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Old 05-03-2014, 06:34 PM   #91 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mechman600 View Post
Here. Everything you need:

Parts List

1 - Arduino Uno R3 or equivalent
1 - Mux Shield II
1 - HD44780 20X4 LCD Display
1 - DH06S DC-DC converter
2 - Momentary pushbutton SPDT switches
1 - 2N7000 transistor
1 - 1N4004 diode
1 - 120VAC/12VDC relay
1 - Red LED (warning lamp)
1 - Green LED (charge indicator lamp)
1 - HTFS400 current transducer
1 - 4.7nF capacitor
1 - 47nF capacitor
1 - PS2502 optoisolator
2 - 220 ohm 1/4 watt resistors
1 - 220 ohm 1 watt resistor (LCD backlight)
1 - 1K ohm 1/4 watt resistor
1 - 549 ohm 1/4 watt resistor
18 - 100K ohm 1/4 watt resistors
18 - 5K ohm 1/4 watt resistors
Bunch of - 22 gauge single strand wire
That helps tremendously. Thanks. It's easier to visualize now what I'm doing and I feel more confident. I'd have no hesitation ordering the parts and learning to put it all together.

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Old 05-03-2014, 07:35 PM   #92 (permalink)
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Glad to be of help. I still strongly suggest that when you receive your brand new shiny Arduino you spend a few weeks going through the examples on the Arduino site HERE: Arduino - Learn the basics

That's where I learned the most. It really doesn't take long to get fluent in Arduino code. The Arduino forum is also very helpful. I didn't even have to ask questions - all of my searches were quite fruitful on their own.
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Old 05-03-2014, 09:38 PM   #93 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mechman600 View Post
Glad to be of help. I still strongly suggest that when you receive your brand new shiny Arduino you spend a few weeks going through the examples on the Arduino site HERE: Arduino - Learn the basics

That's where I learned the most. It really doesn't take long to get fluent in Arduino code. The Arduino forum is also very helpful. I didn't even have to ask questions - all of my searches were quite fruitful on their own.
I'm going to do that. I have a few arduino ideas (I"m a sys admin. Our current environmental monitoring setup is....not working. Was thinking about making one.)
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Old 05-12-2014, 07:11 PM   #94 (permalink)
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Question, regarding this thread: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post424015

We're recycling old laptop batteries. Are there any BMS items in there I can use? THey're various brands: Dell and HP mostly. Maybe an IBM (not lenovo. They're that old).

I checked the batteries I could take them from and they're all around 11 volts. 11.1v I think is what I saw.

Last edited by TurnNBurn; 05-13-2014 at 02:36 PM..
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Old 05-25-2014, 06:12 PM   #95 (permalink)
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Been a while since I updated this. I'm still fussing around with making a battery mount. Once the battery is mounted I'm going to begin the build of the BMS.
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Old 08-31-2014, 12:12 AM   #96 (permalink)
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I have a question since my memory is pretty much dead from this thread.

Could I possibly use two iChargers to charge the 9 packs (18 cells) ? If not iChargers, some other replacement lifepo4 chargers. Is there something not recommended about this setup?
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Old 08-31-2014, 11:06 AM   #97 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TurnNBurn View Post
I have a question since my memory is pretty much dead from this thread.

Could I possibly use two iChargers to charge the 9 packs (18 cells) ? If not iChargers, some other replacement lifepo4 chargers. Is there something not recommended about this setup?
9 sub-packs of 18 cells each or 162 total cells in the whole pack ??

If that's what you mean .. there is no iCharger that can do all 162 cells in series at once.

You either need to:

Option #1> Charge each subpack of 18 cells separately ... can be one at a time with the same iCharger .. or all at once with 9 iChargers (one for each sub-pack).

Option #2> electrically disconnect all the series connections between the 9 sub-packs , than connect all 9 subpacks are in parallel... and use iCharger to charge the combined parallel pack.

- - - - - - -

There are a variety of other charger options out there other than the iCharger ... they all have pros and cons .. use whatever has the options you like / want.

My general recommendation is that you get one that is rated for a bit more than you need / want to use it for .. give yourself a buffer .. I usually aim for at least about a ~25% buffer.

- - - - - - -

Reasons for not?

Parallel cells :
You don't have cell level charge / discharge control .. you're just taking a short cut and treating all the parallel cells as if they were just 1 bigger capacity cell .. which is ~99% of the time fine .. but is not 100% accurate .. although you might not care about the difference.

Parallel Packs:
If you don't have cell level control .. it's a bad idea .. now that control can be subpack level feedback BMS boards built into each subpack , and the charger/discharge itself only sees it as one whole pack ... but that cell level control is a good idea... without it you are risking destructive fire.

