Use this when U don't want to create a short lived topic.

[Lock]

Sadly, they have learned nothing from western experience with the 20th-century automobile, and are giving up the Victorian pedal bicycle.

Cars in China are pouring out like model-Ts.
Young couples in Beijing all want sedans, not bikes.
It is now too dirty/smoggy in big China cities to enjoy biking.
(As per a Beijing dude I spoke w/ last month)

(Mighta posted this some other place too)

All true, though it's been like this in China for some time now... exchanging the 20th-century auto for the Victorian pedal bicycle will just make things a lot worse...

Something like 70% of China's electricity comes from (old, inefficient) coal plants. Steel and concrete production are heavy polluters, and of course a lot of this pollution is exported from North America etc. Chinese industries busy making all the crap they export (10% of exports to NA are sold to WallyMart) are very energy-inefficient.

Good article here by a Yale prof, from Fortune Magazine this month:
http://www.law.yale.edu/intruders/5069.htm

From that article:
"But China's leaders have also come to realize that pollution can undermine social stability. Other than corruption, no issue draws more public ire. Last year 600,000 complaints were filed with the state environmental agency, which tallied tens of thousands of pollution-related protests."

One "great" thing about China. Unlike Western "democracy", where any idiot can vote, the Chinese gov't will get things done at the point of a gun...

I expect the 2008 Olympics will be a huge embarrassment to China, like Atlanta was, where they basically lied about what their summer climate conditions are like, to secure the rights to hold the games.

Had to laugh when the Olympic organizers were running around Soeul, encouraging the restaurants to take their traditional "worm" stew off the menues...

Bejing has banned wooden chopstix.

Power-assist in NA is a small but growing community that needs to be a lot more vocal. EVen many EV'ers into electric cars don't seem to interested in supporting the smaller two-wheelers.

Every PA rider is a kind of EV Ambassador... the best kind.

tks

Lock

[Lock]

Will get the shipment end of the month.
Ok, since you seem to be of the opinion that most of what comes from here is junk where do you suggest sourcing parts and completed bikes?

So, Lessss, end of the month approaching!
Saw this recent post on the EVDL and was reminded about tapping earlier about where quality might be sourced:

Date: Sat, 23 Jun 2007 10:55:56 -0500
From: "Lee Hart" <leeahart>
To: ev@listproc.sjsu.edu
Subject: Re: thundersky cells for cheap, prices

john fisher wrote:
>> well I DID say someone would have to go to China and test them.

Victor Tikhonov wrote:
> What the outcome of such testing has to do with Thunder-sky policies?

I've worked for several companies that outsourced to China. Here's what
*didn't* work:

- Buy a Chinese part or product to replace whatever you were using.
Yes, it's cheaper; but it won't meet specs, the quality will be
bad, and warranty support nonexistent.

- Send your design/drawings to them, to build to your specs.
Now you'll get parts that actually fit; but you will have to test
them yourself. You will get lots of bad parts, and their only
"warranty" is that they will replace them with more untested parts.

- Send them your design, drawings, tooling, and test fixtures.
Now they will send tested parts that fit. But they now *own* the
design, and will sell it to anyone (including you competitors).

Here's what *did* work:

- Split the product up into smaller parts. Contract with different
Chinese companies to produce each part. Set up your own office in
China (ours was in Hong Kong), where your own people supervise
production (visit the factory regularly) and test each company's
parts. Your office only pays them when batches are tested and
approved.
--
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget the perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in -- Leonard Cohen
--
Lee A. Hart, 814 8th Ave N, Sartell MN 56377, leeahart_at_earthlink.net

[Lessss]

http://test2.7gen.com/ seems to be down.

[fechter]

It's not down, they just changed the domain name. Goto
http://visforvoltage.net/

[Lessss]

Can someone translate?
http://img175.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... atejn4.png

[TylerDurden]

Can someone translate?
http://img175.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... atejn4.png

tel: = telephone
fax: = facsimile

[Ypedal]

total guess but

48v controller with 42v cut off

500w / 48v = 10 amps

Made in 2006 November... ( not sure about above.. but likely a model/serial number )

[DanEL]

I would read this article before I imported anything from China

http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/ ... kebiz.html

It's a few years old but is still helpful. Written by a bicycle industry insider.

[Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh]

"Buttery - 48V"
Over there they suffer from Engnese.

What's the label attached to?
It looks like the side window of a car.
Is it an EV of some sort?
If you're not in a rush, I could ask my former boss sometime next week if you don't get an answer by then.

