Odd charger behaviour

[portals]

thanks for the recommendation, but that type of thing woould be lost on me given the slightly mad in the head person i am.

I'd need to fully understand the numbers, what exactly voltage means - in relation to this or anything else. the pluses and minuses, what resistors are, how this works or that works and also why this works or that works.

So for me to do anything electronic, i'd really look to do a one year course in basic electronics. Maybe even an HNC
For me its not just doing something, but understanding the where, whys and whats of the subject.

And as said currently my head is not- repeat not in the right place to get involved in anything new.

To do some basic battery and charger tests really you need zero skills, just the co-ordination to hold two probes against two metal contacts and be able to read the display at the same time without falling over...

You would be switching on your charger and measuring for example the voltage across the barrel plug, shove back probe down middle and red one on outside on [DC] setting.

Then you might want to charge battery for good few hrs attended then turn on battery and check voltage it's outputting. There are plenty of charts online that will show you voltage as a rough %age based on your battery pack eg: 14S6P 52V etc.

My son was using a multimeter to check AA and AA batteries for his toys when he was 6yrs old...it really is that easy.

Just be carefull and probably stay away from mains 240V.

I mainly use (over my other two more expensive ones), my Lidl Parkside multimeter, cost I think £8.99 and it has auto sensing making life a dawdle for any user of any skill level. I would give it 10/10 apart from fact it doesn't have a backlit screen.

I would not do a college course or HNC as min 95% of it will be **** and stuff you'll never use (you will never have the need to know about JK flip flops or analogue circuit design etc). I would buy a nicely illustrated book from amazon and introduce myself to the basics of DC circuits and the basics of how AC brushless motors work with 3 phase then watch some YT videos. I have a drawer full of Arduinos, this is best way to learn by buying a kit that comes with lots of parts like breadboard, dupont cables and things like joystick, servos, stepper motors/controller and maybe 20 projects from basic to more complex stuff such as wireless alarms. Honestly, they are easy to do and can be lots of fun and all you need to do is plug in cables and understand the basic principles going on. I use two Arduinos on my slot car track that are synced to laptop Race Mgmt SW (RCS64) to control start lights and addressable LED stipr around track for yellow flags etc.

The only maths you'll need for ebikes is also 2nd yr High School stuff:
V=IR and P=VI is a great starting point.

 

[thelarkbox]

Virtually everyone who picks up a meter for the first time is when they want to know a battery or other DC voltage value.. I think it was over 5yrs after i first picked one up when other features started getting used..

You could alternatively buy basic battery volt meter as sold by ebay etc.. but add a pound or two and you can get a multifunction device you may not need now but one day?? btw a beeping continuity ( connected) tester is also invaluable imho..

 

[portals]

Agreed, checking continuity is very useful to find broken wires and tracing cables etc., and again requires no skill other than being able to use the probes.

The Lidl multimeter has a specific continuity setting and beeps as you say (most do) but not a problem if yours doesn't, just set it to resistance and if you have continuity then the value will be 0 or very close to, any higher reading then no-continuity.

Measuring DC current can be confusing as you cannot just 'probe' it, the probes would need to be 'inline' (eg cut the wire), to read the current.

You now already have a basic understanding of how a current shunt works and how these little cheap Voltmeter/Ammeters that you see on ebay for a £1 or so work!!

You wire the two voltage wires to +ve/-ve DC to get Voltage displayed (like using the probes). V=IR therefore I=V/R, you know Voltage (V) and then it simply measures current (I) across a 'shunt' (bit of metal) that you know the resistance (R) for and the current value is then displayed in Ammeter LCD. Easy!

 

[portals]

You could alternatively buy basic battery volt meter as sold by ebay etc.. but add a pound or two and you can get a multifunction device you may not need now but one day?? btw a beeping continuity ( connected) tester is also invaluable imho..

