Kinni's E-bike questions and stuffs

[shock]

I don;t think 12v is enough voltage to actually spin the wheel. 12v is enough for the low voltage circuits in the controller, but I don't think 12v is going to spin a 9c DD hub.

[dogman]

The controller has a low voltage cutoff, that helps you to not ruin batteries. Likely it's set at no more than 30 v. So while a CA will operate, the controller was shut down.

[Kinni420]

figured it was something like that.....pics coming when i have time

[Kinni420]

ok..hard day at work but have some time to post pics.

heres the bike as I bought it, notice the destroyed forks.



heres the bike in its completed (minus the batteries) state, with the new forks and much shorter gooseneck/stem. Both tires are filled with 26x1.95 thorn resistant tubes with Slime tire liners and filled with True Goo (much better than Slime)

http://shop.truegoo.com/



LOVE the new forks, 3.93 inches of suspension (100mm)



wrapped up all the extra wires just enough to keep it out of the way of any heat from the controller, mounted the controller so on/off was easy access and good airflow to drop the heat of the 40A. wrapped the hose clamps with electrical tape to help protect the aluminum frame (not like I care about a paint job, but aluminum is soft and those clamps can eat through the frame over time.)



I had to spread the rear forks out to accept the wheel a little and the 11t sprocket was so close to this thick frame that I had to add washers in between the screw-on freewheel and the frame. I bent 2 1/2" lock-washers in my bench vice to create enough room or the chain would rub on the frame. Dish stayed the same, only minor pulling was enough. the only real problem Im having at the moment is that when the bike is in 1st gear, the derailer rubs against the casing of the motor. Also the torque arm Methods sent me doesnt fit over the axel but the dropouts are rediculously huge and I torque the frock out of those nuts.



Notice the thickness of these dropouts and the quality of the welding on this Marin. This motor accepts a disc break rotor but unfortunately I dont have the mount on this frame.



The ONLY thing Im not liking about this set up is pictured below:



I foresee this as a problem a couple years down the road when Ive beaten this wheel up and those spokes decide to straighten and pull the nipple through the rim.

question: CA was showing lots of voltage when riding with zero batteries, around 20V @ 9 mph, is this regen normal?

[dogman]

Yes, the motor when turned with the power off becomes a generator. Depending on the controller, this power may or may not reach your battery.

Tight fit on the torque arms over the axle? Good. Mo betta if you have to file em out to a perfect fit, as opposed to a loose fit. Get em on the bike immediately, before you spin out the motor on the first ride.

[Kinni420]

couple of weeks before I get the power, time will be spent perfecting the torque arm and figuring out what to do with the batteries.

[Kinni420]

Ok got the torque arm filed out so it barely fits over the axle. I have to wiggle it on What you guys think about this configuration? everythings still loose and I have to get another nut for the axle. edit: rode the bike down to the local hardware store and bike shop. 14mm x 1.5 threaded nut fits perfect for the Torque arm. weighed the bike at the bike shop. 48.11 lbs. Dave said it almost broke his hanging scale lol.



I may flip it over so its pushing instead of pulling and doesnt get in the way of the rack mounts if I decide to use the rack for the batteries for now.

[dogman]

If you have to, fabricate a different second piece to make it work. One tiny nit pick, the way your power wires go in that pic, water will tend to run down the wire into the motor. Next time it's off the bike, flip it the other way, and run a drip loop down, then back up to the axle. That way splashed water runs off the drip loop, instead of flowing into the motor.

It's a pita to remove the plugs to put the torque arm on the other side, but you have a few weeks to fiddle with it. Maybe you can use one of those threaded holes already in the frame on the non gear side dropout. You might be able to drill a hole in the arm, and the frame if you mount it on the other side, eliminating the need for the second piece of the torque arm.

[Kinni420]

great advice dogman. thank you, will do.

