Battery Charger and tuning

[AWDYEAH]

Hey all, my tune is shipping tomorrow. I’ve seen it’s recommended to put the car on a battery charger during the process. How many of you have used a charger (if you have)?

If you use one, which do you recommend?

Thanks


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[Requiescat]

Just in the few minutes I spent while in accessory mode to tune my car my battery had dropped to 11.8v. Had I not used a battery charger I would have probably bricked my ECU.

I use a simple 25amp battery charger that you plug into a wall socket from black and decker. What is actually recommended by most tuners is to connect your car to a running car as though you would jump start it, but any qualitty battery charger (not battery tender) should work too

[AWDYEAH]

Just in the few minutes I spent while in accessory mode to tune my car my battery had dropped to 11.8v. Had I not used a battery charger I would have probably bricked my ECU.

I use a simple 25amp battery charger that you plug into a wall socket from black and decker. What is actually recommended by most tuners is to connect your car to a running car as though you would jump start it, but any qualitty battery charger (not battery tender) should work too

Awesome, thanks for the advice! I’ll pick one up.


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[YoYo]

I use a Clore Automotive PL2320 20-Amp. It's $80 on Amazon. Works great...

Whatever you decide to get I would recommend at least a 20amp based on what I have read and watched.

[torinalth]

always use a charger for the first flash since it takes the longest to unlock ecu and hit every map in the ecu, and drains the battery significantly considering it's not a terribly long time. future flashes to different fuels or whatnot are much faster and not as big a concern with voltage drain. but if you flash back to stock and relock the ecu, then hit the charger again. the addendum is if you have an old battery. older batteries don't hold a charge as well and may dip faster. if possible always flash with a charger, but moreso for first flash and older batteries.

a bit overkill, but covers a lot of potential needs beyond just flashing for not that much money - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[RatBustard]

I keep my R32 on a battery maintainer year-round, so used that when I flashed my B8.5 S4. there are other cheaper products, but I like this for overall quality and battery maintenance:

https://smile.amazon.com/CTEK-40-206...dp/B00CD44RQO/

[AWDYEAH]

I use a Clore Automotive PL2320 20-Amp. It's $80 on Amazon. Works great...

Whatever you decide to get I would recommend at least a 20amp based on what I have read and watched.

I was checking those out. I’ll get one order!


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[initiala4]

Hey all, my tune is shipping tomorrow. I’ve seen it’s recommended to put the car on a battery charger during the process. How many of you have used a charger (if you have)?

If you use one, which do you recommend?

Thanks


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You should use a battery charger / power supply on it. If the voltage drops, then you end up killing the ECU, and that will even be a bigger problem!

This is what i use.

https://www.ctek.com/business-uk/bat...-12v-24v/pro60

[jrhgto]

You should use a battery charger / power supply on it. If the voltage drops, then you end up killing the ECU, and that will even be a bigger problem!

This is what i use.

https://www.ctek.com/business-uk/bat...-12v-24v/pro60

I dont think too many people are looking for a $2000 battery charger for ECU tuning.

[Daaavid]

I bought a NOCO GENIUS5; works absolutely perfect and has multiple modes just like the CTEK chargers for much cheaper.

[SHCKR]

I'll be the devil's advocate and say that I've tuned and de-tuned numerous times without being on the charger with no issues.
However, I did have a steering column lose all basic programming once, and the only thing I can only speculative attribute it to is low battery voltage.

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[RoverJoe]

As a dealer tech, I must say I agree with running a properly sized battery support unit while flashing. Modern ECUs are terribly sensitive to low voltage, and many systems shut down below 12v, which if you are programming will wipe out the software in the module. Modern power management systems in the cars don't run the battery up to full charge, they target about 80% to leave room for energy recovery during the drive cycle, so it's entirely possible to have a car at 12.4ish even with a perfect battery, then with the key on you are looking at 20-30a draw minimum on most cars. At MB with the S class and other big cars, or here at Rover with most trucks, a 50A power supply may not be enough for certain operations, we use powermax units rated at 75A constant, or a newer Traction BSU that puts out nearly 100A depending on load.

