Will Prowse reviews Electrodacus OpenSource BMS

[Steve_S]

Hey everyone, Will just cut a new video review... what else can be said, watch.
for Will ! Love it, Will Reads the Manual again.. hehehe, dang shunt !

 

[Geriakt]

I have been using the Electrodacus SBMS0 for about 3 months now and it does everything it says and more. I have 2 connected to 2 Tesla modules in parallel as well as to my Victron Multiplus and BP65 and BP220. Works like a charm. It also has an internal temp thermistor as well as an external lead to connect to a thermistor. I have it connected directly to my Tesla thermistors and it controls low temp charging and over temp discharge. You can also program it for all battery types and sizes. You can also program it to turn on an external heater blanket and things like that. You can also use it with MPPT charging.
Not sure why many mess around with the cheep Chinese BMSs for your projects.
One word of warning is the connectors for the automation cat5 cat6 are very fragile and you need the proper tool or stick pin to remove the wire connections.

 

[Mart Hale]

 

[Mart Hale]

I love open source that is a good review, so you made the on off switch of the inverter a relay ? Nifty.

 

[jwu_cc]

One word of warning is the connectors for the automation cat5 cat6 are very fragile and you need the proper tool or stick pin to remove the wire connections.

I found the SIM card eject pin that came with my cellphone works beautifully for this purpose and I always have a few lying around.

 

[Sgt Raven]

I have been using the Electrodacus SBMS0 for about 3 months now and it does everything it says and more. I have 2 connected to 2 Tesla modules in parallel as well as to my Victron Multiplus and BP65 and BP220. Works like a charm. It also has an internal temp thermistor as well as an external lead to connect to a thermistor. I have it connected directly to my Tesla thermistors and it controls low temp charging and over temp discharge. You can also program it for all battery types and sizes. You can also program it to turn on an external heater blanket and things like that. You can also use it with MPPT charging.
Not sure why many mess around with the cheep Chinese BMSs for your projects.
One word of warning is the connectors for the automation cat5 cat6 are very fragile and you need the proper tool or stick pin to remove the wire connections.

I wonder if it might be a good idea to put a short piece of cat 5/6 cable to a inline jack, then use another cat5/6 cable to run the rest of the way? Then you could connect/disconnect as needed. You could cut a short piece off a cat 5 cable, use it, and inline coupler, then use the rest of the cable to run to where you need it.

 

[Darkstar]

I wonder if it might be a good idea to put a short piece of cat 5/6 cable to a inline jack, then use another cat5/6 cable to run the rest of the way? Then you could connect/disconnect as needed. You could cut a short piece off a cat 5 cable, use it, and inline coupler, then use the rest of the cable to run to where you need it.

These surface mount RJ45 boxes might work:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IO3H88C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You really need a punch down tool to attach cat 6 cable but it is super easy to wire them if you have that.

 

[Sgt Raven]

These surface mount RJ45 boxes might work:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IO3H88C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You really need a punch down tool to attach cat 6 cable but it is super easy to wire them if you have that.

This is even easier. Cut it at the socket end with the length you need to the board and use the rest to power the external item. Get the version that is long enough for your needs.

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matter...onics&sprefix=cat+6+ex,electronics,256&sr=1-4

 

[Dzl]

We've got an ongoing thread for discussion and information on the SBMS0 (and other ElectroDacus products)

 

[Darkstar]

This is even easier. Cut it at the socket end with the length you need to the board and use the rest to power the external item. Get the version that is long enough for your needs.

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Shielded-Ethernet-Extension/dp/B01DAS3N7U/ref=sr_1_4?crid=61JCG14V0BOL&keywords=cat6+extender&qid=1582500872&s=electronics&sprefix=cat+6+ex,electronics,256&sr=1-4

Oh, cool!

 

[Geriakt]

I wonder if it might be a good idea to put a short piece of cat 5/6 cable to a inline jack, then use another cat5/6 cable to run the rest of the way? Then you could connect/disconnect as needed. You could cut a short piece off a cat 5 cable, use it, and inline coupler, then use the rest of the cable to run to where you need it.

yes your idea would be highly recommended so you dont damage the automation connector. You can also use a thicker gauge wire like sprinker wire from Home depot.

