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mission:log:2012:10:06:free-and-open-source-junsi-icharger-data-logger [2012-10-07 08:04] – [Charging] chronomission:log:2012:10:06:free-and-open-source-junsi-icharger-data-logger [2013-06-30 12:45] (current) – [Charging] chrono
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 +====== FOSS Data-Logging for Junsi iCharger ======
  
 +Batteries in general and lithium based batteries in particular require special attention, when it comes to charging and balancing. For this reason, the lab has a Junsi iCharger 1010B+, which offers a complete battery management solution for virtually every battery technology out there and some non-battery related features as well (like DC-Motor burn-in and foam-cutting programs). 
 +
 +{{ :mission:log:2012:10:06:junsi_icharger_1010b.jpg |Junsi iCharger 1010B+}}
 +
 +It has proved itself as reliable hardware for over a year, especially taking care of the custom made LiPo battery packs for the [[mission:resources:media:orion]]. It even offers a USB port for software updates and data-logging. Unfortunetaly, until now, only [[http://www.logview.info/|LogView]] users could get the logging data, but that would require a closed-source non-free operating system to run, which isn't available here (see Apollo-NG's [[mission:statement#code-of-conduct| Code of Conduct]]). Additionally, while LogView itself may be free (as in free beer), it doesn't seem to be open-source, so another solution was due...
 +
 +===== =====
 +
 +Luckily, the USB port is actually just a serial port based on the cp210x serial to USB converter. Remember to build and load the kernel module, it should look like this, when you plug-in the iCharger:
 +
 +<code>
 +[2865177.518351] usb 1-6.2: new full-speed USB device number 60 using ehci_hcd
 +[2865177.604715] usb 1-6.2: New USB device found, idVendor=10c4, idProduct=ea60
 +[2865177.604720] usb 1-6.2: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
 +[2865177.604723] usb 1-6.2: Product: Junsi iCharger 1010B+
 +[2865177.604726] usb 1-6.2: Manufacturer: Silicon Labs
 +[2865177.604728] usb 1-6.2: SerialNumber: 0906102520
 +[2865177.605380] cp210x 1-6.2:1.0: cp210x converter detected
 +[2865177.668344] usb 1-6.2: reset full-speed USB device number 60 using ehci_hcd
 +[2865177.753915] usb 1-6.2: cp210x converter now attached to ttyUSB0
 +</code>
 +===== Python Code =====
 +
 +The following code will read, translate and calculate all vital battery and voltage/current data. It was written in Python, since it's always inherently available on Gentoo systems, but should be easily adaptable into any other language. A node.js implementation with realtime web(socket) graphs would be interesting, to make it even possible to remote-monitor the process.
 +
 +
 +<sxh python; toolbar:false>
 +#!/usr/bin/env python
 +# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 +#
 +########################################################################
 +#
 +#   This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
 +#   it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
 +#   the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
 +#   (at your option) any later version.
 +#
 +#   This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
 +#   but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
 +#   MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
 +#   GNU General Public License for more details.
 +#
 +#   You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
 +#   along with this program. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 +#
 +########################################################################
 +
 +import os, sys
 +import time
 +import serial
 +
 +# discharge end voltage (empty)
 +
 +dchg_end = 3.2
 +
 +
 +# iCharger modes of operation
 +mop=[None]*13
 +
 +mop[1]  = "Charging"
 +mop[2]  = "Discharging"
 +mop[3]  = "Monitor"
 +mop[4]  = "Waiting"
 +mop[5]  = "Motor burn-in"
 +mop[6]  = "Finished"
 +mop[7]  = "Error"
 +mop[8]  = "LIxx trickle"
 +mop[9]  = "NIxx trickle"
 +mop[10] = "Foam cut"
 +mop[11] = "Info"
 +mop[12] = "External-discharging"
 +
 +# configure the serial connections 
 +# change according to the ttyUSB assigned to the iCharger (dmesg)
 +
 +ser = serial.Serial(
 +    port='/dev/ttyUSB0',
 +)
 +
 +ser.open()
 +ser.isOpen()
 +
 +### MAIN #############################################################
 +
 +while 1 :
 +
 + line = ser.readline ()
 + raw = line.split (';')
 +
 + v_bat = float (raw[4])/1000
 + v_c1  = float (raw[6])/1000
 + v_c2  = float (raw[7])/1000
 + v_c3  = float (raw[8])/1000
 + v_in  = float (raw[3])/1000
 + i_chg = int (raw[5])*10
 + i_sum = float (raw[18])/1000
 + t_int = float (raw[16])/10
 + t_ext = float (raw[17])/10
 +
 + s_vc1 = ((float (raw[6])/1000)-dchg_end)*100
 + s_vc2 = ((float (raw[7])/1000)-dchg_end)*100
 + s_vc3 = ((float (raw[8])/1000)-dchg_end)*100
