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  1. N

    So, who's hiding a project?

    Yes, I'm hiding a project, but that's because there's nothing to share yet. My spec is 65-70mph on 6% grade, reliability, and 200 mile range. I've finished basic calculations, assuming a decent drag coefficient for side-by-side seating of 2 people, and it seems possible. I'm waiting for good...
  2. N

    dual motor drive

    This topic excited me when I first saw it. I've been meaning to start a thread on dual motor drives, but I had no question and no profound statement or new data. I still don't know what this thread is about, but.... dual motor drives! So, for a time far in the future where time and money is no...
  3. N

    lipoly v. lifepo4

    Is this really true? I'd worry about dying cells. If one cell's Ri goes way up due to an unpredicted problem, it could be discharged to 0V while the cells around it are fine. Upon charging, it will blow up. Just by the physical nature of parallel connections, it would be difficult to disconnect...
  4. N

    lipoly v. lifepo4

    Current flowing to a dead cell would be a very bad thing though, resulting in fire. Am I missing something? If a cell has problems, and it gets drained very low, lower than the neighboring cells, it's voltage could reach 1V, for example. While charging a bunch of cells to 4.2V, while the cells...
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    lipoly v. lifepo4

    That thread was helpful, thank you. I think this is a common problem with all Lithium chemistries, but if you combine cells in parallel to get your capacity, and _then_ place them in series for the voltage, you can charge to 4.2V on sets of cells with a simple charger like the Mastech or any...
  6. N

    lipoly v. lifepo4

    I second that. Most LiPo cells can charge at 1 or 2C, but I have yet to find a charger that can supply that sort of current for high voltage packs (24-48V). I would switch to LiPo in a second, if I could find a charger that can charge 2kW-h in an hour. Long trip? Put your batteries in a...
  7. N

    Hill climbing - Astro 3210

    Those clamps really make things easy, even if they're not so easy to manufacture. I like this build. At this rate, it should be finished very soon. By the way, is the angle between the "foot" of the mount, and the rest, adjustable? Right now the motor mount stands straight up from the part...
  8. N

    lipoly v. lifepo4

    It's rare to see more than 2C out of LiFePo4, besides A123, even among the high-priced American-made batteries. We can all just wait for EEStor's super-capacitor to come out. That will solve all of our problems. :lol:
  9. N

    DIY TerraTrike with Non-Hub Drive HELP NEEDED!!

    If you want to keep your rear wheel, you only have a few options. You can use a mid-drive setup like the Cyclone motor with double freewheel, you can have the motor drive the cranks (more difficult on a trike, with the boom way out front), you can modify your hub to have a left-hand sprocket to...
  10. N

    Y-pedal's two stage RC drive..........

    Ypedal: You might want to either buy a unicycle for practice, or look into using one of your hub motors, with no torque arm, to keep the bike upright when on one wheel.
  11. N

    RC Motor Efficiency

    Well, yes. 500-750W happen to be right in the range of peak efficiency, if this graph is correct. But just short of 500W (100-200) and efficiency drops off very quickly. If you're running low on power, for example, it's almost better to go at 500W than 100W to get where you're going, since...
  12. N

    RC Motor Efficiency

    Miles, I don't know how I missed that program after all my googling and forum reading. Very helpful. Although these graphs are estimates, I think it's safe to say these R/C motors lose efficiency quickly when outputting low power (<750W). For cruising speed, around 40km/h (25mph), I would only...
  13. N

    RC Motor Efficiency

    So, we see RC motors used for high-power, but there's also a good application for low-power, long-range. If it can handle 2000W for half an hour or an hour, it can definitely handle 500-1000W for a day. Matt's recumbent gets excellent range, and 14Wh/mile IIRC, but I don't think that's the max...
  14. N

    High power RC motor and drive unit production

    The PowerTap hub was wonderful when testing my Cyclone setup. (PowerTap Watts) / (Watt's Up Watts) * 100% = system efficiency (excluding rolling resistance). It's also great for optimizing gearing. The new PowerTap hubs also have ANT+ Sport signals for use with other devices. You can buy chips...
  15. N

    Questions on Catrike 700 build?

    I normally read all of your posts, but only the Catrike 700 posts do I always respond to. So, you've convinced me that you can make a useful motorized Catrike 700. I love the speed of the 700, but using it on roads at high speed is difficult due to very low ground clearance. Speed bumps are...
  16. N

    Doctorbass on TV ( weblink included)

    I will be watching at 1h on Friday night, assuming Videotron doesn't stop working (very likely)!
  17. N

    Project #3. Two motors, Three wheels, Six grand!

    Matt, If I'm not mistaken, 12p has the 700. It definitely is a well-built trike, but it's not optimal for modifying. The low ground clearance (2.5", although) makes adding a mid-drive difficult, unless it's left-hand drive or internally geared (chain angle issues). I'm sure you could make a...
  18. N

    Catrike Three Speed

    Any status updates on this? It'd be nice to see more Catrikes (or just trikes even) with non-hub motor drives. I think my Cyclone build and the Ecospeed are the only ones out there yet. So hurry up! I need competition to upgrade to RC equipment.
  19. N

    I want your opinions on a trike idea

    I've noticed in my e-trike (a Catrike 700), it was difficult to mount enough batteries. I had a system that could hold the batteries securely on the rack, but that put too much stress on the rear wheel. I've resorted to a trailer since then. On the KMX, there is room behind the seat, but it...
  20. N

    Calling all NJer's

    Hi, I've yet to see an electric bike in NJ, besides John Tetz' electric-assist velomobile. I just finished putting a motor on my Catrike 700. I'm in Short Hills, NJ, somewhat near Newark in Essex.
  21. N

    Cyclone Problems

    Thank you j3tch1u! I'll try that, and see how it goes. The picture is always nice to have. :) I have a recumbent, so it makes things involving the chain a lot more interesting. I also still have gears on the back, and can't change the rear wheel's hub to be gear-less, since it's a PowerTap...
  22. N

    Cyclone Problems

    My problem is with the freewheel on the motor gearbox. I don't have a freewheel on my bike's cranks (yet). Are you talking about a Cyclone part?
  23. N

    Cyclone Problems

    Hi all, I've been working on getting my Cyclone motor to work nicely. It has a double freewheel on it. I've noticed while running it on a trainer, that there is a wobble in the freewheel. After taking the freewheels off, the shaft is actually wobbling. I haven't taken off the gearbox though...
  24. N

    Cyclone Catrike Commuter

    I've got the motor mounted on my Catrike, and am having problems with the derailleur in the front. Do you think you could take pictures of the derailleur and how its mounted on your trike, so I can get some better ideas? Thank you again for your work and great photos, it's helped me out in...
  25. N

    Watt-based cruise control

    I think there's a lot of potential in combining a pre-mapped route with GPS, battery, and speed data. It could run a lot of simple calculations to determine Amps needed to maintain speed, pedal power needed to maintain speed at current motor usage, battery life in hours at current speed, most...
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