Jacob's Ladder said:
On the diode for short circuit protection. I found a better trick for this specific case, you can use a P-channel MOSFET as a one way switch that has far forward resistance and voltage drop. It won't prevent short circuits in all cases but for a charge port it might work.
Keep in mind P-channels generally have much higher resistance than N-channels, and they also still have a body diode that will pass current the other way, so a single FET won't prevent a backflow. It also uses up power, and creates heat.
There is a circuit called "ideal diode" that uses multiple FETs and some other parts to make a switch, though. This also uses up power, etc.
There are also some FET-based precharge circuits you can find here on ES and elsewhere, but again, they use up power and create heat.
The advantage to the FET-based circuits over a simple diode is that there is less voltage drop that you have to compensate for (by raising the charger voltage). But they do still all have disadvantages, too.
Also I realized that most BMS have short circuit connection but I doubt it's best practices to rely on that for protection.
The same is true of other FET-based protections--when FETs fail, they usually fail shorted, so then they aren't any protection against current flow.
(except under extreme failure conditions, where they explode into bits).
So I'll do some research on some alternative connectors that would work better.
There are a number around that have pins so far recessed inside that they would have to be deliberately shorted, but generally these are larger and can be more expensive (as they are less common). I don't recall the names, but if you start up a chat on Mouser or Digikey's sales support page, you can ask what connectors they have that meet this need.
My only concerns is the current limit, it has some headroom but I wonder if it's enough, the lack of an external switch and some more details on the short circuit protection.
Could'nt say if it'll be a good option or not, but if you look up Dnmun's posts, he has helped people figure out how to install a switch to enable or disable a BMS. He doesn't post anymore, but his existing stuff should help you find the spot on your BMS to do it.
As for the current limit, keep in mind the FETs do create heat, so the closer you run the BMS to it's design limit, the more of that there will be concentrated in a smaller area. You can heatsink it, ensure it has airflow, etc., to mitigate or prevent heat problems.