Powacycle: new charger or new battery?

[plebas]

I'm looking for some advice, please, as my wife's Powacycle has now started not to charge after a good 5 years' use. I believe it has been charging only intermittently recently, but now it definitely does not work.

When I plug in the charger to the battery, the green light on the charger remains green, instead of going red, as it should, to indicate that it is charging. I have measured the voltage from the charger with a voltmeter, and it is definitely zero. However, I have also measured the voltage on the input terminals to the battery (the output is still producing a voltage, as the battery is still half full, or so), expecting a voltage (like my own lead acid battery Powabyke does), but this too has zero volts. I have taken apart both the charger box and the battery box and there is no sign of blackened terminals or boards, and the connecting cables conduct perfectly well. So should I buy a new charger or a new battery? Or should I just try to fix the battery, if it is just a blown fuse, for example.

My inclination, of course, is to buy a new charger, as it is much cheaper (though not cheap!) And I suppose I could explain the zero volts on the battery as the result of some sort of diode at the input to the LiPo battery electronics, preventing any reverse flow of current. However, I have read in several places, especially on this forum, that many people have replaced chargers only to find that it does not solve the problem of a non-charging battery.

Ideas would be most gratefully received!

Thanks,

Philip

 

[pdarnett]

For a few pence worth of fuse, try the fuse first, the powabykes share the same fuse for the input and output, Halfords sell the fuses in the car dept. Sounds like the fuse if its zero volts.

EDIT sorry I'm a moron, didn't read it was a lipo, just saw Powabyke and thought SLA. Still could be a fuse though!

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Set your meter to volts DC. You should be able to read a voltage on the charger of 42v for a 36v battery and 29v for a 24v one. If you can't get that voltage, then you need to check the charger fuse, not the battery one.

 

[trex]

I'm looking for some advice, please, as my wife's Powacycle has now started not to charge after a good 5 years' use. I believe it has been charging only intermittently recently, but now it definitely does not work.

When I plug in the charger to the battery, the green light on the charger remains green, instead of going red, as it should, to indicate that it is charging. I have measured the voltage from the charger with a voltmeter, and it is definitely zero. However, I have also measured the voltage on the input terminals to the battery (the output is still producing a voltage, as the battery is still half full, or so), expecting a voltage (like my own lead acid battery Powabyke does), but this too has zero volts. I have taken apart both the charger box and the battery box and there is no sign of blackened terminals or boards, and the connecting cables conduct perfectly well. So should I buy a new charger or a new battery? Or should I just try to fix the battery, if it is just a blown fuse, for example.

My inclination, of course, is to buy a new charger, as it is much cheaper (though not cheap!) And I suppose I could explain the zero volts on the battery as the result of some sort of diode at the input to the LiPo battery electronics, preventing any reverse flow of current. However, I have read in several places, especially on this forum, that many people have replaced chargers only to find that it does not solve the problem of a non-charging battery.

Ideas would be most gratefully received!

Thanks,

Philip

Another way to diagnose the fault:
open the case, locate the balance wire connector.
Check the voltage between the two outside wires, you should read 24V if you have 24V battery, 37V if you have a 36V battery. These two wires are connected to the - termnal and the + terminal of your battery pack.
Then plug in the charger and measure the voltage between the battery - and the plus side of the charging port.
You should read 26V+ or 42V. If you don't then suspect the charger.
If you do, then you need to check between one wire of the balance wire to the next. They are wired to individual cells. If each and everyone step is equal and within 3.3V - 3.7V then it's the charging circuit on the BMS, otherwise, you have dead/damaged cell(s) in your pack.

 

[plebas]

Thanks for the suggestions so far.
pdarnett/d8veh: the output voltage of the charger does seem to be zero. So it does seem to be a charger problem, although not a blown (input) fuse, because the green LED is still working.
trex: I'll certainly try your suggestion, which sounds a good idea, and report back
Philip

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Some chargers have an output fuse as well. Sometimes they're fixed to the PCB inside, and I think the aluminium chargers have one hidden on the outside near where the mains comes in.

 

[plebas]

Well done and thanks, people! Your replies really helped. It turned out that the 5A input fuse to the battery had blown. I replaced it with a 10A fuse (as I don't have the right one at the moment - I'll have to get one) and the battery is now charging fine. I found the balance wire connector and tested it. Sure enough, the voltage goes up steadily in 3.6V steps. So I'm convinced the battery is OK.

Of course, it begs the question WHY the fuse blew. However, I think the connector is rather loose, as I had to waggle it quite a bit to get the charger to start charging consistently (at first you could hear it clicking on and off repeatedly, suggesting a poor connection.) I'll have to buy a new connector. It may be causing current surges.

Do any of you happen to know what the connector is called for a Powacycle LiPo battery? It has 5 chunky pins and is about a cm across.

Thanks again,

Philip

 

[plebas]

Ah, answered my own question: the connector is a GX20-5 !
Thanks for reading.
Philip

 

[plebas]

No, my mistake. The connector is a GX12-5 !
Philip

 

[pdarnett]

Yay it was a fuse. I win!!!