Balmar MC-614 Regulator Settings

[Maerin]

Amptech builds a small frame in 140A based on a Delco 10DN, but has beefed up diodes, windings, and better bearings. It's wired for external regulation. I have one, if you can use the 120A, it'll be easier on the alternator. I would NOT use the 614 with ANY alternator without a temp sensor. I had an OEM Delco 21SI (I think) connected to a Balmar reg. Smoked it. Literally. In short order, batteries were at 70% SOC. Full fielded for a bit. No temp sensor. Dumb.

WRT the batt temp sensors, if you port the alternator output to the house (biggest?) bank, it should be representative enough to work. It uses the temperature to calculate the charging voltage as relates to temp of the battery. That calculation is based on the Slope (SLP) setting in the regulator programming. That value can be obscure, so do your due diligence in determining the correct setting, as a wrong setting can lead to chronic over/under charge problems that you'll blame on something else. Get the temperature compensated float voltages from the battery mfr. and confer with Balmar to determine the correct SLP setting. It is poorly documented, so worth the time to talk to Balmar's tech support. They are very helpful.


I don't know the characteristics of the thermistor that is the battery temp sensor, I suppose you could reverse-engineer one, but I think a case could be made for using a single Balmar sensor on the biggest bank since that one will set the control pace anyway. Ask Balmar, they have answers, I have some experience, shaded by opinion.


There was another post weeks ago WRT the FFA setting. Very helpful. Mine was dropping back to absorb with any significant inverter load. Adjusting the setting allows the alternator to increase the field without kicking up to absorb voltage. Ahhh, that's what was happening.



As others have said, the Balmar regulators are excellent, but using a "standard" preset program for your battery type is foolish. Gather all the information, create a table of your customized settings, including SLP, and then step through the whole programming sequence, advanced included. If you're paying someone else to do the install, ask to see their programming parameter table. If you get a blank look, you may not have the right installer.

 

[Knot Salted]

Great advice.
I will do the alt temps for sure. And Balmar batt temp.
Sounds like I will be doing a lot more homework too.
Displaying the depth of my ignorance....the diodes are not part of the regulator then?

 

[FlyWright]

Great post, Maerin! Also good advice from the man, CMS. Have you looked at his alternator mentioned in his post which he modifies for the Balmar MC-614? It's a one stop shop with expertise and warranty.

KS, I have an extra Balmar alternator temp sensor new in bag that I'll find and send you gratis. Somehow I double ordered it.

Send me a PM or email with your mailing address.

 

[Maerin]

Great advice.
I will do the alt temps for sure. And Balmar batt temp.
Sounds like I will be doing a lot more homework too.
Displaying the depth of my ignorance....the diodes are not part of the regulator then?

The diodes are part of the alternator. They convert the A/C power created by the alternator into DC. If you want a really high output alternator, look at Zena alternators. The higher amp units utilize an external rectifier that mounts separate from the alternator. This keeps the diodes cooler since they're not subject to the heat created by the windings. I also use a 250 cfm 12V blower that ducts outside air to the back of the alternators and the battery box. It helps. My Zena alternator can crank at full field (about 200A into the bank) and stays at temps under 90C. Helps keep the batteries happier since they live in the hostile environment of the engine room. Heat is the enemy.

 

[CMS]

Still searching for reasonable and readily available alternators to replace my two 10si models to go with Balmar set-up - Not going for the Balmar alts.
Found a local shop with good reputation, in business a long time.
They suggest a stock Denso model that should fit my mounts and gave me a core to try. Will update on that fitment. not sure of amperage, but they think around 100 max. Idle not so much.... my 10si (two) each put out 72 amps max - idle rate unknown.

online, Mechman tech said that if they modify their S model 170 amp for external regulator, there will be no warranty. so I think they are out of favor.


