geared kona dirt jump frame FOR SALE

[flyinmonkie]

Here are the pics of my charging plug. I know, my soldering is crap. I hate doing it especially with such small stuff in such tight places.

I still have to sort out the bike end and charger end and make sure it all works. Then I can mount it on the bike.

Clay

[Whiplash]

Nice! I really want to do something like this!

[flyinmonkie]

As usual I have been really slack. I haven't gotten the charging plug installed on the bike yet.

Work hosted a National Climbing Comp a couple of weeks ago. It is always a huge job, and of course I ended up competing. Me competing was a joke, I only do it for the spot prizes but I didn't get anything good.

Anyway, the weather has been real cold (for NZ) and pretty wet. It finally dried out the other day, so I have been riding again. I need to get the plug sorted and finish the top of my box. Then I will basically be finished with this bike.

I am really happy with the cyclone. It is a really solid motor. I am still playing with the lyen controller settings a bit to get exactly what I want. It is fun to be able to change them and they make a huge difference. I am being careful to keep it all in the limits of the motor this time though. My only gripe is the non-linear throttle. I'll just live with it for now. When I do another build, I may go with a CA or a speedict to try and sort that out.

When I finally get around to finishing this one, I'll get some final pics.

Clay

[flyinmonkie]

Picked up a GT I drive 5 frame (2006 I think) yesterday from the recycling centre. It looks pretty good with no cracks. It needs the rear shock and the drop outs, but I will see what it takes to sort that out. Then I might see if I can swap all the electrical stuff to that frame. I'm kinda itching for a full sus.

Clay

[Byte]

Just wondering, with how many current can you charge through that connector?

[flyinmonkie]

@byte

Not sure yet, I haven't used it. The speaker wire is the main charge wire and I have split it into 3 pins. That way one pin doesn't take the entire load. I only charge at a few amps and I have enough capacity to get me to work and back plus a little. So I charge at night when I have plenty of time. It usually takes about 2 hours to charge from a commute to work and back.

There are lots of people on the forum that have done the same or very similar and they all have said it works very well.

Clay

[Hyena]

The pins are rated at 5 amps but I wouldn't like to sustain that over long periods of time.
In my setups I run 10 amps into 3P packs - so each pin is seeing around 3.3 amps. That's about as far as I'd recommend pushing them.
With a 12S battery (or bigger battery with a DB37 ) you could wire up the extra pins though to take the charge current into the main pack leads so use the -ve and +ve from the balance leads + 2 or 3 extra pins for each battery terminal. With 12S you could potentially charge at 20 amps with this set up

[flyinmonkie]

Thanks Jay,

That is good to know. I'm pretty sure I only charge at about 5 amps or so. Like I said, I'm not too fussed about fast charging. I have the main leads split between 3 pins, but could have done at least 4 pins if I wanted to.

Clay

[Alan B]

DB type connector pin ratings vary a lot. Some are rated at 2 amps per pin, some up to 5 amps per pin. For these long term currents it is prudent to derate them by half. So 1-2 amps per pin is a good guide. Beyond that watch them for discoloration or loss of plating material. Paralleling lots of pins helps a lot though if near each other they heat each other.

[Byte]

Aren't there any connectors for about 15 pins which can handle more amps? I don't mind if it's a little bigger...

Another question flyinmonkie: what is that black stuff you used? I've been searching for something like that but these things I found were quite expensive imo.

[flyinmonkie]

@byte

It's called liquid tape. I'm sure it is the same as the tool handle dip stuff. It's alright, but not fantastic. It will be a pain if I ever have to remove it.

Not sure about the 15 pin plugs. The DB25's aren't all that big.

Clay

[Alan B]

There are DB15's. And DB9's.

[sn0wchyld]

@byte

It's called liquid tape. I'm sure it is the same as the tool handle dip stuff. It's alright, but not fantastic. It will be a pain if I ever have to remove it.

Not sure about the 15 pin plugs. The DB25's aren't all that big.

