ENOVA 12v Battery Charger

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esbro
Posts: 40
Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2011 6:21 pm

Re: ENOVA 12v Battery Charger

Postby esbro » Fri May 25, 2018 12:42 pm

Hi Peter - No, MB did actually make some Electric A class cars, but using the ZEBRA Sodium Nickel Chloride battery - there's a film on youtube somewhere. I almost went down that route myself, but all the used batteries were well beyond their sell-by date.
Best price I've seen in UK is around £1 per Ah /cell - for Winston type cells - these are quite heavy in comparison to the pouch modules. The modules clamp together with some threaded rod through each corner. If only I could make contact with the maker :(
No need to worry about high voltage on car switching - I hope to have everything opto-isolated. This is a must, as the nominal battery voltage is 300v.
As for HMG collecting revenue - no problem there ! They'll just wait until we're all signed up for the EV thing - then tax us for the privilege.
Mind you, if the condition of the roads gets any worse, we will all be back to good old 'four-legs'.
The Grid will cope. Industry will not allow any shortfall which will affect their bottom line. There's still Nuclear, Ocean current generators etc. ..... or maybe we should just have nuclear batteries in our cars ? :lol:
Will be in touch later ....... Steve

stainless
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Apr 13, 2012 7:39 pm

Re: ENOVA 12v Battery Charger

Postby stainless » Sat May 26, 2018 10:48 am

Hi Steve. The Nissan/Renault cells are 8.4v 65AH can be bought for £50 to £75 new. They come up occasionally on Ebay. Breakers price not sure but the pack is 48 cells, 400v max. I cant fit a full pack in the Smart though :-( Whats bugging me at this time being I have a Reliant Kitten estate sat on my drive (spiders take note, its not a bl**dy hotel!). Chassis is shot and fibreglass is in a dreadful state but its already REGISTERED as electric ! It keeps saying 'please make me into AC drive and finally do something with me'. Early days though, its been on the drive for 18 years (no lies), so no rush then. However creature comforts are nil and my street cred will be none existent, so vanity keeps kicking in. Maybe I should get a Shogun Junior or similar, as long as its easy to play with and reasonably rust free. I would then be able to have the batteries exactly as required and LOTS more room.... I hate indecision, or do I ? TTFN. Peter

aidaalmasi
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2018 6:22 am

Re: ENOVA 12v Battery Charger

Postby aidaalmasi » Mon Aug 27, 2018 6:29 am

stainless wrote:Hi Steve. What price are they asking? Just a thought on comparing cost against whats available in the UK. I know a battery company in Yorkshire who refit/repair Hybrid batteries and they sell off the cells that are not up to scratch, cheap too if you buy enough. They do advertise on Ebay but a phone call gave a better price for bulk purchase.
My argument at the moment is about which cell chemistry is the safest, Li-ion or LiFePo4 etc. I did watch a video on Youtube with a chap attacking a Nissan/Renault cell with a screwdriver, a hammer and finally a blowtorch, cell didnt catch fire or explode, well impressed. That was my choice finally. Much has been said about safety but we dont see EV's burnt out all over the place so maybe its been blown out of proportion. Just think, if were contemplating a new venture in 2018 of putting upto 15 gallons of highly flammable liquid in millions of travelling objects all going at high speeds in two directions on the same piece of tarmac, would it happen ! Health and Safety would have a fit :-) :-)
Your idea to keep the precharge/main contactor etc control is best kept away from the cars internal system if you ask me, again the 'black box' worries appear in my mind. Keep in full control at all times is a good policy.
Amazing that a 2008 car was designed with EV in mind, what did they do other than sit on their hands all this time?
Its quite a thought what the government will do for tax revenue when 50% of cars are EV's? However I have a more interesting thought....Every other house owns an EV, all arrive home at tea time and plug them in.... how on earth will the grid cope ! They have to power up fast on-line generators for brew time when TV programmes go to adverts even now. TTFN. Peter

esbro
Posts: 40
Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2011 6:21 pm

Re: ENOVA 12v Battery Charger

Postby esbro » Fri Oct 05, 2018 7:27 am

Hi Peter, I'm back. Eyes fixed - only need specs for soldering :| . There's a lot been going on since last in contact (weddings etc) but now ready to start work on inverter. Any luck with enova 12v charger board ? Last time you were going to plug it in to rectified mains !??
I'm still having trouble buying batteries ( see my post today) - I've decided on Melsen modular pouch cells. they "appear" to be the same price as ordinary (ie thundersky) cells (per amp/hr), but lighter and more compact. Didn't fancy old or used cells as you don't know what they're like - good money after bad ? I'll post any results I get (if BVS is still going :cry: ) TTFN - Steve

stainless
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Apr 13, 2012 7:39 pm

Re: ENOVA 12v Battery Charger

Postby stainless » Tue Oct 09, 2018 11:19 am

Hi Steve. Glad you got your eyes fixed, makes a world of difference when you dont need to squint all the flippin time :-) Progress with my conversion is grinding to a halt as I have issues with my inverter control. Far too much noise on the 5v bus which is really affecting the encoder pulses from the motor. On my scope I see varying size spikes of 10 to 50+volts even when the inverter is just powered up an fmin is running at 0.25Hz and no throttle. Consequently the motor will start to spin up but is as rough as anything past about 500 rpm then the inverter shuts down either with a 'warn-encoder' or 'over-current' message when I check the parameters. Could be I have made a boo-boo by removing the white toroid choke which the 3phase output cables ran through, a total guess though. Next test is to separate the control board from the heatsink and check if that helps. I did happen to get a tingle off the heatsink too ! My heatsink was not grounded to chassis so when I checked I read 115vAC across heatsink to car chassis, thats maybe half my pack voltage (230v) or could be whats shown when inverter is ticking over at fmin. It is definitely a current path though as I can make a 40W lamp glow slightly ! Not sure whats happening there !!! I isolated the 'Chassis Gnd' points on the DC bus connecting board which reduced the leakage to 50v AC but that still has a small current behind it, most odd! So, until I can clean up the spikes on the 5v bus I cannot get the motor to run properly. I will be back to bench testing until this is solved and in the meantime have sent my paperwork back to the DVLA with pics and write up on garage headed notepaper to see if they are happy to allow 'Electricity' as fuel on my reg docs, fingers crossed this time. Look fwd to your reply. Peter

esbro
Posts: 40
Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2011 6:21 pm

