CYC PHOTON

[raylo32]

And not just slow, but you'll get different answers from the same support contact on different days. They forget what they already told you, in spite of having an e-mail thread. There is no phone line to call where simple issues could be resolved in 2 minutes but instead have to wait for several days to exchange a few e-mails. and then get forgotten and more confused... etc.

I won't go into all the details but my Photon originally came with a defective SW02. That took a couple of months to get them and CYC to understand. Then they e-mailed me that the quickest way to get a good one was to order it and the charge would be reversed when they got my RMA piece. So, that's what I did. What did they do? Why when my RMA broken part got there they sent me ANOTHER one instead of issuing the refund. I got the notification of the shipment of this second replacement SW102 from the SAME support tech who told me to order the new one first and they would send a refund later. Silly me.

@raylo32 Yeah, you were right about electrifybike support being slow. After I stupidly destroyed my axle, I contacted them about buying a new 68mm spindle. During the wait, I ordered a new one from johnnynerdout. My johnnynerdout order has shipped with an expected delivery this saturday, and I've yet to hear back from electrifybike.

 

[nervagon]

And not just slow, but you'll get different answers from the same support contact on different days. They forget what they already told you, in spite of having an e-mail thread. There is no phone line to call where simple issues could be resolved in 2 minutes but instead have to wait for several days to exchange a few e-mails. and then get forgotten and more confused... etc.

I won't go into all the details but my Photon originally came with a defective SW02. That took a couple of months to get them and CYC to understand. Then they e-mailed me that the quickest way to get a good one was to order it and the charge would be reversed when they got my RMA piece. So, that's what I did. What did they do? Why when my RMA broken part got there they sent me ANOTHER one instead of issuing the refund. I got the notification of the shipment of this second replacement SW102 from the SAME support tech who told me to order the new one first and they would send a refund later. Silly me.

YIKES!

 

[nervagon]

electrifybike bike 2 days later:

I'll send you an invoice for the spindle. Clever solution you had there for crank pulling until it failed.

They literally laughed at my misfortune, complete with ROFLMAO emoji!

Yeah, I won't be dealing with them again if I can avoid it. I'm not mad, just disappointed. I need my sweet Atak for comfort right now.

 

[raylo32]

Atak will send you a tube of this:

Boudreaux's Butt Paste Original Diaper Rash Cream, Ointment for Baby, 2 oz Tube - Walmart.com

electrifybike bike 2 days later:



They literally laughed at my misfortune, complete with ROFLMAO emoji!

Yeah, I won't be dealing with them again if I can avoid it. I'm not mad, just disappointed. I need my sweet Atak for comfort right now.

 

[nervagon]

Atak will send you a tube of this:

Boudreaux's Butt Paste Original Diaper Rash Cream, Ointment for Baby, 2 oz Tube - Walmart.com

The brand slogan is “Let’s kick some rash!” I’m sold if it can also be used as a general purpose bike lube.

 

[raylo32]

Not sure about lube, but it might be a decent anti-seize compound.

The brand slogan is “Let’s kick some rash!” I’m sold if it can also be used as a general purpose bike lube.

 

[hindesite]

I did manage to get the crank off with steel washers instead. But, yep, axle is destroyed.

While you have the shaft out, can you measure the outer diameter of the plastic bearing shield? I'm expecting it to be either 36.5mm or 39.7mm. I suspect that early motors were shipped with an incorrect shield and wondered if CYC had corrected this for later shipments. CYC would either have had to change the shield or modify the housing to make things work correctly.

Thanks!

 

[nervagon]

While you have the shaft out, can you measure the outer diameter of the plastic bearing shield? I'm expecting it to be either 36.5mm or 39.7mm. I suspect that early motors were shipped with an incorrect shield and wondered if CYC had corrected this for later shipments. CYC would either have had to change the shield or modify the housing to make things work correctly.

Thanks!

I'd be happy to take a measurement for you, but I'm not sure which part you mean. Do you have a photo?

 

[hindesite]

I'd be happy to take a measurement for you, but I'm not sure which part you mean. Do you have a photo?

Its the shield that covers the outer face of the left BB shaft bearing. The split ring that screws on the shaft and is then clamped in place with a hex socket head screw sits immediately against it.

 

[nervagon]

This? What measurement are you after?

And speaking of bearings. My non-drive side bearing popped right out of its cup when I slid the new axle through. I’ve never seen that happen.


I pressed it back in with a bearing press, but I think I probably should have used retaining compound. Hmmm.