[Chris@EPL]

Our ECU flash is only about 5 mins so no need for a charger. Map switching is just a few seconds by using the brake and gas.

[AWDYEAH]

Thanks for all the feedback!


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[Trentimus]

It’s just a precaution. You could brick your ECU if the voltage dipped too low.


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[arumikpart]

It does happen. I had a failed write do to voltage fluctuations on a previous cars tcu. The flashing software couldn’t recover it. I had to have a diagnostic tech guy force a factory update on it. I spent the money on a proper power supply after that, an iota dls55. The tech used similar when working on the car.

[kmarei]

When I had the GIAC tune on my 2013 Audi S5
I used to have jumper cables hooked up to my wife's car parked next to my car and had its engine running
I always have jumper cables anyway so it was a free hook up :)

[torinalth]

I am still on my old BMW facebook group. In general the new BMWs flash faster than the B9 does. a guy just bricked his ecu today when flashing because he didn't use the tender. Just to reiterate: you might not need one, you might be fine with flashing multiple times.... but for such a tiny expense, do you really want to run the risk? OR for peace of mind, just figure out your plan for if it does go wrong and your flash fails and you can't recover it easily.

[scotty023]

I used the Clore Automotive PL2320 20-Amp. I purchased for around $80. This unit has a "Power Supply" mode that is made for flashing. Worked great when I went from APR to 034 Motorsport ECU and TCU tunes!

[Midnight_Rider]

chumacher SC1281 100 Amp 30 Amp 6V/12V it's 30A. Is this enough? Would be nice to buy something I can carry it in the car for later as well.

- - - Updated - - -

It used to be so simple back then with my aem ems tune. We didn't have to this...

[Daaavid]

chumacher SC1281 100 Amp 30 Amp 6V/12V it's 30A. Is this enough? Would be nice to buy something I can carry it in the car for later as well.

- - - Updated - - -

It used to be so simple back then with my aem ems tune. We didn't have to this...

Yes, should be enough. I also feel our cars have enough charge to hold the MMI, VC, and parking lights on for a lot longer than it would take to flash the car, so with a slow trickle charger you shouldn't ever have to worry.

If you want to be extra cautious and ensure the car is actually being charged, put the car on the charger for ~10 minutes so the charger has a good read and is steadily providing power, then begin flashing. I notice my charger will go back to a "low battery" state if I turn the car on into accessory mode, but after 5 minutes, it will give me a true charge reading that reads full. You can go even further and drive the car around the block, come back and put it on the charger for a little while, then begin flashing.

[Laurent0613]

mmm, guys, I am reviving this old thread but i have a ctek mxs 5.0 and a Noco GB40 booster. I am about to flash my ECU and TCU for the first time. I understand that the initial flash can take a while. Do you think it will be sufficient to use the ctek or the GB40? I am now so scared ><

[ESSVIER]

mmm, guys, I am reviving this old thread but i have a ctek mxs 5.0 and a Noco GB40 booster. I am about to flash my ECU and TCU for the first time. I understand that the initial flash can take a while. Do you think it will be sufficient to use the ctek or the GB40? I am now so scared ><

You are totally fine my friend. Have no fear. Use one or both and you will be great.

[Deuirej]

I did when flashing 034 stage 1 ecu and tcu. The ecu took just under 8 minutes and the tcu was less than 2. Never know how a battery is going to bagger though. Better safe than sorry imo

[Laurent0613]

I just got a BSU in a form of a old server PSU 750w able to pull 12.5V at 47A. More than sufficient to make the tune safe for a 25€.
As you said, better pay a bit extra than being sorry with a bricked ECU.
THANKS guys !

[mikejkeil]

I use a Clore Automotive PL2320 20-Amp. It's $80 on Amazon. Works great...

Whatever you decide to get I would recommend at least a 20amp based on what I have read and watched.

