One end is for AC 110v input, so it has 3 wires. Hot, Neutral and Ground. Just cut an extension cord or old computer power cord and solder/join together.
The other end is the DC Out and just has two wires, positive and negative. Solder a connector that can plug into your battery (in this case I used an XT90).
Plug it in and measure the DC Out with a volt meter. Turn the V Adjust screw on the top (under the rubber plug) until the volt meter reads the desired voltage (50.4 for 12s charging to 4.2v per cell).
What would be the difference between the models. Someone has a clg-150-48 and they mentioned it gets hot. Is the hlg model better? Trying to get a charger for 12s
About to purchase a charger either hlg-185h-48 or hlg-240h-48. They should both work for 12s correct? Also can I charge without bms, the charger will shutoff automatically if I set it to 4.1v per cell?
Correct both will work. Both will shut off at the max voltage set on the charger. So for 4.1 at 12s set to 49.2v. Will work without bms, should work with it.
Looking at a couple places but it’s hard to figure shipping/taxes. The 185h, there’s some cheap ones on eBay. I’m thinking of even getting the 240h or 320h tho
The 185 is quite a bit lighter than the 240 and the 320 is much heavier. I was thinking I wanted portability, so I could throw it in a backpack. Ive done that a few times, but found it wasn’t as important.
I have enough range I really only charge overnight, so speed wasn’t as critical as I originally thought.
Sorry I didn’t answer this question correctly the first time.
I took a closer look at the 600w version and it’s setup different than the other versions (80-320w versions).
The 3 wires coming out of the output:
Two of them are DC output cables each with their own positive and negative. They are 14awg wires so they should be able to handle 20a each. The lower voltage chargers output a lot more amps, so maybe both are needed in parallel, but on the 48v version is only 12a so one should be enough. However, It’s unclear if this unit is essentially two power supplies in one case. If that’s true, both DC output lines need to be attached in parallel. I would recommend testing this with an amp meter to verify one line can give 12a before doing a parallel configuration.
The third wire is an RC+/RC- input and is specific for LED lights. This can be ignored and not attached to anything.
Finally, make sure to get the HLG-600H-48A model. The “A” at the end stands for adjustable. The models without the A, or with the B are either not adjustable or have dimming features that are not necessary for bulk charging.
Thanks for all the help guys! I actually just ended up going the easy route and bought the 4A charger for liek 50 bucks. I figure 3 hours to charge isn’t terrible when you have 20mi range
I a pinch I could charge an hour and still have 8 miles that quick
Ended up getting the hlg-320h-48a. It doesn’t have any leds so was wondering how do you know the charge is done? Was thinking of adding voltmeter just to know it’s on lol. It reached end voltage but seemed to stay on until I unplugged it. If I leave it plugged it say overnight it should still be okay right. Still need to try upping to the rated 6.7A
Yeah the charger is just a bulk “brute force” type of charger. It doesn’t have any intelligence for these batteries specifically. Leaving it charging overnight is no issue, it will charge to the max voltage you have the power supply set to then just sit there, slowing dropping amperage along the way until it reaches 0. It does charge the way lithium ion batteries like to be charged (CCCV).
I just feel the charger, if it’s cool I know it’s done. I’ve also calculated how long it should take to charge (~3hrs) so I know roughly when it will finish. Most of the time, however, I just leave it on overnight.
Side note, and not a big deal - If you plan is to regularly charge overnight, reduce the amperage to get longer battery cycle life (total lifetime in years). If you want to charge it quickly then max the amperage.
@jaykup i have a question i hope you can answer me.
I was looking at the data sheet for these Meanwheel chargers and i see that the depending on the model the constant current range varies.
Example:
HLG-320H-48 - CONSTANT CURRENT REGION - 24 ~ 48V
HLG-320H-54 - CONSTANT CURRENT REGION - 27 ~ 54V
So if i want to charge a 12S battery to 49.2V (4.1V per cell) with the HLG-320H-48 charger, it will only charge to 48V at CC and then switch to CV.
Shouldn’t the battery be charged all the way up to to 49.2V at CC and then switch to CV to finish charging?
These chargers are meant for full amperage at 48v. If adjusted to their max voltage of 52v, it will still perform in CC to 52v then CV mode to maintain 52v, but the output amperage won’t be as high as the rated amperage beyond 48v.
As the battery pack voltage goes beyond 48v you are going to want to/have to limit current anyway to “top off” the pack, so I didn’t see this as a major issue. The reason I went with the 48v version was that I wanted to build a second board that was 10s and use the same charger. I think if you were dedicated to 12s only (or higher for ebikes) then the 54 makes more sense.
Somewhat relevant data, though not everyone in that thread is clear on what the original question really is:
