DTC P0AC0 - Current Sensor Fault

Product Family Fault Supported

Orion BMS [Original] (24 - 180 Cell) YES

Orion BMS 2 (24 - 180 Cell) YES

Orion JR [Original] (16 Cell) YES

Orion JR 2 (16 Cell) YES

FAULT DESCRIPTION
The Orion BMS uses an external current sensor to measure and track the amount of current
(amperage) going into and out of the battery pack. This allows the BMS to accurately track
State of Charge, Cell Resistances (impedance), calculate current limits and observe the
overall pack health.

There are two different types of current sensors used by our products: Hall Effect and Shunt
Sensors:
● Hall effect sensors work by measuring the magnetic field generated by current as it
travels through the power cables and are fully passive (they go around the power
cables and thus are non-invasive). This value is converted by the sensor to a linear
0-5v analog signal that is measured by the BMS.
● Shunt sensors are technically large resistors that intentionally cause a predictable
voltage drop across them when current is run through, allowing the BMS to
determine the overall amount of current flowing through based on how much voltage
drop is present across the sensor. Because this voltage drop is extremely small (+/-
50mV for the full range of the sensor) it can be very difficult to observe this without
high precision equipment.

Because this sensor is very important to the overall product operation, the BMS will monitor
the behavior of it continuously. There are a number of abnormal conditions that will trigger
this fault.

Document Revision: 1.1 Ewert Energy Systems, Inc

Last Updated: 5/12/2020 161 E. St Charles Rd. Carol Stream, IL 60188
Phone: (630) 868-3173
 Fault Code Fault Description Possible Trouble Area

P0AC0: The BMS has determined that the current sensor ● Current Sensor
Subcode 0 is either unplugged (disconnected), that the ● Current Sensor Wire
Subcode 1 wiring harness for it is damaged (cut, crushed or Assembly
otherwise), or that the current being run through ● Application Drawing Too
the sensor is exceeding the maximum ratings for Much Current
the sensor (maxing out the sensor by over
saturation).

P0AC0: An abnormal relationship between the two ● Current Sensor

Subcode 2 channels inside the current sensor was detected. ● Current Sensor Wire
Current sensor channel wires may be switched Assembly
OR the wrong current sensor may be selected. ● Configuration Settings
(Selected Current
(Hall Effect Sensors Only) Sensor)

P0AC0: The polarity (directionality) of the current sensor ● Configuration Settings

Subcode 3 appears to be reversed or installed backwards. (Current Sensor
Polarity)

P0AC0: An abnormal relationship between the two ● Current Sensor

Subcode 4 channels inside the current sensor was detected. ● Current Sensor Wire
Current sensor channel wires may be switched Assembly
OR the wrong current sensor may be selected. ● Configuration Settings
(Selected Current
(Hall Effect Sensors Only) Sensor)

P0AC0: Current Sensor 5v Power Source Fault. Current ● Current Sensor

Subcode 5 Sensor wires may be shorted. ● Current Sensor Wire
Assembly
(Hall Effect Sensors Only) ● Internal BMS Fault

The following diagram describes the voltage relationship between the Hall Effect current sensor output
signal and the actual measured current. Note that the Hall Effect current sensor has 2 separate output
channels (one for high current and one for low current).

Document Revision: 1.1 Ewert Energy Systems, Inc

Last Updated: 5/12/2020 161 E. St Charles Rd. Carol Stream, IL 60188
Phone: (630) 868-3173
Above diagram demonstrates relationship between current sensor output voltage and current measured for hall effect style sensors

FAULT BEHAVIOR

This fault will trigger Current Sensor Failsafe Mode which will inhibit the BMS from using the
values from the current sensor in calculations.

This impacts the following calculations:

● State of Charge (coulomb counting is disabled)
● Cell Internal Resistances (resistance calculation is disabled)
● Current Limits (limit determination accuracy is severely reduced, limit enforcement is not
available)
● Open Cell Voltages (back calculation of open or sitting cell voltages under load)

FAULT THRESHOLDS

Fault will trigger when ANY of the following conditions are satisfied (a) OR (b) OR (c) OR (d)

(a) Current sensor maximum range exceeded Measured value from

current sensor exceeds the
maximum range ratings for
the sensor itself (or the

Document Revision: 1.1 Ewert Energy Systems, Inc

Last Updated: 5/12/2020 161 E. St Charles Rd. Carol Stream, IL 60188
Phone: (630) 868-3173
 sensor is reading as
disconnected)

(b) Abnormal relationship between channel 1 and channel 2 on Measured values from the
current sensor (Hall Effect Sensors Only) dual channels inside the
current sensor present
conflicting data

(c) Current appears to be measured backwards The current sensed appears

to be backwards or inverted
(eg: discharging the pack
results in higher pack
voltage)

(d) Currents sensor power supply failure (Hall Effect Sensors The 5v power supply for
Only) the current sensor is
outside acceptable range.

