Thanks Peter. I have successfully used your grid charger for some years, but have only just done the full charge-discharge-charge-discharge-charge cycle, after the battery went really flat in storage, and did not come up well with driving or a simple grid charge. Initial results are very promising, much more ima, much better mpg. 12 yr old genuine Honda battery in a g1 insight.
Thanks Peter! I just finished building this and the hybrid battery is charging, the cooling fan is running. Everything worked great. I was pleasantly surprised to find a wiring harness in the battery box with leads running to all of the necessary spots. Took about an hour to build this and get it going. You do incredible work. Thanks again.
In the U.S. its almost impossible to find 230 volt bulbs, so you can series wire 2 identical 120 volt bulbs to make a draw on the IMA battery. if using a single 120 volt bulb beyond 130-ish volts it will blow.
Hard to believe. I'd like instructions for my gen 2 prius. I'd be willing to use a 120volt squril cage fan to cool my pack. My fan has a plug with several wires. I could research which 2. But I'd love to make the charger for my 07 prius. Like they say a little over 200 volts DC thanks. Love the Alabama accent!
Dear Peter!! @retepsnikrep , im from mexico and i am reaaaaallly newbie in this, my Civic 2008 battery appears to be dead, and i am dare enough to try to build and charge it :) could you please make a small video on how does the charger looks like (once assambled) and where should i connect the charging poles?? PLZ!!
3 questions from the U.S.: (1) What are the wire color matches for the fan connections? I don't see it in the comments anywhere. (2) Can I use the APC-35-350 on 120V AC? (3) What 120V bulb wattage should I use for discharging?
Maybe I missed it but what regulates the amount of voltage that will be fad to the batteries ? , will they be over charged ? Also on the discharge , keep the load on the batteries till you reach zero on the meter ? TKS
The led drivers limit current and voltage. You limit time by turning it on/off after x amount of time. Batteries empty = good when discharging. Holding them low also helps. Just leave bulb connected.
Hi Peter, thanks for this interesting post! I want to make a permanent connection to the IMA battery, with a DIN bajonet connection to the charger/discharger, do you recommend the crocodile clamps or better to use a slide terminal?
Hi Peter, I made my grid charger yesterday, working fine! Still have two questions: - Should the IMA fan be running during discharge? (I made a switch for the fan, so I can choose ON/OFF) - I made the charger so that charge and discharge both run through the same casing, with switches for Charge, Fan and Discharge, with a DIN bajonet connector and fixed wiring harness to my Insight. During discharge the 350mA LED drivers will be under 170V DC tension, I suppose there is some sort of diode integrated or is that a problem? Thanks again, this saved me a lot of money, both in making the charger myself and extending the lifetime of my IMA battery :-)
Hi and thank you for the video. It's very helpful. Can I ask you something? I've got a gen 3 prius which is about 240 volts... If there's no 240 v output power supply, can I connect in series two 100 v power supplies plus a 40 v power supply,? To make a 240v supply??? Thanks
Great video! I ran into 2 different issues when trying to tweak this video. I tried to build a 300 vdc for a camry hybrid. I wired everything up got 300 vdc without it hooked up to the battery (3 of the same drivers) . When I hooked it up to the battery it blew the drivers (immediately), I suspect I need a diode in the system. Does anyone know the diode that would work best? Second issue is that I tried to discharge the battery with a 500 watt halogen light. It blew it within 2 seconds. The ohms of the light is 2.3 ohms. What would I have to put in the system to safely discharge this hybrid battery with this light? Any helpful information would be great. Thank you.
