I am thinking of just using the BMS for charging protection, HV. I will use an LED voltage monitor with an alarm to watch for low voltage. Normally, I just count on an analogue voltage meter, but I don't think they will do me much good with lithium.
Regarding the use of the BMS for charging only, I am guessing that I run my power normally with the BMS connected to the battery and to the charger. The power will not be interrupted by the BMS, but the batteries will be charged using the BMS as a governer-limiter. All I need to do is make sure I get the positive and negative leads soldered in the right places.
When I decided to make the leap to lithium, I had no idea that it would entail a whole new educational lesson.