With regard to Battery temp sensors feeding Balmar regulators, are they all the same? I presume a bi-metal strip feeding two wires. Is Balmar worth the $47 vs $20? I will need three, I think ---Port Start, Stbd Start, and House bank- so not a huge deal either way. I am curious though.

Have you looked here? Alternators & Regulators


Also the Balmar temp sensors are not just basic thermistors. They are precision calibrated to the regulator and are proprietary devices that can not be mixed and matched with other brands. The alternator MC-TS-A and battery temp sensors MC-TS-B are interchangeable (could be swapped) but only for use on a Balmar regulator.

 

[Knot Salted]

Thank you CMS.
Can you send that link again?

 

[Knot Salted]

Nevermind it wirks fine!
Thank you

 

[Delfin]

Ah, so MaineSail, Marinesail, and CMS are all Rod Collins?

Well, he was in the Federal Witness Protection program, but that's blown now....

 

[ak-guy]

Hear is something I just learned about. An Alternator Service Disconnect. I have one but a recent post on Marine How To explained that I should change the way it is wired.

 

[Insequent]

This is a good thread, and I am about to re-program my 612 again, this time getting everything right! I just discovered the reason I was getting a 'ping-pong' charge rate. In the Short Prog mode I had inadvertently changed the AL2 parameter to 'b2' (second battery bank) from 'AL2' (second alternator). So when the second alt reached 52°C it was stopping charging.

Now I have that sorted I have a question about the Slope Voltage Correction (SLP) parameter. The manual indicates a range of 0-8.3 mV/°C. Is this actually 0-8.3 mV per volt per °C?

I have Odyssey batteries which say temperature correction is +/- 24 mV per 12V battery per °C. So do I use '2' as the value for SLP?

 

[Wdeertz]

I’ve read through all the replies in this thread multiple times and all the links so think I understand the Balmar settings but need input from the experts as no matter what I do I can’t get my Balmar to kick into float mode.

My settings are as followings: 450Ahr LFP @ 24 v house bank, Balmar 624 regulator. BV=28.8v, b1c=12 mins, AV=27.2v, a1c=12 minutes, FV=26.8v, f1c=1 hour, Fba=30%, Ffl=60%, Ali=90c

My alternator is 190amps and while cruising at 1800rpm it’s usually outputting 135-150amps into the battery in bulk mode with the alternator 90c threshold acting as a cutoff to prevent overheating. The regulator satisfactorily goes through S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6 but then stays on S7. My battery monitor is showing a consistent 27.2v-27.25v and +/- 2amps so the regulator should trigger and go into float. On a recent 12 hour run no matter I tried I couldn’t get it to flip to float voltage. The regulator is showing Fe of 8% which is for the house loads while underway.

Anyone have any ideas how I get the regulator to go into float mode? Being LFP the battery accepts almost full amps up to 99% so the Fba threshold of 30% is working to trigger absorption.

 

[ReedStr]

Switch your fba and ffl

I think you’ve got your fba and ffl switched. You want it to drop to absorption at a higher field threshold than the drop to float. Your drop to absorption is at 30% and your drop to float is 60%. That should be reversed.

 

[Wdeertz]

I think you’ve got your fba and ffl switched. You want it to drop to absorption at a higher field threshold than the drop to float. Your drop to absorption is at 30% and your drop to float is 60%. That should be reversed.

Thanks for the input. Have you read all the postings in this sticky and the related links? The Fba setting is actually used for both the drop from Bulk to Absorption and from Absorption to float. The Ffl is the field percentage for the regulator to go from Float back to Absorption.

After further reading I think my issue is with my variable house loads while underway. While in Bulk at 28.8v my alternator is putting out almost as many amps as it can until the battery reaches 99% full and then the amps fall off drastically and it switches to my absorption voltage of 27.2v. At this voltage if my inverter kicks on a larger load it produces more amps which I think the Fba of 30% is preventing it from going into float.

