Hi Bob - my name is Roy I live in kingston ontario canada. I have read many of your posts and found them very helpfull and well thought out. I have built a high voltage charger to emergency charge my 2001 priut ( I have 3 of them). Do you know where I can buy the connector that would mate to "the connector from nowhere" that comes off the traction battery so I can properly connect my charger to this port? I am new to communicating through the computer and this site so I apologise If I am not using the proper method to communicate with you. Roy
Sorry but Toyota has not released the details of how that connector works. At a minimum, it has to power up the three safety relays, one on each end and one in the middle. Furthermore, given the size of the wires, there are likely to be issues associated with charge balancing that need to be addressed. I'm going to recommend removing the traction batteries, one at a time, and taking them inside to a bench: Survey all 38 modules to look for 'dead', any with more than a 1.2V drop relative to the others. Survey the buss bars and wiring, repair before charge. Attach your extreme end power supply leads, each half will still be isolated and only kill you dead (136-150V) Jumper the middle so you have one big pack Charge away using voltages that will kill you stone-cold dead (i.e., ~272-300V) Monitor the voltages and temperatures of the modules - don't let charging blow-up your pack. The modules generate heat when charging and gas pressure. Overcharging will destroy the pack and that is not a joke! If you insist on doing single-charger to pack recharging on the bench, seriously consider an automated, shutoff system based upon both voltage and temperature probes. The normal pack has three thermistors in the modules as well as one for the ambient air. For bench charging, I would consider this 'light weight' and would suggest a parallel thermistors tied to an "OFF" relay when they reach 100F/35C. GOOD LUCK! Bob Wilson ps. Moderators are welcome to relocate the original post and my reply to the Gen I forum.
I believe Roy's right about the existence of a "Plug to Nowhere" that can be used for full-series-voltage charging without having to energize the main relays, etc. The article giving the details, with photos, is the one in post #2 of this thread. It's a good article, with some extremely well-written safety information that is well worth reading every word of. As for where to obtain the mating connector, check post #5 in the same thread. -Chap
