I. Prerequisites
Hardware
- Wrong handling of the battery and BMS can cause a fire or explosion.
- Do not short-circuit the battery terminals.
- Do not connect the battery to the BMS in reverse polarity.
- Do not connect the battery to the BMS with a voltage higher than the maximum allowed voltage.
- Wrong pinout on the balance connector can damage the BMS.
Wiring Battery
Wire the battery to the BMS according to hardware documentation. Connect at least one temperature sensor to the BMS.
- Wiring for BMS1 (Big BMS) is different from BMS3 (Small BMS). Read hardware documentation carefully before you connect the battery.
- Do not leave an unconfigured BMS connected to the battery for a long time. It can damage the battery.
- Without any temperature sensor connected, the BMS will not allow operation.
Software
USB is galvanically connected to the battery pack. If you unintentionally connect any potential from the battery to the PC case, you will destroy your PC and the BMS. For safe connection, use the CAN bus.
Install SWTools
This guide refers to SWTools. SWTools is a tool for configuration, tuning, and diagnostics of siliXcon devices. Before you continue, install the SWTools on your computer.
Useful Guides
In this getting started guide, you will need to use some of the following guides from SWTools:
If you change a parameter in the BMS, it takes effect immediately. But you must save the parameters to make them persistent after power off.
Using USB you can connect to the BMS without the need to power the BMS (without battery pack). Use this for the initial setup without the battery.
Firmware
This guide assumes that you have CAPRA firmware with all parameters at default values.