Series Packs while connected:
Some Charger/Discharger's are fine with it , just plug and go ... depending on the type of isolation they have from input to output .. other units need you to use some added isolation yourself ... that added isolation might be on the source side (AC) separating from charge to charge .. or the output side (between subpacks)... but some have it built in and don't need any added external isolation.
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Old 08-31-2014, 01:33 PM   #98 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IamIan View Post
9 sub-packs of 18 cells each or 162 total cells in the whole pack ??

If that's what you mean .. there is no iCharger that can do all 162 cells in series at once.

You either need to:

Option #1> Charge each subpack of 18 cells separately ... can be one at a time with the same iCharger .. or all at once with 9 iChargers (one for each sub-pack).

Option #2> electrically disconnect all the series connections between the 9 sub-packs , than connect all 9 subpacks are in parallel... and use iCharger to charge the combined parallel pack.

- - - - - - -

There are a variety of other charger options out there other than the iCharger ... they all have pros and cons .. use whatever has the options you like / want.

My general recommendation is that you get one that is rated for a bit more than you need / want to use it for .. give yourself a buffer .. I usually aim for at least about a ~25% buffer.

- - - - - - -

Reasons for not?

Parallel cells :
You don't have cell level charge / discharge control .. you're just taking a short cut and treating all the parallel cells as if they were just 1 bigger capacity cell .. which is ~99% of the time fine .. but is not 100% accurate .. although you might not care about the difference.

Parallel Packs:
If you don't have cell level control .. it's a bad idea .. now that control can be subpack level feedback BMS boards built into each subpack , and the charger/discharge itself only sees it as one whole pack ... but that cell level control is a good idea... without it you are risking destructive fire.

Series Packs while connected:
Some Charger/Discharger's are fine with it , just plug and go ... depending on the type of isolation they have from input to output .. other units need you to use some added isolation yourself ... that added isolation might be on the source side (AC) separating from charge to charge .. or the output side (between subpacks)... but some have it built in and don't need any added external isolation.
I guess my question was, if not an iCharger, would it be a problem to use two separate Lifepo4 battery chargers, splitting the setup in half? I think I found one charger that could do a max of 9 cells. So I'd need two of those.

I guess I was looking to get multiple chargers, maybe 4 for the entire battery setup. 4 IMax B6 units or something similar. This would allow me to charge the pack in sections. Will this also allow me to balance them?

As far as monitoring voltage levels while riding, I've got that covered with another idea.

Last edited by TurnNBurn; 08-31-2014 at 02:12 PM..
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Old 09-01-2014, 07:55 PM   #99 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TurnNBurn View Post
I guess my question was, if not an iCharger, would it be a problem to use two separate Lifepo4 battery chargers, splitting the setup in half?
If they are electrically split .. then for all practical purposes they are separate battery packs.

If they are not electrically split .. it depends on the input to output isolation of the charge in question , some will still be fine with it .. others will not.

Quote:
Originally Posted by TurnNBurn View Post
I guess I was looking to get multiple chargers, maybe 4 for the entire battery setup. 4 IMax B6 units or something similar. This would allow me to charge the pack in sections. Will this also allow me to balance them?
It will allow you to do what each IMax B6 can do ... up to 6 cells each .. 4 units x 6 = 24 total 'cells'.

I write 'cells' above ... because each 'cell' could actually be multiple real cells all required to only be in parallel... thus effectively acting like a single 'cell' made up of multiple actual cells.

You previously described 9 packs of 18 cells each pack .. that would require at least 3 units of IMax-B6 per Pack of 18 cells x 9 such packs = 27 total IMax-B6 for all 162 cells... If you aren't electrically splitting them up .. check the Input-Output isolation.

- - - -

Alternatively if you tried to do the pack in sequential sections using a smaller number of chargers .. that could work .. but is a bit risky .. over time you'll add up a lot of connecting and disconnecting ... it only takes 1 human error or 1 bad connection and then the pack isn't balanced .. and can be an issue if used before the problem is identified... but , so long as no errors are ever made .. sure it can work.

Before selling yourself on a fewer number of sequential charger style system .. think about the amount of time .. both electronics time .. and the amount of human involvement time needed.
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Old 09-04-2014, 05:11 PM   #100 (permalink)
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The only problems I see, making this idea not very cost effective, is the need for 3 different power supplies for the battery chargers.

Each charger is about $110, so two of them will be $220. Power supplies bring total cost up to $300. I can get a standalone charger for my entire pack for $250-$350.

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