New Chargery BMS16P review (just released Dec-2020)

[BarkingSpider]

Jason at Chargery just shipped me one of the new 16P BMS units. The big changes are:

1amp Balancing (now the control unit is black (slightly larger) and has a fan inside
Screen showing Internal resistance of the cells
Balancing action is shown on the main screen using a yellow bar icon.
More accurate cell voltages detection.

Its working well, balances much faster than the old unit. Everying else works as before. The display is the same.
I can still read all the data over an RS232 cable to a PiZero.

 

[Factory400]

When will they become available to mere mortals?

 

[BarkingSpider]

Im just a regular customer. Email the key Engineer Jason (who also appears to do everything at Chargery)

Jason wang​

Chargery Power Co., Ltd.

• +86-755-2643 6165
• jasonwang3a@163.com
• www.chargery.com

 

[JoeHam]

Im just a regular customer. Email the key Engineer Jason (who also appears to do everything at Chargery)

Jason wang​

Chargery Power Co., Ltd.

• +86-755-2643 6165
• jasonwang3a@163.com
• www.chargery.com

Pictures?

 

[BarkingSpider]

Here are a few pictures of the new unit. Check out the yellow bars on the cell voltage screen indicating balancing is under way.

The last picture is my lunch snack, Italian Panettone I soaked in Ameretto and had with freshly whipped double cream, even more note worthy than the new BMS ;-)

 

[Bob B]

How do the cell voltages compare to a meter reading? Have you been able to verify how much current is necessary for the BMS to drop out of storage mode?

Have you had time to tell how well the SOC indication are tracking?

Also .... not sure what revision you were running on your old Chargery, but mine has that IR screen and also the yellow bars that show what cells are balancing. Those 2 features were both added with Ver 4.0

 

[BarkingSpider]

Good to know, I haven’t updated my firmware on my other units for a few months.

This is the info Jason gave me on the new BMS:

on BMS16P, main unit version is V4.02, LCD version is V4.03
new update:

1. Optimize current measurement, with 100A shunt, the BMS can detect 0.3A minimum, with 300A shunt, the BMS can detect 0.5A minimum. The AH and WH accuracy is improved at the same time.
2. Optimize cell voltage measurement, improve the cell voltage accuracy
3. Modify over current protection resume from automatically to by manual. when BMS cut off charge or discharge, the "HIGH" and current value will be flash in turn, after remove or fixed the problem, please press SET/START Button resume charge or discharge.
4. add a cooling fan, continuous balancing current is 1A per cell

 

[Bob B]

HMMM .... I thought the new BMS was supposed to have even better current detection. What is listed in item 1 was included in the 4.02 and 4.03 release for the old version of the BMS.

My BMS8T-300 now detects 0.5A with improved SOC tracking. I'm not sure about item #3, but since that is just a software change, it is probably in the 4.03 release also.

Kind of confusing what is actually new here except the fan.

Maybe @Chargery will check in and give us more info about the new units.

 

[BarkingSpider]

The big deal is the 1amp balancing, you can see it working, its really brought my temperamental BYD pack into line where other balancers did nothing.

 

[Bob B]

The old one had 1.2 amp balancing .... and you could see it working also after the 4.0 release.

I think the difference in balancing is that the new one is supposed to be active balancing instead of passive.

 

[Factory400]

Not sure why it needs a fan if it is active balancing. That seems really weird.

 

[Bob B]

I've seen post about overheating with the original one .... but it was passive.

I'm not sure what the was causing some of them to overheat .... I have never had a problem with mine overheating even when It was balancing. Maybe it was just an issue with the larger packs?
The relay output is always 12V even with a 24 or 48V pack ... maybe the heat is generated by the down regulation of the voltage .... or for the relay drivers themselves if someone was using a high draw relay ... I'm surprised fan cooling is necessary also.
I think I would have rather seen an external heat sync instead of adding something else that uses power.

 

[grizzzman]

I've seen post about overheating with the original one .... but it was passive.

I'm not sure what the was causing some of them to overheat .... I have never had a problem with mine overheating even when It was balancing. Maybe it was just an issue with the larger packs?
The relay output is always 12V even with a 24 or 48V pack ... maybe the heat is generated by the down regulation of the voltage .... or for the relay drivers themselves if someone was using a high draw relay ... I'm surprised fan cooling is necessary also.
I think I would have rather seen an external heat sync instead of adding something else that uses power.

Mine would shut down during balancing intel I used a fan. The way the heat sink is set up causes the heat to go through the Mainboard. Turn the unit upside down to assist cooling.

 

[Bob B]

Mine would shut down during balancing intel I used a fan. The way the heat sink is set up causes the heat to go through the Mainboard. Turn the unit upside down to assist cooling.

Yours was a 4S also wasn't it? Wonder why some overheat and others don't?

I actually used mine to do the initial top balance on my cells .... did a slow charge and let them balance. Never saw any overheating.

 

[Bob B]

I've got balancing turned off on mine right now. Since powering from the battery thru external power the cells are staying within 4-10mv thru the whole range. I am cutting off charge at 3.5V now.

 

[Bob B]

@grizzzman Good tip about operating upside down.

 

[Factory400]

Still very curious how moving from passive to active balancing would require a fan. Totally baffling.

My concern about a fan is that fans fail. Fans get dirty. Fans are not good.

In my own power electronics designs, I move mountains to avoid fans. In this case, there should be next to no heat in an active balancing scheme - unless I am missing something.

 

[Chargery]

HMMM .... I thought the new BMS was supposed to have even better current detection. What is listed in item 1 was included in the 4.02 and 4.03 release for the old version of the BMS.

My BMS8T-300 now detects 0.5A with improved SOC tracking. I'm not sure about item #3, but since that is just a software change, it is probably in the 4.03 release also.

Kind of confusing what is actually new here except the fan.

Maybe @Chargery will check in and give us more info about the new units.

hi Bob,
except fan, your BMS is with the latest version.
on 8P, 16P and 24P, we added a fan keep BMS CONTINUE to balance at 1.0A per cell. and add UART to RS485 converter, UART to CAN converter, and UART to RS232 converter, UART to USB converter, all this unit is in producing. the pictures of new models don't support RS485, and CAN, It is built-in RS232, on fianl version, all communication converter will be external, BMS send TTL by UART, then send to isolated converter, the design is very flexible, because these converter is sold independently. our customer can buy according to actual application.

This is the info Jason gave me on the new BMS:

on BMS16P, main unit version is V4.02, LCD version is V4.03
new update:

1. Optimize current measurement, with 100A shunt, the BMS can detect 0.3A minimum, with 300A shunt, the BMS can detect 0.5A minimum. The AH and WH accuracy is improved at the same time.
2. Optimize cell voltage measurement, improve the cell voltage accuracy
3. Modify over current protection resume from automatically to by manual. when BMS cut off charge or discharge, the "HIGH" and current value will be flash in turn, after remove or fixed the problem, please press SET/START Button resume charge or discharge.
4. add a cooling fan, continuous balancing current is 1A per cell

besides above 4 points, there is fifth point,
on fianl version, all communication converter will be external, BMS send TTL by UART, then send to isolated converter, the design is very flexible, because these converter is sold independently. our customer can buy according to actual application.
point one is verifed by our test, the current reading is reliable and accurate.
point three, is modify over current protection resume, it conform to reality.

 

[Factory400]

So there is no active balancing?

 

[grizzzman]

So there is no active balancing?

What I get out of Chargery's answer is the fan was added to keep the balancing going instead of shutting down balancing, allowing it to cool off then restart. It is passive balancing. Also there was an issue by many that wanted better Comm. IE UART.