Hi Peter, I have a 2006 Honda Civic hybrid which it's battery specs are below, what kind of LED power supply I should choose for charging it up? Thanks Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) Battery Output (Volts) 158 Rated Capacity 5.5 Ah
Hi Peter just wanted to ask, how long should you leave it hooked to the Grid changer, like how would you know when it's changed and is it possible to overcharge the battery with this kit? Thanks
This basically covers it. Your Honda Insight has been fitted with a bespoke IMA battery charger & discharger. This will help the car throughout its life as the IMA battery ages naturally. It can also help when storage or lack of use has lead to the IMA battery becoming unbalanced or weak. The device should not be used routinely, and is not designed to make the car into a plug in hybrid (PHEV). The Insight battery capacity is too small, and it cannot provide that function. The charger/discharger is purely a maintenance device for occasional use per the instructions below. The charger/discharger is a low current device with fan battery cooling designed to work over an extended period. It gently balances, cycles and fills all the 120 cells in the IMA battery providing improved performance and longevity. When to use the Insight IMA battery charger & discharger. When you use the car normally you will occasionally notice what are known as negative or positive recalibrations of the battery state of charge (SOC) gauge. A negative recalibration is when the gauge suddenly drops over about 30 seconds from a high state of charge (more bars) to a low state of charge (many less bars). This phenomenon is often accompanied by a subsequent forced charge shown as some green regeneration bars on the gauge. A positive recalibration is when the gauge suddenly rises over about 30 seconds from a low state of charge (less bars) to a high state of charge (many more bars). These recalibrations occur normally at varying intervals. Less recalibrations generally equates to a healthier and more balanced IMA battery. If recalibrations begin to occur more often than once a month then it is time to use the charger/discharger. Performing a simple charge. (Always try this first) Park the vehicle where you can access mains electricity and can leave it undisturbed for at least 24 hours. Ensure the charger three position switch is in the middle (off) position. Plug the charger output lead into the car charger socket underneath the right hand side of the rear shelf. Plug the charger mains lead into your mains socket and turn the power on. You should hear the sound of the battery fan after a few seconds, if you don’t check the connections and contact me for advice. Finally move the charger three position switch to the up (Charge position) The battery is now charging and it should be left for 24-36 hours. The exact time is not critical within the above limits. If you are not going to discharge at as well, then reset the IMA system as detailed and evaluate your results. Note. Charging as per the above should always be done before discharging. Performing a simple discharge. (Try this if simple charging does not help) Once a charge is complete unplug the charger from the mains. Discharging is a simple procedure and the car is connected to the charger in the normal way. During discharging no mains power is needed, and the battery fan does not need to be operating. Once connected, to start a discharge move the charger three position switch into the down (Discharge) position. The standard orange 60w incandescent bulb should light, if it doesn’t check connections, or if the bulb has blown. Ring for advice if needed. Leave the discharger to operate until the bulb grows dim or goes out. This may take anything from 6-24 hours depending on the condition of your battery. A longer discharge time usually means a healthier battery. Once the discharge is complete perform a simple charge, then reset the IMA system to evaluate your result.
@@retepsnikrep thanks for the quick response, especially so eurly in the morning 6:16 as of writing, I'm going to be using this on my 2003 honda civic IMA, it has a 144v NIMH IMA battery pack, would this still work for my model? My reason for wanting to grid charge (using your method) is because I'm getting OBD error (IMA Miss balance) this is also throwing a ima overheating error as some sticks are overcharging because of the miss balance.
Thanks for all your help, just one other thing, I'm getting. P1449 error (battery deterioration) but the sub codes I can't get, I need a OBD scanned that can get sub codes, do you have any suggestions on a good one scanner, there's quite a few on eBay, some usb ones that connects to scantool Thanks
I think it may sometimes be only a problem when using two in series. Although I've just done it successfully with my Prius C/Yaris Hybrid/Aqua. It took about 6 hours to reach a full charge, and I gave it another six to balance the cells. I used a 4in tubular exhaust fan, meant as a bathroom extractor! - to flow air through the pack.
I've found the meanwell LPC - 100-350, it has an output of 143 vdc to 286 vdc 100w, 350 mA. Do you think that it is proper for a prius gen 3? It has 28 modules of 7.2v nomimal voltage which adds to 201.6 volts.
