2016 | Lithionics Battery LLC | SOCV6 REV0
PRE-RELEASE
8
Min SOC
– Minimal State Of Charge. This percentage value sets the “Empty Fuel Tank” level, so the
driver can go by a Fuel Gauge reading and not completely deplete the battery, to preserve its lifecycles.
For example, if this value is set to 20%, then Fuel Gauge will report 0% when SoC is still at 20%. If
you desire to use your battery to its full capacity and/or want the Fuel Gauge to reflect true SoC, then
set this value to zero.
In addition, when LVC is set to 1, this setting will turn battery off at the programmed SOC%.
Example: Min SOC is set to 20% with LVC=1, during discharge when SOC% = 20% the battery will
automatically turn off when it reaches 20% SOC OR 3.0V/cell, whichever comes first. This allows a
“reserve” of energy to be saved when desire. By pressing the RESET button for 1 second the battery will
turn back on and allow further discharge to 0% SOC.
CurrDir
– Current Direction. Hall-effect sensor reports direction of DC current passing through the
sensor. It’s important for correct So C m et e r functionality that the current is sensed in the correct
direction for charge/discharge. If this is set opposite you will see the gauge reporting charging when
you’re discharging and vice versa. In this case please reverse the setting. Current should be reporting
with a “+” sign during charge and without any sign during discharge.
TempComp
– Temperature Compensation. At low temperatures batteries cannot supply their entire
capacity due to slowdown of electrochemical processes. This percentage value reduces Fuel Gauge
reading based on temperature drop, linearly from 25C to 0C and below, such that Fuel Gauge
reduction is equal to this value at 0C ( freezing point ). For example, if you set this to 10% (the
recommended value for Lithionics Battery cells), then the Fuel Gauge will report 10% less capacity at 0C,
linearly changing across a wide temp range. This value only effects Fuel Gauge reading, SOC reading
still remains true to battery capacity regardless of the temperature.
Low Fuel
– Low Fuel level. This percentage value determines the minimal Fuel Gauge level at which the
“Low Fuel” circuit is triggered. This is used for external signaling, such as OEM dash boards,
generator/charger relay, etc. On most setups this is not used and should be skipped.
TempUnit
– Temperature Units. Set this to Fahrenheit (F) or Celsius (C).
ChargeEff
– Charging Efficiency. This percentage value slows down rate of SoC climb during the charge
to compensate for battery losses during discharge. Recommended setting is 96%. This would be much
less for Lead Acid batteries, depending on their Peukert value and battery application. For example, in
electrics vehicles with high discharge rates, Peukert effect is more pronounced, so this value
must be set lower to more accurately report SoC and Fuel Gauge values during partial charges. This
setting must be tuned experimentally for best accuracy. Ideal setting will cause SoC to reach 100% at
approximately the same time as charger is finishing up the full charge.
NOTE
: This feature assumes that Pack Size is set to actual useful capacity of the battery at high C rates, which is almost true
for LiFePO4 cells, but not for Lead Acid batteries. Lead Acid battery will have smaller useful capacity than its rated capacity, so
Pack Size should be set to useful capacity, so the SoC meter can reflect meaningful Fuel Gauge.
DeadZone
–
Dead Zone. In some cases when temperature fluctuations are wide and fast, SoC meter
might show non-zero current reading when not expected. This is due to imperfect temperature stability
of hall-effect sensors. The SoC meter software compensates for this, but in some extreme situations it
may fluctuate resulting in small current reading when not expected. Dead Zone allows ignoring small
current readings when they are likely false (when small reading starts after zero reading). During
charging, when current is dropping during CV phase the SoC meter will count it even in the Dead Zone.
If small reading persists for over 60 minutes, it will be considered as false reading and thus ignored.
