PINNED - Lithium battery conversion/info

[Gnomatic]

Yes I use dust covers on the chair end.

[expresso]

I am having a issue now charging my full chair pack - yesterday it was fine - today - the PL8 shows no current - its not charging

i first though OK PSU is bad - i tried another one i have - same thing - so i figured ok PL8 is bad - i tried another PL8 i had in the closet - all worked before i stored them - and its still not charging my chair -

now i am worried - it must be my Chair pack ? what could it be ? my ADD ON is charging fine right now - but chair i cant get it going -

i just used the chair today everything seemed fine.

[expresso]

never mind - i figured out what was wrong - my mistake must be the heat - its all good now

[Burgerman]

[expresso]

I forgot to disconnect the add from the main pack once I did everything was fine. My mistake

[expresso]

I use two chargers at once. I disconnect the two packs and charge both chair and add on same time then when both done. I Connect cable again. This time I forgot to disconnect the cable

[Burgerman]

Ah...

[expresso]

By any chance has or have you or anyone ever came across or found an Battery Cell solution to fit a group 22 NF size ?

any links to possible Cells ? i am looking to help someone who has this size battery.

thanks

[shirley_hkg]

Easy to fit 16 of this 60Ah cells , 120Ah @24V.

[AlexAGF]

I plan to assemble a lithium battery without BMS for my Permobil C500S.
Tell me please does it make sense to use the iCharger X8 or ISDT T8 BattGo charger instead of the recommended PowerLab 8?
Their plus is at lower cost. What am I losing?

[Burgerman]

No. Makes zero sense, even if there were PC software for it which is essential. For many reasons that will take a page to explain!

[steves1977uk]

While those chargers MAY work, we don't know if they charge LiFePO4 *CORRECTLY*, which the PowerLab 8 can due to proper set up and configuration of presets which can be downloaded. But it's your choice!

Steve

[Burgerman]

we don't know if they charge LiFePO4 *CORRECTLY*

We do. They dont.

[AlexAGF]

Ok.
Will SKYRC Extreme PSU 1200W 24V 50A power supply for PL8 fit?
Can I temporarily use a 24V 10A wheelchair charger as a power supply?

[Burgerman]

A wheelchair charge will not start if it sees no voltage, and if it did will not offer a stable supply as the charger takes power in pulses at high frequency. Plus they are all just 8A or 10A. You need a lot more to charge say a 180 to 200Ah lithium pack. Or it will take up to 20 hours plus CV and balance stage...

You COULD use 2 old chair batteries temporarily, and charge those at 8A with your chairs charger as a power sul=pply as long as you only charge at say 10A max.

The supply you linked to will work. But its better to have an adjustable supply if possible. Although those supplies have in the past had reliability issues.

[AlexAGF]

What adjustable power supply can you recommend?
Price matters!

[Burgerman]

Well thats the problem.

I use two of these below, off ebay, they cost me 120 and 160 pounds. Bomb proof, and adjustable for amps, volts, and are isolated, floating.
These are 0-40A 0-30V.





And I also have 2 very cheap compact 0 to 60V and 0 to 50A supplies from a guy here called Shirley, in hong kong. Cheap...

They are excellent if a little noisy.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7670
Read thread!!! Then PM shirley...

[AlexAGF]

I'm afraid this is too much for me. I just need to charge the wheelchairs.

[Burgerman]

Well unfortunately to do the job properly that IS how you charge the chair.

You can use a weak cheap non adjustable supply, anything from 12V up to 30. From 2A upwards. But it will take a long time, and may not be as reliable. Theres a lot of power supply issues on the hobby sites and a few here too. They are the biggest problem. The two I use are ultra adjustable, reliable, and long term end up the best option. But anything will work, even a laptop power supply.

[shirley_hkg]

What adjustable power supply can you recommend?
Price matters!

"snaker" seemed very happy with this dirt cheap power supply .

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7670&hilit=You+don%27t+need+ZXD2400&start=630

[expresso]

Easy to fit 16 of this 60Ah cells , 120Ah @24V.

thanks Shirley they look good - would you have a link to them ?

[expresso]

BM what is the Name brand of your PSU - the adjustable one you have on your bench - how big are they physical size ? maybe i can search ebay or new for one also -

what specs do i need to look for - more or less

thanks

[Burgerman]

They are sold under various names in different parts of the world.
They sell as ex demo units (actually brand new, but it protects their full retail price which is rediculous from the likes of RS Components etc) for about 200 each.
Mine are SM3040 versions, and Digimess SM 3040. Also sold as Grundig and another brand in the US that eludes me...