Ive heard about water entering the motor via the wiring harness. drip loop sounds like a great idea.

first part of the torque arm doesn't fit in the dropout area enough to drill and tap a hole unfortunately. was thinking of bringing it to a local metal shop to see if they could weld something on easily to make that suggestion work. would be MUCH stronger than the hose clamp thing.

[Kinni420]

WOOT! just sold the cannondale for $300 bucks! Here come the lipos!!!!! Should be powered up with 18s2p by Monday at the latest!

/cry. Goodbye my old friend! Ill miss your smooth commuter ride! I have to ride the Old Cooks Bros. Racing to work until I get under power.

[jkbrigman]

OH crap dude...that's a cool machine. Is that the one in the picture in the snow outside the convenience store?

[Kinni420]

aye it is. First ever Cooks Bros. Racing frame ever. no serial #

[Kinni420]

4mm Bullet Connectors (4 sets)
iCharger 106B+ battery charger

ordered today before cut-off with priority shipping.
Lipos Im ordering at 6am MDT. probably 4 6s1p 20C turnigy for 24s, or maybe 6 for 18s2p. Harnesses are built except for a couple of andersons (available at the local RC store) and the bullets (from EPbuddy).

215w power supply is up and running fine.

really all depends on how hungry Im gonna be next month

Would love some suggestions on a frame pack. (dog. dont even go there with your weird frame packs lol, ive seen your vids, nice off-road design for protection tho in that rocky environment).

[jkbrigman]

4mm Bullet Connectors (4 sets)
iCharger 106B+ battery charger

ordered today before cut-off with priority shipping. Lipos Im ordering at 6am MDT. probably 4 6s1p 20C turnigy for 24s, or maybe 6 for 18s2p. Harnesses are built except for a couple of andersons (available at the local RC store) and the bullets (from EPbuddy). 215w power supply is up and running fine. really all depends on how hungry Im gonna be next month

Would love some suggestions on a frame pack. (dog. dont even go there with your weird frame packs lol, ive seen your vids, nice off-road design for protection tho in that rocky environment).

I'm extremely happy with my 106B+. I feed it with a wimpy little 150W power supply, but I can charge 3 parallel bricks at 6A no problem. You will need more bullet connectors, get those when you get the andersons. I like EPbuddy, the fast, cheap shipping makes up for the (very slightly) higher price.

So, let me get this straight: Right now you've got an awesome bike with new forks, a rear hub motor, a controller, a CA(?), throttle, all installed and just waiting for massive LiPo to make it go, right?

JKB

[Kinni420]

you got it right. with the CA as well.

Lipo ordered 2 minutes ago from USA warehouse. Praying for a saturday delivery so I can do some break in runs! WOOT!

Im thinking of this bag:

http://www.bikeparts.com/search_results ... =BPC374126

Ill have to remount the controller somewhere else but want to do that anyways.

I can get as many bullet plugs and andersons as I need at the local RC shop Doing so after work today.

[dogman]

Looks ok, just put some kind of protection inside the bag. Old political signs work good for preventing dings on the pouches.

[Kinni420]

I think new political signs are better from all the bullshit posted on them. thicker before the BS wears off

Ok todays work! got some connectors for the harnesses I need and a 40w soldering iron for better connections. still waiting on 4mm bullets and charger from EPbuddy.

changed the layout of the torque arm. Although the angle of pull is as much as 45 degrees off, the rotation of the axle will cause the second arm to press on the big nut and cause it to rotate upwards instead of backwards here. should be fine until i can get to the metal shop.:



I changed the position of the controller to below the frame for better air flow and space for the pack. created a drip loop in the rear wiring and created a cover for the motor connectors out of an old innertube.



The hanging wires here will be shortened and stuffed into the pack I'm getting. Will post pics when done.

[Kinni420]

I just wanted to mention, I just bought a 40w soldering iron and the difference from a 30 is amazing. Its like a flame-thrower compared to a lighter. My wicking was phneominal.

also just ordered that bag from above. will have it saturday.