I’m going to switch my Fba to 50% to prevent my house loads from stopping the switch from absorption to float. Once I confirm this is happening I’ll lengthen my absorption time to 1 hour to allow sufficient time and prevent field % from prematurely stopping absorption. Will report back my results.

 

[twistedtree]

I’ve read through all the replies in this thread multiple times and all the links so think I understand the Balmar settings but need input from the experts as no matter what I do I can’t get my Balmar to kick into float mode.

My settings are as followings: 450Ahr LFP @ 24 v house bank, Balmar 624 regulator. BV=28.8v, b1c=12 mins, AV=27.2v, a1c=12 minutes, FV=26.8v, f1c=1 hour, Fba=30%, Ffl=60%, Ali=90c

My alternator is 190amps and while cruising at 1800rpm it’s usually outputting 135-150amps into the battery in bulk mode with the alternator 90c threshold acting as a cutoff to prevent overheating. The regulator satisfactorily goes through S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6 but then stays on S7. My battery monitor is showing a consistent 27.2v-27.25v and +/- 2amps so the regulator should trigger and go into float. On a recent 12 hour run no matter I tried I couldn’t get it to flip to float voltage. The regulator is showing Fe of 8% which is for the house loads while underway.

Anyone have any ideas how I get the regulator to go into float mode? Being LFP the battery accepts almost full amps up to 99% so the Fba threshold of 30% is working to trigger absorption.

The attached might be helpful. It's my notes on how charging and the various parameters actually work, as opposed the what the Balmar manual says which is confusing and sometimes flat out wrong.

First, Fba is the field % for BOTH the transition from Bulk to Absorb, AND the transition from Absorb to Float. With LFP, I would set that pretty high. When your batteries reach their target voltage, you want to quickly switch to the next stage, and quickly get to Float.

Ffl is the field % for transition from Float back to Bulk, NOT from Absorb to Float. I think the Balmar manual says otherwise. For LFP, I think this should be set as high as possible. There is no need to go back to Bulk once in Float.

The values for timers are confusing, so I just want to check to be sure you have them right. The displayed numbers are 1/10th of an hour (6 minutes). I don't recall if there is a decimal place displayed, but 0.2 (or maybe "2" or "02") would be 2/10 of an hour or 12 min. 1.2 (or "12") would be 1.2 hours, or 72 minutes. With LFP, I think you want the shortest timers possible for Bulk (b1c) and Absorb (a1c), and the longest time possible for Float (f1c). With the timers, keep in mind that the regulator always stays in each stage for at least 6 minutes, then it observes whatever programmed time you have. So the actual time is always 6 minutes longer than what you program.

Now with all that said, I actually don't see how the settings you currently have explain the problem you see, other than if you have the timers set incorrectly.


Let us know what you find.

 

[twistedtree]

What Bulk and Float voltages does your battery manufacturer call for? And how much Absorb time? I would expect Bulk/Absorb of 27.6V, and a short absorb time, unless longer is required by an internal balancer. Now Balmar insists on Bulk being at least 0.2V higher than Absorb, so I would set Bulk to 27.6 and Absorb to 27.4 to be conservative, or if you want to be more aggressive, 27.8 and 27.6. And unless specifically called for by the battery manufacturer, I would keep programmed bulk and absorb times to the absolute minimum, knowing that I'll get an extra 6 minutes in each stage whether I like it or not.


28.8V is the absolute max for LFP. You only want to go there if a battery balancer requires it for some reason, and you definitely don't want to maintain that voltage any longer than absolutely necessary.

 

[DDW]

Since you have spent the money on LFP, might as well go all in and put in a Wakespeed regulator. It avoids all this nonsense because it has a shunt input. Balmar went as far as to do a major revision of the 614 (now 618) and yet did not put in the shunt input, the most glaring thing it was lacking. In addition, the Wakespeed can integrate directly with some brands of BMS.

