454 How to Build an Solar Battery Charger for eBike / Electric Bicycle
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День томуToday I will show you a project with several aspects. Even if you do not need to charge batteries with voltages of 35 volts and above using a solar panel, you will find learnings for your projects. Or you enjoy that not only you encounter some difficulties in your projects.
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@AjinkyaMahajan Рік тому
9:38 "This is the hard life of an engineer" Hit me straight. Sometime failure gives you practical experience then satisfaction!! Thanks for a great tutorial.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
My pleasure!
@benjaminrich9396 Рік тому
Brilliant video. Technically interesting and articulate as always. The way you show the process of your setbacks and how you overcame them is really helpful. The way you present the wife/wife's sister problems as if they're engineering requirements to satisfy is hilarious. I especially love the symbols, especially when you added the wife's sister's partner. :)
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
I thought, the family situation was too complex to understand without a picture ;-)
@sail4life Рік тому
@@AndreasSpiess Ha, just waituntil the wife's sister's husband tells his brothers, wife's daughter what you did!
@daveys Рік тому
I’ve heard you say “Grüezi UKpostsrs” so many times but this was the first time I’ve caught it on the subtitles and found out that it meant “Hello”. I hope your customers found out just how much effort that took to solve! Well done!
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Indeed, Grüezi means "Hello" in Swiss German... From time-to-time I am also asked about it in the comments.
@daveys Рік тому
@@AndreasSpiess - I thought it was “Gritty UKpostsrs” until now! I considered it as a term of endearment. :-)
@benjaminkieper568 Рік тому
wie wichtig eine Gute Story hinter einem sonst eher trockenen Projekt ist. Ohne die Story hätte ich das video nicht zuende geschaut. 👍
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Da hast du recht: Die Story ist sehr wichtig auf UKposts. Nicht immer einfach bei meinem Stoff ;-)
@Rpol_404 Рік тому
Nice timing Andreas as I’m just now starting my own DIY pseudo portable solar system. The steps you went through sounds like a typical engineering epic journey, where the problems you had to solve along the way are typical for solar and wind projects. Thanks for the video!
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
My pleasure! and good luck with your project.
@McTroyd Рік тому
Things like this have happened to me enough times that I've developed a suspicion of "easy" projects. 😅 If I can't think of a solution off the top of my head, the answer becomes, "Maybe. Let me look into it." Not a fool-proof solution, but it's saved a lot of my hair from being torn out.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
A wise answer, I think!
@mistermagnifico Рік тому
I loved the flow of the video, gentle voice over and genuine findings
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Thank you for your kind words!
@DumahBrazorf Рік тому
You can really feel the pain...
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
And hopefully, also the relief when it worked ;-)
@edvardfranke 11 місяців тому
But the problem is that the pressure comes from inside All other people can live with the state that we are failed… Only for us it’s painful…
@akronyme Рік тому
Exactly what I needed... I'm actually in somewhat same position, stuck with the buck-converter. Thank you very much for your help in my problem ;)
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
I hope it will work in your situation, too!
@zyghom Рік тому
at this moment 8:08 I would simply give 5V Zener diode on 42V output to get 5V low current trigger to the battery - let me see the rest of the video to see what you did
@zyghom Рік тому
OK, I saw till the end and I am not sure why you did not think about "my" way ;-)
@sheggy012 Рік тому
Smart Idea. Would made the Design a lot simpler.
@Ruudrad Рік тому
Exactly my idea as well, if the current will not be to high, so you can stabilize with a relatively high resistor and Zener diode. However…. It is probably used to feed the charger controller in the bike, so that current must be measured and taken into account.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
You are absolutely right. But I started with the buck converter and was focussed too much to step back when I encountered the "insulation" issue.
@gendragongfly Рік тому
Nice video, very relatable. I also often start out with a project thinking it's not so hard. So I promise someone that I'll create a solution for them, and then things start to go wrong. And because they don't want to know the technical details, they start to assume I'm not as skilled or smart as I think I am. Usually when I finally manage to finish the project, I set the record straight by explaining in laymen's terms what went wrong. And after a couple of years I usually get happy comments that the solution I designed is still working great ☺️
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
The result is what counts! If the "customers" are happy in the end, i think, we can forget a lot of pain.
@katiekumcgil 11 місяців тому
thats one of the best boost converters ,was originally designed in colaboration with ebikes CA,Grintech
@SkyhawkSteve Рік тому
A few decades ago, I got to design a MPPT for satellites. This was an analog design, with a little digital, so it was an interesting project. The basic problem of staying on the right side of the max power point can be tricky, especially when that point is moving around!
@ffoska Рік тому
That sounds interesting. Can you share some insights, how does the analog circuit work?