[dogman]

Well, I like to collect signs the loser is slow to pick up after a primary. Winners pick theirs up fast. Removing the signs before the election is a crime, so I don't do that. You can buy coroplast for sale signs if you must. Around here, there's always old signs out in the weeds just off the road somewhere when you need some. Regular cardboard works fine too, but isn't damp proof.

[Kinni420]

ive been collecting the thin plastic that lines suitcases. should be enough.

Now that Im about ready to ride, what should I be watching for? at 18s1p for the moment. when should I shut down? 80% of Ah? (4000 mAh on the CA) or should I be watching for voltage?
I really dont want to screw things up on my first ride to work.

[jkbrigman]

ive been collecting the thin plastic that lines suitcases. should be enough.

Now that Im about ready to ride, what should I be watching for? at 18s1p for the moment. when should I shut down? 80% of Ah? (4000 mAh on the CA) or should I be watching for voltage?
I really dont want to screw things up on my first ride to work.

EXCELLENT question. I set my CA low voltage cutoff to 66v, because that's what I've heard is a good low voltage point for LiPo. I don't recall seeing a setting like that in the CA.

Kinni - your build is coming along beautifully. Once you have the bag for the wires and such, you're gonna be golden. I'm watching carefully to learn from you as my next build will be an upright and have much more in common with yours than what I'm doing right now....

So: LiPo is going in the bag in the main triangle? Do you have any plans to add lights, fenders or a rear rack?

JKB

[dogman]

There is not much energy left in the pack past 3.65v per cell. I think they stay balanced better if stopped by then, or even earlier.

That's resting voltage, that is. Enough space to go a bit lower under load. Don't set a lvc too high 3.5 would be the highest I'd want it. 63v. Then figure about 2v of sag at least. 60v sounds good to me. Happens that's my 72v controllers lvc anyway.

[Kinni420]

I plan to add fenders. A nice fatty motocross looking one in the front, maybe just a small one in the rear to avoid the constant rain showers we get here. I used to have a big ass fender for the front on my old hard tail....cant remember the make. but most bike fenders are geeky looking.

I'd really like to get another old schwinn cruiser and build one up into an e-bike. My Cooks (pics above) is too classic to modify. Me and my buddy last night were talking about how that bike has been through 9 countries and 35 states. Ill never change it.

[jkbrigman]

I plan to add fenders. A nice fatty motocross looking one in the front, maybe just a small one in the rear to avoid the constant rain showers we get here. I used to have a big ass fender for the front on my old hard tail....cant remember the make. but most bike fenders are geeky looking.

I'd really like to get another old schwinn cruiser and build one up into an e-bike. My Cooks (pics above) is too classic to modify. Me and my buddy last night were talking about how that bike has been through 9 countries and 35 states. Ill never change it.

True: fenders are geeky. I've ridden both with and without them, and I'd rather have 'em. The "commuter ethic" is slowly seeping into the bike shops around here, and it's about time.

YES, the Cooks IS too classic to modify! I saw on GIZMAG once a story about a fully self-contained motor wheel: motor, controller AND battery all the wheel, with a wireless controller soft-clamped to the handlebars. That's about the only ebike modding I can think of you'd want to do to the Cooks - something completely reversible that doesn't change the frame in any way at all.

I was scoping out cruiser bikes for modification at Wal-Mart a couple days ago. Lots of pretty good looking stuff, but lordy it's cheap. Those cheap cranks give me headaches. But I have lots of interest in modding-up just the simplest bike you can get - a single speed with maybe a coaster brake - into as dead-simple an ebike as you could make. Stealth would be nice, but not mandatory.

JKB

[dogman]

Fenders look like shit, but I have to have them on my commuting bikes. One day I noticed a dark spot ahead in the bike lane. I didn't realize till I rode through it how fresh that puddle of oil was. Soooo glad to have a front fender that day, goo all over the bike anyway, but at least my face stayed clean.

If you run a rear rack on your bike, rear fenders can be made from anything, and just attach to the frame and the bottom of the rack. I prefer a strip cut from closed cell foam fatigue mats, mostly since I found those on the roadside too.