michaelkramer11
1 W
Thanks for the awesome info and updates!
How are you regulating/limiting charge current on those clone meanwells?
How are you regulating/limiting charge current on those clone meanwells?
Yescomusa.com 500 & 1000 watt 48v rear kit review
- Thread starter mcintyretj
- Start date
mcintyretj
100 W
Wesnewell, from what I have read, I should get support/torque arms before I enable regen braking. I have been holding off on the purchase until I have a better bike, mainly because a torque arm is the same price as a used swap meet bike. I think it is time to get some for safety reasons.
My ping battery is still doing well, however, 3 king pan chargers have been burned out charging it. One lasted about 30 charges and the other 2 lasted about 100 charges each.
I have been using 2 of my 3 new cheap power supplies (Mean Well clones) for the last 2 months. So far I am happy with them but they seem to run warm like the Ping chargers.
This 72v power supply is used to bulk charge my 15s (10 or 15ah) lipo pack to 62volts. It gets warm but can charge an empty 15s 10ah pack, 3.6 per cell/54v pack in about 2 hours to 62volts (4.15per cell or so). The battery does not come up to the no load HVC setting, but it comes close, so you have to play with the "v+"adj screw. I have not played the other screw but this power supply seem to have an "i" setting. I have also charged my 14s pack (58v) with no problems. I plan to charge an 18s pack with this power supply when I get set up.
At school, I have been charging the same 15s pack with this power supply:
This does the same full charge in about 75 minutes and does not get as warm. Both have fans that make some noise and adjustments for volts. In addition, i believe, there is and adjustment for current but I have not measured or adjusted it. Also, I always have a volt meter showing so I can monitor the battery while charging
I also have this power supply that I plan to use for a road trip to my brother's house and back home (35 miles each way):
I now own 5 power supplies and they all seem to work well for bulk charging. For all 5 I paid less than $250.00 (including shipping). The max current for each one is well under the C rate of my packs so current limiting is not a problem. Once the preset voltage is reached, the power supply switches off. These are all easy to adjust.
Also this week, I purchased my 3rd tank of gas since August 1st (3.50 /gallon) and drove to work one day. it took me exactly the same time that it take to ride. Hopefully, it will be my last tank of gas for the year.
My ping battery is still doing well, however, 3 king pan chargers have been burned out charging it. One lasted about 30 charges and the other 2 lasted about 100 charges each.
I have been using 2 of my 3 new cheap power supplies (Mean Well clones) for the last 2 months. So far I am happy with them but they seem to run warm like the Ping chargers.
This 72v power supply is used to bulk charge my 15s (10 or 15ah) lipo pack to 62volts. It gets warm but can charge an empty 15s 10ah pack, 3.6 per cell/54v pack in about 2 hours to 62volts (4.15per cell or so). The battery does not come up to the no load HVC setting, but it comes close, so you have to play with the "v+"adj screw. I have not played the other screw but this power supply seem to have an "i" setting. I have also charged my 14s pack (58v) with no problems. I plan to charge an 18s pack with this power supply when I get set up.
At school, I have been charging the same 15s pack with this power supply:
This does the same full charge in about 75 minutes and does not get as warm. Both have fans that make some noise and adjustments for volts. In addition, i believe, there is and adjustment for current but I have not measured or adjusted it. Also, I always have a volt meter showing so I can monitor the battery while charging
I also have this power supply that I plan to use for a road trip to my brother's house and back home (35 miles each way):
I now own 5 power supplies and they all seem to work well for bulk charging. For all 5 I paid less than $250.00 (including shipping). The max current for each one is well under the C rate of my packs so current limiting is not a problem. Once the preset voltage is reached, the power supply switches off. These are all easy to adjust.
Also this week, I purchased my 3rd tank of gas since August 1st (3.50 /gallon) and drove to work one day. it took me exactly the same time that it take to ride. Hopefully, it will be my last tank of gas for the year.
wesnewell
100 GW
Whether or not you need torque arms depends on your installation. I've got over 10,000 miles on mine using regen with 24s lipo and have never used a torque arm. I do have steel dropouts and use a jamnut on the left inside torqued to ~100ft lbs. It has never come loose on 3 bikes I've had the kit on. Reason I started using the jam nut is because I crushed the aluminum spacer.
michaelkramer11
1 W
Man, I didn't realize these cheap(er) clones and an adjustable current limit. Thats AWESOME!!!
mcintyretj
100 W
10,000+ mile update
First, softer brake pads seem to work better at stopping. But what works the best, is taking my thumb off the throttle sooner. I plan to activate regen when I have time. Also had to purchase 2 more tanks of gas due to family outings and commitments.
**********
I have commuted on my bike 75 of 90 school (work) days this semester. Thats about 3,750 miles since August 6th. I also have about 300 around town miles so at least 4k miles on the 1000w motor. This is my total for the year which includes a semester with a 500w motor.
My other (back-up) bike has not moved much and only has a few more mile then it did last year.
View attachment 7
My 48v 15ah Ping has been the work horse for most of these 10,000 miles.
It is still covered with the dollar store bag and a lot of velcro. I have not looked at it since June but I can see the LEDs when it tops out while charging. I have really worked this battery. First, I have used 7 different chargers/power supplies to charge it. At work, students routeenly uplug the extention cord that goes out to my bike chargers so they can plug in their cells phones (we do not have enough outlets for students that have phones to charge at school). Since I am off campus 3 day a week I usually do not find out that my batteries are not charged until school is out. So, I have been using a 7 amp charger for the last three months. Also, I try to stay around 25 mph but I am usually getting a late start so I find myself going full throttle (28-31mph) when on an open bike path for long periods of time so I am exceeding the C rate a lot. I have bottomed the Ping out probably 60 times now and I still get 20 miles at 25 mph on a charge.
My HK, 14s 10 ah lipo pack was used for about 11 months to go over the hill. Maybe 10 to 15 miles a day
This pack weighs about 8 pounds and worked great mounted on a front bag. I was all ready to balance this pack with my home made balancing system but never got the chance becaused it practically stayed perfectly balanced the entire 11 months. It is still balanced but 2 cells on one of the 6s packs started to get lazy and drops to 3.50 volts while the rest of the pack is at 3.65. I over discharged this battery a few times because I got distracted an forgot to switch to the ping, but cells never got below 3.4 volts. I have this pack out of the rotation waiting for when I have time to do some surgery.