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
I agree. Today, with digital and cheap sensors, maybe it is a bit easier. Particularly if the sunlight fluctuates fast.
@SkyhawkSteve Рік тому
@@ffoska The essense of the MPPT circuit was that the output current command to the buck converter was dithered with a small square wave. This produced a similar ripple on the voltage and current from the solar array. These were multiplied together (with a multiplier circuit) to produce a power signal. As you increased the value of the output current command (by means of an integrator), the power ripple would decrease. In fact, the power ripple was the input to the integrator. As you got closer to the peak power point, the ripple decreased, causing the integrator to gradually approach the peak power point. A small bias was applied to the integrator to keep it from crossing to the other side of the peak power point, which would cause the solar array to collapse. That's the 30 second explanation. 🙂
@jacobclark89 3 місяці тому
Wow that's amazing, what battery chemistry do they use ?
@SkyhawkSteve 3 місяці тому
@@jacobclark89 This was for satellites, and nicads were the only proven chemistry at that time. The battery packs were big and heavy... big enough to be a safety risk when the satellite came back down.
@klassichd10 Рік тому
Thank you! For my model year 2010 26V Panasonic drive I use third pary batteries with XLR charging connector. So, a small Victron MPPT and a popular RD DC DC converter did the trick. Was not the cheapest solution but worked straight forward. An the RD DC-DC converter is also usable in my lab. I charge my Ebike to 96% only. This doubles the lifetime.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
I had such RD converters in my hands! But unfortunately, all ended at around 36V. Otherwise, they would have been a perfect solution with the displays and the current limiter built-in. I assume the Victron is a good solution. But they start at around 100 dollars if I remember right...
@klassichd10 Рік тому
@@AndreasSpiess yes, you are right. As I wrote: Not the cheapest solution but straight forward. At that time I budgeted it to emergency provisions. Ebike charging was just a nice "bycatch".
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
@@klassichd10 Bycatch in this respect is always welcome ;-)
@deibitrubi Рік тому
Awesome project. I enjoyed watching how you finally succeeded.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
:-)
@lukehome Рік тому
As always a very informative video, thanks. Your storytelling about „the way to a happy sister in law“ put a smile on my face 😊
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
My pleasure!
@deangreenhough3479 Рік тому
Great project Andreas and with some interesting hurdles to get over. I had ever faith in you 🙂
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Thank you, Dean!
@dennyfox3139 Рік тому
Quite a story Andreas, persistence pays off!
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Indeed. But here I had no other possibility ;-)
@Tore_Lund Рік тому
Yes not an easy feat. I theory voltage multipliers are simple in design to be efficient, but you both have to incorporate both charging and panel current limit to make it work reliably in all conditions. Thank you for this video. I'm currently trying to get 37V solar into 240V DC charging and my first two approaches turned out to get strange oscillations.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Power supplies and oscillations are partners. They often come together :-( I wish you luck!
@JasonDurrett Рік тому
Wow, I felt your pain Andreas! My smaller project recently involved a small multi-purpose auxiliary battery that had to be rugged and functional for charging not only in the vehicle 12 volt system from the alternator, but also direct plug when I can use a solar panel. It was an interesting adventure but far easier than yours, I'm impressed. Great job friend!
@JasonDurrett Рік тому
It consisted of 4 Headway 38120 LiFePo4's and a cheap BMS from Heltec. It's perfect for my job as a SCADA technician.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
I am glad you found your solution. Always a good thing!
@coolchop Рік тому
This video is very helpful. I walked the exact same way. But give up after testing the cheap PWM Solar Converter. I think I will give it another try now.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Good luck! I hope it will work.
@johankotze42 Рік тому
Very informative and told in a very humorous way!
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Thank you!
@codemakeshare Рік тому
My first thought was also "that shouldn't be too hard!" as I have in fact built the same setup for our e-bike batteries, also with a 100W panel, and using a $40 MPPT charger from Ali. It's been working really well for a year now, just missing some monitoring in Homeassistant maybe one day. But your video nicely highlights unexpected pitfalls, and cascading complexities rippling through. I built my own batteries, so I have the easy-to-buy connectors already, and my batteries don't need the 5V enable pin. Easy! But in your case, the need for sourcing 5V sounds easy, and then comes back with more complications even when everything else is solved. I've had exactly the same problems in other projects, where something seemingly simple comes back to haunt you over and over again, and you just can't escape the complexity trap... nice illustration of the life of an engineer, very true.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
I assume your battery voltage was lower than the voltage of the panel. Monitoring in HA would be nice. I just built a 7kWh battery with a Daly BMS. It has an UART output and I found a ESP8266 project to connect to this connector. The output are MQTT Messages...
