# Setting up a Elcon PFC 2500 Charger



## jacksdad (Apr 13, 2015)

here is how i connected it - i have the can version


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## pdove (Jan 9, 2012)

Mike K said:


> I have a new Elcon PFC2500 Charger. I am struggling to set it up. I assumed ignorantly that it was just a case of plugging it in. Does anyone have a wiring diagram? I am obviously doing something really stupid.


https://www.elconchargers.com/frequentlyasked_questions.html

These are frequently asked questions. It would be nice to know if yours is CAN or just has the enable function. 

If it's enable then the 7 pin DIN connector has to have pin 1 (enable) connecter to pin 3 (12V) or connected to the BMS through a relay so the BMS can switch it on. If can bus then it requires a message every second or it shuts off.


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## jacksdad (Apr 13, 2015)

Just a quick question on this i am planning to use the charger off board connecting the HV to the battery pack via an anderson and a fuse in the car, would it be sensible to have a second fuse on the output of the charger in case i get a short in the lead or the anderson connector or is there a fuse on the output stage within the elcon charger ??


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## pdove (Jan 9, 2012)

jacksdad said:


> Just a quick question on this i am planning to use the charger off board connecting the HV to the battery pack via an anderson and a fuse in the car, would it be sensible to have a second fuse on the output of the charger in case i get a short in the lead or the anderson connector or is there a fuse on the output stage within the elcon charger ??


There is no fuse on the output of the charger. There is a fuse on the AC input of the charger.

It doesn't hurt to have another fuse. Anderson connector are known to short out.


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## kennybobby (Aug 10, 2012)

Except for that fuse on the output soldered to the board?

both fuses, input and output, are soldered onto the board.


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## jacksdad (Apr 13, 2015)

are those resettable fuses ??


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## kennybobby (Aug 10, 2012)

Nope, single blow, one and done. There are pictures on the TCCH repair thread. These are the older style chargers, not the newer ones.


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## pdove (Jan 9, 2012)

kennybobby said:


> Except for that fuse on the output soldered to the board?
> 
> both fuses, input and output, are soldered onto the board.


Oh Yeah, I forgot the output fuse because its mounted vertically and covered in that heat shrink. I should have looked at the schematic.


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## jacksdad (Apr 13, 2015)

I have a new elcon (well a year or so now as we have been so held up with our build ) it seems to have a fuse in the case its on the same side the AC enters so im guessing its an AC fuse also realised today when setting it up its a 1.5kw charger so only 8 amps for me so gonna take a while to charge up my batteries around 20 hours I guess i will put a panel fuse 10 amps on the DC out supply before the contactor.


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## kennybobby (Aug 10, 2012)

It looks like you have the older style charger, based upon looking at the pictures on your build thread. So there will be a soldered-in fuse on the output, but it doesn't hurt to put an external one where it is easier to access. 

The output fuse is seldom found to blow, the usual failure of the Elcons is on the AC input side, bypass resistors, relay, diode bridge, low voltage power supply (ViPer) circuit. Coulomb and pdove have repaired quite a few and could provide more details of the culprits.


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## pdove (Jan 9, 2012)

jacksdad said:


> I have a new elcon (well a year or so now as we have been so held up with our build ) it seems to have a fuse in the case its on the same side the AC enters so im guessing its an AC fuse also realised today when setting it up its a 1.5kw charger so only 8 amps for me so gonna take a while to charge up my batteries around 20 hours I guess i will put a panel fuse 10 amps on the DC out supply before the contactor.


The output current is determined partially by the voltage of the output not the input.

It should be written on the charger for example TCCH-240-5

240 V DC at 5 A.

TCCH-144-8 144V 8A


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## jacksdad (Apr 13, 2015)

pdove said:


> The output current is determined partially by the voltage of the output not the input.
> 
> It should be written on the charger for example TCCH-240-5
> 
> ...



these are the labels i have :








i also have this grey plastic cover wich i assumed was a fuse but when i took it off there is just a hole so not sure what it is ?? is it a reset button ??





I want to increase the longevity of my charger I have an issue that my BMS cuts out the charge if i set to 8 amps but its fine at 7 amps am i right to assume that if i set my max current below the max rating this will help to not stress the components too much it gets warmish but not hot at this rate. I was planning to use a simple panel fuse in the outer box like this on the dc output:



with a ten amp fuse in it i have another 10 amp on the car input before the batteries.

I have to say i thought i had bought a 2.5kw charger - do people think there is a problem (apart from length of charge which i'm not worried about ) in charging 72 ah batteries at around 3-4 amps (as i have 2 of these in parallel so i assume each battery gets approx half the current) in the battery documentation it mentions ideal charge/discharge current as 23 amps would this be classified as trickle charging and be a problem i guess i could buy a second charger my bms seems happy with more than one charger i only have a max 15 A supply to the garage as its on a spur but that would support a 3KW charger or 2 x 1.5Kw chargers


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## kennybobby (Aug 10, 2012)

It looks like a pressure vent. The label indicates an IP46 enclosure, which would be a 4 rating for dust intrusion and a 6 on water resistance.

That little white label above the blue plug is too hard to read, but it has the algorithm details about how it was reprogrammed for Lithium cells vs lead-acid.

anything you can do to cool it will help extend it's life, they get hot inside and being sealed for water-resistance doesn't help. Even just a fan blowing across the fins will help.

It looks like a CAN-Buss version so you can control/limit the current to help with temperature if necessary.


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## jacksdad (Apr 13, 2015)

yes the current and voltage are all controlled from the EMUS BMS over the CAN in which i have loaded the parameters for these cells in terms of pre charge, main charge and balancing current, full charge voltage, maximum difference etc I'll keep the maximum current 10 % less than the rating and cool the fins with a fan - thanks for all your help - do u think its ok to charge lithium iron phosphate batteries at about 0.05C ??


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## kennybobby (Aug 10, 2012)

Sure they will charge at that rate, but be careful about how high you take the voltage. 

There are plenty of stories here about folks that damaged cells by overcharging. The full SOC resting OCV is 3.33 for that chemistry and i would stop before that with a 0.05C charge rate, then try driving for several days to see if you have enough range. Trying to squeeze in the last little bit at the top end is too risky to me. Allow for tolerances in manufacturing and differences that might exist amoung the cells and treat them all like the weakest cell in the chain. Keep a tight rein on them early on and you can open up later, but if they get damaged early on then it's too late there is no going back the other way.


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## jacksdad (Apr 13, 2015)

Thanks that sounds very sensible, i'm not likely to be doing any significant driving for a while as i have to pass the IVA test apart from from test drives so i'll stop now at 3.35 v this will suit me fine - is 2.5 volts a reasonable lower voltage or is that too low ??

this is a better picture of the label


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## jacksdad (Apr 13, 2015)

Although i must apologise for hijacking this thread it has been v helpful particularly the comment re charging voltages so with these and alos i have now read a few threads on battery charging theory and i think i have learned a few things:

There is little point setting the end of charge voltage to high as it looks like from 3.4 v upwards there is little Ah capacity to be gained for rapidly increasing voltage and risk of damage.

Charging at low current seems to be if anything very kind to the batteries and is not a problem if you can wait.

my plan is to set max charge voltage to about 3.4 -3.45 voltage at this level after switching off the batteries seem to settle around 3.3-3.35 v wchich is a nice safe not overcharged i think then i will see what Ah/distance this gives me after driving around etc


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