Hello ST team,
Following on from my “connection/reading” thread, I have a separate issue about physical damage.
Timeline
With 4 cells both of my AEK-POW-BMS63EN boards read correctly.
When we moved to 6 cells on Board #1, we began seeing the “dead” behavior (refs/LEDs off, SPI zeros/NaNs).
We then swapped in Board #2, keeping the same holder and harness. Shortly after connection, Board #2 burned in the same area near the L9963E as Board #1 (photos attached).
Later we populated all the way to 14 cells (VBAT ≈ 50 V) to re-check; still no refs/LEDs and SPI zeros/NaNs on the remaining board.
Current status
Two boards visibly damaged in the same L9963E area.
We avoided pin-by-pin live plugging; balancing was off.
Per-cell voltages at the holder side look normal and monotonic with a DMM.
Asks
Could you help with failure analysis based on the photos and symptoms? Do these marks suggest tap mis-order over-stress or a hot-plug/inrush event?
What is the correct RMA/replacement path for two AEK-POW-BMS63EN units (Italy, academic lab)?
Before we purchase another board, please share the approved connection/power-up sequence and any firmware settings (cell-enable mask, unused-tap handling) to avoid a repeat.
Thanks in advance
Khaled.
