What settings do most prefer jk inverter BMS?

[DonnieT]

Just getting goin with this I have 2- 314ah 16s packs I’m using the JK inverter BMS and Andy from off grid garages settings exactly. Some folks been telling me I’m too low won’t balance etc. Saw a Will Prowse video he said max it out 58v. I’m at 55.2 for 100%. Just looking for insight to get the most out them. Any thoughts?

 

[hogback]

I do it Andy's way and it all works and balances well.

 

[shvm]

You can balance anytime provided:

A. There is atleast one fully charged cell in your battery
B. There is no/negligible current going in/out of the battery. The best way to achieve that is by turning the ChargeMOS off.

 

[tmbiv56]

Could you share a link to the video or document where you got your settings?
Thanks.

 

[kommando]

Andy's setting video

 

[tmbiv56]

Thank you!

 

[DonnieT]

I do it Andy's way and it all works and balances well.

I had it exactly like Andy till last night …tried changing stuff and today inverter shut down high voltage alarm, my battery went from 100% at 55.2 to 100% at 53.7 I don’t know what the heck I did I didn’t think anything but I shut it all down today. Tommorrow I will reset and change it all back! I’m new and don’t know much about what I’m doing with the settings other than what Andy has taught on his videos.

 

[tmbiv56]

I had it exactly like Andy till last night …tried changing stuff and today inverter shut down high voltage alarm, my battery went from 100% at 55.2 to 100% at 53.7 I don’t know what the heck I did I didn’t think anything but I shut it all down today. Tommorrow I will reset and change it all back! I’m new and don’t know much about what I’m doing with the settings other than what Andy has taught on his videos.

Crap!
I’m sure it’ll work fine once you get those settings restored.
Take a breath.

 

[frankrudis65]

Don't panic, keep charging/discharging between 3.45V and 2.9-3.0V. other settings regarding to this......balancing start 3.44-3,45V,depending how long the bulk charge lasts..Those settings keep everything safe!Greetings Frank

 

[qlindgren]

I did it on a similar system and put the voltage of charge 56.8V, balancing started manually if necessary. If you hold 58V for a long time, the battery will wear out faster. 55.2V is normal for 100%, but if you want to increase the life, you can slightly reduce it to 54.5- 55V. The main thing is that the cells are approximately equal in voltage and do not go too far for 3.45V.

 

[Lt.Dan]

I am with Will. Charge higher, charge faster, and balance easier. I am typically charging to 56.8v.

High voltage will not "wear out a battery". The data sheets for almost every cell show cycling from 3.65v to 2.5v for 6-8000 cycles and it still pull 80% capacity.

Stop babying them and USE THEM! Calendar aging will kill them faster than cycling!

Now, on that note, don't charge to 3.65v/cell and hold it at that voltage for weeks.

 

[DonnieT]

I am with Will. Charge higher, charge faster, and balance easier. I am typically charging to 56.8v.

High voltage will not "wear out a battery". The data sheets for almost every cell show cycling from 3.65v to 2.5v for 6-8000 cycles and it still pull 80% capacity.

Stop babying them and USE THEM! Calendar aging will kill them faster than cycling!

Now, on that note, don't charge to 3.65v/cell and hold it at that voltage for weeks.

As soon as I figure what I’m doing I. Gonna raise it up! I’m still very green and learning! Hey if you get a chance late last night I posted pics of my settings is there any way you could look at them and give me some feedback?

