I've lost regen but still have brake cut-off

[drutledge]

Title says it all really. I seem to have lost regen but still have the brake cut-off function on one of my bikes. The controller is a 35A Infinion from Justin (Grin Technology). It has a Cycle Analyst hooked to it as well fwiw. Any ideas on what happened? Where to look? This bike is a heavy rickshaw and I kinda count on the regen to help with braking.

Thanks.

Don

 

[Kingfish]

Which of the following is occurring?

1. Select Ebrake and Throttle cuts out, bike is coasting.
2. Select Ebrake, Throttle cuts out, bike slows mildly, but CA does not show reverse current.
3. Something else… (describe the experience)

Best, KF

 

[ohzee]

I noticed something last night on a ride with a 12 fet and a 5404.. I only have regen from 33-24mph - once it hits 24mph it cuts out.

 

[Ypedal]

I had the same thing happen to my trike on a Lyen 18 fet at 100v

I rigged a momentary on switch to a brake lever with a rubber band to push the lever and keep the ebrake button pressed until i pull the lever to get regen ( and throttle shutdown )

last week, pulling the lever resulted in no throttle but no regen...

the rubber band was broken and not applying full force to the button so a weak signal on the ebrake line can cause this.. ymmv.. but that fixed my trike. ( new, rubber band )

 

[Arlo1]

I had this happen once what my problem was is resistor r12 on the circuit board had fried. Measure it with an ohm meter and you will know. I changed the SMD to a 1/4 watt through hole and its been going ever since.

 

[Kingfish]

I had this happen once what my problem was is resistor r12 on the circuit board had fried. Measure it with an ohm meter and you will know. I changed the SMD to a 1/4 watt through hole and its been going ever since.

Arlo, was R12 modified previously? Just curious on why it would go belly-up.

Resistance is futile. KF of Redmond

 

[Arlo1]

I had this happen once what my problem was is resistor r12 on the circuit board had fried. Measure it with an ohm meter and you will know. I changed the SMD to a 1/4 watt through hole and its been going ever since.

Arlo, was R12 modified previously? Just curious on why it would g

Resistance is futile. KF of Redmond

Had another 1/4 watt resistor in parallel with the surface mount resistor to get 800 ohms and the surface mount resistor looked like it over heated but could just be due to different loads on the resistors or because the surface mount resistor was a cheep China resistor.

 

[Kingfish]

Had another 1/4 watt resistor in parallel with the surface mount resistor to get 800 ohms and the surface mount resistor looked like it over heated but could just be due to different loads on the resistors or because the surface mount resistor was a cheep China resistor.

So you replaced it all with one single 800 Ohm 1/4 W, correct?

~KF

 

[hydro-one]

if you are refering to the throttle activated regen not working as it should,.. i have found that water on the throttle or cycle analyst connectors can leave the throttle line just above zero, resulting in no regen. its actually the first sign somethings going to go wrong lol such as full throttle stuck wide open in slushy conditions..........

 

[drutledge]

Just to be clear: I pull the brake handle, the motor will cut out (like it should, even if throttle is still engaged), and the bike coasts. No Regen, real or displayed on CA.

Sorry to be dense but are we talking r12 in the controller or in the Cycle Analyst? I wouldn't think that the CA had anything to do with the regen.

 

[Arlo1]

Had another 1/4 watt resistor in parallel with the surface mount resistor to get 800 ohms and the surface mount resistor looked like it over heated but could just be due to different loads on the resistors or because the surface mount resistor was a cheep China resistor.

So you replaced it all with one single 800 Ohm 1/4 W, correct?

~KF

Yup or something close like 780 or 790 ohms I think I found for regen to 100v I needed 800or less ohms on r12.

 

[ohzee]

My setup

24s life usually 84v hot. 12 fet lynn 50 amps 5404

top speed 36ish.. when I let off the throttle or break I have regen down to 24mph then it just cuts out.

sort of confused as to why it's doing that ?

 

[Dave_S]

My setup

24s life usually 84v hot. 12 fet lynn 50 amps 5404

top speed 36ish.. when I let off the throttle or break I have regen down to 24mph then it just cuts out.

sort of confused as to why it's doing that ?

That sounds like there is a simple explanation. You can not regen unless the motor is generating a voltage higher than the battery voltage when in the regen mode. If the motor voltage is less, because of lower speed, then there can be no current flow into the battery from the motor. That is even apparent on my 36 volt system, but the speed that it occurs at is much lower.

 

[SamTexas]

Just to be clear: I pull the brake handle, the motor will cut out (like it should, even if throttle is still engaged), and the bike coasts. No Regen, real or displayed on CA.

What is your battery voltage? Regen only happens when the battery voltage is below certain threshold to prevent overcharging.

 

[drutledge]

I'm pretty sure it's not the battery voltage, it's always worked in the past two years even after I fully charge (about 90% charge for me), something has gone wonky all the sudden. Now the bike is stuttering as well. Time to have a long look at all my sensor and throttle wire connections I would guess, though I think the regen loss is a totally different problem. Maybe not though.

 

[GITech]

I had regen on mine (see my sig) for about a week...and when it did work I saw little to no effect anyway...so I've been SOL for regen right out of the gate.

Any advice on how to calculate the resistor I would need for R12 for my 60v system?

 

[Blotman]

Sorry I'm late to the show. I got in touch with Justin at Grin Technologies about this same exact issue on my 40a Infineon controller. He says that a pad labelled P22 on the circuit board needs to be shorted to ground for the ebrake to cause regen. Not confident enough with my soldering skills to check it out myself, but thought I'd share the info.

 

[GITech]

Thanks Blotman

hmmm...