[Lessss]

translate this?

[andrey320]

Why can't I start a new thread? I get this message -
Sorry, but only users granted special access can post topics in this forum

[TylerDurden]

Why can't I start a new thread? I get this message -
Sorry, but only users granted special access can post topics in this forum

It is the new punishment for those who are not pure of heart...

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2214

[fechter]

Why can't I start a new thread? I get this message -
Sorry, but only users granted special access can post topics in this forum

You have been granted special access. Post away.

[andrey320]

Thank you!

[Dalecv]

Does anyone have any experience with the Lightfoot bikes or trikes?

[Lessss]

http://www.perpetualkid.com/index.asp?P ... rodID=1607

LED license plate. Neat. Hmm I wonder if there are any out there that are the size of the entire plate?

[xyster]

These programmable LED license plate frames, window inserts and such will make an interesting adjunct to the common expressions of road rage, such as the perennially popular third finger, horn and "f--- you, assh*le" outbursts -- which as a bicycler who follows the rules of the road unless it is more dangerous to do so, I seem to get a lot of.

[fechter]

I've seen one that goes in the back window of a car that's big, but would only display pre-programmed messages.

Being able to put anything you want is much better. I can see how that will quickly be abused. Great for tailgaters.

[flip_normal]

I went and bought an electric scooter yesterday and it died within 24 hours!

The guy who sold it to me gave me a good deal and is being very helpful but doesn't have much technical knowledge so he asked me to send him an email describing the fault which he's passing on to the manufacturer in China to see whats wrong with it. Since there's a lot of experiance of hub motors and controllers on ES I thought I'd see if anyone here could help find the problem. I can't see the controller on the scooter, it must be tucked away inside somewhere and I don't want to strip it down just yet so here's the message I sent the dealer.

"It was my second trip on the moped after having fully charged it each time until the green light on the charger came on [inducating full charge]. I was about 12km into the trip and I was moving in slow traffic on a level road when the moped stopped working suddenly. Fortunately I only had to push it about 200m home. With the moped on the centre stand the back wheel has resistance when it is turned by hand, similar to the feel of a stepper motor turned by hand, whereas before the back wheel turned smoothly. All the other electrics work (ie. headlamp, horn and indicators) and the power meter is still in the green. I turned the circuit breaker switch off and then back on but that didn't help."

If anyone has experianced a simmilar fault with a hub motor I appreciate any advice and info. Thanks.

Here's a pic. of the scoot.

[fechter]

Sounds like the controller blew a FET.

Does the resistance change when the power is on (no throttle)?

Try the rollback test. Roll the scooter backward quickly and note the resistance. Do the test with the power on and with the power off (no throttle).

Does it blow the main fuse?

With the wheel off the ground, will it run?

If you're lucky, it might just be a loose connection on one of the hall sensors. Trace the wires coming from the motor until they come to a connector. Check the connections.

[flip_normal]

Hi fechter,
no change in rolling resistance whether power is on or off or if throttle is open or closed, just gentle steppy feel like a stepper motor.
motor dosen't run if the wheel is off the ground or not.
can't see a main fuse but there is a circuit breaker under the seat which seems ok on a continuity test.
I'm going to get the ok from the dealer before taking it apart and having a closer look at the controller and wiring. will post any results, cheers.

[fechter]

It sounds like a shorted FET.

If you get the go-ahead to poke around, the same general testing procedure as the Crystalyte motors and controllers would apply.

[flip_normal]

Ok got go ahead to strip out the controller. Now reading up on Crystalyte controllers, will post report and pics as work progresses. Thanks for the pointers fechter.

BTW I recently got hold of 30 IRFB4110's (thanks nemo) hopefully I can use some of these to fix the controller (I was planning to do this mod anyway, this has just made it happen a bit sooner than planned. Assuming they'll fit that is).

[fechter]

I see you're well prepared.

Test the continuity between both power input wires and the 3 phase wires first (battery disconnected). This way you can determine which (if any) of the FETs shorted. There is a possiblility the motor shorted. If this is the case, the cogging will still be noticeable after disconnecting the controller.

[flip_normal]

I found continuity between the black (battery negative) wire and blue phase wire. So it looks like one or all of the five middle FETs IRF1407 has blown.

I found some scorch marks on the underside of the PCB so it appears like there was something in there which shorted the battery out, but it seems as if this vaporized as there wasn't anything loose in there when I opened up the box.