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Old 02-05-2018, 12:13 PM   #1
Michael M. Marcum
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Default Battery charging

Hello. I own 4 generation 1 Segway’s. 2 years ago I suffered multiple battery failures across multiple machines. After sending the batteries to MTO I was able to get all the machines back up and running.

I went a year and a half with no trouble but now have had similar issues.

All the batteries are either new or rebuilt in the last 5 years.

Most of the batteries are fully charged but give me a red light when on a machine.

My question is, do the newer machines have a better charging system or is it the same as the older machines?

Mike
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Old 02-05-2018, 01:04 PM   #2
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Are they Nimh batteries, or lithium ion? I'm surprised that you are having problems with multiple sets of MTO rebuilds. You'll likely hear from MTO regarding your post.

How do you know the batteries are "fully charged"? Are you checking battery voltage with a voltmeter? Your post suggests you are charging on the Seg itself, but to clarify, do you use an off-board charger?

How do you maintain the charge in these batteries when the Seg isn't being used regularly? Do you leave them on charge all the time, or use a timer? The red light is an indication that the Seg's on-board circuitry doesn't like what it sees in the batteries. If the Seg software is unhappy with the battery (including excessively low battery voltage), it WILL NOT CHARGE the battery, no matter how long you leave it plugged in.

The Gen II machines might use a somewhat different algorithm to determine battery "goodness", but the Gen II machines are also picky about what defines a "good" battery.

The multiple failures, followed a few years later by another set of multiple failures, suggests it is something unique to your situation, rather than the batteries.
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Old 02-05-2018, 06:06 PM   #3
Michael M. Marcum
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Civicsman, thank you for the reply.

They batteries are all LI. I say they are fully charged because they show in the high 70s on volts.
I purchased a reviver from MTO and had some luck bringing back some of the batteries that were low on voltage.

I also purchased a voltage regulator/stabilizer in case it was something in my power lines. I live in the middle of town and have not had any trouble with any other electronics.

I usually leave them plugged in a few days the unplug for a couple then start them for a few minutes and then start the procedure all over again. Now I have removed them from the machines while I try to figure out the problem.

I have thought about just charging them with an off board charger but I have not purchased one yet.

I had a machine last week that I started, then plugged in and the next day both were red light, machine would not start and they both had in the upper 70s in volts. I tried the batteries on another machine and it would not start either. I also tried them one at a time with a working battery and neither one would work.
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Old 02-07-2018, 11:36 PM   #4
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I am going through a similar issue. My i180 gets little use lately, and is plugged in while in storage. All was well last time I checked it, then we had a power outage last week, and after power was restored I found the front battery LED solid red and the rear battery LED solid green. The machine will not respond to the key, whether plugged in or not. I have removed the batteries, and will try them on my i2 one-at-a-time along with a good i2 battery.

Anything else I should consider?
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Old 02-08-2018, 01:52 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael M. Marcum View Post
Civicsman, thank you for the reply.

They batteries are all LI. I say they are fully charged because they show in the high 70s on volts.
I purchased a reviver from MTO and had some luck bringing back some of the batteries that were low on voltage.

I also purchased a voltage regulator/stabilizer in case it was something in my power lines. I live in the middle of town and have not had any trouble with any other electronics.

I usually leave them plugged in a few days the unplug for a couple then start them for a few minutes and then start the procedure all over again. Now I have removed them from the machines while I try to figure out the problem.

I have thought about just charging them with an off board charger but I have not purchased one yet.

I had a machine last week that I started, then plugged in and the next day both were red light, machine would not start and they both had in the upper 70s in volts. I tried the batteries on another machine and it would not start either. I also tried them one at a time with a working battery and neither one would work.
Hi Michael, based upon your description it sounds as if the BMS in your batteries may have locked up with a charging fault again. If that is the case, it would be consistent with the issues that we noted on your batteries two years ago. If you wanted to send them to us to see please advise. We can reset the BMS for you if needed. Please note our address changed since the last time you had sent batteries to us. Thanks and take care!
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Old 02-09-2018, 10:12 AM   #6
Michael M. Marcum
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Hello Jason
I will defiantly be sending in some of the batteries. I am hoping to figure out the issue first so I can send all of them in at the same time.

I am not sure if you or someone else can answer this but would an off board charger be a more stable way to charge the batteries.

Mike
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Old 02-09-2018, 10:33 AM   #7
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I do not believe there to be any difference between the off board and on board chargers except for convenience.
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Old 04-29-2018, 12:56 PM   #8
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Jason... you run a top notch business. Not sure why customers would
"defiantly" send in a battery. Big smile...
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Old 05-01-2018, 02:52 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by Flightlogic View Post
Jason... you run a top notch business. Not sure why customers would
"defiantly" send in a battery. Big smile...
LOL, thank you so much!!
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Old 05-05-2018, 06:17 AM   #10
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To Pete in Long Beach: From your description, I'd say the power outage has blown your built-in charger (i.e. the CSB/Control Shaft Base). If so, the CSB is unable to charge either of the battery packs that are attached, but sufficient power is still passing through the CSB to light the LEDs. Consequently, the front battery pack has already over-discharged, thus giving a red LED. While the rear LED is solid green it is not actually recharging the pack.

It is possible to test if the CSB is working. It is unlikely the CSB can be repaired, but maybe someone else on Segway Chat can help you with that...and also with your front battery.

Philip
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