Re: HT Norko Aline - version mid drive, adaptto+rv100pro

sn0wchyld

100 kW
Joined
Mar 18, 2011
Messages
1,868
Location
South Aus.
Exams are finally over, and all the parts I need are here, so I figure its time to start a build thread.

First off, I just want to give a huge shout out to both Hyena and Lyen. There rep on this site is well deserved, and no doubt hard won.

Hyena helped out with the HT35 motor, I was lucky enough to get in on the last group buy he organised about a month or so ago. for someone only running a part time 'hobby' business he does it better than allot of the fully fledged businesses Ive ever come across.

Lyen too has been great, with the typical (from what Ive heard) fast shipping and helpful advice on his kits. Best of all when I discovered that he'd sent out the controller with 4mm bullet connectors rather than the requested Andersons, he was gracious and fast to send out the required parts all the way to Aus, at no cost.

While im at it I'll give a quick thanks to everyone 'ere on es too, either for your direct help in answering my q's, or for posting your own experiences and creating this wealth of knowledge that noobs like me can so easily learn from.

Anyway enough with the mushy thankyou's, down to business...

This 'ere is the bike ill be working with, for now :wink: . realistically its waaaay more than I needed, but then again im a sucker for over engineering stuff, I love reliability like a fat kid loves cake. Its a '10? norko aline park, it had been in just 1 race, so has a few cosmetic scratches, but as a result the shop was selling it for less than half price, with all the goodies that a sponsored rider normally gets (upgraded breaks, shocks, shifters, pedals, rims... etc etc). Normally i'd be hesitant to buy a bike that's been raced, but this shop has a great rep here in adelaide (been going there myself for more than 10 years), and its got a full new bike warranty on all parts. :D

mybike.jpg


This will hopefully be a commuter - slash - weekend warrior for getting me to and from uni as well as blasting some of the trails round my home.

something thats a curse and an advantage about this bike is the rear 'drop-outs', witch aren't in fact drop-outs at all. Atleast not in the typical sense...

reardrop1.jpg


so no easy 'drop in and go' for me, but at the same time I can fabricate some enclosed dropouts that work in the same way as these, only for the HT's axles, and I can make 'em solid as a rock too. See? I wasnt kidding about over engineering stuff...

plates.jpg


That should give you an idea of what I'll be putting together over the next few days, allbeit in steel rather than pixels. Hopefully be able to make it look nicer too.

and last but not least,
bike2.jpg

a rough idea of how i'd like to mount the batteries on the frame. Im doing it in this fassion for two reasons, one, they do not fit too well inside the triangle, pluss it makes it look shit anyway. and two, I'd like to be able to return the bike to stock quickly and easily, and be able to lift the battery pack from the bike with the minimum of fuss, for charging away from the bike etc etc. At the moment I've only got half this # of batts (for 20s 2p lipo, 76v/10ah), and depending on the range I get with this Ill decide later how much extra range to get, if any at all.


The main issue I foresee is how wide this'll make the bike, but after riding around with polystyrene of similar thickness strapped to my bike I think itll be fine. The other issue is what the weight will do to the suspension. Hopefully it'll be fine with some tuning, but I might have to (in the long run) relegate the frok motor to a commuter and go with the lighter (if not more unreliable/$$$$$) RC motor :evil: . But its very early days yet.

A quick run-down of parts...
Batts...
8 x 5s 5ah 20c lipo (HK Turnagy)

Motor...
Froc HT35 *(to be laced to a 26" rim next week)

Controller
Lyen 12fet with the lot (ca, ebrake etc)

Lights
about 1500 lumens of led lights, mainly head torches converted to run off the main 76v pack. I might have to rename this bike 'midnight sun' :twisted:

From what I've read I might be trying to break records when it comes to assembly time... Ive got the best part of a month off uni to get this puppy up and running, so ill have it ready to go when uni starts back up! Im hoping to get it rolling by next weekend though, so wish me luck!

Shit, didnt mean to make such a large op, props to those of you with the patience to read it. :!:
Will try and keep this updated as changes are made.
 
He's a good man is our Hyena, AKA Mr Asia, I have tasted two of his imports now, and it has always been a pleasure dealing with him.

