New E-bike Rider questions after initial 7 mile ride...

[athflying]

Took bike for test ride today. First 10 minutes I could sustain 26-27 mph on flat terrain. Pedaling along didn't really up top speed but power used went down slightly. My concerns and observations

1. Any best practice with break in??

2. With Q100h and this battery/controller http://www.bmsbattery.com/battery-pack/681-bottle-ebike-battery.html what kind of range should I expect near WOT on mostly flat terrain??? Is there a way to calculate range/efficiency to get max efficiency??

3. On flat terrain, is it ok to sustain WOT?? My LCD3 read between 575-750 watts maintaining 25ish mph. I checked and the motor was warm to the touch, not hot. Controller was barely warm.

4. How to measure battery charge left with LCD3?? Battery was charged yesterday and this was first ride. Within 5-10 minutes went down 1/4 on the display and about another 15 minutes down to 1 bar. I continued riding and never quit on me, but concnerned it seemed to drop that much so quickly. I don't know if the LCD3 needs to calibrate itself to get an accurate reading or what. Ride was about 15 miles total under 3/4 - WOT most the trip.

 

[chvidgov.bc.ca]

You were pedalling most the way? How hard? How big is your battery?

 

[athflying]

You were pedalling most the way? How hard? How big is your battery?

I was pedaling, but hard to quantify how hard I was pedaling. Battery is 48V10AH per BMS:
1. Normal voltage: 48V.
2. Continuous discharge current: 20A
3. Charge current: 3A.
4. 4P13S Li-ion 2.5Ah 18650 cells.

The "P5" setting is how it appears you adjust the battery meter. I left mine at the default "15" but I don't know that is correct. I read Mototech's thread and the user manual and still not really clear what this should be.

 

[athflying]

Somehow I forgot all about the ebikes.ca simulator. I plugged in roughly the equivalent of my bike and I think the numbers correlate fairly closely. If I am at about 75% throttle I can get about 17 miles at 22-23 mph, without pedaling.

Sound about right?? Now just need to figure out how to program the LCD3 to show the correct amount of battery left.

Is there a cruise setting based off power output??? I know I can set by speed, but depending on the grade, the power to maintain that speed can vary drastically. I plan on pedaling quite a bit, so curious if there is a way set motor to a certain output and let the speed vary. I do think I remember a way to limit power via the LCD3, but I don't want it to be permanent setting but rather set on the fly.

 

[chvidgov.bc.ca]

I think this sounds reasonable...if you were doing 25mph most of the way with low/moderate pedalling, and WOT bursts. I guess I'm just used to 20% throttle, and 200 watts on the flats, once I get up to speed.
It sounds like a bit more pedalling and slightly less speed could help a lot. That's a fairly small battery. I'm usually good for 11 or 12 miles on 3AmpHrs (a third of my pack) in moderately hilly terrain, with lots of pedalling. Back of envelope though.

 

[bionx 1954]

Hi There was a ES member that had the same problem his display showed low battery power but the pack was not low at all. This seems to be a common problem with these lcd displays. One solution is to get a Cycle Analyst, or a voltage meter, I have got some small voltage meters ( 0-100V) of ebay for a few bucks each, or you could use a DVM to monitor the voltage

 

[motomech]

The P setting is "damping factor". The display should "read" the correct battery Voltage, but it would not with my Lipo Voltages. I used the Volts reading instead.
The LVC is important to lessen battery angst. There is a C setting to fine-tune.
There is a lot of info on this if you do a search.
I get between 1 1\2 to 2 miles per Ah., depending on speed mostly.
"Torque limiting"(as opposed to the speed limiting)works in PAS only.

 

[d8veh]

For full throttle, peak efficiency comes at about 75% of maximum rpm. You only get problems of overheating if you let the speed drop below about 2/3 the maximum. You'll probably be OK down to about 15 mph, but on a windy day, when your speed is reduced, you need to be careful. The faster you go, the less current you use, so the better it is for the motor. Speed is not a problem. Slow is!

 

[athflying]

Did my first real commute today. It's about 8.5 miles one way. I limited my speed to about 23-25 mph and real time wattage readout was between 250-450 on a level surface. The battery meter was down about halfway upon arriving which I think seems somewhat accurate. What's the best way to check what the battery meter states vs actual capacity left???

