What’s

New?
Key Features Cell Voltage Measurement Improvements
 Significantly improved cell voltage measure-  Significantly improved voltage measurement
ment accuracy & resolution (0.1mV resolution) resolution (0.1mV) and accuracy (+/-5mV)
 Lighter weight, smaller, and more optimized  Parasitic power draw from the cells has been
mechanical design reduced by nearly 10x (0.5mA vs. 5.0mA)
 Compatible with both 12v and 24v power  Cell tap wire length does not significantly
supplies affect measurement accuracy
 Ability to directly drive contactors on select
outputs (limitations apply) Power Supply
 Integrated J1772 & CHAdeMO support  Now accepts 12v and 24v input power (9v-
 Significant algorithm improvements 30v actual)
 Expanded diagnostic capabilities  More efficient power supply
 Significantly improved multi-unit operation  Meets 12v passenger vehicle and 24v heavy-
with remote modules duty truck standards for transient protection
 Additional inputs and outputs (SAE J1113 & J1455)
 8 thermistors on base unit  Power supply is load-dump protected up to
178V (SAE J1113 & ISO 7637-2 Class IV)
The Orion BMS is a
Mechanical Improvements Integrated J1772 & CHAdeMO Support product of Ewert
 Connectors moved to adjacent sides for  BMS directly interfaces with J1772 charging Energy Systems, Inc.
easier mounting in tight spaces inlets (control pilot & proximity detect)
 Smaller size available for 72 cell sizes and  Provisions for charge limiting based on J1772 Ewert Energy
lower current limits (support varies by charger) Systems is a re-
 Significantly reduced weight  Status of J1772 circuit including AC current search and devel-
 40% reduction for a 180 cell unit limit available via CANBUS opment company
 40% reduction for a 108 cell unit  Ability to receive AC input voltage for current focused on devel-
 50% reduction for 72 cell & lower unit limiting from supported chargers oping solutions for
 Integrated CHAdeMO offboard charging
 Removable heat sink allows for cold plate plug-in hybrid and
support with easy one click setup
compatibility (minimum heatsinking electric vehicles and
requirements apply) other energy stor-
 Larger mounting holes with more convenient age applications.
slotted shape for easier mounting
 Cell tap connectors now gold plated for
higher long term reliability (only gold plated
harnesses may be used with gold connectors;
available as special order with tinned
connectors for backwards compatibility)
 New Status LED on BMS unit indicates power,
normal status, or fault status
Input / Output Significantly Improved Series Unit Operation for Semi-
 8 thermistor inputs on the base unit with programmable Distributed Systems (Remote Modules)
B-values (additional thermistors can be added by using  Supports up to 2 remote modules (in addition to the main unit)
thermistor expansion modules)  Only one profile and one current sensor used. No program-
 2 new multi-purpose outputs added for a total of 5 multi- ming of remote units
purpose outputs (fan PWM and fan output can now be used  All cell and fault codes are displayed on the primary unit
as multipurpose outputs)  Remote modules support up to 8 thermistors each
 2 additional multi-purpose input pins for a total of 3 multi-  Support for up to a total of 324 cells in series (Note: max
purpose inputs voltage limitations apply)
 Current sensor accuracy improved  Remote modules can be used to monitors cells twice for redun-
 Shorter time from power up to activation of relay outputs dancy or for higher balancing currents
 Total pack voltage sensor removed (pack voltage calculated  Lower cost for remote modules
from cell voltages)
 Amps analog voltage output removed (CCL, DCL, and SOC CANBUS Improvements
remain)  New CAN transceivers with better transient protection
 Open drain outputs and multi-purpose inputs now compatible  Increased to 15 programmable CANBUS messages
with 24v systems (30v max) (previously 10)
 Charge enable, discharge enable, charger safety, and multi-  Increased to 8 programmable custom flags (previously 4)
purpose enable outputs can directly drive certain contactors  Expanded J1939 compatibility
with economizers (see wiring manual for compatibility details  Battery cell broadcast enhancements (extended IDs and pro-
and maximum total amperage limitations) grammable intervals)
 Charge enable, discharge enable, and charger safety outputs  New data fields include J1772 AC current limit, J1772 output
can now turn back on after an over-current event power, J1772 AC voltage (with supported charger), J1772
plug status, observed pack capacity, and CANBUS1 and
Improved Interfacing with Thermistor Expansion Modules CANBUS2 fault status.
 Thermistor Expansion Modules can now be programmed
directly through the BMS
utility
 Additional thermistor ex-
pansion module information
displayed directly on the
live text data screen
 Thermistor expansion mod-
ule data and settings can
be changed regardless of
which CANBUS interface
they are connected on
(may be on a different
interface than is connected
to the PC)
 Streamlined setup
procedure

161 E. Saint Charles Road Phone: (630) 868-3173 www.orionbms.com

Carol Stream, IL 60188 Fax: (866) 657-5667 www.ewertenergy.com
Improved Fault Detection & Reporting
 “Pack Too Hot” fault code
 New faults for cells over & under
voltage for 10 continuous seconds
 Internal self-test to check balancing
circuits each power up
 Detection for backwards current
sensor or current sensor channels
 Additional monitoring and fault
codes for internal hardware faults
 Up to 3 sub-codes for each freeze
frame, giving more data in the
event of a fault
 Improved open wire detection
capabilities
 Utility translates most sub-code data to more human
readable form. Improved Isolation Fault detection
 Isolation measurements taken from cell tap 1 with no separate
 Weak cell faults now indicate out of balance cells vs. low
capacity cells, and if the fault is due to high resistance or wire or connector required
 Circuit can be fully disabled through the utility to prevent in-
mismatched cells.
 Weak cell fault thresholds are now programmable via a terference with other external fault detection systems
user specified table for better accuracy at low temperatures. (previous versions required hardware modifications for this)
 Improved algorithm to prevent false positives from rapid
 Fault freeze frame data now persists across power loss and
clearing the fault codes. changes in current.
 Maximum amount of freeze frame data that the unit can
Expanded Data Logging Diagnostics
store has been increased.
 Event logging tracks when and why outputs turn on/off for

Improved battery management algorithms quick diagnostics (includes SOC corrections, fault codes being
 Tracks capacity degradation and adjusts state of charge
set or cleared, J1772 status, and more)
 Lifetime thermal histogram
accordingly (compensated and uncompensated values
 Lifetime charge / discharge current histogram
available)
 Improved state of charge calculation – more options and  Lifetime state of charge histogram
ability to specify speed at which SOC corrections happen
 Improved open circuit voltage calculation method for certain Other Improvements
 Improved password protection to allow for more complex
cell chemistries
 More refined control over charge and discharge current passwords with characters
 Firmware can now be updated via the CAN1 or CAN2 inter-
temperature limits, allowing non-linear rules (user defined
table vs. calculated values) faces (previously only CAN1)
 Over-current limiting now allows for a constant offset rather  Improved memory integrity verification
than a simple percentage, which may become very small at  Dozens of other minor improvements and tweaks to optimize
low limits performance and reliability

161 E. Saint Charles Road Phone: (630) 868-3173 www.orionbms.com

Carol Stream, IL 60188 Fax: (866) 657-5667 www.ewertenergy.com