Top balance grade A brand new cells that are all at exactly the same voltage?

[GSXR1000]

lol

I wish.

I'm too absent minded, old and fall asleep too easily.

His mind is young and sharp

well then trust your tools.... set your power supply to 3.6v and sleep a few nights come back and like magic..

old potentiometer rarely jump when not touched... also as little as I will use my power supply very little wear and tear

 

[ed1380]

Exactly my point.

Something to protect you from your own mistakes.

it's the job of your brain to protect you from your own mistakes. just don't touch the dial while it's charging.

if you don't trust yourself to do that and want protection from it, then but a premade battleborn battery. it's the idiot proof way

that's like worrying about accidentally shooting yourself so you install an extra safety on your gun. while the rest of us are just saying don't pull the trigger while it's pointed at yourself.

jesus christ dude. how are you able to leave the house if you're so afraid of everything

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

it's the job of your brain to protect you from your own mistakes. just don't touch the dial while it's charging.

if you don't trust yourself to do that and want protection from it, then but a premade battleborn battery. it's the idiot proof way

that's like worrying about accidentally shooting yourself so you install an extra safety on your gun. while the rest of us are just saying don't pull the trigger while it's pointed at yourself.

jesus christ dude. how are you able to leave the house if you're so afraid of everything

Another who thinks Will is a dodo. Oh boy. Did you even see what he said?
I'm just looking for a way to help me (and maybe others) not make a very common mistake.
Did you look for the numerous examples I pointed out of people accidentally overcharging their batteries?

Do you have any idea how many POLICE OFFICERS have accidental discharges every year ????
Then don't use a BMS, take the air bags out of your cars and remove all the GFC outlets from your home.

You make such a silly argument.

PS...calm down...it's only a discussion. Let's keep it friendly.

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

well then trust your tools.... set your power supply to 3.6v and sleep a few nights come back and like magic..

old potentiometer rarely jump when not touched... also as little as I will use my power supply very little wear and tear

So, you're saying Will Prowse has no idea what he's talking about? You people!
I showed you verbatim what the Top Balancing Guide on THIS forum had to say about it.

What's it gonna take?

Admit it....it's a really good and helpful idea. Like a BMS...for Top Balancing! Voila !

 

[Gazoo]

Search this forum for how many used your approach and puffed their batteries. Dare ya.

I have seen them all too and in every single case it was due to user error. And BTW, there are many other experts out there. I don't claim to be one and never will because I learn something new every day.

One of the many other experts in this field in this field is Nordkyn Design. I have read other parallel top balancing guides and they mostly agree with each other.

It doesn't take an expert to properly parallel top balance cells. There have been many who have posted their own experiences, mostly good, some bad. The combined experiences of everyone who has done it is very informative compared to one opinion, as it is with everything else.

I do understand your concern about messing up. I was concerned too and was the reason I bought a Riden PS to parallel top balance for my peace of mind. I had thought about buying a 3.65 LFE charger. When I took all of the features of the Riden into consideration it was an easy choice and I have had no regrets. I have used the Riden to improve the delta of my cells, and use it to charge another pack I have. In the beginning I was using it to charge my EVE pack and used a cheap inverter for my capacity tests.

Using a cheap power supply will be just as effective and safe providing one understands the instructions which are also posted in the resources section of this forum. It's not rocket science and doesn't require an EE degree to perfectly parallel top balance and to do it safely.

Regarding @Will Prowse, maybe at the time he made that comment he did not know to set the power supply to 3.65 volts before connecting to the cells. It's easy to miss that part.....too easy. Will isn't infallible, none of us are and neither are any experts. No one is perfect all of the time. I would like to know what he was concerned about. I have not heard of any of the cheap power supplies deciding to do bad things on their own.

I will say again, no one is suggesting the voltage should not be monitored at the cells terminals towards the end of charge. You seem to be well versed enough with electronics to be able to build a HVD or HV alarm.

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

Good points.
Thanks for keeping it friendly. Some seem to have trouble doing that.

I don't really want to invest in a $200 power supply. I just have no need for it. My $70 Power Supply does all I need.

But I guess a good question is, if there was a $5 device that would disconnect the power if you made a mistake while top balancing, then you could likely survive a mistake with your $70 power supply.

It's not a big deal. I'm not demanding anyone do anything different ...just discussing possibilities.

Some people seem to get really bent out of shape if you dare suggest a different way / process.

 

[GSXR1000]

So, you're saying Will Prowse has no idea what he's talking about? You people!
I showed you verbatim what the Top Balancing Guide on THIS forum had to say about it.

What's it gonna take?

Admit it....it's a really good and helpful idea. Like a BMS...for Top Balancing! Voila !

ok so where in wills post did he say that you need to add protection like you say... heck even in wills video he turns up the voltage to "speed " things up.
you are so stuck on talking yet have presented zero suggestion on how to solve the issue (besides add a thing)

 

[Gazoo]

heck even in wills video he turns up the voltage to "speed " things up.

