Battery failure question: I have four PC925 batteries in serial configuration in an electric motorcycle. They have ~100 cycles of about 80% discharge over 2 seasons. They have always been charged immediately after use with a 48V Soneil charger and they are wired with PowerCheq equalizers to ensure they charge and discharge in a balanced manner. During winter storage I give them a charge every few weeks. The #2 battery from negative suddenly started to bulge on one side and doesn't hold a charge. The vehicle had sudden loss of power and range. Any explainations? Could the rapid dischage (usually 30 minutes or so) be a factor? Thanks, Dan
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You might want to check the function of the Powercheq units. I use bank charging myself, and had a premature failure when one charger "went rogue." If you're discharging 80% of their capacity at each cycle, you're pushing the batteries pretty hard.
I'd check voltages on each battery at full charge. If one battery has already "gone south," you may not see representative voltages; I'd try the Powwercheq's with a known good set.
In the future, you might consider Lee Hart's "batt-bridge" circuit. It lights a LED if one battery in a bank gets out of balance during operation. (I DON'T know how it would react to Powercheqs in the same pack.)
Mark
Thanks, Mark. That batt-bridge is pretty clever. I think it might work as a visual confirmation that the PowerCheqs are working. On close inspection, I noted a dent in the corner of the Odyssey's plastic case- maybe it was dropped. Anyway, running on a new one now!
Dorydan
"Nowashocki" KLR 250/Perm 128/Millipak/regen/4 Odyssey PC928(27Ah-48V)50MPH/10m@25MPH avg/CycleAnalyst/onboard Soneil charger
DoryDan
Did you get damaged battery replaced under Warranty? I just looked at my Hawkers SBS 30 and I had no idea they were older than ten years old. I got mine for the warranty and found out they had no self discharge. I had good luck with spiral Blue Tops from Optima so I might try your set of batteries now. Did you get your from Interstate also? BTW I didn't use balancers.
KB1UKU