DiamondBack, Cyclone 650watts and Dewalt A123 packs

[kfong]

Looks like pushing 48volts on this controller stresses out the voltage regulator. They seem to be using a transistor for the first stage. Q9 part KSP 42. Voltage coming out of it is way too low for the LM7815. Also the transistor is rather hot to the touch. Not sure if replacing it is a good idea, it's a rather wimpy part. I think I will modify this section with a dropping resistor and LM317.

[kfong]

Was able to repair the controller and put the bike back together for a trail ride before dark. Today was exceptionally warm for this time of year. I only wore a long sleeve t-shirt while riding. The bike is running good again. Fell asleep later in the evening from the workout. Really tried to make the 10amp pack last. Now I'm up an can't sleep. Here are pictures I took of the repairs I did.

The controller was removed and part was unsoldered. You can see the transistor in the middle of the board.

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I decided not to keep the original design since it would of burnt out again at 48volts. I was able to modify a board I did for my RC stuff years ago. Shorting out the first stage of the current section gave me a circuit similar to the circuits found on a lot of controllers using a resistor as a voltage drop and an LM317 to bring the voltage down. I chose aprox. 18volts for the first stage, giving the controller's LM7815 a voltage level it could work with.

controller repair1.jpg (77.53 KiB) Viewed 322 times

I ended up mounting it to the side of the box. I had to isolate the LM317 from the case by using a plastic sleeve and mica backing.

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For those running 48volts on this 24volt controller will eventually run into this problem. I have extra blank PCB boards available if you need them. $5 shipped. They are good for other low current applications as well.

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During the teardown, thought it would be a good time to see how the Nuvinci drive would fit. Looks like I will have to mill out the plate since it interferes with the rear derailleur. Not quite plug and play.

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nuvi2.jpg (78.76 KiB) Viewed 322 times

nuvi3.jpg (62.14 KiB) Viewed 322 times

I also notice the motor having a slight offset. Took it down as well and discovered some damage to the frame. This is what happens when you start bashing into logs. Oh well, have to make a conscience effort to avoid the steeper ones. The mounting setup could of been better as well. It was designed around the first frame that broke on me. I might have to redo this part of it but for now I used a conduit pipe cut down the center and place over the damaged area. Hopefully it will give a bit more support against being crushed.

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frame damage2.jpg (93.54 KiB) Viewed 322 times

[kfong]

Here is the quick repair I did using electrical conduit pipe, grinder and hammer. I'll see how it does before I spend the time remaking the motor mount. It held up fine yesterday in the trails and I was rather hard on the bike hitting a few log piles that I should really avoid.

quick repair.jpg (86.1 KiB) Viewed 313 times

Here is how the bike is currently setup. I lost the front fender and will be getting a new one. The controller has been resealed with silicone RTV and the smaller connectors wrapped in silicone self fusing tape to keep out moisture.

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current setup2.jpg (126.26 KiB) Viewed 313 times

Here it is all decked out for shopping and running errands. Not much to look at, but that's the whole appeal. I want a sleeper bike that performs, is reliable and still be fun. The only drawback is the original cyclone mounts are crap. You need to create your own or purchase better ones. The noise is also an issue, it's not as bad as an RC setup. For trail use the noise is noticeable to others, but for general street riding it's not bad and I prefer to make some noise when coming up on pedestrians. This bike goes 27-30mph with the 48V setup. Not bad for those not chasing after speed. It gets me to my corner grocery store faster then I can drive to. Gets hardly any attention, especially if I'm pedaling.

shopping setup1.jpg (115.52 KiB) Viewed 313 times

Here is the new front shock, RST Omni TNL with 100mm of travel. Cheap low end shock, but acceptable. Anything less I would find it hard to consider them shocks. It comes ready for front disks, so that will be an eventual upgrade on this bike since most of the stopping happens in the front. The previous RST 191 Omni CL had only a small amount of travel using a polymer cartridge, while fine for short trips. It totally sucked for trail riding and long distance. It would however, make a good front hub shock since it's steel and would take the edge off the vibration vs. a solid fork. If anyone is looking for a steel front shock for a front hub with a 1.25" steer tube that I don't think was ever cut down let me know. The frame has been holding up and is solid when jumping it. The trail reviews on the frame was good when I did a search. Geometry works well and the chrom-moly should last much longer than most bikes.

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[kfong]

Having switched over to Lipos, I needed a safe way to charge them. The only solution I felt comfortable with was to use a quality RC charger. The Hyperion was the one I felt was best designed. I then made a DB25 board to use as the balance plug. Here is the board attached to 4 6S 5000mA Turnigy packs. This setup is a 12S 2P configuration giving you 10ahrs at 48volts. The balance wires are just long enough to plug into the DB25 board. You need a second one at the recieving end of the charger.

DB25 board.jpg (64.93 KiB) Viewed 274 times

As you can see the board is attached to the end of the pack. The balance wires are just long enough to fit. There is enough room for my smart switch which would make this pack completely stand alone. Allowing me to let others use the pack without worry.

12S setup.jpg (64.41 KiB) Viewed 274 times

The bag used is a Topeak RX. It uses an integrated sliding mechanism for easy removal.

Topeak bag.jpg (85.44 KiB) Viewed 274 times

I padded the pack to protect the lipos

Padded lipos.jpg (55.14 KiB) Viewed 274 times

I balance charge during every charge, this setup makes it easy to do.

Balance charging.jpg (103.36 KiB) Viewed 274 times

I could of shortened the wires going from the charger to the DB25 board but the wire pattern is not 1:1. You would need to wire it, instead I just used short extension cables. I used ribbon cable for the connection between DB25 boards. This allows for hardly any wiring.

I still have boards available for anyone wishing to go this route.