Help me Upgrade my kids electric 6v Chinese Quad

[unclejemima]

My son has a walmart special 6v electric quad...like so

He rides the heck out of it, and the battery is now toast.

I'd like to get a new one, but one that has a longer run time, and perhaps more power.

Using my limited knowledge of electrics I've learned on this forum pertaining to electric bikes I'm starting to wonder if this is possible.

The only info I can find on the battery/machine says 6V 12W. This would mean its a 2A battery, right? (2A x 6V=12W)

Would I be able to run a 12V 2A battery on it and double the power?

Would I be able to find a 6V 4A battery and double the power, or perhaps increase the battery life?

Do you guys think there is a controller in there that will prevent use of more powerful batteries?

Greatly appreciate the advice!

 

[Ypedal]

that's most likely 6v 12 Amps ( or Ah = Amp Hour )

Got a digital camera ? take some pictures of the battery pack and post them up !

I modded a 12v Mini-Moto for my nephew with a 24v nicad pack.. see :

On his 4th birthday : *( we limited the throttle to half for that video.. after a few runs we opened it up and he could run aprox 20 kph )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB6ts-x1b_s

[youtube]vB6ts-x1b_s[/youtube]

 

[unclejemima]

Nice! Did you decal it Honda or did you buy it that way? I like it!

Ok, I lied. The battery is actually blank. Only the controller has info on it...

Any idea what I could do?

I take it you took a 24V 40A Crystalyte controller? What would work for my situation?

 

[Gregory]

If it has a controller the power will come on proportional to the throttle. But I'd guess it is just a on off switch.
There was another thread on here a week ago very similar, he put in a 12v 7ah battery and the power was too sudden. do a search for "soft start"

Also remember to charge sla batteries immediately after use to avoid early death of the battery.

 

[Gregory]

Thats a fuse/circuit breaker.

 

[unclejemima]

ah, yes, it is on/off, so to much power might be to harsh.

Hmm, so that is not a controller then?

 

[dogman dan]

At 6v, that thing may not have a controller. It could be that it's just an on off switch in the throttle handle. Then at 12v, it would be much more jerky.

It might be possible to add a 12v controller, and an actual throttle, and run it on 12v. I'm thinking in terms of parts from a razor scooter of very low wattage, like 100w. How well that scooter throttle would fit on your little quad is unknown to me. Then you'd get twice the speed and power, but not the jerky start.

Nearly sure that your quad has a brushed motor, so you are looking for a low power brushed controller. Ebay, or google scooter parts to find retalier websites.

 

[dogman dan]

Looking at ebay, it appears that not much exists in 12v controllers. Maybe the 12v kid cars use an actual rheostat instead? But a 24v scooter controller of 250w is cheap.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/24V-250W-Speed-Controller-Box-for-Electric-Scooters-/330760053220?pt=Other_Vehicle_Parts&hash=item4d02d5e1e4&vxp=mtr

Back to the battery, a lithium battery would have longer run time, but it would have the risk of damage from overdischarge. There might be places though, that have a 6v lithium battery with protective bms included. Bike and scooter stuff tends to start at 24v it seems.

Battery space, Bms battery, those would be a few places to look. Drill and other power tool packs start at 12v or so in general.

Easist thing migh just be to find a way to stuff a second 6v lead battery into the toy somehow. Connect it to the other battery, +to+ and - to-. Then it will double the run time of your toy and stay 6v.