Author Topic: Charging GM Battery Packs,  (Read 6630 times)

Offline trike

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Charging GM Battery Packs,
« on: September 04, 2010, 09:40:32 PM »
Can any one tell me how to charge and use my GM lithium Battery Pack? Do you charge after every time you use them or run them down first(as ni-cads)? Is it ok to let them trickle (green light on the charger) or turn  off the charger when it comes on? I have been told to let them trickle all the time when they are not in use.I have a 36v 16ah pack which I have charged about 15 times, it is starting to lose run time(from 60Km to 45Km) ,that is why I am asking.

Offline Leslie

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Re: Charging GM Battery Packs,
« Reply #1 on: September 05, 2010, 07:01:18 AM »
Keep the pack full charged when you are riding it.  When you come home plug it in as soon as you can, leave it on the charger and allow to balance.

Keep its SOC (state of charge up to full as much as possible)

Balancing your pack.



Sometimes you can maintain the balance of the pack with an AC wall timer connected to the GM charger, on and off every 30 min, once a month or so, so you can allow the BMS to bleed off any high cells and allow any low cells to catch up.  These timers wont harm the charger.  GM recommend you switch at the wall on and off first and these chargers are pre-rectified so the charger transformer cant harm the timer..  Lets hope as this is a good way to balance.

The timer also allows the pack cells to charge cooler if any cell blocks voltage gets too high lessening any damage that could occur when allowing the charger to balance the pack.

When you don't use the pack store it at full charge and unplug it from the controller.  Keep it charged every 2 weeks or just use a programmable AC wall timer the timer to charged the pack once a week.  

Keep the battery warm in winter and cool in summer and out of the sun.  Abuse to a pack is abuse and every bad thing you may do to it takes a little or a lot off its life from you.   Try avoid LVC (Low Voltage Cutoff) as much as possible.

If you discharge the pack to LVC give it A good balance charge as pack can go out of balance at 70% DOD (depth of discharge)

Take note of the Acronyms we all use over the world for EV tech.

EG

LVC Low voltage Cutoff
HVC  (High voltage Cut off)
HCO  ( high current cut off.)
LCO  (Low current cut off)
CVM  (Constant voltage mode)
CCM  (Constant current mode)  
DOD  (depth of discharge)
SOC  (State of charge)
FET   (Field effect transistor)
C      (The current supplied by a battery based on its amp hour).
AH     (Amp hour.)

MP    (magic Pie)
GM    ( Golden Motor)
MC    (magic controller)

Lipo      (lithium polymer)
LICo02   ( Lithium colbalt oxide..)

Safer types
SLA  (Sealed Lead Acid Battery)
LiFePo4 (Lithium iron phosphate)
LiMn2O4 (lithium manganese oxide) GM battery




And terms like hot off the charger. or cold,  Meaning the volts are higher when it just finished charging or it could be full charged at rest.

And the standard of ol time SLA 12v increments have spilled over the LI market

48v
36v
and 24v

May not be like the old SLA's  Like I rode my pack the other day for 20kms and it came back still at 53v and it charges to 60v some may charge to 56v but still be 53 cold like mine.

Well if you are already familiar to the above terms then this little post could serve another who isnt up to the jargon.

We invent new stuff all the time. LOL

Just some that came to mind.

Well happy riding, and look after that pack as it will allow you to abuse it on the throttle but not in many other ways.

Cheers

Leslie.

« Last Edit: September 05, 2010, 07:06:03 AM by 317537 »

Bring it on

Offline trike

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Re: Charging GM Battery Packs,
« Reply #2 on: September 06, 2010, 08:32:55 AM »
Thank you for your advice. I enjoy riding with the Magic Pie.

Offline MonkeyMagic

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Re: Charging GM Battery Packs,
« Reply #3 on: September 06, 2010, 11:09:39 AM »
just gave me a fantastic idea to ride to the bakery in the morning wearing a cape and a top hat and buy a tasty pie so I can be magic riding and eat my pie at the same time

confusing no?

« Last Edit: September 08, 2010, 11:05:48 AM by MonkeyMagic »

Offline Leslie

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Re: Charging GM Battery Packs,
« Reply #4 on: September 08, 2010, 08:51:15 AM »
Or you could round up sheep to the abattoir and call it Shepherds Pie.

Bring it on