Kelly KEB72121E variable regen

[zro-1]

Hey people! First let me say I've been lurking here for a while just reading all the back topics and getting up to speed on some stuff. I want to thank all of you here for the amazing amount of knowledge and experience on this forum. I am blown away by the depth of skill and wisdom here.

I have a pretty simple topic; it may have been discussed in a tangent of other threads, but I've been having trouble finding it.

A little background:
I have been building ICE motorcycles at a personal/non-production level for the last 12-15 years. And now I am in the very early stages of planning out my first eBike/eCycle. I am leaning towards a light motorcycle or "scooter" class of vehicle. I will be building the frame from scratch. It will have all the proper trim to make it road legal but not necessarily highway legal (like many scooters). It won't have pedals (sorry die-hard eBikers). As for brakes I'm looking at dual caliper rotors on the front and regen/e-brake for the rear via foot lever.

For the controller I have been looking at kelly controllers (particularly the KEB72121E) for a number of reasons.

1. it can handle the voltage and amperage I think I'll need for this build
2. it has all the monitoring I think I'll need for this build
3. it has 3-mode regen
   1. no-throttle auto
   2. brake switch
   3. 0-5V variable
4. it costs way less than a sevcon
5. it is PC programmable and doesn't need a $900 interface to do so

I am interested in the 0-5V (analog input) variable regen for the e-brake. My idea is to purchase a 0-5 kOhm potbox lever throttle and link it to a foot lever on the right peg to function as a "standard layout" motorcycle rear brake. I'd be using a heavy progressive spring on the foot lever to provide tactile feedback about pressure being applied.

One concern I have is that the potbox throttles I've seen are two wire – as opposed to the 0-5 kOhm twist grip (magura) which is a 3-wire. Do you know why there's a wire missing on the potbox versus the twist?

Do you think that e-braking is equivalent to caliper braking on a rear-wheel? (again I'll have dual rotors up front) I've read several people mention that on their bikes they hardly touch the brakes at all and rely mostly on regen.

Thanks for your input and feedback. I appreciate it.

 

[vax]

Its easier to glue a small magnet to the brake pedal and use hall sensor. Also you need brake switch, because Kelly-s regen is toggled by switch even if you use variable regen by pot or hall.
And yes, kellys regen works quite well and can be used as brake substitute. But - what does your local law say - for example in EU you have to have mechanical brakes.

 

[Arlo1]

Cool. IM building a YSR50 and a 1987 CBR250r both electric and they will have variable Regen. The ysr has a drum rear brake and all I will do is leave it loose then the re-gen will come on first but in the event the re-gen fails the drum rear brake will still be there.

 

[zro-1]

@vax: that's a good idea! I'll have to look into using a hall sensor.

I know the US is easier to get a vehicle registered than other countries but I have to do more research regarding the ability to have just e-brake on one wheel and mechanical on the other. I'll be sure to share what I find out on here.

 

[zro-1]

@Arlo1: I had an 87 cbr250 too. That was my second bike when I was growing up. It'll be cool to see one reborn as an electric. I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for the build thread