Voicecoil's red, fully rigid commuter

[voicecoils]

... The point being you determine how much effort you put into the activity so even if you have a big honkin' motor on your bike you can still choose to input a power level which would put you at your red zone...or barely raise your pulse.

Your post is very much appropriate. I have 4 different bikes on the road at the moment. My heart rate monitor's upper limit audible warning beeps frequently on all the bikes when I'm on them. Much depends on how hard you ride.

 

[Reid Welch]

different strokes of build time, design, etc, for different folks.

my shift key is broken. i have been very slow to assemble my super simple ezee coaster brake bike conversion.

why....because i think and wait and wait to think and so come up short in the build speed dept.

instead i think 95 percent of the time, do nothing another 98 percent of the time.

yet, when a project is finished to rideable perfection, all the time lost, was lost in dreaming.

in the meanwhile i ride my singlespeed manually. people ask questions anyway.

a man the other day said 'nice bike, what is it'. i explained. he's a working dad with a labrador and a two year old.

'gee, if i got the bug to have something like that, could you help me build it'.

yes. advice and presence would be free. results.....would be at a speed he'd choose.

i'm slow. slow is good. gives you time to think while pedaling.


sick keyboard, not so well writer.

r.

ps...never flag or furl.

 

[voicecoils]

yes, people spend different amounts of time on projects.


UPDATE:

2 Problems:

1) My plug in CA has died. Backlight comes on with battery power but either the screen stays blank or gives me garbage. Problem appeared after the bike exhibited a 'pulsing sensation' like the CA & x'lyte 72v40A analogue controller's current limiting was not operating correctly.

2) My Bafang PMGR key is GONE! I opened my bafang recently to check on the metal gears, they were fine so I re-assembled. Tried the motor out today and it freewheeled in both directions, WTF I thought. Opened it up and it turns out the key that sits in the axle keyway and in the freewheel keyway (holding them together) is missing. Gone. I've scoured the floor, gone through my vacume cleaner bag :x nothing. It could have fallen out, been slung out somewhere, who knows. I'll continue to look for it but the hubmotor is unusable without it. :|

Anyone know the key specs for a front Bafang PMGR with 28tooth planetary gears?

 

[Reid Welch]

make your own key from soft steel keystock and a file and time.

there was an era when all machine parts other than lathe work, were hand fitted by file, chisel, saw.
all you need is a file and vise and hacksaw to length. fit it as precisely as possible.
tap fit. today we have locktite. then, they had piss and patience. i am talking 1848 stuff.
why, you don't even have to cut a key seat. the mechanic did that by hand, by feel, in soft steel, with a hard chisel.
hours don't count. skill and make-do, do.

 

[HAL9000v2.0]

Chek the magnets on motor. Once I looked for a screw that fell out of motor for an hour then I found it on the magnets.

 

[pwbset]

My plug in CA has died. Backlight comes on with battery power but either the screen stays blank or gives me garbage.

Oh man, that looks familiar. I would get that garbled crap all the time and then a complete fade away. What voltage are you running again??

My symtpoms:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5959

What fixed it for me:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6823

Been fine since... good luck.

 

[voicecoils]

Oh man, that looks familiar. I would get that garbled crap all the time and then a complete fade away. What voltage are you running again??
My symtpoms:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5959
What fixed it for me:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6823
Been fine since... good luck.

Thanks. I think your experience is similar to mine, hopefully the solution will be too. After more testing, my CA will struggle to life at 36v (fading in and out), barely start up at 48v, and wont do it at all at 72v. I made 3 respective youtube videos. direct plug in CA on top, stand alone CA on the bottom. I'll be contacting Justin when it's Monday in Vancouver. I'm sure a solution can be found or sorted out.

I love the CA, make no mistake!!!

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=SgKhacOcc9E&fmt=18
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=_SCFcKFhOw0&fmt=18
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=34iv1QoYiAs&fmt=18

(note: I have not embeded the youtube videos because these are direct links to the higher quality versions. They're not the most clear so I wouldn't even bother with the normal quality versions)

 

[voicecoils]

Hal and Reid,

Thanks for the suggestions. I will try to locate the darn key. If not I may try to make one myself as suggested.

I don't mind spending time with a file, but I would want to used a hardened key stock material and that's not easy to find.

 

[HAL9000v2.0]

"Up here" you can find standard key in any bearing shop for a few cents. Don't know how is down there...

 

[voicecoils]

"Up here" you can find standard key in any bearing shop for a few cents. Don't know how is down there...

Thanks. Engineering shops here don't want to talk to guys off the street. They want large and easily repeatable jobs.

If I could find a engineering shop that had the key stock already in the correct size, they would likely charge a AU$100 set-up fee to use a machine to cut an appropriate length off it.