If using good cables and connections the voltage does not need to be turned up to speed up the process. The current will remain the same until the PS goes into CV mode. It only took a little over 2 hours for my top balance to complete on my 8 EVE cells once the PS went into CV mode.

 

[Gazoo]

But I guess a good question is, if there was a $5 device that would disconnect the power if you made a mistake while top balancing, then you could likely survive a mistake with your $70 power supply.

You idea isn't a bad one. I don't know of a cheap reliable solution.

 

[GSXR1000]

But I guess a good question is, if there was a $5 device

Some people seem to get really bent out of shape if you dare suggest a different way / process.

please post a link to this $5 device... it DOESN'T exist.

the other thing if your power supply drifted to 3.8 you would still be ok... people are turning it up to 4.5-7 volts because they adjust attached

you are the stubborn one not seeing the other side...

yes I said earlier if you could find a $20.00 device with free shipping that didn't cause voltage drop then it would be good... but once again it doesn't exist.... for more money you can get them but why speed $100 or more on a device... heck you say you only want to spend $70 on a PS.

once again IT DOESN'T EXIST FOR THE PRICE YOU ARE SPEAKING OF

 

[GSXR1000]

If using good cables and connections the voltage does not need to be turned up to speed up the process. The current will remain the same until the PS goes into CV mode. It only took a little over 2 hours for my top balance to complete on my 8 EVE cells once the PS went into CV mode.

I said in wills video a while back... yes I agree even made a post showing this

Thread 'Top balancing why proper wire' https://diysolarforum.com/threads/top-balancing-why-proper-wire.17168/

 

[GSXR1000]

S

here you go.. only good for 10 amps and accuracy is .1 volt and you need a 12v power source.... it would work

Amazon.com: NOYITO Voltage Relay Module Upper Lower Limit Detection Control Switch Off ON Over Voltage Protection Battery Charge Discharge Timing (12V): Electronics

Buy NOYITO Voltage Relay Module Upper Lower Limit Detection Control Switch Off ON Over Voltage Protection Battery Charge Discharge Timing (12V): Serial Adapters - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

here you go.. only good for 10 amps and accuracy is .1 volt and you need a 12v power source.... it would work

Amazon.com: NOYITO Voltage Relay Module Upper Lower Limit Detection Control Switch Off ON Over Voltage Protection Battery Charge Discharge Timing (12V): Electronics

Buy NOYITO Voltage Relay Module Upper Lower Limit Detection Control Switch Off ON Over Voltage Protection Battery Charge Discharge Timing (12V): Serial Adapters - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

That looks promising .

Thank you!

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

So close.
I think it would need .01v accuracy for Top Balancing. no?

 

[GSXR1000]

So close.
I think it would need .01v accuracy for Top Balancing. no?

honestly even if your cells it 3.8 even 3.9... not great but if you discharge back down it would be ok (not ideal but better then 4.5v)... and yes I would perfer more accuracy..

 

[bordenov]

I would say a must... but a 10amp power supply and make some 10guage wires.. put it on 3.6v (before you connect to the battery) and let it sit for a week... DO NOT adjust voltage while connected to the battery's

theses cells in the middle of the state of charge can contain 2 different amp hours at the same voltage

Thread 'Top balancing why proper wire' https://diysolarforum.com/threads/top-balancing-why-proper-wire.17168/

is it a bad idea to use the provided alligator clips that came with my DC power supply over making 10g wires? They're rated up to 15a, and while charging I'll only be using 10a?

 

[GSXR1000]

is it a bad idea to use the provided alligator clips that came with my DC power supply over making 10g wires? They're rated up to 15a, and while charging I'll only be using 10a?

bad idea not really... work fine enough... more the tiny wire not the clip has a high voltage drop at 10 amps... see my post... so add about 8 hours to the balance time

 

[trevor.the.van]

I found the best solution for me - because I was nervous too - was to just keep an eye on my power supply during the day, and turn it off over night. Means it takes a little longer, but it's the cheapest solution, and it worked a charm.

 

[Gazoo]

So close.
I think it would need .01v accuracy for Top Balancing. no?

It would be better than nothing in the event your PS decides to misbehave. They give an accuracy of .1 volts but does that apply across the entire range? I guess you could test it using your power supply before putting it to use.

If you set the HVD to 3.80 volts on that device, I am still betting your PS will will go into CV mode when 3.65 volts is reached and the amps will dwindle down to zero. Looking forward to your findings.

 

[ed1380]

If you are that worried then set your power supply to 3.65 and walk away. Come back the next day and check again. And the next day and the next day until you learn to trust your device. Then connect the battery and every few hours disconnect it and check the voltage.

But if you are so worried about potentiometer drift in power supply, then you need to worry about calibration drift on the multimeter. Therefore you need to calibrate the multimeter before you use it every time.