Catrike Light Assist Friction Drive (pics)

[desert_triker]

Parts List:
Turnigy Aerodrive SK3 6374 149Kv motor
3 Turnigy 5S 5Ah LiPo Batteries-5S3P 20v 15Ah pack
Hobbyking YEP 80Amp ESC SBEC Controller
Castle Creations 4 Capacitor Pack
40MM Computer Fan (ESC cooling)
80A Automotive Fuse (on pack)
Cycle Analyst V3 w/shunt
Thumb throttle (controlled by CA)
e-brake

Top Speed 18MPH 500 watts (No Pedaling)
Cruising Speed 9-10MPH 250 watts (No Pedaling)
Light Assist 9-10MPH 100 watts (Pedaling)
Total weight of all components onboard: 9 lbs.
Total cost of all components onboard: $600.00
Additional cost of 'learning kit': $220

Everything I know about e-bikes I learned on ES. Thanks to all and hat tips to spinningmagnets, Kepler, adrian_sm, hillhater, rearengine, fechter and Dogman.

I'm older, have no need for speed and I like to pedal. I just wanted to extend my range and know I can get back home without collapsing from exhaustion and ruining the rest of my day.

I've got 100 miles on the trike now. Things are pretty well sorted out. I'm still tweaking stuff, can't seem to get enough of the CA. I am very happy with the setup.

I burned up a couple Hobbyking dLux 100A controllers running on a servo tester throttle before I broke down and bought the Cycle Analyst. The CA, thumb throttle and 80A YEP helicopter ESC (with Active Freewheel) work very well together at the low speeds I travel at. There are no overheating issues.

I limit the current with CA to 25A (500 watts), it's all I need to drive the 55lb Catrike Villager and 210lb rider.

The 20v 15Ah battery pack is in the trunk bag and is easily removed for re-charge at my outdoor charging stand. The pack is boxed in 1/8" hardboard and has an 80A automotive breaker.

The CA shunt, ESC, CapPack, fan and connectors are housed in an aluminum box located behind the seat back. The fan operates at 6v from the ESC SBEC. It is silent.

This is an expensive little hobby, very addictive. And very much enjoyable.

Edit: Added Meanwell-Fecther Mini Limiter Bulk Charger pics

Edit: I finally ended up removing the RC Friction Drive from my trike. It was just too darn noisy to use on the bike paths. I'll try a small hub motor next.

 

[TourniquetRules]

I have a similar setup on a Razor e300 scooter that I have tried to use. I have a Castle Creations Edge HV80 ESC plus capacitors. I could never gear the Turnigy SK3 149KV down enough to make it rideable. Even on 3s lipo (11.1v) I couldn't control the speed. Does the Cycle Analyst control the current such that the RPMs are within a reasonable range? On the scooter I can't find a way to gear it down other than large sprocket on the rear wheel and small number of teeth on the motor itself (80:9). I tried to program the Edge ESC but no matter what I did, it was too much power. I will look at the Controller you used. Did you wire the throttle to the cycle analyst and then the cycle analyst to the throttle wire on the controller? I appreciate any advice you can give.

 

[waynebergman]

On my home built tadpole I ran a Mac 10 t on around 1600 - 1800 watts and it was really nice. Super quiet and plenty of pep. I put a 52 tooth front chain ring on it and just left it on the one big ring up front. 7 or 8 speeds on the rear for the pedal assist worked for me.