BMS Calibration

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So as we move farther away from the 2015 DOM of the Solo Battery I'm getting serious about battery alternatives.

I scored a pair of Gensace Tattu 4S1P 5200mAh 35C packs in their recent flash sale for $56 delivered.

I extracted the BMS using Gluebuster and attached the XT-60 and JST pigtail and connected my Tattu pack.

Using a HiTec hobby charger I set up a 1.0A trickle discharge with a 12v cut off. After a 5hr rest I read 0% charge and 0mAh.

I connect the drained pack to the Solo charger.

QUESTION-
At this point in the process do I charge to cutoff (Green lite on charger) OR do I do as done with the Battery Calibration charge for 48 hrs?

There have been several discussions regarding the feasibility of using one BMS that has been calibrated to a specific pack and having the ability to disconnect a spent pack after a flight and reconnect a same spec battery that has been balanced charged on a hobby charger (not through the BMS). In essence leaving the BMS attached to the Solo and swapping just the battery.

Is there any merit to this possibility?

Finally, is there any consequence to the BMS calibration when substituting the 5200/35C with the OEM 10C battery?

Thanks!
 
None of the above. Just fully charge the new battery with your normal LiPo charger so it is fully charged and balanced. Hook it up to the BMS and turn the BMS on. While the BMS is on, unplug the battery and balance leads from it, then plug them back in. When you unplug the battery and balance leads from the BMS while the BMS is powered on, the BMS is reset to default settings (full at 5200mah) and clears all voltage information from the old packs. Then just begin using it like usual.
 
I think this guidance is some of the very best I have gotten from any Group or Forum on any subject and trust me this dummy (as you are well aware) has asked for more than his share of guidance.

Thank you!

So using this guidance following this proceedure there is merit to the one BMS for all your hobby charged batteries regardless of their specifications? If so, a redesigned (hinged) battery case makes sense.

Over at the DW Group we have recently added a Gensace employee to our membership. The aforementioned battery was discontinued. It's currently sold out. We set up a write in campaign which (to my surprise) resulted in them promising to run a fresh batch in April. Even better news is with a 200 MQO they will offset the top cell so it fits in the battery case.

There are several members in the Group enguaged in perfecting the battery mod and almost as many proceedures on how to do it. I will bring this excellent and expert advice to the Group.
 
I think this guidance is some of the very best I have gotten from any Group or Forum on any subject and trust me this dummy (as you are well aware) has asked for more than his share of guidance.

Thank you!

So using this guidance following this proceedure there is merit to the one BMS for all your hobby charged batteries regardless of their specifications? If so, a redesigned (hinged) battery case makes sense.

Over at the DW Group we have recently added a Gensace employee to our membership. The aforementioned battery was discontinued. It's currently sold out. We set up a write in campaign which (to my surprise) resulted in them promising to run a fresh batch in April. Even better news is with a 200 MQO they will offset the top cell so it fits in the battery case.

There are several members in the Group enguaged in perfecting the battery mod and almost as many proceedures on how to do it. I will bring this excellent and expert advice to the Group.

Well, the Solo's BMS is still hard coded to a design capacity of 5200mah. And there is no means by which you can change that. So if you were to put say 6000mah cells on the BMS, it is not going to work properly. In these cases, it may be best to write a new driver in ArduPilot that will ignore MAH capacity, MAH remaining, and percent remaining. You would have to go by only time and volts, which is really not a huge deal and that's RC aviation was done for decades anyway.

The smart battery industry doesn't build these things with user modification and changes in mind. That's on purpose because they're consumer products that the consumer is supposed to not screw up. They're designed to be used as designed, then thrown away when exhausted. So life is not easy for the tinkerers.
 
Roger on a larger capacity battery. There has been ample discussion regarding using a larger capacity as well has higher C rated battery. At the end if the day, especially considering the complexity of accommodating the higher capacity pack to communicate with the PH or onboard computer and the power to weight relstionship it really doesn't add any appreciable flight time.

It is my understanding that there is no harm in using the 35C pack and many have offered it is to an advantage to do so.

From your good guidance using the 35C oover the 10C battery has no impact on moving the BMS over as to described.

My batteries arrive soon and I can't wait to put all of this to practice!
 
A higher C-Rating will dissipate heat better and probably last longer if treated properly. But a higher C rating comes with higher weight to dissipate that heat. So as long as you're taking that weight into consideration, you're fine.
 
Over at the DW Group we have recently added a Gensace employee to our membership. The aforementioned battery was discontinued. It's currently sold out. We set up a write in campaign which (to my surprise) resulted in them promising to run a fresh batch in April. Even better news is with a 200 MQO they will offset the top cell so it fits in the battery case.

There are several members in the Group enguaged in perfecting the battery mod and almost as many proceedures on how to do it. I will bring this excellent and expert advice to the Group.

