Need help with battery build/balance charge
- Thread starter danmar713
- Start date
eee291
100 kW
Can't see anything
eee291
100 kW
So it's just throwing you an error?
Do you have a multimeter at hand?
You can check the cell voltages individually and see if maybe you got two of the balance wires connected in reverse or something like that.
Do you have a multimeter at hand?
You can check the cell voltages individually and see if maybe you got two of the balance wires connected in reverse or something like that.
The error seems to suggest that the input power you're supplying to the charger isn't sufficient for it to fully power up and start charging. Can you confirm that whatever DC power source you're using is within its acceptable range, even under charging load?
I replaced the power supply with a laptop charger that is the proper rating for the balance charger. It is charging and discharging the pack but I am having difficulty actually balancing it. The Cell voltages read 1) 3.5 2) 3.6 3) 3.6 4) 3.9 5) 3.8 6) 4.0
The balance charge doesn't seem to be able to get each group within .1 of each other. So I am stuck again. Am I going to have to break apart the pack and charge each group separately until they are all withing the same range?
The balance charge doesn't seem to be able to get each group within .1 of each other. So I am stuck again. Am I going to have to break apart the pack and charge each group separately until they are all withing the same range?
Alan B
100 GW
This type of charger balances very slowly. These are way out of balance so it will take a very long time to balance them. Most chargers are made this way, they series charge and then bleed balance the fully charged cells, then repeat to bring the low cells up. The bleed balance currents are not very high and they alternate charging and then bleeding the cells, which is a slow way to do the job.
Charging each parallel cell group individually (but at the same time) would be much faster, this way there is no time spent bleeding. Some chargers work this way, charge through the balance leads and will do up to 6 or 9 cells at a time. The 9 cell type would work with your existing 6/8S wiring, the 6 cell types would require changing balance wiring to something like 6/6/2. Examples of these isolated per-cell balance chargers are (as far as I know this is a complete list):
BC168 (6 cell)
UN-A6 (Plus) (6 cell)
UN-A9 (Plus) (9 cell)
Radiolink CB86 Plus (6 cell)
Or, as you suggest, use this charger wired to charge 1S and use it 14 times, once for each cell group. When charging through the balance leads keep the current down to a low value that won't heat the small wires and connectors. I generally use 2 amps max.
Once the pack is balanced the iCharger should be able to re-balance it in a reasonable time, as long as the cells are well matched and don't get way out of balance again somehow.
Charging each parallel cell group individually (but at the same time) would be much faster, this way there is no time spent bleeding. Some chargers work this way, charge through the balance leads and will do up to 6 or 9 cells at a time. The 9 cell type would work with your existing 6/8S wiring, the 6 cell types would require changing balance wiring to something like 6/6/2. Examples of these isolated per-cell balance chargers are (as far as I know this is a complete list):
BC168 (6 cell)
UN-A6 (Plus) (6 cell)
UN-A9 (Plus) (9 cell)
Radiolink CB86 Plus (6 cell)
Or, as you suggest, use this charger wired to charge 1S and use it 14 times, once for each cell group. When charging through the balance leads keep the current down to a low value that won't heat the small wires and connectors. I generally use 2 amps max.
Once the pack is balanced the iCharger should be able to re-balance it in a reasonable time, as long as the cells are well matched and don't get way out of balance again somehow.
The iCharger is supposed to balance but not sure what the balancing current is. It may take a really long time if the cells are that far out of balance.
You can charge individual cells using the balance connector and pieces of solid strand wire. I try to get them all up to 4.1v or so.
You can charge individual cells using the balance connector and pieces of solid strand wire. I try to get them all up to 4.1v or so.
