volt battery . when charging I lift the seat and connect 4 chargers. when mowing I lift the seat and disconnect the 4 chargers . all connections just simply stay under the seat till i need them again.
@@solarbrianyvonne , Ah, I see. That makes more sense. I noticed in the video (around 10:00 mark) that you were disconnecting the batteries with simple snap on/snap off connectors. Did those wires and connectors come with your charger purchase? Or did you have to set them up yourself?
@@joenmorenomatthews Hi Joen they came with the chargers so it is an easy install
Is the original charge port still live, or you kept it disconnected?
I keep it disconnected and never use it
Where did you get the batteries from? This setup look extremely expensive? 4x noco genius10 charges ~$400 + 4x batteries ~$800 .... wow
Interstate batteries , they are sold all over North America but any similar size deep cycle and AH will work
Compared to either the OEM batteries or converting to lithium, that's actually pretty affordable.
Why didn't you just install a PowerPulse instead of all that extra HW?
The 100 amp hour batteries are too large for the single 48 v power pulse, it doesn't have enough of a kick back voltage to pernitrate all 4 batteries in series and push the sulfate back into solution, especially if they are older batteries and have a higher internal resistance , the 12 v units do a much better job, so I went with 4 -12 volt chargers with pulse technology built-in instead .
Silly sill put a lithium in it.
cant , that would be a $4000.00 mistake where I live, lithium batteries are useless in colder climates ( they self destruct unless they are heated like in the tesla vehicle ) and many people use this mower to push snow in the winter with the snow blade attachment so AGM is a much better choice.
These batteries make the Ryobi lawnmower a money pit. I have a 300 and need a 2nd set of 4 batteries after I bought the mower in 2021, the batteries last barely 12 months. The mower is used year round, therefore the winter storage issue does not apply. The first set was replaced under warranty, the 2nd set I need to pay out of pocket, and with the 3 year extended warranty you get 50% reimbursed. But the insurance only pays a max $500 for batteries. A $350 warranty for a max. $500 cover. Means I am on my own in the third year, and then this mower becomes completely uneconomical garbage.
Does anybody have experience with lithium replacement batteries for the ryobi mower.
Should have bought an ego z6!🤣