"Stuck" Charger Glitch

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Kocho
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"Stuck" Charger Glitch

I've read about the glitch where a charger won't stop charging for a long time and can potentially damage the battery. Those who have observed that, do you have more information about it?

So far, I've had the chance to see that phenomenon twice. And I suspect I did not recognize it as such a couple of other times when I jad unusually long charging cycles.

In my case it goes as follows: the CP stage competes seemingly normal (normal time/voltage) and the CC stage begins. The display shows 142V and never moves up from there. 4.5-5 hours later, the charger shuts off (If I recall, without an EC stage. Basically, the timeout safety timer for the CC charge cycles seems to be shutting the charger off. I am running the "you know who's" modified ESD charger firmware ;). Don't know if that makes any difference, but in a Harry Potter style, in order to avoid any possible accusations of libel, I won't say the name (last time when I mentioned the name in a rather positive context must say, I got scolded and insulted for something I never intended or even implied with what I wrote!).

Anyway, I noticed there was an issue because I was monitoring the bike with the ScooterDiag software. The voltage reported by the bike's display was 142V but the software reported that the voltage reached 146V sometime during the CC cycle and stayed at 146V until the end of the charge, while the display on the bike was stuck at 142. So, effectively, my battery gets a few hours of equalization charge at probably around 3A (3.25A measured at the wall). The pack temperature rises accordingly by a few (perhaps 5) degree C above ambient and stays there during this entire time, which is a good indication that the cells are full and are converting this extra charge into heat (they pretty much don't warm-up above ambient until they reach 144 or so V).

So, somehow the software that is supposed to shut down the charger doesn't, because it must be reading the "stuck" value of 142V instead of what is probably the actual value of 146V. Because the transition from CP to CC does occur due to voltage cutoff, not due to a timeout, the issue is likely with the CC portion of the code somewhere (hint: those with access to the source code can probably take a look at it).

elevatorguy
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Re: "Stuck" Charger Glitch

I'm not sure if it related to aftermarket programming, if I recall the stock bikes suffered from this issue. I use a plug in count down wall timer set a little longer than the charge should take. The timer kills the power to the bike after a preset time elapses.
This serves to limit runaway charge and remove power from the charger which gets pretty warm if left connected to the mains.
The peace of mind is worth the 15 U.S. cost of the timer.

Kocho
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Re: "Stuck" Charger Glitch

I don't think it is related to aftermarket programming, but I think it could be fixed there :)

I too use a timer at home - usually I just ride immediately after the charge, so I mostly rely on the timer to start the charge a few hours before I need to get going to work in the morning.

And I also used it to keep the bike from discharging when I was away for a long time - set it for a few minutes of charging once a week.

The timer I have is electronic, easy and more importantly fool-proof(ish) to program, with battery backup (so it won't lose its settings if the power goes down), and yes, cheap at about $20 or so.

A Killawatt is also interesting to watch for the first few times: to see what the bike draws from the wall during the different charge cycles and on standby too.

oobflyer
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Re: "Stuck" Charger Glitch

The display shows 142V and never moves up from there.

My Vectrix just started doing this too. I also recently installed a new firmware version. I have a Cycle Analyst gauge on my bike, so I know that the actual voltage is stopping at 142 (instead of 154). I'm concerned that the batteries are not being balanced, as the balancing happens at the end of the charge.
What did you end up doing to fix it?
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