In short, our Smart Battery Box LED Meters will not work with lithium batteries.
Our Smart Battery Boxes are engineered to be used with lead-acid deep cycle or marine batteries like the Newport 12v 50ah Lead Acid Battery. The LED battery meter has 4 Blue LEDs. Below you can see the correlation between the voltage and the number of lights that are on. When a battery is connected, the meter shows the immediate voltage received. Lead-acid deep cycle or marine batteries tend to gradually reduce in power over time. Whereas a Lithium battery holds a higher voltage right up until it’s completely discharged. This makes lithium batteries incompatible with the LED meter on the Smart Battery Box. A lithium battery will still work with all the other features, but you will need to purchase a separate lithium compatible LED battery meter to correctly read the charge level.
Lithium LED Battery Meter
Since all the other features of the Smart Battery Box are still compatible with a lithium battery, you can simply purchase a lithium Battery LED Battery Meter and connect it to the Smart Battery Box to allow for accurate charge readings. You can purchase a compatible meter on sites like Amazon for about $15-$30. These LED Battery Meters can be wired onto the terminals of your lithium battery or to the posts of the Smart Battery Box. Check the description for “Lithium Compatible” and be sure to reach out to your battery manufacturer to ensure the meter will function properly. Purchase a meter that is “Waterproof” to ensure it will last more than a season. Double-sided tape can be used to affix the meter to the side or top of the battery box. Be sure to read this article, ‘Lithium Batteries With Trolling Motors?’ before using a lithium battery with any trolling motor.
For more information please see our Smart Battery Box FAQ page or our Accessories Support Page. If you can’t find the information you need give us a call (866) 721-0002 Monday to Friday: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm or reach out to us via email at SUPPORT@NEWPORTVESSELS.COM.