@@TObject Read this thread on the crz forum its the same as the G2 Insight. www.crzforum.com/threads/nimh-ima-battery-would-there-be-any-forum-interest-in.94400/#post-1397295
This will work for the Prius C (Aqua / Yaris Hybrid) which also has 120 cells. (I did it to mine already) The fan is a bit more complicated, so you'll need an extra fan. I'm going to try a 100mm (4") inline bathroom extractor fan, which should fit the air inlet quite nicely! Other versions of the Prius would need an LED Driver that produces a suitably high voltage to match the pack you have, being sure that the current is no more than 350mA.
@@richardking6066 did you do discharging as well ? How long does it take to charge and discharge? How can we tell if battery already full charged and enough discharge. I got prius c . May give it try. Thanks look forward from you
@@mbahmannz You charge until the voltage is maximum, I think I got to 170volts. I discharged with a 100w 240v lamp. Watching the voltage carefully, do as not to go below the safe minimum per cell...
Using this technique and hardware gave me about 7 months before IMA light came on.
will do again soon.
Thanks Peter. I have successfully used your grid charger for some years, but have only just done the full charge-discharge-charge-discharge-charge cycle, after the battery went really flat in storage, and did not come up well with driving or a simple grid charge. Initial results are very promising, much more ima, much better mpg. 12 yr old genuine Honda battery in a g1 insight.
Thanks Peter! I just finished building this and the hybrid battery is charging, the cooling fan is running. Everything worked great. I was pleasantly surprised to find a wiring harness in the battery box with leads running to all of the necessary spots. Took about an hour to build this and get it going. You do incredible work. Thanks again.
How was the result? Did it work ? I'm planning to make one. Thanks in advance
In the U.S. its almost impossible to find 230 volt bulbs, so you can series wire 2 identical 120 volt bulbs to make a draw on the IMA battery. if using a single 120 volt bulb beyond 130-ish volts it will blow.
What a great video,my 2003 ima has this issue.
Hard to believe.
I'd like instructions for my gen 2 prius.
I'd be willing to use a 120volt squril cage fan to cool my pack.
My fan has a plug with several wires.
I could research which 2.
But I'd love to make the charger for my 07 prius.
Like they say a little over 200 volts DC thanks.
Love the Alabama accent!
Careful boys, these chargers get very hot, they will likely need some type of cooling fan on them.
Wow 2 years ago!
Gas was 1.82 a gallon here in Ga.then! 4.49 now.
Wiring the drivers together like that increases the amp output. The voltage stays the same
No it doesn't. The outputs of the drivers are in series. The voltage is doubled, the current remains the same.
Dear Peter!! @retepsnikrep , im from mexico and i am reaaaaallly newbie in this, my Civic 2008 battery appears to be dead, and i am dare enough to try to build and charge it :) could you please make a small video on how does the charger looks like (once assambled) and where should i connect the charging poles?? PLZ!!
Balance the batteries out and fool the Honda software, much better than a $3000 battery right!
3 questions from the U.S.:
(1) What are the wire color matches for the fan connections? I don't see it in the comments anywhere.
(2) Can I use the APC-35-350 on 120V AC?
(3) What 120V bulb wattage should I use for discharging?
Hi Peter,
Thanks for the video.
I have just a quick question,
Can I use this set for a Honda civic hybrid 2009 or I need a different power supply?
Maybe I missed it but what regulates the amount of voltage that will be fad to the batteries ? , will they be over charged ? Also on the discharge , keep the load on the batteries till you reach zero on the meter ? TKS
The led drivers limit current and voltage. You limit time by turning it on/off after x amount of time.
Batteries empty = good when discharging. Holding them low also helps. Just leave bulb connected.
Hi Peter, thanks for this interesting post! I want to make a permanent connection to the IMA battery, with a DIN bajonet connection to the charger/discharger, do you recommend the crocodile clamps or better to use a slide terminal?
Use 1/4" double spade connector for the + and a 6mm ring terminal for the negative.
@@retepsnikrep Will do! Thanks again Peter!
Hi Peter, I made my grid charger yesterday, working fine! Still have two questions:
- Should the IMA fan be running during discharge? (I made a switch for the fan, so I can choose ON/OFF)
- I made the charger so that charge and discharge both run through the same casing, with switches for Charge, Fan and Discharge, with a DIN bajonet connector and fixed wiring harness to my Insight. During discharge the 350mA LED drivers will be under 170V DC tension, I suppose there is some sort of diode integrated or is that a problem?
