broloch said:
How does one prepare an ebike for winter? I realize it may be hard to seal the hub from snow and slush and occasional rain, but is there any protection?
The controller likes to stay dry, what about the throttle? Can I seal the wire connections in electrical tape?
Oh boy, I've been waterproofing my bikes for weeks now. Take a look here to start with for great info:
Waterproofing with Silicone Fire-Retardant Waterproofing (Controller)
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10233
Improved Weatherproofing Idea (Hub Motor)
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12984
Controller:
Silicone Conformal Coating (or Car Ignition Spray from Canadian Tire) and possible potting too. Or
http://www.mgchemicals.com/products/422a.html
Connectors:
Use waterproof connectors if possible (Deutch, Weatherpack), or
Waterproof your existing ones with Silicone Dielectric Grease applied to the contacts or
inner portion of the connectors surrounding the pins. Then you can paint black electric
tape paint to the outside of the connectors where they join to seal out the water. It dries fast.
I tried using black electric tape and it wouldn't stick very well in the cold. MG Chemicals is
called Connector Coating,
http://www.mgchemicals.com/products/4229.html
Walmart and Canadian Tire have cheaper equivalents.
What also works well is stretchy Silicone Tape that adheres to itself.
http://www.rescuetape.com/
The same or similar stuff is Cheap on ebay. Wrap your connectors tight with this
and water can't get passed the silicone seal.
Wires:
I like to use 3:1 adhesive lined heat shrink tube when possible to do any wire to wire
connections. The adhesive lining melts when you're shrinking the tubing making a
water tight seal. 3:1 means it shrinks to 1/3 of its original diameter. Great to get
over connectors if you forget to put the tubing on before crimping on the pins etc.
You can also get 4:1 and higher but its special order and $$$. Canadian Tire has 3:1.
If its too later to get a shrink tube on, the Connector Coating works, but
is a bit too soft for my liking and can wear off. I find that black tape or silicone tape
is hard to get on the wires and peels too easy, esp in the cold.
Batteries:
Make sure they're in a waterproof pannier or similar sealed bag that water can not get
in AT ALL. Seal the exit like Russell did on his build,
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/download/file.php?id=22887
or seal your power tool batteries completely if that's what you use. Here's how I did mine:
Waterproof Lithum 6AH Yardworks Battery
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=9451
I have the back of those Anderson's sealed with epoxy where the wires go in. You
can use a syringe from a drug store for oral meds (or pet store) to inject the epoxy
into the the area where the wire enters the back of the Anderson.
Then I have them wrapped tight with Silicone tape. So water can not get in the
back of the connector, or where they join.
Motor:
There was some good info in that link I put above. Here again:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12984
I'm inclined to use some spray
that stays a thick liquid like Wurth Film or ACF-50 that slowly rolls around and prevents
rust and corrosion. I don't have the shite yet so here
is what I did on my son's bike's motor (I had it opened to fix it):
- Greased the gears and metal pieces that spin and rub.
- On the inside of the hub where the axle posts stick out, I've applied a good dose of grease to both sides,
to in theory, keep the water out a little while longer.
- Silicone RTV'd the hole where the wires exit the axle.
- Silicone II'ed the screw on cap to seal out the water.
GE Silicone II is just a neutral curing Indoor/Outdoor Silicone Caulking material. Its not as hard
as RTV so I might be able to get the cap of later (maybe).
Edit: I've noticed that the new 8-Fun Bafang motors advertised as waterproof, now have an
O-Ring where the cap screws on. The also have 3-pin phase wire waterproof connectors.
Its debatable weather you want to seal where the wires leave the hub. Some people (ebikes.ca)
think that this makes it worse, since water that gets into the motor from heat, then condensation
from cooling, can not get out and stays trapped in the motor. I'm going to try what I did above,
but it might be better to just leave it as is. I'm pretty sure that the Wurth Film or ACF-50 will
work if you can get it into the hub motor. That's what I plan to do next.
Throttle:
I have not figured this one out yet. I think I'll Google "Ebike waterproof throttle." Not sure how
critical this is compared to the other things. I guess you don't want it shorting out too "full on"
though, so I'm going to look into this. This is why ebikes.ca stopped using throttles with
battery level indicators. They were susceptible to this.
On/Off Switch:
Mine is just a switch I used for where a key switch is intended. If it shorts, it just means that
the power to the bike stays on. Not a biggie. I have glue gunned the switch quite a bit, just to
make it more water tight. One could also use RTV Silicone to do this. Also, there are
push button switches with rubber boots available. I have a 79 cent clear boot that screws onto
a standard toggle switch I'm going to try. The back part off this kind of switch would still have
to be waterproofed though.
Lights:
Just buy a waterproof light. MEC has them.
PS: I was meaning to write this up for a while now. Thanks for the motivation. Once I learn
more, I'll edit and post as a new waterproofing topic.
Edit:
From the video from http://www.itselectric.ca, I like the Inner-tube idea to protect the wires, but
I would not trust to waterproof. I'd do the wires and connectors as above, then use the
inner-tubes to direct and protect the wires.
Update Edit:
I tried Permatex Plastic Weld 5 Minute for the back of the Andersons where the wires go in.
Injected with a syringe as mentioned above. This worked great and is fast. The stuff smells
like hell though, which must mean its breaking down the plastic a bit to bond better, which
is good. This works better that crazy glue gel, which tends to crack.
This is a GREAT way to do this. No shrink tube on the back of the connectors is necessary,
unless you want it for strain relief. Personally, I like without. With 12 gauge wire, you
don't really need strain relief.
So now when connecting the Andersons together, its a nice flat clean surface from
connector to connector, and the silicone tape seals it nice for the final touch.
I also realized that when making a series wiring harness. Ie controller to battery to battery
to battery and back to controller. You don't actually ever need to join and solder any wires.
You just make the harness as a big loop. Less to waterproof. Just make sure all the connector
to connector wires are measured out before you start. I'll post a pic if anyone does not get it.
Finally, here's a real cool trick I discovered on the Anderson connectors. Instead of those
Anderson locks that you can get from.
http://www.powerwerx.com/anderson-powerpoles/accessories/retention-clips.html
You can loop a small zap strap cable tie through the same holes and lock them that way. Of
course this only works on more permanent connections.