Where to buy Crystalyte / Aotema 1000W+ kit? eBay kit??

[Justins311]

Looking for a little guidance after hours and HOURS of site searching. It seems this tech updates so quickly that posts from 18 mos ago are outdated. Please forgive my noobiness :/ Long story short, my eBay kit is awesome. But it lacks expansion/cycle analyst output/etc. I also have an Aotema kit but its underwhelming. Where do I find a mix of the 2?

Backstory: So about 2 months ago I decided to build an eBike. I LOVE IT. I basically went on Amazon & eBay and found the least expensive, highest rating motor/kit I could find (typical 48V/1000W "yescom" style kit) and a LiFeP04 48V/15ah battery. I threw it together and was extremely impressed with the performance for what I spent. With my $10 cycle computer, verified with my Iphone GPS, I am doing 32mph throttle only on flat ground, 26" wheel. My only gripes were that I would like a little more power for the slight inclines around here, a lighter weight battery, a better controller with output to a digital display/speedo, and a grip throttle instead of a thumb throttle. This is very similar to the kit I got: http://www.yescomusa.com/products/brushless-electric-bicycle-engine-48v-1000w-rear-wheel-hub-motor-kit I wanted to improve on my second build.

A month ago I found a Hanebrink x2 for sale locally. I knew it wasn't the exact bike I wanted for commuting, but it came with (2) 48V 25ah Lipo packs and a Aotema 750W (1200W??) motor. With the 85+lb bike and my 200lb frame, on funky balloon tires, it does 25mph where my homebuilt bike does 32mph. Not what I wanted (its really meant for climbing not commuting) but fun to play on and now I"ve got an extra 48V/25ah lipo pack for my 2nd build. Now I need to find a motor and controller to go along with my spare battery.

So I ended up on Endless Sphere learning all I could. And while I'm much more knowledgeable, I'm extremely confused now. From everything I've read my yescom/eBay setup should only be good for 27-28mph, and the "1000W rating" is garbage - people are saying it puts out like half of that. I spoke to Dan Hanebrink at length and he has nothing but great things to say about both Crystalyte and Aotema motor longevity, and assures me the Aotema 750W motor is really a 1200W motor, and referenced the CA display which does show that number under load.

So I have no idea what my "chinese 1000W motor" is actually putting out, but on a 26" rim it seems to be a bit more powerful and quite a bit faster than the Aotema 750/1200W motor. Honestly if I could find an ebay kit that had a decent controller with CA outputs I may go that route. But they all come with the Chinese no-name controller.

I've looked around for an Aotema 1200W/1500W REAR hub kit but keep finding only front hub kits (ebike motor kits) in that power range, or the 750W kit which I fear will not meet my power needs. For the life of me I can't find a Crystalyte kit for sale except for one place that is extremely overpriced and requires you to purchase their battery. I've pasted a couple links below to the kits I've found that come the closest. I'm looking to spend $500 or less.

The last requirement is time - I need to buy something this week. I use my bike to commute to work and am going to sell my first build, so need something ready to go. No time to order a bunch of parts and have a rim laced. I at least need the rear wheel ready to go and the controller that is compatible. I would love a Domino throttle and would spend the extra but it appears they are hard to source and I'm not even sure if they are compatible with the Aotema type controllers I've found. I'd spend extra for quality but not going to spend $1000+ on just a controller nad throttle.

Sensored? Sensorless? No idea. Both mine are sensored and seem to work well. I've read you don't need sensors unless you have a lot of hills. So confused.

I was going to go front mount (I would prefer that) but read that it will tear up my suspension fork at the higher power levels. Is that true?

Can anybody direct me to the best kit to meet my needs? A vendor recommendation would be great - I've tried calling Luna Cycles to ask more about their V5 Magic Pie which sounds close (not expandable and don't love their throttle) but get voicemail.

I appreciate any insight from the veterans!

$475 Aotema 25a/750W: https://sdebike.com/product/aotema-front-rear-gear-motor-kit/

$330 1200W but only front mount: https://store.hightekbikes.com/

Golden V5 Magic Pie seems like a good option but is $450 (includes the display which looks great) and not expandable. Not sure I like their throttle, don't know the leadtime, and they don't answer their phone.

 

[ddk]

first off,
you seem confused. It's not the motor that sets the power, it's the controller.
You can apply 10kW to a tiny 250W gear motor if you want, but the motor will melt down rather quickly.
Motors like the Yescom-supplied generic and Aotema can safely handle about 1500W for extended times, 2-3kW intermittently.
I don't really know much about the Magic Pie 5, but I apply 2kW with the (2 different) Magic Pie 2 intermittently without issues (about 3 years now)
The throttles with the kits are generally all the same type (usually the same make) with the twist throttles being slightly less expensive.
Again, the controller also sets the throttle range, but can be modified using the settings of a CA3 (if wired properly.)

I've bought all my Aotema motors from Hightekbikes. I've found you need to call to see what they actually have in stock on any given day.

 

[Justins311]

That makes a lot more sense ddk. Thank you!

So I must have got a Chinese controller that's applying a lot of power to the hub I got.

After a taste of Luna Cycles customer service I'm not even going to consider a Magic Pie (which is a shame, they seem cool).

I guess I'll call Hightekbikes tomorrow and see if they have the Aotema in stock.

Any controller you suggest ddk? What are you running to your Aotema?

 

[wesnewell]

I've been running the same motor you linked to on 88.8V for over 12K miles and 4 years now. If you just want more power for hills, just do a shunt mod on the controller you got with the kit. You can get a 50% increase in power without spending $1.
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=31643

 

[dogman dan]

You just need a good CA compatible controller for your ebay motor. Since Grin (Justin) invented and manufactures the CA, there's one no brainer source for a CA compatible controller.

This one might be about ideal.

http://www.ebikes.ca/shop/ebike-parts/controllers/c3635-nc.html

It would also perk up your Aotema, since it can run sensorless.

I don't really recommend running 72v on the 28 mm magnet motors, but if you wanted to run more volts on a bigger motor later on, then this one.

http://www.ebikes.ca/shop/ebike-parts/controllers/c3635-nc.html

Also, you can add a CA plug to controllers. I don't know how, but for others it's easy.

 

[Justins311]

Thank you Dan! You just saved me a lot of time, I've been looking all over fleabay for Infineon controller. Much better to buy from the source

So long story short just stick with my ebay 1000W rear hub, buy the upgraded controller and a good CA3, and I should be set?

wesnewell- thank you for the link! I'm still learning, not sure how the shunt adds 50% power, but I will be absorbing as much as I can!

 

[Justins311]

WOW, Grin Tech has AWESOME customer service. Called up and spoke to Ben, tried to make it quick since they prefer tech support questions over email, but half of what I needed was out of stock so kinda needed to review the order with them.

I ordered everything less a new Crystalyte motor/wheel which they are OOS on for a month. I can use my eBay wheel in the meantime.

Thanks again for the suggestion Dan, I had overlooked them since they are in Canada and figured buying and shipping would be a pain. They were the EASIEST!!

 

[dogman dan]

FWIW,, the reason this forum exists, in an ad free form is because Justin, the owner of Grin pays for it.