Requesting Help for Setting up First eBike - EM3ev

[JoaqThroughRivers]

Hello all, I bought the Geared, 10T upgraded kit from EM3ev along with a 9 FET controller, 18.5Ah 50V Triangular battery, Cycleanalyst v3, rear torque arm, and battery charger.

I am moderately competent at messing around with both mechanics and electronics, but I want to make sure that I set up my bike correctly, so that it is safe to ride and the electronics are well protected.

Any leads to answers would be great!
Maybe there's a resource where I could find this information without having to ask? I searched the forums, wiki, google, and youtube to no avail.

My first question is about the 2 axle washers with a center the same shape as the axle; ellipse with parallel, squared inner edges and protruding pieces at an angle. Do these washers go on first, and with the 'hooks' facing toward the hub? Or am I completely wrong?

Second question is about the normal washers; are these just spacers that go on the hub side of the dropouts?

Third Question is about putting the motors wires into the white connector brick. Then how to hook up the wires between the electronics, controller, motor, and battery. I was ignorant and tried to connect the battery to the controller, I received a quick spark when completing the circuit, and immediately backed off, and am temporarily declaring defeat. I hope and think that I didn't damage either piece. I am pretty clueless when it comes to this, but I imagine once I'm told how to do it, it will become obvious.

Thank you for providing any information.

 

[hjns]

Hi there,

I usually get a spark when connecting my battery to the controller. What happens is that the capacitors in the controller get charged very quickly when you connect the battery. This will create the spark.

There are ways to get rid of the spark. One way is to first connect the battery using an inline resistor. This will effectively slow down the current, eliminating the spark. After that, the resistor is bypassed, by connecting the main connector in parallel. Another way would be to add a high current high voltage inline circuit breaker. However, these are quite costly.

In your case, I would do the following to get started with your bike:

• put your bike on it's head, remove the rear wheel, add the new rear wheel with the hubmotor with the torque arm, but do not connect the chain. Do not attach the controller/throttle/battery onto your bike.
• From inside out, you should have the motor, (a washer if needed), the dropouts, the washer with the protruding pieces going inside the dropout towards the motor, the torque arm, (another flat washer if available), and then the bolt.
• connect the motor to the controller, connect the throttle to the controller, connect the battery to the controller.
• try and see if things work. If not, stop here and ask for advice.

Why don't you make some pics of your setup? Then more experienced ES members can try and guide you through the process.

 

[JoaqThroughRivers]

Thanks for the reply hjns,

Glad to hear that the spark is normal.

I put the wheel on my bike, without the chain around the axle.
I already put the Throttle, CA, Controller and Battery onto my bike. They are all connected to the controller, and the controller is connected to the battery and motor. It doesn't work so far, and I'm taking it slow as I don't want to ruin anything. Would I be better off testing without them attached?

Picture of overall setup


Handlebar setup


CA -> Throttle connection


Axle, motor-side - Are the washers and everything in the right place?


Axle, Torque arm, drive-side - Is this how the torque arm should be set up, then hose clamps on the bottom part of the rear fork?


Battery -> Controller connection


Motor -> Controller connection; What is to be done with the bundle of heat-shrink wrapped wires?


Uknown Connectors Picture #1


Unknown Connectors Picture #2


Battery is still wrapped in the foam+tape that it came in. Should this be removed completely? I am not sure if it's supposed to be there as protection or not.


I know it's a ton of pictures, but I hope they help show the troubles that I am having.

 

[dnmun]

the reason it is not turning is because that washer with the tab is jamming the motor to the frame. it is supposed to be on the outside of the dropout and the tab sits in the dropout slot. there should be a washer between the dropout and the motor but it looks like you have it on the outside. you don't really need the washer with the tab if you use a torque arm. that washer with the tab is what passes for a torque arm in china.

you should be able to download the pictures directly so they appear in your thread.

go <upload attachment>, then <choose file> which should allow you to go your disk and find the picture, then 'open' the picture and then <add file>

 

[JoaqThroughRivers]

@dnmun, Thanks for the response.
The wheel is turning, but power isn't being supplied throughout, as the CA, Throttle, and battery are all connected to the controller, but the CA isn't turning on, and the Throttle doesn't do anything, yet...
I was wondering if that's what those washers were meant for, thank you for the confirmation.
Even though it may be un-needed, should I put the those washers with tabs on the outside of the dropout, or are they better left off?
Is that Torque arm set up alright? I have seen other pictures where it goes against the upper arm of the fork instead of the lower, but my situation didn't seem to work like that.
That is how I added the pictures. The first 2 or 3 I did individually, and then I found out you could bulk add, and the rest just showed up as links when I used Insert in-line with text.

 

[footloose]

Motor -> Controller connection; What is to be done with the bundle of heat-shrink wrapped wires?

Joaq,

The bundle of wires may be source of problem.

They are the connector wires for the motor's Hall sensors and temperature sensor.
Hall sensors in the motor are what tell your controller exact position of rotor, and enable the controller to send power pulses correctly to the motor.
Without them connected, the controller is essentially blind -- it doesn't see the motor correctly.

