Recent content by alban

I wonder why these one-way sprag bearings/freewheels break? Is is perhaps because we put more battery power through them and then add our own power, particularly when we move away from an almost stopped position? Too much sudden torque and the weakest thing goes - at the point where the metal...

Hi You may have decided on the laptop battery route already. I have had a good experience with using Headways (LiFePO4 cylindrical) bought from Eclipsebikes in the UK. Reasonable price, some warranty. Heavy for Lithium but robust and easily mendable packs. Easy to put together (no welding) with...

Great Tommes, thanks for your trouble. This is the part I'm looking for in Europe. It fractured too when the bearing broke. I'd post in the German forum but I'm not as well educated as you guys and don't speak other languages so well!

Hi Tommes, Thanks. The helical gear I was talking about is this one with the bearing (I can get) in the middle: It's the first gear you get to when dismantling the gearbox and the thing that broke first too - so presumably it's the weakest link. As I say I got a couple of spares from CATIC (and...

Tommes - that's a useful German thread you linked to. I have the older style gearbox and have put a granny chainwheel 24t on it but haven't got round to fitting a front derailleur so I have to stop and manually change the chain over - not a major pain as I have a small 34t main chainwheel which...

I don't know if that diode you described would be meaty enough as I'm no expert! I would ensure that it was a higher rating. They're only a few £s. Well I take the advice of EEs - there's a guy called Tiberius on here that seems to know what he's talking about and I quote one of his posts...

jk1-all I know is I researched paralleling 2 batts here and Pedelecs UK forum and this seemed the easiest and safest solution. There is no other parallel wiring to do - just attach each live batt output to one or other of the Schottky (causes less V drop than normal diodes) diode outer legs...

Yes 2 batts in parallel double the AH and halve the draw from each batt. Less strain on each batt. It's probably best to use a double Schottky diode to protect the BMS's from reverse surge current. See http://www.maplin.co.uk/30a-schottky-barrier-rectifiers-46429. It's about 3-4cm long. Attach...

I've got an older version of the Tonaro gear box. Put about 900W max through it but at lower gears/higher RPMs. Gets me up some very steep places offroad without pedalling. Had to replace one bearing/helical gear but I think that was not strain but collision damage. Got that (2) direct from Javy...

Yes always better to keep the battery as fully charged as poss - unless storing for months - then 50% or so and topped up reg as BMS draws a small current (check this...). Just adding a small amount of solder to the thick, U-shaped, bare metal wire (easily accessible by taking the 'wireless'...

Hi Anders Yes it might be the battery is a bit depleted - was it sold to you as brand new or had it been used as a demo bike previously? Batts degrade apparently from the first day they are used. They also don't perform as well in cold weather - don't know how far North you are?! I found my...

Hi Just got my bike almost where I wanted it then in a mad fit took it somewhere good.... and trashed it! Crank or something hit a rock as I was accelerating - nasty snapping noise and no power to the pedals. Opened it up later and found cracked final bearing and also cracked final 'helical gear...

Cheers Boost. I've got bogged down in calcs for heat transfer and too many unknowns but that's all useful info. Maybe this thread ought to be included in the wiki for noobs?

Thanks for that encouragement and info! Haha I think I may have given the false impression of more understanding than I actually have... it's some of the basic things I don't have a grasp of - on the level of 'that's not a cup holder, sir, it's for the DVDRom drive'. I was thinking that I would...

Hi I've read around a lot but get confused by differing answers and general ignorance on my part... I just want to guestimate how many A's I can mod my tiny 6 Fet or a 9 fet controller shunt to before blowing a fet - as it can be an expensive experment - so looking for very rough 'rule of...