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V11 only charging to 80%


EUC Forest

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I am having similar issues with my V11...I get 'please repair' message and "battery" indicator switched on sometimes after I press the no-spin button. Then when I turn off and on it works fine again. But charging seems to stop at 80% or so (I still get all the bars but app reports 80%. Not sure what to do, will try charging all night. I don't have your skills Mantraguy nor the patience to attempt a risky diy repair.

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9 minutes ago, Fntmsgotwaymten3 said:

I am having similar issues with my V11...I get 'please repair' message and "battery" indicator switched on sometimes after I press the no-spin button. Then when I turn off and on it works fine again. But charging seems to stop at 80% or so (I still get all the bars but app reports 80%. 

Seems you should follow the 'please repair' message and replace the battery. Most likely you have a dead cell group.

There's a small chance just the charger is misadjusted. So you should first measure the charger no load voltage.

12 minutes ago, Fntmsgotwaymten3 said:

Not sure what to do, will try charging all night.

Should be useless and maybe even dangerous. One should not charge li ion unattended especially once they are behaving odd.

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Thanks @Chriull, indeed, the warning sound is loud and clear! I have tried another charger, same issue, not really charging at all. I can connect the wheel and it goes to 100% battery when the charger is connected, but then goes down to 50% when disconnected.

Edited by Fntmsgotwaymten3
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8 minutes ago, Fntmsgotwaymten3 said:

Thanks Chriull, indeed, the warning sound is loud and clear! I have tried another charger, same issue, not really charging at all. I can connect the wheel and it goes to 100% battery when the charger is connected, but then goes down to 50% when disconnected.

The charge % values are just computed by the wheel from the battery voltage and as it seems in your way wrong.

Some of your packs cells beeing dead are so weak that the packs voltage  gets pulled by the charger to "100% voltage" easily but beeing dead they cannot take any noticable charge.

Remote diagnosis is not easy and error prone, but this seems to be likely from the symptoms you describe.

Ps.: 

 

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If the BMS would let a pack with dead cells charge to full voltage it would overcharge the remaining cells. It stops at 80% because the BMS charge cutoff circuit still works (or because the charger is bad).

If the charger doesn't show a green light at 80% I believe is because the bms is pulling a small current trying to balance dead cells to no avail = their internal discharge exceeds the bms' balancing capacity. Once cells go below 2.5v they should never be recharged as they risk becoming fire hazards = the bms shouldn't (if designed/working properly) attempt to balance cells below 2.5v. So in a sense one theory is: green light = bad, red light = possibility to save pack by manually charge groups approaching 2.5v, OR faulty bms.

If refurbishing battery packs wouldn't have so many legal issues attached, it wouldn't be hard to find a local battery repair service done affordably by someone in a basement somewhere. They would have so much business it's crazy.

Edited by alcatraz
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1 hour ago, alcatraz said:

If refurbishing battery packs wouldn't have so many legal issues attached, it wouldn't be hard to find a local battery repair service done affordably by someone in a basement somewhere. They would have so much business it's crazy.

I completely agree. There's a huge business opportunity there, given the price of replacement battery packs and the likelihood that most cells in a 'bad' pack are probably completely fine.

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7 hours ago, alcatraz said:

If the BMS would let a pack with dead cells charge to full voltage it would overcharge the remaining cells. It stops at 80% because the BMS charge cutoff circuit still works (or because the charger is bad).

If the charger doesn't show a green light at 80% I believe is because the bms is pulling a small current trying to balance dead cells to no avail = their internal discharge exceeds the bms' balancing capacity. Once cells go below 2.5v they should never be recharged as they risk becoming fire hazards = the bms shouldn't (if designed/working properly) attempt to balance cells below 2.5v. So in a sense one theory is: green light = bad, red light = possibility to save pack by manually charge groups approaching 2.5v, OR faulty bms.

Thanks for your input. The charger stays green all the time (even though I see the % going up in the app before falling when disconnected).

 

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10 hours ago, Fntmsgotwaymten3 said:

I can connect the wheel and it goes to 100% battery when the charger is connected, but then goes down to 50% when disconnected.

 

6 minutes ago, Fntmsgotwaymten3 said:

The charger stays green all the time (even though I see the % going up in the app before falling when disconnected).

If these two reports of you correspond the battery pack should be "very dead"!?

As written before - charge % shown in the app are only showing "real" values some settlinf time after charging/discharging.

Afair your case with 50% without real charging current (green led) and without bms charge cut off (battery voltage pulled up to show 100%) is some "seldom" reported battery problem here?!

Do not really see how this works together with your first report:

11 hours ago, Fntmsgotwaymten3 said:

But charging seems to stop at 80% or so (I still get all the bars but app reports 80%.

But whatever bms/cell problem - this pack is not save to use anymore, and as 

11 hours ago, Fntmsgotwaymten3 said:

I don't have your skills Mantraguy nor the patience to attempt a risky diy repair

a new battery is your only option!

Btw: As V11 are "quite new" this could still be within warranty?

I'd assume you should not have enough charge cycles for this degradation beeing "normal aging"?!

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After checking in the app, I can see that Battery 2 has "work status: error", while Battery 1 is ok but only 73V (so not charging well?)

I think Battery 2 died progressively and is now quite dead (the 80% I mentionned was probably after disconnecting and it was still reporting some non existent juice before falling to 50%).

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29 minutes ago, Fntmsgotwaymten3 said:

After checking in the app, I can see that Battery 2 has "work status: error", while Battery 1 is ok but only 73V (so not charging well?)