Clay

your gonna hate me for saying it but I'd be very nervous about using those CAT5 cables on an ebike. they're meant to be in low-movement installations, like inside the walls of a house. Being single core, if any 1 of those little wires breaks (and they will if you bend them back and forth enough) then it will either break the circuit (bad, but fairly easy to notice when you go to balance) or far worse, still provide a connection, but create a point of high resistance at a point somewhere allong the cable. then if you pull any power through it it'll heat up and cause problems...

if you want something really low profile like cat5, hunt around in stores like jaycar for printer cable. its usually ~28g (roughly the same as cat5) but multi core for each separate wire, and they come with up to 9 wires per cable (hope that description makes sense ) . that way if 1 of the wires inside breaks, there's 5 or 6 others there to take the load, so you dont get the same problems. ive used both printer cable and ribbon cable on my bike with good results for a while now, though 28g wire means you want to keep the amps below 1A, ideally <500mA.

the liquid tape stuff is great huh? though I've started using black hot glue on mine, a bit easier to get off and gives you the option to 'sculpt' it to fit. no toxic fumes either!

[flyinmonkie]

Thanks Sn0wy,

The cat 5 is only for the balance leads when charging, nothing else. The wires on the bike will not likely move much at all. It is a short run form the balance boards to the plug and both will be firmly held in place. The wires from the charger will get moved the most as they will be plugged in and out each day. They will see very little movement though and gentle bends. I'll keep an eye on them though. Thanks for the tip on the other wires.

Yeah, the liquid tape is alright. It takes quite a few coats and if the wires move much then a hole is created when it comes out of the goop. The black hot glue is a good idea. It should be easier to melt off if you need to as well.

Clay

[AussieJester]

Good job Flymonkey man ...I have the same setup using DB25 as Jay suggested the left over pins i used for the + & - lines..
The setup definitely makes things a simple no braiier charging/balancing 12s lipo setup... The liquid tape is good stuff for jobs that
will never require re-soldering etc ... my DB25s are cover in the stuff like Monkey mans LoL

KiM

[flyinmonkie]

Thanks Kim,

Hope you had a good time on holiday and ticked everything off the list you gave us... several times.

Are we going to see some bike work from you now? I know you won't be in the shop everyday.

Clay

[AussieJester]

Thanks Kim,

Hope you had a good time on holiday and ticked everything off the list you gave us... several times.

Are we going to see some bike work from you now? I know you won't be in the shop everyday.

Clay

CheeRS MonkeyMaN Bali was great heading back for 10 days in November, so freakin cheap over there...went surfing to
obviously couldn't stand up but had a paddle out and caught waves in.... If LFP is listening, Magic Mushrooms are
100% LegaL in Bali.... AJ likey the shrooms... LoL

Bike work soon, still getting back into Perth life, so cold here now so very cold LoL..

KiM

[flyinmonkie]

Cool about the surfing Kim. It is a cool feeling when you catch the wave, even if it is just body boarding. Looking forward to seeing some more AJ greatness from the garage in Perth.

I have been pretty slack as well. I do have a little update though. I finished the charger portion of my single charging plug. Pic below. I just need to mount the bike side in the box and I can got to one plug charging. Then It is the infamous top of the box to finish to end off this bike.

Clay

[flyinmonkie]

It's been ages. I've been in and out checking on what is happening, but not doing much work on the bike.

I finally sorted the one plug charge plug, but something is amiss. When I plugged it in to check it, the charger was not reading the balance taps. Then some smoke started coming out of the charger near the main output plugs. I immediately unplugged the pack and turned the charger off. The charger seems to be working correctly, but I think I should open it up and see what smoked. I guess I'll have to recheck all my connections in the charge plugs and make sure there are no shorts. I can't think of what else would cause the smoke. I am not sure why the balance taps aren't being read either. I can only guess that the connection to the Goodrum LVC boards isn't making a connection.

Clay

[sn0wchyld]

It's been ages. I've been in and out checking on what is happening, but not doing much work on the bike.

