Balmar MC-614-H Alternator Regulator question

[TML100]

Hi Maine Sail,

I have a second alternator on my rig dedicated to supplying current to a 4P4S 400 Ah Lithium Battery. I use HousePower BMS with HVC/LVC Protection established. I have the MC-614 controlling the alternator, but am not yet cutting power for HVC events via a link to the HPBMS.

I already have my MC-614 manually switched using the Brown Ignition wire so I can completely turn the regulator, thus my Second Alternator, off. Would cutting power using the HPBMS work with this wire, instead of the Red B+ power wire? In an HVC event I am not going to want the Regulator starting out where it left off anyway, which is what happens when you cut power with the B+ Red Wire. Using the Brown Ignition wire resets the Regulator.

Thanks much.

Tim

[Singleprop]

Originally Posted by Maine Sail

You cut the red B+ power wire to the MC-614. DO NOT cut the blue field wire or red volt sense wire. Cutting the blue field wire can damage the regulator. Use the NC side of a headlight relay (70A or so is fine) to break the MC-614 B+ via the HPBMS HVC port..... On HVC the HPBMS will power open the relay shutting off power to the MC-614 and thus killing the alt field...

Program your regulator for a max of 13.8V - 14.0V....

http://www.balmar.net/PDF/2011-MC-624-manual.pdf

Here is the MC-624 manual, see page 3, which number wire should be cut: 1,2 or 4.....

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by Singleprop

http://www.balmar.net/PDF/2011-MC-624-manual.pdf

Here is the MC-624 manual, see page 3, which number wire should be cut: 1,2 or 4.....

For an HVC event you cut #2, the red power wire in the Ford plug..

[georgec]

I emailed Balmar about this last month. They said you should cut the brown ignition wire. From their response: "The reason you want to interrupt the ignition is that when you turn it back on the regulator goes through its soft ramp up vs full field".

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by georgec

I emailed Balmar about this last month. They said you should cut the brown ignition wire. From their response: "The reason you want to interrupt the ignition is that when you turn it back on the regulator goes through its soft ramp up vs full field".

And Balmar is wrong on this and for a few month period gave out poor info regarding this question. My info comes directly from the electrical engineer who physically designed the MC-614.. If you call again Tom will likely now have the story straight. I called Tom on this and had him contact the engineer and he came back saying "yep red not brown"... Problem is I dug into this with Balmar nearly three years ago and in the meantime they have been sold and a some of the folks have left.

You can use brown but the guy who physically designed this regulator prefers to see the red cut for HVC.. BTW if you cut red the reg still boots though normal procedures and does not immediately full field.

[TML100]

Hi Everyone

Thought I would relate what I decided to do about cutting power to my Balmar MC-614. To recap...my equipment is a 12 volt nominal 4P4S 400 Ah Lithium Battery made up of 16 100 Ah 3.2 volt prismatic cells manufactured by Sinopoly. I use CleanPowerAuto LLC's HousePower BMS Control Board with four Mini BMS Boards on the Battery. I have a 270 Ah Second Alternator dedicated to charging this battery..doesn't do anything else...the MC-614 regulates this alternator.

I have the HPBMS Control board wired to a EV200 Contactor that isolates the entire battery to Protect it from an over voltage condition when any individual cell reaches a High Voltage level of 3.65 volts. The issue was the need to kill the Alternator so it wouldn't be damaged when a Protection event occurs and isolates the battery.

The HPBMS Control Board also has a circuit on it which can be used to cut power to a charging source. This circuit is activated at 3.6 volts. Important to note that this is a second "Warning Level" circuit...referred to as the HVC circuit by CleanPower.

After a lot of back and forth with CleanPower, Balmar and Main Sail I learned that the HVC warning circuit is "always" activated at least 50 seconds before the Protection circuit. So even if there is rapid charging into a dangerous high voltage situation there will be 50 seconds between when the HVC Warning Circuit is activated, shutting down the Alternator, and when the Protection Circuit isolates the battery.

The speed with which the alternator stops producing power depends on, as we have been discussing, whether the HVC Circuit is cutting power to the Brown Ignition wire or the Red B+ wire or even the Blue Field Wire.

In my set-up, with Protection separately enabled at 3.65 volts, I am comfortable cutting power to the MC-614's Brown Ignition wire at 3.6 volts. To do this you have to be comfortable that your battery will not be damaged during the milli-seconds it takes for a normal Brown Ignition Wire shutdown. I was because of the 50 seconds between that event and when the battery would be isolated at 3.65 volts or 14.6 volts.

I do this because my Battery Manufacturer specifications speak to 3.65 / 14.6 volts as the maximum voltage. So cutting alternator charging at 3.6 works for me...and I can use the Brown Wire without a problem. FYI, I have the MC-614 Charge setting at a maximum of 14.0 volts / 3.5 per cell based on Maine Sails advice and experience.

After going through all of this I came to the realization that some folks might be only wiring the HVC Circuit and not the Battery Protection Circuit. In that case, you are making the judgement that 3.6 volts is the absolute maximum voltage you want on your battery and you want to cut any charging immediately. Thus wiring the HVC Circuit into the Red B+ makes sense. In discussing with CleanPower and others I am comfortable that my threshold for damage is 3.65, so I can take the Brown Ignition wire route, which shuts down the regulator / alternator in the same manner as when I turn the engine off.

Hope this helps.

Tim

FYI, because I had several exchanges with CleanPowerAuto and Balmar I wrote up what I learned including how to test the HVC Circuit. Can't attach it here because of restrictions this forum has in place. But, I'll send it to anyone who sends me a PM with your e-mail.