Leaving shortly to make the trek back home. Very happy so far as it probably cut the time in half to get here and was a lot of fun passing cars through traffic..haha.

The P setting is "damping factor". The display should "read" the correct battery Voltage, but it would not with my Lipo Voltages. I used the Volts reading instead.
The LVC is important to lessen battery angst. There is a C setting to fine-tune.
There is a lot of info on this if you do a search.
I get between 1 1\2 to 2 miles per Ah., depending on speed mostly.
"Torque limiting"(as opposed to the speed limiting)works in PAS only.

It appears to read my battery voltage and current volts correctly, but I haven't verified with a voltmeter. The readings make sense though.

What do you mean you used the "Volts reading" instead?? Are you referring to the realtime voltage readout I believe is in the 3rd menu option?? I am confused cause you say it wouldn't read the voltage, so you used volts instead. Do you mean it was not recognizing it to be 48V vs 36V???

I am not sure what my pack started at fresh off the charger, will look tomorrow....but after about 17 miles total it was reading 46.5V when I parked in the garage.

 

[d8veh]

If you want a fuel gauge for your battery, you need a wattmeter, which will show amp-hours used. You'll see how many Ah have been used. You know how many in your battery, so it's an easy calculation how many is left. They're normally accurate enough. This is my favourite:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Free-Ship-GT-Power-LCD-RC-130A-Battery-Watt-Meter-Power-Analyzer-Ver-2-0-/230933611688?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item35c4b744a8

I wrote a bit about how to modify it and other wattmeters here:

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/the-best-value-wattmeter.16869/

 

[athflying]

I may consider it. Does it show real time consumption?

I would like to find the ideal average throttle setting to get me to work and back the fastest. Today I pushed a little to hard to work (25 mph) and had to cut way back on the ride home (18-20 mph).... 10 ft from my driveway, the LCD3 started to cut the motor when voltage dipped below 41V.

I may get a 2nd charger for work. Any good stateside sources?

 

[d8veh]

Wattmeters, show real-time current, watts and volts.

Coming back to one of your previous questions. I can't remember wich parameter (see the manual), but you can change to torque simulation mode, which is current control. This fixes the current for each level of PAS and lets the speed vary, which is what you wanted. It doesn't limit current on the throttle. PAS is the same as cruise control if you pedal all the time. The normal cruise control is still based on speed in torque simulation mode AFAIK.

 

[athflying]

Wattmeters, show real-time current, watts and volts.

Coming back to one of your previous questions. I can't remember wich parameter (see the manual), but you can change to torque simulation mode, which is current control. This fixes the current for each level of PAS and lets the speed vary, which is what you wanted. It doesn't limit current on the throttle. PAS is the same as cruise control if you pedal all the time. The normal cruise control is still based on speed in torque simulation mode AFAIK.

Yeah, I remember reading that. I don't have a PAS installed, but will by end of the weekend. I will play around with it once it's on.

Ideally, I could have a couple "Cruise" presets...mainly one that gets me to work and back on one charge. I have found in the few rides I have made that 22-24 ish mph does the trick but it's cutting it close battery wise.

I think I will end up getting a 2nd charger, just need to find one. Wish I ordered it originally, from BMS Battery it is $25 but $48 to ship.

 

[BikeFanatic]

I think you aer right to get a second chrger for work so you can mae it home without depleating the battery evefy time. Don't pay 50$ shipping for a charger that's crazy! If you ask in items wanted maybe someone has an appropriate charger they dont need. I have an old ping charger but the volts are too high ( 60 volts or 16 series Lifepo4).
Glad you are having fun on the bike!

PS I know batteryspace . com sells chargers you may have to change out the connectors.

 

[athflying]

I posted in the wanted section. I checked out the site you mentioned but it was about $90 so really no benefit vs ordering charger from China. I will keep an eye on Ebay and the forums. For now may drag my one and only charger back and forth. Then I can keep a higher speed on the way to work and not have to worry about not making it home.