Thanks again, this saved me a lot of money, both in making the charger myself and extending the lifetime of my IMA battery :-)
@@northmanclassics9651 It doesn't need too.
Hi and thank you for the video. It's very helpful.
Can I ask you something? I've got a gen 3 prius which is about 240 volts... If there's no 240 v output power supply, can I connect in series two 100 v power supplies plus a 40 v power supply,? To make a 240v supply??? Thanks
Probably
Great video! I ran into 2 different issues when trying to tweak this video.
I tried to build a 300 vdc for a camry hybrid. I wired everything up got 300 vdc without it hooked up to the battery (3 of the same drivers) . When I hooked it up to the battery it blew the drivers (immediately), I suspect I need a diode in the system. Does anyone know the diode that would work best?
Second issue is that I tried to discharge the battery with a 500 watt halogen light. It blew it within 2 seconds. The ohms of the light is 2.3 ohms. What would I have to put in the system to safely discharge this hybrid battery with this light? Any helpful information would be great. Thank you.
Hi Peter, Great video. Would this charging setup work on a 2006-2008 Civic Hybrid? Thanks!
Probably but you will need to add a standalone fan or suitable driver for the oem fan to the system to pass cooling air through the pack.
Hi Peter,
Would this work for Honda Civic 2006 IMA.
Many thanks
Hey guys what led drivers do I need in America? 2008 civic hybrid.
Hi Peter,
I have a 2006 Honda Civic hybrid which it's battery specs are below, what kind of LED power supply I should choose for charging it up? Thanks
Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) Battery
Output (Volts)
158
Rated Capacity
5.5 Ah
2 x 100V 350ma supplies should do it.. Don't forgte you need to cool the pack with a fan.
Hi Peter just wanted to ask, how long should you leave it hooked to the Grid changer, like how would you know when it's changed and is it possible to overcharge the battery with this kit?
Thanks
This basically covers it.
Your Honda Insight has been fitted with a bespoke IMA battery charger & discharger.
This will help the car throughout its life as the IMA battery ages naturally.
It can also help when storage or lack of use has lead to the IMA battery becoming unbalanced or weak.
The device should not be used routinely, and is not designed to make the car into a plug in hybrid (PHEV).
The Insight battery capacity is too small, and it cannot provide that function.
The charger/discharger is purely a maintenance device for occasional use per the instructions below.
The charger/discharger is a low current device with fan battery cooling designed to work over an extended
period. It gently balances, cycles and fills all the 120 cells in the IMA battery providing improved performance
and longevity.
When to use the Insight IMA battery charger & discharger.
When you use the car normally you will occasionally notice what are known as negative or positive
recalibrations of the battery state of charge (SOC) gauge.
A negative recalibration is when the gauge suddenly drops over about 30 seconds from a high state of charge
(more bars) to a low state of charge (many less bars). This phenomenon is often accompanied by a subsequent
forced charge shown as some green regeneration bars on the gauge.
A positive recalibration is when the gauge suddenly rises over about 30 seconds from a low state of charge (less
bars) to a high state of charge (many more bars).
These recalibrations occur normally at varying intervals. Less recalibrations generally equates to a healthier and
more balanced IMA battery. If recalibrations begin to occur more often than once a month then it is time to use
the charger/discharger.
Performing a simple charge. (Always try this first)
Park the vehicle where you can access mains electricity and can leave it undisturbed for at least 24 hours.
Ensure the charger three position switch is in the middle (off) position.
Plug the charger output lead into the car charger socket underneath the right hand side of the rear shelf.
Plug the charger mains lead into your mains socket and turn the power on. You should hear the sound of the
battery fan after a few seconds, if you don’t check the connections and contact me for advice.
Finally move the charger three position switch to the up (Charge position)
The battery is now charging and it should be left for 24-36 hours.
The exact time is not critical within the above limits.