I think Battery 2 died progressively and is now quite dead (the 80% I mentionned was probably after disconnecting and it was still reporting some non existent juice before falling to 50%).

+1. Seems so. And Battery 2 most probably hinders Battery 1 to charge fully! One could test if battery 1 charges normally without battery 2 - if this is possible with the V11.

Just tried to put "battery not fully charging - what to do" points together in

Would be pleased to get some feedback. Especially from affected users.

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  • 1 month later...

Update one month later: I got a few quick emails from Inmotion service, they said a spare battery was ready for me, then no more news, no more update, they just ghost me...(same for my seller Chicway, always happy to sell me new wheels though.)

Very disappointing, Inmotion enjoys a good quality and service reputation but I am now sitting on a 2000USD brick after just 300kms.

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12 minutes ago, fntms_slowdown said:

same for my seller Chicway, always happy to sell me new wheels though.)

Very disappointing, Inmotion enjoys a good quality and service reputation but I am now sitting on a 2000USD brick after just 300kms.

That's the unfortionate thing of buying via aliexpress - it's just some rudimentary consumer protection. :(

Normal national consumer protection/warranties only work with "local" resellers. (Plus online resellers who can be prosecuted by local juristiction...)

And inmotion as manufacturer is not involved in this deal - everything they'd provide to you is a gift.

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Yes it runs on one pack, but I'm not sure it's entirely safe.

The way the problem is reported by the wheel is strangely fluctuating, now I can charge again (just one pack) and the wheel reports all packs OK, but that is not the case obviously, which doesn't exactly scream "all safe"!

Telegram thread suggested it's a BMS problem, but that doesn't seem right. There are other users there reporting charging/battery issues, so it might be a design issue (there is no balacing I understand?)

Chichway says they are in touch with Inmotion, again... I was quoted 510€ for one pack by a seller in Lithuania (and 900€ by another, here in France!) so if nothing happens I will just have to bite the bullet and order one. I don't see myself doing DIY on a battery, too risky and I just don't have the skills or tools...as was mentionned in another thread: battery service is a big area for developpment!

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  • 1 month later...

I pulled my v11 wheel apart to do a puncture repair,
the main boards is very tight with the cables,
its very easy to crush the cables that come in from the batteries causing errors,
when i first re assembled my unit a cable was crushed. and would report error,
I was very careful at screwing down the top main board to not crush the cables and all errors went away. Its tight and they do get crushed.
its always in the back of my mind that i have a slightly damaged cable now.
I do not like the V11 design for how you have to pull apart the board assemblies to remove the tire. considering a cable mod for this.

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14 hours ago, Julianjc84 said:

I pulled my v11 wheel apart to do a puncture repair,
the main boards is very tight with the cables,
its very easy to crush the cables that come in from the batteries causing errors,
when i first re assembled my unit a cable was crushed. and would report error,
I was very careful at screwing down the top main board to not crush the cables and all errors went away. Its tight and they do get crushed.
its always in the back of my mind that i have a slightly damaged cable now.
I do not like the V11 design for how you have to pull apart the board assemblies to remove the tire. considering a cable mod for this.

This could be a GEM of wisdom. If you can at least check without voiding warranty, not much to lose. Just use the right tools and be gentle! I have a diff brand of wheel that showed a bms code ONCE and I didnt know wtf it was. Its never done it since and I've already inspected it since. I hate hearing this. Battery trouble with lackluster cutomer support is a hefty gamble to wager. Fwiw, that single code just once, gnaws at my brain each ride and probably always will. At least until something else happens.

Edited by ShanesPlanet
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I finally got a replacement battery from Inmotion and it works...however the other original battery now only charges to 73v...:facepalm:

I agree the cable setup is dodgy, one of the larger red cables from the faulty battery even has some exposed cable from a bad pinch! that can't be good but easy to fix (electric tape). Will post a pic.

I was thinking about opening the battery pack and checking if I can spot the faulty 18650s, but then they would have to be unsoldered and replaced/soldered, which looks like a dicey job for a non expert?

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Don't open the battery packs. If you have to ask (as I also would have to), its a safe assumption that we won't do any good and merely expose ourselves to danger. I GUESS if i had no other option, I may open a pack. But hell, even if I did find something, would I even know how to fix? I doubt they are low temp solder and probably some kind of tack weld. Id definitely open it in a fire safe area and make sure I had some good lovins the night before. Have you tried fully charging the packs seperately? From what I gather, you need to disconnect one pack and fully charge, then do the other same way. Something about packs if being too far apart in voltage, could lead to bad imbalance and possible overcharge of the 'fuller' pack. RTV then electrical tape, is my goto for remaking wire sheathing. I've also ued RTV then covered in shrink tubing for the ultimate in custom sheathing. Tape alone works, but can loosen over time and with heat. If you rtv and let dry, THEN cover in tape, youll have a solid insulator with much better longevity than tape alone. If it aint 3m super33+ tape, you're doing yourself a disservice.  Theres a reason its expensive. Keep us posted for sure. I'm always a little concerned about my batteries, as I see them as a non-repairable and perishable items. Of COURSE they are damn expensive too.

Edited by ShanesPlanet
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2 hours ago, fntms_slowdown said:

I was thinking about opening the battery pack and checking if I can spot the faulty 18650s, but then they would have to be unsoldered and replaced/soldered, which looks like a dicey job for a non expert?

They are not soldered but welded. @ShanesPlanet's advice is right - don't touch this thing without enough experience. Too much danger involved to the loved ones or whomever nearby to mess around.

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