GT i-drive 2.0 Build

[kfong]

I'm actually working on the design today. Weather here is just getting too cold to ride and my bike is still down due to the brake hose. The Kona Cowan is pictured along side the Versus on that build thread. A very nice DJ frame with mostly BMX components. Feels very light for it's size. I will be using a Turnigy C80100-130 for the motor with hall sensors installed. The gearbox is a PLE80 8:1 ratio. From the motor to the gearbox there will be a 2:1 chain ratio. The setup will be similiar to how a cyclone is done using two front ring gears. One for the final output from the gearbox and the other going to the rear wheel, both joined by a freewheel. I think i will be good on the gear ratio. if I have to, I will rewind the motor but will keep it a stock wind for now. I have not started a build thread on this since I have not created anything to really show. I did post pictures of the motor and gearbox but I don't recall the thread I posted it under. It's a very compact setup. There is a bit of CNC work to do so it will be a while. At first I was planning to just take the final output and drive a large gear mounted to the left side of the rear wheel, but I didn't want to deal with the long chain and suspension growth. The batteries will be A123, placed in the triangle. This bike will be bashed around so I need it to handle the wreckage. I also wanted all the weight low and centered. Won't be much fun to jump if not balanced. The RC setup was the only solution I liked. Making it all hold together will be the challenge. Won't need as much runtime since this bike has only one purpose, but I do plan to fill that triangle up The park I go trail riding there is a local BMX type terrain that I plan to ride it in. They finally put in some nice jumps this year. Should be a lot of fun.

My Kona DJ will be my RC huckster, light, balanced and powerful.

got any pics? what are your plans? i love the sound of this one..

[GCinDC]

did i mention i'm loving my rear disc brake? through the rain this week too, it was sooo helpful - the old vbrake did nothing when wet.

my 6" front is nothing special. i can barely lock it up. i made a quick vid trying to from ~30mph:

it didn't come out how i wanted. you can't tell when i start braking. i need to find a tarmac football field when i can be a bit more scientific...

the one bummer is that the burley trailer hitch bangs against it. this was the doom of my last one - makes sense now - how else would the rotor pop off unless it was getting a lot of lateral force... so i've gotta figure something else out there...

[GCinDC]

food for thought.... 300mm front & rear, from here:

looks like offset shock/seat post supports. very interesting. anybody recognize the swingarm? or the frame?

[etard]

Still pondering that 5 foot drop, or have you upped the ante a bit (like 20 feet )??

[sn0wchyld]

food for thought.... 300mm front & rear, from here:

looks like offset shock/seat post supports. very interesting. anybody recognize the swingarm? or the frame?

now THAT is what I want to build for myself!! Imagine that with a 3220, or even... a TWIN 3220 and a kw'h or two of lipo??? Or even a greyborg hub in the rear?!? (pipe dreams galore!!) THAT is a serious contender for a mx bike. Mind you, im guessing most of us would probably get to excited and end up draining the bats in about 500m. But it'd be a FUN 500m.

[amberwolf]

That swingarm vaguely looks like the one on here:

which i just got and will be likely installing whole (including wheel) on my new bike.
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewto ... 99#p493399
Most likely the one on there is from some similar but probably smaller dirtbike.

[GCinDC]

swingarm vaguely looks like the one on here:

yes, those do look similar. thanks, amber. what's the largest diameter tire that will fit there? would a 24" fit? nevermind about the axle issues...

Headlight fixed:
in other news, i forgot to mention i solved the mystery of the broken light. the button had stopped working. if you push on the rubber diaphram, there was no click, switch or anything. so i took it apart, and all the plastic around the switch mechanism was melted, no doubt from having been accidentally left on for an hour or so while parked... it normally gets very hot (still running ~3A instead of 1A) while moving, so at a standstill it cooks, but i've never felt the heat go as far back as the button! i carved away the plastic, but couldn't get the button operational, so i hardwired the light, so it pops on when i connect the pack/controller after charging.

Melting Solder:
yesterday, i rode the 1 mile uphill section of Mass Ave at WOT, pulling ~50A continuous - i was curious if it could take it - when power died (starting with a fun bit downtown):

when i got home, i hooked up my backup controller and it worked fine, so that meant it was the controller (thank god it wasn't the motor)... and the only time i've noticed the CA running weird high amps when when one the shunt wire solder melts and it falls off/shorts... usually the motor still runs, so i was happy it was just that.

i've got the spare controller in the backpack now, just in case. and now i will gotta go easy on the throttle up the long hill (dialing the throttle back since it's just pouring heat beyond a certain point anyway and not adding speed). but fyi, that 1mile was the reason i got an ebike, but it is no pike's peak either, so note to folks in big hill areas, be careful with the power sucker... 'moar amps' is right..