I have the opposite problem, regulator switches to float prematurely, and no setting will keep it from doing that. I've about had it with the Balmar and will be switching it out when I find the time.

 

[Wdeertz]

What Bulk and Float voltages does your battery manufacturer call for? And how much Absorb time? I would expect Bulk/Absorb of 27.6V, and a short absorb time, unless longer is required by an internal balancer. Now Balmar insists on Bulk being at least 0.2V higher than Absorb, so I would set Bulk to 27.6 and Absorb to 27.4 to be conservative, or if you want to be more aggressive, 27.8 and 27.6. And unless specifically called for by the battery manufacturer, I would keep programmed bulk and absorb times to the absolute minimum, knowing that I'll get an extra 6 minutes in each stage whether I like it or not.


28.8V is the absolute max for LFP. You only want to go there if a battery balancer requires it for some reason, and you definitely don't want to maintain that voltage any longer than absolutely necessary.

Thanks for all the inputs, I think I solved the issue. The problem was that my variable house loads were drawing too many amps that despite the batteries being fully charged the Fba setting of 30% wasn’t triggering the advancement to float. I raised Fba to 50% and today on a 3 hour run I was able to get to float but only after turning off my inverter. So I think I’ll bump Fba all the way to 80% so house loads can’t prevent advancing to the next stage. I’ll put Ffl at the maximum since as you say there is no need to leave Float to go back to Absorb.

As for voltages I’m running Battleborn LFP and they say 28.4v-29.2v (recommend 28.8v) for bulk and float 27.2v or less for float. As for times on my 624 regulator firmware the lowest I can go for B1c and A1c is 0.2 or 12 minutes. I would go to 0.1 or 6 minutes if it was available but that would require a firmware update.

Battleborn recommends a 30 min absorption time for each 100Ahr battery so in my setup that would be 2.5 hours. My understanding is the absorption time is to allow any rebalancing amongst the cells so it’s not critical that this occur on every cycle. As we know with LFP you can go from 10% SOC to 90% SOC all day with no long term effects. My shore power charger is utilized often enough that minimal absorption time while underway will result in no ill effects.

So my final settings are: Dlc=60, Bv=28.8v, B1c=0.2/12 minutes, Av=28.4v, A1c=0.2/12 minutes, Fv=27.2v, F1c=4 hours, Fba=80%, Ffl=96%, Ali=90c

The only thing I’m still not clear on is how the regulator handles the calculated bulk/absorb times. Let me explain, if we assume B1c/A1c both are 0.1 or 6 minutes, after 6 minutes if Actual voltage=Bv and Fba<=field output it advances to Absorb time/voltage, but if not it stays on Bv. Does the actual voltage need to equal Bv for the entire duration of the cycle or only at the instance it’s making the comparison? Also, does it automatically go through another 6 minute cycle before doing another comparison or is it continually comparing?

Thanks again for all your inputs.

 

[twistedtree]

The only thing I’m still not clear on is how the regulator handles the calculated bulk/absorb times. Let me explain, if we assume B1c/A1c both are 0.1 or 6 minutes, after 6 minutes if Actual voltage=Bv and Fba<=field output it advances to Absorb time/voltage, but if not it stays on Bv. Does the actual voltage need to equal Bv for the entire duration of the cycle or only at the instance it’s making the comparison? Also, does it automatically go through another 6 minute cycle before doing another comparison or is it continually comparing?

Thanks again for all your inputs.

The way Balmar words the description I have always interpreted it as a spot check at the various 6 minute intervals. But I really don't know. They might keep high water marks over the 6 minute interval, and check that when the time is up. It's not clear.


BTW, with LFP I'm not seeing any reason not to have Fba = 98% as well. I thin once that target voltage is reached and you have sat there for the prescribed time, I think you want to switch to float regardless of the current. Also, I think it's better to stretch out float (F1c) as long as possible. If float turns off, then you will be left running on the batteries rather than letting the alternator carry your loads.

