Battery balancing

yes, what is a normal charger? you either need a hobby charger for modules, or a grid charger for the entire pack.
some people don't mind pulling the battery out, and just keep replacing cells.

 

You can do as little or as much as you want.

In general it won't make it last that much longer.

Each step incrementally decreases your chance of complete failure.

But none of it guarantees that you will have a working battery when you are done.

Some ideas to decrease your chance of failure.

Match voltage
Match state of charge
Rearrange pack modules
Match discharge curves
Match internal resistance
Charge pack with low amperage to "fill" the pack
Charge the pack with higher amperage, tapering to lower amperage near the top.
Discharging the pack.
Charging each module to fill it.
Discharging each module.
Load testing each module
Periodically topping off the pack.
Periodically discharging the pack
Etc, etc etc

Pick whatever you want to do (or not do).
How lazy are you?
How much free time do you have?
How much do you enjoy doing this kind of work?
How much can you tolerate an unreliable car?
All these things and more can be taken into consideration when deciding what works in your particular situation. And only you can decide.

I sell modules regularly to customers and offer advice, and each situation is unique. Some just slap them in and go. Others do a full series of efforts. To each his own.. There is now right answer or perfect solution.. You will have to go back in and address other module failure so in the future. The question is how long will it be between failures.

 

you can't use a car charger, it's for 12 volt batteries.

 

Balancing is not "required", but replacing with cells that MATCH WHAT YOU HAVE is critical, so this is not an internet auction site buy.

You ask about normal chargers, well not 12v automotive "normal", but Radio Control "hobby" type chargers - YES.

If I were going to go thru the effort to replace a few cells in a HV pack, in lieu of replacing the PACK with a brand new Toyota part, I would absolutely use one of the Prius Chat vendors for the cells AND get an off-board charger/balancer to complete the installation.

 

Hello guys, to not start thread with same name.
Can i know if this charger will be fine?
Turnigy TQ4 4x6S Lithium Polymer Battery Pack Charger
Specification:
Operating voltage range: DC 11~15V
Power source: 12V DC (car battery) / AC mains PSU (>200Watts)
Cell count : 1-15 Ni-xx / 1-6 Li-xx / 1-10 Lead acid cells (2~20V)
Current drain for balancing li-xx: 335mA
Charge termination Ni-xx: Automatic, negative Delta Peak method
Charge termination Lead acid & Li-xx: Automatic, voltage dependent, CC-CV process
Maximum Charge Current per port: 6A
High velocity heatsink exhaust fan.

And if im correct, i can expect 4cells/24hours balanced?

 

Dancin,

This looks like a reasonable choice if the build quality is there. You need to have a high capacity 12v battery (a marine battery would be good) as a power source along with a high current battery charger (needs to be able to supply about 12-15 amps at 14 volts to keep up with the peak drain of charging 4 modules simultaneously at 5-6 amps each.

JeffD

 

Thanks for reply, never understood that need of 12v battery? Wont higher amp ac dc converter will be enought?

 

Could you rephrase what you meant here?

 

Many people use the Prolong charging system from Hybrid Automotive. @jeff652 is here on PriusChat. They have a grid charger and a couple of discharging options to condition your battery pack.

 

The RC charger posted CANNOT use line voltage and must be powered from a 12v source.

Honestly, I would keep shopping for a line voltage powered unit, it will likely be less costly in the long run.

 

Yeah, i didnt notice its DC ONLY.
Sooo this one then? Sky RC Q200 AC DC Quad Four Balance Charger Discharger LiPo LiFe NiMh Batteries | eBay
Specifications:
Input Voltage - AC100-240V / DC 11-18V
Charge Circuit Power - DC Input: CH A/CH B: 100W CH C/CH D: 50W
AC Input - CH A+CH C=100W CH B+CH D=100W
CH A/CH B - 50-100W CH C/CH D: 0-50W
Discharge Circuit Power - 4 x 10W
Charger Current Range - CH A/CH B 0.1-10A CH C/CH D 0.1-5A
Discharge Current Range - 0.1-2A x 4
Current Drain for Balancing Port - Max 200mA/cell
Trickle Charging Current - 50mA-300mA & OFF
LiPo/LiFe/Lilon/LiHV Battery Cell Count - 1-6S
NiMH/NiCd Battery Cell Count - 1-15S
Pb Battery Voltage - 2-20V
Dimension - 71 x 182 x 197mm
Net Weight - 1335g

 

Seems like it would work fine.

 

Which one is best for battery balancing?

 

When doing it on my own car and I'm in a hurry?
Grab a module out of the pile.
Slap it in, charging that module as needed to get it to a similar voltage.
Done.

If I have more time, charge the pack with a whole-pack charger..

Have even more time? Discharge and charge the pack once after the initial charge.

How about even more time available? Do the charge/discharge process 3 times.

This assumes that the pile of modules does not contain any complete duds.

 

When, I just love your replies.
Kinda like the way @bisco replies.
Quick, and straight forward.

 

Does the Prius gen 2 ECU 'balance' the 14 blocks ?

 

No

 

So toy balances and checks at the factory and then just assumes they will forever stay in balance for the rest of the pack life ? ??

es