I finally sorted the one plug charge plug, but something is amiss. When I plugged it in to check it, the charger was not reading the balance taps. Then some smoke started coming out of the charger near the main output plugs. I immediately unplugged the pack and turned the charger off. The charger seems to be working correctly, but I think I should open it up and see what smoked. I guess I'll have to recheck all my connections in the charge plugs and make sure there are no shorts. I can't think of what else would cause the smoke. I am not sure why the balance taps aren't being read either. I can only guess that the connection to the Goodrum LVC boards isn't making a connection.

Clay

Perhaps a missmatch of pins? Ie soldered the balance taps in bacwards or something? Hope the chargers ok.

[flyinmonkie]

Thanks Snow,

I tested continuity on all the wires on each side of the plug and triple checked everything went to its mate between plugs. I think the balance leads aren't getting a good connection right from the LVC boards. the wires are pretty small.

I have been to busy moving this week and weekend to look any more. Only going a short distance, like around the block. Unfortunately I will no longer have a garage. Good think I am almost finished with this bike.

I'll have to test my output leads from the charge plug and make sure the polarity is correct. I'll also pop open my charger to see what was melting. I am guessing it was just a bit of insulation on a wire, or at least I am hoping it is. Still seems very odd to me that it would smoke at all. It is a hyperion 1420i, so I would guess it has a reverse polarity warning.

Anyway, this will all happen after I have finished moving this weekend. It is warming up, so I need to sort it soon. I want to get back on the bike for commuting this summer.

Clay

[sn0wchyld]

Thanks Snow,

I tested continuity on all the wires on each side of the plug and triple checked everything went to its mate between plugs. I think the balance leads aren't getting a good connection right from the LVC boards. the wires are pretty small.

I have been to busy moving this week and weekend to look any more. Only going a short distance, like around the block. Unfortunately I will no longer have a garage. Good think I am almost finished with this bike.

I'll have to test my output leads from the charge plug and make sure the polarity is correct. I'll also pop open my charger to see what was melting. I am guessing it was just a bit of insulation on a wire, or at least I am hoping it is. Still seems very odd to me that it would smoke at all. It is a hyperion 1420i, so I would guess it has a reverse polarity warning.

Anyway, this will all happen after I have finished moving this weekend. It is warming up, so I need to sort it soon. I want to get back on the bike for commuting this summer.

Clay

the other possiblility is that your wiring accidentally sent the balance leads across 2 or more packs to 1 port... ie pin 1 and 4 from the batts were = pin 1 and 2 at the charger. basically rather than seeing ~4v at that pin, the charger got a dose of 12v or something (basically 3s rather than 1), and fried something that way. (I hope this description make sense).

easiest way could be to check the voltage across each individual pin on the chargers balance plug.

good luck with the moove mate.

[flyinmonkie]

Thanks Snow,

I thought about that, but I wasn't sure where to measure the voltage. You put one lead from the meter on the pin of the balance plug, and where doest the other lead from the charger go?

Clay

[sn0wchyld]

Thanks Snow,

I thought about that, but I wasn't sure where to measure the voltage. You put one lead from the meter on the pin of the balance plug, and where doest the other lead from the charger go?

Clay

Easyest way is to put your gground from the meter on the ground of your battery lead ( the main discharge lead)
Then one by one connect the +ve lead of the meter to the ground lead of tthe ballance lead, then the next one up, and so on. That way if everythtings wired correctly, you should see 0v, 4v, 8v, 12v, etc etc (assuming your cells are at 4v). If you see a jump thats greater than 4ish volts youve got dodgy wireing.

Make sure youre testing the same puns that would be goimg into the chargers balance port.

If thats not clear let me know ill draw up a quick diagram.

[flyinmonkie]

Thanks again snow. I thought it didn't really matter what wires went were on the balance plugs, but obviously it does. There is definitely something funky in my balance wires after testing them. I found a wire diagram to tell me which wire is which, so I can wire them to the LVC boards properly.

I opened the charger and there was a slight burnt smell, but I couldn't see anything toasted. It all seems to work fine as well. We will see soon. Tomorrow I'll plug in the proper balance plug to make sure it works fine. Then I'll sort out my plug to match the correct wiring. Hopefully it all goes well then.

Clay