Hyperion EOS 1420i NET3 14s Balance Charger...

GGoodrum

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I finally got around to testing one of the new Hyperion 14s balancing chargers I got last week. This is the one Doc first reported about in this thread. I had to make a special balancing harness, and put Andersons on the main charge wires, but that was pretty easy.

View attachment EOS 1420i-02.jpg

I just used two 7-pin pigtails and crimped some VAL-U-LOK socket connectors on the ends, and stuffed them into a 14-pin VAL-U-LOK 4.2mm PE Series plug that matches up with the connector coming from the LVC boards in my 12s3p packs. To power the 1420, I used two unmodified S-350-24 MeanWell supplies, wired in parallel:

View attachment EOS 1420i-03.jpg

I maxed out both at about 27.25V. I'm still trying to learn all the various charging/balancing options, but the basic operation is pretty intuitive, especially if you've ever used RC chargers before. The instructions weren't completely clear on connections for large packs, made from smaller sub-packs, so I was pleasantly surprised to learn that even though the pigtails I used only made use of 7 of the 8 available pins in the two balancer inputs, the unit simply ignored the two "empty" inputs and correctly identified the pack as a 12s configuration. I was worried I'd have to do a funny harness, that remapped the two 6s3p "chunks" into a 7/5-channel configuration.

I bought two of these chargers, so that I can do both 12s3p packs on my Townie at the same time, but for these first series of tests I'm only using one. As shown below, my 24s3p setup is split into two 12s3p packs that are connected in series. Each has 10-gauge discharge wires, with the large 75A Andersons, and each has a separate 12-gauge charge pigtail, with "normal" Andersons. Each pack also has two LVC/parallel adapter boards that provide the cell-level parallel connections and each have a 7-wire set of 18-gauge wires for balancing. These two sets terminate outside the pack in a VAL-U-LOK free-hanging plug.

View attachment EOS 1420i-06.jpg

The connections between the 1420 and the pack are simply the matching 14-pin VAL-U-LOK connector and the two wire main charge leads, with the Andersons.

View attachment EOS 1420i-01.jpg

First I tried straight balancing, which works quite well, simply pulling the high cells down to the level of the lowest cell. With 1/2A of balance current, it didn't take long (about 45 minutes...) to balance all 12 cells to within 5mV from an initial max delta of around 65mV. Actually, I think it could be even closer, as there is a setting somewhere for what is considered "balanced". There's several different monitoring screens, which is handy. One shows the average cell voltage, and the max delta. Then there's two more screens that shows all the individual cell voltages. On these last two, the decimal points change to small squares to indicate which cells are being drained. Finally, there is another screen that lets you select an individual cell, and see the voltage to three decimal places.

View attachment EOS 1420i-07.jpg
View attachment 2
View attachment EOS 1420i-09.jpg


Next, I tried a regular charge. There are 20 memory slots available, and setting the various parameters is straightforward. You set the number of cells (1-14), the max charge rate (up to 20A) and the pack capacity. I'm not sure what the maximum capacity that you can enter, but it had no problem with my 15,000 mAh (i.e. -- 15Ah...) 3p pack. If the balancer connections are not present, the charger will default to a charge-only mode. With the balancer plug(s) connected, it will automatically select the balance charge mode. Holding the "Enter" button down for two seconds initiates the charge/balance process, after first confirming the number of cells.

Since the pack in this first test was already 90% full, it didn't start out at a max charge rate. It ramped up and stopped at about 8.5A. What was interesting was watching the screens. All of the aforementioned balancing screens were available, as were a bunch of "Data Display" screens. There's a "Quick View" screen which I mostly used, which shows the total pack voltage, the input voltage (from the MWs...), the charge current and the total mAh going into the pack. What was interesting was seeing that the mAh calculation is smart enough to not get skewed by the balancing that is going on at the same time. Unlike most RC balancers and/or balancing chargers, this one uses 12-bit A/D conversions for better accuracy. The unit also "pauses" occasionally, shutting off the charge current, I'm guessing to get better voltage measurements. At the end, the unit plays a littly diddy, to indicate that charging and balancing is complete. I watched closely at the end, wondering how far down the current would drop, and what affect the balancing would have. The current dropped down to about .3A and stayed there awhile, as the cells continued to balance. When the max delta got down to 5mV, the current was down to about .21A. Amazingly, they will both get to their appointed "minimums", at the same time. :)

I used the default settings, for most everything, but there is lots of user adjustments that can be selected to change things like the charge to voltage, max "C" charge rates, max balance deltas, charge time limits, and a host of other settings. As I said, I will need to explore these further. There's also a USB port, with a supplied cable and a PC app for monitoring/logging. I still have to try this as well.

