Charge 48 volt ping and calibike battery from dc source?

[johnnymiller]

I have two batteries for my electric bike:
A 48 volt 15 amp hour ping battery and a 48 volt 20 amp hour calibike battery.

I live off-grid, and my only source of power is from solar panels and a 12 volt lead acid battery.

I bought a so called sine wave inverter with 2000watts of power.

When I plug in the chargers for both batteries, neither work, but make disturbing electrical noises, such as buzzing, popping and sizzling.

So, I have been making do by wiring 4 solar panels together in series to get about 60 volts to directly charge the batteries. So far, it seems to work, especially with the ping,as I can visually see when all the cells are balanced with the LED display and I unhook the battery.

I am hoping someone out there can recommend a charge controller/ or battery charger that will take a DC input of 12volt (so I can keep my panels in parallel) , step it up to a high enough voltage for my batteries and also shut off when the battery is charged.

Help me please! I am pretty frustrated..
Johnny

 

[Eclectic]

How to Solar Charge an Electric Bicycle
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=28436

Solar Power Cruiser - Terratrike
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=62700#p937232

 

[mcintyretj]

Johnny

I have a 48v, 15ah ping, and I've been charging it for the last year with this an Ebay dc to dc converter.





My power supply puts out 12vdc at 12.5 amps (about 150 watts) and I measured the output from the unit at 1.5 amps at 59vdc and I think that would be the max I would run it at because it is plastic and gets hot. My unit cost about $18 shipped but I have seen them for less. It has 100+ full charges. My meter show 59.1 volts and that where it stays. The voltage does not climb, probably because of the LEDs on the board.

I would probably run 200 watts of solar panel and add a used computer fan for cooling.

Good luck!
Tim,
Seal Beach CA

 

[johnnymiller]

Thanks for the reply, I have ordered one of those dc to dc converters. Did you adjust the converter to put out 59.1 volts? How are you measuring the current draw? Also, How did you mount the battery in your frame like that?, Do you brush against the sides of the battery when pedaling?

I appreciate your ideas..
Johnny