
Lithium battery won't activate? It might not be broken.
You plug in your new lithium battery, but nothing happens. No lights, no response. The voltage reads near zero. Don't panic yet.
This usually means the battery is unable to be activated with a charge/discharge current greater than 1A, or it wakes up at a resting voltage below 10V. The cause is severe overdischarge due to self-discharge or parasitic loads.
Here is how to fix it.
First, try a charger or charge controller that has a lithium battery activation or force charging feature. Many modern MPPT controllers can do this.
If that doesn't work, disconnect the battery from the charging source, then reduce the charge voltage by 0.2V to 0.4V for 6 hours. After that, attempt to fully charge again with the correct voltage setting. If the problem persists with a lithium iron phosphate compatible charging source and correct voltage setting, repeat the steps.
Once the battery accepts current and voltage climbs above 10V, it will recover and operate normally.
Have you run into a "dead" battery that turned out to be fine? Share your experience below. 👇