 

[gmehal]

I just picked one of these up and love it so far. I am however confused by a few things compared to my old Dali BMS and other parts of my system.

1. My Dali BMS had a huge negative wire, this bms does not. Isn't my Victron solar charge controller managing the charge level for the power coming in? What is the BMS actually doing in between the Solar charge controller and battery. Sorry if this is a stupid question.

2. I have a Victron battery protect so is setting up the low voltage disconnect redundant with this bms?

Im just trying to understand why you would need to wire this to the solar charge controller that already seems to be doing the same thing or my battery protect on the other end doing the same thing

 

[Dzl]

I just picked one of these up and love it so far. I am however confused by a few things compared to my old Dali BMS and other parts of my system.

1. My Dali BMS had a huge negative wire, this bms does not. Isn't my Victron solar charge controller managing the charge level for the power coming in? What is the BMS actually doing in between the Solar charge controller and battery. Sorry if this is a stupid question.

2. I have a Victron battery protect so is setting up the low voltage disconnect redundant with this bms?

Im just trying to understand why you would need to wire this to the solar charge controller that already seems to be doing the same thing or my battery protect on the other end doing the same thing

Your Daly and your SBMS0 are based on different models. In the case of the Daly it both monitors/manages and executes battery protection. In the case of the SBMS0 it monitors/managers, but does not execute, it communicates with the other components in your system to execute protection measures.

Your Daly has large wires, because all the current flows through it, and it directly cuts off charging when it deems it necessary (low voltage, high voltage, high current, etc). The SBMS0 does this indirectly by monitoring the battery voltage, current, temperature, etc, and sending a shutdown signal to remote devices (charge controller, inverter, and battery protect), so the current isn't actually passing through it directly, and it isn't directly shutting anything off. For this reason your battery protect isn't redundant, its necessary to control DC loads.

In response to your specific questions:

1. Technically nothing, it isn't between your SCC and your battery. But beyond this, its role is to manage battery health/safe charging/discharging on a more granular level than your SCC can. Your SCC can disconnect when it senses voltage is too high but it can't see cell level voltage, temperature, and so on. It may be helpful to make a distinction based on roles and responsibilities of these two components. An SCC is in charge of safe and efficient charging, a BMS is responsible for, and best capable of, protecting and managing your batteries, other components may have protections built in, but at the end of the day its the responsibility of the BMS.
2. No. Well, yes and no. The battery protect isn't redundant but using the low voltage disconnect feature might be.The low voltage of your battery protect will be 'pack level' voltage whereas your BMS will be monitoring 'cell level' and 'pack level' voltage. You need to configure the battery protect to be remotely turned on and off by your BMS.

It may be helpful to spend some time trying to comprehend the design model of the SBMS0, its quite different than most BMS's. Reading the manual is helpful but technically dense in some parts and not that great at conveying broad conceptual features. This thread has some good info in it.

 

[gmehal]

Your Daly and your SBMS0 are based on different models. In the case of the Daly it both monitors/manages and executes battery protection. In the case of the SBMS0 it monitors/managers, but does not execute, it communicates with the other components in your system to execute protection measures.

Your Daly has large wires, because all the current flows through it, and it directly cuts off charging when it deems it necessary (low voltage, high voltage, high current, etc). The SBMS0 does this indirectly by monitoring the battery voltage, current, temperature, etc, and sending a shutdown signal to remote devices (charge controller, inverter, and battery protect), so the current isn't actually passing through it directly, and it isn't directly shutting anything off. For this reason your battery protect isn't redundant, its necessary to control DC loads.

In response to your specific questions:

1. Technically nothing, it isn't between your SCC and your battery. But beyond this, its role is to manage battery health/safe charging/discharging on a more granular level than your SCC can. Your SCC can disconnect when it senses voltage is too high but it can't see cell level voltage, temperature, and so on. It may be helpful to make a distinction based on roles and responsibilities of these two components. An SCC is in charge of safe and efficient charging, a BMS is responsible for, and best capable of, protecting and managing your batteries, other components may have protections built in, but at the end of the day its the responsibility of the BMS.
2. No. Well, yes and no. The battery protect isn't redundant but using the low voltage disconnect feature might be.The low voltage of your battery protect will be 'pack level' voltage whereas your BMS will be monitoring 'cell level' and 'pack level' voltage. You need to configure the battery protect to be remotely turned on and off by your BMS.

