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Total Members Voted: 86

[Electric Terry]

The DigiNow charger is slightly different than the charger on the EMW site.  The diginow configuration will do more than 70 amps.  It's all configured via the communication beagle bone wifi app from your smart phone.

[PhreaK]

So just to clarify, the one on the EMW site is different to the one that's been talked about on this thread so far?

[Burton]

So just to clarify, the one on the EMW site is different to the one that's been talked about on this thread so far?

One of the big obvious differences is how you program the device vs the Diginow device

So yeah ... it is different.

[protomech]

The DigiNow charger is slightly different than the charger on the EMW site.  The diginow configuration will do more than 70 amps.  It's all configured via the communication beagle bone wifi app from your smart phone.

Good to hear, although still slightly confusing.. since the EMW site directs people to order through DigiNow. Is DigiNow selling two different versions, one for EMW (70 amps, programmable over serial) and one for the Zero bikes (> 70 amps, programmable over bluetooth)?

There is a lot of conflicting / confusing information surrounding the charger, and I think a definitive set of answers from Brandon would help. Hopefully he can provide these when he updates.

Ex: in this autoblog article, they mention 7.5 kW, 8 kW, 9 kW, 10 kW, 12 kW, 15 kW .. also mentioning peak power and continuous power, which I believe was mentioned earlier in this thread that the charger will derate based on thermals when installed in the tank location.

Maybe what would be useful would be taking several application scenarios and explaining how the charger would be used and what power levels would be expected.

1. Charging from standard 120V socket
2. Charging from NEMA 14-30, ~200V
3. Charging from NEMA 14-30, ~240V
4. Charging from NEMA 14-50, ~200V
5. Charging from NEMA 14-50, ~240V
6. Charging from J1772 EVSE - does the charger automatically respect the EVSE limits ie 16A, 32A, 40A?
7. Charging from J1772 EVSE + 120V socket in combination (using onboard charger)

The simplest mode of operation would be to set an input current limit through the app prior to plugging into a "dumb" socket, and to have the charger respect the input current limit communicated through the J1772 EVSE pilot signal (override with the app). Brandon is a smart guy, so hopefully this is how it was designed .. it'd just be nice to clarifiy.

[Doug S]

It's all configured via the communication beagle bone wifi app from your smart phone.

Wifi, not bluetooth? That's.....interesting. Does that mean the charger has an internet presence if it's close enough to a Wifi hub? It would be very cool if you could put the bike on the charger, go to get lunch or something, and monitor the charging process remotely.

[MostlyBonkers]

+1 on the Diginow being on the internet. I guess the it might be a pain to try and hook it up to every Wi-Fi network at different cafes. Some of them require a login via a browser, so I'm not sure how that would work.

I wonder, if you shared your internet connection on your phone, perhaps the app would work? You might just get enough range to sit within 100ft of the bike and keep an eye on the charging. Much more range than Bluetooth at least.

Any chance of the manual being published alongside a web page with all the features and specs? It could save a lot of pre-sales queries. It will also help prevent buyer's remorse. I'd encourage everyone to read the manual before they buy to make sure the Diginow fits their needs. Charging is rather more complex than the uninitiated might be lead to believe.

[kingcharles]

LoRaWAN is the most future proof option.

[Electric Cowboy]

Hey guys, I put up some information on the website. It may help answer some of the questions from above.

We're busting our butts tweaking algorithms right now and running and re-running safety protocols and checks.

So glad to get awesome help from guys like Terry Hershner and Luke (LiveForPhysics) who is riding around on my 2015 Race SR up in Nor Cal hitting up all the charge stations he can find. He really can't get enough of fast charging now that he has had a taste of it.

On a side note, some of you may know his sparrow, which he upgraded with one of the Super Charger QA units, originally he was charging it @600 watts, no there is not a zero missing from there you read that right 600 watts! Well, after adding in the prototype, he drove it down here to LA... from Santa Cruz! On the way down he hit a few of the 70A Clipper creek J-Plugs at RaboBanks and was charging his 232v sparrow @ 16 KW! Woot!

