obc repair?

[smokey tennis shoe]

Can anyone tell me EXACTLY, what fails in an on board computer?

We know they go bad and I have replaced quite a few of them. But I am wondering what is it that goes bad? And why can't it be repaired?

[simple man]

Can't tell you what fails, but I have an idea it's some dinky little resistor or cap in the board that you can't access through the potting material. I'll bet that somewhere in the cloud there is a schematic for these, and an enterprising individual could build one!

Originally Posted by simple man

Can't tell you what fails, but I have an idea it's some dinky little resistor or cap in the board that you can't access through the potting material. I'll bet that somewhere in the cloud there is a schematic for these, and an enterprising individual could build one!

Originally Posted by simple man

If man made it, I can get it apart!

we are waiting !

[scottyb]

Some body must have the link to the OBC function thread.

There was a guy who cooked the resin off of the unit and reverse engineered the thing. He listed every function ( for the one in his hands - it does vary by model) I guess you could do some OBC repairs if you have more time than $ and lots of skills. But for the average Joe, it's a sealed throw-a-way unit. Replace it or replace the charger with a smart charger that doesn't need no stinking OBC !

[scooterman]

I never took one apart but from the understanding that the purpose of it is to logically charge the batteries accounting for run time, varying loads during use and the amount of current used. So basically it is a computer programmed to charge the batteries optimally. The largest factor is the current used and to gather this information it basically uses an ampmeter to take the measurement. This consist of a pass through coil that is induced when current flows through it. That said unless you a digital electronic freak there isn't anything serviceable.

It is my opinion that a smart charger that not only charges the batteries but it continuously monitors and it will trickle charge the batteries fully which the regular chargers I don't think will acheive. This without doubt will get maximum life from the battery pack, although may not be a major increase in life. If there are any issues that could hurt the batteries this charger would be the best chance of recovery.

[scottyb]

I don't think the OBC ever lived up to it's advertised benefits. I am guessing CC agrees because .......... the OBC has been discontinued. The early OBC had an on and off trigger and 3 stage algorithm. A few generations later it was sampling the pack and charging accordingly.
50% of the people facing OBC replacement opt for a smart charger instead of investing in another OBC. Consider the smart charger and the OBC are comparably priced and when a smart charger is used you can sell the old CC charger for $100-150. So,it is less expensive to replace the charger this way.

[mrgolf]

Just one other point about the obc or not having one. Without the obc there is no need to worry about getting the neg battery cable through that little hole. You could up grade to one inch battery cable if you wanted to and they made such a thing.

Originally Posted by scottyb

. Consider the smart charger and the OBC are comparably priced and when a smart charger is used you can sell the old CC charger for $100-150. So,it is less expensive to replace the charger this way.

and where do we get a smart charger?

[scottyb]

We have both a smart and a dumb charger available for the CC round 48v plug. It's a DPI Accusense.