Is Cycle Analyst worth buying?

[Russell]

IMO a wattmeter of some sorts is a "must have" for any E-bike enthusiast. I originally bought a Watt's Up meter over a CA-DP for a few reasons;

1) WU was cheaper
2) I could use the WU when I recharged the battery
3) I didn't have a controller with a CA connector
4) I had a geared motor so even if I had a CA connector the speed function would not work
5) You can't quickly remove the CA

I could have bought the standalone CA but that was more money plus it required running wires to the shunt and a wire to the speed pick-up making it less attractive than the direct plug-in version. So I bought the WU meter and velcro'd it atop the handlebar mounted controller like so;



The display was fun to watch and it allowed me to manage my power use and ride with great efficiency. I had installed Anderson connectors on the meter leads, and on every other power connection, so I could remove the meter quickly and use it to monitor the battery charging process. I learned a lot about SLA, LiMn, LiFePO4 and LiPo characteristics by observing the meter during charging. After a while though and especially when I purchased a larger capacity battery I didn't really need the meter while riding. I did still want some kind of visual battery indicator so I opted for an inexpensive LED light/voltage indicator.



The LED voltage indicator was really all I needed to monitor the battery condition plus the big dual LED headlight worked well as a daytime running light. It was cheaply made however and fell apart after about a year's use. Since then I have ridden without a display device and I really don't miss it too much. My power use is pretty consistant and I am so familiar with the motor I can feel when the battery is geting low. I do still use a wattmeter during charging however. I also connect it to the battery in the rear trunk bag to get some hard data when I am trying out a new controller, motor or battery.

So yeah a wattmeter is invaluable and the CA is a nice one. If you have a controller w/ a CA plug, have a DD motor, are running over 60V and have just one E-bike then it's a great choice. Even then I still think it's a good idea to also buy a WU meter.


-R

 

[Chalo]

I guess a good way to look at it would be this: If you run a motor vehicle, do you prefer having a trip computer that calculates range and mpg, plus a full set of gauges... or do you prefer just having a speedo and some idiot lights? Or, to bring Wes Newell's approach into it, would you be happy with just a fuel gauge?

The first category is a Cycle Analyst, the second category is a Watts Up or similar, and the third category is a voltmeter only.

Chalo

 

[DVDRW]

I buyed it, but i really miss one feature: Current (not average) ride effiency wh/km or ah/km
It helps me to choose best speed and pedaling to get as far as possible with one charging.
Otherwise its good device, but DAMN, most important function is missing :?
It made me so far that im building now my own (Atmega based) CA.

 

[rojitor]

I can't live without my c.a. I wish i had bought it earlier.

 

[23skidoo]

It was worth it for my first bike. But it was another loss when my bike was stolen. My second bike doesnt have one, and I don't really need it, particularly because I primarily ride the same trip to work. Even when I go farther, I have to leave a reserve to make it home, so didn't find myself able to fully drain the battery using the CA. I could increase my battery capacity 50% for the same money. I'm rarely surprised at the power use (which I learn after the ride by the charger).

 

[dogman dan]

Any meter with an amps or a watts display can tell you what your current efficeincy is close enough for govt work. 400w or less, you doing fine, 800w or more, you aren't.

Or another way to look at it. If your pedaling isn't dropping your displayed wattage by 100w, your riding style is not helping efficiency. Less than 100w gain means you likely are putting out less than 75 w of pedal power. Lame.

Bare bones efficiency meter, keep that speedo below 18 mph.

Not that a current wh/mi sampled over the last 10 seconds wouldn't be very interesting and helpful for adjusting your pedaling to maximize efficeincy of both the motor and your poor legs. That wh/mi data on a hill is mind blowing, but a pain to reset the CA at the bottom of a hill just to get it for a short bit.

 

[alsmith]

One thing not mentioned so far is the help given when needed with the CA. I was recently sent (free of charge) a new top cover for my 2 year old CA due to a problem I had. Would that happen with the other meters? My questions have always been quickly answered- both pre and post sales ones.
The meter has a lot of settable options- have a quick look at the manual- and compare to those other meters.

At the end of the day if the less expensive ones do what you want then why pay the extra for things you don't need?

It's expensive, but I believe it was a worthwhile purchase for me (despite being on a low fixed income).

I wish Justin had an upgrade route with a lower price for existing owners- the latest version looks good!

 

[DVDRW]

Also worth mentioning that CA is not waterproof. At heavy rain my CA stopped working. Luckily it started working again after drying.
So i opened it up and sealed it with silicone everywere, no problem with heavy rain anymore.

 

[Kingfish]

I have two CA-DPs mounted on my 2WD. They are useful most of the time, but occasionally they go wonky and report gibberish. It is not weather-related; happens in bone-dry summer heat just as easily as winter wet. I have sealed the backs of my units where the mounting block is located with Urethane.

The pesky errors are:

• Ampmeter calibration. I have yet been able to dial mine in correctly. The two units won’t measure the same. It’s not a big deal cos I read battery voltage to know how much is left on the pack.
• Mileage recording is not precise; not a big deal - we’re talking an error of < 5 miles over 150 between two CAs.
• Occasionally the Time or the AveS will appear off by a factor of 10.
• On the Road last year, one of my CAs died for a 2-3 days, then came back to life on its’ own, although it has worked fine since.
• I wish I could flash updates into the unit.
• I wish there was a self-calibration for the shunt.

However, I do not lose sleep over these issues. For the money and what it does, it is worth the price… maybe not in gold, but pretty close to Sterling. :wink:

I mean, would you rather have a mechanical or magnetic-induced speedometer?

Tripping the odometer, KF

 

[geetarboy]

Best answer: YES
Best reason: It's customizable multi-functionality
Best alternative: Haven't found one yet

 

[rscamp]

Wow. No one has mentioned the PI controller built into the CA.