I want to share with you my last hi-tech strategy to keep my "damaged" battery under 35C:
1st: Locate at what level the battery usually starts to loose voltage very quickly and gets pretty hot.
2nd: take a black pen and mark one bar above that level.
3rd: Avoid using the vectrix under this level. ;-)
I think Mik already has a copyright on this feature ;-)
I have recently re-written the software upgrade like this:
And it is a massive improvement!
Bottom balancing, avoiding all over-charging by the stock charger, always full power to the last bar.
Needs diligent setting of a timer before each charge starts, so that it stops charging before it's full.
Around 146V is good.
Formula is : 12 bars - current bars - 1bar (or -2 bars) = bars to be charged.
Time for charging: Bars to be charged x 12min.
A count-down timer dialled up to this number of minutes sorts it out in a few seconds.
Stay 1-2 bars below full and 1-2 bars above empty and balance with Freddy every now and then. No battery heating that way, either!
This information may be used entirely at your own risk.
There is always a way if there is no other way!
I've discovered a funny thing. I was told that the OCt 08 Firmware tries to figure out the charging pattern and driving habits of the driver, in order to avoid innecessary real full charge of the battery: don't know if it's true, it's more likely the bike gets permanently out of sinc. But since I don't discharge the battery below the safety mark, the voltage after full charge stops around 140-142V.No need for a timer! hehehehe
The voltage at 11 bars (safety level)is 129-128V. Battery temps dropped from 43-47C to 31-33C.
Hi there R seems to be right. I drive my vectrix very carefully for a long lasting battery, that means no speed above 75 Km/h
if possible voltage around 128 v. Usually my battery heats up only 2 °C above ambient temperature . After some ridings and
chargings the charger began to stop with all bars at 144V and about 3°C temperature above the ambient temperature. With
this setting and riding-behavior trips between 50 and 55km are no problem and the battery stays at a lower temp.
Edit: Only problem: it can happen that the red battery icon comes up when you have 5 or 7 bars left. I made the experience, if
the voltage drops to 128 Volt you have about 5 to 10 km left. But this may depend from battery to battery.
Greetings Mike
This means - I think - that the software is misjudging the SOC and not fully charging the battery. That might be good if you do not need the range, but makes the fuel gauge unreliable.
The most important point to be clear about in this discussion is this: I am talking about the PEAK VOLTAGE measured just before the charger turned off.
If you are not looking or recording at that moment, then you cannot be certain what voltage your Vectrix had really charged to.
After the end of charging the voltage falls quite fast and stops being a reliable indicator of SOC. It becomes the "Open Voltage", which, as you know, cannot be used very well to estimate SOC for a NiMH battery.
I'll try to find an illustrative recording ....
This information may be used entirely at your own risk.
There is always a way if there is no other way!