2.1 Commissioning Checklist

This page takes you from a board with only its supply and its communication lines wired to a safely running pack, in working order. Tick off each step before you go to the next one. Each step says what to do, what you should see to pass it, and which page explains it; the choice of each value is on that page, not here.

Applies to

Boards: BMS1820, BMS3610, BCU2002, BMS1601, BMS1810. Slave modules: BMS1802, BMS1202. LiMon™: the latest LiMon™ release.

Fig.2.1.1: Commissioning in Working Order

1 · Supply and LiMon™, no cells 2 · Settings, with no cells 2 · Settings (continued) 3 · Analog inputs, one at a time 4 · Contactors and restart 5 · First cycle 6 · Finish 1 Wiring supply, button, communication; nothing analog 2 Power on user button, connect LiMon™, check firmware 3 Backup read all settings, export a file 4 Topology module type and cell counts 5 Button a shutdown press; no automatic shutdown yet 6 Sensor current sensor type, datasheet coefficients 7 Cell limits from the cell datasheet 8 SoC FULL, EMPTY, capacity, Initial SoC 9 Balancing method and threshold 10 Temp. charge and discharge limits 11 Current warning, trip and peak limits 12 Power layout, precharge, find the output pins 13 I/O other outputs and inputs, then restart 14 Comm. CAN and Modbus, restart, export 15 Cells measure, plug in, start; modules and cell limits 16 Sensors temperature sensors; warm each by hand 17 Zero current sensor, start at rest: 0.0 A 18 Coils connect, then assign the contactor outputs 19 Leftovers test values back, restart, 0 events, export 20 Charge small current, calibrate, charge to FULL 21 Discharge test load, then real load, down to EMPTY 22 Capacity save the measured value, charge to FULL again 23 Export automatic shutdown if used, final file 24 Records screenshots, flush logs, keep the file The cells and the sensors stay disconnected until steps 15 to 17, the contactor coils until step 18, the charger and the load until steps 20 and 21. Shut the BMS down before every connection. Every start of the BMS happens with no load current and no charger current.

The BMS starts first with only its supply and its digital lines connected: no cells, no temperature sensors, no current sensor. Every setting is made and saved in that state, so the defaults never act on the real pack, and each analog connection that follows is checked against settings that are already right. The cells, the temperature sensors and the current sensor then follow one at a time, each after a shutdown, then the contactor coils, and only then the charger and the load.

Within the settings, the order differs from the order of the Configuration chapter on purpose. The current sensor comes before the values that use its reading, the cell limits come before the FULL and EMPTY values that are chosen against them, and the contactor outputs are assigned last, with the coils, because the contactors can close as soon as their outputs are assigned.

These rules hold for the whole page:

  • Save: after each settings step, press Save Changes, wait a few seconds, and check that the orange borders have cleared (2.2 Managing Settings).
  • Connect: shut the BMS down before you connect anything, and start it again afterwards.
  • Start: every start of the BMS, by any means, happens with no load current and no charger current, because the BMS takes the zero of the current sensor at that moment (3.6 Current Measurement).
  • Limits: take every cell value from the cell datasheet. The defaults are not chosen for your cells.

Live parts

The cells, the supply wiring and the wiring before the contactors are live during the whole procedure. From 2.1.18 on, treat the output terminals as live too; on BMS1601, from 2.1.15 on.

2.1.1 Wire the Supply and the Communication

Table.2.1.1: Where the Wiring of Each Board Is Described

Board Pages
BMS1810 Board Pinout, Battery Connection
BMS1202 Board Pinout, Battery Connection
BMS1802 Board Pinout; no connection page
BCU2002 Board Pinout; no connection page
BMS1601 Board Pinout; no connection page
BMS1820, BMS3610 Introduction pages only (BMS1820, BMS3610); no pinout or connection page yet. Pages 3.5, 3.6, 3.10, 4.1 and 5.3 name some connectors by their schematic number; ask LiBat™ for the rest of the wiring.

This manual has no wiring chapter yet, so this table is the reference for the wiring. What it does not show is not described yet.

