Hi all.
I own a VX1 with 1700km, I bought it in June 2010, so I presume that last firmware is installed. I use to charge it each day as I ride about 35km/day.
I have noticed during the last 4 charges done that they have ended with a message EO 000 (instead of EC 000). At the begining I though that it was in the middle of the equalization and I left it plugged, but even after 12 hr nothing happend, the LCD shows the same message and the clock didn't change, temperature showed 22C.
Could someone explain to me how does the equalization work?, and if the message read is normal, I though that equalization would take place after 8-12 hr ridding , but not four times in a row.
thanks
Hi anakin001,
Your are right in thinking that equalisation takes place every so many hours (12 hrs mostly) of riding. BUT, if the equalising process is disturbed before it is completed, then the charger will make up to about four attempt to complete the process. That is to say it will try to complete on up to four successive charges.
Equalistation can be halted (Prevented from completing) by the charger for a variety of reasons. These include over temperature, over voltage, over time limitation and over ampere hours limitation, there may well be other limits that I am unaware of.
There may also be a 'cooling' phase between CC and EQ and with later software (3001) this may not show as the instruments seem to be turned off whenever there is no current going to the battery.
I imagine that you saw the CO 000 by switching the bike 'on ' whilst the charging was in progress? Not a good thing to do, I have had various hangups which seem to be caused by doing just that. Best to leave the charger to 'do it's thing' without interruption, it appears to behave more reliably that way.
The general pattern of charging is explained in a post entitled 'Modifying the Vectrix charger programme'.
I hope that this helps you to understand what is going on.
The Laird
Another possibility, the left display was frozen during the EQ process.
My vectrix suffers a frozen left display during charging now and then.
Help: Kill-switch and left brake while Bike is plugged on, the Diplay
will refresh and continue working normal.
Or the Bike finished the EQ und was left plugged in. If you turn your
bike on (without pulling the plug from the grid) it might show soma data
about the last charge...
Greetings Mike
Hello
thanks The Laird & mikemitbike for your comments.
I use to left the bike plugged and I never take out from the grid without switching on and checking the message on the LCD. I never saw CO 000, only EC 000 or EO 000. Sometimes I saw CP000 or CC000 but in those cases I just unplugg it, wait 10 seconds and plugg again, the charge restarts without any problem
I don't think that LCD was frozen as it carry showing the temperature dropping until I unplug it.
Laird, correct to me if I wrong, but I understood that the EQ process will try to complete up to four times in a row if fro some reason it was halted?.
Is there any way to check that the EQ phases are done OK?
Torrow I will charge again amd I will post the result.
thanks
Hi you should unplug the bike, when you don´t charge. The charger consumes 50 Watt and heats up due lack of ventilation.
It´s a waste of energy and reduces the life of the charger.
Greetings Mike
The 000 sign means the charger has finnished charging:
CP 000 means the pack voltage has reached the cutoff during CP stage
EC 000 means the pack voltage has reached the cutoff during equalisation
E0 000 means the equalisation charge finnished with Ah cutoff during equalistion
C0 000 means the charger shut off due to Ah cut off, without equalistion.
Matt
Daily Ride:
2007 Vectrix, modified with 42 x Thundersky 60Ah in July 2010. Done 194'000km
Hi Matt, thanks for the infos!
Greetings Mike
Does that mean that EO amd CO are incomplete charge cycles and that the battery isn't necessarily fully charged?
Hello Matt.
Thanks for your reply,
Although, reading your explanation I have now another doubt, what is the message I should read if the charge process (either normal or equalized)has finished OK without any issue?
thanks
The charge cycle itself is complete.
C0 will probably mean the battery is not fully charged.
getting every cell full is a real PITA, when the ambient temperature is above 15 deg C.
for good service life, don't try to get the pack full, and just use half bars.
any more than that and a short service life is to be expected.
E0 also means the battery may not be fully charged, but will be at a higher SOC than C0, due to the balancing charge.
Note: for Nimh, balancing happens at 70% SOC.
both E0 and C0 is what is best to see.
the other two mean pack voltage got high, which tends to be bad all round.....
Matt
Daily Ride:
2007 Vectrix, modified with 42 x Thundersky 60Ah in July 2010. Done 194'000km
This thread has been added to the Vectrix Collaborative Handbook, so please stay on topic!
This information may be used entirely at your own risk.
There is always a way if there is no other way!