Fogstar Drift App

[headlight]

Anybody having problems with the app ?
I received 2 x 105AH Fogstar Drifts today.
I down loaded the app on to my phone but no matter what I do my phone just searches and searches and doesn't connect.
I have also down loaded the app on to my tablet but that won't connect either.
I have Bluetooth and location turned on on both devices and have uninstalled and re-installed the app several times on both devices but still no joy.
I can connect to other devices via Bluetooth no problem.

 

[Just smiffy]

I wouldnt know one way or the other .I have seen some negative comments in the past none that i could quote i just thought as Lithium batteries were on your radar you would have an opinion on them, maybe you should look if for nothing else but to be well informed

Unfortunately it’s a minefield out there, some good some bad, I’ll stick with my Exide Gels for the moment…

 

[Al n Val]

It's snowing here Al the UK comes to a standstill with a dusting of snow

I’m expecting a “its because of Covid” excuse Dave

 

[PeterCarole29]

I had 4 x 6v 225ah lead acid trojan in my PVC not very good for my weight now gone for Lithium very happy

 

[Gromett]

Oh I didn’t think of that… still, if I was selling stuff for motorhomes then I’d be on here like many other traders are… is it a lot..?

There are arguments both ways. They do have a facebook group as well as their usual communications method. As a business you have to decide which platforms to be present on based on demand.
You can't be on all of them otherwise you would need a dedicated staff member trawling them constantly 7 days a week.

That said, there is quite a captive audience here so I suspect it would make good business sense to have a presence on here.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Murrays]

Yes I've seen them now. Parameters
To be fair to Fogstar, on Friday they did offer to replace my batteries but he said he couldn't see the point as they'd never had any problems with their app and he thought the problem was with my phone and tablet and not the batteries bluetooth modules.
Now I'm not so sure.
Although the other app they sent me, Xiaoxiang, does work ?

Hi headlight, are you saying you can connect with the Xiaoxiang app? If that is the case then it probably is an issue related to the Fogstar app. Sorry if I missed that information from an earlier post.
If this is the case, then just use the Xiaoxiang app. My favourite is the Overkill Solar app. Fogstar just use a standard Xiaoxiang BMS (complete with poor balancing functionality) so there is no advantage using thier app. In fact I believe they hide some parameters so you are probably better off with one of the alternatives.

Steve.

 

[headlight]

Hi headlight, are you saying you can connect with the Xiaoxiang app? If that is the case then it probably is an issue related to the Fogstar app. Sorry if I missed that information from an earlier post.
If this is the case, then just use the Xiaoxiang app. My favourite is the Overkill Solar app. Fogstar just use a standard Xiaoxiang BMS (complete with poor balancing functionality) so there is no advantage using thier app. In fact I believe they hide some parameters so you are probably better off with one of the alternatives.

Steve.

Yes the Xiaoxiang app connects fine, the Fogstar app won't connect to any of the 4 devices I've tried.
I'll just use the Xiaoxiang app for now.
When Fogstar release their new app, which apparently is soon, I will see if that will work with my devices.

 

[Murrays]

Yes the Xiaoxiang app connects fine, the Fogstar app won't connect to any of the 4 devices I've tried.
I'll just use the Xiaoxiang app for now.
When Fogstar release their new app, which apparently is soon, I will see if that will work with my devices.

I find the SoC in particular a bit difficult to read sometimes on the Xiaoxiang app without reading glasses. It's much easier on the Overkill Solar app. So if you find the same issue give the Overkill app a try, I find it has slightly better functionality too, like providing Bluetooth signal strength for example.

 

[headlight]

I find the SoC in particular a bit difficult to read sometimes on the Xiaoxiang app without reading glasses. It's much easier on the Overkill Solar app. So if you find the same issue give the Overkill app a try, I find it has slightly better functionality too, like providing Bluetooth signal strength for example.

I've got a Victron smart shunt fitted so I will be using that and it is probably more accurate than the app.
Really all I wanted to use the app for was monitoring initial charging at home and cell voltages to see how well they were balanced and maybe to check the cell balance every now and then.
I can do that with the Xiaoxiang app.

 

[CAB96]

i am sorry but a higher energy BT module would take weeks and weeks to drain a large lithium battery. we are not on about a 100ah lead acid here.
billy

But that's the reason they use it.

Lots of threads on here about people Sorning, draining down for winter, storing their motorhome until Spring.

Not everyone uses theirs over winter.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[jezport]

Not used my van for a few weeks, put battery on charge and if seems the balance function is now not working, well the cells don't flash on the app anymore. There has been an app update. Has anyone else noticed this now? I've tried resetting the balance on the app to no avail.

 

[Ian_H]

Might be a dull question but were the cells out of balance by the amount needed to trigger balancing in the settings?