If I recall correctly, this is what you need to do.
Cut the black shrink wrap carefully off the bundle.
You'll have 7 wires.
The red and black are irrelevant -- they are for the temp sensor, which isn't really required.
The other 5 are the Hall wires. Each will have a pin connector soldered to the end.
Supplied with your kit should be an empty connector shell.
Insert each Hall wire into that connector shell, with colors matching the position of the corresponding wires in the matching connector shell that goes to the controller.
It's a bit fiddly, but you basically just insert them carefully until you feel them click into place in the empty shell. If you can pull them out easily, they aren't fully seated. If they want to stay in the connector shell, they are fully seated.

Then plug the two mating connector shells together, completing the Hall circuits.

Hope this solves your problem!

(I'm working from memory here, without bike in front of me, so if anybody thinks I've got something wrong, please chime in.)

 

[rogerc]

I got the same kit and put it together during the last 2 weeks, riding it now and it is great.
Take your time, I am just barely an average mechanic and got it together with trial and error and patience.
First you should look at this link it is a picture of all the wiring hook ups supplied by Cellman at em3.
http://sdrv.ms/ZRR54z

Review it and it will become clear.
As far as putting everything together I did the following.
After getting the hub motor sides put on (directions are in the kit) took me less than 5 minutes.
Get you rear wheel (assuming you have a rear drive hubmotor) on the bike and make sure it clears the brake caliber, and it is straight and spins like it should.
This took me 2 days because I was having so much trouble with the clearing the brake caliber I had to use trial and error with washers to get it to clear, make the wheel spin right etc. It is all trial and error.
Once done with getting the back wheel on take it for a ride, check the brakes, gear shifiting, everything. This stage took me the longest since I had to keep trying different combos of washers to get the exact fit. This test fit is critical. Keep working to get it right before doing any wiring.
Once you are happy with that start with the electronics.
Make sure your battery is charged fully and start with putting the electronics together.
If you bought everything from cellman he will have it set up so that only the right connections will fit together.
I noticed you did not mention the ignition switch. It is the one with the red slider and green button. Labeled number 4 in the picture link above.
You have to have everything hooked up and turn that on to get any power (slide the red slider up for power). The CA will light up and when you have power.
Is it on at all?
Secure your bike and do a test fit of all your electronics, the CA etc. Hook up battery and test, test, test.
When all that works 100% install on bike.
Keep asking questions and you'll get it. If it was not for this forum and a lot of help from all the great people here I would still be trying to get it to run.
Also be careful and when you first turn it on. It has a lot of torque and will take off on you.

Also take the wraping off of the battery.
RC

 

[Chrome Dome]

Hey JoaqThroughRivers,
Once you get your bike going we should meet halfway in between like Salem or something and race . I got the same kit as you but with the 8T motor and used my RC Helicopter batteries. I love it for commuting back and forth to work.

 

[JoaqThroughRivers]

@footloose,
I see! Thank you. The bundle of wires is important, hah. I wasn't sure what was to be done with them, but it totally makes sense because of the empty connector shell supplied. I ended up taking off the heat shrink wrap, and putting the shell on, and then realizing.... "Doh! I haven't changed the position of the washers."
I tried to take them off without the heat shrink, and 'bam!' Of course I am not being super careful and one of the pin connectors falls off. Thanks to the soldering iron a friend left here, I was able to peel a bit of the wire connector off, and reheat the solder and put the wire in. Then I re-heat shrinked it and went to town.
Now that's all solved.

I only have 6 wires in the bundle. The red and black happen to go hand in hand with the red in black in the hall female I'm connecting to, so either I'm connecting to the wrong female, or it's a different wire setup. Can anyone confirm this?

The white one is the last one, which in Cellman's guide, says it's the temperature sensor wire. This White Temperature wire happens to only be left to a connection in the shell that would connect to a thicker Yellow wire. Any ideas?

@rogerc,
Thank you as well. I have been reviewing the guide with the wiring hookups recently.
It seems that you didn't see the pictures because you are "assuming" that I have a rear drive hubmotor, which I do. Nice guess?
I can't yet ride and check gear shifting as I just ordered a 7spd freewheel, so I am trying to have the electric only part work before it gets here, hopefully. Great advice though, and I would do this if I had a freewheel.
Really, you need that thing with the red slider and green button on your handlebars too!? Okay, I thought the ignition switch was actually what it says: A light and horn operator, if you were to hook those up. That got the best of me.

Wrapping now off of the battery, thanks.

I am a few steps closer now, thank you all! I believe I am only a few steps away... Or so I hope.
I'm going to charge the battery (I believe he mentioned that they come precharged) and see if that solves it, for my next step in this quest.

 

[JoaqThroughRivers]

@ChromeDome
When (if) I get this electric bike working, and have a break during my schedule, a race sounds great. What town do you live in? I have a friend in Corvallis, and if you're closer to there, I could ride up there and race you, and crash at his house.