@AerialWaviator Рік тому
Stories and projects with happy endings are the best ones.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
I agree!
@sofronio. 11 місяців тому
I love all of your engineer and husband jokes! Better than any comedy.
@AndreasSpiess 11 місяців тому
Thank you!
@avibank Рік тому
Interesting. TeachingTech just did a video explaining how he created his own custom connector for an obscure terminal with pins and 3D printing ("Making an unavailable, proprietary USB cable with 3D printing"). I suppose if it's used on a daily basis, it would have to be really well designed which means lots of iterations. So maybe it would have taken the same time and cost(?) as buying it. But you may have to do it one day when the supplier goes out of business or no longer makes the connector :P Let me know what you think of that video if you get a chance to watch it. As for your video - brilliant as always and thank you for sharing!
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
I agree, 3D printers are marvellous devices to print spare parts. But here, I also needed very special contacts. That made the thing more complex, I think.
@lua-nya Рік тому
Also it's difficult to get it as sturdy and smooth with 3D printing.
@GoatZilla Рік тому
@@AndreasSpiess Depends on if you needed to make the male side or the female side of the pins. If you only need to make the male side of the connector, you'd be surprised what you can actually get away with. I've retrofitted some connectors using things like old 2mm RC plugs and machined pins glued into a 3d printed plug replacement. Actually I had one sitting right here and realized... I actually made the female side of the plug using 2mm RC female contacts heh.
@Prostatafocal Рік тому
Excelent video! Not only informative but also funny
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Thank you!
@rollandmaro8958 Рік тому
I like this kind of teaching. I am going through something similar by the way.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Thank you!
@wherami Рік тому
good video to show all of the complications in this work. its excellent knowledge
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Thank you!
@JDSchuitemaker Рік тому
Love the way of how you picturized the concept of a sister in law
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
:-) Thank you!
@superdau Рік тому
The double DC-DC converters are a bit of an overkill, aren't they? ;) Since it's really just an on/off signal, it's very likely that anything from 3-5V would trigger charging on the battery. A simple 10:1 resistor divider on the battery voltage should be enough. That divider should even easily fit into the connector that goes to the battery.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Others suggested a Zener diode instead of the second resistor. I agree, these would be simpler solutions!
@Doping1234 Рік тому
Great timing, I had a similar project idea in mind - now I will wait a bit to tell my wife about it ;)
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
So you will be better prepared than me ;-)
@jyunnheikusada7003 Рік тому
I had a project last year to harvest the sun light from my apartment windows. I also used a MPPT controller. My battery is reused from my scooter which can nolonger starts the engine well but fine for the solar controller. Any power exceed the tiny scooter battery I charge it to battery banks through the USB ports on the controller. Since my panels can only get indirect sunlight and stay vertical behind the windows. I get about 20Wh a day each window with 120W panel. But there are some benefits other than the power generated. The room get a bit cooler. I think the energy that the solar panels converted were used to heat up the room.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
I think you are right that the power converted to electricity cannot heat your room. But maybe also some energy is reflected by your panel.
@yonaguska2050 Рік тому
Nothing like a project for a family member to spark the creative juices and determination to get it right.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Indeed, a good goal is important for projects!
@pfb3264 Рік тому
‘This should be easy ..I’m smart ‘ …😂😂 Can so relate . So many little ‘gotchas’ in the video Had so many laughs .. thanks 😊 I charge my ebike via a used solar panel with PWM controller charging a crate of used SLA batts(~24v28ah) to a boost converter set at 42v . Has been working for 5+ years
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Also a good idea!
@gustersongusterson4120 Рік тому
I suppose one could throw efficiency out the window and charge with AC and oversize the array. Not very portable, but I have seen bikes that pull trailers :) Great work finding a more sensible solution!
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
The size of the panel is also important because she lives in a rented apartment. Bigger panels need some discussions...
@xDR1TeK Рік тому
Good engineer Andreas. You figured out the right responsibility for the right roles. Hope your wife's sister's husband is happy about the chance to prove his usefulness. 😂😂😂 Mother in law would be pleased. Not so easy to please her. Good job. However, the mechanic might not be inviting you for beers anytime soon.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
We will see if I have to drink my beers alone in the future ;-)
@inlywang8157 11 місяців тому
Hello Andreas, I am really touched by you, I found that you answer every commnent, you are so nice, really beat majority of UKpostsrs. 😃
@AndreasSpiess 11 місяців тому
Yes, I try to answer all comments because people take their time to write them...
@inlywang8157 11 місяців тому
@@AndreasSpiess 💯👍👍
@Nebulorum Рік тому
Eletronics and life advise. Loved it.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Thank you!
