Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Please note that it is not permitted to have referral links posted in your signature. Keep these links contained in the appropriate forum. Thank you.
https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2055940817/signature-rules
https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2055940817/signature-rules
Hi all! We have been experiencing an issue on site where threads have been missing the latest postings. The platform host Vanilla are working on this issue. A workaround that has been used by some is to navigate back from 1 to 10+ pages to re-sync the thread and this will then show the latest posts. Thanks, Mike.
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest
The eBike thread
Comments
-
My bike is mostly just for using locally, commute occasionally, taking dog to park / canal. Not much in the way of hills here! I will have to be gentle with that 30A controller so as not to melt the nylon gears in that hub motor so!
Yeah back to the gears in the upgraded MAC motor, they are a much higher quality not sure what the material is but it definitely works.
The mac motors should be good at 2 Kw no problem if using the supplied controller which should have the soft start function.
Sure you can always add a little solder to that current shunt for more torque should you feel the need for some extra oomph !
No harm to experiment, You just need a decent battery.0 -
-
-
-
Chauffe, Marcel, chauffe!Join Date:Posts: 64469
Deleted User wrote: »Those old cells you will be using might only be good for 1 C and at that it could be pushing it.
They were all free. My aim is not to keep them healthy for years, but to actually use them. Hard.
Let's say the cells average just 2000mAh, then the pack with 4 in parallel will be 8Ah. Occasionally (not continuously) discharging at 2.5C for a few seconds at a time is certainly what I'm aiming for here, 20A. The kit is also rated 20A. That will give me almost 1200W
Deleted User wrote: »Eventually you'll see the light and go with RC LiPo, simple, compact and can really dish out the amps and no BMS to risk frying your battery lol.
Quite possibly, LOL! Any link to those cells at a reasonable price in your experience?My ads on adverts.ie
0 -
Advertisement
-
-
-
7S LiPo will give you 58.8 volts hot off the charger if charging to the max of 4.2 v per cell but 4.15 should be the max you go. You can set that in any half decent RC charger.
4 of these will give you 49.8 volts at 4.15 per cell and 10 Ah but 20C discharge. 12 S config, use the 30 amp Andersons and they are very simple to change to series/parallel for cycling and parallel for charging.
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-5000mah-6s-20c-lipo-pack-w-xt-90.html
They can charge at 2C too so that means your 10 Ah pack can charge at 20 Amps or in 30 mins !
all for 171 Euro's , of course excluding postage and charger, balance leads etc.0 -
-
TheMilkyPirate wrote: »I bought a Carrera vengeance e bike from Halfords about three months ago and I love it. Just on some hills it takes a good bit of effort and only does about 8-9kmh would be nice to get a bit more power. Is there any options to upgrade it?
Sure there is, an external controller and a lot or rewiring.
Your battery has to be up to the job though or it will have a short life.0 -
Advertisement
-
Chauffe, Marcel, chauffe!Join Date:Posts: 64469
Deleted User wrote: »7S LiPo will give you 58.8 volts hot off the charger if charging to the max of 4.2 v per cell but 4.15 should be the max you go. You can set that in any half decent RC charger.
4 of these will give you 49.8 volts at 4.15 per cell and 10 Ah but 20C discharge. 12 S config, use the 30 amp Andersons and they are very simple to change to series/parallel for cycling and parallel for charging.
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-5000mah-6s-20c-lipo-pack-w-xt-90.html
They can charge at 2C too so that means your 10 Ah pack can charge at 20 Amps or in 30 mins !
The one you linked is 6S. Why do you recommend that over 7S?
The one I linked to is 7S, 2 in series is 14S * 4.2V = 58.8V fully charged. The also have the XT90 connector which can be easily connected in series and shrunk to XT60 at the other end, which is what I like. The one I linked to also has balance charger leads
I've trouble finding a 7S balance charger though. Any ideas? Or is that why you suggested the 6S in the first place? My ads on adverts.ie
0 -
[Deleted User] wrote: »Sure there is, an external controller and a lot or rewiring.
Your battery has to be up to the job though or it will have a short life.
Could you recommend a controller? Is there any good guides online or is it beyond the remit of a beginner?
Not even sure what battery is on mine tbh0 -
The one you linked is 6S. Why do you recommend that over 7S?
The one I linked to is 7S, 2 in series is 14S * 4.2V = 58.8V fully charged. The also have the XT90 connector which can be easily connected in series and shrunk to XT60 at the other end, which is what I like. The one I linked to also has balance charger leads
I've trouble finding a 7S balance charger though. Any ideas? Or is that why you suggested the 6S in the first place?
I think 6 S will be plenty unless you want to go over 30 mph ? + it's 20 Euro's or close to 20 Euro's cheaper per battery.
Should find it easy to get a 8 S charger, I'll have a look.
