2000 Insight - TLC and ecomodding build

[Ecky]

Hooked my upgraded grid charger/discharger for the first time, and it didn't explode.

~

On the way home, I did my best to drain the battery, with around 12 miles of as much assist as I could manage, and then kept the car in high gear and used full assist for the 2-3 miles to the top of the hill I live on. I managed to bring the battery gauge down to 3 bars.

Ambient temperature was around 40F when I parked the car, and the battery was at 154.5v when I started discharging with a 60w bulb (3PM).




After 4 hours (7PM), I was down to 132.6v. I switched over to a 25w bulb.

8 hours later (3AM), I woke up, had a snack, and went out to the car to check on the discharge status. The voltage was at 74v and dropping rapidly, which suggests most, if not all of the cells were very near empty, and some were probably experiencing a very low-current cell reversal.

My math tells me that, in order to bring the pack down to close to zero charge from 3 bars on the SoC gauge, I removed a total of ~3.6Ah.

I switched off the discharger, leaving the 12v cooling fan running, and let it sit overnight.




This morning (8AM), ambient temperature was ~25F, and the battery had stabilized at around 120v. I turned on the gird charger portion and went to work.

Given that my charger puts out 500ma, I expect it to take a minimum of 13 hours to top off the 6.5AH battery, probably a little longer. It's pretty cold outside, so I'll probably leave it charging overnight tonight for a total of around 24 hours of grid charging.

[MetroMPG]

Have you done a discharge to that extent before?

Hooked my upgraded grid charger/discharger for the first time, and it didn't explode.

I see we use the same metric for success!

[Ecky]

I have not.

I'm skeptical about deep discharging NiMH cells, but after reading 50+ pages on InsightCentral on the topic, I felt secure enough that I wasn't going to cause any significant damage, and might regain some more usable capacity. A lot of people there actually endorse discharging down to close to 0v, but 74v is plenty low enough for me.

[cowmeat]

The first time I discharged the Insights, I went down to 20V.

Next time (which may be this weekend if I can find the discharger) I'll take them down to about 80

I apparently don't have the patience you do, lol. I use twin 200 watt bulbs in my discharger, which take the pack from full to 20V in about 6 hours.

[Natalya]

Originally Posted by Ecky

I have not.

I'm skeptical about deep discharging NiMH cells, but after reading 50+ pages on InsightCentral on the topic, I felt secure enough that I wasn't going to cause any significant damage, and might regain some more usable capacity. A lot of people there actually endorse discharging down to close to 0v, but 74v is plenty low enough for me.

There is so much conflicting information on there, especially the older threads. S Keith posted this:

- Grid charge
- Deep discharge to 60v, use 100v bulbs while its still above 145v and then switch to a 25w bulb
- Grid charge again for 30 hours

[NoD~]

Originally Posted by Ecky

EDIT: I'd like to change the 4-pin molex connectors I've been using to something a bit... safer? eventually, but haven't been able to find a set I like for the right price yet.

Here's what I went with...

http://www.amazon.com/HiseNook-Water...ilpage_o09_s01

It came with two pairs. I have one pair used on car/charger and one is an extension cord so I can have the option to put the charger/discharger/whatever outside the car.

[Ecky]

Originally Posted by NoD~

Here's what I went with...

http://www.amazon.com/HiseNook-Water...ilpage_o09_s01

It came with two pairs. I have one pair used on car/charger and one is an extension cord so I can have the option to put the charger/discharger/whatever outside the car.

Those look great, thanks Nod~.

So, I finished drawing up my modified grid charger plans. It's not a proper electrical diagram, but I expect it should be clear enough.

[NoD~]

I love diagrams, so easy to see what's going on.

Curious: Why the double diode and fuse setup?

[Daox]

I read through most of your thread the other day. How are the parts you painted holding up? I have the same issues being in a place that heavily salts and I plan on keeping this car a while.

[Ecky]

Originally Posted by NoD~

I love diagrams, so easy to see what's going on.

Curious: Why the double diode and fuse setup?

I killed my pair of eBay 90v transformers, despite having a diode in the harness, when I accidentally switched the +180v and -180v leads.

Extra protection can't hurt, I figure.

Originally Posted by Daox

I read through most of your thread the other day. How are the parts you painted holding up? I have the same issues being in a place that heavily salts and I plan on keeping this car a while.

Everything I've pained still looks new, though they've only been through one winter so far.