@simosagimain Рік тому
Nice video Andreas, thanks! It's always nice when a technical video explains the whole process, including little setbacks. Couple of questions: 1) How did you find the connector, did you get any hint anywhere about its make? 2) Does the 5V line draw any significant power or is it just a polarization? In the latter case a simple linear voltage regulator fed with the 42V (or even a 5V Zener?) could have been enough?
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
1. The brand was printed on the charger's plug. The rest was Google 2. I did not measure the current. But you are right, most probably, a Zener diode would be a much simpler solution.
@simosagimain Рік тому
@@AndreasSpiess 1. You were lucky (or the brand is very proud of their connector 😀 )
@georgedone7997 Рік тому
@@simosagimain I am asumming the 5V line is not simply a signal line but some sort of power supply to a microcontroller chip built into battery pack which controls and monitors the battery. I still do not think it draws a sigbificant amount of power but might have some situations when it locks itself out when powered from the 42V converter since the converter only works when the battery is prezent and the battery is not detected as prezent unless it receives that 5V supply. I would be interested to know how long it takes to the battery to accept charging after it receives 5V. If it is (almost) instantaneous then is just a signal if it takes 5-10 seconds or more is a microcontroller powered by 5V line which takes a little time to boot and become operational.
@wjn777 Рік тому
Great video, lots of laughs at your jokes and happy to know you also sometimes struggle with promises. Thanks for sharing
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
My pleasure!
@lua-nya Рік тому
That's a nifty MPPT! Thanks for the video and the link.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
You are welcome!
@Badg0r Рік тому
What a good video! Thank you for a new type of learning video.
@AndreasSpiess 11 місяців тому
Glad you liked it!
@bahaajobs 9 місяців тому
loved the story behind the video 🥰
@AndreasSpiess 9 місяців тому
Thank you!!
@MyKharli 11 місяців тому
Your brave , i went for fairly inefficient but off the shelf panel with battery and inverter and use the recommended or equivalent battery charger .
@AndreasSpiess 11 місяців тому
Another good idea (with probably a slightly higher price tag). But very versatile.
@stepheneyles2198 11 місяців тому
Thank you for this! Having just purchased an E-bike 'conversion kit' for my ride I'm thinking about a portable solar charger so my battery can be refilled while I have a rest/picnic mid-ride! (Edit: removed bit about lower voltage - my charger is 42 Volts as well!) The family problems brought home the things us 'tinkerers' have to face - "why is it taking so long?" "Why don't you just buy one instead of making it yourself?" etc.!
@AndreasSpiess 11 місяців тому
We all have two batteries for long trips. Solar is not a solution for that problem in my opinion. To big for what you get in a short time.
@PATRIK67KALLBACK Рік тому
I loved the comment about your wife's sister's housband of his usability as a mechanic. Now you can tell him that there's a whole youtube community that can remind him 😊
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
:-))
@tinker7722 Рік тому
Very usefull, thank you for sharing your Know-how!😊
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Glad you liked it!
@leonleon1809 11 місяців тому
Awesome project. Especially nowadays when you have to save energy. This could be also a project to be rebuild by the community in several different variations (smaller/larger solar panel). One could describe the project more in detail and others can then rebuild it. 😊
@AndreasSpiess 11 місяців тому
Good idea. Go for it!
@wktodd Рік тому
You inspired me to look at my kalkhoff bike charger and battery - Nothing as simple as a 5v pin - The two have a simple conversation before the charger is enabled !
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Bad luck! So you need a logic analyzer and some hacking. I assume, the conversation always is the same and can be created by an ATTiny.
@wktodd Рік тому
@@AndreasSpiess actually not that bad , I should have stressed the simple: 3v pulses from charger on to sense line , trigger battery to enable a 2.5s battery level on V+ (so charger can determine battery state) , then charger responds with 6v on sense for 2.5 seconds and then starts the controlled current charging . I was hoping to make a 12/24v charger but now I think an inverter might be the easiest option.
@georgedone7997 Рік тому
Very nice, interesting video. You could say "I accepted the challenge not because it was easy but because I tought it would be easy"
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
I agree.
@PropellerSteve Рік тому
Thanks for sharing.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
You are welcome!
@LarryKapp1 Рік тому
I think most of the bike chargers go from constant current to constant voltage ( at a low current) at the end so the bms can top balance the cells in the battery by shunting current around the high cells to let the low cells come up. At least that is how my bike battery charger worked, but it was a LiFePo4 battery - maybe your sisters is a lion type - if so better not to charge it too close to a building because those kind of batteries are more prone to catch on fire if something goes wrong with charger.
