I guess I officially became an e-biker today

[PhredDaKat]

Big day... I finished rebuilding the 36 volt battery pack on the '08 Bionx PL350 that I got back in March. Works great! Today was the first time I rode an e-bike. Today was the first time I repaired a flat tire on an e-bike. And the day would not have been complete were it not for having my first "wreck" on an e-bike. Yup, a big day.
I gotta give a shout out to every member here on ES, without all the threads that I lurked through for months before finally singing up a month ago I would have never had the information and know how to take on the battery rebuild. It was a fantastic learning opportunity and I've enjoyed all the conversations detailing the ins and outs of e-bikes. The adventure has begun. I'm fully hooked and already starting to plan a build. I have a set of very powerful wheelchair motors that are nearly new and just begging to power a cargo trike.

 

[amberwolf]

I have a set of very powerful wheelchair motors that are nearly new and just begging to power a cargo trike.

Are they the brushless type similar to this, with the whole hub on it:
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=32838
or like this brushless type
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=36556
or are they the brushed ones with the big gearboxes and axles for the wheels on them? Or something else?

I've kept an eye out for a second one like the one in the first linked thread for a long while now, to use for another version of the SB Cruiser cargo trike
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=67833
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=84161

I've used a couple versions of the brushed ones on the oldest version of CrazyBike2:
https://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12500
and they can have mad torque when used as a middrive thru the bike gears, but any misalignment of things can easily destroy the whole drivetrain in an instant.

 

[PhredDaKat]

The motors I have are brushed and yeah, big heavy gearbox with a 5 lug wheel adapter. I was thinking that I would have to adapt the hub to some chain or belt drive to get the speed up. The date of manufacture is Jan 21 and I know the chair sat for at least a year. It was left behind abandoned when he left his apt. but by then he had a newer chair and didn't care. I'm getting a lot out of it... The batteries powered the spot welder I used on the battery rebuild and I made a awesome maintenance stand for my Dahon Mu Bionx getting the rear wheel off the ground for testing. I have two trikes lined up as potential build platform, one should come through!

 

[PhredDaKat]

The work stand I made from an old wheelchair frame...

 

[PhredDaKat]

I have a set of very powerful wheelchair motors that are nearly new and just begging to power a cargo trike.

Are they the brushless type similar to this, with the whole hub on it:
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=32838
or like this brushless type
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=36556
or are they the brushed ones with the big gearboxes and axles for the wheels on them? Or something else?

I've kept an eye out for a second one like the one in the first linked thread for a long while now, to use for another version of the SB Cruiser cargo trike
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=67833
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=84161

I've used a couple versions of the brushed ones on the oldest version of CrazyBike2:
https://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12500
and they can have mad torque when used as a middrive thru the bike gears, but any misalignment of things can easily destroy the whole drivetrain in an instant.

Thanks for the heads up on the brushed motor torque. I am expecting them to be pretty high torque, I guess I will really need to pay attention to detail. Sad because I usually can't afford to pay anything lol

 

[amberwolf]

Thanks for the heads up on the brushed motor torque. I am expecting them to be pretty high torque, I guess I will really need to pay attention to detail. Sad because I usually can't afford to pay anything lol

Neither could I, when I started building CB2 with those motors. Pretty much everything on it was someone else's discarded junk.

Eventually I went to hubmotors because I didn't have the ability then to design and build a frame that would not twist or deform under the torque of the motors, and cause the misalignments that then would destroy drivetrain parts.

But now, I'm pretty sure I can do it, and will likely end up using a single-ratio chain drive from whatever motors I use to the wheels, for several reasons:

keeps the wheels "standard" so they're easier to take off/on for problem fixing.

makes the wheels lighter, so any suspension I use (if any) works better

makes the wheels stronger, longer spokes to hub and better angles, etc

gear ratio can be setup for best torque vs speed compromise for a given wheel/tire vs motor/controller/battery, and can be changed out as needed whenever any of those things has to change for any reason, to keep the system working optimally.

I might use a simple, relatively-strong 3-speed IGH between the motor and wheel (probably not in the actual wheel for various reasons), to have a gear for better torque when heavily loaded, while still being able to reach the same 20mph top speed.

The motors I have are brushed and yeah, big heavy gearbox with a 5 lug wheel adapter. I was thinking that I would have to adapt the hub to some chain or belt drive to get the speed up. The date of manufacture is Jan 21 and I know the chair sat for at least a year. It was left behind abandoned when he left his apt. but by then he had a newer chair and didn't care. I'm getting a lot out of it... The batteries powered the spot welder I used on the battery rebuild and I made a awesome maintenance stand for my Dahon Mu Bionx getting the rear wheel off the ground for testing. I have two trikes lined up as potential build platform, one should come through!

There should be some good pics of how I did my CrazyBike2 drivetrain early on in that linked thread before I changed to hubmotors (around 2010 or 2011?), or on the old http://electricle.blogspot.com site I started with back then. They may help you come up with a workable way to use yours. If not, you can post pics of what you've got, what you want to put them on, and describe exactly what you want the system to do, and we can help figure out how to do it with those parts, and what else you will need.

 

[gobi]

congrats and very nice build!

 

[E-HP]

Looks factory, like the motor belong there. :thumb: Most DIY folders I see have a front motor, which looks more out of place.

 

[999zip999]

It not official till you get the tattoo. We all have one. Most of Us put it so all can see just above your rear belt on your lower back so all teh other bikers can see when you pass. Make it official.

 

[ZeroEm]

PhredDaKat all you need is the Grin! EBike Grin.

 

[neptronix]

Congratulations :thumb:

 

[nicobie]

Good for you!

Let the fun begin.