Mike Beem via EV wrote:
I have been trying to re-balance my 4 year old 100Ah CALB pack with
mini-BMS... I don't have any other suitable DC lamps or other safe
(to me) items which I can guarantee won't damage a cell by my
inattention... What suggestions do people have for me?
A couple things come to mind:
First, you can get a spring-wound bathroom fan timer (Intermatic is one
brand). They are sold at Home Depot, Menards, etc. for $15 or so. It
installs in a normal electrical box like a light switch. It uses no
power, and so works fine for AC or DC to switch loads up to 15-20 amps.
Use it to switch your lamp or other resistive load across a cell or
battery. The knob usually goes from 0-60 minutes (though 0-4 hour and
0-12 hour versions are also available). It will automatically shut off
the load even if you forget! There are versions that have a "continuous
on" position at the end, and versions that don't -- for this application
you want the kind that don't. And it doesn't need AC power, and there
are no batteries to go dead.
Another option is to put a string of ordinary silicon diodes in series
with your lamp or resistive load. Each diode drops about 0.6v-0.8v at
its rated current, and essentially stop conducting below 0.5v. So a
string of (say) 6 diodes automatically removes the load when the cell
goes below 6 x 0.5v = 3.0 volts.
--
Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more
violent. It takes a touch of genius, and a lot of courage, to move
in the opposite direction. -- Albert Einstein
--
Lee Hart, 814 8th Ave N, Sartell MN 56377, www.sunrise-ev.com
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