@solwidotnl Рік тому
These bike batteries contain Li-ion cells (18650 or 21700). All major bike brands have a decent battery protection circuit. The charger in the video is CV and current will decrease when the battery voltage gets near the setpoint. Still I would recommend to charge up till 41V and then switch off the charger until the voltage drops below 40 V or so. This way you can skip the last part of the charging which is slow and causes wear on the cells. Balancing occurs very rarely, as the cells are so well matched nowadays. It would be enough to fully charge the bike a few times per year using the factory charger.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
During charging, the voltage is given by the battery pack because the current of the solar panel is smaller than the current of the original charger. And because I set the maximum voltage of the charger to 42 volts, the current drops the closer it comes to 42V. So I assume the battery is ok with what it gets from solar.
@mcconkeyb Рік тому
Yup, battery charging with solar panels is no joke. I've been thinking of a battery maintainer for my automobile but haven't found the time to do it yet. I'm sure it will be even more complex than your story here, as I'm also thinking of adding a temperature controller (winter days in Canada can get as cold as -40C and that really changes how batteries charge and discharge). 😃
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
So you have a project for the dark days next winter!
@qzorn4440 9 місяців тому
Wow, this sounds like some of the stuff that I get into. The old saying "All you have to do." 🤣 Then run for the hills. 😎 Thank you for the very interesting project. LTspice is nice.
@AndreasSpiess 9 місяців тому
You are welcome!
@angryalliance4958 Рік тому
Truly enjoyed this video !
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Thank you!
@electrobob Рік тому
This sounds so easy if you had direct access to the battery. A solar panel of the right voltage is already a current limited source, so all you would need is a voltage regulator (MPP, LDO or DC/DC) to regulate the output to the full battery level. The BMS will take care of the balancing of the cells.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
The battery has a built-in BMS. The problem is to get a relatively small panel with 42 V MPP...
@phester28 Рік тому
Cn3722 boards or similar range on aliexpress are closer to mppt than the pwm controllers you tried early in the video, I have one working in my shed for a few years and modified them with potentiometers to have control of finish voltage. Also an aside if anyone tries to copy for a different applications. You can not float charge lithium batteries. So when the current draw of the batteries drops to a low level the charger should stop. A BMS may provide a disconnect but that is usually a over charge condition 4.25V/cell and is already doing damage to the cells.
@AndreasSpiess 11 місяців тому
I am not sure if you would not encounter the issues I encountered with the PWM charge controller because of my special situation.
@JensHeuschkel Рік тому
My inital thought would be to take a current limiter boost converter and replace the trim resistor with a digital resistor. Then, adding a arduino to measure the open loop solar voltage, adjust the the digital resistor to match limit the current to a good point and close the loop to start charging. Opening and closing the loop can be done by a cheap relais and should be done every now and then. Think that schould work with the stuff you have in your lab from the journey ;)
@ivekuukkeli2156 Рік тому
Yes, the right solution. Current mode stepup converters have been aviable for more then 40 years. Output current limited by Arduino program. Switching current is quite high so a parallel pair of fets is needed.
@JensHeuschkel Рік тому
@@ivekuukkeli2156 parallel to the already existing fets? Can't he just pick a higher rated converter to be safe?
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
I agree. I also thought about it. But the "digital resistors" I used so far were for 5V. And these power supplies usually use much higher voltages. This is why I also considered to use a servo and a potentiometer... In the end, I was happy I did not have to go this way.
@JensHeuschkel Рік тому
@@AndreasSpiess maybe you could come away with a voltage devider and a transistor as "high voltage digital resistor". Woth a try (or a video?) ;)
@superdau Рік тому
Trying to "control" the trim resistor may seem like the "logical" way, but IMHO way more complicated than it needs to be (you need the right digital pot and an µC to set it depending on ADC measurements). The much simpler way is to "mess" with the feedback voltage, which pretty much all buck/boost converters expect on their pins for voltage and/or current control. You will have a voltage divider feeding that pin with one of the resistors being a pot in adjustable converters. I've used various methods on different converters to make them self "adjusting". Like: Pulling the pin just a bit higher (through a transistor and resistor), makes the converter think the output voltage is too high and essentially switch off. This can be use as a simple on/off for example. Shaping the feedback voltage with an opamp for whatever you need (I've turned a few voltage control only converters into current control converters that way). Even using smoothed PWM works well on some converters.
