Enova wanted some software to work with these two charges and they asked me if I could help. My suggestion was my software TestController and they accepted that.
Enova have been using my software with the chargers for some time now, but I have not got a charger yet to play with, but are supposed to get one soon.
I do not expect to do a full review of the charger, but may post something about what the charger can do with TestController.
At the current time the definition for TC only support logging volt, current, capacity and energy for each channel, but I expect it is possible to add full control of the charger from a menu. For advanced users it is possible to make scripts to control the charger.
Note: The definitions are not included in TextController yet, but anybody asking for them can get a copy.
TestController can be downloaded here: https://lygte-info.dk/project/TestControllerIntro%20UK.html
It do requires Java and it must be installed before TC can be used, this is a bit extra work, but means this charger can be controlled from Windows, Mac and Linux because TC and Java works on all these platforms.
I did not have any involvement with the actual charger design and do not have any kind of contract with Enova.
As a reviewer of the S8000, I have been trying to use it together with TestController for a while, but I haven’t even understood TestController enough yet. There are multiple revisions of commands for the S8000, based on some of my suggestions. But I’m not sure if the current state is good or not, because it is a little confusing.
I tried adding some panels for configuration in TC, but I wasn’t successful, probably due to lack of time and too many functions in TC and the S8000.
Please let me know if you like to hear more about my tests with TC and the S8000.
Welcome back! Im looking forward to your review and how to implement TestController on a Windows PC. Hopefully the Enova chargers meet your rigorous standards.
One of the greatest assets now missing from this forum is your in-depth technical reviews on chargers. Without you to guide us, most other reviews read as advertisements without detailed test data to substantiate the claims. Luckily, I own more than enough HKJ approved chargers to see me through. The Enova design peaked my interest and would be something Id like to add to my collection… if it passes with your approval.
I do not have a command list for the charges yet, I have seen some of the commands and will ask Enova for a full list when I get a charger. This will make it possible for me to add menus to TC.
TC is designed to be fairly simple to get working, but not have many limits on it functions. I.e. you may easily get it working doing basic stuff, but to learn everything it can do takes a lot of work. Also note that TC was never designed for charges, but for test and measurement equipment and a advanced charge can be viewed as some sort of T&M equipment.
I would like to hear more about your test and experience with TC and the charger.
This is a sad news…
From 2006 to yesterday all my decisions to buy a charger or power bank or usb tester or a multimeter are start from your web page. Your web page is essential for all hobbyists…
I know test required a lot of time and energy. Your tests are incredible and awesome
I hope to see news and I hope many people can help you in the future for your inestimable work
Cheers
The capabilities of TC are truly impressive, and we see exciting potential in it. We look forward to developing some unique features that will make the GYRFALCON S8000 and S4000 Pro even more versatile and fun to play with. It’s an honor to be adapted to TC, and we extend our sincere thanks to HKJ for creating such an outstanding tool.
I turns on that Enova is making the definition for TC and it can control probably all aspect of the charger.
I am impressed with how advanced the charger is and with the computer interface it will probably be my favorite charger.
In addition to the features shown in the definition files, TC offers plenty of interesting ways to play with it. Creative users can fully customize their interface and functions to meet their specific needs.
The way to do custom layouts is called “GridPanel” and is one of the popups:
It is possible to customize a lot of stuff in these readouts.
The panel can be saved:
The above panel looks this way in script as generated by the above options (i.e. no need to write any script, TC will do it): #ShowPopupSystem GridPanel 107 18 792 202 #GridPanel #GridPanel 1 3 #GridPanel DualReadout S4000Pro.C1_Voltage S4000Pro.C1_Current hz #GridPanel DualReadout S4000Pro.C1_Energy S4000Pro.C1_Capacity hz #GridPanel Charting S4000Pro.C1_Voltage nn value:0:5
It can be copied to the log window and run or saved as a menu.
To use it for the S8000, replace “S4000Pro” with “S8000” before saving or running.
To make it real usable it would have to contains four lines, one for each channel.
If people make some good GridPanels or other scripts for the charger, feel free to post them here.
Still thinking about interesting use cases. For now I use TC primarily to configure the chargerÂą and to log charging or a C>D>C cycle. I could also use it to log discharge at different current, but with 1A it is rather limited (thus I still need an external load to do 10A for example). Is it worth measuring internal resistance at different voltages? Is there a command to trigger IR measurement?
Âą Firmware version 3.0.40 improved the button response and made configuration via the charger much more comfortable. Not exactly sure what was changed (looks like a longer deadband between short and long press). Good job, @enova18650.com.
You can make large readouts on the PC making it possible to see the charge state from everywhere in the room, GridPanel and Readout popups can be used for that.
You can set a alarm for specific conditions, like current==0. Both visual and audio is possible and with a PC it is not hard to make the audio alarm heard a room or two away (But you may face consequences from other people around you if you do ).
Also note that you do not need a big PC to run TC, a small laptop or even a Rasberry PI can do it.
We currently only provide commands to return the internal resistance (IR) measurement values, such as: MEASure:IR? ch1 and MEASure:IR? 1. If you need to measure IR at different voltages, you can easily do so through the TC graphical interface in the CH# Super Controller. During the charging or discharging task, once the target voltage is reached, click “Stop Process” to trigger a measurement (please note, this will terminate the current task, and clicking “Start Process” will restart it). Therefore, please avoid doing this during complex tasks, such as cycles or custom test sequences.
There are multiple revisions of commands for the S8000, based on some of my suggestions. But I’m not sure if the current state is good or not, because it is a little confusing.
).