What I will do first is figure out how to lower the charge-to voltage, from the current 4.20V, down to about 4.15V. There's also the option of simply selecting Li-Ion instead of LiPo, which uses a slightly lower voltage setting. I'm also going to look at redoing the pack connections/charge harness a bit. I'm thinking if I use an 18-pin VAL-U-LOK connector, instead of the 14-pin version, I can dedicate 3 pins each for the two main charge wires, and end up with a single charge plug. Doesn't get much simpler than that. :)

I also need to do a set of harnesses for the 18s2p packs I use on the folding bikes. For this scenario, I will need to use both chargers, if I want to charge the whole pack at once. One would charge the first two 6s2p blocks, so 12s, and the second one will charge the remaining 6s2p sub-pack. This is pretty straightforward. I also have a 16s2p pack made from 8s-5800 Turnigy packs. Fr this I'll simply have a harness that lets each charger do one 8s section. I'll just spit the 8s connections so that it looks like two 4s packs. I now know that the charger will simply ignore the unused channels.

Anyway, I really haven't found anything that I don't like about these units, including the price. One of these, plus a MeanWell, or two, are all that's needed to do safe charging and balancing of a 12s LiPo or LiFePO4 "commuter" setup. I'm going to go ahead and add them to my site, and will offer E-S members enough of a discount to cover the "typical" eBay cost of a MeanWell. :wink: I'll also provide options for some pre-made harnesses. The 1420s also come with a couple balancing adapters, for most popular RC pack brands. When I get the site updated, I'll start a thread in the "For Sale" section, which will include a way to get the discount coupon.

-- Gary
 
hey Gary,

These units look like a great buy. I have a eos1210i with 2 lba10 balancers but this makes life alot simpler....and charging a bit quicker. Can you do a test on the max rate it will charge 12s running on your meanwells as you describe above? obviously dont stress your packs, but what I am looking for is a 1C charge or close enough to on a 20ah 12s pack. I will need to test my charger a bit more but I think I can only get around 0.25C out of it or a little above....and Ill take a stab in the dark and guess this is due to the input voltage. watts = input voltage x amps. OK on second thought 1C is a bit unrealistic, well maybe an educated guess at what rate this charger could do on 27v input would be suffice.

Cheers,
Rodger
 
rodgah said:
hey Gary,

These units look like a great buy. I have a eos1210i with 2 lba10 balancers but this makes life alot simpler....and charging a bit quicker. Can you do a test on the max rate it will charge 12s running on your meanwells as you describe above? obviously dont stress your packs, but what I am looking for is a 1C charge or close enough to on a 20ah 12s pack. I will need to test my charger a bit more but I think I can only get around 0.25C out of it or a little above....and Ill take a stab in the dark and guess this is due to the input voltage. watts = input voltage x amps. OK on second thought 1C is a bit unrealistic, well maybe an educated guess at what rate this charger could do on 27v input would be suffice.

Cheers,
Rodger

Yes, I agree, much simpler. At first I thought it was just going to be simply two of the EOS0720iNET units stuck in the same box with the same connection restrictions where the two sub-packs had to be separate to charge, like this:

EOS0720i-NETCONN.jpg

This "separate to charge" restriction was a deal-breaker for me, as that just isn't practical. In reading the info on these new chargers, it appeared that was not the case with these, but I wasn't really sure until yesterday. The fact that these are also capable of having the sub-pack wiring be in pretty much any combination is a bonus. I wasn't expecting that at all.

