Tidalforce hub motor for ICE Sprint recumbent trike?

I have a 2010 Special Edition ICE Sprint (20" wheel) recumbent trike that I would love to add a motor to.

I also have a Tidalforce M-750 that has been sitting idle for years now that I am trying to decide what to do with. I was planning on selling it but am considering relacing the motor into a 20" wheel and trying it on the ICE.

In some ways I'd rather buy a new motor that I have more control over. Tidalforce is such a closed system.

What do you guys and gals think?

If I sell the M-750, what would be a good motor for this trike?

Can I buy a hub motor that is as silent as the Wavecrest one?

the sinusoidal controllers are quiet but if you have the tidalforce controller then you can use it. if you don't have the tidalforce controller there is no way to make the motor run so then you do have to buy a regular DD motor with only 3 phases. but you can get a sinusoidal controller then too.

I did read earlier that sinusoidal are best for quiet operation. Can you give me some examples of some sinusoidal controllers that you like?

With Tidalforce the controller is integrated in the hub. I kinda like that idea and saw last night that Golden Motor does this as well. Do you know any others?

What is the most reliable hub motor on the market today that is not sold already on a frame?

Matt

Tidal Force close system?
, not so really, your TF 750 can be very easly powered on any 36V battery. You just install jumper into console and here you go.
Of course few TF owners run it on original Nickel battery, it is so easy to convert to Lithium.
TF is a masterpiece of 7-phase motor design ,US engineering resulting in buttery smooth ride.
I cannot imagine more reliable drive than TF, period.
I am VERY familiar with TF and it is my primary commuter in harsh Canadian winter. As of today 25,060 kilometers exactely on original Cateye computer/ BTW Cateye STILL on original battery/.
Why would you look for something else?

The only reason that I was considering something else is because I can't easily repair the integrated controller or other items that might fail since there is very little public documentation on the system. I know that LEVT is offering service but I'd like to be able to work on it myself. The fact that replacement parts are not exactly readily available is also not the greatest. I'm just trying to decide if I should sell the M-750 and move on to something else or lace it into a 20" wheel, put it on my trike, and do as you said and power it via a secondary pack. I really really like the motor. if Wavecrest was still in business I likely wouldn't choose anything else.

My question really is: are there any hub motors on the market that are of the same quality as the Wavecrest?

nope, it is generally considered a cut above in quality.

what is wrong with your controller? problems should be the same except for 5 phases instead of 3, or is it 7 phases?

The M-750 did some things that are just now being done by others. the large stator has only recently been adopted by other companies, and the sinewave controller is just now becomeing more available for 3 phase, though still not the standard. Unfortunatly, the industry has gone with 3 phase as standard, so nothing is going to be compatable with the M-750 and parts will always be scares for it.

If it was mine, I wouldn't relace it into a 20" wheel. the smaller wheel will want more voltage to perform as well and I wouldn't push that controller to higher voltages.

Instead I would replace it with a HS3540 and a sinewave controller. Not the same quality, but still good. the M-750 was originaly a DARPA project, and that motor was built to military specs for use in Afganastan, so nothing with civilian roots is going to come close.

Welcome to the greatest place to learn how to work on one. E.S.
If you had problems with the TF and have the ability to open it up,take a pic/post it and can handle a multimeter.
We have some controller/motor, EE masters here. I'm fairly certain you would get all the help you'd need.
In fact I sure some would be eager to learn more about these 7 phase systems.

That said, it's tough to beat the price and availability of parts with 3phase system.

If the Tidalforce meets your power requirements I'd use it. Consider it recycling.
The TF really looks to be of higher quality construction comared to hubs available.

if he is still there

mamcinty said:

If I sell the M-750, what would be a good motor for this trike?
Can I buy a hub motor that is as silent as the Wavecrest one?

Click to expand...

the only DD hub kit I can think of which comes close to TF reliability is FALCO edrive kit.
At least is manufactured and offered right now. not like TF.
And designed by the same design company which designed TF.
It never made you wonder why would any company still service TF , close to 10 years after last TF sold?
Because they TF lasts.

I'm still here but had to deal with some time sensitive things in the last few days and am not subscribed to the thread. I'd like to thank everyone for such wonderful input.

My end goal is to build a solar trike using the ICE Sprint that I already have. I love the M-750, but I haven't ridden it in many many years since getting the trike and having different needs. I used it for years commuting to school and it was awesome for that. That is why I am trying to decide whether to sell the M-750 and use the money to buy a new motor or lace the motor into a 20" wheel for the trike. The reason why I originally bought the M-750 vs buying something like a Crystalyte was the build quality. I haven't been part of the EV scene in years which is why I was asking if there were comparable motors now.

Does anyone know if there are any public schematics of the Tidalforce motors? Is there any information on the diagnostics connector?

miro13car said:

if he is still there

mamcinty said:

If I sell the M-750, what would be a good motor for this trike?
Can I buy a hub motor that is as silent as the Wavecrest one?

Click to expand...

the only DD hub kit I can think of which comes close to TF reliability is FALCO edrive kit.
At least is manufactured and offered right now. not like TF.
And designed by the same design company which designed TF.
It never made you wonder why would any company still service TF , close to 10 years after last TF sold?
Because they TF lasts.

Click to expand...

I wasn't aware of FALCO until now but I really like what I see. Thanks

mamcinty said:

Does anyone know if there are any public schematics of the Tidalforce motors? Is there any information on the diagnostics connector?

Click to expand...

There are no public schematics of the TF motors, as far as I have been able to find.

one thing is certain
FALCO for sure is in general more efficient system than TF.
I guess when you run TF and FALCO on identical wheel/tires with same rider at same speed and weather on the same streach of flat , for sure FALCO is going to use at least 15% less Wattshours of energy than TF , but I think close to 20% less energy will be correct.
I own TF and EPLUS system and run them often on same routes on similar wheels and EPLUS consume much less per km.
And I would say FALCO is even more efficient than EPLUS.