Segway Ninebot - How to Jumpstart a dead battery
Just in time for Christmas, the big kids came home from school and wanted to get some of the old toys out. I charged up the Airwheel no problem and aired up the tire. But the battery on the Segway Ninebot wouldn't charge after nearly a year of non-use.
Turns out the battery management system won't allow a charge if the battery voltage falls below 27v. My battery measured 25v. The only way to get it working again is to remove the battery, and bypass the BMS and charge the battery directly, effectively jump starting it. I had to do this last year around Christmas as well so this time I've decided to document for my personal use and future reference.
You can google lots of how to videos showing the complete process. I'm documenting here for my personal future reference if needed. Also, I used jumpers from the plug on the charger so that I didn't have to cut into the charging cable.
To make the jumpers, I tinned the ends of 14ga. wire with solder and connected to the charger plug. Triple checked the polarity of the the charger, and the battery. I used a set of alligator clips to connect the jumpers from the charger to the battery. The light on the charger should RED if the battery is charging, green if not. Just be very careful, as the 50v charger is no joke, and overcharging the battery can cause an electrical fire.
After about 10 minutes, I unplugged the charger and removed the battery. If the battery voltage is higher than 27 volts, you should be able to charge the battery normally by removing the jumpers and connecting the charger to the battery normally. Mine read 33v after 10 minutes. Full charge took about an hour.
See pictures below. Follow all the normal precautions when working with the battery and the 50v charger to reduce the change of getting shocked, shorting the battery, or causing an electrical fire.
Thanks, Chris de WX7V
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