I will take a ride today, and drain the packs down about halfway, so I can see about the max charge rate. The math says about 11A, based on 550W and a charge to voltage of 4.20V per cell. This can go up if you use the Li-Ion setting, which charges to 4.10V per cell. To get 550W on the output you need to use a bit more than that on the input side, which is why I'm using two 350W MeanWells. At 27V, this would be about 25-26A. The 1420i also has an input current limit setting, which could allow this to be used with a single MeanWell to keep it from trying to kill itself. You could set the limit at 14A, to keep the MW at it's rated output, but the max charge rate would drop to about 7-1/2 to 8A.
 
GGoodrum said:
I will take a ride today, and drain the packs down about halfway, so I can see about the max charge rate. The math says about 11A, based on 550W and a charge to voltage of 4.20V per cell.

Thanks Gary, much appreciated. Even at 11A thats still 3-4 times better than the current I am getting at the moment.....probably due to only using a 12v input instead of its max 15v. I see around 2.9amp at around 60% of the packs capacity. I wish I had of known this was the case alot earlier then I wouldnt of bought it....silly me just assumed that because it said 0-10A that it could do it. But obviously the units rated watts is what it is really capable of :roll: .

Cheers
 
Think ill give this charger/setup a try Gary, i have needed a rc charger for balancing/cycling packs separately for sometime now and have held off buying one...this will take care of that and bulk charging/balancing duties in one hit...saves alot of soldering too... :wink: Shall keep an eye out for when they iz available from TPPacks.com Mr GGoodrum...

KiM
 
rodgah said:
GGoodrum said:
I will take a ride today, and drain the packs down about halfway, so I can see about the max charge rate. The math says about 11A, based on 550W and a charge to voltage of 4.20V per cell.

Thanks Gary, much appreciated. Even at 11A thats still 3-4 times better than the current I am getting at the moment.....probably due to only using a 12v input instead of its max 15v. I see around 2.9amp at around 60% of the packs capacity. I wish I had of known this was the case alot earlier then I wouldnt of bought it....silly me just assumed that because it said 0-10A that it could do it. But obviously the units rated watts is what it is really capable of :roll: .

Cheers

Hi Gary did you ever get to test this? It looks as though they sold like hot cakes on tppacks and I missed out but if they can do 11A I'll be next in line when they come back into stock. :wink:

Cheers
 
Gary, this charger looks like a great solution. I like the idea of a single 18 pins VAL-U-LOK connector for both the balance and charge leads. Maybe a DB25 would work also (5 pins each for the + and - charge leads)

I have 3 questions if you have time:

1- Are you expecting to have more for sale on tppacks?

2- With the higher voltage of a series 12s pack (40-50V), when connecting the main leads to the charger, do you get a spark strong enough to damage/pit the connectors ?

3- Did you find a way to lower the maximum cell voltage to something around 4.15V ? I read in some thread on RC group that you could reduce the Terminal Capacity Selection (TCS) value from 100% to 95%. Maybe this would translate in a lower end voltage?

thx
 
rodgah said:
Hi Gary did you ever get to test this? It looks as though they sold like hot cakes on tppacks and I missed out but if they can do 11A I'll be next in line when they come back into stock. :wink:

Cheers

Sorry, I've been busy with house-related stuff. My wife decided it was time to get the house painted, inside and out, and wanted it done before Christmas. :roll: I've been having to stay one step ahead of the painters, but it has allowed me to get rid of a lot of crap. :D

Anyway, I did try it briefly on another pack, but I'm not sure how low it was. It did hit 10.7A during the initial phase, though.

-- Gary
 
El_Steak said:
Gary, this charger looks like a great solution. I like the idea of a single 18 pins VAL-U-LOK connector for both the balance and charge leads. Maybe a DB25 would work also (5 pins each for the + and - charge leads)

Yes, I like the VAL-U-LOK connector idea a lot as well. These are very robust connectors, with pins that can handle up to about 9A, each. I'm looking at offering some pre-made harnesses as options with the charger.

El_Steak said:
I have 3 questions if you have time:

1- Are you expecting to have more for sale on tppacks?

