Why won't my new LiTime battery turn on until I connect a charger?
It is asleep, not dead
LiTime ships several of its Bluetooth batteries switched off. Its own instructions for the 12V 100Ah Group 24 say: on initial use, or after you have manually powered the battery off, connect the charger to turn it on. The 12V 100Ah Group 27 carries the same note. Until that happens the terminals may read nothing, and the LiTime app will not find the battery, which is why a new owner often assumes it arrived faulty.
Which charger LiTime recommends for activation
| Battery | LiTime's recommended charger |
|---|---|
| 12V 100Ah Group 24 Bluetooth | 14.6V 20A |
| 12V 100Ah Group 27 Bluetooth | 14.6V 20A |
| 12V 200Ah Bluetooth | 14.6V 40A, "for battery and Bluetooth activation" |
| 12V 230Ah Bluetooth | 14.6V 60A charger or a 60A MPPT, "for battery and Bluetooth activation" |
| 12V 100Ah TM Bluetooth | a 10A LiFePO4 charger before first use |
Any charger with a LiFePO4 profile of that size does the job. We do not list LiTime's own AC chargers, so the Renogy 12V 20A LFP charger on this page is a straightforward match for the 100Ah models.
If you are installing it in an RV
The RV converter will usually wake it once shore power is plugged in, provided the converter actually puts out a charge. A DC-DC charger also counts: the LiTime 40A DC-DC charger can wake a lithium battery after BMS protection, so running the engine with it connected does the same thing.
If it still will not wake
Check the charger is set to lithium and really is charging (its own indicator), and check the battery is not below its low-temperature limit: the 200Ah, for example, will not accept charge below 32°F and resumes at 41°F. LiTime handles warranty and support on these batteries directly, so if a correctly set charger still does not wake it, contact LiTime or us.