 

[REO]

Is anyone home at Balmar??!
I am programming a new Balmar MC-618 regulator, and want to get it as close to correct as possible for my LiFePO4 batteries and usage pattern. I sent a detailed set of information to Balmar by email a week ago. No response. I have called many times. No answer. I left messages asking for a callback. Left several messages over several days. Still no response. Did they shut down for vacation??? Seriously, I have seen many good reviews about this company. I purchased all Balmar products for my charging system rebuild. Seems like they should be able to give tech advice by phone or email. Am I asking for too much?

 

[Insequent]

Is anyone home at Balmar??!
I am programming a new Balmar MC-618 regulator, and want to get it as close to correct as possible for my LiFePO4 batteries and usage pattern. I sent a detailed set of information to Balmar by email a week ago. No response. I have called many times. No answer. I left messages asking for a callback. Left several messages over several days. Still no response. Did they shut down for vacation??? Seriously, I have seen many good reviews about this company. I purchased all Balmar products for my charging system rebuild. Seems like they should be able to give tech advice by phone or email. Am I asking for too much?

My initial reaction was that you need to decide the settings yourself. If not confident enough to do that (and there are excellent posts in numerous thread on TF, look for comments by Twisted Tree for example) then hire a consultant. Or ask Balmar to recommend an installer near you. I think your expectation of Balmar as noted in your post go beyond what is reasonable for them to do.

 

[FlyWright]

Excellent advice. Peter (Twistedtree) knows his stuff and has helped many with his posts.

 

[REO]

I carefully selected the information I sent. For example the bulk voltage set by Balmar as a default is .2 volts above what my battery manufacturer recommends. Maybe I am asking too much to get the regulator manufacturer's view on this. The bottom line is that Balmar will not even return my calls. I sent an email today asking them to confirm receipt of my email. I also asked them to return my call and let me know If they can give some guidance. I agree that I can get some advice elsewhere, but it seems reasonable to get some advice from the company that made the regulator.
I don't want to make this an argument. If I can't get some basic information from Balmar I will seek advice elsewhere.

 

[CMS]

Is anyone home at Balmar??!
I am programming a new Balmar MC-618 regulator, and want to get it as close to correct as possible for my LiFePO4 batteries and usage pattern. I sent a detailed set of information to Balmar by email a week ago. No response. I have called many times. No answer. I left messages asking for a callback. Left several messages over several days. Still no response. Did they shut down for vacation??? Seriously, I have seen many good reviews about this company. I purchased all Balmar products for my charging system rebuild. Seems like they should be able to give tech advice by phone or email. Am I asking for too much?

We were a Balmar dealer then distributor for about 20 years. Tech support was always amazing some of the best in the industry. Even after the business was sold to Tim Bock service & support remained stellar. While I was in the Hospital for three months Tim sold the company to Dometic. Guys like Dale & Tom left, leaving just Timm & Dan for support. Timm specializes in pulley systems and Dan had only recently been hired when Dometic Bought them.

I suspect Dometic is in over their heads as I am fielding to many questions about support at Balmar.

I don’t know what is going on at Balmar other than to say a lot of the old guard have left.

ARCO’s new Zeus regulator and high output line of alts gives folks great options. The 618 was outdated before it hit the streets. They had a great run un with no real competition for 20 years..

 

[Bmarler]

Interesting. I bought a 618 to compliment my smart gauge install. With the Bluetooth adapter I find it to work well for me. It’s not hard to set up, no more reed switch to mess with if using the App. The app does crash a bit when opening, but is stable once you get it initialized.
I didn’t have any trouble getting someone on the phone when I needed to get the proper cable figured out. I didn’t know they sold to dometic though, that’s too bad.
I relied on the battery manufacturers recommendations for mine, the canned program works, but it’s really get what you want, hit the advanced menu and set things up for the batteries you are using.

