I'm trying to make a compact emergency 12V starter pack for my prius C. A died 12V(4-6yrs on average) is the most common cause of stuck hybrids.
On paper it's doable as the 12V is only an auxiliary battery and the peak absorption(power up main ECUs, then close 2 HV battery switches) is something like 11A for 1s.
I've done a bit of homework: i selected a 4S LiFePo4(for safety) battery pack and i want to put a diode on the + of the pack, so after power up the DC/DC converter which powers the 12V bus isn't charging it(to my knowledge the car DC/DC has capacitors and everything and runs just fine without the 12V battery, there are no alternators).
Now the catch. I don't want to recharge the pack at home or to periodically check it or to keep it at 100% charge thus reducing its service life. Well, i'll eventually check it a lot since it's a project, but the point is i want it to be "stable" and plugged in, always ready.
A 3.33V/cell should be at ~80% SoC and with plenty of amps to power the ECUs, while aging well. I plan to use RC batteries which have the "power" XT60 connector and a 5-pin tap to charge and balance the 4 cells.
However
1)I can't find a "charge my Lifepo4 to 80%" charger, is it fine to a) use a schottky diode with a 3.7V/cell charger to have a 0.4-0.37V drop or b) to just hook the 4 cells at a regulated 3.33V/cell source as this
https://www.pololu.com/product/2842?
More difficult. How do i keep the battery balanced, aka 3.33V for every cell? I can't find an off the shelf 4 cell charging/balancing circuit, only passive resistors, and it must not get hottie or self discharge when the car is parked.
Is there any clever way to get away with only 1 12V DC/DC or am i forced to use a single 3.3V DC/DC for every cell? Can they be wired in series?
Please enlighten me