Nice looking bike. How is it you are going to secure the packs in the way you have showed (what I mean is by what means will they be secured to the frame, and what sort of physical protection will they be given?).

Looks like you will have the torque plates sorted, You really should bring your taste for overengineering to the torque plate. I can't tell you how many times I have thought I have overengineered my torque solutions, only to see the unstoppable axle of evil tear through.

Looks like it will be a nice ride, best of luck with it.
 
Philistine said:
He's a good man is our Hyena, AKA Mr Asia, I have tasted two of his imports now, and it has always been a pleasure dealing with him.

Nice looking bike. How is it you are going to secure the packs in the way you have showed (what I mean is by what means will they be secured to the frame, and what sort of physical protection will they be given?).

Looks like you will have the torque plates sorted, You really should bring your taste for overengineering to the torque plate. I can't tell you how many times I have thought I have overengineered my torque solutions, only to see the unstoppable axle of evil tear through.

Looks like it will be a nice ride, best of luck with it.

subject to change, im thinking of constructing the whole < shape of the battery housing out of sheet metal, and either pop riveting or welding it up (or both). in order to seat it on the frame, im hoping to be able to mold some sheet metal to fit snugly over the top tube, with some padding inbetween. Think half a downpipe, to create a U shape.. then secured underneath the top tube and the lower tube with either bolts, or straps, not sure yet on that front until I see the final weight. If it proves to heavy then I might have to look into more exotic materials like CF or similar.
Ill be padding them with some High density foam and im considering covering them in the same fireproof stuff that you get in lipo bags, for worry-less charging. (less worry, not no worry)

Hope that all makes sense.

edit
sorry forgot about hte torque plates... since im reconstructing something similar to the interchangeable ones already on the bike ill be using two plates of steel, aprox 10mm thick (each) to match as close as possible to the originals, only with a slot for the axle rather than a circle, bolted/welded together. so a total of 20mm on each side. I dont see 40mm of enclosed steel dropout failing anytime soon... well, hopefully.
 
hey looks really nice, love the bike sooo sexy, its just the sort of thing I want to build for my next ride, love the fact you have given yourself a week to do it as well, you like a deadline then! ha ha great stuff!! looking forward to seeing it emerge oh and some video from it once you have it done 8) :-subscribed 8)
 
You will like it, My 2008 A-Line is a very good ride and this one is better in many points. The Park model is pimped all over, and usually have suspension upgrade. The bolt-on thru axle dropouts are ideal, just make thick steel replacements and bolt em, much better than adding torque arms or plates.

If it has a variable headset, adjust the steer angle to the max and you should gain 1in longer wheelbase. The Bomber will still ride nice with the extra weight, you can make it better with slightly thicker oil. With the motor, it will be PITA to find proper adjustment for rear shock damping. I replaced the shock spring for heavier at first and it was better, but finally bought a DHX 5 Air and now it's near perfection.
 
MadRhino said:
You will like it, My 2008 A-Line is a very good ride and this one is better in many points. The Park model is pimped all over, and usually have suspension upgrade. The bolt-on thru axle dropouts are ideal, just make thick steel replacements and bolt em, much better than adding torque arms or plates.

If it has a variable headset, adjust the steer angle to the max and you should gain 1in longer wheelbase. The Bomber will still ride nice with the extra weight, you can make it better with slightly thicker oil. With the motor, it will be PITA to find proper adjustment for rear shock damping. I replaced the shock spring for heavier at first and it was better, but finally bought a DHX 5 Air and now it's near perfection.
yea i was hoping to stave off upgrading the shock, mainly due to costs. ive already sunk nearly double my original 'budget' :twisted: not that it was a really realistic one anyway! I always end up doing this :p

Im 100% new to the DH scene but the guys at the shop said they front and rear shocks had both been beefed up, and after riding it im inclined to believe em. (though ive got little to compare it too). the first decent drop i did I remember thinking 'hope i dont break anything' and straight after thinking 'dam-it that was too small, wheres something bigger?? :twisted: :twisted: '

I was also thinking of making the rear dropout plates about 1 or 2 inches longer than original, this thing makes wheelies easy enogh as it is with my meesly X00 watts. another 2-3k will make it scary as hell. well, atleast I hope it will!!!