 

[twistedtree]

We were a Balmar dealer then distributor for about 20 years. Tech support was always amazing some of the best in the industry. Even after the business was sold to Tim Bock service & support remained stellar. While I was in the Hospital for three months Tim sold the company to Dometic. Guys like Dale & Tom left, leaving just Timm & Dan for support. Timm specializes in pulley systems and Dan had only recently been hired when Dometic Bought them.

I suspect Dometic is in over their heads as I am fielding to many questions about support at Balmar.

I don’t know what is going on at Balmar other than to say a lot of the old guard have left.

ARCO’s new Zeus regulator and high output line of alts gives folks great options. The 618 was outdated before it hit the streets. They had a great run un with no real competition for 20 years..

Does Arco have phone tech support now? Previously they were pushing everything to dealers - a model that Victron and many before them have proven is a failure.

 

[REO]

Thank you, now I understand. I will give up on getting an answer from Balmar.
I programmed my regulator using the Balmar service bulletin for Li batteries. That works, but it does not apply to all battery manufacturers and every use profile. After reading every post I could find on trawler forum and reviewing the great information on Marine How to, I decided to pull the alternator, take it into an air-conditioned work area and program it to exactly match my needs.
I got great advice on trawler forum when I was designing my new system. I'll start a new topic, to discuss my programming concerns, since I kind of diverted this one.

 

[CMS]

Thank you, now I understand. I will give up on getting an answer from Balmar.
I programmed my regulator using the Balmar service bulletin for Li batteries. That works, but it does not apply to all battery manufacturers and every use profile. After reading every post I could find on trawler forum and reviewing the great information on Marine How to, I decided to pull the alternator, take it into an air-conditioned work area and program it to exactly match my needs.
I got great advice on trawler forum when I was designing my new system. I'll start a new topic, to discuss my programming concerns, since I kind of diverted this one.

Have you read this?

Programming a Balmar External Voltage Regulator - Marine How To

Preface This article contains three separate videos that show how to physically program Balmar regulators. The videos are meant to be watched in conjunction with reading this article so the misconceptions and misunderstandings I have identified over the years, regarding these regulators, can be...

marinehowto.com

 

[REO]

I have studied this excellent article. It did help me understand the necessity and complexities of the programming process. I removed my alternator and got it ready for bench top programming because of your associated videos. My problem is that I have Li Time LiFePO4 batteries. I know enough about the differences between these batteries and AGM's to know that the settings for AGM's in your cheat sheet will not work for my batteries. I would gladly pay for an LiFePO4 cheat sheet, but you don't offer this service, probably because every sheet would be a one off, due to differences in batteries and use parameters. None of the Balmar/LiFePO4 postings I found on trawler forum matched my equipment, so that option is also out. Balmar does have a tech posting on the internet, but it also recommends general settings that don't match the recommended settings from LiTime.
Here is what I sent to Balmar
120 amp, small case alternator , Balmar MC618 regulator
Balmar temp monitors on alternator and house batteries
2-LiTime 12 volt 300 ah LiFePO4 batteries wired in parallel in a remote compartment
LP4 house batteries charged by alternator with Balmar APM
House batteries monitored by Balmar monitor
AGM starter and windless batteries charged by Balmar DC/DC duocharge
2000 watt inverter with 80 amp charger for house batteries in a marina or generator
20 amp charger for starter and windless battery in marina

LiTime reccomendations
charging current 60 amps (0.2c)
charge bulk/boost voltage 14.4-14.6 volts
absorption voltage 14.4-14.6 volts
over voltage disconnect 15 volts
tail current 6 amps (0.02c)
under voltage warning 11.6 volts
under voltage recover 12 volts
low voltage disconnect 10.8 volts
low voltage reconnect 12.4 volts
No mention of belt saving settings etc.