Ok, you all are going to think I’m pretty stupid.... but what is the “DW group” ?
 
I probably shouldn't reply to this but seeins no one jumped in......It's a Facebook Group. Started by Drone Worship (Daniel Sampson) as an alternative to the what I affectionately dubbed the Big Group. It's started out a little rough around the edges but more recently has been growing by leaps and bounds. The Group is up to 423 Members which is 100+ more than just a few weeks ago. Thankfully we have attracted some very knowledgeable folks including a CSR from Genace Tattu. There are several of us doing battery mods but there remains a lot of confusion which is why I reached out here and was very gratified Matt took some of his very valuable time to provide his good guidance especially considering all the work going on the Arducopter side. You are more than welcome to check out the Group. Search "Drone Worship 3DR Solo Owners Group"
 
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Oh, the liar's group. It's great that there is a group with good people doing good things. So my comment is not to reflect on the membership. Just understand the person who started and runs that group is probably lying about most things. He's lied to my face among many others he's lied to. With the lies in writing, black and white. And he does so with a totally straight face, often playing a victim of something or someone to distract from it. It's very intentional and reminds me of a sociopath's behavior. So just be careful with him. He is not at all trustworthy.
 
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I hear you Matt! We aren't ALL liars. There really are some of us doing some decent work, or at least trying to. In my case, I moved over there with little choice. Truth be known I was a charter member, one of the first 50 or so and soon quit when he posted his personal vendetta on the Group's Cover Photo. To this day I have no clue what that was all about nor do I have any interest in finding out. I came back at the request of one of the Mods I am very close to but only if the original cover was restored, which it was. Soon after that is when I found myself on the outside looking in the Group I have come to really enjoy and benefit from for almost 2-1/2 years. I take full responsibility for what happened and hold absolutely no animosity to the Admin staff. On the contrary I highly respect them as an incredibly knowledgeable and dedicated bunch of folks. I miss my interaction with many in the Group so I continue the best I can with some personal interaction and things are good. My guess is that there are far more folks that were happy to see me gone than the other way around. I love all three of my Solos. One is really tricked out with retracts (thanks to your amazing work) and fitted with that 360 made for Solo Kodak rig. One is a GC/HERE machine and one is in the box, one of those Solo/Gimbal refurbs that came out of the recent 3DR Flash sale. Never flew anything else nor plan to. I got lots of spare parts and feel very confident that parts will be always be available. I look forward to the promised new pack but feel good that the battery mod will back us up in the meantime.

THANK YOU for all the time you invested in 3.7!!! You and your Team are absolutely amazing. I will most likely need help getting it set up but know it's out there when I need it!
 
So as we move farther away from the 2015 DOM of the Solo Battery I'm getting serious about battery alternatives.

I scored a pair of Gensace Tattu 4S1P 5200mAh 35C packs in their recent flash sale for $56 delivered.

I extracted the BMS using Gluebuster and attached the XT-60 and JST pigtail and connected my Tattu pack.

Using a HiTec hobby charger I set up a 1.0A trickle discharge with a 12v cut off. After a 5hr rest I read 0% charge and 0mAh.

I connect the drained pack to the Solo charger.

QUESTION-
At this point in the process do I charge to cutoff (Green lite on charger) OR do I do as done with the Battery Calibration charge for 48 hrs?

There have been several discussions regarding the feasibility of using one BMS that has been calibrated to a specific pack and having the ability to disconnect a spent pack after a flight and reconnect a same spec battery that has been balanced charged on a hobby charger (not through the BMS). In essence leaving the BMS attached to the Solo and swapping just the battery.

Is there any merit to this possibility?

Finally, is there any consequence to the BMS calibration when substituting the 5200/35C with the OEM 10C battery?

Thanks!
Is there video on how to use this glue buster to get pack apart?
Tim
 
Is there video on how to use this glue buster to get pack apart?
Tim
This is one of many. A very recent revelation is to apply the glue buster very sparingly and immediately begin to separating the case and as you do so wipe the seam with a damp rag to stop the chemical reaction that both dissolves the glue and the plastic case halves. Using the damp rag in the process will allow you to salvage the case if you plan to reuse it.
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I probably shouldn't reply to this but seeins no one jumped in......It's a Facebook Group. Started by Drone Worship (Daniel Sampson) as an alternative to the what I affectionately dubbed the Big Group. It's started out a little rough around the edges but more recently has been growing by leaps and bounds. The Group is up to 423 Members which is 100+ more than just a few weeks ago. Thankfully we have attracted some very knowledgeable folks including a CSR from Genace Tattu. There are several of us doing battery mods but there remains a lot of confusion which is why I reached out here and was very gratified Matt took some of his very valuable time to provide his good guidance especially considering all the work going on the Arducopter side. You are more than welcome to check out the Group. Search "Drone Worship 3DR Solo Owners Group"
Note: Group renamed to JB's Solo users group.
 

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