Brusa charger isn’t charging but should be (for standard Orion BMS)

Start with everything setup such that the charger should be charging the batteries.

Step 1. Open the BMS utility and select File -> Connect to the BMS. If you are unable to connect to the BMS, see the Troubleshooting Guide for help connecting to the BMS. If unable to communicate with the BMS only when the charger is connected or only when the charger is powered, it is possible that the baud rate of the BMS and charger are different or that the CAN wiring to the charger is causing communication problems. If this happens, ensure that CAN High and CAN Low are not backwards and that the BMS and the charger are operating at the same baud rate.

Step 2. Select the “Live Text Data” tab at the top of the screen.

Step 3. Near the bottom of the screen where it says “Selected Parameter Group”, select “Advanced Paramaters.”

Step 4. Look for the parameter called “Is-Charging” power status. This should read “1.0” or ON. If this reads “0.0”, then charge power is not applied to the BMS. Apply charge power to the BMS to correct this issue.

Step 5. Look for the parameter called “Charger-Safety Output Active”. This should read “1.0” or ON indicating that the BMS is in fact calling for charge. If this reads “0.0” or OFF, then the BMS is not allowing charge for some reason. If that is the case, proceed to step 5a and continue diagnosing until “Charger-Safety Output Active” reads “1.0” or YES; otherwise proceed to step 6.

Step 5a. At the bottom of the screen where it says “Selected Parameter Group”, select “Current.”

Step 5b. Look for the parameter called “CCL Zero Because Charge Complete”. If this says YES, it means that the BMS tried to charge the pack and stopped because a battery exceeded the maximum voltage. You can select “Restart the BMS” from the File menu and the BMS will attempt to charge again to closely watch what is happening. If the charger turns off very rapidly, it may be necessary to use the graphing screen to graph the highest cell voltage look for rapid spikes in voltage. Rapid spikes in voltage may indicate a fully charged cell, a problem with a cell (high resistance), or loose busbar / connection and may require diagnostics on the cell causing the issue.

Step 5c. Look for the parameters called “Reduced Due to Voltage Failsafe”and “Multi-Unit Comm Failsafe.” If either of these parameters read YES, the BMS is prohibiting charge due to a critical failure. Look at the “Diagnostic Trouble Codes” page for fault codes and diagnose these codes. Note that only certain codes are critical and prevent charging or discharging. Charging will be prohibited if the charge current limit (CCL) is zero amps for any reason.

Step 5d. Ensure that the profile on the BMS has been setup and that the charger safety relay has been enabled. Under the “Relays” tab, ensure that the Charger Saftey (SFTY) relay is enabled. If the profile has never been setup, run through the profile setup wizard in the utility if using a battery type in the database, otherwise, ensure that the profile has been setup manually. The BMS will not allow charging or discharging if the profile has not been setup or if the charger safety relay is not enabled. If this setting is changed, the profile must be uploaded to the BMS and the Brusa charger must be restarted for the charger to start.

Step 6. Download the current profile from the BMS to ensure proper CANBUS configuration for the Eltek charger. Switch to the “Battery Profile” tab at the top. Select “Receive Current Profile From BMS.”

Step 7. Click on the “3^rd Party Devices” tab (under the Battery Profile tab). In versions of the utility newer than 1.8, select the “CANBUS settings” tab. Ensure that there is a checkbox next to the “Current Ways / Brusa Charger” line. If this is not checked, place a check next to it, follow the instructions, and upload the updated profile to the BMS. This box can be un-checked and re-checked in order to ensure that the proper charger has been selected. This is important as selecting the wrong charger will transmit the wrong information and will likely result in the charger not operating.

Step 8. Click on the CANBUS settings tab (if you are not already there) and check to ensure that the CANBUS which the Brusa charger is connected to is operating at the correct baud rate. Please note that the BMS must be fully power cycled with all power removed after a CANBUS baud rate change has occured. It will also be necessary to power cycle the charger after a change has been made to the BMS in order to attempt to charge again.

Step 9. Ensure the maximum charging amperage is set correctly. In BMS utility versions prior to 1.8, click on the “Cell Settings” tab and look for the “Maximum Amperage While Charging” setting. Ensure that this setting is equal to or lower than the maximum possible DC amperage of the charger. In utility versions 1.8 and newer, this setting is located on the “Chare Limits” tab. The charger may enter an undefined state if this value is higher than the maximum possible amperage.

Step 10. Attempt to communicate with the charger. For this step, the CANdapter must be connected to the same CAN interface that the Brusa charger is located on. Go to the “3^rd Party Data” tab at the top of the screen. Under “Selected Third Party Device”, select the “Current Ways / Brusa Charger”

Step 11. Under “Device Parameters”, there should be some information from the Brusa charger. If all of the lines starting with “Brusa” read “Not Available”, the BMS utility running on the PC is unable to communicate with the Brusa chrager. Troubleshoot this by ensuring that the charger is powered and that the CANBUS connection to the BMS is good. CAN wires MUST be twisted pair wire and MUST be properly terminated to operate correctly. Ensure that CAN High and CAN Low wires are not reversed and that the Brusa is operating at the same CAN baud rate as the BMS. If communication still cannot be established, ensure that the charger is operating correctly and correctly configured.

Note: Brusa chargers may enter an undefined state if they are told to charge at a higher amperage than their maximum possible amperage. This will prevent them from charging. Ensure that the “Maximum Amperage While Charging” variable is set at or below the theoretical maximum possible DC amperage for the specific model of charger being used.