  • Supply: GND and the power input of the board, from the pack or from an external supply inside the range of the board (5.3 Storage and Shutdown). Every board starts from its power input without cells. On a board with the 12 V option, use the 12 V input or the battery input, never both at the same time.
  • User button: fitted and within reach. It is the only way to start the BMS (3.11 Button and Shutdown).
  • Communication: the lines to the PC adapter and the CAN and RS485 lines that your system uses (4.1 Communication Ports).
  • Slave modules: the daisy chain is connected, and on BMS1202 the Board ID pins are set (3.1 Battery Topology).
  • Fuse: fitted in the power path (3.7 Current Limits).
  • Not connected yet: the cell connectors of every board that has them, the temperature sensors and the current sensor (2.1.15 to 2.1.17), the contactor coils (2.1.18), the charger and the load (2.1.20 and 2.1.21).

You should see: the supply voltage at the power input on the meter, inside the range of the board.

2.1.2 First Power and LiMon™

  • Press the user button to start the BMS.
  • Connect the PC through the INT201 adapter, select the port and click Connect (5. Connection). Check that the clock of the PC is right, because LiMon™ sets the clock of the BMS from it (5.4 Logs and Event History).
  • Check the licence. A VIEWER licence locks the setting fields, so you need another type for this work (3. Licencing).
  • On the Connection screen, check for new firmware, and update before you set anything (5. Connection).

You should see:

  • The status shows your port, not DEMO, and the Connection screen shows the model, the serial number and the versions.
  • Live View updates, with no cell voltages yet (5.2 Monitoring).

Cell Connection Error is normal at this point: the BMS expects cells and finds none. On BMS1820, BMS3610 and BMS1810, and on every board with slave modules once their cell counts are set in 2.1.4, Slave Module Communication Error is normal as well, because the measuring chips get their supply from the cells; this is not tried on a board yet. Both errors are CRITICAL, so both paths stay OFF and User Attention Required is set (5.1 Protection and Recovery). The settings can still be read, saved and exported. The errors stay until the cells are connected and the BMS starts again, in 2.1.15.

2.1.3 Read and Back Up the Settings

You should see: every tab filled with values, and the file on the PC with the right model in its name.

2.1.4 Battery Topology

Set the topology before any other setting (3.1 Battery Topology).

You should see: the values after Read All Settings. The BMS takes the module type and checks the cell counts at a start with the cells connected, in 2.1.15.

2.1.5 Button

  • Set User Button Functionality to match the fitted part, and assign the press functions (3.11 Button and Shutdown). With Advanced Push Button, assign Shutdown Board to one press: the next steps use it to switch the BMS off before you connect something.
  • Leave Shutdown Trigger at Disable until 2.1.23, so that the BMS does not switch off during the work.

You should see: the LED pattern of the press and, after the click, the BMS shut down with dark LEDs and no connection in LiMon™. A press starts it again; connect LiMon™ again as well. With Simple Push Button the double press shuts it down. With Two Way Switch the switch does, and no press function is needed.

2.1.6 Current Sensor

The state of charge, the current limits and the precharge all use this reading, so set it first. The sensor is connected in 2.1.17, and the calibration needs a steady current, so it comes in 2.1.20.

You should see: the values after Read All Settings.

2.1.7 Cell Voltage Limits

You should see: the values after Read All Settings. The cells are checked against them in 2.1.15.

2.1.8 Capacity and SoC

  • Set the FULL and EMPTY values for your pack, against the charger end voltage and the cell limits of 2.1.7 (3.2 Capacity and SoC).
  • Set Usable Pack Capacity somewhat above the expected capacity. The real value comes from the measurement in 2.1.22.
  • Then set Initial SoC to your best estimate of the charge. It acts when you save a value different from the stored one.

You should see: SOC at the new value, and Energy equal to that percentage of Usable Pack Capacity.

2.1.9 Cell Balancing

You should see: the values after Read All Settings. Balancing itself shows in 2.1.20, near the end of the charge.

2.1.10 Temperature Limits

  • Set the charge and discharge limits from the cell datasheet (3.5 Temperature Limits). Keep the board and FET limits.

You should see: the values after Read All Settings. The sensors follow in 2.1.16.

2.1.11 Current Limits

You should see: the values after Read All Settings. The check at rest follows in 2.1.17.

