Link's first ebike. (Now: The S-Go)

[Drunkskunk]

IS IT LOUD ENOUGH... Excuse me is it loud enough. If you can train your brain enough u can use the clicks for ecolocation of pedestrians in your path.

ROFL, the first time I read it, I thought you ment his shirt.


Superglue doesn't bond Plexy very well, but Epoxy does. And it bonds even better if you roughen up the edges with sandpaper before gluing.

Realtor signs are made of metal.
And they aren't bolted to an 8 foot pole.
Every now and then they get blown away in a storm... or something...

[Link]

LOL @ realtor sign.

LOL @ loud shirt. My English teacher once commented that I reminded him of a traffic cone while wearing it. I still like it. It goes well with black jeans, IMO. A few of my friends have taken to giving my shirts "flavors". I currently have "orange sherbet", "chocolate fever", "blueberry", "black licorice", "grape", and "cherry". They haven't decided on a suitable name for the dark blue one I'm wearing now. I'm probably forgetting one, too. The orange one is good for riding in traffic, as you're more likely to be noticed.

Anyway, I got everything rigged up ghetto status in a cardboard box to take a test ride on.

Love this motor.

It growls when close to 0rpm, but after about 4mph it runs very smoothly.

My first thought was dayam this thing has a lot of torque for only 20A. It takes off like the BD36 in the 20" rim. Afterwards, however, I checked the Doc Wattson (nice to be able to use that again) and it turns out I have a 40A controller.

Now that I've used a full twist throttle, I can say that I'm not a fan. It's hard to keep it in one place when you're riding the thing. Good thing I have yet another half twist on the way.

I <3 LiFe! It sits at 53V and only sags down to 48.5V at 40A!

The seatpost rack seems to be pretty robust, since I had the battery sitting on it in the worst position in the box it was in; at the very back of the thing. It held up fine.

However, the battery doesn't seem to want to charge. I say "seems" because although the charger itself gives no indication that it's doing anything (fan doesn't spin up, lights are green), three resistors on the BMS got quite hot. These three resistors also happen to correspond to the three lowest-voltage cells in the pack (about 0.03V difference between the lowest and highest cells). So I don't know if it's really charging or not. I'll hook it up through the Doc Wattson to see if it gives any amperage. If it doesn't, then I'll see about getting a new one. If it does, then I'll drain the pack a little more (I only used up 1.3Ah) and see if I can get a red light to come on.

Ping's BMSs...do they LVC based on total pack voltage or the lowest cell? I ask because before I finished rewiring the pack last night, I noticed that the tab on the leftmost cell (in the cell group that makes up the final + in the string) had broken away. I managed to get some solder on what was left and reconnect it, but I worry that it might have happened to another cell or two. If the BMS cuts out based on the lowest cell, then I'll be able to tell whether or not this has happened based on how many Ah I can pull out of the pack. If it cuts out based on total pack voltage, then I'll find out when I ruin a cell group. I'd rather not find out by ruining a cell group.

I'll need to be on the lookout for a new kickstand, too, since the bike won't stay propped up with the pack on the rack.

...

Heh. "Pack on the rack".

[Link]

Hmm.

Well, I didn't bother getting around to using the Doc Wattson, because I plugged in the wiring harness and those three resistors got hot again, WITHOUT the charger being plugged in. It might not actually be three, since it seemed like the one in the middle wasn't getting hot on its own, but absorbing heat from the two next to it that were. In any case, I'm thinking something on the BMS has fried. Any ideas?

Looks like I might have to come up with some other way to charge these after all.

[Link]

Well, I've had another short go (0.4Ah used) and I'm liking this battery. Too bad I can't charge/balance the thing.

I don't mind checking the cell groups after every ride or so, but I can charge these with a SLA charger, right? They just won't get a full charge? I can deal with that, since I doubt I'll ever use more than 7-8Ah of the thing. It seems fairly balanced (1.25% difference between the highest and lowest cells) so I wouldn't be too worried...

[Johnbear]

The ping chargers are just sla chargers with a higher voltage setting. The 36v ones I have go to 43.8 and 46ishv one for Yesa and one for duct tape. A regular 36v sla charger is something like 41.5v so it should be fine.

[Link]

Kay, I thought I had heard something like that before.

Anyway, my birthday was on Monday and it's kinda been stretched out over four days because of Father's Day and the last two days of school ( ), so the bike hasn't really been worked on much. Gotta start work on a new BMS. First: chargers from Voltphreaks.

Also: My sister made me the most epic birthday card ever.

[TylerDurden]

Sisters... gotta luv 'em.

Mine's artsyfartsy too... can't pay the bills tho.

Many Happy Reruns.

