PL 8 - Q and A section - How to Set up - Use etc,

[Burgerman]

Might be better to just do the final bit too... Shortcuts are always a mistake.

[shirley_hkg]

Combo connectors arrived . The large pins are plug-in type . Look good enough to pass 25A , with 5mm in contact length .

[shirley_hkg]

Whereas the small pins only have 1mm to go in , from contact to all the way in .

John , are yours the same ?

[Burgerman]

I don't think so. And the large pins are bonded in place, not removable. But I cant be 100% sure till I get off this bed again in a couple of days. They appear to go in at least 3 to 5mm. Used lots of times on 2 different packs very reliably. Also reliable presumably on Espressos setup too.

[shirley_hkg]

This assembled 9P8S ( 135AH ) pack , from 40152 cells , were set aside for 3 months ( DOD 25% only ) .

Recharged today . Cell # 1 need extra 5AH to get to the top .

[shirley_hkg]

This is another 140Ah pack , made with used high C rated A123 26650 .

It's 4 and a half years old . Cell # 3 developes a mild self-discharge .

Left alone for 4 months and needs extra 13Ah to top .

I hope PL8 can cope with these , say if I use them everyday , and recharge once a week .

[Burgerman]

With my preset no prob. But this is why I measure self discharge when building packs.

[shirley_hkg]

I don't think so. They appear to go in at least 3 to 5mm. Used lots of times on 2 different packs very reliably. .

What will PL8 react , if the balance leads got loose contact ? Will it stop charging ?

[Burgerman]

Yes.

[shirley_hkg]

Yes.

It JUST STOP , and won 't do any harm to the pack , itsn 't it ?

Need to look into it , and re -start . I'm at ease .

[Burgerman]

It JUST STOP , and won 't do any harm to the pack , itsn 't it ?

No thats why it would stop with an error. So it does no harm.

[shirley_hkg]

:P Power up for the first time . Connect to PC .

A narrow escape from killing the FUMI3 usb link .. one can plug the connector upside down easily .

OK , how can I create my own presets .

[steves1977uk]

Shirley, to create a preset you have to copy one from the library and modify it, or just use one of BM's custom presets. There is no way to create a preset from scratch.

Steve

[shirley_hkg]

How to copy one ?

[Burgerman]

A narrow escape from killing the FUMI3 usb link .. one can plug the connector upside down easily

Marked on charger. Also doesent hurt, just will not work... Opto isolated.

[Burgerman]

How to copy one ?

Menu at top, or save to desktop. Re open in new position. Factory presets and library presets have more restrictions and less error tolerance than mine...

Heres some to play with... Use with caution, non official, less errors or safety and wider power or voltage/cell limits etc in many non visible hidden parameters. Use these in preference at own risk as a starting point for your own presets.

[shirley_hkg]

OK , will play with them .

Have to figure out how to open your files first .

BTW , did your PL8 come with the JST balance lead ? Or, it only came with the purchase of an extension board ?

It 's impossible to DIY , without the clamp .

[expresso]

hi shirley - just curious - why didnt you just get the cable from them - balance cables - its already made - saves time and work - unless you want to do a custom balance cable ?

[shirley_hkg]

I used to get a balance lead when I bought Chinese balance charger .

Never thought it came bare and naked .

This lead won 't cost $1.0 , let alone purchased in bulk .

Surprised to learn they are so calculated , than the Chinese .

[ex-Gooserider]

You need the right crimp tool to do any of those small open barrel type connectors. Best tool I've found is made by a Japanese company called "Engineer" - They make a plier type crimper called the PAD-* that has three interchangeable die sets, the tool is usually sold with one set and gives it a part number of PAD-11, PAD-12, or PAD-13, or you will sometimes see the bare plier as a PAD-10....

Each die set has several 'nests' of different width and diameter, and almost any size crimp will require two 'press' cycles, one for the conductor part of the crimp, and one for the insulation part. You need to pick the right nests for any given crimp, with instructions in the manual on how to do this... Typically the nest needed for the conductor will be a different size from the one needed for the insulation.

The 11 and 13 sets are non-overlapping, while the 12 set is an overlap between the larger sizes on the 11 and the smaller sizes on the 13. You can live without the 12, but some crimps would require swapping die sets between crimping the conductor and insulation depending on the nest sizes needed.

I recommend purchasing the plier with one die set, and then getting the other two die sets (or at least the 11 and 13 sets) extra....

There is an application chart that runs about 40 pages and lists almost all known open-barrel type connectors and which die set to use with them, but you can pretty much just find the right set by measuring the crimps...

It takes some practice to use the tool properly, and it's a bit fiddly to get the crimps and wire in place properly, but it does an amazingly good job - I can't tell the difference between a crimp made with it and one done with the multi-thousand dollar 'factory' tool....

If you need to do a variety of different styles of crimp, this is the best highly versatile tool I've found.

ex-Gooserider

[shirley_hkg]

GOOD GRIEF ! ! !

[Burgerman]

You are making it a bit complicated. I just bought a dozen from cellpro, a meter long, quite cheap!

[shirley_hkg]

How much ?

[Burgerman]

http://www.revolectrix.com/cellpro_adapters.htm xh adapters....

Or 36 inch 1 meter extensions, cut off the opposite end... http://www.store.revolectrix.com/Produc ... sion-Cable

[shirley_hkg]

How to copy one ?

Menu at top, or save to desktop. Re open in new position. Factory presets and library presets have more restrictions and less error tolerance than mine...

Heres some to play with... Use with caution, non official, less errors or safety and wider power or voltage/cell limits etc in many non visible hidden parameters. Use these in preference at own risk as a starting point for your own presets.

BM , your samples are gone .

[shirley_hkg]

Thank you .

Saw your preset for the first time ..

QUESTION , QUESTION . . . QUESTION

Why do you keep the DISCHARGE on , instead of OFF ?

How to prevent mistakenly go to discharge / cycle mode ?

Why you choose Bal. Set pt @ -1mV , instead of a +ve value ?

[Burgerman]

Why do you keep the DISCHARGE on , instead of OFF ?

So I can if I want. Its not a problem. Turn it off if you want. I have a few packs here, and remove some after charging / balancing if they are not to be used.

Why you choose Bal. Set pt @ -1mV , instead of a +ve value ?

Because that, and 4mv for dead-band works best on our big life packs.
Feel free to experiment, those are just starting points and ones I have used. Different packs vary. A deadband 4mV means it wont discharge till 2mV above set point. Hence -1.

[steves1977uk]

Wonder if there'll be any more firmware updates for the PL8 since the last was in Dec 2015.

Steve

[shirley_hkg]

Mine is V3.33

[Burgerman]

Who knows. I think maybe not. But I suggested at least a dozen changes. 2 years ago. They fixed the 2 important life ones only.