GT i-drive 4.0 Build

[migueralliart]

Yet another GT idrive build...

Bought the frame for 125$ from ebay used without the rear shock and no front fork. I added a rockshox used front fork I got off Craigslist for 20$. Ordered the rear shock from ebay for 55$ it is a fox vanilla R. The pedals and crankset came from a EVG PE. Some details of the configuration:

DD yescomusa 36V 800 watt kit rear with 6 speed freewheel
Controller is a Keywin sensorless programmable - currently programmed to 30amps and running 12S mid setting for regen
Batteries are Hobbyking 12S - 2 6S bricks 5000mAh zippy
Simple Thumb throttle
Left handlebar switch for controller and regen

For now I'm running just a front brake and regen on the back will add a rear v brake as soon as I add the rear derailleur and chain+shifter

The battery case is a lasercut ABS custom enclosure that holds both bricks and uses the bottle mounts for it. Pretty solid and it is pretty rigid.

I'm getting 24-25 mph with no pedaling just testing the lipo packs for now I've only cycled them 4-5 times so I take em out of the bike each time I use it. It only takes 2 bolts to disassemble the side cover and remove the battery.

Ok enough of the talking now lets get to pictures

Birth

Yescom USA rear DD installed

Battery Enclosure lasercut ABS sheets arrived

Harnessing time

Batteries installed

Throttle

Left handlebar switch , red is the controller on/off switch green is a momentary regen

Side view

And the WIP running bike

Update 9/01/2012



I installed a rear topeak seat bag. The plan is to put 2 more lipo 6S bricks so my total capacity will get to 9AH 12S. For short rides I use two 6s bricks in the main triangle for 12S and add another booster pack on the seatpost bag. I bought some small project enclosures and some voltage meters do to a handlebar install. Will keep updating this thread.

Update 9/24/2012

So today I went for a ride to test the range of my simple lipo setup.

Right now In the triangle enclosure I have a 12S 5Ah pack (made out of 2 6S 15C 5Ah zippys. Not the greatest lipo of all time but for my current of 30 amps and all flat terrain is good enough for a test.

Rode the bike full throttle for ~5 miles to a nearby blockbuster to exchange a movie. Used some light regen and didn't do much pedaling.

Parked the bike to a tree and went inside

After that I rode back and stopped by a nearby gas station to buy a bottle of water. Then just getting to my garage one of my 2 lipo alarms set @ 3.6V per cell started beeping under load. I immediately left off the throttle and it stopped beeping.

When I checked the total distance: ~10.3 miles out of my 5AH pack that is great!!!

Cruising at around 24mph. I will add another pair of 6S zippys in the seat bag for a 20 miles range.

So far my torque arm made from the mcmaster thick washer is holding. I even tried getting off (jumping the bike) the sidewalk @ around 20 mph when there were no cars just to test for worst case scenarios and having fun at the same time too of course.

Things to do next....
1-The chain is falling of the crank when it is in top gear (due to the chainline being weird) I need to get a crank chain guide for a good price. If anyone has a recommendation for this let me know.
2-Add rear adapter for disc brake
3-Add front fender
4-Change Pedals



Update 5/11/13

Well it's been quite a while since I update this.

I tried selling this frame locally but people just barter about everything so I decided to stay with it and give it an upgrade.

Changed the rear motor from a YESCOMUSA hub to a cell_man rear MXUS DD 335rpm wind.

Changed the controller from a keywin 12 fet to a 6 fet sensorless from lyen.

Ditched the ABS enclosure and made a small battery pack made out of samsung 18650-20R batteries capable of 20 amps each cell. The current pack configuration is 12S4P. In case you were wondering the pack is in the headset bag (6S4P at each side linked by an ATC 40A fuse holder) The controller is setup as 30 amps battery and ~60A phase current. The battery pack doesn't get warm to the touch after several stops and gos.

Added a rear curved torque arm and 203mm bb7 brake and a elixir 1 hydraulic on the front (still trying to figure out how to make a 203mm front setup work with the elixir's)

Changed pedals and front RIM to black.

Working on adding a seat post clamp , shortening the handle bar and choosing fenders.

It's time to put the trike to rest for a couple of weeks and check pads and stuff plus the temperatures are getting higher now in the summer and I kinda like riding the bikes when it's hot.

The yescomusa will now be the bench motor for testing controllers and throttles.

If you guys have any suggestions for fenders let me know I'm always open to your feedback. I still need to do some wire wrapping here and there specially between the controller and battery.

Pictures as always;

 

[ambroseliao]

Beautiful! How did you design the abs so that it fit so nicely in the cavity. Where did you have it laser cut?

 

[migueralliart]

Beautiful! How did you design the abs so that it fit so nicely in the cavity. Where did you have it laser cut?

Thanks for your feedback!!!