Re: ENOVA 12v Battery Charger

Postby esbro » Tue Oct 09, 2018 12:17 pm

Hi Peter, I'm no electronics expert (in fact I'm just a dabbler), but I intend to leave the toroid chokes in place. I bet there's a lot of noise generated in the o/p cables. Can't think what's causing 115vac on your heatsink - it may be coming from something duff on inverter o/p ??
I've now finished the roof insulation in my garage (workshop), so will be able to find a spot to build the inverter. I hope to be able to use the enova driver board with Johannes' control boards. Will keep everyone posted as I go on. Still looking for batteries - don't want old ones as I'm not able to test them.
I got a ballpark figure for insurance yesterday - around £425 comp. I suppose that's ok for a highly modified vehicle, so can make a start on dismantling stuff in March.
Good luck with the DVLA. TTFN .... Steve

stainless
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Apr 13, 2012 7:39 pm

Re: ENOVA 12v Battery Charger

Postby stainless » Tue Oct 09, 2018 4:22 pm

Hi Steve
Strange thing is even with motor connected I get the spikes, I am no expert either but have a basic knowledge which is getting weaker as each problem arises! As to EV batteries try contacting Damien Maguire at EVBMW.com, he may have something to sell possibly ?? The spikes are being induced most probably as I have checked all insulated paths and all well above 2Meg ohms. I had a quote from Adrian Flux for £500 fully comp. Who is your quote with and whats the vehicle to be ? Apologies if you have told me the vehicle.... I bet I am older but less wiser now :-) Peter

esbro
Posts: 40
Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2011 6:21 pm

Re: ENOVA 12v Battery Charger

Postby esbro » Tue Oct 09, 2018 7:03 pm

Hi Peter, Quote was from Adrian Flux too. I went to them first as they insure my 1935 Morris 8. I asked for a ballpark figure because my project won't be finished until this time next year, to spread the costs - starting it about March 2019.
My car is 2008 Mercedes B200 CDI Sport. I know it pretty well as I've owned it almost from new (demo car, 6 mths old).
Do you think your problem spikes are induced into the fins on your heatsink ? The fins giving a large surface area. Or maybe one of your IGBTs tracking to ground (heatsink) ?? Just guessing here. Silicone spray ??
Me too - older but less wise - (if I ever was).
TTFN ... Steve
PS If anyone else wants to chip in - any info is welcome.

stainless
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Apr 13, 2012 7:39 pm

Re: ENOVA 12v Battery Charger

Postby stainless » Tue Oct 09, 2018 8:22 pm

Hi Steve. Interesting, I bet your lower quote is due to location. Up here in the North West we are in one of the highest risk areas in the UK. Just done another test on the inverter. Moved the control pcb to the other side of the mounting plate to see if that would shield the issue, sadly it hasnt so back to square one again. One of the things I dont like with my inverter control being it will shut down the main contactor if it sees a fault, I would prefer if it shuts off the enable to the driver chips or something similar. I wish I had the software to look at so I could maybe see what I can tweak or blow up as the case may be :-) I am going to try a different type of encoder module tomorrow too, 99% sure that will be a waste of time but worth a try. Thanks for suggesting checking IGBT's, I did test them from emitters and collectors to gnd and all is well without resorting to my 500v Megger. I must look again at Johannes Heubners website and see if I can actually copy the software to be able to read it. Have yo decided on the elec motor yet ? Or did you get the full Enova package, thats probably the 2nd time I have asked that question too no doubt, my brain hurts :-( Wish I had a Curtis or any other brand AC controller to play with, at least to be able to drive around the car park and see how the car drives with my revamped rear suspension. Wonder whether I could cobble together an Arduino to act as a 3 phase motor controller..... right off to Google to see what the alternatives are. All the best. Peter
P.S. If you need any help next year or sooner with your build let me know :-)

esbro
Posts: 40
Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2011 6:21 pm

Re: ENOVA 12v Battery Charger

Postby esbro » Wed Oct 10, 2018 9:43 am

Hi Peter, I've just had another thought - have you checked your capacitor bank ?
Not quite the full enova package, but the motor and inverter (which I have dismantled to use the parts). I'm making a new inverter heatsink using liquid cooling - it will be roughly the size of yours. I cut the box lid down to accommodate the new heatsink, so it's like a 'mini' enova.
Megger eh? that's blast from the past. I've had to acquire a scope and other test equipment cos I haven't done much electronic work for 35 years. (is it THAT long ago ?? :wink: ). You, on the other hand, seem quite knowledgable about programming and electronics in general.

I'll hold to your offer of help - should it be needed.

More later ...... cheers .... Steve


A note of apology to aidalmasi - sorry I seem to have missed your post a while back. The answer is they were shown to be 25 - 40 US$ per 100Ah cell, but when you ask about them the price goes up dramatically. ..... Steve


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