Document Revision: 1.1 Ewert Energy Systems, Inc

Last Updated: 5/12/2020 161 E. St Charles Rd. Carol Stream, IL 60188
Phone: (630) 868-3173
WIRING DIAGRAM

Hall Effect Style

Schematic showing possible locations of Hall Effect style sensor

Shunt Style

Schematic showing the current sensor wiring for a Shunt style sensor

Document Revision: 1.1 Ewert Energy Systems, Inc

Last Updated: 5/12/2020 161 E. St Charles Rd. Carol Stream, IL 60188
Phone: (630) 868-3173
DIAGNOSTIC STEPS

1. Verify that the current sensor is correctly wired and plugged in.

If the current sensor is miswired or disconnected this will result in a fault being
set. Carefully inspect the wiring harness going from the BMS to the current
sensor to ensure that it is both wired properly and free from defect or damage
(a damaged or cut wire would also result in a fault).

If the current sensor is intentionally disconnected or not used (for applications

opting to forego the sensor entirely), the current sensor itself must be disabled
on the “General Settings” tab in the BMS utility (by selecting “None” in the
“Selected Current Sensor” field).

For Hall Effect sensors, make sure that the connector on the current
sensor is securely plugged in (it should click indicating it is successfully
mated).

For Shunt style sensors (this does not apply to hall effect style
sensors), make sure the current sensor is installed right before the
NEGATIVE side of the battery pack, just before cell 1 negative. The
sensor should be installed as close to the battery pack negative
terminal as possible.

2. Verify that the correct current sensor is selected in the BMS settings.

Accidentally selecting the incorrect current sensor is a very common

mistake and can easily result in a fault being generated (in addition to
reduced accuracy and invalid readings).

Steps to verify:

1) Visually inspect the current sensor to determine the model number of the
sensor being used. For Hall Effect style current sensors (black, plastic)
the model number will begin with “DHAB” (eg: DHAB S/34, DHAB S/155,
etc). For Shunt style current sensors (metallic with 2 large terminals) the
model number is inscribed on the metal finish (eg: 500A 50mV).
2) In the BMS utility, click on the “General Settings” tab and review the
“Selected Current Sensor” item. If the two differ, correct the value in the
utility and upload the new settings to the BMS.

3. Verify that the current sensor is correctly sized for the application.

Each current sensor, regardless of type, has a maximum current rating

(expressed in amps) that determines the total amount of current that it can
sense in either direction (both current going into the battery pack and current
going out of the battery pack). This rating is usually included in the name or

Document Revision: 1.1 Ewert Energy Systems, Inc

Last Updated: 5/12/2020 161 E. St Charles Rd. Carol Stream, IL 60188
Phone: (630) 868-3173
 description of the current sensor and is the single most important factor to
consider when sizing a current sensor for an application.

If the current draw from the application ever exceeds the maximum
current rating for the sensor, the BMS will set a fault code because it
does not know whether the sensor itself is damaged (shorted) or
whether the current draw is more than it can handle. There is some
hysteresis in the BMS to allow several brief moments of high current events
without setting a fault but this should not be relied on to regularly avoid faults
being set.

NOTE: The general rule to follow is to select the smallest possible

current sensor with a maximum amperage rating of at least 10% larger
than the maximum peak current draw the application will see.

4. Attempt to replace the suspected components.

If possible, try using a known good current sensor or wiring harness assembly
to rule out components.

5. Download the freeze frame for the fault code using the BMS Utility.

The BMS will normally produce a freeze frame on the “Diagnostic Trouble Codes”
screen in the BMS Utility when this fault code occurs that contains a
comprehensive list of BMS data parameters at the time the fault occurred. It is
strongly recommended that the freeze frame be downloaded from the
BMS and saved to disk before the fault is cleared again as this data may
assist in the future if further diagnostics are required. Additionally this freeze
frame data may be requested by Technical Support if further assistance is
required.

NOTE: Only Fault Codes with a (F) next to them have freeze frame data
available for download. If there is no (F) next to the fault, there is no stored
freeze frame available and this step can be skipped.

Steps to download the Freeze Frame:

1) Connect to the BMS using the Orion BMS utility.

2) Click the “Diagnostic Trouble Codes” tab at the top.
3) Select the correct fault code by clicking on the ID on the left side of the
screen to initiate the Freeze Frame retrieval.
4) Once the retrieval process is complete, click the “Export (CSV)” button to
save the freeze frame data to the computer disk.

6. If the problem persists, contact technical support.

If all above steps fail to determine the cause of the fault then additional support
is needed.

Document Revision: 1.1 Ewert Energy Systems, Inc

Last Updated: 5/12/2020 161 E. St Charles Rd. Carol Stream, IL 60188
Phone: (630) 868-3173
 Please contact the company or reseller that the BMS was originally
purchased from for additional questions, warranty claims, repair
requests and technical support.

Document Revision: 1.1 Ewert Energy Systems, Inc

Last Updated: 5/12/2020 161 E. St Charles Rd. Carol Stream, IL 60188
Phone: (630) 868-3173