@katiekumcgil 11 місяців тому
you are right though ,i tried a pwm controller i already had and it continuosly had up and voltages which would drop out the boost converter unless allways had direct sun,the mttp starts up as soon as i gets decent daylight
@joeltimajo7979 5 місяців тому
I love your story here. 😍
@AndreasSpiess 5 місяців тому
Thank you! 😊
@Alan_UK Рік тому
Perseverance pays off! Congratulations on getting it working. I bought one of those PWM blue controllers to charge a 12V lead acid car battery from a 20w Mono Solar Panel but in the winter with low temperatures it is not enough to start the car if it has not been used for a week. The alarm system is taking energy. On another topic. Have you found a way to control an electric hot water heater from excess solar? I have built a energy monitor. When there is > 1kW of spare energy it switches on the heater (1kW element). It measure the excess solar every 4 mins but I'm "chasing the sun". I would like to heat the element when there is less than 1kW of spare energy. So presumably the voltage need to be varied. But I have yet to find such a controller. Maybe I do not know the right words to search with.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
AFAIK they use standard "dimmers" to reduce the power of the resistive heaters if connected to your home grid (AC side). For regulation, you can use the smart meter (or a shelly at the same position if you cannot access the smart meter). Always when it starts to "sell" energy, you switch the heater on till it stops "selling".
@edwardcdg 11 місяців тому
Well done!
@AndreasSpiess 11 місяців тому
Thank you!
@hssnov 11 місяців тому
I almost cried, thankfully it was a happy ending. By the way this project is not easy you need a microcontroller and a control system to design it. I have a couple of my friends working PhD on this, while i am working on control systems design 🙂.
@AndreasSpiess 11 місяців тому
So good luck with your project!
@PatrickFelstead Рік тому
Andreas is branching out into comedy - thanks for the entertainment! And I'm glad you solved your technical issues too :)
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Glad you liked the video!
@taoufikbadri6959 11 місяців тому
Good job ! Thanks
@AndreasSpiess 11 місяців тому
My pleasure!
@xylopyrographer9664 Рік тому
Well done!👏
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Thank you!
@jescojakob6534 11 місяців тому
Deine Videos sind einfach nur großartig. Technisch sowieso, aber auch der Unterhaltungswert ist extrem hoch- ganz großes Kino quasi ;-) Danke dafür!
@AndreasSpiess 11 місяців тому
Danke für deine netten Worte!
@obsoquasi Рік тому
We live in Zurich and wanted to charge our two Flyers as well with solar energy. Since neither of us has an electrical engineering degree, we went the easy route. 2 x 100W Panel (on garden shed) -> Ecoflow River Pro Battery (720Wh) -> A/C output port -> Flyer battery charger -> Flyer(s). It's very easy to build and except for the battery quite cheap. Next part of the project: Protecting the battery from cold weather. We are moving the battery inside the house (near the circuit box) and connect it to that part of the house grid that feeds the power outlet in the garden shed where we charge the bikes - with a switch in the circuit box that lets us choose between grid power and battery power. In this phase we'll also add a third panel since they are so cheap. Now, sure I would have LOVED a direct charge solution like yours, but 18 months ago, nobody was able to provide a solution. I even wrote to Flyer, that this would be an awesome opportunity for them to create a eco-friendly solar charge system exclusive to their bikes. I really wonder why nobody jumped on that train yet...
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Indeed, your solution is easier to build. And can be used for many other situations, too. But, as you mention: The price is very high because of the built-in battery. Here we invested this money into a second bike battery which is used during longer trips. So we can charge one and use the second one in normal situations. 18 months ago, I also did not know how to build it. Maybe a startup uses the idea ;-)
@keithw32123 Рік тому
Very interesting and funny. Thank you for making this.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
My pleasure!
@DarrenDignam Рік тому
Happy wife, happy Life! Gruezi from Basel!
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
I agree!
@Whereswally606 Рік тому
Got two of theses elejoys a few years back after a review by justin le elmoire of the grin cyclery in canada. Going to use them in my env200 van conversion to add a tertiary battery voltage of 40v (i already have lots of mower batteries that power my ebikes) and this hopefully with allow me to cheaply implement a leisure battery that can be topped up by the solar where as it is technically much more difficult to charge the 400v bev battery directly from the solar.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
At least here, it works. So it should work also for you...
@Whereswally606 Рік тому
@@AndreasSpiess yep already did a yt vid on it a while ago. Works but the batteries i have are not designed to be charger on anything but their charger so i wonder whether like your wifes sister's if there is a simple 5 volt enable signal.
@sandrosachser Рік тому
The real name of this channel is "GREAT ANDREAS"!!! Regards from Brazil
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
:-) Thank you!
@dkronst Рік тому
Great video. Loved it.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Thank you!
@tonyh6309 Рік тому
'Danger Will Robinson!!!' Those cheap isolated DC-DC converters are typically unregulated and require a minimum load of 10 to 20%, otherwise the output voltage could be *double*, or more, the rated voltage. A RECOM part I tested had the output voltage go beserk when the input voltage dropped significantly below (around 20%) the minimum input voltage (coupled with a less than minimum specified load) - so be careful if the load is voltage sensitive. Especially check out startup/shutdown conditions when normal input voltage doesn't apply.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Good information. Thank you! I saw that they do not provide a stable voltage and moved with the input. But my input was stable. So was the output. Anyway, others suggested to use a simple Zener diode instead and connect it to the 42V. Maybe I will go this direction...
