Help with Chargers

[MastaKebob]

Hi Endless-Sphere! Ya'll were really helpful when I was spec-ing my ebike conversion, and things have been going great. Unfortunately my S180W charger burned out yesterday, so I need a replacement. And I'm a bit hesitant to buy one because initial research shows that different chargers are used for different battery chemistries, and I'm terrified of damaging my battery pack.

Background info:
Battery: 48v panasonic LiFePO4 (https://bmsbattery.com/ebike-battery/680-48v116ah-bottle-09-panasonic-battery-pack-battery.html)
Charger: S180 from BMS (https://bmsbattery.com/ebike-charger-ev-charger/23-alloy-shell-180w-lifepo4-li-ion-lead-acid-battery-ebike-charger-ecitypower-charger.html) (I think) (both purchased from BMS Battery)

Things I'm hoping you can help me with:
1) I'm hesitant to buy another of the same charger as this one lasted ~50 cycles before burning out. I'd like to get a more reliable one. How do I determine which 3rd party charger will work with my battery pack?
2) Is there a different between 'general' AC-DC converters, and ebike AC-DC converters? LiPO vs LiFePO4 vs SLA chargers?
3) Will this charger work? https://power.sager.com/gc220a48-ad1-2525026.html#dvSpecifications? Its much cheaper than the 'ebike-specific' chargers, is that just a function of labeling, or am I looking at the wrong one? Would https://power.sager.com/hlg-320h-48a-2525479.html#dvSpecifications be a better choice? Why?
4) Should I be worried about going from a 180w charger to a 240 or 320w charger? Will that overheat my battery?

Thanks in advance!
-Kevin

 

[wineboyrider]

I have probably wasted more money on chargers than any other electric bicycle component and I have been doing it since 2009. I use meanwell hlg power supplies as chargers now that have no fans and adjustable current and voltage. I recommend that you get a good one like a satiator or others?

 

[MastaKebob]

I use meanwell hlg power supplies

Thanks for the feedback. Do you have a recommended HLG model #? The HLG's don't seem to call out that they're Li-Ion compatible, is that something I need to be concerned with?

If I have a 48v battery, should I be looking for a 48V charger? Or should I be looking for a 54V charger?

 

[wineboyrider]

I use meanwell hlg power supplies

Thanks for the feedback. Do you have a recommended HLG model #? The HLG's don't seem to call out that they're Li-Ion compatible, is that something I need to be concerned with?

If I have a 48v battery, should I be looking for a 48V charger? Or should I be looking for a 54V charger?

You need to have a charger that doesn't exceed your batteries voltage and charge rate. I use hk multi-star lipo and no bms.
For a 14s lithium battery that should be 58.8v fully charged. Bare in mind some 48v batteries are 13s and lifepo4 chemistry is also different. What's nice about the hlg's is there are no moving parts and they are slim and can be carried with you as an opportunity charger. The zero actually uses them as on board chargers...The hlg120h-54 has the right voltage range for a 48v battery, but only 2.8 amp charging.

 

[Jabotical]

If I have a 48v battery, should I be looking for a 48V charger? Or should I be looking for a 54V charger?

You need to have a charger that doesn't exceed your batteries voltage and charge rate. I use hk multi-star lipo and no bms.
For a 14s lithium battery that should be 58.8v fully charged. Bare in mind some 48v batteries are 13s and lifepo4 chemistry is also different...

The battery he linked is indeed a 13s, so that should 54.6v fully charged.

It does seems like in general the convention for lithium ion batteries in an ebikes context is to refer to 13s as 48v, 14s as 52v.

 

[wineboyrider]

If I have a 48v battery, should I be looking for a 48V charger? Or should I be looking for a 54V charger?

You need to have a charger that doesn't exceed your batteries voltage and charge rate. I use hk multi-star lipo and no bms.
For a 14s lithium battery that should be 58.8v fully charged. Bare in mind some 48v batteries are 13s and lifepo4 chemistry is also different...

