[t5pilot]

Originally Posted by gippy

yup unlocked and awake.
aaah ok.
well that's what i'm trying to figure out, according to my charger it's now full, and so running on trickle charge. And i just don't know whether with only 4Amps that is good enough to sustain the battery above 12V for 15 mins whilst xhp is flashing and drawing current..

or i just spend the £50 to get a 30A+ charger just to flash xhp. or try and borrow one from my local indy.

Just spend a fiver on fuel & go for a decent drive.
Should easily provide enough power to do a simple flash as soon as you get back.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by t5pilot

Just spend a fiver on fuel & go for a decent drive.
Should easily provide enough power to do a simple flash as soon as you get back.

If you have just charged the battery with a smart charger, you'd most likely come back home with a lower SoC, due to the Intelligent Alternator Control not supporting charging. Due to the SoC being in the range where energy management will also allow the battery to take some of the electrical load/consumption.

We are not dealing with conventional charging systems. Battery will drop back to ~80% SoC, before the alternator adds charge, except on the over-run.

[Hanchurch]

We use a ctec msx-5 with Battery adaptors connected for my wife's second car as it can sit in the garage for weeks on end. It works very well.

[gippy]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

If you have just charged the battery with a smart charger, you'd most likely come back home with a lower SoC, due to the Intelligent Alternator Control not supporting charging. Due to the SoC being in the range where energy management will also allow the battery to take some of the electrical load/consumption.

We are not dealing with conventional charging systems. Battery will drop back to ~80% SoC, before the alternator adds charge, except on the over-run.

sooooo you're saying in essence that there is no real/cheaper alternative to getting an adequate high-amp charger to ensure safe flashing, due to how the car decides when to charge and not to, and therefore, going for a drive isn't any guarantee i'd have sufficient charge. yes?
i think i'll stick with my £40 purchase then and flash when it arrives.

[Stainy]

I've just built myself a PSU for coding. Supplies a constant 13.8v at 54amps and cost all of £30, including the necessary resistors and a set of jump leads I've bought to cannibalise onto it.......It would've been £20, but I blew up the first PSU. Steady soldering hands needed!

[NanasBack]

Originally Posted by gippy

sooooo you're saying in essence that there is no real/cheaper alternative to getting an adequate high-amp charger to ensure safe flashing, due to how the car decides when to charge and not to, and therefore, going for a drive isn't any guarantee i'd have sufficient charge. yes?
i think i'll stick with my £40 purchase then and flash when it arrives.

What has to be said is, the notion of
'doing it yourself at home for convenience and the flexibility of being able to change back at any time'
is not so attractive as the adverts make out.

The risk is all yours.

If something doesn't work correctly, or worse - gets bricked, you may have an expensive paper weight sitting on your drive and possibly no mobility to even drive it to a garage for someone else to look at the problem.

Your only contact is the supplying company by phone, or possibly email, however long that takes to sort out.
If it happens to be on a bank holiday weekend or over the festive season, it might be quite some time before anyone responds to your plight.

Merry Christmas.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by gippy

sooooo you're saying in essence that there is no real/cheaper alternative to getting an adequate high-amp charger to ensure safe flashing, due to how the car decides when to charge and not to, and therefore, going for a drive isn't any guarantee i'd have sufficient charge. yes?
i think i'll stick with my £40 purchase then and flash when it arrives.

When something goes wrong...

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1781689

[bishbosh]

Bmw power supplies output 14v at something like 80amps +

I built a psu (now sold) that output 14v at about 56amps which I've used for ecu flashing. I don't think a 30amp charger is sufficient but ymmv

[gippy]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

When something goes wrong...

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1781689

yeh...and did you read the thread? or his own response after?
using wireless connections to flash is silly to begin with, anyone with some basic experience of home networking will know how inconsistent wireless connectivity and data transfer rates can be when compared to good old fashioned ethernet cable.
and then on top of that he wasn't using a power supply.

"I fixed it!
I fixed it! This is for future reference for those who are looking to download XHP and may be having the same issues as I experienced.