I'd be wary of using the cheapos in the link you posted, it's essentially same as the voltmeter/ammeter (see my previous post) you get in same form factor On my slot car track I repurposed a Dell ATX power supply for 5V and 12V rail DC power supply under track for all the accessories that need power (Arduinos/LED strips etc.) HOWEVER these small voltage displays drop almost 1/2 a Volt so you need to take them with a pinch of salt and as being indicative only especially the LED meter ;-)

 

[AndyBike]

My son was using a multimeter to check AA and AA batteries for his toys when he was 6yrs old...it really is that easy.

Its not really what i meant. and TBH that sort of reference is a bit insulting. I understand you probably dont mean anything by it.

What i mean is I always feel i have to probably have more actual hands on experience that is probably needed to be able to understand something. I like to have in depth knowledge rather than surface understanding.

Then it goes on from there is a sort of obsessive way. I'd start with a basic multimeter, then knowing myself i'd be wanting to know how to produce systems and circuit boards

Im from an academic background so im always drawn to that level of understanding. But it plays havoc on my nerves and these days i prefer the simpler solution
eg I read for example Saneagles descriptions, but half the references i have no knowledge of, so following exactly what he's saying or referring to is difficult.

 

[thelarkbox]

What i mean is I always feel i have to probably have more actual hands on experience that is probably needed to be able to understand something. I like to have in depth knowledge rather than surface understanding.

well your in luck its all Very well documented most of us are content living with a few more 'black boxes' in our comprehension of the world..

I was simply intimidated by a multimeter and its range of oblique settings when i first laid my hands on one..

If plagued with a non technical arty academic approach consider that of the craftsman and his tools, it takes time and practice with use to gain the skills.. a meter is simply a tool.

 

[lenny]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ELEGOO-Mega2560-Complete-Ultimate-controller/dp/B01IUZK3JO

 

[portals]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ELEGOO-Mega2560-Complete-Ultimate-controller/dp/B01IUZK3JO

Yes, a kit like that is a pretty good intro to making you own functioning circuits that do stuff!

I bought a similar kit probably 10yrs ago from Sunfounder to teach my son, I actually did use a lot of the components in the end, I made a photogrammetry table using the 2*16 LCD display with jacket, joystick, servo and stepper motor (and controller) to take 3d pics and videos from a rotating 3D printed turntable.

Highly recommended for both small and big kids and pretty stress free.

 

[portals]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/vWkomCzrjXMQboUZ6

All plug and play from this dude's design, biggest problem is 'minifying it' in to fit in the space.

Printed Arduino Turntable Takes Objects For A Spin

Have you built a 3D scanner yet? There’s more than one way to model those curves and planes, but the easiest may be photogrammetry — that’s the one where you take a bunch of pictures an…

hackaday.com

 

[portals]

Its not really what i meant. and TBH that sort of reference is a bit insulting. I understand you probably dont mean anything by it.

What i mean is I always feel i have to probably have more actual hands on experience that is probably needed to be able to understand something. I like to have in depth knowledge rather than surface understanding.

Then it goes on from there is a sort of obsessive way. I'd start with a basic multimeter, then knowing myself i'd be wanting to know how to produce systems and circuit boards

Im from an academic background so im always drawn to that level of understanding. But it plays havoc on my nerves and these days i prefer the simpler solution
eg I read for example Saneagles descriptions, but half the references i have no knowledge of, so following exactly what he's saying or referring to is difficult.

Probably I'm inverse to you if that is possible, electronics stuff doesn't stress me at all or I wouldn't go near it in most of my hobbies (music production/guitars/3D printing/slot cars/drones/ebikes).

Until quite recently I felt my heart race if I had to look at my broken mechanical rear hub setup...the stress took my over a yr to get around to sending it for repair (!?). However in past cpl weeks I've just got on with it and redone it my way, well the way another dude here suggested not the bike shop guy who now I think (based on the evidence past 2 yrs) might be ******* idiot who is trying to kill me. Most of the stress has now gone as it's not rocket science...just bits of metal and common sense.

 

[Ghost1951]

I can never be without a decent multi meter and I use them all the time. I have two, and keep one in the boot of the car.

My advice is not to go too cheap. These self ranging ones are a great asset.

Pardon our interruption...