I'll keep at it. Keywin will be asking Bafang for me if they can source one.

 

[TPA]

Does Keywin have a website?

 

[Mark_A_W]

No, a bearing shop, not an engineering shop.

Try CBC bearings, ask for keystock - best is to just show up and see what they got.



How on earth did the key fall out? It would be pressed in....

 

[Drunkskunk]

Drill bits are hardened steel, and cheap. easy enough to grind one down to the shape you need. An afternoon with a few beers an an angle grinder should have you a new shaft Key. Worked for lawn mower I repaired for a friend once.

I bet you'll step on the original key the moment you finish making the new key, too!


I wouldn't sweat not being finished. You started Months after me, and I'm still not done with my latest build. I'm in no hurry either.

 

[voicecoils]

Does Keywin have a website?

no idea actually. He's eBay member 'ecrazyman' on eBay. And the same membername at gmail D0T com as well. He as a store on eBay.

 

[voicecoils]

No, a bearing shop, not an engineering shop.
Try CBC bearings, ask for keystock - best is to just show up and see what they got.

How on earth did the key fall out? It would be pressed in....

Cool, thanks Mark. If keywin has access to them for a few $$ then that's probably the simplest route and I'll get multiple just in case1!

The key was always completely loose. So much for tolerances
It sits proud in the keyed part of the axle (loosely). Then the exposed bit slots into the keyed section of the freewheeling mechanism. You'll likely find that yours is the same, but it may not be. Heck, when you opened up your motor while I was at your place your key may have fallen out!

It was surrounded by grease from the gears, and when I wiped the excess grease away to check the gears I may have dislodged it. I may have even thrown it out with the excess grease!!!

 

[voicecoils]

Drill bits are hardened steel, and cheap. easy enough to grind one down to the shape you need. An afternoon with a few beers an an angle grinder should have you a new shaft Key. Worked for lawn mower I repaired for a friend once.

very good idea. I'll give that a shot if I run out of ready made options.

I bet you'll step on the original key the moment you finish making the new key, too!

yeah, that's the way it usually goes :wink:

I wouldn't sweat not being finished. You started Months after me, and I'm still not done with my latest build. I'm in no hurry either.

Cheers, it will happen. Some things take time

 

[voicecoils]

Thanks. I think your experience is similar to mine, hopefully the solution will be too. After more testing, my CA will struggle to life at 36v (fading in and out), barely start up at 48v, and wont do it at all at 72v. I made 3 respective youtube videos. direct plug in CA on top, stand alone CA on the bottom. I'll be contacting Justin when it's Monday in Vancouver. I'm sure a solution can be found or sorted out.

I love the CA, make no mistake!!!

Ok, as per Justin's instructions I soldered a 1/4 watt 490 Ohm resistor to R9 on the LCD PCB. In otherwords, it's soldered in parallel to the existing R9 SMD resistor.

The CA now works FINE at 80V !!! Woohoo, one fix down. Now I just need to get my key happening and build a damn battery box.

 

[voicecoils]

Not the best soldering job but these photos show what I've done. The important thing is that it works, and is glued solidly in place.

This should not necessary with newer plug in CA as the design has been changed to be more flexible with higher voltages.

You'll want to click on the last photo to see it full size.

Any questions?

 

[voicecoils]

second problem fixed. I made a key from stainless steel plate. Fits more tightly then the original!

Tools used: bike work stand, adjustable pipe wrench, hack saw, dremel, and cutting oil.

for anyone interested the key is 5mm x 5mm x 12mm long. The last mm is a half moon shape.

This fix is dedicated to Methods and his ghetto ebike construction in the kitchen ways.

Oh, and for anyone freezing their ass off elsewhere in the world, it was more then 90 degrees F here today and more then 110 degrees F in otherparts of Australia.

 

[Mark_A_W]

Well done Abraham.


And yeah, it was 47.5 deg C at my place here in Melbourne , or 117.5 F....in the shade. (Official top was 46.4 = hottest day ever.)

With 60kmh+ winds. The sky was a weird orangey-pink colour from the smoke.

Half the state is on fire - it's not as bad as Ash Wednesday in 83, but it's not good. All my vegies and ferns are toast.




Oh, the orange Mongoose rides again - I finished the build this morning in my shed...when it was only frickin unbelievably hot, not thermo nuclear. I was completely drenched in sweat, it was kinda surreal.



And you really, really, need a vice and a workbench. You got a deck or a balcony or something? Stick it out there and make a cover for the vice.

 

[liveforphysics]

Great job! And great project too!

 

[voicecoils]

Well done Abraham.


And yeah, it was 47.5 deg C at my place here in Melbourne , or 117.5 F....in the shade. (Official top was 46.4 = hottest day ever.)

