Bafang BBSxx - fault finding and fixes

Hey Guys, I was looking to buy the 750w BBS02 at a local shop and they said that there were some issues with the bearings/seals that was causing warranty issues and they stopped purchasing this unit until the problems were fixed. I did some searching and found this thread and see that others have had this issue as well. I've been in a holding pattern for the last few weeks and I was told that the factory had made some revisions to address this problem and that they finally have a new shipment of BBS02's heading in next week. I'm a little hesitant on buying this as I don't need another problematic piece of kit.

Does anyone have an update on these issues with the BBS02 and does anyone know what the revisions are to this unit?

Thanks in advance for any info. I need to make a go/no go decision by next week to ensure I get one of the new units or find an alternative product for my 29er Mountain bike to help me cope with the big hills on my commute.
 
speedmd said:
The click to worry about is the one where nothing else happens. You may just have a bit of a loose fit / screw somewhere if it is running. Check it in a few and if it is not notable, it may be just the normal sound from the sprag / gear movements that are common. Mine is much quieter now with the new controller and packing the gearbox with much more grease.

dumbass said:
The click your hearing I have had since day one but as speedmd indicated that's not the click we're talking about. We are talking about when your drive goes completely dead with no indication of a problem. Not even a fault on the monitor screen. But you can hear a very slight click when you hit the throttle or press the - button.

Thanks, I'm feel better that the clicking isn't anything to worry about and is normal. I've put on about 15 miles so far but has not made the noise any quieter. I not too impressed by Bafang QC as their products are still experiencing problems when new. After reading some of the latest problems I've been regretting that I ordered this kit. Here's hoping it won't break down.
 
spockie, There's an old saying, "Don't worry about the problem till it exists!". Your right Bafang could and should be doing a much better job in the design and especially construction and QCing of this units. But as noted before, you hear more from people with problems them those without them. I happen to have one kit that broke down after one block and has never run again. But I also have a kit that has worked great for about 140 miles so far. And I'll bet for every problem kit there's 100 or more without a problem. That said there are some glaring weak spots that Bafang should have corrected long ago. hope your kit wasn't built on a Monday. LOL

Bob
 
I had previously reported what I thought was a fault with my throttle on my BBS01 and testing [checking voltage] suggested by Paul at EM3EV seemed to confirm that the throttle was indeed faulty . Well I have been riding the bike for the past week or so assuming all was good bar the faulty throttle and that simply I have seriously lost my fitness following my crash back in February etc.

Well about 1/2 way into my ride tonight, I was about to make a turn on to a shared path and pushed on the pedal and the bike shot forward! Scared the be-jesus out of me and I nearly took out a bollard. It turns out I had been riding the bike and probably since the install or at least for the last five or six rides without assist. As I had power to the display and my lights and the motor is so quiet I had just assumed the issue was my fitness. As I am very new to riding with e-assist I really had no idea as to what it would be like or what to expect. Initially I had throttle when I installed the motor but I don't recall the feeling the pedal assist is giving me now but then my first few rides where with the assist set at 4 or 5 and not the 9 that I had it at today so maybe that is why it feels so different.

Anyway it seems I have been riding pretty much with minimal or no assist for awhile but I have no idea why it suddenly started working tonight. I will go for a ride in the morning so it will be interesting to see how it goes then and if the assist is still there.

In the meantime any ideas on what might be happening?

Thanks
Andrew
 
Aushiker, What level do you have your PAS set to? - Settings 1 and maybe 2 are very low assist, that may not be perceptible.

Also, what has your battery range been like? - (How big is your battery and how many miles can you get on a charge cycle?)
 
teslanv said:
Aushiker, What level do you have your PAS set to? - Settings 1 and maybe 2 are very low assist, that may not be perceptible.

Nine at present

Also, what has your battery range been like? - (How big is your battery and how many miles can you get on a charge cycle?)

Still testing that ... I have been taking voltage readings to try and get an idea of what is happening. I haven't done enough riding yet to flatten the battery. As of tonight, the voltage has dropped from 41.7 volts to 39.9 volts after 56.2 km of riding. All that riding has been at an "assist level of nine" but going by what happened tonight, probably with basically no assist.

I have been taking the voltage recordings as the C961 display always shows a full battery ... no change in the display since it was installed.

The battery is a Samsung 36V 10S 6P 29E cells 16.5Ah frame pack battery from Paul at EM3EV.

Andrew
 
Aushiker said:
I have been taking the voltage recordings as the C961 display always shows a full battery ... no change in the display since it was installed.

