Chademo Controller Development

[arber333]

Just a quick update for everyone, @royhen99 has been working with me via PM to sort out a solution, and I do have CHAdeMO charging working on my car. We're still sorting out a few gremlins at certain chargers, but we're close to a functional version of the FW.

Please write a detailed report because i need to know if there is something i can do for Delta chargers...

tnx

[royhen99]

This seems to be working well enough for release. I have tidied the parameter order and added as a fork to Damien's original code.

https://github.com/royh99/Chademo-Fast- ... hademo.bin

[P.S.Mangelsdorf]

A few notes on what was learned and what changes were made; royhen99 please correct me if I get anything wrong.

We discovered that, at least on my board, the STM32 wasn't seeing a change in state on pin pb6, which should have changed when the station signaled via CHAdeMO pin 10 that it was ready for current. Because of this, the car never requested current. Removing that check from the code and just requesting current right away, as the Zombieverter version of the code does, got me charging on some stations, but I was having issues on EVGo's Delta chargers. One wouldn't charge, the other would only charge after several attempts.

Based on the logs, the EVGo Delta stations were unhappy about the early current request. royhen99 then added a delay function to the current request (user adjustable), and this addressed the issue. At least for me, a setting of 100 (equal to 1 second) has allowed me to charge at EVGo's Delta stations flawlessly.

I am still planning further tests. I have only tested at about 5 chargers to this point. Next weekend I'm hoping to hit several more.

I can say definitively that this version of the FW, on Damiens STM32 + ISA board V3, with pb6 detection off and a 1 second current request delay will charge at Delta chargers.

Here's a photo of my car charging at one while I went and got lunch.

[P.S.Mangelsdorf]

SOS!!!!!!

I am stuck at a charging station currently, as it will not disconnect from the car. I accidentally pressed the button on the connector before ending the charge session from the station, and now it is locked into the car. The EVGo rep on the phone tried several things on their end, but no luck. Is there anything I can do on the car side to get free? I can jumper power or ground to various pins if need be.

EDIT TO ADD: EVGo is sending a tech but it will be 2-4 hours and I'd like to get on the road well before then.

[larsrengersen]

There is no command for that and it is the station that locks the plug.
So I’d try to power cycle your controller and try to start a new charging session and end that the normal way.

[P.S.Mangelsdorf]

There is no command for that and it is the station that locks the plug.
So I’d try to power cycle your controller and try to start a new charging session and end that the normal way.

Yeah tried that a few times, now they've taken the station out of service so I can't try again.

Thanks though, I was fairly certain there was no carside lock but couldn't remember.

[P.S.Mangelsdorf]

I am free and on my way home.

I got free by realizing the issue was a jammed button and I remembered I had a screwdriver in my emergency bag, and with the slightest effort it popped free and then let me release the plug. Felt a bit like an idiot for not realizing that for 3.5hrs but I'm free now and thats good enough.

Note for the future: if you try to unplug before stopping charge, it may jam the button, and you can't wiggle it free by hand but a slight push up with a flat blade screw driver, it will come free. Be very careful using tools around charging stations, this was a very slight persuasion, not real force.

[JaniK]

Just a quick update for everyone, @royhen99 has been working with me via PM to sort out a solution, and I do have CHAdeMO charging working on my car. We're still sorting out a few gremlins at certain chargers, but we're close to a functional version of the FW.

That's good news, congrats!
Thank you both for your efforts.

[Bigpie]

I'm struggling to get the BYD units on instavolt working, everything else seems fine, the other Instavolt units work, they seem to take ages for them to put 12v on the IN1 input too :S

EDIT - It looks like the current request never goes above 0 for some reason, but playing back the log of 108 and 109 my controller does start ramping the current request.

[Bigpie]

I'm thinking it was a faulty unit?

Went to another BYD Instavolt and charged happily. Still takes a good 40 to 60 seconds for it to put 12v on Start 1 though.

[asavage]

A CHAdeMo station that's not in working condition? I've never heard of such a thing!

[Bigpie]

These BYD units seem very flakey, I've always assumed it was my implementation, but now not so sure.
Looking at the log again, it doesn't raise the voltage to 450v before closing contactors for the isolation test, so maybe that's an indication that something's broken