Yes, today sometime, actually. :) I'm trying to sort out how the drop-ship option with the distributor will work. For US customers, it should be fine, but I'm trying to see if I can also do this for international orders. There are existing dealers/distributors in other regions, of course, but I want to offer a discount to E-S members. I just don't know if I'm going to be allowed to sell these outside the US, or not, and if so, whether or not I can have them dropped shipped.

El_Steak said:
2- With the higher voltage of a series 12s pack (40-50V), when connecting the main leads to the charger, do you get a spark strong enough to damage/pit the connectors ?

No, not at all.

El_Steak said:
3- Did you find a way to lower the maximum cell voltage to something around 4.15V ? I read in some thread on RC group that you could reduce the Terminal Capacity Selection (TCS) value from 100% to 95%. Maybe this would translate in a lower end voltage?

Yes, there is a way, but I haven't had a chance to investigate this fully, just yet. There is a Li-Ion setting that uses 4.10V per cell, but my preference would be to have it a bit higher.

-- Gary
 
Excellent !

I have the same config as you (24s3p) lipo split in 2 blocks of 12s3p (in panniers). I also have 4 x meanwell S350-24 so I'm a good candidate for that charging solution :)

I'm trying to sort out how the drop-ship option with the distributor will work. For US customers, it should be fine, but I'm trying to see if I can also do this for international orders. There are existing dealers/distributors in other regions, of course, but I want to offer a discount to E-S members. I just don't know if I'm going to be allowed to sell these outside the US, or not, and if so, whether or not I can have them dropped shipped.

Hopefully you can get something worked out for Canada. If you can I'll buy 2 chargers plus the necessary VAL-U-LOK connectors from you

El_Steak said:
3- Did you find a way to lower the maximum cell voltage to something around 4.15V ? I read in some thread on RC group that you could reduce the Terminal Capacity Selection (TCS) value from 100% to 95%. Maybe this would translate in a lower end voltage?

Yes, there is a way, but I haven't had a chance to investigate this fully, just yet. There is a Li-Ion setting that uses 4.10V per cell, but my preference would be to have it a bit higher.

I checked it out and the TCS value is limiting the max voltage. Its demonstrated in the video below at around 5:50. You'll see that the guy initially charges the pack with a TCS of 95% which yields a total voltage of 16.685V for a 4s pack (4.17 per cell). He then sets the TCS to 100% and the charge goes to 16.774V (4.19 per cell). TCS is only adjustable in 5% increments so you don't have as much control as with the iCharger, but its good enough for me.

[youtube]-ox3EpzvsJ8[/youtube]

From the manual:

TCS Feature (Terminal Capacity Selection % for Lithium battery types) TCS has two settings: TCS CAPACITY %, and TCS END ACTION. * The TCS CAPACITY Setting is selected from the MEMORY screen by pressing UP button four times (or DOWN seven times). TCS Capacity can be set from 50% to 100% in 5% increments (default is 100%, a full charge). The charger uses your setting for Battery Capacity in addition to sophisticated measurements and calculations to make a close estimate for the currently charged capacity in the pack during charging.

* TCS END ACTION can be set to CONTINUE (default) and STOP. If CONTINUE, when TCS% is reached for settings 50% to 95%, the charger will “beep” 10 times, but continue charging to 100% until stopped. If TCS ACTION is set to STOP, the charger will stop charging at that TCS setting and - if balancing is complete – then give COMPLETE (END) Buzzer according to your buzzer settings. (or continue till balanced, then give End buzzer)

....evidence suggests that charging to 90%~95% can increase battery cycle life, compared to 100% charges. So in this case set TCS ACTION to STOP.
 
Hi,
El_Steak said:
Did you find a way to lower the maximum cell voltage to something around 4.15V ? I read in some thread on RC group that you could reduce the Terminal Capacity Selection (TCS) value from 100% to 95%. Maybe this would translate in a lower end voltage?
El_Steak said:
I checked it out and the TCS value is limiting the max voltage. Its demonstrated in the video below at around 5:50. You'll see that the guy initially charges the pack with a TCS of 95% which yields a total voltage of 16.685V for a 4s pack (4.17 per cell). He then sets the TCS to 100% and the charge goes to 16.774V (4.19 per cell). TCS is only adjustable in 5% increments so you don't have as much control as with the iCharger, but its good enough for me.

