teslanv
1 MW
If you get a Lyen controller (built specifically for LR's kit) it will come with a CA connector.
LightningRods mid drive kit
- Thread starter spinningmagnets
- Start date
LightningRods
1 MW
It'll cost ya $4.00 extra tho.
scorpionice
10 W
shipping date pls... :lol:
LightningRods
1 MW
I'm shipping kits and parts every day. My outstanding orders list is finally getting shorter rather than longer. I'm going to tell you "soon" and keep making parts.
brixmitch
10 mW
So, I was all set to order up some LiPo's to go with Mike's kit, and then I discovered the "how to burn down your house while charging lipo's" threads here on endless-sphere.
I have relatively modest needs - I'm not looking to pop wheelies at intersections (though knowing I could would bring a barely suppressed evil grin). And I'd like to be able to commute 3-4 miles twice a day during the work week without being that guy that all the drivers have to swerve around and without arriving to work all sweaty and beet red. And the occasional long weekend forays on the beach; mostly in relatively flat areas with a few hills along the way.
So what are some good choices? I looked at em3ev, and was considering them because they look fairly idiot-proof; but also saw spinningmagnet's posts on ping batteries, with their safer chemistry.
Again, completely new to all this, so forgive me if this has already been covered and please point me to the right places.
Thx!
I have relatively modest needs - I'm not looking to pop wheelies at intersections (though knowing I could would bring a barely suppressed evil grin). And I'd like to be able to commute 3-4 miles twice a day during the work week without being that guy that all the drivers have to swerve around and without arriving to work all sweaty and beet red. And the occasional long weekend forays on the beach; mostly in relatively flat areas with a few hills along the way.
So what are some good choices? I looked at em3ev, and was considering them because they look fairly idiot-proof; but also saw spinningmagnet's posts on ping batteries, with their safer chemistry.
Again, completely new to all this, so forgive me if this has already been covered and please point me to the right places.
Thx!
LightningRods
1 MW
brixmitch" So what are some good choices? I looked at em3ev said:
teslanv
1 MW
In my opinion the safety warnings of LiPo batteries are highly exaggerated. If you use common sense, learn about them, and how to care for them, I think they are adequately safe.
Charge them in a safe place like a BBQ or fireplace, and you should be fine.
Charge them in a safe place like a BBQ or fireplace, and you should be fine.
teslanv
1 MW
emaayan said:
Which is exactly why almost half of ES members use LiPo.
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=57943
brixmitch
10 mW
So regarding EM3-EV - they have 36V, 46.8V, 50V, and 75V.
I honestly don't have a clue what would work best with the kit.
I honestly don't have a clue what would work best with the kit.
teslanv
1 MW
brixmitch said:
It's more a question of the controller you pair the kit with, and what the controller is designed for. I believe the 12X4110 that Lyen has tuned just for this kit can take anything from 36V to 100V. - And once you decide on voltage, you can let Lyen know and he can tune the controller for that voltage, specifically, like setting appropriate LVC, etc.
The higher the voltage, the faster the motor will turn.
brixmitch
10 mW
teslanv said:
Exactly what I was looking for! Thank you so much. And yes, I'll be using the Lyen controller Lightning Rods is selling as an add-on.
I think I have the info I need to go ahead and place an order. Greatly appreciated!
teslanv
1 MW
I believe it just has to do with the preset programming settings Lyen supplies with his controllers.emaayan said:
brixmitch
10 mW
t0me said:
Thx!
spinningmagnets
100 TW
One of the big questions that will be coming up on a regular basis is...what battery to use?
LiFePO4 chemistry is considered "very safe" by just about everyone. The worst that might happen is that a malfunction or mishandling will result in the battery being completely drained down so low that it is permanently damaged (BMS goes bad, Low-Voltage-Cutoff/LVC doesn't work, etc). That being said, the outstanding feature of LiFePO4 is that it is known to last somewhere around three years with daily use, which is exceptional. (for extreme longevity, it is also recommended to only use the middle 80% of the packs capacity).