My current front bag pack is a 15s 15ah HK lipo pack made up of 6, 6s and 3, 3s cells. I have been using it for a few weeks. This weights 13 pounds and had to be paralleled because 1 of the 6s packs had a lazy cell, and one of the 3s pack had a lazy cell. This pack also stays balanced until the cells drop below 3.7 then the lazy cells (groups) start to drop off much faster so I try to keep from over discharging this pack.
This pack will get me home, 25 miles at 25mph, not at full speed. On cold mornings I get even less miles. Over all, I am very happy with my HK lipos and my Ping.
Lately, I have been using the charger that came with the yescom 1000w kite as a travel charger to charge the Ping
This charger is small, weights only about 2 pounds, is rated at 3 amps, and and seems to handle the bouncing around well. Under load, it tops out at 59.4 then shuts off. I would recommend testing the HVC under load before using it on a pack.
I also use a simple $5.00 house breaker as an on off switch.
I have one mounted next to the controller and just turn it off when charging or connecting batteries. it also works as a curcuit breaker if you ever accidently connect a 15s pack to a 14s pack instead of the controller.
Been using the 60v 10amp power supply this week and will write a review later
First, softer brake pads seem to work better at stopping. But what works the best, is taking my thumb off the throttle sooner. I plan to activate regen when I have time. Also had to purchase 2 more tanks of gas due to family outings and commitments.
**********
I have commuted on my bike 75 of 90 school (work) days this semester. Thats about 3,750 miles since August 6th. I also have about 300 around town miles so at least 4k miles on the 1000w motor. This is my total for the year which includes a semester with a 500w motor.
My other (back-up) bike has not moved much and only has a few more mile then it did last year.
View attachment 7
My 48v 15ah Ping has been the work horse for most of these 10,000 miles.
It is still covered with the dollar store bag and a lot of velcro. I have not looked at it since June but I can see the LEDs when it tops out while charging. I have really worked this battery. First, I have used 7 different chargers/power supplies to charge it. At work, students routeenly uplug the extention cord that goes out to my bike chargers so they can plug in their cells phones (we do not have enough outlets for students that have phones to charge at school). Since I am off campus 3 day a week I usually do not find out that my batteries are not charged until school is out. So, I have been using a 7 amp charger for the last three months. Also, I try to stay around 25 mph but I am usually getting a late start so I find myself going full throttle (28-31mph) when on an open bike path for long periods of time so I am exceeding the C rate a lot. I have bottomed the Ping out probably 60 times now and I still get 20 miles at 25 mph on a charge.
My HK, 14s 10 ah lipo pack was used for about 11 months to go over the hill. Maybe 10 to 15 miles a day
This pack weighs about 8 pounds and worked great mounted on a front bag. I was all ready to balance this pack with my home made balancing system but never got the chance becaused it practically stayed perfectly balanced the entire 11 months. It is still balanced but 2 cells on one of the 6s packs started to get lazy and drops to 3.50 volts while the rest of the pack is at 3.65. I over discharged this battery a few times because I got distracted an forgot to switch to the ping, but cells never got below 3.4 volts. I have this pack out of the rotation waiting for when I have time to do some surgery.
My current front bag pack is a 15s 15ah HK lipo pack made up of 6, 6s and 3, 3s cells. I have been using it for a few weeks. This weights 13 pounds and had to be paralleled because 1 of the 6s packs had a lazy cell, and one of the 3s pack had a lazy cell. This pack also stays balanced until the cells drop below 3.7 then the lazy cells (groups) start to drop off much faster so I try to keep from over discharging this pack.
This pack will get me home, 25 miles at 25mph, not at full speed. On cold mornings I get even less miles. Over all, I am very happy with my HK lipos and my Ping.
Lately, I have been using the charger that came with the yescom 1000w kite as a travel charger to charge the Ping
This charger is small, weights only about 2 pounds, is rated at 3 amps, and and seems to handle the bouncing around well. Under load, it tops out at 59.4 then shuts off. I would recommend testing the HVC under load before using it on a pack.
I also use a simple $5.00 house breaker as an on off switch.
I have one mounted next to the controller and just turn it off when charging or connecting batteries. it also works as a curcuit breaker if you ever accidently connect a 15s pack to a 14s pack instead of the controller.
Been using the 60v 10amp power supply this week and will write a review later
mcintyretj
100 W
Some more on cheap chargers/power supplies:
The JDE S-400-60 power supply has about 75 charges on it and is doing great. It runs just slightly warm and I hope it will last another year.
The JDE S-400-72 power supply is also doing great but runs hot (i almost can't hold my hand on it while it is charging). I do not expect it to last too long but it has about 100 cycles at 58 and 62 hvc.
The GM600-1H (60v 10amp power supply) is still working after 8 half cycles.
The fan to this power supply never turned on, so, I took off the top to the unit and tested the fan with a 12v supply and found the fan did not work. Later, I discovered that the fan was fine but the red wire was open/broken. Replaced both wires, hooked everything back together, started charging my 15s pack, and the fan never turned on. This unit runs too hot to touch so I need to think about how to fix/cool it or it will not last much longer. Right now I use a 12 inch house fan blowing on the top for cooling and it is still running.
View attachment 5
**********
Last year our school custodian was tossing about 30 of these Dell laptop power supplies.
Luckily, she asked me if I wanted any so I took 4 units home. They work great powering a balance charger, and a buck step down 12v to 4.2v charger. Two weeks ago I ordered this unit on ebay.
This is the link to the one I ordered. It cost $18 but if you look around, you can probably get a better deal.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/600W-DC-DC-10-60V-to-12-80V-Boost-Converter-Step-up-Module-Power-Supply-/131021145017#ht_2484wt_1193
This is my set-up.
I have used it to charge all three of my packs (Ping, 14s &15s). I plan to use it at my brother's house so I do not have to carry around a charger. It is easy to adjust the HVC and could be set at 30v or 84v off of 12vdc. I will report more later.
The JDE S-400-60 power supply has about 75 charges on it and is doing great. It runs just slightly warm and I hope it will last another year.
The JDE S-400-72 power supply is also doing great but runs hot (i almost can't hold my hand on it while it is charging). I do not expect it to last too long but it has about 100 cycles at 58 and 62 hvc.
The GM600-1H (60v 10amp power supply) is still working after 8 half cycles.
