User Guide

1. Environment Preparation

1. Ensure your PC has .NET Framework 4.8 installed
2. Connect the BMS to your PC using a USB-to-485/CAN adapter
3. Open Device Manager and verify there is no yellow exclamation mark next to the corresponding serial port / CAN device

2. Software Installation

1. Obtain the installation package (taking V3.0.22 as an example; other versions follow the same process)
2. Double-click the installation package, select the installation language (Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and English are supported), then click "OK".
3. Choose your preferred installation location (default path is D:\HXLVBMSTool. Installing on the C drive is not recommended as writing logs requires administrator privileges), then click Next.
4. Choose whether to add a desktop shortcut based on your preference (recommended), then click Next.
5. Click Install (no additional settings needed here, just confirm the installation settings).
6. After installation, click Finish to complete the installation.

3. Software Uninstallation

Note

Make sure HXLVBMSTool is closed before uninstalling, otherwise the uninstallation may be incomplete.

1. Open Windows Control Panel → Programs and Features
2. Find HXLVBMSTool in the list
3. Right-click and select Uninstall
4. Follow the uninstall wizard prompts to complete the process

4. Connecting to the Device

1. Open HXLVBMSTool
2. Select the communication interface (485 / CAN). You need to install the corresponding drivers in advance based on the hardware type (no yellow exclamation marks in Device Manager)
3. Set the baud rate (default: 9600kbps for 485 / 500kbps for CAN). If using CAN, you also need to confirm the index number and channel
4. Click "Connect":
   • Button turns green: Connection successful
   • Button turns red: Connection failed, an error prompt will appear

Default Loading

1. When the software starts, it will automatically load the configuration from the last session. If no configuration exists, it will select the first detected device.
2. The Device Name will automatically search all devices connected to the current computer when the form loads or when clicking the device name dropdown, and will select the first one by default.

5. Reading Parameters

• Click "Single Read" to display Basic Information and Parallel Unit Summary.
• Click "Start Reading" to cyclically refresh and display Basic Information and Parallel Unit Summary. The progress bar below will show the progress of each read cycle and whether the read was successful.
• When a read fails, N/A will be displayed to indicate the failure.
• When consecutive read failures ≥ 100 times, a pop-up will notify you that too many read failures have occurred, and continuous refresh will automatically stop to free up system resources.
• During continuous refresh, reading other parameters is not allowed to avoid message conflicts. Please stop continuous refresh before reading other parameters.

6. Monitoring and Logging

• Select(BMU): By default, when there is one BMS, the master ID defaults to 01. When there are multiple BMS units, you can manually switch the master to read from other BMS units. Currently supports up to 16 BMS units. Expansion is possible if needed!
• Start Logging: Only effective during Start Reading. Data will not be recorded otherwise. One record is saved after each refresh cycle.

Protocol Limitation Note

Due to the protocol having many fragmented messages, a single refresh needs to read approximately 8 frames of data, taking nearly 1 second.
To ensure log accuracy, the current strategy is "record once per read cycle" rather than timed saving.

7. Write Permission (Password)

• The host tool supports read and write operations on BMS parameters. To prevent accidental or unauthorized modifications, the write function is locked.
• Write operations can only be enabled after entering the correct password.
• Password-protected interfaces include: Master Configuration and Alarm Protection Parameter Configuration. Before login, buttons are hidden by default.

8. Polling Count, Polling, and BMS Search

• This section is mainly for multi-parallel unit scenarios. When there is only one BMS, the default ID is 1. When there are multiple BMS units, IDs increment sequentially.
• For multiple parallel units, first click Search BMS to let the host tool detect all BMS units in the system for polling operations. Up to 16 BMS units are supported, expandable to 64 if needed:
• After the search is complete, the currently online IDs will be added to the polling count. Here you can view the BMS IDs just scanned. For example, if using DIP switch encoding with IDs 1, 4, and 12, then 01, 04, and 12 will be added to the polling count. If no search operation is performed after starting the software, IDs 01 through 16 are shown by default.
• During Start Reading, the ID selected in Select(BMU) will be read. If you click the Start Polling button, the ID in Select(BMU) will cycle through the IDs in the polling count sequentially. The result is: ID1 refreshes once, ID4 refreshes once, ID12 refreshes once, then cycles back to ID1, ID4, ID12, and continues refreshing.
• If Enable Storage is turned on after each refresh cycle, one record will be saved to the local log. Both the ID and communication configuration will be stored in the local log.

Parallel Unit Summary Information

After the search is complete, the Parallel Unit Summary Information will read from the smallest ID instead of the default ID1!

9. Basic Information

• The content within the red box is the Basic Information.

10. Status Bar (StatusStrip)

• The bar displaying information at the bottom is the status bar.
• The status bar shows company information, the current software version number, a progress bar, and the refresh time.
• Generally, the host tool displays the company logo, indicating that both the host tool and BMS are developed in-house.
• The progress bar shows the progress of real-time refresh, parameter reading, and alarm protection operations.
• The refresh time displays the timestamp of the current interface data, allowing you to know when the data was obtained.

11. Master Configuration

• Master Configuration: Primarily used to set BMS-related parameters. For specific parameters, please consult the BMS R&D personnel, as they are beyond the scope of this documentation.
• To modify the master configuration, please log in with the password.
• When reading this page, click Read All. Click Write to write the corresponding parameters.
• Clear: Click the Clear button to clear the parameters on the Master Configuration page for the next read operation.

