Orion Lithium Ion BMS giveaway & $250 Discount for FVEAA members

[chris.ewert]

We presented on the Orion BMS at last month's meeting and indicated there would be a $250 discount coupon valid for the month of April 2011 which is below.  We also have a giveaway contest running until May 31st for the 2 most creative solutions to using the Orion BMS to reduce dependance on fossil fuels.  The contest instructions can be found at this URL: 

http://www.orionbms.com/orionbms-giveaway-contest/

The Orion BMS is a robust and cost effective centralized BMS designed to completely automate the process of maintaining batteries.  There are no cell boards to install greatly simplifying the installation process.  The BMS is highly programmable and can be setup to work in just about any application and with just about any li-ion and even some NiMH packs.  The centralized design allows for significant improvements in electrical noise immunity and can survive with as many as 60% of cells having failed.  It constantly monitors the battery pack for failed cells and can detect cells with a higher internal resistance or lower capacity and automatically set error codes if a faulty cell is detected.  Error codes can be pulled with an OBD-II scan tool or the provided PC software and identify not only which cell has failed in the pack, but also the circumstances under which it failed and the condition of the cell at the time of the failure.  The BMS also constantly calculates and provides maximum current limits for charge and discharge for a motor controller which preemptively protects the batteries from over / under voltage even at low states of charge and at low temperatures where other BMS systems simply trigger an alarm after damage has already been done from drawing the voltage down too low (which provides a limp home mode.)  There are many other features that can be found here:

http://www.orionbms.com

Additionally, a comparison between the Orion BMS features and the Lithiumate, Rudman lithium regulators and miniBMS can be found here:

http://www.orionbms.com/comparison/


The discount coupon code is "FVEAA" and can be used on the online store as of next week or used placing an order over the phone.  The fine print is below:

* This coupon is for $250 off the purchase of a 48, 72, 84, 108, 168 or 180 cell Orion Battery Management System from Ewert Energy Systems, Inc.  The coupon is usable only for the actual battery management system and cannot be used for accessories or combined with any other discount and applies only to published retail pricing.  Valid only from 4/1/2011 until 4/30/2011.  Redemption code must be presented at time of order online or given when ordering by phone.  Cannot be redeemed for cash, gift cards or store credit.  Cash value $0.0001.  No rainchecks.  Additional exclusions may apply and Ewert Energy Systems, Inc reserves the right to decline this coupon.  Void where prohibited.

[todd.dore]

Chris -

When do you think that you will have the BMS adopted to turn off a Manzanita Micro charger?  (which pin in the REG BUS on the Manzanita to use?)

Once this is worked out I'll look into an order for 48 cells.

Thanks!

Todd D

[chris.ewert]

Hi Todd,

Shorting pins 1 and 2 on the REG bus using either a relay or opto-isolator should do what you need as long as the dip switches on the charger are set properly.  The BMS has an output that can directly control the opto-isolator or a small relay (< 100mA coil @12v).  I started working on a schematic along with a drawing of the position of the dip switches for you, but I have to leave the office in a few minutes for the weekend, so I will have to complete that on Monday. 

For best redundancy and reliability (always a good idea when working with an expensive battery pack), a contactor / relay should also be added to the AC power to the Manzanita Micro charger in the event that something malfunctions with the REG bus or with the charger itself (i.e. a dip switch is accidentally changed, charger malfunctions, etc.)  The OrionBMS has 2 contactor outputs for controlling the charger, one for normal use, and the second for backup method.  If the BMS has to resort to the backup contactor, it will set and store an error code as a safety.  Looking online there are some people who have reported the charger has continued to charge after the REG bus was commanding it to stop, so I would strongly recommend the backup.

If you let me know what motor controller you use, I can also see possible options for integrating the BMS with that for you too.

Thanks,
Chris

[todd.dore]

Thanks Chris -

I look forward to the schematic for the Manzanita Micro PFC-20 charger that I have.

I do have a back up AC relay switch, but I only used this for about a week when I was charging with my Zivan.  I found out that this unit gets hot very quickly, and I do not have an adequate way to cool it down.

My controller is a Zilla 1k with Hairball, etc.

Todd D

[chris.ewert]

Todd,

I've attached a schematic that should work for using the REG bus to shutoff the charger.  As the REG bus is configured in such a way that a failure of the REG bus electronics or wire could result in the charger not turning off when it should, we highly recommend the backup 'charge safety' relay / contactor on the AC power.  Both are setup in the schematic to be relatively failsafe in that if the BMS becomes disconnected or if the +12v power supply becomes disconnected while the car is plugged in, it should result in turning off the charger by default.  Since you are local and this is the first integration with the PFC-20 charger, we can provide extra assistance in getting things setup and tested. 

There are a couple important things on the charger too.  DIP switches 1 - 3 must be OFF such that the charger turns off completely as soon as the BMS tells it to turn off, otherwise the charger will continue to charge. 

Additionally, the maximum voltage needs to be set at the maximum pack voltage (as it should be already as a safety.)  Instructions available for that in the charger manual.

The pinout for a RJ25 connector is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rj25_connector.jpg

As for the Zilla controller, I took a quick glance at it and I will have to do a little more research on how to setup current limits for that since it doesn't seem to support it in an obvious way. 

Chris

[todd.dore]

Thanks Chris!

I'll look this over more thoroughly and let you know what I think.  As noted earlier, I'm not sure how to cool the AC relay switch, due to the position of the AC wires that go into the vehicle.  Perhaps we could get together with Electric Bug and come up with some ideas.

Todd

[chris.ewert]

The relay may get warm from the coil, but it shouldn't be getting hot to the point where it requires cooling, something sounds wrong with that.  It may be undersized for the current or it may have something that isn't well connected.  If the unit is actually drawing 20A, it should really be a 30A rated relay or better.

On the Zilla controller, it looks like you should be able to enforce a maximum current limit with a digital to analog output and a diode.  That would require the external add-on board with the extra thermistors, but I think you were needing that anyway. 

If you are able to make it out here either during the day or on an evening, we would be happy to look at it and talk with you to try and get a good solution worked out.

Chris