 + s_bat = round ((((float(raw[4])/1000)
 +     -    (dchg_end*3))*100/3), 1)
 +
 + print "Mode:           " + mop[int(raw[1])]
 + print "Batt:           " + str(v_bat) + " V (" + str(s_bat) + "%)"
 + print "Cell 1:         " + str(v_c1) + " V (" + str(s_vc1) + "%)"
 + print "Cell 2:         " + str(v_c2) + " V (" + str(s_vc2) + "%)"
 + print "Cell 3:         " + str(v_c3) + " V (" + str(s_vc3) + "%)"
 + print "Supply:         " + str(v_in) + " V"
 + print "Charge Current: " + str(i_chg) + " mA"
 + print "Charge Amount:  " + str(i_sum) + " A"
 + print "Temp INT:       " + str(t_int) + " °C"
 + print "Temp EXT:       " + str(t_ext) + " °C"
 + print ">>" + line
 +
 +
 +</sxh>
 +
 +
 +It only requires the pyserial package, on gentoo you can just:
 +
 +<code bash>
 +$ emerge -av pyserial
 +</code>
 +
 +To run the application, make sure your user has permission to read the ttyUSB device and run:
 +
 +<code bash>
 +$ python pycharger.py
 +</code>
 +
 +There was not enough time to come up with a fancy pygtk or any other graphical implementation to show the data in real-time on a graph. Since the basic code, the data-mapping and the calculations are done and released under GPL3+ now, maybe someone else can step-in and extend the features to have realtime graphs :)
 +===== Examples =====
 +
 +==== Monitoring Mode ====
 +
 +The following example shows the data-log output of pycharger.py, with the iCharger in monitoring mode. The battery is one of [[mission:resources:media:orion]] battery packs, after half a night of recording:
 +
 +<code>
 +Mode:           Monitor
 +Batt:           12.199 V (86.6%)
 +Cell 1:         4.064 V (86.4%)
 +Cell 2:         4.072 V (87.2%)
 +Cell 3:         4.067 V (86.7%)
 +Supply:         12.315 V
 +Charge Current: 0 mA
 +Charge Amount:  0.0 A
 +Temp INT:       34.3 °C
 +Temp EXT:       22.3 °C
 +>>$1;3;;12315;12199;0;4064;4072;4067;0;0;0;0;0;0;0;343;223;0;46
 +
 +Mode:           Monitor
 +Batt:           12.199 V (86.6%)
 +Cell 1:         4.065 V (86.5%)
 +Cell 2:         4.071 V (87.1%)
 +Cell 3:         4.068 V (86.8%)
 +Supply:         12.328 V
 +Charge Current: 0 mA
 +Charge Amount:  0.0 A
 +Temp INT:       33.8 °C
 +Temp EXT:       22.5 °C
 +>>$1;3;;12328;12199;0;4065;4071;4068;0;0;0;0;0;0;0;338;225;0;39
 +
 +Mode:           Monitor
 +Batt:           12.199 V (86.6%)
 +Cell 1:         4.064 V (86.4%)
 +Cell 2:         4.071 V (87.1%)
 +Cell 3:         4.067 V (86.7%)
 +Supply:         12.315 V
 +Charge Current: 0 mA
 +Charge Amount:  0.0 A
 +Temp INT:       33.8 °C
 +Temp EXT:       22.2 °C
 +>>$1;3;;12315;12199;0;4064;4071;4067;0;0;0;0;0;0;0;338;222;0;32
 +</code>
 +
 +==== Charging ====
 +
 +The same battery pack, at the end of a charge cycle, in the final balancing phase:
 +
 +<code>
 +Mode:           Charging
 +Batt:           12.618 V (100.6%)
 +Cell 1:         4.2 V (100.0%)
 +Cell 2:         4.205 V (100.5%)
 +Cell 3:         4.205 V (100.5%)
 +Supply:         12.362 V
 +Charge Current: 180 mA
 +Charge Amount:  0.725 A
 +Temp INT:       40.0 °C
 +Temp EXT:       26.7 °C
 +>>$1;1;;12362;12618;18;4200;4205;4205;0;0;0;0;0;0;0;400;267;725;31
 +
 +Mode:           Charging
 +Batt:           12.599 V (100.0%)
 +Cell 1:         4.2 V (100.0%)
 +Cell 2:         4.205 V (100.5%)
 +Cell 3:         4.205 V (100.5%)
 +Supply:         12.315 V
 +Charge Current: 180 mA
 +Charge Amount:  0.725 A
 +Temp INT:       39.7 °C
 +Temp EXT:       26.6 °C
 +>>$1;1;;12315;12599;18;4200;4205;4205;0;0;0;0;0;0;0;397;266;725;29
 +
 +Mode:           Charging
 +Batt:           12.579 V (99.3%)
 +Cell 1:         4.194 V (99.4%)
 +Cell 2:         4.205 V (100.5%)
 +Cell 3:         4.204 V (100.4%)
 +Supply:         12.315 V
 +Charge Current: 170 mA
 +Charge Amount:  0.725 A
 +Temp INT:       39.7 °C
 +Temp EXT:       26.6 °C
 +>>$1;1;;12315;12579;17;4194;4205;4204;0;0;0;0;0;0;0;397;266;725;19
 +
 +</code>
 +
 +\\
 +
 +Although the code could only be tested with the 1010B+ here, it is likely to be compatible to all sister models. If you have a different Junsi model and are able to test the code, please be so kind and leave some feedback for other  people, who also look for free and open-source data logging alternatives.
 +
 +<WRAP round tip>
 +If you're looking for a cheap grid power supply to drive the charger, **any old PC AT or ATX power supply will do**, since the charger itself is nothing else but a versatile buck/boost converter, regulated by a micro controller and assisted by a battery of balancing resistors. The 12V output of a 300W ATX supply is being used here.
 +</WRAP>
 +
 +{{tag>junsi icharger battery lipo data-logger python software}}
 +
 +{{keywords>Apollo-NG apollo next generation hackerspace hacker space development makerspace fablab diy community open-resource open resource mobile hackbus junsi icharger battery lipo data-logger python}}
 +
 +
 +~~DISCUSSION~~
Trace:

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