Hmmm wellI know we shouldnt be too down on the Vectrix on this site but the problems are foremostly because of NiMh. After the 3 year mark the problems will get expomnentially worse because NiMh has a limited shelf life regardless of number of charges.
The other problem is with cell voltage of only 1.2v it requires so many cells.
Im not against the Vectrix, in fact I think they have got a very strong future as they move to other battery technologies.
My Vectrix is running better than ever - I just completed a full charge/discharge with the new battery and it ran all the way down to the last bar without the "basult" error message. When the last bar dropped off the error message came - as it should. When I plugged it in (after programming a delay) it automatically turned on and started charging. The next morning it was charged up and ready to go.
My patience paid off... :)
I'm assuming that I have to do the 5 deep charge/discharges with the new battery, just like when the bike was new - anybody hear anything different? The dealer gave me no information when they finished the new battery installation (not a big surprise there....)
I got an email from Vectrix today - they replied to my question about the 5 deep-cycle charges/discharges. (I just got a new battery pack). They said:
You do not need to do deep discharge cycles as you once did. Please follow the instructions on the TSB - Consumer for the software update. This will initialize your battery and sync it with your charger. After this is complete you are ready to enjoy your scooter to its fullest. Please let me know if you have additional questions.
So there you have it... just plug and play - as the advertisement says... :)
Thats exactly the opposite of what the Vectrix tec that came from Madrid on the 15th of Feb to Barcelona, told me.
I precisely asked him about the deep dischrges and he told me i should do 5 and that, one after the other.
Also in the NEW users manual it reffers to the 5 deep dischrges: in page 26, INITIAL STARTUP.
Its going to be difficult to find out which is the correct way.I think they dont even know the answer themselves!!
Thats exactly the opposite of what the Vectrix tec that came from Madrid on the 15th of Feb to Barcelona, told me.
I precisely asked him about the deep dischrges and he told me i should do 5 and that, one after the other.
Also in the NEW users manual it reffers to the 5 deep dischrges: in page 26, INITIAL STARTUP.
Its going to be difficult to find out which is the correct way.I think they dont even know the answer themselves!!
Exactly! Many people are afraid of saying "I don't know" and rather make something up.
Deliberate deep discharges in traffic are dangerous. To yourself, others and your batteries!
The range should be gradually increased instead, someone here called it "progressive discharges".
If you don't get full power any more, that's your deep discharge done. Ride to the closest power point, using less power than the scooter can provide, or you are cooking your weakest cells whilst charging them in reverse.
If you need that range, then try again after a full recharge and see if the range has improved, but don't push it, that will just make it worse in the long run. If a reversible cell imbalance is the reason for insufficient range, then there might be a gradual increase in range with progressive, gentle discharges.
All the damage during deep discharging gets done to those cells that are already empty - so they will be empty even sooner next time if you are rough with them!
This information may be used entirely at your own risk.
I did the 5 deep discharges all in one go, one after the other. The batteries seem to be in good shape, today i wss told, by the tech after he checked up the bike for the first month of usage, that the batteries were in very good condition.
I think my range is very good, i have managed 70km maximum till now with still 1 bar left.I dont need more range , but i dont like it when it stops giving all the power because i could be enjoying full blast and still get home, if it didnt!!
When I asked them about the deep-charging/discharging for the new battery Vectrix told me to follow the instructions in the:
TSB - Consumer software update
Is this the same as the NPTB0814-1 Rv1 update? Anybody know? I read the NPTB0814-1 Rv1 update, but it doesn't talk about conditioning new batteries, it only addresses the new cooling delay set-up.
In any case I had only done 2 charges/discharges when I received their reply - I'll just go with that. :)
Are all these charging problems just because the scooter
does not have a "proper" cell-by-cell BMS implemented?
Cheers, Gary
XM-5000Li, wired for cell voltage measuring and logging.
Hmmm wellI know we shouldnt be too down on the Vectrix on this site but the problems are foremostly because of NiMh. After the 3 year mark the problems will get expomnentially worse because NiMh has a limited shelf life regardless of number of charges.
The other problem is with cell voltage of only 1.2v it requires so many cells.
Im not against the Vectrix, in fact I think they have got a very strong future as they move to other battery technologies.
My Vectrix is running better than ever - I just completed a full charge/discharge with the new battery and it ran all the way down to the last bar without the "basult" error message. When the last bar dropped off the error message came - as it should. When I plugged it in (after programming a delay) it automatically turned on and started charging. The next morning it was charged up and ready to go.
My patience paid off... :)
I'm assuming that I have to do the 5 deep charge/discharges with the new battery, just like when the bike was new - anybody hear anything different? The dealer gave me no information when they finished the new battery installation (not a big surprise there....)
I got an email from Vectrix today - they replied to my question about the 5 deep-cycle charges/discharges. (I just got a new battery pack). They said:
You do not need to do deep discharge cycles as you once did. Please follow the instructions on the TSB - Consumer for the software update. This will initialize your battery and sync it with your charger. After this is complete you are ready to enjoy your scooter to its fullest. Please let me know if you have additional questions.
So there you have it... just plug and play - as the advertisement says... :)
Thats exactly the opposite of what the Vectrix tec that came from Madrid on the 15th of Feb to Barcelona, told me.
I precisely asked him about the deep dischrges and he told me i should do 5 and that, one after the other.
Also in the NEW users manual it reffers to the 5 deep dischrges: in page 26, INITIAL STARTUP.
Its going to be difficult to find out which is the correct way.I think they dont even know the answer themselves!!
Exactly! Many people are afraid of saying "I don't know" and rather make something up.
Deliberate deep discharges in traffic are dangerous. To yourself, others and your batteries!
The range should be gradually increased instead, someone here called it "progressive discharges".
If you don't get full power any more, that's your deep discharge done. Ride to the closest power point, using less power than the scooter can provide, or you are cooking your weakest cells whilst charging them in reverse.
If you need that range, then try again after a full recharge and see if the range has improved, but don't push it, that will just make it worse in the long run. If a reversible cell imbalance is the reason for insufficient range, then there might be a gradual increase in range with progressive, gentle discharges.
All the damage during deep discharging gets done to those cells that are already empty - so they will be empty even sooner next time if you are rough with them!
This information may be used entirely at your own risk.
There is always a way if there is no other way!
I did the 5 deep discharges all in one go, one after the other. The batteries seem to be in good shape, today i wss told, by the tech after he checked up the bike for the first month of usage, that the batteries were in very good condition.
I think my range is very good, i have managed 70km maximum till now with still 1 bar left.I dont need more range , but i dont like it when it stops giving all the power because i could be enjoying full blast and still get home, if it didnt!!
When I asked them about the deep-charging/discharging for the new battery Vectrix told me to follow the instructions in the:
TSB - Consumer software update
Is this the same as the NPTB0814-1 Rv1 update? Anybody know? I read the NPTB0814-1 Rv1 update, but it doesn't talk about conditioning new batteries, it only addresses the new cooling delay set-up.
In any case I had only done 2 charges/discharges when I received their reply - I'll just go with that. :)
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