Can I test my 48V system using 4 - 12V A23 batteries?

[baltimorebiker]

I bought this kit off ebay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/291340427977

I am using these 12v batteries

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Toshiba-A23-Battery-12Volt-23AE-21-23-GP23-23A-23GA-MN21-12v-5-PACK/141564934057?

I just want to test to make sure everything is working before by battery from China come in the mail. (2 month wait)

Will this test damage my controller or motor? I would imagine that these batteries can hardly supply any current, so I think it is doubtful , but I'm not sure.

I'm planning on just duct taping the batteries in series, and attaching wires to the ends.

I will post test results if I deem it safe. Curious to see if it even runs, how many meters I can go, top speed etc...

 

[Drunkskunk]

It won't hurt the bike. 48 volts DC is 48 volts DC, the source doesn't matter.
They claim they are rated for 23 amps, so it shouldn't pop the batteries either.
I suspect it will only give a very short few seconds of testing, but for the price, it can't hurt to try.

 

[amberwolf]

Um...those may power on the system, but have so little capacity (50-60mAh) and most likely such high internal resistance that I'm not sure it'll even spin the wheel off-ground without a load. I can't imagine it would do *anything* with the wheel on the ground even without a rider.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A23_battery
It may drain them severely just to charge the caps in the controller.

It won't hurt the actual bike system to try, but it seems like a waste of money to me.

I'd rather find four friends with cars and jumper cables, and put their batteries in series, to test the kit.

 

[999zip999]

Buy the ebike tester for 16.99 usd. for now and later. Better investment.

 

[wesnewell]

No. They aren't even rated for 0.23A, much less 23A. here's the data sheet for them. 23A is the Toshiba model number.
http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/a23.pdf

 

[baltimorebiker]

The batteries could not power the bike. I ended up using a lab power supply to give me 55 volts and 0.5 A. I wired lab power supply to controller. I was testing only my wheel. I ended up holding the axles in my hands while my friend turned on the power supply and turning the throttle. I ended up getting quite a finger and forearm workout which is perfect because I'm a rock climber.

Even using the lab power supply, the controller did take over 10 secs to power on, so I think there were a few capacitors or something that needed to charge up before functioning.

 

[amberwolf]

I ended up holding the axles in my hands while my friend turned on the power supply and turning the throttle.

You won't want to do that when you have a sufficient power supply for it.

Bolt it onto the bike's dropouts (with whatever supplied torque arms there are, if any), before you do a "real" test, even off-ground.

Otherwise you risk injury and/or damage to the wheel (twisting the wires up so rapidly that they rip out of the axle end).

If you just set it in the dropouts of an upside down bike, without bolting it n, you risk breaking them off, so definitely tighten the nuts down.

http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=64279

 

[dnmun]

do you have a voltmeter? what is the voltage of the four 12V batteries?

 

[amberwolf]

@dnmun: You do realize he tried to power the bike with four of these, right?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A23_battery

An A23 battery is cylindrical, smaller than an AAA battery, measuring 28.5 mm long and 10.3 mm in diameter, with a typical weight of 8 grams. An A23 battery is an 8-cell device with a nominal voltage of 12 V. The higher voltage is necessary for the radio frequency-transmitting and receiving devices which A23 batteries often power. It has a capacity of around 55 mAh. [2]

A23 batteries are constructed of 8 individual LR932 alkaline button cells enclosed in a wrapper.

The A23 battery is close in size to the N battery, which has a voltage of 1.25V to 1.5V.

 

[dnmun]

no, i could not conceive someone would think such a thing is possible. i just assumed he could not spell. i wondered why 4 12V A123 packs would not show voltage to the controller.

 

[baltimorebiker]

lol, I now realize how crazy I was to think it would work. Those tiny batteries could never power the controller, much less the motor. The duct tape also was a horrible connection, so most of the time, I was connecting 0 volts to the controller.

Holding the axle in my hand while my friend turned the throttle wasn't that difficult to hold steady. I have pretty strong fingers and grip from lots of rock climbing.

 

[amberwolf]

It woudln't be, with only half an amp available to the controller.

Try that with the normal bike battery on there, and an instant-start controller, and you'll probably have a different story to tell, good grip or no.