The battery is a Samsung 36V 10S 6P 29E cells 16.5Ah frame pack battery from Paul at EM3EV.

Andrew

I would highly recommend you not put much faith in the C961 battery meter. I think it's based on a voltage percentage of what the factory decided the min/max of your pack will be. But of course they had no idea what type of pack you would be using. So save your pack and get yourself a true voltage meter for bikes or hobbyist. Even a cheap $50 unit would be better and you will know what is going on with your pack. Of course there is a chance that Paul may have modified the setting on the C961 for you if you bought the kit and pack from him at the same time (and you asked him to). I think someone here has already posted the factory cutoff for the 36v & 48v kits though. Maybe they will repost it for you.

Enjoy the ride,

Bob
 
Aushiker said:
Anyway it seems I have been riding pretty much with minimal or no assist for awhile but I have no idea why it suddenly started working tonight. I will go for a ride in the morning so it will be interesting to see how it goes then and if the assist is still there.

In the meantime any ideas on what might be happening?

Thanks
Andrew
:shock: I ride with level 9 on my EM3ev programed bike and the instant I pedal it takes off like a bandit. Same on my LC program at level 5, he sets up 5 to Paul's 9 levels. Either bike in 7th gear on flat ground just goes and accelerates very quickly. I'm confused as to how you wouldn't feel the power. Hopefully you get it sorted. It's meant I can ride 20 miles a day ,rather than my self propelled ability to ride less than a mile.
 
gorndog said:
I too having the tiny click-no power when throttle depressed issue too.

I had done only 20 miles (10 miles on load - the rest done free air) when this occurred.

Purhcased from Paul- EM3EV.

Throttle doesn't work
PAS doesn't work
Display shows no errors
Slight click when throttled depressed.

I don't have the S/N to hand but its the new 25A 750 BBS-02 that Paul is selling at EM3EV. I've contacted him hoping to get some resolution soon.

From reading through these threads it seems that most faults are happening in the first 0-200 miles. Seems like a QC issue.

Just to update on this, EM3EV are sending me a replacement controller under warranty which is ideal. Hopefully the new one lasts a bit longer. Impressed with their service.

Can't wait to get back on the road with this bike as the my 1 hour tube commute is getting old fast. E-biking across london should get the commute down to 25 mins of epic fun rather than 1 hour with my face in an armpit.
 
gorndog said:
Can't wait to get back on the road with this bike as the my 1 hour tube commute is getting old fast. E-biking across london should get the commute down to 25 mins of epic fun rather than 1 hour with my face in an armpit.
Paul took great care of me as well! Good to read you got a resolution. I'm thrilled I used EM3ev as one of my vendors. Hard to beat given the price point and service.

Ride safe,

Tom
 
tomjasz said:
Aushiker said:
Anyway it seems I have been riding pretty much with minimal or no assist for awhile but I have no idea why it suddenly started working tonight. I will go for a ride in the morning so it will be interesting to see how it goes then and if the assist is still there.

In the meantime any ideas on what might be happening?

Thanks
Andrew
:shock: I ride with level 9 on my EM3ev programed bike and the instant I pedal it takes off like a bandit. Same on my LC program at level 5, he sets up 5 to Paul's 9 levels. Either bike in 7th gear on flat ground just goes and accelerates very quickly. I'm confused as to how you wouldn't feel the power. Hopefully you get it sorted. It's meant I can ride 20 miles a day ,rather than my self propelled ability to ride less than a mile.

Since the motor came back to life this is what it has been doing so hopefully all is good now.

Thanks
Andrew
 
Good news, brilliant little devil when it runs, no?
 
tomjasz said:
Good news, brilliant little devil when it runs, no?

Yes. I received a replacement throttle today plus a spare one and my display extension cable so now can set up the programming side of things.

Andrew
 
Dreaded slight click, dead controller problem?

I have just yesterday installed a BBS02 750w kit on a Giant Trance. A few kms for a test ride and all was good. Today I turned the bike on, picked up the back wheel and gave it a spin with the throttle. No problem, then jumped on to ride around the yard - and nothing. Display is on, no error codes, just a very slight click in the motor when I move the throttle. Less than 20km on the clock. Just before that I posted in another BBS02 thread how stoked I was with the kit. F*#k !!

Connections are all ok, power ok.

Numbers are: ctlr- 48V 25A K5ECROF0206 140702566 motor- 1408017088

I have sent a message to Paul at em3ev, and waiting to hear back before I do anything else.

It was good while it lasted. All 50 or so minutes of it. With the cost of the battery and freight included, that's about $33 a minute. Bargain.
 
Are you using the ebrake levers? Have you tried disconnecting them?

Is there any resistance when turning the cranks with the chain off?
Lift the back wheel and try again. If it goes it could be a current sense problem. I've accidentally tried to take off in a high gear with the throttle a couple of times and the motor will give a short lurch and cut out.
 
Tom L said:
Are you using the ebrake levers? Have you tried disconnecting them?

I have hydrolic brakes, and so I didn't have the ebrake levers connected. I tried connecting one and activating it, when I did there was no click coming from the motor. If I flick the throttle, every 20 or so times the motor will give a twitch.
 
What sort of battery plugs are you using? We have seen the same problem with cheap battery plugs being used. You get enough contact to fire the screen up but not enough for the drive to activate. Make sure your battery connection is perfect.
 
Kepler said:
What sort of battery plugs are you using? We have seen the same problem with cheap battery plugs being used. You get enough contact to fire the screen up but not enough for the drive to activate. Make sure your battery connection is perfect.

I am using the em3ev supplied tail for their triangle battery. I just went to have a good look at it. I had a kink in the join to the motor wires, but testing after straitening it out was still no good.
 
After sending a few emails to em3ev I have just received a message from Moon. Paul can't answer my technical questions because he is on the way to the USA.

So much for going with a "trusted" supplier. I could be stuck for a while.
 
rolls said:
After sending a few emails to em3ev I have just received a message from Moon. Paul can't answer my technical questions because he is on the way to the USA.

So much for going with a "trusted" supplier. I could be stuck for a while.

I don't see a gap in "trusted" there. People do go on vacation and have lives. I got a glitch over a Chinese holiday. No one supports 24/7, well other than a Las Vegas Casino. Sorry to read your troubles. Hopefully someone far smarter than I can jump in an get you going.

Good luck!
 
rolls said:
Dreaded slight click, dead controller problem?

I have just yesterday installed a BBS02 750w kit on a Giant Trance. A few kms for a test ride and all was good. Today I turned the bike on, picked up the back wheel and gave it a spin with the throttle. No problem, then jumped on to ride around the yard - and nothing. Display is on, no error codes, just a very slight click in the motor when I move the throttle. Less than 20km on the clock. Just before that I posted in another BBS02 thread how stoked I was with the kit. F*#k !!

Connections are all ok, power ok.

Numbers are: ctlr- 48V 25A K5ECROF0206 140702566 motor- 1408017088

I have sent a message to Paul at em3ev, and waiting to hear back before I do anything else.

It was good while it lasted. All 50 or so minutes of it. With the cost of the battery and freight included, that's about $33 a minute. Bargain.


The controller on my motor is dead. em3ev is posting another one soon.
 
Hi, my BBS01 250W has started making a small creaking noise when the rightside crank is at about the 3 to 4 o'clock position.

If soft pedalling (little force on the pedals) it is barely audible and just using the motor (no pedalling) it can still be heard as well.

Breaking down the motor revealed this small issue, would it cause the unusual sound?

Should it be replaced or can loctite 641 be used instead (ala Kepler)?

Thanks

Paul

Drive shaft o-ring problem cropped.jpg
 
Hi all,

Here's an issue that hasn't been posted on this thread yet.

I have a 36V 500W BBS02, serial # 1407256876, which I purchased from elifebike.com. I've paired it with a 10S 6P 22P pack from em3ev.

I just finished the installation. My particular unit has 3 PAS modes, and 0. It seems that throttle only responds in modes 1, 2, and 3 - no response in 0.

Using the throttle only, the bike rides like a dream.

However, in any of the 3 PAS modes the motor pulses at low RPMs. That is, it quickly shuts on and off (multiple times per second), and I can both hear it and feel it through the cranks. At higher RPMs it smooths out. The problem also seems to be worse in the lower PAS settings.

There were 2 issues with my installation. The first was that the BB clearance was tight, and I had to push the unit pretty hard to get it through the BB shell. The second was that I stupidly cut the 8 wire cable that connects the controls to the controller/motor unit (I meant to cut the speedometer cable - oops!). I ended up shortening this cable, bypassing the 8-pin waterproof plug, and soldering color-to-color from the cable that leaves the motor to the cable that connects directly to the display, throttle, and ebrakes.

Any clue what my issue is? Thanks in advance!

-Henry
 
Have you tried using more than three PAS modes? How did the controller come programmed?
 
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