@tanishqbhaiji103 Рік тому
An easy solution would be to buy 2*24v 50W panels in series and using a common MPPT buck regulator.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
I agree. This would also be a solution if you do not have an MPPT boost converter.
@sharongadonniex1465 8 місяців тому
Thanks!
@AndreasSpiess 8 місяців тому
Thank you for your support!
@iceberg789 Рік тому
once i made an opamp-mosfet arrangement to control the battery charging current, such that panel voltage stays at 17v. this 17v was bucked to 13v or 4.15v for lead acid/ lipo charging. not the best, but worked well.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Good solution. My "Kicad" solution probably would also would have started with a similar design.
@iceberg789 Рік тому
@@AndreasSpiess ☺
@threeMetreJim Рік тому
This is similar to how the TI BQ24650 works. Might be worth looking into one of those if the input voltage is under 30v. The device data sheet mentions that it is the simplest form of MPPT tracking.
@anonhollmuller4032 Рік тому
Thank you! dank da sche. The mppt converter is verry useable for my Project. Best regards, griaß di rechd freindli.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Glad my "find" fits your project!
@AL6S00740 Рік тому
amazing :D So rule never promise before evaluating the deal properly :D and the difficulties of the project at hand :D
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
I agree!
@whereserik Рік тому
You have so many good videos, but this is my favorite
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Thank you!
@AR-Gaming-dl7dm Рік тому
You are an inspiration
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Thank you!
@ralphj4012 Рік тому
Well done for surmounting all those challenges. Could you have also used a portable power station (connected the panel to the power station to charge the internal battery and used the mains output to power the original bike charger)? Not a cheap option, I know.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Yes, this would have been the most expensive solution. In-between would have been to use a microinverter and feed the power into the home grid.
@INGHUSSAMKAMEL Рік тому
Thanks for this cool video 👍
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
My pleasure!
@clixium Рік тому
Great mptt charger, I'll look it up but why not just use $5 step up converter? Ebike battery has overcharge protection so there should be no issues. I'm charging my 52V ebike from 12V battery that gets its power from solar ocasionally, it served me well for past 2 years.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
I thought I mentioned why a standard booster did not work in my case...
@clixium Рік тому
@@AndreasSpiess sorry, I always follow your videos from start to finish, I somehow missed that
@pepethefrog7193 Рік тому
There is a $8 40A boost converter with "input low voltage protection" on ali which does the same job. Set "low volt prot" to solar MPP volt. $12 shipping.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
I am a bit skeptical with boost converters. Unfortunately, the MPP voltage is not constant (as I showed in the video).
@pepethefrog7193 Рік тому
@@AndreasSpiess MPP is mainly influenced by temperature, not so much by intensity. If you aim at MPP minus 5% you on the safe side.
@test40323 Рік тому
Fun story. Thank you!
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
You are welcome!
@tasmedic Рік тому
If I'd taken a year to achieve this, I think I would have found my belongings outside on the lawn after the first couple of weeks! You have a very patient wife, Andreas. And, she must love you very much to make all those excuses to her sister!
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
I know I am lucky with her ;-)
@bm830810 Рік тому
I loved the story :)
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
:-)
@eugenegoldenau485 Рік тому
Usefull, interesting and ... funny! Thank you!!!!!
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
You are welcome!
@GoatZilla Рік тому
I essentially do this with my 10s lithium ion Ryobi packs when I'm out in the field. There is a $7 DC-DC boost converter that lets you set the max output voltage, max output current, and the input voltage threshold. If it falls below that threshold, it throttles. Basically it's like a really poor man's MPPT. $7 and done. On the Ryobi side, I just used their charger but substituted the DC-DC boost in place of their wall wart.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Seems to be a good solution. I was not so happy with my DC-DC converter because I had to constantly adjust the minimal current to the actual sun not to lose a lot of power.
@GoatZilla Рік тому
@@AndreasSpiess Yes, I had that exact same one as well and noticed the same thing. That's why I switched to a model that had the input voltage threshold. Set the current limit to the max the battery can handle, and set the input voltage threshold near the solar panel's Vmpp and for $7, it was close enough.
@havocking9224 11 місяців тому
This is interesting video, great job!
@AndreasSpiess 11 місяців тому
Thank you!
