Command Line Interface (CLI)

This page will describe how to use the CLI

The help command

To view the help of the commands of the bms, type "bms help" in the terminal (CLI). Than you will see this window:

nsh> bms help
This is the bms cli (command line interface) help
These commands can be used with the bms:
bms help                        --this command shows this help
bms help parameters             --this command shows the <parameter> list
bms help show-meas              --this command shows the <show-meas> list
bms get <parameter>             --this command gets a parameter value.
                                  parameter is the parameter you want
bms get all                     --this command gets all the parameters
                                  including the values
bms set <parameter> <x>         --this command can be used to set a parameter
                                  WARNING this could lead to unsave operations!
                                  WARNING only use this command in a safe manner!
                                  parameter is the parameter you want to set
                                  x is the new value of the parameter you want to set
                                  to enter a decimal value use "." as seperator
                                  to enter a string with spaces use "input string"
bms show <show-meas> <x>        --this command can be used to show the cyclic measurement results
                                  show-meas is the to measurement to enable or disable visibility
                                  if x is 1 the measurement is shown, if 0 it will be disabled
bms reset                       --this command will reset the fault when in the fault state
bms sleep                       --with this command it will go to the sleep state
                                  from the normal or the self_discharge state
                                  NOTE: if current is drawn it will transition to the normal state
bms wake                        --this command will wake the BMS in the sleep state
bms deepsleep                   --with this command it will go to the deep sleep state
                                  from the sleep state or the charge state (from charge not implemented yet)
bms save                        --this command will save the current settings (parameters) to flash
bms load                        --this command will load the saved settings (parameters) from flash
bms default                     --this command will load the default settings
some parameters have a letter in front of the "-", this indicates the type of parameter
a - capacity
c - temperature (celcius)
e - energy
i - current
n - number
s - status
t - time
v - voltage

What parameters are there?

When you type "bms help parameters", you will get a list with all the parameters with its unit, if it is Read Only (RO) or Read Write (RW) and what the data type is it. These are useful parameter properties that help with filling in parameters correctly.

How can I see the cyclic update of the parameters?

The "bms help show-meas" command shows you which parameters you can view in cyclically in the CLI when the measurement happens. These commands should be used with the "bms show". To show them all, use "bms show all 1". if you want the measurements to be outlined and updated at the top of your terminal, use "bms show top 1". Keep in mind that if this is active, it could be that typed in characters disappear in this update.

The BMS uses VT100 escape sequences to update the terminal. In order to see this, make sure your terminal emulation program (like PuTTY or minicom) has VT100 mode enabled.

How do I get parameter values?

To get a single parameter value, you could use the bms get command. If for example you would like to get the state of charge, type "bms get s-charge" in the terminal. It will provide you with the value and its unit. If you want to check a lot of parameters, use the "bms get all" command, this will give you the full list of parameters, with the value and its unit. When you wish to load the parameters from flash, type "bms load".

How do I set parameter values?

To adjust parameter values, you need to use the bms set command. If for example you would like to set the number of cells to 4, you need to enter the following command: "bms set n-cells 4". To make sure parameters are saved to flash, type "bms save". If you would like to set the default parameters, type "bms default".

What parameters can I use to change the state?

To get out of the FAULT state the BMS needs to reset the FAULT, type "bms reset". To get in the SLEEP state (if you are able to enter it), type "bms sleep". To wake-up from the sleep state, type "bms wake". To go to the DEEP_SLEEP state, type "bms deepsleep", it could be that it first self-discharges.