Ping is the "go to" guy for LiFePO4, but he only sells square-shaped packs of the flat-foil cells. I can't imagine someone paying a premium price for a premium mid-drive, and then...running it on only 36V (this kit should really shine at 48V-72V), so...using 48V as a comparison: if you get Pings 48V / 15-AH pack, here are his recommendations.
http://www.pingbattery.com/servlet/the-12/48V-15AH-V2.5-LiFePO4/Detail
This pack will work, but the soft-sided cells require that the builder make a battery housing with hard sides, rather than just a battery bag. The price per Ah is cheaper than em3ev.com, and Ping is a respected vendor with good customer service.
My personal recommendation is the 18650 packs from em3ev.com. They have a selection of pack sizes in the square and triangle shapes. If you want to have the choice of occasionally running the LightningRods kit at 40A, em3ev.com has high-current cells as an option (with a higher price tag). If you are certain you will be satisfied with only 30A, his most affordable cell is the well-regarded Samsung 22P. For extra-long range, he has the option of the Panasonic 29E cell, and for high-current (even if you order the smallest pack) he has the Samsung 20R (he may have the 25R cell available soon, same high-current chemistry, 25% more range than the 20R).
http://em3ev.com/store/index.php?route=product/category&path=35
Paul at em3ev.com now carries the option of the hard-sided "loaf of bread" case that will bolt to water-bottle threaded bosses on the bikes frame. Of course it holds a specific number of 18650 cells, so the triangle packs can hold more. Even though each 18650 cell is encased in an individual metal cylinder (which also acts as the negative electrode), I still recommend making a hard-sided case for it before putting it inside a carry bag that will be attached to the frame.
I suspect that half of the builders with this drive will use LiPo / LiCo. I DO NOT recommend it to new E-bikers. I confess that I DO use LiPo / LiCo, but...if I abuse it and don't care for it properly, I will absorb the cost of a battery fire. The subject of the care and operation of LiPo / LiCo is too lengthy to get into here. If you are new to this, don't get LiPo / LiCo...any money that you initially save will be lost soon when the pack gets fried by accident, and the costs of a battery fire are already obvious.
LiFePO4 chemistry is considered "very safe" by just about everyone. The worst that might happen is that a malfunction or mishandling will result in the battery being completely drained down so low that it is permanently damaged (BMS goes bad, Low-Voltage-Cutoff/LVC doesn't work, etc). That being said, the outstanding feature of LiFePO4 is that it is known to last somewhere around three years with daily use, which is exceptional. (for extreme longevity, it is also recommended to only use the middle 80% of the packs capacity).
Ping is the "go to" guy for LiFePO4, but he only sells square-shaped packs of the flat-foil cells. I can't imagine someone paying a premium price for a premium mid-drive, and then...running it on only 36V (this kit should really shine at 48V-72V), so...using 48V as a comparison: if you get Pings 48V / 15-AH pack, here are his recommendations.
http://www.pingbattery.com/servlet/the-12/48V-15AH-V2.5-LiFePO4/Detail
This pack will work, but the soft-sided cells require that the builder make a battery housing with hard sides, rather than just a battery bag. The price per Ah is cheaper than em3ev.com, and Ping is a respected vendor with good customer service.
My personal recommendation is the 18650 packs from em3ev.com. They have a selection of pack sizes in the square and triangle shapes. If you want to have the choice of occasionally running the LightningRods kit at 40A, em3ev.com has high-current cells as an option (with a higher price tag). If you are certain you will be satisfied with only 30A, his most affordable cell is the well-regarded Samsung 22P. For extra-long range, he has the option of the Panasonic 29E cell, and for high-current (even if you order the smallest pack) he has the Samsung 20R (he may have the 25R cell available soon, same high-current chemistry, 25% more range than the 20R).
http://em3ev.com/store/index.php?route=product/category&path=35
Paul at em3ev.com now carries the option of the hard-sided "loaf of bread" case that will bolt to water-bottle threaded bosses on the bikes frame. Of course it holds a specific number of 18650 cells, so the triangle packs can hold more. Even though each 18650 cell is encased in an individual metal cylinder (which also acts as the negative electrode), I still recommend making a hard-sided case for it before putting it inside a carry bag that will be attached to the frame.