2.1.12 Power Path and Precharge

You should see: the pin switching on with Always ON and off again after you set the output back. The contactor outputs are assigned in 2.1.18, with the coils connected. BMS1601 switches its paths with MOSFETs on the board and needs no coils or contactor outputs.

2.1.13 Inputs and Outputs

You should see:

  • For each input: close the contact, and its INPUT mark turns blue on Events › Pack Status, with DCHG Force OFF blue for DCHG Power Path Disable.
  • For each status output: the signal measured with a meter, or on the device it drives. An output that follows the paths or the events shows this stage: both paths OFF and the errors of 2.1.2 active.

2.1.14 Communication

You should see: the controller or the display reading the values of Live View, on the CAN frames or the Modbus registers. A bus that stays silent usually means a missing restart. The cell, temperature and current values follow from 2.1.15 to 2.1.17, and the sign of the current in 2.1.20.

2.1.15 Cells and Slave Modules

  • Shut the BMS down as set in 2.1.5.
  • Before you plug in a cell connector, measure every cell at the connector with a multimeter. The cells must rise in order, and each one must be inside the range of the cell datasheet.
  • Short the unused cell inputs to the highest cell (3.1 Battery Topology).
  • Plug in the cell connectors of the master and of every slave module. A slave module takes its supply from its own cells. BCU2002 has no cell inputs: only its slave modules are plugged in.
  • Start the BMS and connect LiMon™ again. The BMS finds the modules and counts the cells only when it starts.

You should see:

  • Every board in the module list of Live View, and Connected Cells with two equal numbers on each one.
  • A pack voltage that agrees with your meter.
  • No Cell Connection Error and no Slave Module Communication Error in Events › Pack Status.
  • Vcell Max and Vcell Min inside the warning limits, and Vcell Delta well below Imbalanced Max. Cell Delta. A cell warning that stays means a cell out of range or a wrong limit: find out which before you go on.

A count that does not match needs a correction in 2.1.4, a save and a new start, because Cell Connection Error stays until a restart. With the errors gone, Live View can show the paths ON; nothing switches yet, because no coil is connected. On BMS1601 the paths are on the board, so its P terminal is live from now on.

2.1.16 Temperature Sensors

  • Shut the BMS down, connect the sensors on the cells that get the coldest and the hottest (3.5 Temperature Limits), and start the BMS.
  • Warm each sensor by hand, one after the other.

You should see: a plausible value on every connected sensor in Live View, for every module, with no -- on a sensor you connected. The warmed sensor rises and the others stay. No temperature event.

2.1.17 Current Sensor

  • Shut the BMS down and connect the current sensor on the right input, with charge current in the direction of its arrow (3.6 Current Measurement). BMS1601 has its shunt on the board, so there is nothing to connect.
  • Start the BMS with no current flowing. It takes the zero of the sensor at this start.

You should see: Current at 0.0 A in Live View, or the small negative current that a large Self Discharge Power gives, Battery Power at IDLE, and no current event. A current event at rest points to a negative limit.

2.1.18 Contactor Coils and Outputs

Every limit is set and every analog input is checked now, so the paths can be used. On BMS1601 only the checks below apply.

  • Shut the BMS down, connect the coils, and start the BMS again. Keep the load and the charger disconnected.
  • Assign the contactor functions with OUT n Assignment, on the pins found in 2.1.12. The contactors can close as soon as you save.
  • If the main contactor has an auxiliary contact, assign Main Contactor Auxiliary with INPUT n Assignment. An input function needs a restart.

Keep the override controls on Automatic Control

Commissioning does not need Path Always ON: it switches off the protections of the path. Charge Power Path Control and Discharge Power Path Control stay at Automatic Control (3.10 Inputs and Outputs).

You should see:

  • After a start, PCHG PATH ON for a short time and PreCHG Stage blue on Events › Pack Status, then DCHG PATH ON. The precharge contactor closes first and the main or discharge contactor after it.
  • The contacts really closed, checked with a meter. An OUT mark shows only the command (5.2 Monitoring).
  • With layout C, the charge contactor closes only while the charge cable is plugged in.
  • After a shutdown, every contactor open. No Main Contactor Malfunction and no Pre-Charge Fault.

