Adding Active Balancing to Battery Pack

[Catch2223]

What is the best way to add a active balancer to a battery pack? I already have a BMS installed with charge balancing but it doesn't seem to sufficient as the cells are aging. Can I just make a splitter for the BMS cell monitoring wires that I already have? Is there an active balancer that can act as a pass-through to the BMS? Or do I need to run entirely new cables for the active balancer? I'm trying to get an idea of what is usually done and what might be a simple solution without adding too many more connections to the pack.

The pack is 24S so its a few handfulls of wires to cut/strip/terminate if I need to add all new so before I start that process I figured I'd see what others have done before me.

Thanks!

 

[Ampster]

I use separate wires and disable balancing on my BMS when I installed active balancer. I prefer not messing with my BMS wires because I rely on its acurate reporting of voltage and cutting off battery if low or high voltage events happen. It is not any more crimping than splicing would taked and being able to isolate or unplug one device for diagnosis is more important to me.

 

[sunshine_eggo]

Using existing BMS sense leads for balancing will affect the voltage readings. Best practice is to run dedicated leads.

I can't find the thread, but someone used a terminal block of sorts that allowed him to tap into his sense leads with an active balancer, and his voltages regularly went wonky.

 

[ChrisG]

I just setup what Andy did in his offgrid garage videos. I have a 5a heltek balancer using it’s dedicated leads with a A30-U controller to turn it on above 55v and off at 54.4v. Works great. Got the controller for $6.50 and a couple $ shipping from Alibabba.