One of the things you want to accomplish with a lower charge voltage is using less of the pack capacity. TCS might use a more sophisticated algorithm to accomplish that than simply lowering the charge voltage. So a TCS setting of 90% or 95% might be a better option for extending pack life.

If the following is accurate it will charge 12s at a little over 12 A:
http://www.amainhobbies.com/product...o-NiMH-A123-Balancing-DC-Charger-14S-20A-550W
A brand-new power supply technology is boosting the charging power to 550W when the input voltage is between 24V and 28V. Of course you can still operate the EOS 1420i NET3 on the typical 12V also but with less overall wattage...

How much is 550W?: It is an easy calculation – let’s look at how far we will get with a 5000mAh 6S lipo pack: 6S @ 3.7V is 22.2V. Now divide 550W with 22.2V to find the Amps… = 24.77Amps. This actually exceeds the 20A limitation of EOS 1420i NET3 ensuring you the full 20Amps charging power.
 
I use the TCS set to 95% and stop there. I helps compensate for the resistance of long balance leads such as you might use for charging an e-bike. Don't forget the temp sensor which is nice for preventing thermonuclear breakdown. Also, hooking the charger to your computer will allow you to use more precise units than you can by manual entry, as well as monitoring/graphing the charge cycle. Hyperion makes some damn fine product.
 
It looks like drop-shipping internationally works, as there is an EOS 1420i NET3 on it's way to Miles, who I'm using as a crash-test dummy. :) I still need to sort out if there are shipping options, other than Parcel Post.

-- Gary
 
GGoodrum said:
I'll also provide options for some pre-made harnesses. The 1420s also come with a couple balancing adapters, for most popular RC pack brands. When I get the site updated, I'll start a thread in the "For Sale" section, which will include a way to get the discount coupon.
I found these for 179.95 w/free shipping, but I'm waiting for your "ES coupon" instead. :mrgreen: 8)

Looking forward to some news about the Hyperion ESC with the higher HV. Anything new on that, or when these HV ESC's will be available?

Thanks for all the electronics gifts you provide ES... 8)
 
Gary, thank you for your review. I have been curious about this charger since it came out. Good infos here.

I bought an iCharger 1010b+ because it would do 10s in a serial string, and i thought that was pretty cool, but the convenience stops when i want to go over 36v. 14s gives me the capability to do 51.8v nominal on my upcoming build, which i think is a pretty damn good voltage for an eBike. I think most people would generally be happy at that voltage.

I think these will be VERY popular soon. Who wants to constantly break apart parallel sections of the battery pack to balance charge? what a PITA.... for higher voltage guys, it will mean a hell of a lot less serial disconnecting.. unless you're like.. drbass or steveo :)
 
neptronix said:
Gary, thank you for your review. I have been curious about this charger since it came out. Good infos here.

I bought an iCharger 1010b+ because it would do 10s in a serial string, and i thought that was pretty cool, but the convenience stops when i want to go over 36v. 14s gives me the capability to do 51.8v nominal on my upcoming build, which i think is a pretty damn good voltage for an eBike. I think most people would generally be happy at that voltage.

I think these will be VERY popular soon. Who wants to constantly break apart parallel sections of the battery pack to balance charge? what a PITA.... for higher voltage guys, it will mean a hell of a lot less serial disconnecting.. unless you're like.. drbass or steveo :)

...AND

This 1420 can be ganged for up to 28s (14+14) with full battery charge management.

I've been waiting for a charger like this. I was looking hard at the FMA PL8. The PL8 has some advantages (more than twice the power, much higher balance current) but it is hard to match the convenience of charging without having to reconfigure the packs. I can picture myself making a mistake one time and poof!