The fan to this power supply never turned on, so, I took off the top to the unit and tested the fan with a 12v supply and found the fan did not work. Later, I discovered that the fan was fine but the red wire was open/broken. Replaced both wires, hooked everything back together, started charging my 15s pack, and the fan never turned on. This unit runs too hot to touch so I need to think about how to fix/cool it or it will not last much longer. Right now I use a 12 inch house fan blowing on the top for cooling and it is still running.
View attachment 5
**********
Last year our school custodian was tossing about 30 of these Dell laptop power supplies.
Luckily, she asked me if I wanted any so I took 4 units home. They work great powering a balance charger, and a buck step down 12v to 4.2v charger. Two weeks ago I ordered this unit on ebay.
This is the link to the one I ordered. It cost $18 but if you look around, you can probably get a better deal.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/600W-DC-DC-10-60V-to-12-80V-Boost-Converter-Step-up-Module-Power-Supply-/131021145017#ht_2484wt_1193
This is my set-up.
I have used it to charge all three of my packs (Ping, 14s &15s). I plan to use it at my brother's house so I do not have to carry around a charger. It is easy to adjust the HVC and could be set at 30v or 84v off of 12vdc. I will report more later.
GiantEV
100 W
Have you checked for voltage where the fan plugs in to the power supply with a meter?
mcintyretj
100 W
GiantEV, I did not get a reading when I had the case open but it may not have been at the high temperature required to activate the fan. My other 2 power supplies from this manufacturer run hot before the fan turns on. I think the sensor may be broken. My plan is to short the temperature sensor or just hook into a 12v supply on the CB if I can locate it and have the fan on all the time.
mcintyretj
100 W
The charger that came with the 500w kit stopped working earlier this week. I opened it up and checked the fuses and looked for any blown parts or burnt areas but could not find anything obvious.
This charger charged a bottomed out ping batery (48v, 15ah) about 100 times. It shut off around 58.8v so it was not ideal for balancing the pack but it got me home from work everyday (94 times this school year).
The 1000w motor has over 5000 miles and is doing great.
**********
The arctic vortex (and rain) seems to have missed sournthern California this winter so I have been able to commuted by ebike most of January and February.
Do to the dry conditions, there have been a few fires in the valley.
I will be using the charger that came with the 1000w kit at work for now to charge my ping.
This charger charged a bottomed out ping batery (48v, 15ah) about 100 times. It shut off around 58.8v so it was not ideal for balancing the pack but it got me home from work everyday (94 times this school year).
The 1000w motor has over 5000 miles and is doing great.
**********
The arctic vortex (and rain) seems to have missed sournthern California this winter so I have been able to commuted by ebike most of January and February.
Do to the dry conditions, there have been a few fires in the valley.
I will be using the charger that came with the 1000w kit at work for now to charge my ping.
RLD70
100 W
Thats cool having over 5k miles on your bike. I was over 7200 miles when I got hit and the wires were pretty much destroyed coming out of the axle. Good thing I still had 1 of these exact motors left from last year and its the motor being use on my newest build.
mcintyretj
100 W
RLD70, sorry to hear that you got hit. Hope you came out better than the axle. I try to avoid roads with cars as much as possible.
6000 mile update (on the 1000w).
My Ping battery is still doing awesome. I expected it to flame out much sooner because I am exceeding the max Amp output every day. I have bottemed it out about 100 times and also overcharged it a few times up to 61.9 volts by accident when one charger was out. It still gets me 18 miles before I switch batteries every morning. I have also gone down (crashed) twice now and the battery took it fine. My tire did not do as well.
I have commuted 110 (5,500 miles) times this year and still have 32 days left of school. Back to buying one tank of gas a month (Feb & March).
I finally got a flat tire after two years commuting to work with an ebike. This happend because I was lazy and did not true my wheel after my crash. There was some rubbing on each brake because of the wobble. I have a tuffy and an extra tube (just one split open) and 4oz of slime so I have not gotten a flat on my way to work (about 12,000 mile over 2.5 years) but when you cut through the tire there is not much protection. Hopefully, it will be another 2.5 years before I have another flat out riding.
Working on first flat
Waiting at bus stop after 3rd/final flat
Riding the bus to work
Other side of tire. These flats were all caused by the tire rubbing on the brakes and could have been avoided if I was not so lazy and had just looked at the tire/wheel after to bike went down.
**********
Fun with batteries.
Last summer I ordered a few Mikita batteries from DoctorBass. After opening them up, some 11 packs looked like this:
After opening and seperating the cells, I had about 80 good batteries, 15 bad ones, and 10 so so that needed more testing.
I am still working on this pack and will report more later. I learned that soldering is not so easy.
3 packs looked like this:
These packs just looked to tough to get out of the plastic and so I set them away for a few months. They all seemed almost new (19 Volts).
One pack is now a supply (wired to 3s/12.6hvc) to start my car. I have used it 3 times this winter.
View attachment 3
Another pack I mounted to my 19 year old drill with some tape and it has been running fine all winter and may not need a recharge untill summer.
View attachment 2
The other pack in in here:
My students have been working with old laptop batteries. This is one of the projects that we started working on:
This is just a simple power supply for an mp3 player or Android phone (it does not work on my iphone). We use these only at school, but I want to let the students take them home. I may need to add a diode to keep the pack from draining too low. Still working on it.
6000 mile update (on the 1000w).
My Ping battery is still doing awesome. I expected it to flame out much sooner because I am exceeding the max Amp output every day. I have bottemed it out about 100 times and also overcharged it a few times up to 61.9 volts by accident when one charger was out. It still gets me 18 miles before I switch batteries every morning. I have also gone down (crashed) twice now and the battery took it fine. My tire did not do as well.
I have commuted 110 (5,500 miles) times this year and still have 32 days left of school. Back to buying one tank of gas a month (Feb & March).
I finally got a flat tire after two years commuting to work with an ebike. This happend because I was lazy and did not true my wheel after my crash. There was some rubbing on each brake because of the wobble. I have a tuffy and an extra tube (just one split open) and 4oz of slime so I have not gotten a flat on my way to work (about 12,000 mile over 2.5 years) but when you cut through the tire there is not much protection. Hopefully, it will be another 2.5 years before I have another flat out riding.
