Disassembled 2011 Zero S to replace contactor. Seeking advic

[usa_electrophile]

After some prior emails and diagnostics with Zero tech support it was previously established I needed to replace the contactor. All other aspects of bike fine. 9k miles. I have the new contactor replacement.

Currently:
The front wheel is off. Battery, controller and charger are removed. I was planning to clean all the electrical contacts and connections (rubbing alcohol and qtip?). Any advice on general prevention or little upgrades I can do while bike in this disassembled state?

Considered upgrading controller but seemed a pain due to needing to get someone to program it. Any way to add regenerative braking?

Thanks

 

[Doctorbass]

After some prior emails and diagnostics with Zero tech support it was previously established I needed to replace the contactor. All other aspects of bike fine. 9k miles. I have the new contactor replacement.

Currently:
The front wheel is off. Battery, controller and charger are removed. I was planning to clean all the electrical contacts and connections (rubbing alcohol and qtip?). Any advice on general prevention or little upgrades I can do while bike in this disassembled state?

Considered upgrading controller but seemed a pain due to needing to get someone to program it. Any way to add regenerative braking?

Thanks

Changing the controller will not affect power. It is actually limited by the preset current measured by the little blue coil around teh wire that goes to the motor. This coil make sure that the motor current never exceed a given value. If it does ( ex you program the controller for higher current) than it will detect it and send a signal to the Main Bike Board ( MBB) and it will filter the throttle signal between the controller and the Magura throttle grip to reduce the current to the motor to the max specified value.

BUT! it is possible to boost it a little bit again to max 500A ( at your own risk of reducing the brush life) by reprogramming the MBB with a little USB to RS-232 adaptor that you will connect the TX and RX and GND to the appropriate OBDII port under the gank.

There is alot of info for that in teh two last years on teh electric motorcycle forum.

I already had a Zero DS 2011 in teh past and id that mod and it work realy well now.

I also replaced the rear and front sproket to get higher torque with the 2012 ZF9 sproket size This reduced my max speed to about 90km/h but the torque feeling was like twice!!

Search for my posts on both of this forum and the electricmotorcycleforum you will find great things for your Zero! :wink:

It is theoricly possible to double your actual range of about 60km to 120km by replacing teh actual 26700 Molicells with lipo RC packs but it will cost you about 2000$ and couple of hours of work.

Doc

 

[usa_electrophile]

Thanks alot Doc, I really appreciate it.
I got some reading to do but even if all I do is make this bike run reliably again stock ill be happy too. Changing the sprockets is interesting, I only need 55 mph max (88km) speed on the roads I travel.
I guess regenerative breaking isn't as simple as changing a controller option and adding a break engage type sensor for this model.


Zero has come a long way since 2011 and I definitely have my eye on a 2015 one except the 2011 meets my speed and range needs for daily work commuting. I've maintained the battery all the while of course. Getting this 2011 running asap will save my wallet =)

James

 

[jateureka]

Can you post the info for removing the various parts in order to get to the contactor?

This would help me as I have just discovered the bike I recently purchased also needs the contactor replacing!

The stock contactor is an MZJ-200, and a lot of people say it is not adequately rated, so I am reluctant to replace it with the same. One owner of a 2010 DS on the electricmotorcycleforum replaced that with the MZJ-400, which is the one EVdrives recommends for our Alltrax controller model 4855.
http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=3441.30

 

[jateureka]

Any updates ??

 

[jateureka]

I just ordered a new contactor for my Zero S 2011.

The make and model is Kilovac EV200-ADANA. It's hermetically sealed, and about the same size as the original MZJ-200 unit but rated for 500A. This model has a built in economiser circuit and does not require an external reverse diode to supress back emf. Another contactor similar to this is the Gigavax GX23-F.

I looked at the MZJ-400 as a replacement option but it is a bit larger and the guy with the 2010 model Zero had to do some finessing to get it to fit. Also, the Kilovac seems to get a lot of praise from members of the EV community and I managed to find one on eBay for $120 AUD.