How ebikes are made:
still in other news, i love the eBike Family video by Tora Harris on his trip to China with Justin to check on suppliers for his cargo bike. And the video license was set to Creative Commons, and I really wanted to string together the clips of the manufacturing processes. I hope Tora doesn't mind. I'll take it down if he does, but until then, take a moment now to watch my remix of his video:

Is it just me, or is pretty cool watching chicks build motors, etc?

[dbaker]

Is it time for an 18 fet controller

[GCinDC]

hey dave. fun rain today, eh?

Is it time for an 18 fet controller

to try and cook the motor? how long would it last at 100A?

i was actually thinking it'd be better to program the controller to 35 or 40A if it's pulling 60A anyway... i've got a better chance of making the combo last that way, no? at least w/ 26" wheel..

i might try current limiting via the CA though i've NEVER had that work. does it work for others in lieu of reprogramming the controller (for lower amp settings)?

i did finally get replacement spokes. thanks for the extra John! so i should have no problem getting a second 26" wheel running. and i've got an unlaced 9C to stick in something.

i'm thinking about ordering some lipo too to have handy. i've toyed with the idea of going 24s but don't feel like getting another charger... ahh, christmas season...

[GCinDC]

oh, and i got ALL the footage from the ebike shoot. definitely a couple of funny scenes in the 70GB B Roll...

[amberwolf]

swingarm vaguely looks like the one on here:

yes, those do look similar. thanks, amber. what's the largest diameter tire that will fit there? would a 24" fit? nevermind about the axle issues...

Last night I took more pics over in that thread, but basically I think that swingarm IS the SAME one I have. It's on what I think is a Suzuki DR350 from 1990, maybe 91 or 92.


Both left and right sides are identical, and bolt onto a D-frame that actually contains the front pivot, so it would be a cakewalk to unbolt them from that D and build a new pivot like what htey have on there--it is exactly what I am planning to do on mine.

Then they probably just cut off the entire MC wheel dropout end (theirs are about that much shorter than mine), and drilled new holes for their own axle size instead.

So essentially, you could make it fit whatever size wheel you like, by having the bolted-on part sized correctly for that, including whatever width and dropout spacing you want. Plus it makes these sides parallel, rather than V shaped like most bicycles, if you want them that way. (I do).

On the MC I have it's an 18"x3.5", whcih I think comes out to closer to a 26" than 24" tire in bicycle size. I think 16" MC is closer to 24" bicycle, IIRC, but JRH could tell you for sure. For my own build I'll have to find someone that's tossing out a still-usable-for-me road slick type in that size for MC or Moped, cuz the knobby it has on there now would suck to ride on streets.

Either way, I'm sure it'll clear a 24" bicycle tire no problem, even a big fat one.


EDIT: I just did a comparison wiht some bike tires next to those wheels, and I'm off a bit: front is more like a 24" bike tire and rear would be a 22" if there is any such thing, cuz it's smaller than the 24 but bigger than the 20, and that's for the outer diameter. I didn't try comparing bead-vs-rim size.

Also, one of the dogs (Fred) got interested in what I was doing and perched on the other bike, so I snapped some pics, then Hachi had to get up there and chase her off, but almost pulled the bike down on herself, so I helped her up (and had to pose her a bit after the first pic) got pics of that, then Nana had to get up but she got spooked and almost put us all into a pile of squish. She did put her paws where I pointed, and stayed just long enough for the pics, but couldn't get down herself, so I had to sort of lift her down, whcih left us both panting on the floor. Got pics of them going up in the Pets thread for those interested--they look ridiculous.

[deecanio]

nearly 9 kw? 113a?

im not understanding how your getting those readings Greg? your running a standard 12 fet infineon/lyen no? i thought they were like 45a limit?
Getting a 18 fet and running at those levels would result in something similair to Lukes dyno test i would have thought, iirc Luke burnt out the 3540 at around the same sort of level in his vid.
Couple of questions though, the ca never worked with its amp limiter? what was it set to during that run? Also what is needed to program the lyen? i know its a usb cable (where do i get one?) but whats the software?
I'm off to Jozz's this week for a charging/setup lesson so ill be running VERY shortly, having had no time for my bike lately i have now got it ready, i just need to be shown how to for charging/running
Let me know how you program - if you could point me to the software and cable that would be awesome.
Do you think those readings were after the controller let go? maybe a spike? also you've convinced me to get a spare controller, plan is to get a beffed one and keep a standard one as spare

