Lithium conversion basics

[MDLNB]

My leaf modules arrived but I am puzzled that the positive posts are all on the same side. All the photos I have seen of the stacked modules, the modules were facing the same direction, with alternating posts, plus and negative. When I alternated mine in order to attach the shunts, I have either two module fronts facing or two module rear sides. Will this make any difference? Needless to say, they do not fit as well joined together as the ones in the photos. Apparently, the seller shipped all of one orientation type. They would be better suited for parallel connection.
I assume that if I am careful handling them and situating them in the cart, it won't matter. Since this is my first experience, I figured I would throw this out there to see if I have anything to be concerned about.

[cricketo]

Those must be Gen1 modules, as Gen2 are totally symmetrical and can be flipped around whichever way.

[MDLNB]

Originally Posted by cricketo

Those must be Gen1 modules, as Gen2 are totally symmetrical and can be flipped around whichever way.

Yes, they are Gen1 mods.

[cricketo]

Either way, you want terminals to be on the same side so you can keep the short bus bars between the modules. You probably can make some custom spacers that will allow for modules to line up, or work with the supplier to exchange some.

[Furyous]

I echo everything guys have said so far, but there are some simple truths you need to come to terms with before the conversion:

The controller and motor don’t care what the chemical makeup of the batteries are. Set it up like a lead acid cart.
The battery itself needs to be its own ecosystem, and the only connection to the standard cart is the main positive and negative.
The BMS is your best friend. Get one of the ones from Zeva. Ian and the team there are great. Get one of their systems and go maintenance free. It just works and their touchscreen is cool too.

Once you have those things in your head, get going.


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[Furyous]

By the way in my personal cart I charge to 58.8v, and have the cutoff set to 51v. Lithium does hate overcharging and undercharging but I have put almost 3,000 miles on my pack so far.


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[cricketo]

Originally Posted by Furyous

By the way in my personal cart I charge to 58.8v, and have the cutoff set to 51v. Lithium does hate overcharging and undercharging but I have put almost 3,000 miles on my pack so far.


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Is that for 14s ?

[izzybird]

Originally Posted by MDLNB

Yes, they are Gen1 mods.

If the supplier you bought from will not work with you to get the correct modules, you are going to have to get creative to make a pack. I had a picture of someone who made a pack out of leaf modules with the terminals on the same side, it wasn’t pretty but it was functional.

[MDLNB]

Originally Posted by izzybird

If the supplier you bought from will not work with you to get the correct modules, you are going to have to get creative to make a pack. I had a picture of someone who made a pack out of leaf modules with the terminals on the same side, it wasn’t pretty but it was functional.

I alternated them in order to use the short bus bars supplied. The sides with the seams are facing each other and the spacers seem to be inadequate for that setup. That puts the rounded side facing rounded side and the spacers seem to be ok with that setup. Other than the weird way they fit, I assume there is no problem facing them that way, as long as the terminals are in series and not parallel. I just mentioned it since this is new to me and I figured that if there was any problem with that way of doing it, someone on here would know. I can't do anything else now until my BMS and charger arrives. I still plan to wire the BMS for charge only and install a voltage monitor so that I don't allow the pack voltage to drop to the danger point. I just don't like surprises and do not want to be stranded if the BMS shuts the cart down with low voltage. I don't really trust the idea of "cheap" BMS's but this is all an experiment for me and if it works out I will upgrade to higher quality parts. I have about a year before my wife's Yamaha will need new batteries and if the lithium thing works out, I want to do the same for her. Although, she has a regenerative system and I will have to figure out how that will need to be configured. Right now, her cart is slower than a snail in January, so if I can cut down on the weight maybe hers will go a bit faster. She says she doesn't care about fast, but if I have to drive it, I want to get where I am going in the same day.

[izzybird]

Originally Posted by MDLNB

I alternated them in order to use the short bus bars supplied. The sides with the seams are facing each other and the spacers seem to be inadequate for that setup. That puts the rounded side facing rounded side and the spacers seem to be ok with that setup. Other than the weird way they fit, I assume there is no problem facing them that way, as long as the terminals are in series and not parallel. I just mentioned it since this is new to me and I figured that if there was any problem with that way of doing it, someone on here would know. I can't do anything else now until my BMS and charger arrives. I still plan to wire the BMS for charge only and install a voltage monitor so that I don't allow the pack voltage to drop to the danger point. I just don't like surprises and do not want to be stranded if the BMS shuts the cart down with low voltage. I don't really trust the idea of "cheap" BMS's but this is all an experiment for me and if it works out I will upgrade to higher quality parts. I have about a year before my wife's Yamaha will need new batteries and if the lithium thing works out, I want to do the same for her. Although, she has a regenerative system and I will have to figure out how that will need to be configured. Right now, her cart is slower than a snail in January, so if I can cut down on the weight maybe hers will go a bit faster. She says she doesn't care about fast, but if I have to drive it, I want to get where I am going in the same day.

As far as I know..
Those modules need a certain amount of compression and only fit together correctly one way, you could certainly build some custom setup to achieve this I guess.