If you are not going to discharge at as well, then reset the IMA system as detailed and evaluate your results.
Note. Charging as per the above should always be done before discharging.
Performing a simple discharge. (Try this if simple charging does not help)
Once a charge is complete unplug the charger from the mains.
Discharging is a simple procedure and the car is connected to the charger in the normal way.
During discharging no mains power is needed, and the battery fan does not need to be operating.
Once connected, to start a discharge move the charger three position switch into the down (Discharge) position.
The standard orange 60w incandescent bulb should light, if it doesn’t check connections, or if the bulb has
blown. Ring for advice if needed.
Leave the discharger to operate until the bulb grows dim or goes out. This may take anything from 6-24 hours
depending on the condition of your battery. A longer discharge time usually means a healthier battery.
Once the discharge is complete perform a simple charge, then reset the IMA system to evaluate your result.
@@retepsnikrep thanks for the quick response, especially so eurly in the morning 6:16 as of writing, I'm going to be using this on my 2003 honda civic IMA, it has a 144v NIMH IMA battery pack, would this still work for my model? My reason for wanting to grid charge (using your method) is because I'm getting OBD error (IMA Miss balance) this is also throwing a ima overheating error as some sticks are overcharging because of the miss balance.
@@alfredmanner6881 it might help a bit. You must have a fan cooling battery when charging though.
Thanks for all your help, just one other thing, I'm getting. P1449 error (battery deterioration) but the sub codes I can't get, I need a OBD scanned that can get sub codes, do you have any suggestions on a good one scanner, there's quite a few on eBay, some usb ones that connects to scantool
Thanks
@@alfredmanner6881 Ask on insightcentral.net or use the blink code method
Hi Peter this is the same process for the crz ? 2011
Curious why some are against constant current drivers for grid charging?
I think it may sometimes be only a problem when using two in series. Although I've just done it successfully with my Prius C/Yaris Hybrid/Aqua. It took about 6 hours to reach a full charge, and I gave it another six to balance the cells. I used a 4in tubular exhaust fan, meant as a bathroom extractor! - to flow air through the pack.
@@richardking6066 can you please let me know which driver you used for Prius c.
I've found the meanwell LPC - 100-350, it has an output of 143 vdc to 286 vdc 100w, 350 mA. Do you think that it is proper for a prius gen 3? It has 28 modules of 7.2v nomimal voltage which adds to 201.6 volts.
Possibly.. I don't have a Prius so it's all at your own risk.
Keep an eye on the voltage, charging at 2XX volts might be iffy
@@user-tt2lg5kg1t done it. It's all good. Charged and balanced in 24 hours. Sweet!!
Will this work in the United States or would I need supplies?
It's universal if the supplies can handle 110V input, check before buying.
@@retepsnikrep Thank you for the information and being able to read my question through the typos!
hi Peter will this work with 2009 Honda Insight?
yes..
But you need lower led voltage supplies..
can you tell me which ones exactly i will need?
@@TObject Read this thread on the crz forum its the same as the G2 Insight.
www.crzforum.com/threads/nimh-ima-battery-would-there-be-any-forum-interest-in.94400/#post-1397295
Will this process work on a 2013 civic hybrid
Yes if the Civic 2013 Hybrid is a Nimh battery, and you use the right voltage range power supplies, provide cooling air etc.
Prius?
This will work for the Prius C (Aqua / Yaris Hybrid) which also has 120 cells. (I did it to mine already) The fan is a bit more complicated, so you'll need an extra fan. I'm going to try a 100mm (4") inline bathroom extractor fan, which should fit the air inlet quite nicely! Other versions of the Prius would need an LED Driver that produces a suitably high voltage to match the pack you have, being sure that the current is no more than 350mA.
@@richardking6066 did you do discharging as well ? How long does it take to charge and discharge? How can we tell if battery already full charged and enough discharge. I got prius c . May give it try. Thanks look forward from you
@@mbahmannz You charge until the voltage is maximum, I think I got to 170volts. I discharged with a 100w 240v lamp. Watching the voltage carefully, do as not to go below the safe minimum per cell...