idiot check: on/off switch for current limiting on CA

[parajared]

Just a quick check with actual knowledgeable types before I cut into my cycle analyst and solder everything up.

I want my cycle analyst to have an on/off button so that most of the time I would be limited to [X] amount of amps, but at the flip of a switch have max power.
Would I just put an on/off switch on the green cycle analyst wire (throttle over-ride wire) and set the CA to current limiting mode, or is there more to it than that?

I want to do this because I am doing long distance runs (typically over 50 miles) on an 880 watt hour pack and I find that 3amps is the happy medium where my legs don’t get tired and my pack lasts the longest. Currently I just have to keep an eagle eye on my readings to prevent myself from accidentally overdrawing.

I don’t use the current limiting function on CA because I want power at the ready for escape situations and mondo steep hills.

 

[cassschr1]

Wouldn't a three speed switch accomplish the same?

 

[parajared]

I have the 3 speed switch from Lyen that goes directly to the controller. It changes the wheel top speed, but not amp draw (handy for getting a perfect 90rpm leg spinning cadence).

Ebikes.ca sells a cycle analyst 3way toggle that can be set to limit current. I am lead to believe it only works on the v3 cycle analyst (I have version 2.23)

 

[nicobie]

What you need is the pot mod on your CA. Justin used to have it on his website. Easy to do.

 

[teklektik]

Just a quick check ... before I cut into my cycle analyst and solder everything up.

I want my cycle analyst to have an on/off button so that most of the time I would be limited to [X] amount of amps, but at the flip of a switch have max power.
Would I just put an on/off switch on the green cycle analyst wire (throttle over-ride wire) and set the CA to current limiting mode, or is there more to it than that?

I don’t use the current limiting function on CA because I want power at the ready for escape situations and mondo steep hills.

I have the 3 speed switch from Lyen that goes directly to the controller. It changes the wheel top speed, but not amp draw (handy for getting a perfect 90rpm leg spinning cadence).

I noticed ebikes.ca has a 3speed switch that goes directly to CA. I was under the impression that this was a top speed limiter too, is this correct?

edit I should mention that I have cycle analyst version 2.23

See the manual

In short:

• The throttle override signal is what the CA uses to override the operator throttle. You could conceivably put a switch in series which would defeat the CA's ability to limit the throttle. Of course, this will also defeat the LVC function.
• The controller 3-speed switch does not actually limit speed, it limits PWM and hence effective voltage to the motor. Speed actually varies with load. Go up a hill and the bike will slow down.
• The best solution is to tie a couple of resistors or a trimpot across 5v and Gnd to get adjustable current limiting - section 8.17, 8.18, and 9.2 of the manual. Here you can add a switch to tie the PCB Vi pad to either +5v or the wiper of the pot. There are a couple of ways to do this. Post back if you want to go this way. Here you enable current limiting and set MaxCurrent to a slightly unattainable value and the switch allows you to select 100% or some smaller percentage of that value. This leaves the LVC capability intact. A good approach would be to abandon the controller 3-speed switch and exclusively use the CA functionality to limit current at different levels.

 

[parajared]

Thanks for the info teklektic
for anyone interested, here's the link to the pot mod:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3466&hilit=cycle+analyst+POT#p50674

 

[teklektik]

Again - read the manual - it has detailed explanations of the wiring and pertinent Setup parameters as well as images of your exact board.
It's a waste of time to go back to a thread about the version 2.1 board from 2008....

 

[nicobie]

OP has version 2.23...

 

[Skedgy Sky]

I simply wired an on/off switch in series with the blue wire (on the CA cable coming out of controller) and now can switch between riding with no amp limits (controller was going beyond 99amps ) or the amp limit set in CA. Works good!

 

[teklektik]

As mentioned above - be aware that the CA LVC functionality is now disabled.
Not necessarily an issue for you...

 

[kenwood96]

I have a potmeter in use on my kmx, you can set it to speed or amp limit . it's a really usefull, not having to enter the setup menu anymore.... You can turn it it zero, to confuse the cops . see my kmx x- class build....