Working on first flat
Waiting at bus stop after 3rd/final flat
Riding the bus to work
Other side of tire. These flats were all caused by the tire rubbing on the brakes and could have been avoided if I was not so lazy and had just looked at the tire/wheel after to bike went down.
**********
Fun with batteries.
Last summer I ordered a few Mikita batteries from DoctorBass. After opening them up, some 11 packs looked like this:
After opening and seperating the cells, I had about 80 good batteries, 15 bad ones, and 10 so so that needed more testing.
I am still working on this pack and will report more later. I learned that soldering is not so easy.
3 packs looked like this:
These packs just looked to tough to get out of the plastic and so I set them away for a few months. They all seemed almost new (19 Volts).
One pack is now a supply (wired to 3s/12.6hvc) to start my car. I have used it 3 times this winter.
View attachment 3
Another pack I mounted to my 19 year old drill with some tape and it has been running fine all winter and may not need a recharge untill summer.
View attachment 2
The other pack in in here:
My students have been working with old laptop batteries. This is one of the projects that we started working on:
This is just a simple power supply for an mp3 player or Android phone (it does not work on my iphone). We use these only at school, but I want to let the students take them home. I may need to add a diode to keep the pack from draining too low. Still working on it.
z50king
100 mW
I don't know if I posted in here before, but I want to thank you for making this thread. I found it again today after reading through it some time ago. This build was the first one I saw that really made me feel comfortable that I could build an eBike. I am a sub right now looking for my first job teaching math.
Routybouty
100 W
I also would like to say thanks for the review. I ended up buying the same kit and have been loving it so far. I now am infected with this bug and rented eBikes on vacation and am preparing for my second eBike!
On a side note, the iPhone won't start charging until the data lines have 2V (maybe 2.5V, can't remember, probably not that sensitive anyway) or so on them. I found this out when I made a non-working charger and after some research found this out. I just made a couple dividers off the 5V.
On a side note, the iPhone won't start charging until the data lines have 2V (maybe 2.5V, can't remember, probably not that sensitive anyway) or so on them. I found this out when I made a non-working charger and after some research found this out. I just made a couple dividers off the 5V.
mcintyretj
100 W
Routybouty, thanks for the iphone tip. Next year I will look for a usb charging board that has the required volts going to the data wires. half my student have iphones.
z50king, good luck with your career. Hope you catch on with a good school district.
**********
7000+ mile update.
Yesterday was my last day of school until August 4th and my last ebike commute for a while.
I did the 50 miles, 137.5 times this year which is about 6875 total miles, all on the same $30 bike and 1000w motor.
With the 1000w setup, I really enjoyed both my morning and afternoon commute. I could wear pants if was cold (I think it got down to 42 degreesf) and did not worry about the motor burning up riding up the hill. I still peddled when other bikers were around and through town, keeping it aournd 20mph, but when I was on the open road or bike path, I was usually going 30mph. with the 500w motor, I peddled hard both ways and never wore pants.
The Ping battery is still working, howevery a few days after my last post, I went out to get my bike after work and it was only charged to 53.5 volts (not the usual 58 or so). Since it was over 100 degrees f, and the charger was in the sun, I just thought that the charger overheated and shut off. I road home using my 15s, 15ah pack most of the way and the ping for the last 6 or so miles. At home the same thing happened, the ping stalled at 53.5 volts. I took the time to pull it off the bike, open up the bms, and check each cell with a meter. Each cell was at 3.31volts.
View attachment 8
I will send Mr. Ping an email later but I think my bms over heated. I was still getting 16 to 17 miles each morning and hope to use it for my around town bike this summer. It is nice to have a fully charged battery ready to go.
Luckily, last summer I had ordered enough hobbyking 3s packs to make a 15s, 25ah pack . I had to retrieved my retired 14s,10ah pack, replace the 2s packs with 3s packs. I added these to my front 15s, 15ah pack, and mounted it where my ping pack was in the triangle. It took me about 2 hours to get them all balanced to paralle them up.
View attachment 4
This pack weighs about 20 pounds, so I have 10 pounds less battery on the bike and only need one charger. I did not paralle the balance leads because I want to monitor each cell. Also, the pack has not gone below 57 volts or above 62 volts and has stayed well balanced these last 20 days. I put my tools and lock in the front dvd case. My brother gave me a back rack with a track on it for my birthday. I picked up a bag for $7.00 at the goodwill store that had the same track as the rack and use this on the back rack for my work clothes instead of old trader joe bags.
The cheap 10 amp charger with the broken fan has a temorary fix and is working great. I found an old 12v PC fan and an old 12v dc power supply and just took out the fan that now does not work at all, and just mounted the larger PC fan on top with it own power supply.
View attachment 3
This will charge my 25ah pack in about 70 minutes (57v to 62v) so I charge it for 40 minutes to about 59v at night, then plug it in when I wake up, for another 30 minutes or so while I read the paper, and have some coffee. The charger stays cool but the fan power supply does get hot.
**********
My front tire lasted 13 months of so, about 8000 miles and never got a flat, but, with 3 days left of school it looked like this.
You can see the tuffy is not centered, however, I have an extra, split tube wraped around the inner tube so I just plopped it in the new tire which I purchased at the swap meet and tossed out the tuffy which was permanatly shaped like a snake. The tire is the thickest one I could find at 2.125" wide. It cost $10.00.
I will report on the rest of my cheap power supplies later, and also on my home made battery attemps
z50king, good luck with your career. Hope you catch on with a good school district.
**********
7000+ mile update.
Yesterday was my last day of school until August 4th and my last ebike commute for a while.
I did the 50 miles, 137.5 times this year which is about 6875 total miles, all on the same $30 bike and 1000w motor.
With the 1000w setup, I really enjoyed both my morning and afternoon commute. I could wear pants if was cold (I think it got down to 42 degreesf) and did not worry about the motor burning up riding up the hill. I still peddled when other bikers were around and through town, keeping it aournd 20mph, but when I was on the open road or bike path, I was usually going 30mph. with the 500w motor, I peddled hard both ways and never wore pants.
The Ping battery is still working, howevery a few days after my last post, I went out to get my bike after work and it was only charged to 53.5 volts (not the usual 58 or so). Since it was over 100 degrees f, and the charger was in the sun, I just thought that the charger overheated and shut off. I road home using my 15s, 15ah pack most of the way and the ping for the last 6 or so miles. At home the same thing happened, the ping stalled at 53.5 volts. I took the time to pull it off the bike, open up the bms, and check each cell with a meter. Each cell was at 3.31volts.
