Using LED Driver as a 12s Charger

Sooty · June 15, 2019, 4:41pm

I bought the 48V Meanwell as I thought I was going to go 12S, but only went for 10S in the end. I realised that it actually drops down all the way to 42.1V so thought it might be useful still.

All my 10S brick chargers are all slightly over 42v anyways, so as long as you have a BMS then it should be OK, right?

Sooty · June 15, 2019, 4:44pm

To drop the voltage even further you could also try modifying the trim pot so that it has a larger adjustment range. Theres a bit of talk about this on ES for other Meanwell models, the only downside being the drop in efficiency as you go out of the manufacturers voltage range.

Getting into the Meanwell is a challenge in itself though. I opened it up the other day and its just a solid block of plastic/rubber. I think the entire circuit is encased to make it waterproof and shock resistant

b264 · June 16, 2019, 3:18am

Yeah 42.1V on 10S should be ok.

ducktaperules · June 16, 2019, 9:00pm

My meanwell HLG-320H-48A charger . . .

It arrived last week so i put some plugs on and here are my findings:

PROS:

Build quality is great. feel like this thing will take a beating on road trips without any ill effects.
Seems to provide slightly above the advertised CC adjustment range.
Seems to run only slightly warm even when turned up to the max.
Fan-less design and IP65 mean it should be resilient to getting damp or wet.

CONS:

Its fairly heavy.
The cables it comes with are quite short. As you can see i cant quite put it on the floor whilst charging. I tried to open it and see if i could replace the cables with something longer but it looks like its sealed with some sort of spadge. I think the only option would be to splice longer cables on externally or risk ruining the seal.

Screenshots from BMS showing min and max current.

wafflejock · July 19, 2019, 7:48pm

Been using one of these now for a few weeks https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IU8QBCO/ as the AC->DC converter before feeding into a Keenstone AR1 balance charger (500W), no issues to report yet, it is loud you wouldn’t want to leave it on while not charging but so far no sparks or bangs.

PrivacyDoctor · April 5, 2020, 12:35pm

pookybear · May 14, 2020, 4:00am

So… I’m sick of almost constantly getting different amp chargers each time I decide to upgrade my pack. This seems to be the ideal solution for me.

Based on a few posts above, BMS takes care of cutting/stopping the charger once the pack is full since this led driver only operates in CC, no CV. Is this correct? Also, I assume you’d need a voltmeter to know/measure if you have adjusted it to your desired volts.

I’m about to pull the trigger on this.

hummieee · May 14, 2020, 4:29am

These power supplies won’t stop the charge. It would be up to ur bms. But then again that feature of cutting the charge is over-rated and isnt really a safety feature or help pack longevity as I understand it. It is just constant voltage. Or this one also has a current limit. Highly recommend wiring in a wattmeter on the end so u can see what voltage ur at and so much more.

Ashamed to be showing my uncovered wires on the plug. Don’t do that. Been meaning to add something. Don’t trust that liquid tape insulation.

pookybear · May 14, 2020, 4:34am

Thanks!

I’ve bought a few watt meter from Amazon. They’re not very accurate. Got a link of a good one or do I not need one since I have a smart BMS?

hummieee · May 14, 2020, 4:35am

It’s great to have the meter wired in regardless for many reasons. For safety at least. The wattsup one doesn’t break.
https://www.amazon.com/RC-Electronics-Inc-Watts-Analyzer/dp/B001B6N2WK

pookybear · May 14, 2020, 4:43am

@ducktaperules

Since I’m using the same smart bms like yours, does it stop charging once the bms hits the over voltage protection?

RyEnd · May 14, 2020, 5:51am

I’ve ordered 3 of these now… they’ve never made it to me

ducktaperules · May 14, 2020, 7:07am

To the meanwell driver does the proper CC/CV if the voltage is set correctly, I set this with with a multimeter. If you get it wrong then the BMS over voltage kicks in anyways so it’s not super critical.

I use llt power smart BMS which includes the charge timeout cutoff once the pack is full and this is configurable.

If I change the current I just open the BMS app and look at the charge current as I turn the adjust.

I’m a year into using this charger now and it’s been great. Very reliable and it’s taken some abuse. Don’t recommend using a barrel connector like I did but other than that I have had no issues.

I just wish they did an equivalent in the 16-20s voltage range

pookybear · May 14, 2020, 7:13am

Very helpful! Thanks. I’ll order one tonight.

Skyart · May 14, 2020, 1:41pm

This thing is fantastic!

Algaliarept · August 23, 2020, 11:19am

Is this the one you are talking about?

https://pt.mouser.com/ProductDetail/MEAN-WELL/HLG-320H-48A?qs=DNaZHaGatO1l2zLlETsFag%3D%3D

I also found this one but it has a B
https://pt.mouser.com/ProductDetail/MEAN-WELL/HLG-320H-48B?qs=DNaZHaGatO3I17c08YAcZw%3D%3D

And is more expensive so I was wondering what is the difference between the two

GeorgS · August 23, 2020, 11:48am

A = has pots for voltage and current adjustment
B = led dimming feature ( you don’t want that)
AB = both features together (ok, but cost more)

Friskies · August 23, 2020, 11:50am

Only buy the A variant. It is the one you need.

Algaliarept · August 23, 2020, 11:05pm

Already done
It cost me 88€ but for what I’ve seen, it was the cheaper option without coming from China

Algaliarept · September 5, 2020, 8:40am

Hey guys
Do any of you know this meter?
Is it any good?

I am thinking of buying it to put him in my led driver output to be able to monitor it