Hello,
I think that many already know this, but I figure it would be useful for everyone to present this easy way to manage battery charging and adding a level of security to your ebike infrastructure.
The only real requirement beside some basic IT knowledge is a working wlan.
Heart of the system are ESP8266-chip based relays, like ITead's sonoff series. Those start as low as $3.5 per unit for the basic ones, and allow you to remotely switch on/off any device connected to the sonoff, provided the sonoff is connected to your WLAN. The relay comes with a proprietary firmware that logs into cloud servers, which allow you to control the device from a smartphone app anywhere in the world for the price of allowing itead to collect all the data it wants.
Now where it gets interesting, is when you start flashing open source firmware onto the relays, like espurna. They do not collect private data and allow for advanced configuration. You can basically upload a complete server onto those tiny devices.
For an instance, you can flash the sonoff pow r2 with espurna, and monitor V, A and power consumption in real time to calculate the exact cost of your ebike "fuel". Or you can link the sonoff to the cron deamon of whatever software is monitoring you PV modules, and effectively charge your bike pack only from surplus power. (though it might take a while on cloudy winter days...)
The possibilities are immense, but the functionality you'll appreciate the most is a simple http switch to turn the sonoff on/off from any device connected to your lan (or from the internet, using either a VPN to your LAN - better option-, or some commercial cloud services). The sonoff than switches on any charger you have and loads the battery. No more running to the garage, or installing wired switches all over the basement. The timer is also very handy, should you whish to plan a charging early in the morning before you leave.
This way, you can leave your ebike batteries in an optimal state of charge (somewhere between 30 and 60%) most of the time, without worrying about full charge degradation. Another interesting setup I saw was in cold areas of the mountains, where someone install a resistive heater next to its ebike (parked in a non insulated garage). Using 2 sonoff, here would write a small script turning on the heater just 5min before the actual battery loader, and have it blow hot air to raise the temp of the battery to 10-15°C before loading an using it!
I hope this helps.
qwerkus
I think that many already know this, but I figure it would be useful for everyone to present this easy way to manage battery charging and adding a level of security to your ebike infrastructure.
The only real requirement beside some basic IT knowledge is a working wlan.
Heart of the system are ESP8266-chip based relays, like ITead's sonoff series. Those start as low as $3.5 per unit for the basic ones, and allow you to remotely switch on/off any device connected to the sonoff, provided the sonoff is connected to your WLAN. The relay comes with a proprietary firmware that logs into cloud servers, which allow you to control the device from a smartphone app anywhere in the world for the price of allowing itead to collect all the data it wants.
Now where it gets interesting, is when you start flashing open source firmware onto the relays, like espurna. They do not collect private data and allow for advanced configuration. You can basically upload a complete server onto those tiny devices.
For an instance, you can flash the sonoff pow r2 with espurna, and monitor V, A and power consumption in real time to calculate the exact cost of your ebike "fuel". Or you can link the sonoff to the cron deamon of whatever software is monitoring you PV modules, and effectively charge your bike pack only from surplus power. (though it might take a while on cloudy winter days...)
The possibilities are immense, but the functionality you'll appreciate the most is a simple http switch to turn the sonoff on/off from any device connected to your lan (or from the internet, using either a VPN to your LAN - better option-, or some commercial cloud services). The sonoff than switches on any charger you have and loads the battery. No more running to the garage, or installing wired switches all over the basement. The timer is also very handy, should you whish to plan a charging early in the morning before you leave.
This way, you can leave your ebike batteries in an optimal state of charge (somewhere between 30 and 60%) most of the time, without worrying about full charge degradation. Another interesting setup I saw was in cold areas of the mountains, where someone install a resistive heater next to its ebike (parked in a non insulated garage). Using 2 sonoff, here would write a small script turning on the heater just 5min before the actual battery loader, and have it blow hot air to raise the temp of the battery to 10-15°C before loading an using it!
I hope this helps.
qwerkus
