cheap and cheerful power powabyke

hi I am sure everyone has to start somewhere but after searching your site i am starting lower than most!
I collected my first byke a few weeks ago a powabyke euro 24 speed with 3 dead batts and no charger buckled wheels and really odd seat position most of this is now corrected including a minor upgrade to 48v with sla batt's so weight is apparent it now pulls ok up to 18mph by my sat nav on my nokia so it should be somewhere near that hopefully.

i did about 8 miles today and still managed 15 mph on the way back so range isn't bad,and then i see a post saying someone gets 29 odd mph with the same configuration but an aftermarket controller,and i feel a bit miffed if it is possible that easy.

is it that easy ?
what controller do you suggest to get more speed ?
is this likely to be 29mph for 2 miles and pedal back ?
i am planning on replacing my brushes as the bike has seen some real action and will be seeing plenty more can i see any improvements from advancing the brushes on the commutator whilst i am fitting them ?


I will no doubt sell this bike once it is going as good as it can to try and finance something a bit more lively,is there a a no frills way of getting a full suspension gt up to 30+ ( i am getting a ping vibe on most threads and will no doubt go with this unless there is another cheaper way)
also is it better to go mid mount onto the gear or rear hub for out and out fun off road ?
sorry if i am trying to re-invent the proverbial electric wheel but i am still trying to find my way around your site and havent found the stupid question area yet !
last one for tonight (honest) i have a remote control lawnmower with as yet unidentifiable drive motors that run at 48 volt 6300 rpm can I run both in tandem to increase torque mid mount ?
i cant find any info on this setup and know so little about electrics and torque curves and suchlike that i am a bit embarassed to even ask,but have seen the zero emission tt bike from brunel university and they run twin pancake motors at some extreme 120~+ volts as far as i can tell from their batts.but i cant see how they run the chains to link it all up at the business end before the final drive.
cheers in advance for all the sterling advice i hope to recieve.

If you have a brushed motor, a controller upgrade is cheap and effective way of improving performance.
Do you have any elect skills, a MMeter, etc ?
Look at your controller to see what the amp limit is ( probably about 9 amps i guess ?)
you may be able to modify the internals to increase the current for more power, otherwise look on Ebay or somewhere like TNC for a better controller, as the powabyke unit probably has a speed limiter incorporated
http://tncscooters.com/partsdb.php?type=ES
Then when you have that sorted for more power you will find the need for better batteries as more power (speed) comes at the expense of range. If you are confident & skilled enough, you could put together a lightweight , powerful, pack using RC lipo packs, otherwise go with a Ping or some other Lifepo4 battery.
Search & read these forums for more ideas and information

cware05 said:

e can i see any improvements from advancing the brushes on the commutator whilst i am fitting them ?

.

Click to expand...

If I remember right I just got lots more heat! and maybe a bit more speed. The motors aren't very well made for faster than than spec. I used to run mine at 35 amps 48 volts which was 20 mph and great acceleration. But to go to over 20 amps I had to drill lots of holes in the motor so it didn't overheat. Have a look at this very old thread for motor pics

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=401

quick update the extra battery must have been nearly flat on the initial test as i took it out yesterday and was holding 19-20 mph with no pedaling on the flat after a full 48volt charge with the new charger,just need to find some ridiculously cheap lighter batteries to make it a bit better in the handling/stopping department,

i am just drawing up some diagrams for a etrice project that i want to build any ideas on wheel sizes for optimum performance (i am 200 lbs so skinny probably wont work well)

i have 2 24 inch front mtb wheels with sturmey drum brakes but wasn't sure if this was too big ?
i can easily lace up 20's on the same hub if that is the consensus and the rear will be bespoke anyway ?
and should i run 26 inch or 28 on the rear ?

i am having a cheap chinese ebike donated soon but dont know anything about it apart from it is nicad batts 36 volt and pedalec only so was wondering if this motor would be up to pulling me about at 20mph (you guys seem to be able to pinpoint parts with scary accuracy from so little info i thought i would put it out there and let you stretch those grey cells)
cheers
Daz

Got one of these beasts! Must be at least 10 years odd old... Came with 3 bulged SLAs that where well past their use-by- date. Still,the batteries they had enough oomph to get me well impressed about this electric-bike malarkey. .When I first got it, it was a horrible ride...juddered like buggery anytime I so much looked at the twist-grip : . Turned out the head-stock had a lot of play..once that was sorted it was an absolute peach.Although heavy,these Powabykes are well solidly built.
..
@cware05.Incidentally,did you have to modify your controller in order to run it at 48V?..Am thinking of going down the 48V route albeit with 18650 lion cells once I accumulate enough spare beer tokens!

@cware05.Incidentally,did you have to modify your controller in order to run it at 48V?..Am thinking of going down the 48V route albeit with 18650 lion cells once I accumulate enough spare beer tokens!

Hi fatgaget no mod's whatsoever to the controler , and the bike just seems to love it all i did was put remote control dean's plugs on some 12 gauge wire from the spare battery and wire it in series and then use a 48v charger to make it easy and a bit more oem looking.

It has now pulled almost 30 stone with my mate sat on the seat and me standing and still achieved 17mph on my gps so i can vouch for the quality of the motor if not their choice of battery materials.

by the way i would still recommend the replacement controler if u put decent batts on as the original cuts at just under 21mph but the motor feels like it wants to go so much more.

cheers
Daz