It may be helpful to spend some time trying to comprehend the design model of the SBMS0, its quite different than most BMS's. Reading the manual is helpful but pretty technically dense and not that great at conveying broad conceptual features. This thread has some good info in it.

Thanks soooo much that makes it pretty clear! Great explanations.

 

[gmehal]

Your Daly and your SBMS0 are based on different models. In the case of the Daly it both monitors/manages and executes battery protection. In the case of the SBMS0 it monitors/managers, but does not execute, it communicates with the other components in your system to execute protection measures.

Your Daly has large wires, because all the current flows through it, and it directly cuts off charging when it deems it necessary (low voltage, high voltage, high current, etc). The SBMS0 does this indirectly by monitoring the battery voltage, current, temperature, etc, and sending a shutdown signal to remote devices (charge controller, inverter, and battery protect), so the current isn't actually passing through it directly, and it isn't directly shutting anything off. For this reason your battery protect isn't redundant, its necessary to control DC loads.

In response to your specific questions:

1. Technically nothing, it isn't between your SCC and your battery. But beyond this, its role is to manage battery health/safe charging/discharging on a more granular level than your SCC can. Your SCC can disconnect when it senses voltage is too high but it can't see cell level voltage, temperature, and so on. It may be helpful to make a distinction based on roles and responsibilities of these two components. An SCC is in charge of safe and efficient charging, a BMS is responsible for, and best capable of, protecting and managing your batteries, other components may have protections built in, but at the end of the day its the responsibility of the BMS.
2. No. Well, yes and no. The battery protect isn't redundant but using the low voltage disconnect feature might be.The low voltage of your battery protect will be 'pack level' voltage whereas your BMS will be monitoring 'cell level' and 'pack level' voltage. You need to configure the battery protect to be remotely turned on and off by your BMS.

It may be helpful to spend some time trying to comprehend the design model of the SBMS0, its quite different than most BMS's. Reading the manual is helpful but technically dense in some parts and not that great at conveying broad conceptual features. This thread has some good info in it.

One more question in regards to balancing, doe it do it automatically? Didn't see much about this in his PDF.

 

[Dzl]

One more question in regards to balancing, doe it do it automatically? Didn't see much about this in his PDF.

I believe so, I think its configurable as to when it balances, but not sure. IIRC @Geriakt is somewhat knowledgeable regarding sbms balancing.

 

[Dzl]

One more question in regards to balancing, doe it do it automatically? Didn't see much about this in his PDF.

After looking over the manual, it looks like balancing is pretty configurable based on a screenshot of the advanced balancing parameters
See Pg 30 of the manual

 

[gmehal]

The balancing just seems to be working. Pretty happy so far especially after your great explanations above. The difference between my 4 cells was 30mv when I started last night and now its 5-7mv. Extra shunt and new victron with solar charger with remote port coming on sunday.

 

[Geriakt]

I believe so, I think its configurable as to when it balances, but not sure. IIRC @Geriakt is somewhat knowledgeable regarding sbms balancing.

yes it balances automatically after your battery is about 90% of your full charge.
This is an external BMS system that is the last line of defense if your charging and inverting control systems fail. The automation is designed to shut off inverting or charging at programmable set point outside of your device settings on an iindividual cell voltage and not total voltage setting of you inverting and charging devices. IE if you use a Victron BP100 on your DC Bus and you programmed it to shut down at 19 volts for a 6S 24volt battery or 3.16 volts per cell and you have your low voltage disconnect set at 3.10 volts and you have one cell go below 3.10 volts, it will shut down inverting and the dc bus bp100 by remote switch. You can have one cell at 3.09 volts and the other 5 cells at 3.185 volts but the whole batter is still at 19 volts so the BP100 thinks your system is fine and continues runing the one cell down past safe limits. A BMS system protects down at the individual cell basis not total battery voltage like your equipment protects at.

This is an advanced BMS to be employed with compatible equipment, meaning equipment that has remote switchs and relays.

 

[Dzl]

@Geriakt do you if SBMS is an active or passive balancer?