Input Tip

When writing parameters, this host tool automatically filters out non-numeric characters. Therefore, please ensure the numbers entered are accurate. Entering symbols or other characters will not affect the input.
For example, when entering 25°C, you can simply enter 25. Other cases like 25℃, 25mV, or 25CC will only recognize the number 25.

12. Alarm Protection Parameter Configuration

• This section handles read and write operations for Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 alarm protections of the BMS.
• Password permission is also required.
• This page supports Read All and Write All operations.
• Export/Import Parameters: Allows exporting and importing alarm protection parameters from this page for backup or restoration, stored as XML files.
• Click the Clear button to clear all content on this page.

13. History Records

• This section allows operations on BMS stored data, including configuration, reading, and display.
• Click Read to read data from the BMS. The read content will be displayed in the Log Display area. Click Stop to abort the reading. Click Save to save the displayed information to the root directory. Click Clear to clear the displayed history records.
• Since the read information occupies some memory, it is recommended to perform a clear operation after reading. Due to the C# mechanism, the GC (Garbage Collection) mechanism will automatically run after clearing to reduce memory usage.
• FIFO (First In, First Out): Not checked by default. When unchecked, history records are displayed starting from the most recent. If checked, records will be read and displayed starting from the oldest.

14. Firmware Flashing and Certificate Import

• This section allows upgrading or downgrading the BMS firmware. Consult BMS developers regarding upgrade compatibility.
• Certificate import is supported. This certificate is primarily used for remote BMS connections and is only available via 485 connection. Please ask BMS developers for specific steps.
• Follow steps 1, 2, 3, and 4 to perform the upgrade. Step 1 is unavailable.
• Broadcast upgrade is only available when using a CAN connection. 485 can only upgrade a single unit, and the upgrade ID corresponds to the ID in Select(BMU).
• Flashing Time: The packet transmission time for the upgrade.
• During the upgrade, if packet transmission errors occur and fail after 10 consecutive attempts, Fail will be displayed, indicating Upgrade Failed. If successful, PASS will be displayed, indicating Upgrade Successful. After a successful upgrade, the host tool will automatically send a restart command — no manual restart is needed.
• Certificate Writing: Supports dragging and dropping files into the transparent box, selecting a file, or manually entering data. In any case, the sent data is taken from the transparent box.

15. Settings Debug Description - CAN Board Info & 0x351

This page is mainly for configuring the host tool, including CAN board information, 0x351, checking for updates, language switching, driver downloads, utilities, and user instructions.

• CAN Board Info: When connected to a CAN box, the CAN box information will be displayed. This information comes from the CAN box itself.
• 0x351: When connected to a CAN box and using the Pylontech protocol, parsed 0x351 messages will be displayed here. This is only a test module for the host tool framework and will not be further developed.

16. Settings Debug Description - Check for Updates (Online OTA Update)

• When clicking "Check for Updates" or when the software starts, it will automatically check for updates. If a newer version is available, a pop-up will prompt you to choose whether to download and update online. Since the installation package is small, the download is very fast, and updates are typically completed within 10 seconds.
• Updates are not mandatory, but each update has a reason — either bug fixes or new feature additions. Updates are generally recommended. Mandatory updates may be enforced in the future.
• If the update fails (due to GitHub connectivity issues), you can go to the discussion group or this website to download the latest version of the host tool.

17. Settings Debug Description - Driver Download

If you open the host tool, find the appropriate tool, but cannot detect the CAN device, you can visit this page to download drivers. USBCANII, CANalyst-II, and the software runtime environment are provided here. Click to download.

18. Settings Debug Description - Language Switching

• Since this host tool needs to serve overseas customers, English language support has been added.
• When opening the software, it will detect the current system language. If the system language is Chinese, the interface will automatically switch to Chinese. If the system language is not Chinese, it will automatically switch to English. Manual switching is also available.

19. Settings Debug Description - Utilities

Allows plotting data saved by the host tool. Supports mouse zooming, exporting as images, etc.

20. Settings Debug Description - Other Operations on This Page

• Host Tool User Manual: An early HTML file that is no longer fully functional, as a new, more powerful website has been developed.
• About: An early HTML file introducing the developer and development background. No longer needed.
• Changelog: This website records the changelog for V3.0.21 and earlier versions. New changelogs are primarily maintained on this website. The old website, while good, is no longer maintained.
• Open Root Directory: Opens the software installation directory for convenient access to saved files, etc.

21. Communication Log

• This page allows viewing the messages sent and received by the host tool. Messages are automatically saved in real-time to the local root directory, which will be introduced in the root directory section.
• By default, messages from the last 15 days are retained. Please copy and save important messages promptly. Messages older than 15 days are automatically deleted.

22. Root Directory File Structure

Here you can find all data recorded by the host tool.

HXLVBMSTool/
├─ CommuLog/     # Real-time communication messages (each frame + operation steps), retained for 15 days by default, automatically deleted after expiry
├─ Config/       # Host tool configuration files (⚠️ Do not modify arbitrarily)
├─ HistoryLog/   # Historical data export files
├─ kerneldlls/   # CAN driver core files (⚠️ Deleting will cause CAN to fail to open)
├─ SaveLog/      # Data storage location when continuous refresh + enable storage is active
└─ ...           # Other essential program files, do not delete arbitrarily

23. Frequently Asked Questions

• Unable to connect: Check the driver, baud rate, and wiring sequence
• Abnormal data: Confirm whether the BMS address matches the protocol version
• Host tool cannot open: Verify that the computer has .NET Framework 4.8 and VC++ 2008 installed

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💬 Having issues?
Please check the Changelog to see if a new version is available, or provide feedback in the discussion group.