This was basically the process for the ABS enclosure

I made a cut out of the triangle area taking into account about 3/8" cleareance to the tubes
Using google sketchup I made a layout lasercut pattern of what I wanted cut out of 3/16" ABS which is hair cell textured on one side and the other one is flat.
This is what I sent them along with a dwg file for the machine

They gave me an estimate of the job which I think was less than 80$ shipped using black ABS

Originally the thickness of the enclosure was going to be enough for 2 packs side side (4 total) but then I changed my mind because this was going to be more of an entertainment bike so 2 6S 5Ah packs was enough for me plus it looked really cool not being much wider than the triangle tubes.

The company is called pololu.com they were really helpful and one of the product definition guys gave me a call to confirm what I had he sent me a pdf which I have to approve in order for them to go ahead and process the order. The whole thing took 2 weeks more or less.

When I got the enclosure I originally wanted to just install it on the bike and screw both sides in... but I had some DP420 laying around so what I did was I assemble everything using that and some L brackets off home depot and left one side to screw on. This way it looks better. Plus the ABS will break itself before that DP420 lets loose.

 

[migueralliart]

Can someone recommend a seat post bag like the topeak DX that fits two small lipo packs. I wish to make it as a booster pack or range extender (still trying to decide)

 

[parajared]

What happened to your Genesis? Is it still hanging in ok?

 

[migueralliart]

What happened to your Genesis? Is it still hanging in ok?

It's actually a funny story. I live in an apartment complex where I have a detached garage. this is where I have my ebikes and tools etc plus I store my car there. One morning I was late for work and the security guy/patrol saw me sprinting out of the complex (he couldn't catch up on a golf cart) anyway when I came back that afternoon he asked about the bike and etc and asked me to build one for him to which I replied I'll sell you mine minus the battery. So I ended up selling it for ~700$ and he bought a Ping battery and put a bigger rear bag. I see him everyday now arriving on that same bike to the complex ! My guess is that he recharges where the golf carts are parked so he never pays for electricity .

Now I'm finishing this build and prepping the next one.

 

[jsmay311]

I love the custom battery enclosure. Very slick.

Did you do anything special to keep water from coming in through where the wires exit the enclosure?

And, also, I noticed you have the low-voltage monitors/alarms hooked up inside the enclosure. On my ebike, I didn't include these in my battery enclosures because I was concerned about having even a small amount a power draw from the devices in case I wanted to park my bike for days or weeks and not have to worry about the batteries running down if I didn't leave them on a charger. So what were your thoughts on this? I suppose with the design of your enclosure, it's probably easy enough to open it up and disconnect the alarms if needed, put this wasn't really an option with my design. So I'm just curious.

Thanks.

 

[migueralliart]

About the water I don't worry because there are plenty of stops I can make on my commute daily. Still I could've made it water resistant with 10$ more but I decided against it. There is literally a gar station every half miles on my way home LOL

About the lipo alarms I remove them every time I'm not using the bike. They consume power like you say but it is not a big deal if you charge daily. Still I always like to have them when I ride because that way I know when I hit LVC on a cell level. Also like you mention I only need to remove 2 bolts and the side cover is off which is REALLY handy!

 

[migueralliart]

UPdate!

I installed a rear topeak seat bag that holds 2 more lipo 6S bricks so my total capacity is now 9AH 12S. For short rides I use two 6s bricks in the main triangle for 12S and add another booster pack on the seatpost bag. For commuting I put 2 6S in parallel in the main triangle and 2 6S in parallel in the seatpost bag and use a lipo alarm for each one. I bought some small project enclosures and some voltage meters do to a handlebar install. Will keep updating this thread.

 

[Paul.............D]

I like this, it is such a clean build. How much battery power can you get in there

Paul

 

[migueralliart]

I like this, it is such a clean build. How much battery power can you get in there

Paul

Thanks for the feedback!

This build was originally planned to be a fun bike to hit the trails with not much capacity which is why the triangle enclosure fits up to 2.3" wide packs up to 2 6s. With only those packs and discharging 4.5ah out of 5 i get close to 200whr. Because i liked how the bike responds and feels i added a seat post bag with double the capacity so now with 9 out of 10ah i have close to 400whr. Its just enough to get me to and from work without charging. So fas this is my first build using lipo.

 

[e-biker]

very clean build!!

 

[migueralliart]

So today I went for a ride to test the range of my simple lipo setup.

Right now In the triangle enclosure I have a 12S 5Ah pack (made out of 2 6S 15C 5Ah zippys. Not the greatest lipo of all time but for my current of 30 amps and all flat terrain is good enough for a test.

Rode the bike full throttle for ~5 miles to a nearby blockbuster to exchange a movie. Used some light regen and didn't do much pedaling.

Parked the bike to a tree and went inside

After that I rode back and stopped by a nearby gas station to buy a bottle of water. Then just getting to my garage one of my 2 lipo alarms set @ 3.6V per cell started beeping under load. I immediately left off the throttle and it stopped beeping.