I think some of this info is about the BMS in each battery

We anchor 2 to 4 nights a week using about 225 amp hours each night
We have a Panda generator when we are at anchor more than a few days
Typical daily engine run between anchorages approximately 2 to 4 hours

What I am looking for is recommended starting settings for
dLc, bv, b1C, Av, A1c, Fv, F1c, fbA, FFL, SLP.

The LiTime recommendations for charge and absorption seem low compared to some trawler forum postings.
When I first purchased this regulator I planned to use the basic factory defaults. Now I realize what a bad idea that is. However I hope I can get some basic settings and gradually maximize this equipment as I learn to live with it.
Any recommendations are appreciated.

 

[twistedtree]

OK, here goes.... Balmar has always had their own unique view of charging cycles and parameters, unlike most everyone else, which is why programming them can be so confusing...

dLc (start delay) - the factory default of 1 sec is fine, or change to a longer delay if you have some boat-specific reason to do so.

bv (bulk voltage) - You say that LiTime says to use 14.4 to 14.6. I think that's nuts because it's pushing the cells to their make allowed voltage of 3.60 to 3.65V. I don't know what the trip-out voltage is for LiTime, but if there is any imbalance in the cells, charging that high greatly increases the risk of a cell overvoltage trip of the BMS. My own (and many battery manufacturers' as well) preference is to charge to 3.45 to 3.50 vpc, which translates to 13.8 to 14.0V. That said, you need to check to see if there is a minimum voltage required for the LiTime balancing to activate. Some batteries have such a minimum, and if LiTime does, then increase to that voltage, or say 0.1V greater.

b1C (minimum bulk voltage time) - The is how long the regulator says in bulk mode after the bulk voltage is reached. I'd set this to the minimum of 0.1hrs (6 min). With LFP, there is no need to hold the batteries at high voltage for any extended length of time.

Av (Absorption voltage) - I'd set this the same as the bulk voltage, though Balmar may limit it to 0.1V below bulk voltage.

A1c (Absorption time) - Like the bulk time, I'd set it to the minimum of 0.1 hrs (6 min). Between the bulk minimum and this minimum, you will get 12 minutes at the bulk/absorb voltage.

Fv (Float voltage) - I would set this to 3.4 vpc, or 13.6V. This is a touch higher than I would set a shore charger that can be on 24x7 for extended time. But it ensures that when you arrive at an anchorage and shut down, you batteries are at 100% SOC. The flip side is that your time underway it typically limited so the slightly higher voltage does no harm. If you were on a two week passage then you might do differently, but that's a real fringe use case.

F1c (Minimum float time) - This is kind of a useless parameter since once in float, you want it to stay in float. Set this to the minimum of 0.1 hrs (6 min).

fbA (Bulk/Absorb to float current) - This can be confusing in a number of ways. First, you are programming the alternator output current, but expressing it as a % of the alternator's capacity. Until the alternator output drops below this threshold, the regulator will stay in both bulk and absorb, even if the bulk or absorb time limits have passed. Set this to the max possible value of 96%. This way as soon as the battery acceptance current starts to drop off, the controller mode will change. This will probably all happen in the 6 minute window in each mode.

FFL (Float to absorb current) - This is the alternator output current above which the regulator will switch back into absorb mode, and again, it's expressed as a % of the alternator's capacity. With LFP (and lead too), once in Float there is little to no reason to go back to absorb, so you want this threshold to be very high. Set it to the max of 96%.

SLP (temp compensation) - With LFP, there is no temp compensation, so set this to zero.

You said you have a temp sensor on the alternator, and this is important because you alternator will run at full output for as long as the regulator allows.

 

[REO]

THANK YOU!
This all makes sense, and I don't feel like I will now make some dumb mistake. I'll ask LiTime about the minimum voltage for balancing. Hopefully they will be helpful. I'l report back on their response. I'm excited to get this programming done and getting the boat in the water for some tests. I really appreciate you taking the time to explain exactly what the setting are and why they should be set at a certain level for my application.