knoxie said:
hey looks really nice, love the bike sooo sexy, its just the sort of thing I want to build for my next ride, love the fact you have given yourself a week to do it as well, you like a deadline then! ha ha great stuff!! looking forward to seeing it emerge oh and some video from it once you have it done 8) :-subscribed 8)

Yea mate, gonna try and film the whole build and then do a time-lapse to cut it down to 2 min or so... with a little love from lady luck ill have it running in time, though Im guessing ill have the batts in a backpack to start with. fortunatly they fit beautifully into some steel fence capping, so making a hard/fireproof case for em should be a breeze!
 
sn0wchyld said:
the guys at the shop said they front and rear shocks had both been beefed up...
The pic is small, but looks like the Fox DHX 4.0 Coil that was stock on the A-Line Park in 2010. Maybe they changed to a heavier spring, but that won't make it IMO. I found the DHX 5 Air to be the solution to damping problem caused by the heavy hub motor. Then, I use a Clyte X5 that is significantly more weight than the new H series, and you might be able to tune your actual shock satisfyingly. In any case, try to keep it as new and you can easily trade, for many new bikes now come with the DHX 5 Air, and alot of DH riders prefer the springloaded version.
 
doc007 said:
MadRhino- what makes the Fox DHX air better than the coil version?
With springloaded shock, adjusting to faster damping to compensate for the weight of the hub creates rebound that can't be attenuated enough within the adjustment range. The big air can of the DHX 5.0 Air can be adjusted easily to keep the wheel on the ground.

That is much better on the road of course, while the rebound of the springloaded version is still a good sport ride in the mountain but cause of hi maintenance on the wheel build.
 
well its off to a slow start. had a bit of a close call when i (breefly) shorted one of my batts when testing out some home grown paralleling leads. No damage done asside from a nice splatter of ark welding down the side of one 4mm connector. Ive learnt now to never play with lipo (or anything electrical) when your to tired to even figure out the eq of a straight line (was finishing part of a maths assignment - long story). More than that, Ive learnt first hand the benefits of shrink tube. Ive got a dozen or more m of it here and didnt use it, and scared the crap outa myself as a result!

Anyway there's no way ill have it rolling by tomorrow. Turns out I still had more uni work to do than i thought... new goal - next weekend, early week after. The local bike shops all want about $150 for a new high end rim, and about another $120 to lace it to a rim (including spokes) and i still need a cassette and disk break adapter after that! so to save a few bob Im ordering a set of rims, tires, and cassette from overseas (UK) and Ill just get the shop to get the spokes and lace it, wich should drop the total cost to around $250-300 for a complete rear and new rim+tire for the front, all built.

on the latest shopping list
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=38302
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=52871 x2
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=24632 x2

will update when something changes.... :p
 
hey, how's ur build going? your setup are almost identical to my build so far other then the bike ofcos... whats your method of charging?
oh and with building your lipos, why dont you use the space under the frame?
i dont mean to change your settings but this might help :wink:
mybike.jpg
take lots of pic of your development!
 
Beautiful frame, I like where you are going! :D

Have you considered a front-mounted pack? The Pelican case below only weighs @3.5lb, protects prismatic cells, and bolts off in under 2 minutes. The aluminum clamps that hard-mount it to the stanchions are small and weigh ounces, a stock item on eBay.

-JD

file.php
 
So i figure its time for a bit of an update... take a moment and try and figure out why I havent updated this build for a while...

nope its not that Ive been out riding... sadly. More delays (CRC apparently doesn't feel its necessary to tell you a rim is out of stock once you've paid them :evil: :evil: ) mean that the motor is still sitting on the desk next to me. Fortunately Ive chosen some different rims that have finally shipped out, and there currently sitting in a depot in Melbourne as of yesterday, so hopefully get them sometime this week!

On a more positive note, Ive been talking to the workshop guys at uni, and there's a few there that are keen to lend their own experience with ebikes, plus now that im an official 'electrical engineering' student I can get workshop access!! So I'll be starting on the rear dropouts this Wednesday with luck!