I picked up a 12v/15 Amp smart battery charger from Autozone, and hooked it up to the front terminals to charge the battery.

After completely charging it overnight, I reconnected my iPhone to the MHD Wifi adapter. I think the app & adapter had issues with my phone (as it would not constantly end the connection), so I downloaded the app on my iPad and connected to the adapter. Worked flawlessly after that."

xhp clearly states in the instructions to use a power supply which can output a minimum of 30amps. If people don't follow the instructions, then is it any surprise when they have problems? This is why i was trying to weigh up the risks of going ahead flashing whilst hooked up to my 4Amp smart charger, or whether to fork out £40 and get a 30amp charger. Which, it appears, is the sensible thing to do. Problem solved.

as for that thread, i wouldn't even try and bother using wireless connections to flash my phone with a custom ROM, let alone a car.
i appreciate the info you gave about how going for a drive doesn't necessarily charge the battery up fully - which is probably why xhp explicitly state to use a decent battery charger when flashing.

[SW6Steve]

I've had a CTEK charger for my bike for several years, and has worked very well. This charger has small connection rings for a permanent connection to the battery terminals, and would not be big enough to make a permanent connection to the cars battery.
Does the CTEK MXS5.0 charger have large enough terminal rings to make a permanent connection to a car battery?
Thanks

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by SW6Steve

Does the CTEK MXS5.0 charger have large enough terminal rings to make a permanent connection to a car battery?
Thanks

Do you really want to connect to the battery? Front connections are recommended, to ensure IBS is monitoring charge.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by gippy

yeh...and did you read the thread? or his own response after?

i appreciate the info you gave about how going for a drive doesn't necessarily charge the battery up fully - which is probably why xhp explicitly state to use a decent battery charger when flashing.

Wasn't my intention to debate the content of the other thread... simply posting a semi-related link.

[SW6Steve]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

Do you really want to connect to the battery? Front connections are recommended, to ensure IBS is monitoring charge.

Yes mate!
It's for a VW that sits for long periods. The battery is under a plastic cover the whole width of the car, that needs removing to get to both terminals. Which is a pain! So this would be ideal.

[SkyJawa]

Our Tiguan requires the connection to the positive on the battery and the negative on the bulkhead so the charge is monitored by the car......

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by SW6Steve

Yes mate!
It's for a VW that sits for long periods. The battery is under a plastic cover the whole width of the car, that needs removing to get to both terminals. Which is a pain! So this would be ideal.

Understand... was thinking the BMW connection. CTEK do several 'plug on' end terminal designs, as options for individual use.

CTEK CTE-56329 CTEK Direct Connector Adaptor (10mm) Will that do the job?

[Hanchurch]

Originally Posted by SW6Steve

I've had a CTEK charger for my bike for several years, and has worked very well. This charger has small connection rings for a permanent connection to the battery terminals, and would not be big enough to make a permanent connection to the cars battery.
Does the CTEK MXS5.0 charger have large enough terminal rings to make a permanent connection to a car battery?
Thanks

Yes that's how ours is connected.

[winther1]

Now thinking I should probably hook up a 30-50amp charger. My plan was to wait until the downpipe has been installed on Wednesday, so might just ask the installer (Mstyle) if they have a proper charger I can borrow and do it on site

[winther1]

Finally getting around to charging my car battery. Is it absolutely necessary to disconnect it first?

[Mick.86uk]

No need to disconnect the battery.

[Craig-SM]

No and you charge it from the connectors under the bonnet

Beaten to it. The positive clamp can connected horizontal to all the bonnet to be closed

[winther1]

OK thanks chaps. I just read a comment that I can "fry the ECU if battery isn't disconnected first"....

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by winther1

OK thanks chaps. I just read a comment that I can "fry the ECU if battery isn't disconnected first"....

BMW don't state anything about disconnecting the battery.

As a precaution against any services running, I always ensure the car is closed, as if ready to lock. Just the bonnet open for connecting the charger.

Connect to the car, before plugging the charger to mains and switching on.