You need parallel JST-XH balance leads to have all 4 batteries connected for parallel charging/balancing. + of course you'll need to parallel all the charging leads but it's not hard to solder up a lead with 4 of the connectors you want, in fact they probably already have them on HK, I know they do parallel charging boards which are dead handy.0 -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Advertisement
-
-
-
Chauffe, Marcel, chauffe!Join Date:Posts: 64469
That USD189 7S charger has put me off 7S. I think I'll go with your recommendation of 6S, it seems just more common and practical and affordable, so are my above 3 links valid (to use with the 6S packs you linked to)?Deleted User wrote: »Maybe some voltage monitors for the field too.
Also, the controller Low Battery Cut off becomes even more important when not using a BMS , so for 12S LiPo this should be set to around 42 volts.
A BMS isn't the be all and end all and can cause a lot of problems too and even battery fires.
I have cheap voltage meters. Will stick one of them on the bike. Funny you mention BMS vs balance charger. I've done a good bit of research the last few days and I agree with you my preferred way would be balance charging over BMS. And I will use a very intelligent battery management system (me) to decide when to cut off the battery from the controller
My ads on adverts.ie
0 -
That USD189 7S charger has put me off 7S. I think I'll go with your recommendation of 6S, it seems just more common and practical and affordable, so are my above 3 links valid (to use with the 6S packs you linked to)?
I have cheap voltage meters. Will stick one of them on the bike. Funny you mention BMS vs balance charger. I've done a good bit of research the last few days and I agree with you my preferred way would be balance charging over BMS. And I will use a very intelligent battery management system (me) to decide when to cut off the battery from the controller
Exactly, the best BMS is yourself.
No you can only use the 6 S balance leads with 6S Battery leads but they should be easy to find and you just might find them on ebay U.K. or jsut get one of the parallel charging boards and they will usually have the XT60 power connectors you like to use which will save you making up battery leads.
One extremely important unintentional feature of the 30 amp Anderson connectors is they make very handy fuses, if you short a LiPo and can't split the wires again fast they will burst into flames, they can dish out such insane current they can actually fuse the wires together, so if this happens, immediately get the battery to a safe place outside.
I do not know how the XT 60 connectors react to shorts but the Andersons will simply Vaporise + the Andersons are dead easy to split apart and connect from series to parallel.0 -
-
-
Chauffe, Marcel, chauffe!Join Date:Posts: 64469
Deleted User wrote: »I'd be worried they might exceed the current rating on the leads when balancing.
There's no point when the 6X 6S leads should be handy enough got.
I can't see how a 1 to 2 splitter has a worse current rating than a 1 to 6 splitter, but if you can find me a link for the latter, I would very much appreciate it My ads on adverts.ie
0 -
-
-
Advertisement
-
-
-
Chauffe, Marcel, chauffe!Join Date:Posts: 64469
I don't mind plugging and unplugging a few XT60 connectors for charging. Doing it only once a day anyway.
Well, you've converted me already to lipo so!
Thanks for all your help, man. I think I will have some more ordering to do in the next few days. Lots of stuff for projects to keep me busy all winter. Can't wait to test those lipo cells with a cheap pure sine wave inverter as a mini REx for my car too - should add about 3km range in 10 minutes of charging if the inverter can hold peak charge for that long My ads on adverts.ie
0 -
I don't mind plugging and unplugging a few XT60 connectors for charging. Doing it only once a day anyway.
Well, you've converted me already to lipo so!
Thanks for all your help, man. I think I will have some more ordering to do in the next few days. Lots of stuff for projects to keep me busy all winter. Can't wait to test those lipo cells with a cheap pure sine wave inverter as a mini REx for my car too - should add about 3km range in 10 minutes of charging if the inverter can hold peak charge for that long
Haha good luck with that.
Yes LiPo is great for ebikes, just charge in a safe place and store it in the shed, just remember performance will suffer when it gets cold and you will notice it's sluggish with more voltage sag, if your setup isn't pulling enough current to notice then it won't matter.
Or store it in a safe place in the house with a smoke alarm close by.0 -
Chauffe, Marcel, chauffe!Join Date:Posts: 64469
-
Haha I like the analogy
I want both really. I want to still be able to pedal, but also want it to move at reasonable speed (say 30-35km/h) on its own.
But you agree that the torque on the chain and the gears of a mid motor is pretty brutal. Don't know what you can do about that, except maybe have a clutch mechanism that takes the torque away from the chain / gears while you are changing gear. But that really starts to sound like a slow motorcycle with a manual gearbox to me...
As the father of many bicycle-related bad ideas, and also an enthusiastic user of both motorcycles and bicycles, I recognise the one X to rule them all as a bit of a "design smell".
There are good reasons that bicycles are 10kg and motorcycles are 150kg+, and not just that our political-correctness-gone-mad-nanny-state won't let us have any fun.
I respect Mad_Lad's passion and knowledge in matters of electric propulsion, but his expectations of performance are definitely at the motorcycle end of the spectrum, claiming as he does to have achieved 90kph on an electric bicycle (and presumably on the flat).