Did you use power supply mode at 20A, and if so set to 12V or higher?

[Sebastian Tu]

I've never done it, tuned maybe 6 times so far. The first time took a while so I'd definitely get a trickle charger for peace of mind, but revision tunes are quick and easy.

[Tuned08ss]

On a b9 s4 can I use the terminals under the hood to charge or do I have to connect directly to the battery?

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[oesman]

On a b9 s4 can I use the terminals under the hood to charge or do I have to connect directly to the battery?

The terminals are fine.

[Tuned08ss]

The terminals are fine.

Good to know. Thanks!

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[choy188]

On a b9 s4 can I use the terminals under the hood to charge or do I have to connect directly to the battery?

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Don't connect to the battery the terminals are there for a reason, you'll risk frying something if you go off the battery especially when jumping the car


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[oesman]

Don't connect to the battery the terminals are there for a reason, you'll risk frying something if you go off the battery especially when jumping the car

The terminals under the hood are there because the battery is in the trunk and not quite as easily accessible. You can do it either way, you won't fry anything. It's just a lot easier to pop the hood than dig into the trunk. Most modern cars with trunk mounted batteries have terminals under the hood to make life easy.

[matthewtm]

It does happen. I had a failed write do to voltage fluctuations on a previous cars tcu. The flashing software couldn’t recover it. I had to have a diagnostic tech guy force a factory update on it. I spent the money on a proper power supply after that, an iota dls55. The tech used similar when working on the car.

Where did you find this diagnostic tech guy?? I need a fix for my ecu after a failed flash.

[Jetta03]

It does happen. I had a failed write do to voltage fluctuations on a previous cars tcu. The flashing software couldn’t recover it. I had to have a diagnostic tech guy force a factory update on it. I spent the money on a proper power supply after that, an iota dls55. The tech used similar when working on the car.

Yup. I recently had my car into the dealership for tires. Just tires :). They of course wanted to do a recall (passenger seat sensor wiring) and an engine ecu update/flash which I accepted. The tech managed to brick my ecu which, after attempts to recover and then turnaround time on a replacement ECU cost me a month of downtime at the dealership. They took care of me with a rental and warranty coverage but still, it shouldn't have happened

Don't risk it, use a charger always when flashing.

[rlme36]

I picked up the clore 20amp power supply/charger just for this purpose during prime days

[Pocket Cub]

Are there any “wireless” battery-powered battery chargers that have the power to handle a tune flash? I’m already Stage 2 just need to update my file. My issue is where I live I don’t have access to power. So if there is a battery powered charger out there I’d love to hear about it.


2018 S4 - IE Stage 2, CTS High Flow Downpipe, CTS Transmission insert, AWE Airgate Intake, CTS Turbo Inlet-

[RatBustard]

Are there any “wireless” battery-powered battery chargers that have the power to handle a tune flash? I’m already Stage 2 just need to update my file. My issue is where I live I don’t have access to power. So if there is a battery powered charger out there I’d love to hear about it.

probably any good jump pack

https://www.caranddriver.com/car-acc...arters-tested/

[oesman]

I can tell you that the wires on my plug-in battery charger / car starter get pretty damn hot during a full flash. The large portable units with big batteries inside are probably great, just compare the amp hours to say a small car battery and make sure it's charged. I wouldn't get a little hand held / pocket sized one, there's no way it has enough amp hour capacity or is meant to pull that kind of load continuously, they're usually meant for a quick jump and go.

[SHCKR]

I will go back to my recurrent preach of where I've flashed dozens of times across several tunes, and yet to ever use a charger. Is there a risk? Maybe. Is my battery new? Nope, OEM. Will yours fail when you flash? Probably not. Is the risk of failure worth taking? That's up to you.

[oesman]

I mean there are definitely cases where it's happened, but can't lie I've done it without a charger too (for a full flash). It does suck down a ton of power though. The good news is the car will tell you if your battery sucks.