Then a few days later, he rode my SR back up to NorCal, and had a blast doing it too!

Anyway check out the preliminary info I put up on the site for you guys with the link below.

http://diginow.it/super-charger-for-zero-motorcycle.php

[Electric Cowboy]

I wonder if I could get them to make it so I can unhook the J1772 via anderson connector and hook in my own project box with EVSE circuit so I can charge from 14-50 / 5-20 so I don't have to carry around huge multi-hundred dollar solutions to do what I can already do now

That's how we built it most average users will never see that once it is onboard, but you my friend, will have a field day!

[Electric Cowboy]

1. Charging from standard 120V socket
2. Charging from NEMA 14-30, ~200V
3. Charging from NEMA 14-30, ~240V
4. Charging from NEMA 14-50, ~200V
5. Charging from NEMA 14-50, ~240V
6. Charging from J1772 EVSE - does the charger automatically respect the EVSE limits ie 16A, 32A, 40A?
7. Charging from J1772 EVSE + 120V socket in combination (using onboard charger)

It's all based on power to make things simple. You just set the desired constant power and the charger will attempt to stay as close as possible to that power. This way lower voltages will put in more amps and higher voltages will put in lower amps to keep the power draw from the power source as even as it can.

The code will recalculate its amperage draw if the wattage fluctuates +/- 200 watts from the desired wattage.

The EVSE limits are respected, and we try to pull the maximum power at all times again dumping higher amperage into the battery at lower states of charge and lower amperage at higher states of charge.

An example would be a 32A 240v EVSE at Terry's sub 0% SOC ~93v we would be putting in 7680 watts 93v @ 82A. Then close to full at say 114v we would still be putting in 7680 watts 114v @ 67A. This is the way that seems to best utilize the available power.

Once the charger begins to hit 116v under load it will reduce the charge current by 100w every 200 ms until the voltage under load drops back down to below 116v if it does not drop by the time the desired wattage hits 0 then the charger will assume the charge is complete. Now if in a few min the surface charge wears off, and the voltage drops to 115.8 or so it will start again to trickle charge the battery to a full 116v so you will have a true 100% SOC.

Ideally though you would just utilize the fast part of the charge and move on at say 80-93% somewhere between 90 and 95% the power ramp down will begin depending on how fast you are charging. The faster you charge the more the voltage under load will raise so we have to slow down to make sure everything is honkey dorey

[vaiarii]

An example would be a 32A 240v EVSE at Terry's sub 0% SOC ~93v we would be putting in 7680 watts 93v @ 82A. Then close to full at say 114v we would still be putting in 7680 watts 114v @ 67A.

How can a 32A EVSE provide 82A?

[Electric Cowboy]

An example would be a 32A 240v EVSE at Terry's sub 0% SOC ~93v we would be putting in 7680 watts 93v @ 82A. Then close to full at say 114v we would still be putting in 7680 watts 114v @ 67A.

How can a 32A EVSE provide 82A?

Thats into the battery. A 32A 240v EVSE can provide 7680 watts. If you put those watts through the charger it can put in around 82A @93v -> into the battery which is also 7680 watts.

Watts = Volts * Amps

There are very minimal losses so you might belooking more like 80A into the battery, 32A from the EVSE.

32A 240v -> charger -> 82A 93v
OR
32A 240v -> charger -> 67A 114v

All items are still using the same amount of power and the EVSE is still only putting out 32A

Hope that clears it up a bit

[Erasmo]

Thank you for the update!

[Patrick Truchon]

Great update!  Thanks EC!!

[Burton]

In relation to the "Controller Kit" ... are you finding owners need to modify the variable in their controller to handle the higher rates or are the controllers bypassing the "regen" hard cap of 40A as set by the MBB when charging? (not sure if this exists on the MY14+ bikes or not but I know it is on the MY13 bikes)

Can't wait to get this thing on my bike