A pro cyclist is happy to go up a steep hill at 30kph, putting out perhaps 600W for a handful of minutes. You're talking about kilowatts of power. Time passes differently on a bicycle than it does on a motorbike - I can while away 3 hours on a bicycle no bother, but that time on a motorbike is incredibly tedious. So perceptions of speed and time are relative.
Aside from anything else, crashing faster than 35kph without proper protective gear tends to be quite physically damaging. I have crashed at ~55kph twice in lycra, and the second time I had to go on a course of strong antibiotics as the tarmac wore a hole in my elbow all the way down to the synovial membrane.
Anyway, much as I love motorcycles (and would love an electric one when they're not €30k+) I think there's something to be said for the Colin Chapman-esque principal of virtuous lightness and simplicity which gets lost once you move away from a conventional derailleur-based electrically-assisted drivetrain limited to perhaps 500W. You might go faster but you won't necessarily enjoy it more once the initial rush of speed has worn off.0 -
Advertisement
-
Chauffe, Marcel, chauffe!Join Date:Posts: 64469
I have crashed at ~55kph twice
Ouch! I have no intention of ever going over 35-40km/h and only on a straight flat deserted cycling lane on my bike with fat tyres, not down a twisty mountain road on a race bike!
Slow motorcycle it is for me, I don't want anything to do with a fast bicycle My ads on adverts.ie
0 -
-
-
Chauffe, Marcel, chauffe!Join Date:Posts: 64469
Got two of these babies in the post today
I used these before on my direct drive motor kit and they weren't as suitable as that motor / controller drew 930W out of them at full throttle, which was far too much for them to survive doing that for a year or soDeleted User wrote: »I'd keep your current bike to be honest
They are however, very suitable for my current bike as the 7A controller only makes it draw 250W. And a 100% legal pedelec setup. Tempted to sell it with the battery as a completely working eBike (without butchering it) and use the proceeds to start a new built of a more mid range bike. Tempted by a 29er setup. New or second hand. I'm a bit under 6'2 (1.87m) and fairly heavy at 100kg, so a big bike would suit me
Thoughts of a setup? I have 30A controller and throttle on the way and can make basically any size / voltage battery from 18650s (and maybe later upgrade to the lipo that Mad_Lad suggested)
How to motor it though? I like the geared hub setup, but would need a motor that can take 2kW without going up in flames or melting its gearsMy ads on adverts.ie
0 -
-
Advertisement
-
-
I hear ya. No hills here though to speak off though. And realistically I only use the bike as a local runabout, for a local commute (5km each way) and for taking the dog out.
Also mid drive is well outside my comfort zone to set up, I don't even have the tools to take the bottom bracket out.
And the mid motor setup makes it looks like an eBike in the most obvious way. A Garda probably wouldn't even recognise a bike with a small geared motor as an eBike if you have the battery somewhere discreet (like in a back pack) - stealth!
Taking out the bottom bracket is dead easy. Tools are readily available.
Guards, couldn't care less, just don't make a nuisance of yourself and you'll be grand.
A hub is find alright if you have no hills and yea , Lucan is dead flat, compared to here anyway, I got a lot of steep hills.
Just don't forget your torque arms if going above 1 Kw !0 -
-
-
Chauffe, Marcel, chauffe!Join Date:Posts: 64469
Deleted User wrote: »You should be able to pedal a geared hub without motor power easy enough, much easier compared to direct drive hub.
58 v x 30 amps is 1.7 Kw, that will be probably too much for those little hubs , go easy on the throttle and definitely install torque arms.
Re-read my post. I'm talking about direct drive My ads on adverts.ie
0 -
-
Chauffe, Marcel, chauffe!Join Date:Posts: 64469
Yeah, I admit I am all over the shop with my thoughts, ideas and plans
I'd like to try all sorts of setups. I know you highly recommend a Bafang mid motor setup as you were very happy with it and you had great craic with it climbing up steep hills. But you do have a tendency to recommend things to other people that work well in your circumstances but might be less relevant to others. There's a bit of that in myself!
I'd like to give a mid motor a try, but it would cost more money than I could justify and it would leave me with a setup that I don't have a need for
I think I'll just settle for a half decent mid price 29er MTB, then when I get that hub motor, I will get my local bike shop to lace it for me in my front wheel. And then just pedal the bike and sent up to a moderate amount of power to it whenever I feel like it, but say rarely more than 1kW, and when so then just for a few seconds, not continuously, and hope for the best.
Current eBike went up on adverts.ie this evening...My ads on adverts.ie
0 -
-
-
Chauffe, Marcel, chauffe!Join Date:Posts: 64469
Hard to take into account crazy sheep jumping on you and your bike My ads on adverts.ie
0 -
Advertisement
![[Deleted User]](/applications/dashboard/design/images/defaulticon.png)
Advertisement