2.1.19 Clear the Leftovers and Restart

You should see: # of Events at 0 in Live View, User Support grey on Events › Pack Status, Current as in 2.1.17, and the paths as your layout and your input functions want them.

2.1.20 First Charge and FULL

  • Shut the BMS down, connect the charger with its output off, and start the BMS. A charger that runs when the discharge path switches ON can end in Pre-Charge Fault (3.9 Precharge).
  • Start with a small current, clearly above 0.5 A, and check the direction first.
  • Raise the current to the normal value and calibrate the current sensor with a reference meter (3.6 Current Measurement).
  • Stay with the pack and charge until FULL (3.2 Capacity and SoC).

You should see:

  • At the small current: Battery Power at CHARGING and a positive Current that agrees with the meter. A negative value means a wrong sign: stop and correct it. The controller or the display of 2.1.14 reads the same sign.
  • After the calibration: Current and the meter agree. With a dual-channel sensor, no jump at Ch#2 Low Current Limit.
  • During the charge: the cells rise evenly and the sensors stay plausible, no O.V. Warning, and balancing marks near the end, with Vcell Delta getting smaller.
  • At the end: SOC at 99 % with Hold %99 until FULL SoC on, then 100 % when the conditions are met, and Energy equal to Usable Pack Capacity.

If the SoC stays at 99 %, compare the Live View values with each FULL setting (3.2 Capacity and SoC). Stop the charger when the charge is complete.

2.1.21 First Discharge and EMPTY

Test with a small load first, then with the real load. Before each connection, shut the BMS down, and start it again only when the load is off.

  • Connect a small test load without input capacitance, switched off, with the charger off. Start the BMS, and switch the load on only after the discharge path is ON. A load that already draws current during the precharge can end in Pre-Charge Fault (3.9 Precharge).
  • Connect the real load with its own enable off, start the BMS, and switch the load on after the discharge path is ON. Begin with a small current, then raise it to the usual value.
  • Stay with the pack and discharge at your usual current until EMPTY. Note the last Energy value before SOC drops to 0 %.
  • Stop the load after EMPTY. The cells must not reach U.V. Protection as the normal end of the discharge (3.3 Cell Voltage Limits).

You should see:

2.1.22 Final Measured Capacity

You should see: SOC that reaches 99 % near the end of the charge and only a small jump at FULL, with Energy equal to the new Usable Pack Capacity. A large jump means that the capacity is still wrong.

2.1.23 Finish the Settings and Export

You should see: the expected values on every tab, no orange border, and Automatic Control on both override controls.

2.1.24 What to Keep on File

Table.2.1.2: Records to Keep With the Pack

Record Where it comes from
The final settings file, with its proposed file name Export Settings, 2.1.23
The values of the healthy pack at a full charge at rest, the measured capacity and the date Live View, 2.1.22
The serial number and the hardware and firmware versions Connection screen
The power path layout, the current sensor and the calibrated coefficients 2.1.6, 2.1.12, 2.1.20
The datasheet of the cells The cell manufacturer
Screenshots of the event history and of Pack Status Events, as below
  • Take the screenshots first: press Fetch Logs, and capture every row of Events › Event Status and Events › Pack Status (5.4 Logs and Event History).
  • Press Flush Logs, so that the history of the pack starts after commissioning. It asks nothing and cannot be undone. Battery Cycle is kept.

You should see: Fetch Logs showing one row, NO EVENT, or only the events that are active at this moment.

For the next pack of the same type, start from this file as described in 2.2 Managing Settings; a copied file does not replace the steps that depend on the pack, such as the calibration.

2.1.25 If a Step Does Not Pass

  • Stop there. Each later step relies on the earlier ones.
  • Read the events. Events › Pack Status shows what is active now (5.2 Monitoring), and Events › Event Status shows what happened (5.4 Logs and Event History).
  • Read the class of the event. 5.1 Protection and Recovery says what it does and what brings the path back.
  • Find the cause. 6.1 Events and What to Do gives the likely cause of each event, what to check and what to do.
  • Read the Common Mistakes of the page that the step links to.
  • A CRITICAL event stays until a restart, even after you correct the value. Restart with no load and no charger current.