 

[presturtle]

Do you have an update for 2015? I am really considering buying the same set up as you did, but I'm debating whether to spend the extra $100 for the panasonic bottle battery. The extra ~2.6 miles range doesn't seem worth it, and unless there is a huge difference in something i'm not thinking about it seems like a better deal for the 10Ah one. The only thing I can think of is a lower cycle count.

 

[999zip999]

A battery from good named cells from Japan, it's a no brainer. Or should I get a Chinese no name cell ?
AA batteries from the dollar store or Duracell ?

 

[d8veh]

Do you have an update for 2015? I am really considering buying the same set up as you did, but I'm debating whether to spend the extra $100 for the panasonic bottle battery. The extra ~2.6 miles range doesn't seem worth it, and unless there is a huge difference in something i'm not thinking about it seems like a better deal for the 10Ah one. The only thing I can think of is a lower cycle count.

It's definitely worth getting the Panasonic cells. It'll make a lot more difference than 2.6 miles. I have the 10ah non-branded one and the 11.6ah Panasonic one. My display loses the first segment at 50v. With the Panasonic, I can do about 20 miles before it goes, but on the other, it's maybe 5 miles. I haven't tested what the total wh is from each, but I know that there's a big difference in range between the two.

 

[arty dave]

Hi Athflying and all,

Just wondering which version of the q100h you have with this set-up? ie. 36v/48v, 201/260/328 rpm
I was sorely tempted to get a 500w bpm2, but with Australias legal restrictions (and a 1st build) I think I'll stick within the limits.
I don't really want or need anything beyond 25mph anyway...

Is your set-up still motoring along happily?

And thanks to those who clarified the difference between the 10ah and 11.6ah batteries, I had been wondering :?

 

[athflying]

Sorry guys, I am not extremely active on this board. I have a 6 month baby and OT at work, so barely enough time to eat and sleep. I thought I had notifications on to let me know someone posted in my thread, but apparently not.

I have been very happy with my setup, except I am here for help as I had an issue today (will post in seperate section). This is a cut and paste of exactly what I ordered from BMS Battery.


Q100H 36V350W Front E-Bike Motor Wheel 260 - Customized - Wheel(rim) size: 700c $100.18 1 $100.18
A Pair of EBike Torque Arm M12 $15.00 1 $15.00
Spoke Wrench $1.00 1 $1.00
HWBS - Hidden Wire Brake Sensor 1pcs $5.90 1 $5.90
48V10Ah Bottle-09 E-Bike Battery Pack Black $281.00 1 $281.00
Left Handed Half Twist Throttle

I ride 8 miles each way to work on mostly flat terrain. I do pedal, but not enough where I really feel like I am working hard. If I cruise at 18 mph I can make it both ways without charging. I decided to just carry my charger with me and normally cruise at 22-24 mph and I make it one way with ease, but would definitely not make it home. Overall, it's a lot of fun and works great for what I use it for.

This is my first and only setup, so I can't compare between batteries, but I got a lot of great advice on here when I put together my setup.

 

[athflying]

I don't think I have.

So I hear. Will enjoy it while I can.

 

[arty dave]

Thanks and no problem with the timing of your reply We all have busy lives.

It sounds like a great combo and one that I feel confident to put together myself. I'm good with mechanics but not so great with my understanding of electronics, even after months and months of reading different threads on this forum.

The only other question I have is did you set it up with PAS or throttle only? I would love to have a combo of both but legally I have to have PAS.

And an open question to anyone reading, I also want to get a 2nd charger but I'm confused with the different options on the BMSBattery website. Which one would I get to go with one of the 48volt '09' batteries? Oh and with the PAS sensors, I'm guessing it's better to get more poles than less?

 

[athflying]

I did mount the PAS and I actually like it way better than the throttle. The throttle is nice to have, but the PAS is just more natural to me.

If you are considering a 2nd charger, I would definitely order now as the shipping is pretty steep to order it separately. I wish I had a second one for work instead of traveling with it and taking the chance I am going to kill it early.

I think it all depends on the riding you do, but for me this is a great setup and was relatively inexpensive compared to what you can spend. I am having hopefully just a minor issue that I can sort out this weekend. Good luck with whatever you decide.