 

[nervagon]

@hindesite

 

[hindesite]

View attachment 351451

This? What measurement are you after?

And speaking of bearings. My non-drive side bearing popped right out of its cup when I slid the new axle through. I’ve never seen that happen.
View attachment 351452

I pressed it back in with a bearing press, but I think I probably should have used retaining compound. Hmmm.

Mine was really tight, didn't move even when I was pressing the shield out.

 

[hindesite]

@hindesite

View attachment 351461

That's it, it has a raised edge on the back that grinds away at the bearing cup and makes the bearing feel nasty. It has worn the face of the cup so much that there is a groove caused by the shield - the finish is supposed to be the same across the entire face of the bearing cup.

I had hoped CYC had addressed this. They could either set the bearing to the correct height, or use a smaller shield. These should be a standard OTS item, lots of BBs use the same shields.

 

[nervagon]

My bearing cap looks to be seated fully inside the bearing cup.

 

[nervagon]

Mine was really tight, didn't move even when I was pressing the shield out.

Concerning!

Well hopefully mine just wasn’t pressed in fully/correctly, and that my bearing press got it sorted.

 

[nervagon]

And just to show that I wasn’t exaggerating when I said I destroyed my axle:

 

[hindesite]

View attachment 351468

My bearing cap looks to be seated fully inside the bearing cup.

Well, looks like they fixed it. I know I'm not the only one with the original detail. it causes all kinds of issues, including making it more difficult to set the right preload, wearing the shaft and shield bushing, and destroying the bearings.

Thanks for update, that is really useful information.

 

[hindesite]

View attachment 351468

My bearing cap looks to be seated fully inside the bearing cup.

As a matter of interest, is your left bearing cup the same as the one Rikus describes in his recent video (a few posts back?). CYC added an O ring inboard of the threaded portion of the bearing cup to improve watertightness. The O ring seals between the bearing cup shaft and the corresponding inside surface of the motor.

 

[nervagon]

As a matter of interest, is your left bearing cup the same as the one Rikus describes in his recent video (a few posts back?). CYC added an O ring inboard of the threaded portion of the bearing cup to improve watertightness. The O ring seals between the bearing cup shaft and the corresponding inside surface of the motor.

I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking for an O-ring when I installed it. I didn’t notice one, but I also wasn’t looking for it.

 

[hindesite]

I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking for an O-ring when I installed it. I didn’t notice one, but I also wasn’t looking for it.

It might take a while for that mod to travel down the supply chain, I guess buying direct from CYC gets you the latest version.

 

[Epithemeus]

So one of the advantages of a warranty repair is I got to keep the original motor core. I decided to take it apart to see what's inside. I don't know much about motor construction to gain much insights but I've included pics. 14 magnets measuring 1cm*4.2cm and are 2mm thick. The laminations are too thin for me to measure accurately. Couldn't get to the hall sensors at all. Not the greatest pics, if anyone has a request for a specific part they want to see, let me know.
Edit: It wasn't too difficult to get the rotor off. There's a snap ring on the axle, then I just used a hammer and a dowel to bonk the axle out. Then just pulled the rotor off by hand. Going further than that would be a lot harder.

 

[hindesite]

The laminations are too thin for me to measure accurately.

Count 10 or 20 or more and measure that, then divide- most accurate way of doing it anyway. What is the outer diameter of the core?

 

[Epithemeus]

Count 10 or 20 or more and measure that, then divide- most accurate way of doing it anyway. What is the outer diameter of the core?

.35mm laminations (10 were 3.5mm, my eyes did not enjoy counting them, am I getting old? ) Stator core measured 5.23cm and the inside diameter of the rotor was 5.34cm.

 

[hindesite]

.35mm laminations (10 were 3.5mm, my eyes did not enjoy counting them, am I getting old? ) Stator core measured 5.23cm and the inside diameter of the rotor was 5.34cm.

I'm almost certainly older - I often just put a ruler next to what I want to measure then take a photo with my phone then zoom in

 

[kuromaku]

Thanks folks, for the great discussion on this setup... bit the bullet a couple of weeks ago and it just arrived today, slapped it into a Canyon Grail (aluminum) donor bike. Only thing I had forgotten was that this frame has a BB86 shell, so had to turn a couple of bushings to reduce the diameter down to suit BSA. Not having used a mid-drive since the BBS01 days, have to agree with others that the torque sensing algorithm is very well-tuned indeed.