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Today, finally, I have officially joined the ranks of PEV’rs. I finished my 1st e-bike today, built using a “Golden Motorâ€￾ front wheel, a 48v/25a controller from a Panterra scooter, and 48v/7ah generic SLAs. I got the wheel (along with a fried controller and broken-case 36v charger) on ebay.
The cable to the wheel was severed, so I made wiring harness to carry the hall sensors, throttle, and power leads to the back, using 10ga on the power lines to reduce resistance. Got a box of (4) throttles on ebay for dirt cheap – they allegedly have cracks, but I can’t see them and the quality is way better than the Panterra throttles. The harness terminates into a 12 –cable block for quick connect/disconnect. Everything is nicely soldered and shrinkwrapped (which I will shrink tomorrow, now that I know everying works.
On the battery side, I built a little power box with two 50v/50a breakers and dual-path rocker switch . I originally planned at running at 72v and I couldn’t find a DC breaker rated for it, so two breakers was the only way to get there – plus I figured if I ever ran dual 48v packs this would come in handy. Picked up a pair of heavy-duty Andersons at a local swap meet today and did the worst soldering job of my life connecting them – my cheapo soldering iron wasn’t up to the task.
I mounted it all on a Huffy “Santa Feâ€￾ single speed cruiser ($79.99 at the k-mart), with a Bell padded seat and a 50 lb capacity rear rack. I velcro’d some LED ‘Finger Lights’ cause they last a long time I get them 2 for a dollar. I expected the SLA battery bag to be a problem but 3 bungi cords really locked it down. The batterys have been used intermittently on another project over the past month, I should have charged them but I couldn’t wait…
So I took the picture below and then went for her maiden voyage! The torque was better than I feared, pretty moped-like. Speed on level ground was faster than the bike could pedal and about as fast as I am comfortable going. My street has a short steep valley in it, I used it to rush down one side and let momentum carry me up the other side side with minimal pedaling. I rode a mile or two or three (time flies when you are having fun!) before I felt the batteries going soft, torque dropping off, probably killed it on the hills.
Braking might be a problem. I like coaster brakes (loved to kick the back end out on my Ralieghs when I was boy, long long ago) and bought the huffy because it has one. The build quality is on par for an $80 bike, and the coaster brake is not up to me, the motor, and the batteries – but it keeps me looking ahead.
When I got back I was surprised to find that my legs were TIRED. I don’t really remember pedaling, but I must have, and frankly I haven’t ridden a bike for a decade or so. Put the batteries on the charger, tomorrow (after shrinkwrapping) I’ll try riding my route to work and see if the SLAs can take it. When I get a better handle on my wants and needs, I’ll start designing my next one around the xlyte 408/4011 dual motor I just came across. For a technical exploration though, this bike is a 100% success.
147.91 Used Goldenmoter package + shipping
28.00 (4) 7ah SLAs at local swap meet
86.59 Huffy 'Santa Fe' comfort cruiser
27.05 Bell gel seat
48.70 50 lb rear rack
=====
338.25
I also proved out my second theory – that an ebike could be done cheap. I did not include the little bits I bought – breakers, project box, wire, shrinkwrap, etc, which probably brings the final total up to $400. OTOH, I was eager and in a hurry, if I had been shopping carefully/used I bet I could have knocked $75-$100 off the price. Funny that the quality seat and rack cost almost as much as the bike.
Anyhow – I am hooked!
John
The cable to the wheel was severed, so I made wiring harness to carry the hall sensors, throttle, and power leads to the back, using 10ga on the power lines to reduce resistance. Got a box of (4) throttles on ebay for dirt cheap – they allegedly have cracks, but I can’t see them and the quality is way better than the Panterra throttles. The harness terminates into a 12 –cable block for quick connect/disconnect. Everything is nicely soldered and shrinkwrapped (which I will shrink tomorrow, now that I know everying works.
On the battery side, I built a little power box with two 50v/50a breakers and dual-path rocker switch . I originally planned at running at 72v and I couldn’t find a DC breaker rated for it, so two breakers was the only way to get there – plus I figured if I ever ran dual 48v packs this would come in handy. Picked up a pair of heavy-duty Andersons at a local swap meet today and did the worst soldering job of my life connecting them – my cheapo soldering iron wasn’t up to the task.
I mounted it all on a Huffy “Santa Feâ€￾ single speed cruiser ($79.99 at the k-mart), with a Bell padded seat and a 50 lb capacity rear rack. I velcro’d some LED ‘Finger Lights’ cause they last a long time I get them 2 for a dollar. I expected the SLA battery bag to be a problem but 3 bungi cords really locked it down. The batterys have been used intermittently on another project over the past month, I should have charged them but I couldn’t wait…
So I took the picture below and then went for her maiden voyage! The torque was better than I feared, pretty moped-like. Speed on level ground was faster than the bike could pedal and about as fast as I am comfortable going. My street has a short steep valley in it, I used it to rush down one side and let momentum carry me up the other side side with minimal pedaling. I rode a mile or two or three (time flies when you are having fun!) before I felt the batteries going soft, torque dropping off, probably killed it on the hills.
Braking might be a problem. I like coaster brakes (loved to kick the back end out on my Ralieghs when I was boy, long long ago) and bought the huffy because it has one. The build quality is on par for an $80 bike, and the coaster brake is not up to me, the motor, and the batteries – but it keeps me looking ahead.
When I got back I was surprised to find that my legs were TIRED. I don’t really remember pedaling, but I must have, and frankly I haven’t ridden a bike for a decade or so. Put the batteries on the charger, tomorrow (after shrinkwrapping) I’ll try riding my route to work and see if the SLAs can take it. When I get a better handle on my wants and needs, I’ll start designing my next one around the xlyte 408/4011 dual motor I just came across. For a technical exploration though, this bike is a 100% success.
147.91 Used Goldenmoter package + shipping
28.00 (4) 7ah SLAs at local swap meet
86.59 Huffy 'Santa Fe' comfort cruiser
27.05 Bell gel seat
48.70 50 lb rear rack
=====
338.25
I also proved out my second theory – that an ebike could be done cheap. I did not include the little bits I bought – breakers, project box, wire, shrinkwrap, etc, which probably brings the final total up to $400. OTOH, I was eager and in a hurry, if I had been shopping carefully/used I bet I could have knocked $75-$100 off the price. Funny that the quality seat and rack cost almost as much as the bike.
Anyhow – I am hooked!
John