The lower balance current of the 1420 isn't such a big deal when you consider the packs don't have to be paralleled to charge

Two of these and a 24V/60A supply would be a very nice setup. :)

BTW. In Canada, this charger can be purchased from RCFlightStore for $180CDN shipped last time I checked...
 
two of these and two 24v/30 amps supplies you mean..... so you can charge a string of up to 28s without any KFF?

I assumed an isolated supply would be required for each one?
 
hydro-one said:
two of these and two 24v/30 amps supplies you mean..... so you can charge a string of up to 28s without any KFF?

I assumed an isolated supply would be required for each one?

The instructions say to split 14+14 so isolation isn't required. I think the advantage of connecting the split pack together with the SYNCed chargers is in the coordination of balancing...
 
rscamp said:
hydro-one said:
two of these and two 24v/30 amps supplies you mean..... so you can charge a string of up to 28s without any KFF?

I assumed an isolated supply would be required for each one?

The instructions say to split 14+14 so isolation isn't required. I think the advantage of connecting the split pack together with the SYNCed chargers is in the coordination of balancing...

To do a sync charge with two 14s packs, they can't be connected in series, so something is not isolated somewhere.

I have two of these, each setup to charge 1/2 of the 24s3p setup on my bike. I leave the two 12s3p packs connected in series, on the bike. I use two S-350-24 MeanWell supplies in parallel, with each 1420i charger, so that each can max out at 550W. This basically lets me balance charge a full 100V and about 11-12A, max.

-- Gary
 
Hi,
neptronix said:
I bought an iCharger 1010b+ because it would do 10s in a serial string, and i thought that was pretty cool, but the convenience stops when i want to go over 36v. 14s gives me the capability to do 51.8v nominal on my upcoming build, which i think is a pretty damn good voltage for an eBike. I think most people would generally be happy at that voltage.

I think these will be VERY popular soon. Who wants to constantly break apart parallel sections of the battery pack to balance charge? what a PITA.... for higher voltage guys, it will mean a hell of a lot less serial disconnecting...
Luke said that the iCharger's are isolated so you can use multiple iCharger's without serial disconnecting.
 
Let me know if this is a dumb question?!?!?

If you have multible built li-po packs 6S, 10S and 14S, say a 22v system for a friction drive, a 36v hub motor drive and a 48v system for a hi powered direct RC drive

say one day you want to charge the 14S pack, you obviously need a 48v supply (meanwell SP-500-48 or similar)

but if you want to charge a 6S pack later on during the week do you need to have another power supply of 24v to do the charger to do that pack?

just sounds expensive having to buy 3 meanwell power supplies to charge the different voltage packs if you dont want to break down the different voltage packs to the same voltage and use the one charging supply system?

or am I missing something?

cheers

D
 
Hi,
damonjackson_spl said:
If you have multible built li-po packs 6S, 10S and 14S, say a 22v system for a friction drive, a 36v hub motor drive and a 48v system for a hi powered direct RC drive

say one day you want to charge the 14S pack, you obviously need a 48v supply (meanwell SP-500-48 or similar)

but if you want to charge a 6S pack later on during the week do you need to have another power supply of 24v to do the charger to do that pack?


or am I missing something?
You seem to be missing the point of this thread which is using an RC Charger (in this case the Hyperion EOS 1420i NET3 14s Charger) to charge your pack(s). You could use it (up to 14s) with one small 12v PS but that would be slower than the method Gary (two paralleled 27v PS's) is using.
 
MitchJi said:
Hi,
neptronix said:
I bought an iCharger 1010b+ because it would do 10s in a serial string, and i thought that was pretty cool, but the convenience stops when i want to go over 36v. 14s gives me the capability to do 51.8v nominal on my upcoming build, which i think is a pretty damn good voltage for an eBike. I think most people would generally be happy at that voltage.

I think these will be VERY popular soon. Who wants to constantly break apart parallel sections of the battery pack to balance charge? what a PITA.... for higher voltage guys, it will mean a hell of a lot less serial disconnecting...
Luke said that the iCharger's are isolated so you can use multiple iCharger's without serial disconnecting.

Very interesting, but i don't understand how that works at all. Care to explain?
Seems like 1 iCharger would be seeing double the voltage and that could be a problem
 
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