And you really, really, need a vice and a workbench. You got a deck or a balcony or something? Stick it out there and make a cover for the vice.

Cheers! The bike workstand and wrench was actually a decent combo :wink: but a workbench would be nice. We don't have a balcony. When I really need to I can ask my girlfriends dad if I can use his vice and bench. If I had a garage or workspace I'd get a standing drill press in pronto as well as an air compressor. Maybe my next place...

I'm impressed you worked outside in the heat! Our basil plants (our only non-cacti plants) survived in the shade but we had to water them twice today.

I took the bike out for a ride today with 80v in my backpack. Finally I rode far enough to hit LVC on the batteries. 10.90Ah (790Wh) drained in a bit more then hour. Somewhere between ~35km traveled. Woohoo! At 7-8Ah the bike started 'pulsing' again. The pack was around 70v. I'm wondering if the pulsing is caused by the BMS. Current was limited to 22A and it struggled to draw that much by the end it felt like. When I got home the batteries were about 30 degrees C, so warm to the touch but not hot HOT.

The bad news:
I blew my one remaining 36v lithium phosphate charger! I plugged the pack in and then plugged the charger into the wall. Made a *POP* sound and now throws the blinking red error message and refuses to charge the pack! I check the fuse on it, it measures near zero resistance so I think it must still be fine. I'm not sure whats happened to it. :?

To top it off, I thought 'fark this I'll use my 48v 8A powersupply w/ 10% voltage trim. I set it to 44V and plugged it in, it happily supplied 7A current. The pack dragged the voltage down a bit so I trim adjusted it back up to 44v. It continued to supply ~7a. I thought I'd leave it for 10min and come back and see how many Ah had been put back in according to the stand alone CA. Came back a few min later and it had shut down. Now it won't start up again.

Hopefully will add some photos soon.

 

[voicecoils]

Great job! And great project too!

Cheers. Someday it will evolve into a decent performance reliable ride!

According to my bike GPS, I rode 33km. It took a while to lock on to the satellites and start recording distance so I reckon probably 35km all up. I'm pretty happy to have gotten 790Wh from a pack rated to hold 768Wh. I'd like to sort out the 'pulsing' though.

 

[Mark_A_W]

Crikey. At 60v nominal and 30amps, I do 15Wh per kilometer.

I only get 9Ah out of my 10Ah pack. I wouldn't drain yours that low if you can avoid it.


The pulsing is not a BMS thing. BMS's only turn off. They don't modulate the current. It's your CA or Controller.

I'd disconnect the CA for the next run - do it using a odometer. See if it misbehaves.



And 7 or 8A is a LOT to charge with. My charger is 3A. If your powersupply comes back to life, stick to 3A.

Do you want my old Li-ion charger? 42.2v, with lithium profile. It won't get you fully charged, but it will get you running.

 

[voicecoils]

Crikey. At 60v nominal and 30amps, I do 15Wh per kilometer. I only get 9Ah out of my 10Ah pack. I wouldn't drain yours that low if you can avoid it. The pulsing is not a BMS thing. BMS's only turn off. They don't modulate the current. It's your CA or Controller.

I'd disconnect the CA for the next run - do it using a odometer. See if it misbehaves. And 7 or 8A is a LOT to charge with. My charger is 3A. If your powersupply comes back to life, stick to 3A. Do you want my old Li-ion charger? 42.2v, with lithium profile. It won't get you fully charged, but it will get you running.

I went the full hog because I wanted to see that the LVC actually worked. When it cut out the bike lost power completly. But if I disconnected it and reconnected it it would start up again for a few secs. I burned off the last 2Ah close to home waiting for it to happen. I'm happy to see that it does work.

I only need about 25km range to get to work and back and I woulden't be using battery energy as fast as I was using it today. I pedaled very little just to try to run the pack down.

I'll have to try it without the CA, good idea. The CA is what limits the current though, so I'll have to be careful not to push it too hard. I'll have my 30A inline fuse anyways but it will be a PITA if it pops. I thought it was strange that it diden't start 'pulsing' till 7-8Ah in, it didn't do it at all before then. I might ask justin at ebike.ca, maybe its something in the CA or controller that only crops up as a result of some thermal issue...

Both my headway pack chargers are now dead. If you'd send that lithium charger to me that would be awesome, I don't want to leave both these packs at such a low state of charge for too long. I don't know how long it will be before my 36v4A charger from rechargablelithiumpower arrive either.

The LED on my powersupply wont light up, and the DC voltage output is like 0.03V when plugged in. I don't know what's going on, I opened it up and there is a fuse but it's not blown.

The powersupply doesn't have adjustable current, you set the voltage and that's it. Maybe the battery pack tried to pull more then the 8A the PS is rated for and that was what killed it. Not sure, I should have fused the DC side with a 7-8A fuse.