D

[GCinDC]

hey D, answers in bold:

- 113a? that reading must be for a spike when the solder melted and the CA wire popped off (and shorted on something else?). so nevermind that.
- your running a standard 12 fet infineon/lyen no? i thought they were like 45a limit? yes, i have two identical 45A 12 fet 4110's from ecrazyman configured to 80A regen with these settings (but not eb212 and with different speed settings; this pic is old):

- the ca never worked with its amp limiter? no, not when i played with it before.
- what was it set to during that run? 45A but it still is able to pull 50A continuous..
- Also what is needed to program the lyen? i know its a usb cable (where do i get one?) but whats the software? lyen can hook you up (pardon pun). he supplies usb cables and links to software/documentation. i hope you don't have vista.
- also you've convinced me to get a spare controller, plan is to get a beffed one and keep a standard one as spare good plan!

[GCinDC]

thanks for the pics and measurements, amber. looks like fun.

no comments on the factory floor vid? wild huh? i've been talking to Tora, and he's cool with it. I might interview him for a podcast soon...

and here's some extra footage from the shoot:

[Hyena]

im not understanding how your getting those readings Greg? your running a standard 12 fet infineon/lyen no? i thought they were like 45a limit?

Nope, like Greg I run mine with peaks of around 80 amps and have done so for the last year without incident. That's modded though with beefed up traces and wiring etc.
I have pulled up to 120 amps of battery current though with a 4110 12 fet controller but only in short bursts and in fairness it did randomly spit out a fet a few weeks later as I rolled down my driveway at walking pace.

Cool vids Greg, I liked the behind the scenes stuff from your TV spot.
That 9C factory vid (and I watched the others in the series too) is very cool - great to see what goes on in the factory and the speed at which their hands move
Is there any more info floating around on that here that I missed while out of action ?


Oh, and I'm just gonna leave this here:

Inconspicuous.

[Ypedal]

" pussybike " lmao...

[veloman]

I thought the factory vid was cool, it looks like the workers enjoy their job and workplace.


LOL to pussybike.

[Alan B]

Great Videos! Enjoyed the factory.

[deecanio]

Thanks for the info Greg, have pm'ed edward for the cable and software, have seen that vid series too, very good viewing.

D

[GCinDC]

joining the crowd...

[GCinDC]

nothing gonna happen for a while until i address the dropout issue...

IMG_20111125_132254-1.jpg (247.21 KiB) Viewed 688 times

[dbaker]

nice fork and brakes

[kfong]

Nice, looks like you finally found your Giant DH bike. What year did you end up with? Bike looks to be in great shape. Did you get a large? I like the steel reenforced brake lines.

[deecanio]

nice buy Greg, looking forward to seeing this running

D

[GCinDC]

so yeah, it's an 04 giant dh comp. i just was not willing to do without room in the triangle! perhaps i can get a 12" travel bike next year...

previous owner rode it in utah for 3 years during college. surprised he didn't limp when i saw the underside of the bike. some nasty dents.

the good news is that he worked as a bike mechanic tho. and he was kind enough to take the rear shock out to show me how to pump it up, i'd have taken the entire rear off otherwise. great guy. i let me ride my bike and he'll be wanting a ebike soon! he's got some motorcycles too.

anyway, the forks and rear shock have some internal rubbing sounds that i don't like, but i didn't notice them while riding. i'll need to do some serious research to understand the rear suspension settings... high speed, low speed, air & a nut for big hits? i've read poor reviews for that shock, so i was hoping for the best, but will start shopping for a used fox 4.0...

i thought it was a large, but am pretty sure it's a med. a bit bummed about that. he might have told me 18*, but from BB to seat collar, not top tube... feels a bit cramped for me, and not as much room for batts. but i may not mind it being smaller when it comes to fun stuff.

it feels pretty light. i love the room for bigger tires, the axles, the brakes - the guy said he was going to miss them. mineral oil. go figure.

the handlebar feels wicked wide to me, since i cut mine down a long time ago. single chain ring on the front, a 36T? but he gave me a spare 40T as well as 4 dh tires. so fun to play w/ after street tires for so long. the chain's kinda noisy, as is the cassette and the gears need adjustments... not surprising.

probably going to go with kiwi's rear dropout adapter. i'm thinking 9C in a 24" wheel. we'll see.

in the meantime, i thought i'd see how it felt as is: