Cycle Analyst V3 preview and first beta release

cr0m08 said:
I don't know for sure, but I would think the ground connection wouldn't matter that much. Except to say that if all ground connections are common "before" the shunt (on the controller side of shunt), then the measurement of current will include all sources of power drain? So in other words, even the current of the CA itself is being measured if connected as in the pic from the ebikes.ca site? Would that be right?

Exactly correct. You can put the ground wire on either the S+ (controller side) or S- ( battery side) of the shunt. If you put it on the controller side, then the current of the CA and more importantly any accessories (like a front bike light) plugged into the CA's power tap will also show up as current on the CA screen. If you put your CA ground on the battery side of the shunt, then it won't show accessory current of devices plugged into the CA.

Most people prefer the Cycle Analyst to show the current draw from bike lights, USB chargers etc. hooked up to the CA and so that's why by default we put the ground on S+. But some prefer it the other way without this current showing up, that way when you're drawing say 500 watts you know it's 500 watts going into the motor, and not say 480 watts to the motor and 20 watts into the headlights.
 
ebike11 said:
Im not getting any throttle response when i twist the throttle. My CA v3 is in Pass thru mode with grin shunt.
The throttle icon on the main screen is blinking nonstop and its in the WOT position.
I went to the diagnostics screen and seen THR ERR on the top left side, "In" of the screen.

This means that either the throttle voltage is higher than the Throttle Input Fault Voltage, setting, or the CA was powered up with the throttle on, and the throttle has remained on. The fault will only clear once the input throttle voltage falls below the Zero Throttle Threshold (or Min Throttle Input if you are using the CA3.0 rather than CA3.1)

CA3 Throttle In Settings.jpg
From:
https://www.ebikes.ca/product-info/cycle-analyst-3.html#ca31-setup-menu

Most likely you've simply set your zero throttle threshold to be higher than your actual throttle off voltage.
 
rktv said:
Hello !
I have a problem with my CA when I try to use the 5V from Aux for PAS or 3 way switch or anything else, it shuts down :

This is what happens when the 5V bus on the CA's aux or throttle plug is shorted to Gnd. The screen will shut off, and then it will turn back on again once the short is removed. So somewhere in your device wiring you are loading much more than a few mA of current from this 5V power tap.
 
amberwolf said:
Ham said:
I have run the red wire direct to the main positive cable as per the user guide but still am not seeing where I am going wrong.
If you did not also connect the black (ground) wire to the negative side of your battery, then there's not a complete circuit for power.

OK so the problem was just a break in the power wire from the jst connector, fixed now.

However, I have a few interesting things happening now:

1)...holy cow the power upgrade is immense, really immense, which is saying something as it was no slouch before the bigger shunt.

2) I perhaps wrongly assumed I then needed to alter the CA3 rshunt ohm value to match the new shunt (old grin rhunt value was 1 ohm) so I changed it to show 0.1666 (new shunt is 50mv and 300a = 0.16666?) and the next test ride the power "upgrade" has gone and power levels feel about the same as they were with the old shunt in place...did I need to alter the rshunt value at all?!

3) I wired in a key switch for the CA3 for completeness, which was just a simple break in the power wire. So I now have a main breaker on the battery power line in the form of an anti spark xt150 loop key which arms the ESC and the key which powers the CA3. If I leave the main battery breaker connected but turn the key for the CA3 off and then on again the bike enters some kind of cruise control and just sends power to the motor that can only be stopped if I turn the key off again...a little disconcerting especially as I have the three power modes set so that it is in low speed activated mode on first power up :) This doesn't happen if I pull the loop key and restart the whole procedure.

Any help or direction pointing is most appreciated? And if this is not the correct place to be asking then feel free to move this mods?
 
Ham said:
1)...holy cow the power upgrade is immense, really immense, which is saying something as it was no slouch before the bigger shunt.

2) I perhaps wrongly assumed I then needed to alter the CA3 rshunt ohm value to match the new shunt (old grin rhunt value was 1 ohm) so I changed it to show 0.1666 (new shunt is 50mv and 300a = 0.16666?) and the next test ride the power "upgrade" has gone and power levels feel about the same as they were with the old shunt in place...did I need to alter the rshunt value at all?!

What these two items mean is that you currently have the CA3 to do either power or current limiting on your setup. Press the left button once to see the diagnostics screen, and then when running the ebike have a look to see if the A or W limit flag becomes capitalized.

V3CA_Screen11.jpg


That tells you which parameter the CA has been configured to limit, and if you don't want to have that limit in place then go into the setup menu and increase the value.

You DO in general want the RShunt to be correct in order to show on the display correct amps, watts, amp-hours etc. If you want to get rid of a limiting feature, you don't do that by changing to a false shunt value, you do it by changing the associated limit parameter ;)

3) I wired in a key switch for the CA3 for completeness, which was just a simple break in the power wire. So I now have a main breaker on the battery power line in the form of an anti spark xt150 loop key which arms the ESC and the key which powers the CA3.

Is there any reason you wouldn't power the CA from the same main battery breaker that feeds the ESC?
 
Hi Justin. Thanks for the response,

Forgive me in advance as much of this is Greek to me. The CA is running with the Tangent RC set up with an Astro 3220 and a Castle HV 120 (soon to be hv160 again) if that helps.

I am pretty sure the limits are current limited and matched to the ESC higher end of 120amps.

I have only wired in a key as there was a key switch available and it seemed like a nice feature...I have no good functional reason for this over just wiring it directly as you say, I may well end up removing it if I can't figure out why it engages the motor when turn off and on again without the main battery breaker being...broken.

I am still confused why the power is greater (measured only by how damn quickly the thing accelerates) with the old incorrect shunt value and back to somewhat slower (old grin shunt levels) with the correct calculated value....perhaps my new shunt is not as stated (50mv and 300a)?
 
Ham said:
I am still confused why the power is greater (measured only by how damn quickly the thing accelerates) with the old incorrect shunt value and back to somewhat slower (old grin shunt levels) with the correct calculated value....perhaps my new shunt is not as stated (50mv and 300a)?
The Cycle Analyst measures current by monitoring the voltage drop across the shunt. The CA is now seeing a lower voltage drop across the newer shunt due to its lower resistance. Power is applied until the CA sees the voltage drop it is expecting, the limit (now incorrect) dictated by whatever limits you have set. If you set the CA RShunt value to the correct value, power will be the same as it was previously and the set limits will reflect their true values. Once the shunt value is set correctly, any limits you have programmed can be changed or removed to increase the power again.
 
Thank you, I think that makes sense to me, a little:)

I still don't get why it is so much faster to accelerate with the old rshunt value...It takes a long time for me to understand something fully...so again, apologies.
 
Ham said:
Thank you, I think that makes sense to me, a little:)

I still don't get why it is so much faster to accelerate with the old rshunt value...It takes a long time for me to understand something fully...so again, apologies.
Essentially, the CA is fooled into supplying more power because it does not know that the shunt has been altered and therefore the power values being calculated (using an incorrect RShunt value to perform this calculation) are now also incorrect.
 
Ham, is that shunt value something you calculated or was it what the manufacturer supplied for the new shunt? I just purchased a new shunt for my next project and found that the RShunt value supplied is actually the same as the potted units supplied by Tangent (GrinTech) even though the current level is double. I'm hoping I have actually bought something I can use, as I thought the RShunt value would have been different. However I guess the RShunt value is dependant upon the actual material the shunt is made from more than the amount of current it can carry?
This is my unit.
https://www.altronics.com.au/p/q0480-100a-1.0-milliohm-0.meter-shunt/
 
danielrlee said:
Ham said:
Thank you, I think that makes sense to me, a little:)

I still don't get why it is so much faster to accelerate with the old rshunt value...It takes a long time for me to understand something fully...so again, apologies.
Essentially, the CA is fooled into supplying more power because it does not know that the shunt has been altered and therefore the power values being calculated (using an incorrect RShunt value to perform this calculation) are now also incorrect.

Thanks Daniel,
Is this correct then:

So due to the higher perceived resistance than is actually occurring the CA is fooled into throwing more amps down the pipe (because calculated required amps is Volts / R...and if the R is wrong it will send the "wrong" amount of amps)?

SO...even if the CA is showing no higher peak amps (on display) being drawn than normal (due to calculation errors), it is possible the amount of actual amps going through is greater than the limit (120a) I have programmed in which is why it feels faster to accelerate than when all values are correct? Then to feel the same level of acceleration again with the correct values for the new shunt I would need to up the max amps limit from 120a to something higher?

Thanks for your help understanding this
 
cr0m08 said:
Ham, is that shunt value something you calculated or was it what the manufacturer supplied for the new shunt? I just purchased a new shunt for my next project and found that the RShunt value supplied is actually the same as the potted units supplied by Tangent (GrinTech) even though the current level is double. I'm hoping I have actually bought something I can use, as I thought the RShunt value would have been different. However I guess the RShunt value is dependant upon the actual material the shunt is made from more than the amount of current it can carry?
This is my unit.
https://www.altronics.com.au/p/q0480-100a-1.0-milliohm-0.meter-shunt/

The value I entered is just what i have calculated from the values given by the seller (also printed on the shunt) of 50mv and 300 amps which gives 0.16666...I have been replacing parts bit by bit to try and reduced voltage sag bottle necks...shunt is my latest in a step by step process...xt150 bullets all round was first which helped a small amount.

What are ratings of your shunt?

My battery was built specifically so it would be unstressed by the amps I pull yet I still get more sag than i would like (50v down to 45 at times when fresh). Pack is 40ah vtc5a sony cells which should be good for a max draw of well over 1000 amps, 160amp from the bike should be no stress at all...
 
Ham said:
danielrlee said:
Ham said:
Thank you, I think that makes sense to me, a little:)

I still don't get why it is so much faster to accelerate with the old rshunt value...It takes a long time for me to understand something fully...so again, apologies.
Essentially, the CA is fooled into supplying more power because it does not know that the shunt has been altered and therefore the power values being calculated (using an incorrect RShunt value to perform this calculation) are now also incorrect.

Thanks Daniel,
Is this correct then:

So due to the higher perceived resistance than is actually occurring the CA is fooled into throwing more amps down the pipe (because calculated required amps is Volts / R...and if the R is wrong it will send the "wrong" amount of amps)?

SO...even if the CA is showing no higher peak amps (on display) being drawn than normal (due to calculation errors), it is possible the amount of actual amps going through is greater than the limit (120a) I have programmed in which is why it feels faster to accelerate than when all values are correct? Then to feel the same level of acceleration again with the correct values for the new shunt I would need to up the max amps limit from 120a to something higher?

Thanks for your help understanding this
Yes, that's correct, except for the small point that the resistance of the new shunt is now lower than it was previously.
 
Ham said:
cr0m08 said:
Ham, is that shunt value something you calculated or was it what the manufacturer supplied for the new shunt? I just purchased a new shunt for my next project and found that the RShunt value supplied is actually the same as the potted units supplied by Tangent (GrinTech) even though the current level is double. I'm hoping I have actually bought something I can use, as I thought the RShunt value would have been different. However I guess the RShunt value is dependant upon the actual material the shunt is made from more than the amount of current it can carry?
This is my unit.
https://www.altronics.com.au/p/q0480-100a-1.0-milliohm-0.meter-shunt/

The value I entered is just what i have calculated from the values given by the seller (also printed on the shunt) of 50mv and 300 amps which gives 0.16666...I have been replacing parts bit by bit to try and reduced voltage sag bottle necks...shunt is my latest in a step by step process...xt150 bullets all round was first which helped a small amount.

What are ratings of your shunt?

My battery was built specifically so it would be unstressed by the amps I pull yet I still get more sag than i would like (50v down to 45 at times when fresh). Pack is 40ah vtc5a sony cells which should be good for a max draw of well over 1000 amps, 160amp from the bike should be no stress at all...
Your calculated shunt value looks okay to me.

I prefer to utilise the controller shunt with a direct connection to the CA, rather than using an external shunt. Shunt values vary from controller to controller.
 
I believe the RShunt value cannot be "calculated" but must be measured, so best is supplied by the manufacturer.
The potted GrinTech shunts used on early Tangent kits where 1.0 milliohm and a 50A continuos rating. Yet the shunt I purchased has a 100A continuos rating but still with a 1.0 milliohm RShunt value. I think the RShunt value cannot be calculated, unless you also know the resistance value of the material itself the shunt is made from, as different materials will have different resistance values. And I'm not too confident that all shunts would be constructed from the same materials. Even the larger shunts on Grintechs site are made in China so who knows of their consistency or accuracy. I may be wildly wrong hehehe sorry, I'm only guessing here and trying to understand it myself.
The values for the shunt I bought are in the link I posted.
 
Thank you for taking the time to help me understand. Which I believe I do now, enough to suffice for my current needs...pun intended :)
 
ah ok cool, thanks for that calculation clarification danielrlee cheers.
 
It's worth noting that the shunt resistance is explained in some detail in section 6.13 of the user manual
https://www.ebikes.ca/documents/CycleAnalyst_V31_Web.pdf



A 300A 50mV (ie 0.1666 mOhm) shunt is really something I would only use in a vehicle that has 500A or so max draw motor controller. For use with an ebike, even a powerful ebike, you'll get better low current accuracy and less risk of drift and offset using something more like 0.5 mOhm (ie 100A 50mV, or 200A 100mV). That will work to measure current peaks up to 400 amps and will have better stability and accuracy at showing low currents.
 
justin_le said:
For use with an ebike, even a powerful ebike, you'll get better low current accuracy and less risk of drift and offset using something more like 0.5 mOhm (ie 100A 50mV, or 200A 100mV).
FWIW, simply paralleling two Grin Tech standard shunts will do this; it's what I have setup on my SB Cruiser trike, and it works fine. :)

I did it for the same reason as Ham--to reduce voltage drop on the way to the controller, and ensure no overloading of the shunt at the high current draws the trike sees at startup from a stop.


The disadvantage (of using a shunt below .750mohm) is that the CA can behave differently in the High Range mode required for these lower-resistance shunt values. (I assume that as the behaviors are reported the bugs are fixed...but they do crop up.)
 
justin_le said:
ebike11 said:
Im not getting any throttle response when i twist the throttle. My CA v3 is in Pass thru mode with grin shunt.
The throttle icon on the main screen is blinking nonstop and its in the WOT position.
I went to the diagnostics screen and seen THR ERR on the top left side, "In" of the screen.

This means that either the throttle voltage is higher than the Throttle Input Fault Voltage, setting, or the CA was powered up with the throttle on, and the throttle has remained on. The fault will only clear once the input throttle voltage falls below the Zero Throttle Threshold (or Min Throttle Input if you are using the CA3.0 rather than CA3.1)

CA3 Throttle In Settings.jpg
From:
https://www.ebikes.ca/product-info/cycle-analyst-3.html#ca31-setup-menu

Most likely you've simply set your zero throttle threshold to be higher than your actual throttle off voltage.

Ok thanks Ill check it this weekend.
Also I have a question about display voltage
Is there a way to adjust the voltage readout on the CA3 ? I have both CAs wired to the same battery pack but the voltages are a little off. Not too serious of a problem but Id like them to match
Im running dual motor system
Thanks

https://ibb.co/5G32Skw
 
Thanks Justin that does help, just downloaded the manual. The shunt I purchased but not using yet is a 100mV - 100A, so 1mOhm RShunt value, going on what you said, this should be accurate enough for an ebike. I'm using my CA3 in high range to set up to 120A or 150A limits like Dave does on his Tangents (but currently using the GrinTech potted shunt).
Amberwolf, out of curiosity, I understand the resistance calculation for the two potted shunts in parallel (having just googled that too :oops: ) but what I'm not clear on is the connection of the shunt tracer wires. Did you only connect the one potted shunts 6pin connector, so using only one shunt reading? Or do you also parallel those two 6pin connectors to read both shunts in parallel? Obviously the RShunt value is entered as 0.5mOhm in the CA.
 
cr0m08 said:
Amberwolf, out of curiosity, I understand the resistance calculation for the two potted shunts in parallel (having just googled that too :oops: ) but what I'm not clear on is the connection of the shunt tracer wires. Did you only connect the one potted shunts 6pin connector, so using only one shunt reading? Or do you also parallel those two 6pin connectors to read both shunts in parallel?
On mine, I am only using the battery + and - wires, and the shunt + and - wires. The speedo and throttle wires are not used for my setup, for either shunt.

I only paralleled the main thick battery + / - wires that the shunt is attached to, and the blue and white shunt + / - wires. The red and black small battery + / - wires that power the CA, I'm only using one set; the others aren't connected to anything (the CA is very low current so doesn't need more than one set).

You *could* just parallel all the wires between the two shunts; it wouldn't make a difference to operation.

AFAIK it wouldn't make much difference if you left all the 6 CA wires from one of the shunts unconnected, and only used one CA plug. But it might make some small difference, possibly not noticeable. Haven't tried it.
 
Awesome, cheers amberwolf :D
 
Ham said:
My battery was built specifically so it would be unstressed by the amps I pull yet I still get more sag than i would like (50v down to 45 at times when fresh). Pack is 40ah vtc5a sony cells which should be good for a max draw of well over 1000 amps, 160amp from the bike should be no stress at all...
Where does the voltage sag occur?

Meaning...if you use a voltmeter, connect it to various points along the main battery wires, from the actual output of the battery itself all teh way to the input of the controller itself, which voltage reading varies the most from unloaded to loaded?

That shows you at which point most of the sag occurs.

The most likely place is the battery itself. You can measure the sag on each cell group to see if one or more groups is simply not as good as the others. If they're all the same, but they all sag enough to add up to the total sag you see, then the problem is still in the battery; could be either the cells or the interconnects. You can measure voltage between the cell body and the interconnect itself to see if there is loss there. If the groups don't sag, but the battery still has the full sag on it's output, then it's probably the BMS or the wiring inside.


If it is not sagging at the battery itself, then something along the path (or several somethings) has enough resistance to cause significant voltage drop across it at the current draw your system has.


On the trike, the main things were the wiring gauge and some of the unnecessary connectors along the way; the shunt was pretty minor, but an easy fix. Another couple of drops I havent' been willing to fix is the main circuit breaker, and the external cutoff switch.
 
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