replacing resistors for mini psu

Good morning everyone.

I am looking for a way to replace the resistor's on the zb's dischargerswith some sort of mini power supply.

The goal would be: instead that the energyis burned off in heat, i would like to load a battery and store that energy again.
To charge the "new"18650 cells.

The battery is going to be6v to 8vwith low amp cells

When testing 1000's of cells, times2 amp for charge........and discharge 2 amps....(up to 3.2 amp)

I lost a little bit track on aliexpress, does anybody have a good idea?

Thanks in advance, best

A Boost converter with CC option might be the go?
Depending on how the circuit works in the ZB, the converter would probably need to be isolated from input to output.
Can you find or draw out & post the circuit diagram for the ZB?

We had several discussions here about that theme.
In effect, if you count the savings of this energy loss in Cents of your energy bill, then you will hardly have any room for investments to be paid off.

I wanted to do that as well, i have saved my time and left it off.

You wont find any easy solution that saves you money in short term. Use the heat to heat your house or something Or just get a solar panel to power them instead. That solar panel will be cheaper, easier and save you time than reusing the energy lost discharging

For instance my larger install did cost 200kWh in lost energy.. But that 200kWh if we translate that to money then it was not even worth looking at regenerative

Thanks for your replay's, some helpful, and good for a second thought.
How ever, despite the calculation on cent level.(one kwh here is 23 euro cent)
It is fun to play (and learning)
And i had some very nice worm feet in the shed, the psu is really getting hot when full in use.
Rated 5 volt and 30 amps, but with 40 amps at 6.2 volt, the psuwas getting 65 degrees celcius
So this would be a double/triple base small project, just like growing and harvesting your own tobacco :angel:
Fun to make and with some benefits and a small practice learning experience regarding pack making, at least that is my thought.

My electronics knowledge is stuck and left behindsomewhere in the 80's, bear with me :s. a lot is changed.

I would like to buy 3 of those:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/DC-...ml?spm=2114.10010108.1000023.2.6c613fe4tFLe4v

Those ones are going to be used to get the cells up to 3.5v again for storage, because charge them halfway with the tc/tb's and then discharge them again to 3.5takes to much time, and use of the board while other units could go to work.
The one i that i have now is/was actually for the sleepers and the dead cells, but seems to work perfect to get them up to exactly 3.5v after discharge to 2.8v.

For the "battery/pack" project i would like to buy 2 of these to experiment with.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/DC-...ml?spm=2114.10010108.1000023.1.c5452407XQzcoQ

I want to replace every resistor on the zb2l3 with one of those:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/5-pcs-DC-DC-Converter-Step-Up-Boost-Module-0-9-5V-T0-5V-600MA-USB/32848121285.html

Those draw a 500-600ma each and there output will be soldered to a powerline that has at the end a12a 160w converter to power up my pack.
On the same line will be a other one that is going to power up 10 of those tb/tc to chargethe "fresh" cells.
I think this is better than hook up a bunchof 78s05 ic to every tc/tb charger.
The disadvantage of this converter it stops at 4.8v, so i have to manually check the remaining volt.
I think some resistors and some LED's in different colors will cure the problem, you only have tolook at it.


For my pack design i am going to use the math and method that daromer used in one of his video's.
But than in 24v.
If i may adderfect explanation,well done video!

The first test setupwill be with one unit 10 zb and 10 tc's, to complete the story.

To get back to the solar panel, i found a cheap 55w 30v. and a 6 dollar 5 amp mppt solar charger!

For the safety reasons, i don't think its necessary, but some 4001 diode's i must have a bunch of them somewhere.

I hope all the links will work.
Thanks in advance, best

100kwh-hunter said:

I want to replace every resistor on the zb2l3 with one of those:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/5-pcs-DC-DC-Converter-Step-Up-Boost-Module-0-9-5V-T0-5V-600MA-USB/32848121285.html

Those draw a 500-600ma each and there output will be soldered to a powerline that has at the end a12a 160w converter to power up my pack.

Click to expand...

These are not isolated** so you need to do more research of the circuits before you connect them or you will get the badsmoke & burn things out!
You have to open the ZB charger & find out how the resistor is connected inside and post that part of the circuit here.
(maybe someone else has a circuit for it?)
** if you look at the circuit diagram in aliexpress,see how the GND (0V) line is connected from one to the other?