Ive also managed to finish off 99% of the wiring, everything from the discharge/charge leads, paralleling the balance leads, lights, throttle etc etc etc, and done a bit of a mock-up on the bike. Looks like it should work and fit quite nicely, Ive been using heaps of the snake skin stuff from HK to gather wires together for both protection and looks, really makes the whole thing far more subtle and tidy.

Ive also started building the battery cases, I was lucky enough to find some fence capping that fits my 5s 5ah lipos in a word... perfectly! Theres a total of about 5mm of space around the batts once they're installed, just enough for some padding, and with them stacked 2 deep, there's just enough space left at the top (with a second piece of capping mirroring this one) to run the wires.
batcase1.jpg


the 3way power select switch fits like it was made for it!! sits right under your index finger...
perfect.jpg


And just now I think ive fixed my HT motor to prevent wire cut, using a 'fingernail' of aluminium, shaped like so...
finger1.jpg

Source of the aliminium - a cheapass soldering stand!
finger2.jpg

The one in the background is the original fingernail guard, the closer is the one ive installed, with a larger tab for removal and shaped a bit better so it slides in easily. Pun intended :wink: .
finger3.jpg

I had to slide the old plastic cover back on first before installing the new protector...
finger4.jpg

another pic, same as above.
finger5.jpg

the finished-ish product! Still needs a little tweaking to make it tidy but i think it should do the job...

Its ment that I no longer need to re-drill the plastic cover, since the shape of the fingernail helps smooth out the curve of the wires at the same time as protecting it from the seal.

Props to rebelpilot for the idea.

and finally, ive gone and done it... ive 'pimped my bike'!!!! :mrgreen:
pimp1.jpg

pimp2.jpg


I was placing the lights for night riding, using some HK led strip lights. Ignore the wires going everywhere, this was just for fun... They've since been swiched back to their original position, attached to the rear swing arm. The above was far to much wank for my taste :p: :wink: !



rui_fujino said:
hey, how's ur build going? your setup are almost identical to my build so far other then the bike ofcos... whats your method of charging?
oh and with building your lipos, why dont you use the space under the frame?
i dont mean to change your settings but this might help :wink:

take lots of pic of your development!

yea I thought about that initially, but as it turns out the front wheel actually comes up far enough (20cm travel or something...) that it'd scrape all but the thinnest of batts positioned under the downtube. Additionally, I'd like to keep the bike as lean as possible in profile, to try and keep it as stealth as possible. Though that may end up to be a lost cause...



oatnet said:
Beautiful frame, I like where you are going! :D

Have you considered a front-mounted pack?

yea I have, and still may do it that way, the only issue is that I prefer frame mounted (looks a bit more balanced) and Ive already got a heap of shit mounted to the front of the bike (DC-DC converter, lights, other wires etc)

So now just waiting on the new rims, and then getting it laced into said rims...
and finally building up the batt cases and rear dropouts, and she should be ALIVE!! :p
 
that's pretty cool looking lighting to your bike! i always wanted them but i never actually go around to do it...where u putting throttle?
whats going on with gears/brake leaver?? :roll:
 
ok so after fixing the wirecutter issue with the ht motor, Ive hooked it up to see how it worked... problem is Im getting some verry strange sounds from the motor. Under power it makes a howl, as soon as i let off the throttle it comes to a stop almost immediately. I know DD hubs don't free wheel well, but this seems excessive. Also seems very poorly balanced, creating a visible wobble at certain speeds...

Added to this, with the ebrake engaged, turning the wheel at a slow speed makes a loud rapid 'ping'.

Ive uploaded some vids to the tube to see if anyone can spread some light on it... I really didnt want to have to open up the motor before actually being able to use it!! :evil: :evil:

It could be the CA just needs calibrating, but its also reading ~35 volts, when the pack is actually ~75V (20s). The no load watts easily tops 500w too, witch seems massive considering its an unlaced hub...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMmtWRa-GQE

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMmtWRa-GQE[/youtube]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Etmi9y_AijU

Anyone know if this is normal or what is wrong??
 
sn0wchyld said:
...I really didnt want to have to open up the motor before actually being able to use it!! :evil: :evil:
Anyone hoping for some performance and reliability must open this motor, would it be only for upgrading the phase wires that are ridiculously small and cheap. Installing a thermometer probe is also a good idea, because this lighter Clyte will overheat faster than the X5. The bearings too, can be upgraded to much better quality.