View attachment 8
I will send Mr. Ping an email later but I think my bms over heated. I was still getting 16 to 17 miles each morning and hope to use it for my around town bike this summer. It is nice to have a fully charged battery ready to go.
Luckily, last summer I had ordered enough hobbyking 3s packs to make a 15s, 25ah pack . I had to retrieved my retired 14s,10ah pack, replace the 2s packs with 3s packs. I added these to my front 15s, 15ah pack, and mounted it where my ping pack was in the triangle. It took me about 2 hours to get them all balanced to paralle them up.
View attachment 4
This pack weighs about 20 pounds, so I have 10 pounds less battery on the bike and only need one charger. I did not paralle the balance leads because I want to monitor each cell. Also, the pack has not gone below 57 volts or above 62 volts and has stayed well balanced these last 20 days. I put my tools and lock in the front dvd case. My brother gave me a back rack with a track on it for my birthday. I picked up a bag for $7.00 at the goodwill store that had the same track as the rack and use this on the back rack for my work clothes instead of old trader joe bags.
The cheap 10 amp charger with the broken fan has a temorary fix and is working great. I found an old 12v PC fan and an old 12v dc power supply and just took out the fan that now does not work at all, and just mounted the larger PC fan on top with it own power supply.
View attachment 3
This will charge my 25ah pack in about 70 minutes (57v to 62v) so I charge it for 40 minutes to about 59v at night, then plug it in when I wake up, for another 30 minutes or so while I read the paper, and have some coffee. The charger stays cool but the fan power supply does get hot.
**********
My front tire lasted 13 months of so, about 8000 miles and never got a flat, but, with 3 days left of school it looked like this.
You can see the tuffy is not centered, however, I have an extra, split tube wraped around the inner tube so I just plopped it in the new tire which I purchased at the swap meet and tossed out the tuffy which was permanatly shaped like a snake. The tire is the thickest one I could find at 2.125" wide. It cost $10.00.
I will report on the rest of my cheap power supplies later, and also on my home made battery attemps
mcintyretj
100 W
OK, Last summer I decided to build my own battery, mainly because I had some free time. I ordered 14 Makita packs from Dr. Bass for practice. If I could make a functioning battery from these, I would later try with some high quality new 18650 cells. 3 of the packs I could not get open but the other 11 packs were easy, and soon had 110 Sony 18650s in a pot in my living room.
I did not do a lot of testing because I only had a volt meter, but I charged each battery to 3.85v (+/- .03) unless it came out of the pack higher, wrote the voltage on the battery, then let it sit for a week or so. The batteries that held their voltage were charged to 4.10v then discharged using a 50w lamp for 3 minutes. I listed sag and starting and ending voltage and picked out the best 80 batteries for my pack. I used 8 buck dc to dc step down converters off of a single dell laptop power supply so I could do 8 batteries at one time.
These cost about a dollar each on ebay.
Then I tried soldering 2 6p sections using some copper strips that were lying around the house.
View attachment 15
A week later the 2 test solder units were at 0.00v I abandoned my idea to solder any 18650 packs. I admit that I do not have the patients to be an expert at soldering, which I think you need to be if you want to solder a pack. I started thinking about getting a spot/battery tab welder.
In January I saw someone on this form was asking about a battery tab welder listed on Alibaba for about $100.00. I did not see any useful responses but it used 250v and I had a spare 240v outlet in my living room.
In early April I decided I needed to finish my pack so I order this battery tab welder which came about 3 weeks later. Shipping was about $60.00
I converted an old 120v extension cord to 240v with a connector form the local hardware store.
View attachment 11
Did some practice welds with some bad cells. They seemed to hold well.
This machine seemed to work fine but it does not have a 60v charger like in the Alibaba add says, it tops out at 15v.
So, I got out my old cells, charged them up, and took off the tabs. and combining sets of 4p. I wrapped tape around each end because some of the cells were beat up and the plastic wrapping was ripped. I did not want shorts. I also hot glued each 4p section before I welded it.
I taped the pack to hold it in place then welded it in the 15s, 4p configuration.
View attachment 2
I finished the pack around midnight, charged it to 62v, then went on short 2.5 mile ride around the neighborhood. It sags quite a bit and gets slightly warm but I am very happy to have completed this project. I think my students could use this machine to make the power supplies. I will try to find the thread on this tab welder and write a review later.
I did not do a lot of testing because I only had a volt meter, but I charged each battery to 3.85v (+/- .03) unless it came out of the pack higher, wrote the voltage on the battery, then let it sit for a week or so. The batteries that held their voltage were charged to 4.10v then discharged using a 50w lamp for 3 minutes. I listed sag and starting and ending voltage and picked out the best 80 batteries for my pack. I used 8 buck dc to dc step down converters off of a single dell laptop power supply so I could do 8 batteries at one time.
These cost about a dollar each on ebay.
Then I tried soldering 2 6p sections using some copper strips that were lying around the house.
View attachment 15
A week later the 2 test solder units were at 0.00v I abandoned my idea to solder any 18650 packs. I admit that I do not have the patients to be an expert at soldering, which I think you need to be if you want to solder a pack. I started thinking about getting a spot/battery tab welder.
In January I saw someone on this form was asking about a battery tab welder listed on Alibaba for about $100.00. I did not see any useful responses but it used 250v and I had a spare 240v outlet in my living room.
In early April I decided I needed to finish my pack so I order this battery tab welder which came about 3 weeks later. Shipping was about $60.00
I converted an old 120v extension cord to 240v with a connector form the local hardware store.
View attachment 11
Did some practice welds with some bad cells. They seemed to hold well.
This machine seemed to work fine but it does not have a 60v charger like in the Alibaba add says, it tops out at 15v.
So, I got out my old cells, charged them up, and took off the tabs. and combining sets of 4p. I wrapped tape around each end because some of the cells were beat up and the plastic wrapping was ripped. I did not want shorts. I also hot glued each 4p section before I welded it.
I taped the pack to hold it in place then welded it in the 15s, 4p configuration.
View attachment 2
I finished the pack around midnight, charged it to 62v, then went on short 2.5 mile ride around the neighborhood. It sags quite a bit and gets slightly warm but I am very happy to have completed this project. I think my students could use this machine to make the power supplies. I will try to find the thread on this tab welder and write a review later.