[Link]

Well, seeing as I had no way to get to the bowling alley today, save for my bike, I saddled up the pack again. However, the stupid thing has a habit of falling off the rack, and I noticed a dent in the bottom of the pack from it. I cut up the cardboard box I got it in to fit and put it inside. Just for that little bit of protection:



Well, let's just say that that was a very, VERY good idea.







Luckily, I used to ride the trails when I lived in the mountains. A lot. I can take a fall very well. This is my only injury:



You know how I took off the front derailleur and replaced the chain? Well, for some reason it has this habit of occasionally moving off of the front sprocket and onto the chain guard. I was pulling onto my street when this happened. I looked down at it and was irritated about it; it's easy to push it back on, but it's a nuisance. I looked back up and see another biker coming around the corner. I'm going like 20mph at the time. I only had about 15 feet to stop, so I rammed into his back tire at about 10-15mph. Instantly potato chip'd my wheel so bad that it won't turn. A guy on the corner offered me a ride home, but I was only like 5 houses away, so I put on the backpack, popped the bike onto it's rear tire (which was, thankfully, unscathed), and walked it home.

*sigh*

So, I am, once again, without an ebike.

[TylerDurden]

Sweet.

Get a couple of 4x4s under it and jump on that sucker. Back true in no time.

[Link]

The picture doesn't really show it, but the disc itself got bent pretty badly. Even if I fix the rim, I'm not going to ride without a front brake. At least it's your everyday 160mm rotor. I can find another for less than $10 no problem.

[ngocthach1130]

Nice...Must be evil Schwinn month, because a few days ago i was riding and when i pedaled and turn the front fender got struck by my foot and was crooked so it rub against the wheel. Normal people stop and adjust it straight, no I am superhuman and i could fix fender, steer, and pedal at the same time. Next time i look up i realized i was on course to hit a parked car at the passenger side(Right) swerve at the last minutes and my left foot clipped the door while my handle bar and left hand clipped the side mirror. Man that hurt, thumb still a bit swollen, hope no fracture. Rode away as fast as i could. Think it was a newer BMW. Don't think i left a scratch or at least a noticeable one. Sorry to that dude.

[Mark_A_W]

Link, did you get the model direct from Goldenmotor?

[Link]

Nope. I got it from ebikes.ca (non-stock item) for like $100 less than I would have if I had got it from Golden Motor. It came with everything except the rim, but I had a spare left from the BD36 anyway.

LOL @ pwnd BMW mirror.

[D-Man]

So what happened to the other guys bike? Was he pissed off?

[Link]

Naw, he was cool. Go figure how I hit him that hard and his bike wasn't damaged.

Really nobody's fault, but we were both going faster than we should have been in a corner.

Weird thing is, I couldn't help but think he looked a lot like my dad, only with greyer hair.


I think I bruised a bone in my finger or something, though. It hurts to bend it and it's swollen kinda bad. Oh well.

[TylerDurden]

I think I bruised a bone in my finger or something, though. It hurts to bend it and it's swollen kinda bad. Oh well.

Betcha a dollar ya cracked it...

[Johnbear]

Hey Link, is that rim double walled?

[Link]

I think I bruised a bone in my finger or something, though. It hurts to bend it and it's swollen kinda bad. Oh well.

Betcha a dollar ya cracked it...

Betcha I didn't and it's healed well enough by Sunday.

Hey Link, is that rim double walled?

The front? I don't think so. It's the stock one that came with the bike. The rear is double walled aluminum alloy; left over from the BD36.


Anyway, I'm sick of having to deal with the backpack thing. I'm thinking of a better way to do this.

1. Cut off the ends of the plastic part to make it flat.
2. Make a durable plastic case for the battery.
3. Stick them together.
4. Slide it onto the metal support when I want to use it and use a wing nut to hold it in place.
5. ???
6. Profit.

The thing will be covered in black canvas to disguise it as a regular pack of whatnot. I also want to make another special connector block so that the pack and the bike can connect through the open end of the square metal tube that makes up the structural part of the seatpost rack.

[Link]

So, anyway, I ordered some ABS plastic off eBay today, along with a heat gun and some 4ga wire for a future build . A coupon that eBay sent me saved me like $30 ($10 off shipping for next three purchases).

I took another look at the wheel, and, unfortunately, it won't do just to bend it back. The seam where the rim was joined has split, and is just being held together by the tire and spokes.

So, I'll have to find a new wheel. Oh well. Least they're fairly cheap.

EDIT: I've been having probs posting vids lately. TEST.



Huh. Works now. That vid is LOL worthy, BTW.

[Link]

Whoa, that was fast. Heat gun and 4ga showed up already. Still have to wait on the ABS. Any tips on bending the stuff? I was gonna just put rig up a simple thing involving a vice and some straight peices of...erm...wood or metal or something.

