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Old 07-09-2020, 11:19 AM   #1
jonr3
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Default RoyPow Concern / Issue

Sorry in advace for how long this post is...

In March I bought the RoyPow 105ah version and was very happy with it driving around our neighborhood that also has some hills. A couple of times while running wide open up the hills, the pack shut off, but would come back on in just a second or two if I took my foot off the pedal. No big deal - i figured I had just hit the maximum voltage output limit.

Last month we trailered our cart to the beach where we drove it 170 miles in 7 days - all on flat roads. On the last couple of days, the pack would shut down and not come back on for a few minutes - plus the positive (+) terminal was really hot. The last day it did it 2 or 3 times. When we got back home, I made sure that I had excellent connections at the terminals.

Just a couple of nights ago (back home), the pack shut down again for a few minutes even though I was not pushing it hard at all. And just a minute or two before it shut down, when coasting downhill, the regen braking shut off and my DVM said the pack was briefly reading 62 volts. Then it dropped back down to the normal 50+ volts and ran normally up until it shut down a minute or so later.

My cart is a CC Precedent with 23" tires, an Alltrax XCT500 controller, and a PQ Executioner motor. When I bought my RoyPow pack I contacted Alltrax to give me the settings I should use to best be able to protect my RoyPow pack from anything that could possible damage the pack and I programmed my controller accordingly.

I understand that the BMS has a voltage output limit and I think that is what was happening when the pack would shut down for a couple of seconds. But I don't know why it is now shutting down for minutes at a time and the + terminal being so hot. Any idea what could be causing this and why it seems to be getting more frequent?

Any advice or suggestions would be very helpful. Thanks!
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Old 07-09-2020, 12:16 PM   #2
Sergio
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Default Re: RoyPow Concern / Issue

I think it will be hard to do any troubleshooting unless you can get access to the individual modules, which I think will void the warranty.

Does it come with any apps to monitor the individual cell voltages?
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Old 07-09-2020, 01:17 PM   #3
jonr3
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Default Re: RoyPow Concern / Issue

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sergio View Post
Does it come with any apps to monitor the individual cell voltages?
No, it doesn't. It would be nice, though.
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Old 07-09-2020, 05:24 PM   #4
Bama Brad
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Default Re: RoyPow Concern / Issue

I am following this closely...keep us posted Jonr3!
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Old 07-09-2020, 07:07 PM   #5
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Default Re: RoyPow Concern / Issue

And... it just did it again tonight and I was just cruising around slowly.
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Old 07-09-2020, 07:27 PM   #6
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Default Re: RoyPow Concern / Issue

What size are your cables?
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Old 07-09-2020, 07:31 PM   #7
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Default Re: RoyPow Concern / Issue

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What size are your cables?
2 gauge
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Old 07-10-2020, 05:56 AM   #8
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Default Re: RoyPow Concern / Issue

Quote:
Originally Posted by jonr3 View Post
On the last couple of days, the pack would shut down and not come back on for a few minutes - plus the positive (+) terminal was really hot. The last day it did it 2 or 3 times. When we got back home, I made sure that I had excellent connections at the terminals.

Just a couple of nights ago (back home), the pack shut down again for a few minutes even though I was not pushing it hard at all. And just a minute or two before it shut down, when coasting downhill, the regen braking shut off and my DVM said the pack was briefly reading 62 volts. Then it dropped back down to the normal 50+ volts and ran normally up until it shut down a minute or so later.

I understand that the BMS has a voltage output limit and I think that is what was happening when the pack would shut down for a couple of seconds. But I don't know why it is now shutting down for minutes at a time and the + terminal being so hot. Any idea what could be causing this and why it seems to be getting more frequent?

Any advice or suggestions would be very helpful. Thanks!
Well I'm certainly no guru. Asking to maybe help the troubleshooting process and out of curiosity.

Exactly what it shutting down? The BMS or the Alltrax or both? You say the positive terminal is hot during these events, is there a thermal shutoff? Is the battery pack itself warm/hot?

Sergio:
Any chance the discussed issue of regen in this thread could be the problem? https://www.buggiesgonewild.com/showthread.php?t=160020
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Old 07-10-2020, 07:26 AM   #9
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Default Re: RoyPow Concern / Issue

Quote:
Originally Posted by BBBHC View Post
Well I'm certainly no guru. Asking to maybe help the troubleshooting process and out of curiosity.

Exactly what it shutting down? The BMS or the Alltrax or both? You say the positive terminal is hot during these events, is there a thermal shutoff? Is the battery pack itself warm/hot?

Sergio:
Any chance the discussed issue of regen in this thread could be the problem? https://www.buggiesgonewild.com/showthread.php?t=160020
The RoyPow battery itself shuts off - which shuts everything off. I do not know if it is equipped with a thermal shutoff and the pack is inside a sealed metal container that does not feel hot to the touch when this happens.

Scenario #1 -
Driving full throttle up a hill for 5+ seconds, the battery may shut down due (I think) to reaching its max voltage output limit. When this happens, I take my foot off the pedal and a couple of seconds later the battery comes back on and runs normally. This only happens on fairly steep hills at full throttle for an extended period of time. I have learned to back off the throttle a litte bit every few seconds when going up the hill and then there is no issue. It has been doing this since I bought the battery and is not a big deal to me.

Scenario #2 - (7 days at the beach on flat roads)
Drove the cart for about 5 days with zero issues - full throttle, 36 mph, no shut downs at all. The last couple of days at the beach, I would be driving full throttle on the same roads as before, same temperature, etc., and the battery shuts down with no warning and will not come back on for at least a few minutes. Positive terminal very hot. It did this once or twice on Day 6 and 3 or 4 times on Day 7.

Scenario #3 - (back home with some short hills)
Cruising around, doing my normal mild hills at partial throttle, going down a hill allowing the regen braking to control speed then the regen braking shuts off allowing the cart to free-wheel, the volt meter spikes and fluctuates to around 62v. The volts will work their way back down to around 51 when I come to a stop. If I use the throttle before the volts drop back down, the throttle becomes very jumpy. Once back down to 51-ish, it acts normally until a minute or two later when the battey completely shuts down and will not come back on for at least a few minutes. Positive terminal very hot.
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Old 07-10-2020, 07:48 AM   #10
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Default Re: RoyPow Concern / Issue

Jonr3, as I mentioned back in the thread when you posted that information, Alltrax suggesting using 62v for overvoltage was extremely poor advice.
https://www.buggiesgonewild.com/show...0&post=1714100
I explained my reasons in post #91 why I thought that was the case, but apparently Alltrax disagreed, so perhaps the tech fro Alltrax can explain to us:

Why it is a good idea to allow the Alltrax XCT to raise the voltage during Regen to a level that far exceeds the maximum safe cell voltage for a LiFePO4 lithium chemistry cell.

What is the downside of setting it the "Max Voltage" to a safe value?
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