 

[North Forker]

Congrats on getting your battery bank put together. I also just finished assembling one of two 314 Ah MB31's. It's been a great experience. I top balanced the new cells in parallel groups of four before assembling. Now that everything is up and running, the JK BMS (PB2A16S20P) has taken some getting used to. I used settings from Steve S. here on the forum, and Andy at Off-Grid Garage - of course... My battery currently isn't under load as I finish up the inverter AC side. The app shows cells nicely balance out after 24 hrs. I have one alarm that is not registering on my app log or my display screen. Not sure if it's an over-voltage from top balancing, cells are currently at 3.428 give or take a millivolt. SOC is still registering 100% at a pack voltage of 54.84V. There are quite a few settings I'm not familiar with over the past year's "studying." Maybe you've seen the actual BMS hardware red light on the corner of the pcb? My alarm light on the interface pcb is on solid red, the one on the BMS pcb alternates between solid on to flashing depending on when I catch a view of it. Anyway - congrats and here's a pic of my temporary rig. I decided to get my feet wet with this setup before diving into our off-grid whole house system. Yes, I'm in a tent, with a Chinese diesel heater, a inverter mounted on wood, and marine style breakers and disconnect LOL... Enjoy the journey! Cheers!

 

[DonnieT]

Congrats on getting your battery bank put together. I also just finished assembling one of two 314 Ah MB31's. It's been a great experience. I top balanced the new cells in parallel groups of four before assembling. Now that everything is up and running, the JK BMS (PB2A16S20P) has taken some getting used to. I used settings from Steve S. here on the forum, and Andy at Off-Grid Garage - of course... My battery currently isn't under load as I finish up the inverter AC side. The app shows cells nicely balance out after 24 hrs. I have one alarm that is not registering on my app log or my display screen. Not sure if it's an over-voltage from top balancing, cells are currently at 3.428 give or take a millivolt. SOC is still registering 100% at a pack voltage of 54.84V. There are quite a few settings I'm not familiar with over the past year's "studying." Maybe you've seen the actual BMS hardware red light on the corner of the pcb? My alarm light on the interface pcb is on solid red, the one on the BMS pcb alternates between solid on to flashing depending on when I catch a view of it. Anyway - congrats and here's a pic of my temporary rig. I decided to get my feet wet with this setup before diving into our off-grid whole house system. Yes, I'm in a tent, with a Chinese diesel heater, a inverter mounted on wood, and marine style breakers and disconnect LOL... Enjoy the journey! Cheers!
View attachment 299633View attachment 299634View attachment 299635

Tent in Montana? Heck yeah! Thanks , I got EG4to update my firmware today with 3 different flashes so maybe that’s got me going, good luck to ya

 

[SolarReaper]

Do they make Bear proof tents?

 

[North Forker]

Donnie - did you get your system running?

I've been monitoring my PB2A16S20P religiously. I finally feel my BMS settings are in a sweet spot for new MB31 cells. As I shared in this thread above, I too was confuzzled about many of the BMS settings. One of the key experiences I had was to recognize the settings that were closely related or relied on each other to function properly(?). Yeah, I'm not an expert but did have a background in electronics and technology decades ago. Multiple PLC logic/equipment software settings - often work in unison.

I started with settings from Steve S. here on the forum, and Andy at Off-Grid Garage. Paying attention to "what a setting does" was as important as the setting. If these screenshots of my first full charge help, using combined solar and generator power, then I'm glad I came across another enthusiast working on their first BMS.

If there are any glaring discrepancies, or other people's opinion, because there's at least one in every crowd, that'll be cool too.

Here's my equipment:
Renogy 48V Solar Inverter Charger - NOT connected/communicating with BMS
JK BMS V15 PB2A16S20P Standalone
EVE MB31 314aH battery pack
Heleine 585 panels x4 2S2P configuration
Predator 3500 generator (under heavy 20A load 6hrs = 2.5 gallons) used once in 10 days

Here's my BMS settings after my first full charge to the battery after putting into service. I have a lingering alarm but it's not showing up on the display or my log. I'm not ready to do an update and believe in the if it's not broke there's not always a reason to fix it methodology.

Best regards,
Bill

 

[North Forker]

Do they make Bear proof tents?

Photo credit - bearmageddon facebook/alaska memes facebook

 

[SolarReaper]

Does having the RFV time set at 1 hour cause any problems? I have mine set at 6, supposedly stops the battery repeatedly fully charging during the day.