Kent
1 kW
A wonderful post demonstrating not only-as Wes has been advocating for some time now-that these E-Bay kits not only work and are a great way to get started in e-biking, but also they can give long term performance. It is heart warming to see e-bikes used as daily transport and to really put on the miles.
This thread is a great read and many thanks.
BTW, how have your students reacted to seeing you e-biking everyday and your daily charging sequences? Have they been open minded and curious? You mentioned involving them in some projects.
This thread is a great read and many thanks.
BTW, how have your students reacted to seeing you e-biking everyday and your daily charging sequences? Have they been open minded and curious? You mentioned involving them in some projects.
mcintyretj
100 W
Kent, thanks for the positive review.
I have passed the bus on the way home a few times and impressed a few students. They think I am in great shape. I try to explain about electricity and the hub motor and point to the charger plugged into the bike.
********************
More on these cheap ebay 60v power supplies. This one which I reviewed early is still working great.
It charges my 15s, 25ah HK pack in just over an hour. It has been used for over a year, first on the 14s pack, then 15s, 15ah pack, and now on the 25ah pack probably 150 charges. It cost about $50 on ebay but I have seen them on Aliexpress for around $32.00. Here is a link:
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/400W-60V-6-6A-Single-Output-Switching-power-supply-AC-to-DC-SMPS-CNC/1667637251.html
These do have a fan, but in my classroom, the sound is not noticeable.
To monitor my current commuter pack, I just use a $10.00 battery medic. I usually check it 2 times a week or so when I get home, then check it again when the battery is topped off in the morning. It takes about 2 or 3 minutes to undo the velcro and check every cell. I have not needed to do any manual balancing yet. Here are some photos.
View attachment 4
This is relatively simple. My experience with HK lipos has been good. I have been using them for commuting for 1.5 years with no problems. I use a $3.00 dollar handlebar volt meter and my battery medic to monitor the packs.
********************
Also, I have been subing this summer and now have over 7k commuting miles, about 8k total on the 1000w hub motor.
I transport the charger in the back rack bag protected with 1 inch of foam on the the bottom. I wrap it with my swim trunks and towel because I stop and charge/swim laps at Palm Park pool on the way home.
Been riding my 500w bike this summer with my home made pack and will report more about that later
I have passed the bus on the way home a few times and impressed a few students. They think I am in great shape. I try to explain about electricity and the hub motor and point to the charger plugged into the bike.
********************
More on these cheap ebay 60v power supplies. This one which I reviewed early is still working great.
It charges my 15s, 25ah HK pack in just over an hour. It has been used for over a year, first on the 14s pack, then 15s, 15ah pack, and now on the 25ah pack probably 150 charges. It cost about $50 on ebay but I have seen them on Aliexpress for around $32.00. Here is a link:
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/400W-60V-6-6A-Single-Output-Switching-power-supply-AC-to-DC-SMPS-CNC/1667637251.html
These do have a fan, but in my classroom, the sound is not noticeable.
To monitor my current commuter pack, I just use a $10.00 battery medic. I usually check it 2 times a week or so when I get home, then check it again when the battery is topped off in the morning. It takes about 2 or 3 minutes to undo the velcro and check every cell. I have not needed to do any manual balancing yet. Here are some photos.
View attachment 4
This is relatively simple. My experience with HK lipos has been good. I have been using them for commuting for 1.5 years with no problems. I use a $3.00 dollar handlebar volt meter and my battery medic to monitor the packs.
********************
Also, I have been subing this summer and now have over 7k commuting miles, about 8k total on the 1000w hub motor.
I transport the charger in the back rack bag protected with 1 inch of foam on the the bottom. I wrap it with my swim trunks and towel because I stop and charge/swim laps at Palm Park pool on the way home.
Been riding my 500w bike this summer with my home made pack and will report more about that later
mcintyretj
100 W
2 year, 1100+ mile update on the 48v 15ah Ping battery.
First. the MeanWell SP-320 48 that I used to charge the Ping stopped working. The fuse was burnt so I replaced it, but, when I turned it on, all I got was some smoke. No power to the LED. The cord had been chewed up a bit by our bunny and had been getting hot so I replaced it too, still no power.
View attachment 7
View attachment 6
Still no power, so, I got out my volt meter and started poking around trying to find where I lost power when I shorted the L and N and caused a big spark at the wall socket.
Need to be more focused when poking around a live circuit board.
I tried another charger on the stalled out Ping battery and it charged right up with no problems, I guess it was the charger, not the battery.
Cleaned up the balcony and pulled my 500w bike out and have been riding it almost every day this summer.
After charging the Ping overnight, I put it in the back rack bag and went for a ride to compare how the capacity is to my first rides 2 years ago. It did 30.3 miles with moderate pedaling (mostly when bikers were around) and full throttle about 80% of the time. Very similar to how the battery preformed when I first started using it. This time I did not let it cut off but stopped when it sagged to 42v. I was hitting 28 mph down wind and 23 mph into the wind.
********************
Also, I have about a dozen rides with my home made Dr. Bass Makita pack on the 500w bike. I am monitoring the cells very carefully. They seem to be staying balanced. I pulled off the tape to check how all the tabs were doing and 2 series tabs came off too. I tested all the rest of the tabs and did some extra welds and re-taped the battery but this time I placed mylar film over the tab sides so I can un-tape it with out much damage.
I can reach 30 mph with this pack and have 100 total miles. So far, my longest ride has been around 10 miles. Also, the 500w bike has a lot less drag than the 1000w bike. I can ride the 500w bike like an unpowered bike for long periods. I have lost power about 8 miles from home a few times (before I attached a volt meter to the handlebars) and did not worry about it. The 1000w bike is too much work to ride un-powered.
I have 55 more days until I go back to work. Thinking about making a pack from new, older model, high power 18650 cells
First. the MeanWell SP-320 48 that I used to charge the Ping stopped working. The fuse was burnt so I replaced it, but, when I turned it on, all I got was some smoke. No power to the LED. The cord had been chewed up a bit by our bunny and had been getting hot so I replaced it too, still no power.
View attachment 7
View attachment 6
Still no power, so, I got out my volt meter and started poking around trying to find where I lost power when I shorted the L and N and caused a big spark at the wall socket.
Need to be more focused when poking around a live circuit board.
