How Do I limit my speed or watts for more range?

[cody196]

Hey so I wanna do some range tests with a speed limiter with this controller I am using, i already did full throttle test with the LiPo batteries i got but i only get about 10 miles per charge at 30 to 35 mph so I wanna limit the speed or watts and it says in the diagram there is a power 350w only but my controller don't look exdact to that diagram but it looks exactly the same as this.

then the diagram

 

[fechter]

The "dial three speed gear" wires look like what you would use to switch to different settings. You connect the ground to one or the other wires or to nothing, which generally gives speed 2.

 

[wesnewell]

Take the black wire (ground) to the brown wire (low speed).

 

[e-beach]

Or only apply 50% throttle (more or less) and pedal a little bit. Do this and you will extend your range by ruffly 100%.

 

[amberwolf]

so I wanna limit the speed or watts

The simplest way to do that is to use your throttle less, especially on startup from a stop.

Once you ride for a little while you'll easily hear and feel what speed you are at, so if you limit yourself to riding below 20MPH, and don't take off quickly from a stop, you'll probably double your range.

If you simply can't control your throttle hand, you could install a bracket next to it and a screw in the throttle plastic, to physically prevent you from rotating the throttle past a certain point (whatever you determine is the best limit for you).


If you require an electronic way to do it, the suggestions by other posters above are probably good.

If they don't work, then if the controller board inside has more than one shunt wire, you can cut one of them to reduce the current limit by that much (if there are two, it cuts it in half, if there are three, it cuts it by a third, etc).

 

[motomech]

So I see you are still on the LiPoly learning curve.

....so I wanna limit the speed or watts....

Two different things, you can't limit Current on that controller unless you shave the shunt(not recommended).
There are a couple of things you can do now.
1)Get a controller w/ a real 3-speed limiting feature, one w/ a display that allows "on the fly" adjustment.
2)Assuming that you now realize that you don't need to be able to go faster than 40 MPH, then reconfigure your pack for more capacity and less Voltage. As I recall,you started off w/ 4S/10Ah Multistar bricks, damaged one by not having a LVC and then, somehow ended up w/ a 72V pack(you never explained how you did this). Are you running 5S/1P of 4S/10Ah LiPoly and how in the World are you charging that pack w/ an Imax B6 charger?
What is your actual LiPoly configuration now? Perhaps you can reconfigure back to 4S/1S(60V), but you would still only have 10 AH of capacity, which wouldn't help your range much.
A better approach would be, use 6) of the 4S/10Ah bricks in 3S/2P for a 48V/20Ah pack. If you then spliced the balance wires so you would have 4) 6S taps, it would be easier to balance charge, or better yet, bulk charge instead of "breaking" your pack every time you charge.
Had you thought out the LiPoly thing a little more before you jumped into it w/ both feet, you could have configured your pack w/ 4) 6S/10Ah bricks for a pack of 12/2P(46V/20Ah), like wesenwell and I use and have all the range you could want and be able to easily bulk charge w/out having to dis-connect your pack every time to charge. Your original 48V controller came w/ the correct LVC for a 12S and you could still be using it.

 

[cody196]

The "dial three speed gear" wires look like what you would use to switch to different settings. You connect the ground to one or the other wires or to nothing, which generally gives speed 2.

could you possibly do an example with the image with Paint or something or tell me which wire goes to which cause i dont want to frock anything up since I am using Lipo now.

 

[cody196]

also is the three speed dial the red 3-pin connector with the Pink, Grey and black wires?

 

[d8veh]

That three-speed switch won't give you what you want. You can't mess anything up with it. It works like this:

With nothing connected, you get normal operation, like you have now.
Connect the middle (black) wire to one of the other two to get restricted speed. The restriction is arbitrary, probably around 15 mph.
Connect the middle to the other wire to get a slight speed boost. The controller changes the timing slightly to reduce resistance at high speed.

 

[cody196]

So like black to Pink or black to Grey and I should be good?

 

[flat tire]

I ride in full power all the time and use my right wrist to perform the above. YMMV.

 

[dogman dan]

FWIW, when you are ready for a more expensive upgrade, you need a controller compatible with a direct plug in Cycle Analyst. Then you get speed limiting, amps limiting, and other neat features.

Here is how to add a CA plug to a controller. https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=62809

Mostly I just use throttle, and watch the CA display, and keep the average wh/mi in my target range. Some of my bikes only have the stand alone CA. For example, 900 watt hours available, and a 60 mile ride. For that I have to hit an average of 15 wh/mi. Typically I have a hard time pedaling that hard, and just try to hit 25 wh/mi. Around 35 miles range from a 900wh, 48v 20 ah battery. The way I pedal, that means about 20 mph riding or less. If I start seeing 30 wh/mi, I just use the throttle to slow down more.

So how do I keep from getting throttle creep? I keep from going faster and faster by pedaling, keeping my cadence constant, and selecting a different gear for less than 20 mph. When you need to go slower, simply pick a lower gear, then back off the throttle till you feel the pressure on the pedals again.

I have though, built long haul bikes designed to have a top speed of 18 mph. This does prevent me from ever going fast enough to blow my battery early. Something to consider when you get to having 6 e bikes. I built that one specifically for hauling trailers at low speeds.

 

[fechter]

I suggest trying this and see what happens:
The red line indicates a jumper. Sometimes you can just jam a piece of wire or paper clip into the connector to test.

If this works like you want, you could wire it up with a switch so you can select the power level. They sell 3 speed switches that mount on the handlebars made for this.

 

[Voltron]

The jam the bent over paperclip into the plug will be the easiest way to see what stuck at low power feels like... but its way better to have the bar mount switch, for those times you need some extra power for a short burst like a hill or headwind or something. Or at least leave the plug accessible so you can pull it out and go back to medium power if you want. Just don't jumper the outside two holes of the plug. It's the center and either outside one, and a quick full throttle test will tell you which is low.
I have mine paperclipped onto high, and just throttle back... or used to anyway, before getting a bigger pack. Now unless I'm riding with a slow friend its pretty much wide open all the time. :wink:

 

[cody196]

The jam the bent over paperclip into the plug will be the easiest way to see what stuck at low power feels like... but its way better to have the bar mount switch, for those times you need some extra power for a short burst like a hill or headwind or something. Or at least leave the plug accessible so you can pull it out and go back to medium power if you want. Just don't jumper the outside two holes of the plug. It's the center and either outside one, and a quick full throttle test will tell you which is low.
I have mine paperclipped onto high, and just throttle back... or used to anyway, before getting a bigger pack. Now unless I'm riding with a slow friend its pretty much wide open all the time. :wink:

yep figured it out and i hooked it to a switch that i can simply flip back and forth on my handle bars

 

[fechter]

yep figured it out and i hooked it to a switch that i can simply flip back and forth on my handle bars

Does it do what you want?

Many of these controllers can be programmed to change the speed settings but you need a programming cable and the right software.