Using the Universal grid charger

[bluesight]

It seems to run, but I need to eventually learn more about details. In the config program, I eventually got it to save the file by switching from read to write with the toggle. Just hitting the red "Write" button didn't seem to do it. Also, to get the com port com1 (ASRL1) I had to select port 0 in the numeric selector. When I selected 1, I got ASRL3. Not sure what that is about, but it looks like the selector is sequencing through available ports rather than defining the actual port, which is probably fine.

Everything now fits on my 1024X768 screen, which makes it easy. Though my thought was to keep using bigger screen dimensions to get more in, but just make the area that includes the graphs to fit in 1024X768 pixels of the much larger screen. Then I can use positioning bars to center it on my 1024X768 real estate to take a snapshot.

Since I am not running the charger now, I tried to figure out how to pull in my original data. I guess that only works on the compare screen, so I compared my resulting data file to itself...which seemed to work. The image shows the initial soaking charge top plus 2 other charge tops. But the time-code doesn't come through since the initial charge stuff must have been taken at 1 minute intervals, so looks compressed, where later it was 5 second intervals. But it is possible to see the added soak charge voltage that went up by keeping the 350ma maintenance charge going for lots of extra hours. There was even a big spike up about half way through the soak that really brought the voltage up to the 170V level. Then things hit a first, then second (to final) plateau. It's a little hard to look closely at the data in the compare screen. It would have been nice to be able to get it back into the Graph screen. And maybe that is possible, but I just don't know the tricks or the goals for each function.

Thanks for the new version. It should work well for me...

B

[Mike Dabrowski 2000]

The instruction number refers to the button that needs to be pressed for that step. The arrows point to the controls.

The red write is an indicator of what is going to happen when you press 4+5.
Do Read or Write. First the file is written, then the red write changes to read, and when you press 4+5 again, it will read back the file so you can see what was written. My text is a bit cryptic, but the video will make it all clear.

I have been using the file compare to look at the old database files. If I see a glitch in the data, I will open the CSV file and delete it so the traces are clean.

Have you played with the graphs using the neat graph tool bar?
you can zoom into an area, change the scale to examine an area in more detail.
I see that I forgot to include that in the file compare .
Will fix that tomorrow.

[Mike Dabrowski 2000]

Buyer beware!
Had this communication earlier today, and it concerns me.

I just picked up a 2000 insight, with IMA light on and P1449, P1576, and P1600.
(I operate a used car lot with my parents). If I can at least get the hybrid stuff somewhat working, resale value would go up a lot (we've got $1750 invested in the car)

My response!
Used car lot? red flag
I hate to think that you guys would buy a hybrid with weak battery, recondition the battery on the bench, put it in a car and sell it like the battery is good.
I would not want to sell anyone a charger if I thought that they would be using it that way. It is like putting sawdust in the oil.

Once a pack starts setting codes, the charger/discharge can recondition it, and keep it running, with an occasional reconditioning but many times (depending on the condition of the pack) the process needs to be repeated at a regular basis to keep it working. Depending on the pack, this may require bi monthly monthly, or even weekly charging, which is why people install a permanent harness to allow charging whenever required.
I realize that I can't control how you use the charger, but I have already refused to sell one to a used car place that was going to use it that way.
I am not selling the chargers to make money, I don't make much on them, and think of my work as a way to help hybrid owners get the max life out of their batteries, not to have used hybrids with weak packs be more sale able so you can make a bigger profit, only to have the new owner have problems only a month or so down the road.
Mike

[Willie Williford]

BRAVO Mike!

Willie

[Mike Dabrowski 2000]

Added the graph tools to the Compare tab, and have recompiled the two programs yet again.
The links in an earlier post as well as the links on my website will all point to the new programs,
I wanted to get the programs stable before I use them for the video.
These are the smaller 1024 X 768 version.

ConfigV2_5
http://99mpg.com/Data/resources/down...configv2.5.zip

Datalogger V 2_5
http://99mpg.com/Data/resources/down...loggerv2.5.zip

Is anyone using the bigger versions?
If not I will remove them to avoid confusion, if people are using them, I will tweak them as far as window position, and the graph tools, and leave them there.

[Mike Dabrowski 2000]

Gave up on finding a program that would work to capture the screen activity, and just set up my Canon T3 DSLR as a video recorder and captured my demonstration of the datalogger right off the screen, so excuse the crappy quality, but be assured that it is better than anything I was able to get from the many screen recorders that I wasted 2 days trying out.
Best to start here on my video link page
http://99mpg.com/workshops/mikesvideos/
I broke it into 5 parts, so I can easily upgrade a new version of each part if required, rather than making it a long continuous video that would be difficult to change.

With all the people that have been asking me about when the datalogger was going to be ready, I hope they can now get set up and start generating some data.
There are still some things I want to impruve on the program, and I hope for lots of feedback so we can try to make this as user friendly as possible.
Happy holidays to all

[satchel]

The Wizard of North Grosvenordale amazes once again!

I have an ASUS 1005HA ee-pc that I replaced the hard drive with an SSD drive and installed Win 7. Config 2.5 wouldn't see any ports. It occurred to me to reinstall the drive with XP on it and lo and behold there's a port, and then the serial cable. Hooked up the GC1 and found my thrill on Strawberry Hill. Logging cycles on the benched blue '02 battery right now.

You made my week Mike!!

[bluesight]

I'll be trying a "week later" maintenance charge on Monday with the new data logger install and using the longer SampleTime recommendation. I see now how the drop after high-current charge just happened to leave the voltage too low to continue charge after 30 minutes of low-current charge. Weird coincidence...

Should be a more satisfactory result this time...

B

PS This will also be a test of charging on a low-temperature day. High is supposed to be 26F, so we'll see if the space heater does the trick. Otherwise, the next attempt will be Thursday when temps will be back into the mid 40s.

[Mike Dabrowski 2000]

Happy to hear that others are having success with the datalogger
I had the same problem with my windows 7 net book, The handling of the ports must be different on the newer operating systems?
XP as the operating system seems to be the ticket to success.
My vista notebook seemed to work, but then machine crashed about 30 minutes into the datalogging?

I am trying to find someone with a newer licensed labview to try compiling the programs. The license numbers seem to be embedded into the runtime , so they can see if it was compiled with a legal copy.
Don't want the software police knocking on my door.

[Mike Dabrowski 2000]

Just found that I had a misunderstanding about the cycle mode 6.

The MaxChgTime* is not the variable that is used during the cycle mode 6 to stop the charge due to it running too long. That is the case for regular charging, but in mode 6, we use the MaintRunTme* variable that we have been setting at 540 minutes, so some of you have been having chargers stop prematurely do to exceeding this time. R3 is the code.
The fix is to simply put the same recommended 1400 minutes into the MaintRunTme* variable.
So if you have seen R3 as the reason for the charging stopping, you may have not fully charged on that cycle, and the subsequent discharge and recharge mah will drop instead of rise, and this effect will be more evident on packs with better capacity as the recharge can easily exceed this much shorter 540 minutes.
Sorry , I did not write that part of the code, and made an assumption. Thanks to several guys that sent me their cycle data. which showed a mode 3 stop, but It did not register until it happened again today, and I looked back and saw that all of them stopped at exactly 540
I got with Doug and we tracked it down.

I recommend that all charger owners change MaintRunTme* to the MaxChgTime* value. especially people with maintenance chargers as they take a lot longer to recharge.