The battery he linked is indeed a 13s, so that should 54.6v fully charged.

It does seems like in general the convention for lithium ion batteries in an ebikes context is to refer to 13s as 48v, 14s as 52v.

Agreed.

 

[wineboyrider]

Another note is that the bms also has a max charging rate and most bms's require the charger to be set a tad bit higher than the final voltage of the pack. The hlg should be removed as soon as the pack is full.

 

[dogman dan]

I have really been happy with my charger from EM3ev. I went through quite a few cheapos before accumulating some cheap chargers that worked longer than a month.

Mostly,, you just have to get away from the lower end of the charger quality.

 

[MastaKebob]

Thanks everyone for the advice! One last sanity check before I buy: Would the Mean Well HLG-185H-54A 54V 3.45A 185W (https://amzn.com/B01800LJHE) be compatible with my battery pack? It has the right voltage and has slightly more amperage than the dead charger. It doesn't say anything about Li-Ion chemisteries, though. Is that cause for concern? And, because my battery pack has a BMS, I don't need a 'charger', right? Just a power supply and the BMS will handle all of the balancing the cut-off and regulation? It'd be 'set and forget'?

Thanks again for all the help!

 

[wineboyrider]

Thanks everyone for the advice! One last sanity check before I buy: Would the Mean Well HLG-185H-54A 54V 3.45A 185W (https://amzn.com/B01800LJHE) be compatible with my battery pack? It has the right voltage and has slightly more amperage than the dead charger. It doesn't say anything about Li-Ion chemisteries, though. Is that cause for concern? And, because my battery pack has a BMS, I don't need a 'charger', right? Just a power supply and the BMS will handle all of the balancing the cut-off and regulation? It'd be 'set and forget'?

Thanks again for all the help!

Hey I started a thread asking this question just in case there might be some issues so hold off until you plunk your money down. There might be an issue with float charging as some chargers totally cut off current ?

 

[wineboyrider]

I think you got your answer in the other thread> Go ahead and go for the hlg they are awesome!

 

[MastaKebob]

Thanks all! Ordered the Mean Well HLG-185H-54A.

 

[motomech]

You are really going to like the Mean Well HGL It's a real quality piece.
At the very least, you will have to add a Voltmeter to set the end of charge Voltage. Then, when you connect it to the battery, it will display the batt. Voltage.
As it nears the E of C Voltage, it attenuates down to a trickle and you will hear it softly switching inside.
I initially set mine up with a high Voltage alarm and a timer to shut off, but now I'm not using tghem. It will stary in "stand-by" mode safely till you dis-connect it.

 

[MastaKebob]

Thanks Moto! Yea, thanks to the helpful people on this thread, I learned I'll have to dial in the HGL during the first use (to the correct voltage and current), and then its 'set it and forget it'.

 

[MastaKebob]

Just closing the loop on this.

Got the Mean Well HLG 185H 54A and wired it up. Everything is working fine. Set the amperage output to ~3A and and the voltage to 54V. Battery charges no issue. The Mean Well does get pretty warm by the time its done charging (painful to touch for more than a second), but that appears to be within spec.

Thanks everyone for the advice, especially @Motomech and @Flippy!

 

[wineboyrider]

I love them things. 8)

 

[harmonist]

Sorry to bring up an old thread, but just while we're on the mean well topic, am I right in assuming this mean well 2.8a charger with a voltmeter will be all good for a 48v 10.4a dolphin battery? I'm looking at upgrading my crappy plastic charger before it dies and was considering the luna mini charger but from what I'm reading the mean wells are pretty awesome.

https://www.amazon.com/PowerNex-HLG-150H-54A-Single-Output-Switching/dp/B01DM20VBU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1472696677&sr=8-2&keywords=Mean+Well+HLG-185H-54A+54V

Cheers!

 

[wineboyrider]

Old thread? LOL