I tried another charger on the stalled out Ping battery and it charged right up with no problems, I guess it was the charger, not the battery.
Cleaned up the balcony and pulled my 500w bike out and have been riding it almost every day this summer.
After charging the Ping overnight, I put it in the back rack bag and went for a ride to compare how the capacity is to my first rides 2 years ago. It did 30.3 miles with moderate pedaling (mostly when bikers were around) and full throttle about 80% of the time. Very similar to how the battery preformed when I first started using it. This time I did not let it cut off but stopped when it sagged to 42v. I was hitting 28 mph down wind and 23 mph into the wind.
********************
Also, I have about a dozen rides with my home made Dr. Bass Makita pack on the 500w bike. I am monitoring the cells very carefully. They seem to be staying balanced. I pulled off the tape to check how all the tabs were doing and 2 series tabs came off too. I tested all the rest of the tabs and did some extra welds and re-taped the battery but this time I placed mylar film over the tab sides so I can un-tape it with out much damage.
I can reach 30 mph with this pack and have 100 total miles. So far, my longest ride has been around 10 miles. Also, the 500w bike has a lot less drag than the 1000w bike. I can ride the 500w bike like an unpowered bike for long periods. I have lost power about 8 miles from home a few times (before I attached a volt meter to the handlebars) and did not worry about it. The 1000w bike is too much work to ride un-powered.
I have 55 more days until I go back to work. Thinking about making a pack from new, older model, high power 18650 cells
crezzy2k1
1 W
mcintyretj said:
I know what you mean about the drag. I went from a yescom 500w to Clyte 3540 and my oh my did i notice that when trying to peddle around without power. Currently my 500W motor has been left to sit for the past 9 months or so, after reading this thread i think i should go get it out and build me up another ebike that can actually be peddled
Thanks for the inspiration man.
windtrader
1 kW
Just wanted to say THANKS for this excellent post. You have done an amazing job at chronicling your entire ebike experience. Of particular value to me is the incredible mileage you log and the consistent durability reporting over two years, racking up many thousands of miles.
mcintyretj
100 W
Thanks windtrader and crezzy2k1 for the positive reviews.
I have close to 300 miles on my Dr. Bass Makita pack and it is still getting me up to 10 miles with peddling. I charge it to 62v with my ebay converter (1.5amps) and have not needed to do any manual balancing since I stopped using the 600w, 10amp charger. It does get warm when riding hard, but nothing to concern me yet.
View attachment 11
Also, After 300 miles I took off the tape and checked the tabs for signs of arcing and used a plastic fork to pull on the tabs. they are all good.
View attachment 9
**********
Finally had to charge my 20 year old drill with the Makita pack from Dr. Bass when it dipped to 17.5v. This charge lasted more than 4 months and many projects. Here I am charging it with the ebay dc to dc converter. My helper is keeping an eye on it.
Also, jumped started my car for the 10th time with this pack. I took one Makita pack out of my scuba light so now I can parallel them. This alone has been worth the money for these packs.
I just use 3s of each pack..
**********
In addition, I noticed that my throttle on the 500w (2 year old) bike was not consistently hitting top speed or wide open and then stopped at about 80% for the last few rides. Even wiggling and playing with it did not work anymore so I took the throttle off the bike and opened it up.
View attachment 4
I could not find anything sticking or obvious problems so I just slapped it back together and put it back on the bike. Luckily, before I plugged the battery in I pressed the red button to shut the throttle off. When I unpressed the red button, the tire took off at full speed. I did not pay enough attention to getting it back together right. So, I had to open it up again and figure out how this throttle works. I think the piece with the red and blue wire was not in the right spot when I clicked it back together. After playing with it I got it working correctly but still seems only at about 80% or so. I also called yescomusa to order a new throttle but they were out of stock. I will probably check out ebay for a similar throttle. Also, I plan to add the shutoff brakes that came with the bike as soon as possible. This throttle could fail to the wide open/full on position if abused.
**********
Still have a spare 500w kit at my brothers house that has been sitting for more than a year.
View attachment 3
So, last Sunday, when I was out riding, I stopped by the GW swapmeet and found a bike for $20 and rode it back to his house.
I plan to use the Ping 48v, 15ah batery and set my sister up with a bike. Her commute is about 15 miles. She lives in northern California.
I also ordered 200 18650s and plan a 12p, 15s build. I will report on that if I finish.
I have close to 300 miles on my Dr. Bass Makita pack and it is still getting me up to 10 miles with peddling. I charge it to 62v with my ebay converter (1.5amps) and have not needed to do any manual balancing since I stopped using the 600w, 10amp charger. It does get warm when riding hard, but nothing to concern me yet.
View attachment 11
Also, After 300 miles I took off the tape and checked the tabs for signs of arcing and used a plastic fork to pull on the tabs. they are all good.
View attachment 9
**********
Finally had to charge my 20 year old drill with the Makita pack from Dr. Bass when it dipped to 17.5v. This charge lasted more than 4 months and many projects. Here I am charging it with the ebay dc to dc converter. My helper is keeping an eye on it.
Also, jumped started my car for the 10th time with this pack. I took one Makita pack out of my scuba light so now I can parallel them. This alone has been worth the money for these packs.
I just use 3s of each pack..
**********
In addition, I noticed that my throttle on the 500w (2 year old) bike was not consistently hitting top speed or wide open and then stopped at about 80% for the last few rides. Even wiggling and playing with it did not work anymore so I took the throttle off the bike and opened it up.
View attachment 4
I could not find anything sticking or obvious problems so I just slapped it back together and put it back on the bike. Luckily, before I plugged the battery in I pressed the red button to shut the throttle off. When I unpressed the red button, the tire took off at full speed. I did not pay enough attention to getting it back together right. So, I had to open it up again and figure out how this throttle works. I think the piece with the red and blue wire was not in the right spot when I clicked it back together. After playing with it I got it working correctly but still seems only at about 80% or so. I also called yescomusa to order a new throttle but they were out of stock. I will probably check out ebay for a similar throttle. Also, I plan to add the shutoff brakes that came with the bike as soon as possible. This throttle could fail to the wide open/full on position if abused.
**********
Still have a spare 500w kit at my brothers house that has been sitting for more than a year.
View attachment 3
So, last Sunday, when I was out riding, I stopped by the GW swapmeet and found a bike for $20 and rode it back to his house.