@florinpandele5205 Рік тому
Very interesting. Just that I would have considered bypassing the connectors with my own or completely replace them. Sure, that means you will loose the warranty, but what do you think the bike manufacturer will do if he finds your video.. Next idea: an adapter for the electric car chargers :D.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
I assume she wants to charge the battery also in winter with the original charger. So I did not want to replace the connector. And of course, the whole thing has to be rain-tight in our climate ;-)
@florinpandele5205 Рік тому
@@AndreasSpiess Well the original charger can be also modified.. but, it is a choice. I have Chinese e-bike and that one has a removable battery, so I can leave it outside and take the battery inside for charging(and keeping it out of the cold & thieves). That is because all the weather protection it has for its barrel connector hole is a rubber plug. Anyway, I hope you did not spent so that much on that connector...even if it is probably worth the family confort I suppose :D. All the best!
@cmuller1441 Рік тому
Just buy small PV modules doing 5v peak power and 6v unloaded. Put 7 in series and that's it. For faster charge, add more of these in parallel. Then directly connect that to the battery. If you have more than 42v with no load, you may want to add N pn diodes in series to drop N*0.6v. For the connector: just cut the original charger cable and insert your own cheap one male+female set.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
I agree, your solution would work. For me, it would shift the problem from electronics to mechanics (building a stable and waterproof solar panel consisting of many cells) which is not good ;-) I do not think diodes are needed because the solar panels adjust their voltage automatically as I showed in the video. If this voltage is close to the MPP you are good to go (maybe the case for 8x6V panels with an MPP between 5 and 6V)
@johnmccormick2883 Рік тому
Interesting… but the biggest takeaway is twofold: a) your persistence & b) your ability to find a part that you bought long time ago in your workshop. Two things that I struggle with … 73’s
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Not only you! Also here, motivation is needed for persistence ;-)
@Plutoid-mz1ty 10 місяців тому
Grüezi. Great video. I plan do build something similar for my Bosch and Shimano batteries. I already bought the boost MPPT controller and have 18V and 41V panels to play with. Li-ion batteries need a special charger that uses CC and then CV when they reach 42V in the case of a 10s battery. 1. Where is this happening in your setup? 2. Is there a termination charge when the current reaches 1/10C? Do you have to use a relay on a timer to stop the charge? Or just relay on the battery to stop the charge? 3. Assuming that the panel would be 500W or more instead of 100W, how would the current be limited such as not to trip the battery's BMS? The controller does not seem to have a current limiter. 4. You wrote several times in the comments that if the panel has a sufficiently high voltage you can charge the battery without a controller. I have a 400W Vmp=41V Imp=9.8A but I think that connecting it to the battery without some form of current limiter would destroy the battery or trip de BMS. What do you think?
@AndreasSpiess 10 місяців тому
I just emulated my charger that supplies a constant voltage. The rest is done by the BMS inside the battery. This might be different in your case. You have to do your measurements. Constant current is no problem with small panels as they never reach any currents the batteries support. If you have a big panel, again check the currents to see if it is limited by the BMS.
@mikejones-vd3fg Рік тому
Great stuff, I had the idea of a solar powered ebike and have roughly calculated it would need too much panel to do it. One that could go continuously anyway. The flexible ones give some hope becaue of their weight reduction could allow you to carry enough panel on a trailer, which you then could spread out to charge in a reasonable amount of time and continue on your journey.(like a youtuber has done with a van) But considering id want a 42v 200ah bttery (to get about 8 hours of driving on a 350w motor)for this type of vehicle id need 1000w of panel to charge that battery 10 hours, so even 1000w of panel would take approx 2 days to fully charge a battery that gives 8 hours of driving. Not terrrible ratio, but not good either, and thast with 1000w of pannel loaded and not to mention a big battery. Which actually brings that driving range down to less then 8 hours. This is the kind of challenges solar vehicles deal with, However some have done it, and treat the journey like sailing - you can only go when theres wind, so theres lots of down time and slow travel but doable in that sense to travel the country, by solar, solar land sailing if you will.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
Mobility consumes a lot of energy! A lot of people are astonished to see that their car consumes much more electrical energy that their home ;-) I think, a mobile panel is only for very specials situations because the numbers you mention in your post.
@gosdeCarrer Рік тому
You could consider recovering energy on the descens with a dynamo or something. It would add more weight but improve the ratio drive/charge time.
@scienceoftheuniverse9155 Рік тому
Thank you so much indeed for such a great effort. What's the power of the panel?
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
100W
@Milkybar3320011 Рік тому
DIY = don’t involve yourself! Love this video
@AndreasSpiess 11 місяців тому
Thank you!
@gustavoenriquejimenez8098 Рік тому
You know you are an authentic maker when you buy parts just in case.
@AndreasSpiess Рік тому
:-))
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