Cycle Analyst with Chinese ebike Controller?

[3wheels1life]

Hello,

Has anyone used the Cycle Analyst from ebikes.ca with the brushless ebike controllers commonly sold for around $30 on ebay from China? If so, did you need to modify wiring, connectors, or the controller's internal hardware?
I would like to measure speed, amps, battery status, and range.
Will the CA do this? Do I need a specific model?
Also, I am not planning on using it as a modded/high performance bike, just a 36v 350w hub motor.
Thank you.

-3wheels1life

 

[CroArcher]

Just plug & play without modifications..

 

[d8veh]

You should get the stand alone (SA) version otherwise the wiring is a it more tricky.

 

[dogman dan]

Plug and play only if you get one with a CA plug, or use the stand alone.

I have two stand alone CA's, so I can use them with anything. I don't need the fancier functions, just watt meter and speedo.

If you have the DP, I think you can modify it to use the shunt fairly easy.

 

[teklektik]

For basic operation you are looking at a CA V2.3. This is a recent upgrade of the previous 'large screen' design and its focus is on 'monitoring' instead of 'control' like the newer CA v3.0. You will want to get one with a speedo pickup so you don't need to mess inside the controller and, as mentioned above, you want to do this using the Standalone Shunt that connects between the controller and battery and has a connector (CA-DP) for the CA.

Then you need to decide between either of two operating modes and may want to purchase slightly different items depending on the choice (see ebikes.ca CA store page):

1. Monitor Only Operation
   This is mode you requested and is plug and play. Buy this single kit:
   • CA-SA - comprised of a CA-DPS and Shunt-SA.
   You just add the shunt to your existing wiring, install the wheel pickup, plug in the CA and go. The CA-DP cable and wheel pickup come pre-wired to the CA.
   
   
   
2. Current Throttle + Current/Speed Limiting
   This is the full blown CA V2 limiting capabilities plus Current Throttle which will give you smooth linear throttle response. This is the precursor of the same feature now available on the V3 model. In this case buy this:
   • CA-DPS - CA V2.3 + speedo pickup
   • Shunt-CA3 - shunt module from a CA V3 - the same as a Shunt-CA except that it also has a breakout cable that will bring out a throttle wire back near your controller. (You can use a CA-SA and hack the CA-DP connector to grab the green throttle wire, but the shunt meant for the V3 makes it much easier and tidier...)
   • You can just plug this together and it will operate in Monitor Only Mode (as above) to get riding quickly - or you can do the following:
     • Hook things up as shown here:
       
       1. Relocate CA-DP green wire on CA circuit board from Thd to ThO
       2. Connect the green breakout cable wire to the controller throttle Sense connection
       3. Connect the operator throttle to the CA circuit board at the POT connections
       
       
       
     • Make these settings:
       • AuxThreshold = 1.1v
         (You can diddle this a bit to eliminate any initial 'dead zone' on the throttle)
       • AuxVoltageFunction = Current
       • ITermMax = 4.1v
         (This is the max throttle voltage to the controller - diddle a bit if bike doesn't go full speed or there is a throttle 'dead zone' at the top of the operator throttle)
       • ITermMin = 0.9v
         (This is the min throttle voltage to the controller - diddle a bit if bike creeps at ZERO throttle.)
       • IntAGain may need to be adjusted downward if you have a powerful or heavy bike and the throttle action 'hunts' or is 'surgey'.

I recommend the second option - it's only a few bucks more and can run in the simpler 'monitor-only' mode while giving you an opportunity for future improvement by switching to Current Throttle. Grin Tech also sells a little bag of JST connectors (ConBag)that can be handy to fabricate the revised throttle connector.

Of course, if you want to add cruise control, three speed switch, or PAS to your bike, you can buy a CA3-DPS instead and add any of the associated V3 plug and play accessories (like the PAS wheel - PAS_12P, etc). Installation is similar to the second case above, but requires a bit more reading to configure (see the Unofficial V3 Guide).