Currently using both of mine. Set to 3V and 0.8A for plating, and at 10V and max amps to run a deisel heater plug as a heater for the electrolyte. I am testing plating copper coins in nickel. So my money is shinier than everyone elses...

[expresso]

Ok i will search bench top PSU - adjustable and at 40A - i may need one in the future - but i really dont want a complicated thing - that i may use the wrong - reason i went with simple PSU with no input from me - just connected to PL 8 left and turn on power - thats it - also size matters

[Burgerman]

3 pages https://www.circuitspecialists.com/benc ... r-supplies

Mine looks like this - different name, but 30v 40A instead. https://www.mpja.com/0-30V-10A-Variable ... /29604+PS/

Like this https://uk.farnell.com/digimess/sm3040/ ... dp/1076813

Not at this price! https://cpc.farnell.com/digimess/sm3040 ... dp/IN04722

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2000W-S ... TEM_DETAIL looks interesting

Get a shirley one. 50A and 60V capable and compact.3kw.

A thought occured. You have only 120V and so will find it much harder to get a powerful supply.

[expresso]

thanks - actually that one does look like it can work - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3284617 ... fb9b2a16ab

your link was for the 2000 watt version - what difference would it make - the 1500 watt is more than i need ?

also which would be the best option - 0 30v and 50A or one of the others - ? i just want a simple one - which this looks like it should be - flip the switch - turn the volts to what ever i need - and adjust to Amp i want to charge and thats it - would need to just make a cable to connect to PL 8 end ?

[Gnomatic]

Shirley PSU is a great bang for your buck adjustable voltage PSU. On a standard US AC 120V outlet, mine top out at 31.6A, and can be set between 0v - 60v. On the AC 240V outlet in my garage, the shirley psu can do 50A.

[expresso]

so the link above that BM posted - would that give me half of the rated Amp as its stated ? which would be the best choice in that case

whats the benefit to me with the adjustable PSU

choices 24v 83Amp - would mean i get about 40A on 110V here

or 27v 74Amp giving me around 35Amp on 110v - if i am correct -

what Volt setting would be used when charging our lithium packs ? i dont know much about this stuff -

[Burgerman]

Adjustable volts?

Useful in the event you run up against that buck/boost error when charging 24V battery systems. You can reduce voltage to say 23V to stop it happening. If used for charging lead batteries, you can set the Amps, and exact volts e.g. 25A and 28.20V to charge gel, directly with no need of a charger. If charging with shirleys supply it can also be a 3 stage charger with adjustable float voltage. Making it a better lead charger than all the rest you have...
Also for testing motors, other electronics, as a general bench power supply. As I said, I am currently using mine to nickel plate stuff at 3V... And to run a diesel glowplug as a heater to warm the plating solution at 10V.

Of all the power supplies the shirley one is a bargain, reliable, and adjustable, and a charger! And as powerful at 3kw as anything you can buy. And it goes to 60V in case you ever need that in the future. The only thing wrong is that its manu system took me about 2 month to figure out. Once you have its actually quite intuitive. But it caused much frustration at first! But I have no patience. Quite clever actually.

[Gnomatic]

Also for testing motors, other electronics, as a general bench power supply. As I said, I am currently using mine to nickel plate stuff at 3V... And to run a diesel glowplug as a heater to warm the plating solution at 10V.

Lots of uses for the shirley psu. I keep finding more. The other day a guy was working on my AC unit. He has one of those vests that pumps cool water around the torso to help him stay cool in the summer heat.(he's up in attics a lot) Anyway, he mentioned he thought his water pump for his vest had died. I told him to go grab it. Specs on the pump said 12v and 0.5A. So I set the shirley psu to those specs, took a bit of wire and connected the pump to the psu. It ran fine! So then we checked his battery pack for it with a multimeter (probably should have done that first) and confirmed his battery pack and charger for it were toast.

Also, my neighbor had a car in her garage for three months. She goes to start it and of course it wouldn't turn over cause the battery was discharged. So I set the shirley psu to 14.4v and max amps, and connected it to the car's battery. Gave it some time, and boom the car started right up!

There are many use cases, ones you haven't even thought of. The shirly psu isn't very big and I find it to be a great tool to have along with the rest of my equipment.