Then, about the noize and cogging, you must first make sure that all connections are good, and that you plugged the good phase and hall sequence. That can be a little puzzle, but easy to solve if you proceed methodically.
 
MadRhino said:
sn0wchyld said:
...I really didnt want to have to open up the motor before actually being able to use it!! :evil: :evil:
Anyone hoping for some performance and reliability must open this motor, would it be only for upgrading the phase wires that are ridiculously small and cheap. Installing a thermometer probe is also a good idea, because this lighter Clyte will overheat faster than the X5. The bearings too, can be upgraded to much better quality.

Then, about the noize and cogging, you must first make sure that all connections are good, and that you plugged the good phase and hall sequence. That can be a little puzzle, but easy to solve if you proceed methodically.

Hopefully it issomething minor like that, ill have a play tonight. Any tips on good methods for geting the phase / halls matched since its already turning? Or is it simply test every possible combo oneby one?

I figuredidhaveto crack it open soon anyway i just wanted to get it rolling first... Mainly to see if i keep this motor for my "performance" bike or religate it to a commuter and go with what will prob be a rc drive... :shock:




ZOMGVTEK said:
Is this motor sensored?

The hall/phase combo is probably incorrect.

Yep, sensored, i mistakenly thought that if you had even 1 wire wrong that it'd stop it turning at all, and that i thereforehad that part dialed. Guess im not as smrt as i thought i was :wink:
Edit
Sorry forthe lack of spaces - ipads suck for typing.
 
For a Lyen 12 fet controller set the shunt value on your CA to 2.4 and you will be close.

Something is wrong as you should be getting a speed reading on your CA.

If the H series motors use the same color code as the rest of Clyte motors do, this should be the way to wire it:

Lyen Controller to Crystalyte motor wire color lining:

Controller: Motor:
HALL:
Yellow Yellow
Green Blue
Blue Green

PHASE:
Yellow Blue
Green Green
Blue Yellow
 
nicobie said:
For a Lyen 12 fet controller set the shunt value on your CA to 2.4 and you will be close.

Something is wrong as you should be getting a speed reading on your CA.

If the H series motors use the same color code as the rest of Clyte motors do, this should be the way to wire it:

Lyen Controller to Crystalyte motor wire color lining:


Allright thanks all, ive got the motor running much smoother now, just a low hum/ whine now, and the ca is reading about 50 watts at full throttle. Still needs to be calibrated, witch ill get too later this week.
 
doc007 said:
congrats! does that add about 25% to your completion scale in your sig? :mrgreen:
Yep, it should. Slow build, this A-Line.
I got one special winding H 3535 motor 2 weeks ago, and put on it some 500 Km already. :twisted:
 
MadRhino said:
doc007 said:
congrats! does that add about 25% to your completion scale in your sig? :mrgreen:
Yep, it should. Slow build, this A-Line.
I got one special winding H 3535 motor 2 weeks ago, and put on it some 500 Km already. :twisted:


yep your right. Ive now bowed to peer pressure. 22% complete I figure, as I still need to machiene the rear dropouts, batt cases break in the batts and then put it all together.

As to it being slow... well... yea. your right. Getting parts together is a pain in the A$$!! With a bit (or a lot) of luck I might even be riding it next week! Given the quantity of delays Ive had so far Im not gonna get my hopes up...

Just taken the motor off to the LBS to get it laced, he said he'd prob have to order the spokes in, so that means early next week sometime... :(

fortunately though it looks like he might have been bitten by the ebug. The shop he runs does sell ebikes, that are limited to a 'nearly legal' 250w (motor runs through the front cranks). He never gave ebikes much credit though untill some old fella was test riding one with him on a ~24% grade near the shop. The old fella got to the top of the hill easily while the LBS owner was left sweating like a pig by the end... now he wants to convert a bike or scooter! Good to have a LBS who's at least interested/on the same page with what im doing.

I had a quick ride on the 250w bike too, it was my first ever ebike ride and I gotta say, while 250w wasnt gonna break any land speed records but it was still notable. given that, the 2+kw im planning should be a BLAST! :twisted: :twisted:
 
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