1St ebike done, now onto revision 2 on Kona Stinky frame.

[Kris B Krunch]

Thanks for the quick replies guys. I am aware that lipo has more risks, but sounds like if treated right they are just fine.

Good to know about the nano tech, i just really wish there were some regular turnigys that came in 8ah packs

I never considered 5s packs, they sond like a good match too.

So what is the best way to write up the packs safely and being able to bulk charge them most of the time? I'm thinking it must be safe to bulk charge during the week and then individually balance charge them on the weekend. Does that sound right? That's what the i charger does right?

 

[Kris B Krunch]

does anyone know if my crystalite controller can handle up to 72 V, does it have a little give? Like if I have 18s 66.6 volts, hot off the charger, wouldn't that bring the total a little higher than my controller can handle? Or, does that nothing to worry about?

Or am I better off with something like 16s, or 15s where I know for sure I'll be under that 72v mark.

And, no, I'm not planning on running my bmc at crazy high wattages, not unless I experiment with oil cooling later. I've heard from Oatnet that the bmc V2T's love volts, not amps. So I figure give it as many volts as I can, and adjust the amps with my cycle analyst to keep the power in a manageable range.


I'm not sure on what model of crystallite controller I have, but I bought it from Ilia at bikessf.com as part of a kit. I think he may have modified them to make them run a max of 25amps to keep the bmcs alive longer, but I'm not sure. When I first started looking I thought the controller in the kit offered had a max of 35 amps. Not that I need it right now anyways.

 

[Kris B Krunch]

I'm thinking I'll be keeping my battery requirements to 16s, or 15s. I'm just not sure what packs I'm going to use.

Option 1: 59.2V 10AH $180 (8 packs) 59.2V 15AH $270 (12packs)
I'm tempted by getting the best bang for the buck by getting either 8 or 12 packs of the 4s Turnigy hard case packs. http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__15521__Turnigy_5000mAh_4S1P_14_8v_20C_hardcase_pack.html
The one reason I'm thinking I'd rather not, is that it's a lot of packs, and I'd rather keep the pack count low, less wiring, and less chance for error right? I've heard it's easy to remove them from there plastic case to cut down on weight.

Option 2: 55.5V 10AH $218 (6packs) 55.5V 15AH $327 (9packs)
My next option I'm thinking is either getting 6 or 9 packs of turnigy 5s 5ah packs, http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__9174__Turnigy_5000mAh_5S_20C_Lipo_Pack.html

Option 3: 55.5V 8AH $269 (3 packs) 55.5V 16AH $539 (6 packs)
or possibly, but the most expensive option, is just getting three packs of turnigy nano tech 5s 8ah now and then later maybe get two more. http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__18209__Turnigy_nano_tech_8000mAh_5S_25_50C_Lipo_Pack.html
I could be fine for 8ah now, but I know I'd want more than 10 Ah's eventually. obviously 16ah's if I go this route. But then again, I bet 8 amp hours, or even ten amp hours will seem like a treat when all I've been used to on my bike is getting is usually 4.2 sometimes 4.4 ah's. But, it always left me wanting more, and was too short of a bike ride even with lots of pedalling.

Option 4: (which I think I've kinda ruled out, but still might have a chance) 59.2V 11.6AH (4 packs) $400 59.2 17.4AH(6 packs)$600
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__10895__Turnigy_5800mAh_8S_25C_Long_Lipo_Pack.html
If I go this route, 11.6 Ah's might not be too bad actually, at least for now. maybe it might even be a good match. If I went with these long packs, I'd have to mount them in the frame triangle of my kona (I have the room)

Is it ok to add packs latter on to increase Ah's? or, whatever pack I go with, is it best just to bite the bullet and buy all the packs I plan to use write away. Unless I decide to have them another low ah pack later but same voltage, to swap in latter....hmmm, kinda like those old pickup trucks with two fuel tanks

My Bike as far as a commuter to work, I don't really need much amp hours at all. I was fine getting to and from work only using about 3 or so ah's on around 44V's of LiFePO4. I mostly want more ah's for riding through the local trails and just riding around my very hilly town.

What do you guys think? And I know a lot say nano tech isn't worth the price premium, but for me, the only reason I'm attracted to it is because it's available in 8ah packs.

I'd really like to get stuff ordered up soon, I just need help making these kinda decisions from those that have the hands on experience.

Thanks!

 

[Kris B Krunch]

Ok, little update here:
-12 packs of turnigy 4s 5ah hard cases to be wired up with a harness from IceCube as 16s3p or nominal 59.2V 15Ah's
-Pelican 1300 case to be mounted to the forks, Oatnet style!
-Same charger as Hyenna's Super Awesome charger, the BC168 charger
-server power supply (still waiting for it to come in the mail)

-And right now, because I'm impatient, I'm charging it with an old battery that we just took out of my wife's car cause it died on her a few times. But it looks like it's holding a decent charge, at least maybe for charging these packs in the mean time. I've got a little 1.8W trickle charger solar panel hooked up to it. So, technically my ebike will be solar powered 8)


Anyways, I'm gonnna just start a new thread for this build, as this post has been all over the place with me trying to make up decisions and such.

Come check out my new one coming soon, I'll have pics and show the progress of the build and I'm sure I'll have a few questions along the way.