When I checked the total distance: ~10.3 miles out of my 5AH pack that is great!!!

Cruising at around 24mph. I will add another pair of 6S zippys in the seat bag for a 20 miles range.

So far my torque arm made from the mcmaster thick washer is holding. I even tried getting off (jumping the bike) the sidewalk @ around 20 mph when there were no cars just to test for worst case scenarios and having fun at the same time too of course.

Things to do next....
1-The chain is falling of the crank when it is in top gear (due to the chainline being weird) I need to get a crank chain guide for a good price. If anyone has a recommendation for this let me know.
2-Add rear adapter for disc brake
3-Add front fender
4-Change Pedals

 

[Tommy L]

Very Nice Build. How do you like the YESUSA motor?
Have you tried to volt up?
Is it quiet?
Does the rim have eyelets?

Thank you! and 8) ride! Nice work here!

Tommy L sends.... \\m//

 

[motomech]

Concerning the chain jumping problem. What chainring are you running?
I went with Salsa 48T that is designed to used as a single chainring. It has straight teeth, no ramping and no more chain jumping problems.

 

[migueralliart]

Very Nice Build. How do you like the YESUSA motor?
Have you tried to volt up?
Is it quiet?
Does the rim have eyelets?

Thank you! and 8) ride! Nice work here!

Tommy L sends.... \\m//

So far I loooove this motor it is really efficient. At start up the noise is barely noticeable. I'm running sensorless at the moment. I don't think I will volt up this motor my controller can do 63v max and I'm running 12S 44.4v feels plenty fast for what I need out of this bike. Using the keywin controller programmed at 30 amps so far I have good range and nice acceleration. I might try upgrading the caps on this controller and setting up the bike to run on 18S1P. I'm thinking about tuning down the phase current because I cruise a lot at steady speed.

What I really love about this build is the auto cruise ... it seem like a simple thing but for me it is the best of my commute not having to hold the throttle for a long time.

About the rim in all honestly I have not checked nor remember I'll take a look later and update you on that.

Thanks for the positive feedback! I've learned a lot from this forum to work this build up. It took me a long time cause bought the frame with no components and I have never built a bike from the ground up.

 

[newman64]

Great build, really like the battery box.

I want to build a battery box like that.

I didn't quite understand how you mounted the box to the frame. Did you use the DB420 to stick the ABS to the frame or what?

At which points did you mount it ? I cannot see any mount points from the pics

Thanks Newman

 

[migueralliart]

Great build, really like the battery box.

I want to build a battery box like that.

I didn't quite understand how you mounted the box to the frame. Did you use the DB420 to stick the ABS to the frame or what?

At which points did you mount it ? I cannot see any mount points from the pics

Thanks Newman

The only attachment points to the frame are the bottle mount bolts. I used 1.25" diameter thick washers to make sure the ABS didn't move sideways and then I added the side covers and drill holes on both the bottom and side panels in order to use small L brackets near the edges. The abs is 3/16" thick and it is sturdy. Will I do downhilling with this frame (NO) will it withstand trails and light mountain biking Hell yes.

I'll see if I can take some pics later and post em so that other members can get ideas.

 

[migueralliart]

Concerning the chain jumping problem. What chainring are you running?
I went with Salsa 48T that is designed to used as a single chainring. It has straight teeth, no ramping and no more chain jumping problems.

The chainring is 38T it came off an EVG bike I had. The problem is that the chainring is aligned with the 2nd gear so when I keep shifting up (to smaller cogs) then the chainline gets bad. I'm thinking of putting an upper guide as that will fix it now if only I could find a cheap one LOL. I just can't justify paying 50$ for a damn guide chain.

 

[TMaster]

Here is what I did on my normal mountain bike. No problems with the chain comming off on bumpy downhills...

I belt sanded the teeth of the outter chain ring, and CNC'd out a custom plate to replace the smallest chain ring. Salsa 36T is the biggest they make for the middle ring.

 

[migueralliart]

That is neat!! I love the end result.

My problem thou is not in the inner but the outer maybe a bigger outer guard ring might do it. I don't know I just wanna fix this problem so that I can pedal some more while in top gear.

 

[migueralliart]

Just relocated the controller and I am in the process of rewiring it.

Here's a picture of my wip creation.

 

[maluf89]

Neat build. nice work !

 

[migueralliart]

Disassembled the GM motor to upgrade phases and do some other mods.

I went ahead and designed a torque arm for 10mm axles. 3/8" thick A36 steel.

 

[migueralliart]

New 12Awg phase wires

I received the red varnish and high temp ties. The phase wires are already installed and man I gotta say it was hard to pass those thru the axle.

After I finished I did a continuity test to check that the phases were alright and they are. Added two small wires for the thermal switch that is on its way. It should switch on past 75C so I'm gonna use it with a buzzer and a 9v battery to warn me.

Next is drilling the covers.