I suspect that half of the builders with this drive will use LiPo / LiCo. I DO NOT recommend it to new E-bikers. I confess that I DO use LiPo / LiCo, but...if I abuse it and don't care for it properly, I will absorb the cost of a battery fire. The subject of the care and operation of LiPo / LiCo is too lengthy to get into here. If you are new to this, don't get LiPo / LiCo...any money that you initially save will be lost soon when the pack gets fried by accident, and the costs of a battery fire are already obvious.
r3volved
100 kW
I would suggest going no lower than 48v 10ah. That should be plenty of charge for your commute (my 48v @15ah does about 70km) and you won't be jumping head-over-heals into an inexperienced high power/higher maintenance build. The only problem I could foresee is that you might be stressing a 10ah battery if your cells have a lower discharge (lifepo4) and might prefer the 15ah.
Battery-wise, Ping is a great company to deal with. Pleasent communication, very quick shipping, and the product that showed up at my house *was the product I ordered*! I cannot comment on em3ev from experience, but I have heard nothing but good things.
My GNG does ~50kmh at around 1500 watts, so I expect the LR kit to be roughly the same power with slightly different ratios.
Good to know that the lyen controller can be tuned to specific voltages. I will be retaining my 48v battery for the now...this kit provides a ton of upgrade-ability if you're starting low. My plan was to jump to 60v next, but I'll more-than-likely just flip it up to 72v in time, instead.
Battery-wise, Ping is a great company to deal with. Pleasent communication, very quick shipping, and the product that showed up at my house *was the product I ordered*! I cannot comment on em3ev from experience, but I have heard nothing but good things.
My GNG does ~50kmh at around 1500 watts, so I expect the LR kit to be roughly the same power with slightly different ratios.
Good to know that the lyen controller can be tuned to specific voltages. I will be retaining my 48v battery for the now...this kit provides a ton of upgrade-ability if you're starting low. My plan was to jump to 60v next, but I'll more-than-likely just flip it up to 72v in time, instead.
brixmitch
10 mW
Great feedback guys! Thanks so much.
I kind of feel like I'm going from "slightly thirsty" to "gulping from the fire hose". So much to learn, and luckily, such a supportive community.
The good news is that if I can put the whole thing together without killing myself or burning something down I can be the marketing poster boy for Lightning Rods - "hey - if he can do it, you can too!"
I kind of feel like I'm going from "slightly thirsty" to "gulping from the fire hose". So much to learn, and luckily, such a supportive community.
The good news is that if I can put the whole thing together without killing myself or burning something down I can be the marketing poster boy for Lightning Rods - "hey - if he can do it, you can too!"
r3volved
100 kW
The terminology and theory is complicated at first if you don't have any background...battery technology + battery-controller interaction was the hardest for me to get my head around, but it just takes some time and patience.
The actual process of installing this kit onto your bike could barely get any easier! Literally...just remove your bottom bracket/crank set and thread the new BB through the motor bracket to secure the motor to frame. Then the jackshaft housing just clamps to the downtube and your motor mounting is done.
...it's harder to run the wires than it is to actually install the kit
The actual process of installing this kit onto your bike could barely get any easier! Literally...just remove your bottom bracket/crank set and thread the new BB through the motor bracket to secure the motor to frame. Then the jackshaft housing just clamps to the downtube and your motor mounting is done.
...it's harder to run the wires than it is to actually install the kit
teslanv
1 MW
Or just take your bike to your LBS and ask them to remove the Crank, and Spare yourself the cost of the tool. My LBS was kind enough to do it for me free of charge in about 5 minutes.emaayan said:
r3volved
100 kW
I just went and got the tool. It was only $10-20. The bike shops around here will charge an hour min.
It was worth it, I've used is several times to take things apart.
It was worth it, I've used is several times to take things apart.
