Opening an Electric Brompton front hub.

[UnclePuncher]

I bought a 'broken' Brompton front wheel. I don't know what's wrong with it but it was cheap. My hope is that the controller (inside the hub on Bromptons) is dead and I can bypass it (motor should work, albeit without hall sensors). Rest if the kit will be Chinese ebike stuff. All I need is the 3 wires to power the motor.

I've seen it done (see attached video).

My problem is I can't open the thing. The hub has a 12 hole circular pattern on the removable side of the hub. Can't find the tool. I suspect it's a bespoke Brompton tool that they (understandably) don't sell to the public.

Any tips? I've got a motorcycle pin wrench (very chunky) on it but it's not budging. I even drilled the holes out a bit so I could get the pins further in.

Here is the video. He doesn't talk much about how he opens it, but he does mention it's very hard to do so. Also I don't speak Romanian.

Also I've attached an image showing the 12 holes on the removable side of the hub. Only picture I could find online.

Has anyone done this or have any tips? Thanks.

 

[RunForTheHills]

The controller shouldn't be in the motor though. It is on the side of the luggage block. I have an Electric Brompton, but I am not home where I can check directly myself.

 

[UnclePuncher]

The controller shouldn't be in the motor though. It is on the side of the luggage block. I have an Electric Brompton, but I am not home where I can check directly myself.

Oh right. I'd just read that it does and the guy in the video says so (he speaks some English).

I had considered that the three phase motor wires would be available at the existing cable on the wheel but that doesn't seem to be the case. You can see in the video that the guy has stripped them and (presumably) tried connecting them to a generic controller.

Either way I believe there is something that needs to be bypassed in order to connect to a generic controller.

 

[UnclePuncher]

Just found someone on here who also says the controller is in the hub.

Original Brompton electric 2021 hack with trottle

This is an original Bronton electric from 2021. How could I tweak an accelerator or an on/off button without pedaling? here are my findings: crankset with torque sensor equipped with 16 magnets. Five wires connector : 1 white (10v+) 2 black (Gnd) 3 blue (PAS sinus) 0v-4v 4 brown (PAS cosinus)...

endless-sphere.com

If it isn't then it'd be great news for me as I potentially won't have to open it up. But I would need to figure out what the existing wires are and what the do.

 

[UnclePuncher]

I should point out that I've no first hand experience of electric Bromptons beyond this wheel so I more than likely may be wrong.

 

[RunForTheHills]

I am not sure then. I have an original Brompton Electric, but it appears they have released a couple of different models since then. This video also mentions the controller being external to the motor. But maybe what Brompton is calling a controller isn't actually the motor controller.