1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Prolong charger on cells out of the pack

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Matthew Holloway, Feb 6, 2023.

  1. Matthew Holloway

    Matthew Holloway New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 3, 2022
    13
    3
    0
    Location:
    Hawaii
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Hello,
    I have a bad cell in my HV battery, I have a prolong charger, and about 50 battery cells that I'm unsure of the condition, as well as another battery case that compresses the cells, but no fan or any of the other wiring.
    Do you think it's possible to build a second pack and hook up the prolong to it?
    Just wondering how I would configure it, as it wouldn't have the big orange HV shut off plug... I have a bunch of bus bars.

    I'd like to be able to bench charge the second pack so I can swap out the good cells, but still use my car in the meantime.
     
  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2012
    11,330
    4,614
    0
    Location:
    Pacific Northwest, USA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Get the biggest house fan you can find and yes in theory you can wire up Prolong direct to a pack bolted into a rack, but without the covers and orange plug you're eliminating all the safety systems, so consider how to address that so if you or a loved one accidentally bumps into something no one gets fried...

    As for evaluating the modules... Build a spread sheet of voltage before charging, then run them for 24 hours on prolong then get voltage and load test data 3 or more days after full charge and balance. Once you find the best modules do reconditioning and see if they hold up. If you can get a thermal camera to view them when they're charging you'll likely find cells that are running hot even though they test healthy. Gotta get rid of those ones.
     
    #2 PriusCamper, Feb 6, 2023
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2023
  3. Matthew Holloway

    Matthew Holloway New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 3, 2022
    13
    3
    0
    Location:
    Hawaii
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Yes that was my main concern. Maybe I'll just try to puck up a rack with all the orange cables and the orange safety plug
     
  4. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2012
    11,330
    4,614
    0
    Location:
    Pacific Northwest, USA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Get in touch with Professor Joe at: https://2ndlifebattery.com/contact-us/

    He's got a partner who's based in the islands and those battery refurbishing folks usually have big piles of what you need.
     
  5. Matthew Holloway

    Matthew Holloway New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 3, 2022
    13
    3
    0
    Location:
    Hawaii
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Thanks!
     
  6. CatNinja

    CatNinja Member

    Joined:
    Oct 31, 2022
    51
    28
    0
    Location:
    Hawaii
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    If you have spare cells outside of your Prius, I’d advise getting a hobby charger to charge them instead of the prolong. These are very cheap, and can automatically do several charge /discharge cycles to estimate the capacity of the cells. The fancier ones even have multiple channels so you can test several cells at once. Then you can create a spreadsheet and pick the best cells to put back into your car. Just make sure you clamp the cells before charging, as they have a tendency to swell if charged outside of the pack.