Graphs Shutting Down with Ionic 125

[mknj671]

On my 21 Skeeter ZX225 I have been battling for a long time with an issue where my graphs will power off when the Ionic reaches 100% charge on the water. Most of the time it is not an issue but on larger bodies of water where I am making long runs it has happened at least a dozen times over the years. Not an issue on local lakes since I know them all very well but on unfamiliar bodies of water where mapping is necessary it is not a good situation. There are never any red errors in the application but early on when it first happened Ionic support had me drain the battery down to ensure cells were balanced. A couple months ago I opened another case and they sent a replacement "equivalent" battery that was supposed to have upgraded firmware - it shows 19 charges in the app but the first time out this season it happened again. The Yamaha SHO never misses a beat when it happens, while under power the graphs just go blank and stay off. The boat was run for about 9 months when new on lead acids and I had zero issues so I am just trying to figure out a path forward, the Ionic was not inexpensive back in 2021 so I would hate to go back to a traditional cranking battery. Is there anything that can installed inline on the graph wiring to prevent "surges" to the graphs, not sure why the battery BMS would allow that to happen but I am out of ideas on what to check.

[Landar]

Ionic updated the BMS system on their batteries to fix this a few years ago. It used to happen on mine when they were 100% and I bumped the trim up or down.

[mknj671]

Ionic updated the BMS system on their batteries to fix this a few years ago. It used to happen on mine when they were 100% and I bumped the trim up or down.

Thank you for the reply, Ionic claims the replacement battery has a newer BMS but I have no way to confirm that. Seems like support is brushing me off at this point but I am going to hopefully keep them engaged to work through this.

[Landar]

Thank you for the reply, Ionic claims the replacement battery has a newer BMS but I have no way to confirm that. Seems like support is brushing me off at this point but I am going to hopefully keep them engaged to work through this.

I bought mine from Drewcraft on here. He is great to work with

[mknj671]

I bought mine from Drewcraft on here. He is great to work with

I did as well, Andy helped me a couple times earlier on with draining battery and checking cell balance. This past time I went though support for the issue and now based on their last reply they are not willing to do anything else claiming it is not the battery. Wiring in boat is perfect, no corrosion or ground issues direct from the 125 Ionic to graphs, I am 100% confident if I go back to a lead acid or AGM the issue will disappear but that is a tough pill to swallow considering how much I paid for the lithium.

[lpugh]

test the charging system for intermittent high voltage, should never exceed 14.6 maximum, the fact you said when reaches 100 % this ocurs, very suspicious of overcharge 17 plus volts shutting down the graphs, if the bms turns the battery off this will cause the alternator to exceed 18 volts, maybe a lot more when rpm is high.
charge on the run systems will also cause this
do you also have a house battery installed, if so, connect it in parallel to the cranking battery and motor charge voltage

[mknj671]

No charge on the run installed, the Ionic 125 is used as starter/house battery for accessories plus direct wiring to the graphs. I am under the assumption that the BMS should be taking care of any voltage conditions that are not normal, the app never shows any overcharge errors or anything else when the graphs shut down and the motor never misses a beat. If an over charge condition was occurring it makes no sense why it would not get logged in the app and happen all the time, not just when the battery reaches 100% - seems to me the BMS is not functioning correctly and allowing a spike to the graphs.

[MichAngler]

What charger do you have?

Just for giggles disconnect the charger from the battery before going out on your next trip and make sure the battery reaches 100% during the trip

[DREWTICK]

Mike Ill make some calls and see if there is anything I can do to help,

shoot me a text 910-722-0001 to remind me tomorrow

[mknj671]

Mike Ill make some calls and see if there is anything I can do to help,

shoot me a text 910-722-0001 to remind me tomorrow

Appreciate it, I will reach out.

[mknj671]

What charger do you have?

Just for giggles disconnect the charger from the battery before going out on your next trip and make sure the battery reaches 100% during the trip

Minn Kota Precision set so it charges them correctly. When I received the replacement it was at 96% and it was not charged before going out the first time this year, my graphs went off and when I checked the app the battery was at 100%. Never had any issues charging the 125 or the 50s for my trolling motor since I installed them, on long days where the livewell and pumps are not running I was pulling the fuse on the charger feed when I plugged it in so it would not top off.

[pajoe329]

Wonder if
the 125 ers are running into issues. I have one after 2 years and this year some issues are starting to happen. To mine
era

[Capw]

Thank you for the reply, Ionic claims the replacement battery has a newer BMS but I have no way to confirm that. Seems like support is brushing me off at this point but I am going to hopefully keep them engaged to work through this.

I’m dealing with support over a garbage battery right now. Getting pissed with them wanting me to keep trying different crap. Just replace faulty batteries!

[lpugh]

I have a lot of customers running the 125 Ionics battery and none of them having any issues with that battery, most of these issues can be traced back to a problem with connections or wiring on the motor or boat causing voltage spike to the battery which can cause the bms to shut it down, an AGM connected i parallel to the cranking battery can help stop this from occurring.
Can not blame them for requesting steps be taken to verify the battery is actually defective.

[k3fishing]

I have 2 125’s one 2 years older than the new one and have them in parallel. One for electronics one for house/cranking. Zero issues… BUT… I did install new correct size wiring for the new electronics (Garmin). When I had one 125 and hummingbird electronics the graphs would shut off half way through the day if I had other things running, I did have dedicated wires to the units as well but not oversized. And I would check the battery and it would always be in the 90’s.

[MTW]

I have a lot of customers running the 125 Ionics battery and none of them having any issues with that battery, most of these issues can be traced back to a problem with connections or wiring on the motor or boat causing voltage spike to the battery which can cause the bms to shut it down, an AGM connected i parallel to the cranking battery can help stop this from occurring.
Can not blame them for requesting steps be taken to verify the battery is actually defective.

but you shouldnt have to jerry rig anything to overcome a design flaw.

[mknj671]

Wiring is all dedicated oem from Skeeter and runs were checked for voltage drops. When running I have checked the Ionic app and it never shows any type of overcharge alerts even at higher rpms, the issue only occurs when the battery hits 100%. I have had days on Lake Champlain where we have fished 12+ hours without any type of hiccups from the electronics if live wells and recirc are running keeping the charge % down. If the motor charging system or bad connections were an issue it would likely cause problems all the time and that is not happening in my case.

[stosiak]

I've had my Ionic 125 for 5 years and I have never seen my app show 100 percent. Even after charging it only shows 99 percent.

[lpugh]

but you shouldnt have to jerry rig anything to overcome a design flaw.

Hybrid system is not jery rigging, it is a proven system that both batteries will benefit from and protects against bms shutdown risks

[z520brewer]

Lpugh, for someone looking to implement a hybrid system, what size of AGM battery would work in parallel with the lithium battery? Will having two lithium cranking batteries of same size run in parallel accomplish the same thing? Ie. Will two parallel lithium batteries avoid bms shutdowns? Thanks