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Lithiumate™ Manual

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Brusa

Installing and programming a Brusa charger with a Lithiumate BMS.

The Elithion BMS is compatible with a Brusa charger out of the box. But a Brusa charger needs to be programmed to work with a BMS.

back to topWiring
Interfacing the Brusa charger and the Elithion BMS
Interfacing the Brusa NLG5 charger and the Elithion BMS

Brusa NLG5 wiring (pdf)

back to topCharger Configuration

Configure the charger to operate with the BMS.

  • A simple terminal application is sufficient to monitor the Brusa operation (password is "MONITOR")
  • To program the Brusa, you need to install the ChargeStar application on your laptop
  • ChargeStar can only work out of COM1 port, so you'll need to reassign the com port you're using to be COM1, using your Window computer's Device Manager
  • Unless you specified "CAN mode" when ordering the charger, out of the box the charger is set for Automatic Mode (stand-alone charger); you'll want to reprogram it to CAN mode to work seamlessly with the BMS
  • Program the max output voltage high enough so that it doesn't interfere with the BMS
    • The BMS controls the voltage, but only up to the max voltage setting in the charger
    • You will want to set the charger above the max pack voltage
    • The charger has a 1% tolerance, so if you set it just 1 V above the max pack voltage it may stop charging too soon
    • There are 2 approaches, based on what you want to achieve:
      • If all you want to do is limit the charger voltage in case of open circuit, then set the charger max voltage at some 30 V above the max pack voltage
      • If you want a backup safety measure in case the BMS doesn't control the charger, then program the charger for the max pack voltage; then, measure the unloaded output of the charger and tweak the voltage setting to actually get the desired voltage
  • Out of the box, the charger is set to look at a thermistor (out of a possible 3 thermistors); if you don't use any thermistor, you'll want to turn that test off
back to topBMS Configuration

The BMS is factory preset for a Brusa charger, so you may skip this configuration for a brand new controller.

If the BMS controller configuration was changed, configure the BMS to operate with the charger.

  1. Turn on sending messages to this charger:
    • Rev 1.32 and older:
      1. Turn off messages to other chargers: Home / Set-up / More / CAN bus / Communication with other devices / (other chargers) / No
      2. Turn on messages to this charger: Home / Set-up / More / CAN bus / Communication with other devices / Brusa charger / Yes
    • Rev 1.33 and newer:
      1. Select messages to this charger: Home / Set-up / More / CAN bus / Communication with other devices / Chargers / Brusa
  2. Set up receiving the charger current from this charger:
    1. Set-up charger current CAN messages: Home / Set-up / Current sense / Source current / CAN message / ...
      1. ... ID: set to 611h
      2. ... 1st data byte: set to 6
      3. ... Length: set to 2: 2 byte, high-low (big-endian)
      4. ... Offset: set to 0
      5. ... Units: set 10 [mA/count]
      6. ... Direction: set to Yes: + = into battery
    2. Reset the BMS controller for changes to the CAN message ID to take effect (Cycle power off and on, or press H / 6/ 7)
  3. If required, change the CAN speed to match the CAN speed of the charger:
    1. Home / Set-up / Set-up / More / CAN bus / Can Bus rate
back to topTroubleshooting

Some troubleshooting hints:

  • Is the HLIM LED on the BMS controller lit?
  • Is the FLT LED on the BMS controller lit?
  • Any errors in the Brusa Monitor display?
    • "SDT Batt VoltHi: ERR" error: check the can settings operation mode: "Switch off immetiately if: / Battery voltage above"; Set that value ot about 25 % more than the max pack voltage
  • Are there exactly 2 terminations on the CAN bus, physically at the farthest 2 points of the bus?
    • The Brusa doesn't have a termination
    • The Elithion BMS has a termination that can be switched in and out
    • With the power off, use an ohmmeter to read the resistance across the 2 wires of the CAN Bus: it should be 60 Ohms
    • With the power on, use a voltmeter to read the voltages on the 2 wires of the CAN Bus. with respect to ground: about 2.5 V on each
    • With the power on, use a voltmeter to read the voltage between the 2 wires of the CAN Bus: CANH line must be more positive than the CANL
  • After fixing any problems, cycle the Brusa off and on
Power-up bug anchor

We have discovered a bug in the Brusa software, which results is an "SDT Batt VoltHi: ERR" error.

Usually, this error is not seen, but can happen if the BMS is powered by a separate 12 V supply that can be on even if the Brusa is unplugged, in the following sequence of events:

  1. Brusa unplugged; BMS powered and telling the Brusa that it can charge
  2. Brusa plugged in
The error is avoided if the BMS is powered by the 12 V output of the Brusa:
  1. Brusa is unplugged; BMS is unpowered because the Brusa is not plugged in
  2. Brusa is plugged in, which then powers the BMS
  3. By the time the BMS sends the Brusa a message to start charging, the Brusa is ready for it
If the BMS is powered by a separate 12 V supply that can be on even if the Brusa is unplugged, the error can be avoided in either one of these ways:
  • Solution A:
    1. Brusa unplugged; BMS power turned off
    2. Brusa plugged in
    3. BMS power turned on
  • Solution B:
    1. Brusa unplugged; BMS powered and telling the Brusa that it cannot charge (for example by forcing the HLIM: Home / Test / Force outputs / HLIM / Yes)
    2. Brusa plugged in
    3. BMS tells the Brusa that it can charge (for example by releasing the HLIM: Home / Test / Release outputs)
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