 

[jezport]

Might be a dull question but were the cells out of balance by the amount needed to trigger balancing in the settings?

0.010 so should balance I would think

 

[Ditcha]

0.010 so should balance I would think

0.01v nothing to worry about most probably well within the BMS,s parameters for a balanced battery.

 

[St3v3]

0.01v nothing to worry about most probably well within the BMS,s parameters for a balanced battery.

Yep, 0.01V accuracy.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[headlight]

18 days in and I have still yet to manage to connect to the app.
I was at the motorhome yesterday and my phone couldn't detect the app.

 

[AdrianChen]

But that's the reason they use it.

Lots of threads on here about people Sorning, draining down for winter, storing their motorhome until Spring.

Not everyone uses theirs over winter.

Not sure the effects of a full power bluetooth function and internal heater would help those folk with external shunts to keep their SOC accurate. OK if you can turn it off I guess

 

[Lenny HB]

Not sure the effects of a full power bluetooth function and internal heater would help those folk with external shunts to keep their SOC accurate. OK if you can turn it off I guess

The heater only works of the charger the battery doesn't start charging until it is up to temperature so shouldn't have any effect on battery drain.

 

[AdrianChen]

The heater only works of the charger the battery doesn't start charging until it is up to temperature so shouldn't have any effect on battery drain.

Yes but the shunt thinks the power used by the heater is charging the battery - and doesn't know about the BMS use of power for BT.

 

[jezport]

Im noticing that when people have shown the settings on here, there are a number of variations. Some are sert to balance from 3.3v others 3.45v for example. Im sure there will be other variations in settings and it would be good to see the correct best practice settings fot all the settings so we can check they are all the same.
I have now lost the 3rd temperature reading despite it being turned on in the BMS settings.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Vansflyer]

Yes but the shunt thinks the power used by the heater is charging the battery - and doesn't know about the BMS use of power for BT.

That is a very good point!
I guess the only way to re sync is to charge to 100% and synchronise the shunt? Do we know when the heater is working on the Fogstar?
Not been away in the bitter cold since fitting ours to test it.

 

[Lenny HB]

Im noticing that when people have shown the settings on here, there are a number of variations. Some are sert to balance from 3.3v others 3.45v for example. Im sure there will be other variations in settings and it would be good to see the correct best practice settings fot all the settings so we can check they are all the same.
I have now lost the 3rd temperature reading despite it being turned on in the BMS settings.

You should only take note of the balance reading when the battery is fully charged.

 

[Lenny HB]

Yes but the shunt thinks the power used by the heater is charging the battery - and doesn't know about the BMS use of power for BT.

Yes probably right but the heater probably won't be used very often so overall fairly negligible. Just need to sync to shunt when charged to correct it.

 

[jezport]

You should only take note of the balance reading when the battery is fully charged.

Im talking about the BMS setting that shows the balance start voltage

 

[Pausim]

Whilst battery heaters should only use the incoming charge to power the heaters there have been reports of some of them using internal stored power leading to unexpected flat batteries. It seems that a few may be sensing a small charge from winter solar and turning the heaters on using internal power. The heaters are using more power than the solar produces.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Just smiffy]

 

[AdrianChen]

Yes probably right but the heater probably won't be used very often so overall fairly negligible. Just need to sync to shunt when charged to correct it.

Yes absolutely, its just another factor to trap folk like me who become infatuated with every number reported!

 

[Lenny HB]

Whilst battery heaters should only use the incoming charge to power the heaters there have been reports of some of them using internal stored power leading to unexpected flat batteries. It seems that a few may be sensing a small charge from winter solar and turning the heaters on using internal power. The heaters are using more power than the solar produces.

Fogstar say the battery doesn't start charging until up to temperature so it shouldn't really happen. Probably down to how well the BMS is configured.

 

[Speve]

Well my 300ah fogstar was installed back in September have used van several times have usually check app to ensure charging is ok and it is.
i think sometimes you can get bogged down with to much information and worry about things that you don’t need to
As long as it’s being charged and holding enough power let it do its job and stop worrying

 

[jezport]

I sometimes notice the battery shows 100% charged but 229.3/230 AH

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Ian_H]

Im noticing that when people have shown the settings on here, there are a number of variations. Some are sert to balance from 3.3v others 3.45v for example. Im sure there will be other variations in settings and it would be good to see the correct best practice settings fot all the settings so we can check they are all the same.
I have now lost the 3rd temperature reading despite it being turned on in the BMS settings.

I'm not sure there's a single set of settings that will be optimum in all cases, for example fogstar told me they use 6 different bms versions across their range. Maybe useful for people to post the settings their particular battery (make and model) came with for others to check against, so we can check for anomalies?