BionX

[Vic W]

Hi all; I'm new here & new to the E-bike world & looking to soak up some info. I just bought a Rans V Rex with a Bionx 36v assist. I'm still getting the hang of switching from my mountain bike to the recumbent but the main thing I want to know is what my options are on the Bionx system. The system does work & I am impressed by the power it produces but I am confused about the controller display In between the charging mode & assist mode there is a bicycle icon which I thought was a peddle only mode but if I press the throttle in that mode I get power to the hub motor. Is this normal? Also the batteries are done & only last minutes before being drained. This is where I want to know my options. I understand most of the Bionx stuff is proprietary & they are out of business, so if I replace the battery pack with a generic one do I have to replace the controller, throttle & wiring harness to the hub motor? Or should I DIY replace all the power cells in the battery pack with new ones & go with what I have? When the battery pack is off the bike I tried to check the voltage of the battery pack by putting the test leads in the 2 large outlets & got 0 reading so I assume that the battery pack has to be connected to the controller via 1 or more of the 5 smaller pins to allow the current to flow through the 2 large pin outlets? also if I go with a new generic battery pack, controller & wiring do I have to stay with the 36v system or can I go to a 48v system & still stay with the Bionx hub motor? If I stay with the Bionx system as is except with new batteries what kind of range could I expect to get out of a full charge on level ground without peddling? Thanks in advance to all who can enlighten me on this. Regardes.....Vic.

 

[miro13car]

what I would do in your place.
- disconnect string of cells from main terminal, wait an hour or two, charge to full.
- connect back , check if Bionx powers up normally, if so it can be rebuild with new cells.
I would stay with 36V nominal
trying to switch to 48V nominal would create problems, new charger?
I would check rating of all electrolytic capacitors before even thinking about voltage increase.
word of warning;
isolate your tools with electrical tape except very tips to reduce the chance for short.
after disconnecting one terminal ISOLATE it immediately with el tape.
I own BIONX 350 - wonderful exercise machine.