I plan to use the Ping 48v, 15ah batery and set my sister up with a bike. Her commute is about 15 miles. She lives in northern California.
I also ordered 200 18650s and plan a 12p, 15s build. I will report on that if I finish.
z50king
100 mW
Where is that swap meet? I have never been to a swap meet here. Are there many cheap bikes like that? Did you teach summer school?
I was hoping to start my project this summer but I taught geometry recovery and it was difficult. I got a part time position for the school year but I have a carpool for the 35 mile trip.
I was hoping to start my project this summer but I taught geometry recovery and it was difficult. I got a part time position for the school year but I have a carpool for the 35 mile trip.
mcintyretj
100 W
z50king, the best swap meet to get cheap bikes is Golden West College in Huntington Beach and It seems to be open every weekend. During the week, I have been to the Vineland swap meet in La Puente. Sometimes they want $150.00 for a beat up bike that is $99.00 new at Walmart so you need to ask and bargain with the vendors.
*********
1000w update:
I started work this week and commuted 5 days, another 250 miles on the 1000w bike and all is good. I plan to commute this year with the same setup as ended with last year until I finish my new battery pack. Here is my current ride:
In May, my 1000w throttle started to get loose and I needed to push it in toward the center to keep it engaged. The only thing holding it on was my grip.This throttle was used on this bike for 7 months with the 500w motor and over a year with the 1000w setup (about 12000 miles+). Also, this summer, my 500w bike's throttle starting to get stuck and only had about 80% power at full throttle. This throttle had about 5000 miles but was over 2 years old. So, in June I emailed yescom to see when they would have 48v throttles in stock. They gave me the email of their supplier, and I was able to order 2 new throttles $30.00 shipped.
After my 2nd day of commuting, I decided to not be lazy and put on one of the new throttles. It is almost as much work as changing a flat tire, especially if you have as much tape and ties as I have.
The new throttle is working great and I was able to hit 36mph on my first run. I was only getting about 33mph with the old throttle and that was with a lot of wiggling. The 500w bike still needs a new throttle but I am happy with the 25mph i get the the Makita pack.
**********
Since Febuary, I have been purchasing 1 tank of gas a month. However, I was able to skip June because I took my car to the shop. For the last 2 years I could hear my bearings going bad. Now it was so loud I could not hear a radio (if mine worked). I still need a car to transport my kids.
***********
In June I purchased 200 new 18650 cells rated up to 10amps and 2.2ah. My plan was to build a simple 12p 15s battery pack using my cheap tab welder. Here is my basic idea:
Like the Makita pack I managed to assembled in May, I wanted to tape the ends and glue the 12p sections together with hot glue. I also wanted a triangle shaped pack. I figured that if I went slow, I would not over heat the welder.
However, one day I got over ambitious, did about 500 welds at full power in under an hour, and the welder stopped working.
I did a little poking around inside the unit an did not see something easy to fix. I did try to solder one string of 6 with my 45w iron, but decided to wait until I have a working spot welder to finish the pack. Soldering is too much work. I will probably have to build a spot welder but could use the transformer from this welder (if I can't fix it) and most of the electronics.
These 200 18650s cost about $750.00, almost the same as a similar Hobby King turnigy Lipo pack but will be smaller, lighter and easier to manage. Here is the unfinished pack next to a HK pack.
Just finished checking my current pack and tightening the water bottle screws.
When I finish the new pack and test it out I will report back. I also purchased a watt/amp meter so I have more details on the cheap server/LED power supply chargers.
*********
1000w update:
I started work this week and commuted 5 days, another 250 miles on the 1000w bike and all is good. I plan to commute this year with the same setup as ended with last year until I finish my new battery pack. Here is my current ride:
In May, my 1000w throttle started to get loose and I needed to push it in toward the center to keep it engaged. The only thing holding it on was my grip.This throttle was used on this bike for 7 months with the 500w motor and over a year with the 1000w setup (about 12000 miles+). Also, this summer, my 500w bike's throttle starting to get stuck and only had about 80% power at full throttle. This throttle had about 5000 miles but was over 2 years old. So, in June I emailed yescom to see when they would have 48v throttles in stock. They gave me the email of their supplier, and I was able to order 2 new throttles $30.00 shipped.
After my 2nd day of commuting, I decided to not be lazy and put on one of the new throttles. It is almost as much work as changing a flat tire, especially if you have as much tape and ties as I have.
The new throttle is working great and I was able to hit 36mph on my first run. I was only getting about 33mph with the old throttle and that was with a lot of wiggling. The 500w bike still needs a new throttle but I am happy with the 25mph i get the the Makita pack.
**********
Since Febuary, I have been purchasing 1 tank of gas a month. However, I was able to skip June because I took my car to the shop. For the last 2 years I could hear my bearings going bad. Now it was so loud I could not hear a radio (if mine worked). I still need a car to transport my kids.
***********
In June I purchased 200 new 18650 cells rated up to 10amps and 2.2ah. My plan was to build a simple 12p 15s battery pack using my cheap tab welder. Here is my basic idea:
Like the Makita pack I managed to assembled in May, I wanted to tape the ends and glue the 12p sections together with hot glue. I also wanted a triangle shaped pack. I figured that if I went slow, I would not over heat the welder.
However, one day I got over ambitious, did about 500 welds at full power in under an hour, and the welder stopped working.
I did a little poking around inside the unit an did not see something easy to fix. I did try to solder one string of 6 with my 45w iron, but decided to wait until I have a working spot welder to finish the pack. Soldering is too much work. I will probably have to build a spot welder but could use the transformer from this welder (if I can't fix it) and most of the electronics.
These 200 18650s cost about $750.00, almost the same as a similar Hobby King turnigy Lipo pack but will be smaller, lighter and easier to manage. Here is the unfinished pack next to a HK pack.
Just finished checking my current pack and tightening the water bottle screws.
When I finish the new pack and test it out I will report back. I also purchased a watt/amp meter so I have more details on the cheap server/LED power supply chargers.
windtrader
1 kW
That is a LOT of battery welding. Did you ever consider something like the headway batteries that have threaded posts and the connector plates all ready to bolt together? Seems like it would make assembly a lot easier and they seem like one can configure as powerful pack as needed. Not sure how weight and cost compare but sure seems less work and won't be blowing up spot welders. :wink:
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