Also: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT&viewitem=&item=250261054008

is half of the 4ga I got. Unfortunately, it turns out that it's actually copper clad aluminum. Yet this

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT&viewitem=&item=330246856626

stuff (no difference on packaging except for part no.) is solid copper. WTF?

Oh well. It was cheap.

EDIT: Also: Any suggestions for a new kickstand? The one I have now doesn't support the bike when the batteries are on the rack.

[Dee Jay]

Dude . . . that video was fncked-up i gotta admit.

I like it.

I think . .

not sure.

but LOL worthy indeed *when drnuk*, he he!

cheers!
J

[Link]

Heh. Yeah. The vid's title ("Maccaron Chaccaron - Best Song Ever") isn't lying.

Anyway!

The ABS came in today. Unfortunately, I was at work, so I didn't get the chance to do anything with it.

I got six 12" x 12" x 1/8" sheets for $27 shipped. No idea if that's a good deal or not, but here's a link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT&viewitem=&item=280237930368

This stuff is actually made for car audio systems, so it's got a grid and some circular/ovoid patterns on the back. Might come in handy. Also came with a free 350W set of tweeters. Prolly could sell them to recoup a little cost, but I'm too much of a pack-rat.

A pic:



Tomorrow I'll work out a cutting jig for them. I don't have a table/band/scroll saw. Then I have to work out how to bend it without screwing it up. Luckily, I made sure I had more than enough.

Might actually make up a proper bending jig using some toaster/space heater/hairdryer element if this turns out to be useful, which I have a feeling it might (custom battery boxes? I think so). I could vary the temp of it with one of my spare brushed controllers and some batts.

[Link]

Kay, I got around to bending some of the plastic. It's really easy to do, even though I don't have a proper bending jig (the kind that's basically just a flat heating element).



↑ Basically, all I did was sandwich the ABS sheet between a pair of wooden boards. 2x4s would be better because they wouldn't flex so much when clamped, but these work okay, and they have a pretty sharp edge to them. As you can see, I'd already made a successful bend after I took this, though I did burn a bit of the plastic on the inside.



↑ The one on the left was a practice piece to see what sort of radius the plastic wanted to bend at. I got it very close to being a perfect fit, but it was just a little bit too small (by about ¼"). I'll cut it up into pieces I can bend and attach all the parts of the box together with. The second one is pretty much perfect, though one flap is more like 80° than 90. It'll look right once everything is fit together.



↑ This is basically what I'm going for. I still have to add sides and some strips of plastic to hold it together. I'll see how much I can get done today.

The controller will be affixed inside to the inside of it next to the batteries, and I should have room left over for a gutted charger and a BMS.

I had to take a break because they're making me paint some dumb trellis.


On another note: Since working out my own relay-based balancing system for 72V is going to take a while and I want to be able to ride this thing a lot, what's the deal with ebikes.ca's BMSs? It says that it's for a lithium pack, but it's only 13 cells. So it must be for lipo rather than LiFe?

Anywhere to get a good 16-cell LiFePO4 BMS? Preferably one with the LVC done on the cell level, as I'm still worried that a tab on one of the individual cells has broken off and I can't see it.

[Link]

Okay, I only had time to bend one more U-shaped channel, and it was a little too small again, but I didn't get extra for nothing. I'll have to find a supplier for this stuff locally; this is easy and I probably will be doing a lot more of it in the future.

I rolled up into Hombre I mean Home Depot to get some nuts, bolts, and washers, and also ended up walking out with a benchtop drill press. WTF?



Two complaints: The table's locking mechanism (akin to the kind used on a bike's seatpost) doesn't really have a long enough handle, so it's pretty hard to get it stuck in place. I'll probably fix that by cutting it off and working some steel rod in its place.

Second, it has a laser system. My problem isn't the lasers, it's the fact that they run on AA batteries. Bullcrap. This is just cheapness on Ryobi's part; all they had to do was splice a tiny 3V 10mA transformer into the main power line. But, oh well. I can do it myself.

It's definitely not a quality piece of equipment (there are a few much more minor things), but it's worth it for the price. 1/2" chuck, 2-1/2" stroke, 5" throat, 5 speeds, $100. I've been kinda wanting one, so I just broke down and bought it while I was there. I had a hard time resisting the band saw and the scroll saw while I was at it.

[flip_normal]

The controller will be affixed inside to the inside of it next to the batteries, and I should have room left over for a gutted charger and a BMS.

You sure that's a good idea. Won't the extra heat from the controller age the cells quicker? It's not like you gotta worry about cold batts in 'what's-winter-land'.

Sweet bends BTW.