@ Redpacket,
Yes i see how that gnd is connected.
I going to look for a other one.
Any idea?
Maybe one of those:

https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/5pcs...648467.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.89213c00SJcCF3

https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/5-PCS-MT3608-DC-DC-Step-Up-Converter-Booster-Voedingsmodule-Boost-Step-up-Board-MAX-output/32948417810.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.89213c00SJcCF3


Sorry i did not succeed in finding a circuit diagram(zb2l3), i spent good time looking for it, but sorry nada.
I was planning to buy 5 more zb dischargersto have in spare and play a little with it.

When they done discharging i will disconnect one from the boardand take a look at it, when i have some time.

Thanks in advance, best

100kwh-hunter said:

Maybe one of those:
https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/5pcs...648467.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.89213c00SJcCF3

https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/5-PCS-MT3608-DC-DC-Step-Up-Converter-Booster-Voedingsmodule-Boost-Step-up-Board-MAX-output/32948417810.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.89213c00SJcCF3

Click to expand...

Sorry, both of those are NOT isolated & things could fry.
Can you study the zb you have now (or one of the new ones)& try to follow the pcb tracks from the balancing resistors?
Maybe post some close up pics of the board? Front & back...

Redpacket said:

A Boost converter with CC option might be the go?
Depending on how the circuit works in the ZB, the converter would probably need to be isolated from input to output.
Can you find or draw out & post the circuit diagram for the ZB?

Click to expand...

Redpacket said:

Sorry, both of those are NOT isolate & things could fry.
Can you study the zb you have now (or one of the new ones)& try to follow the pcb tracks from the balancing resistors?
Maybe post some close up pics of the board? Front & back...

Click to expand...

Best I can do for the ZB circuit diagram Found it on a Russian web site. (Use the Google translator if you are not fluent in Russian)
https://mysku.ru/blog/china-stores/58857.html



And also here
http://herman.pp.ua/rulevaya/art.php?n=112328




Wolf

Hmm, the current sense resistor "0R05" or "R020" means if you used a non-isolated converter, the current & mAhr reading would not be correct (likely be = 0).
Also because of the way the existing MOSFETs are arranged, it would not switch off.
No bad smoke, just poor function.

By adding a pch MOSFET & a resistor controlled by the existing MOSFETs, even a non-isolated converter should then work. The current sensing would still be off.
Again not the outcome you want, you need the current measurement to be good for cell mAhrs reading.

Have searched for a while & can't find a suitable step up converter that is ISOLATED & suitable voltage range input (need about 3 to 4.5V).

This is not looking good, sorry!

@ redpacket,
I know my knowledge on electronics is not sufficient, yours is way higher than my.

I am going to try/test a thing or two, but i will keep in mind that the current sensing would be off.
So the biggest problem is: it would not do its cut off job
I did expect some outcome like this.

Thanks for your effort and time, when i start to test with a zb and a step up i will post for advice and tell on the forum what i am up to.

Or basically from the ground up: reinvent the wheel:
I amplanning also to buy a regular mAh meter and put that in between, plus a volt meter, those really cheap things from ali.
The cutoff i am planning to do with a resistor network and some transistors.
Sort of analog (and and and??) port, when all the exits are positive, a relais will cut the load off.
So when all the ports are positive the relais will switch to the "off" position.
But themAh meter would have a number for me,and the discharge loadis where i want it to be.
At least that is the plan, .....sort of.

I am confident that you understand what i am trying to write, i hope that i used the correct english terms.
(and/off port, and/and port ect ect)

Thanks!

100kwh-hunter said:

I amplanning also to buy a regular mAh meter and put that in between, plus a volt meter, those really cheap things from ali.
The cutoff i am planning to do with a resistor network and some transistors.
Sort of analog (and and and??) port, when all the exits are positive, a relais will cut the load off.
So when all the ports are positive the relais will switch to the "off" position.
But themAh meter would have a number for me,and the discharge loadis where i want it to be.
At least that is the plan, .....sort of.

Click to expand...

Before you rush off & buy all that, two things:
1) cost wiseit's not a good idea to do things this way (even if it is tempting to save the resistor wasted energy!)
2) check how the zb unit handles itfirst.
I'm sure the zb unit will still measure voltage OK (no need for extra voltmeter).
It probably cuts off based on voltage as well, so that would work too if you don't ground the output on the boost converter. So no relay bits needed either.


You want the mAhr test result number to know your cell you are testing.
Do a few tests on say 5cellswith normal resistor & with boost converter circuits and compare the results, might be close.