New "TSDZ2 Torque Sensor Central Motor"

[andyme]

Hi,

Does anyone know what kind of cable i need for the battery, so i can plug it directly in the motor?

PS.: For a TSDZ2 48V with throttle.

Thank you!

I am not sure if i understand your question correctly. Is it that you have ordered the motor and want to prepare the battery so it will work right away when you get it? in this case: each end of the battery cable has one of these typical round single-pole connectors that are used in car electricity. you can get a small set of these in various sizes and then you can crimp a size that fits on your battery's cable.

 

[Cristian]

Thank you for your reply. Yes, that is correct. I was see there are some kind of bullet connectors coming from the motor. I saw an adapter from the bullet connectors to a more common XT60 connector, something like this. I was curious if an adapter like that would work. But i guess it depends on the exact size of the connectors.

I haven't ordered much yet, just planning the following:

TSDZ2 48V motor with throttle
Home made 52V battery


For casinho's firmware i made a list of parts i will need:

KT LCD3 display
ST-Link V2
Speed sensor extension cable
8 Pin Connector

I hope i have everything i need on the list. I want to order all of them and not forget something important, because i would have to wait for shipment an additional month or so, for something i didn't plan. So please advice if i missed something.

I have attached a picture of the bike i plan to convert. It has a Shimano Nexus 8 IGH. So i want to be able to limit the power and not destroy the gears inside.

 

[andyme]

i have actually installed XT60 connectors on my bike...you can actually do what you want as long as you don't mind some crimping and soldering
as far as the speed sensor extension cable is concerned: i hope there is only one type and that it works. I think some people reported they had to be creative because some pins were missing...anyway...if you are willing to go for such an experimental project i am sure you are also willing to accept some unforeseen surprises good luck!

I personally am already convinced after a couple of tries that this here is clearly superior to the original FW although that is far from being bad. And if the people who know how to code stay commited to the project, it is really worthwhile going for it.

 

[crun]

Schematics?

Does anyone have schematic source file for the LCD3 ?

Has anyone done a full or partial TSDZ2 controller schematic?

 

[nbdriver]

Just a question,

I currently have a 36V TSDZ2 with custom firmware up and running great for Two years now.
I'm planning to make a second ebike with the same motor, but should i go with 36V or 48V motor…

 

[andyme]

Just a question,

I currently have a 36V TSDZ2 with custom firmware up and running great for Two years now.
I'm planning to make a second ebike with the same motor, but should i go with 36V or 48V motor…

to put it simple (from my understanding, of course):

the drawback of 48V is that your battery will have to get larger (13 cells vs. 10 cells per unit) in order not to loose out on capacity

the advantage of 48V is that you can get more power, the reason being that the current is the limiting factor. so, if e.g. 18 Amps is the max current that the motors can take, you will get nominal up to 36 x 18 and 48 x 18 Watts in the respective versions.

 

[Rydon]

Just a question,

I currently have a 36V TSDZ2 with custom firmware up and running great for Two years now.
I'm planning to make a second ebike with the same motor, but should i go with 36V or 48V motor…

to put it simple (from my understanding, of course):

the drawback of 48V is that your battery will have to get larger (13 cells vs. 10 cells per unit) in order not to loose out on capacity

the advantage of 48V is that you can get more power, the reason being that the current is the limiting factor. so, if e.g. 18 Amps is the max current that the motors can take, you will get nominal up to 36 x 18 and 48 x 18 Watts in the respective versions.

To clarify the above - amp hours are only a good measure of capacity at a given voltage. As soon as you vary the volts as in 36 vs 48 volt batteries then watt hours are the best measure of capacity. For example a 48v 10ah battery has 120 watt hours more capacity than a 36v 10ah battery.

To answer the original question, a 48v motor is wound to have more torque than a 36v motor at a given voltage or speed. The controllers of the 48v and 36v motors are identical. They are just programmed to accept a different voltage range from the battery. With the new open source firmware you can reprogram the controller to allow a broad spectrum of battery voltages (~24-52v). At higher voltages the motors spin faster and assist at higher cadences. The primary difference between the 36v and 48v motors are that they are wound differently to have different rpm and torque values at a given voltage. The 48v motor has more torque and lower speed at a given voltage and the 36v motor has more speed but lower torque. If you ride in mostly flat areas with light loads you may enjoy the extra speed from the 36v motor but if you ride in a hilly area and/or carry heavy loads you will most likely prefer the 48v motor as it will have more power and run more efficiently in those conditions.

 

[andyme]

Just a question,

I currently have a 36V TSDZ2 with custom firmware up and running great for Two years now.
I'm planning to make a second ebike with the same motor, but should i go with 36V or 48V motor…

to put it simple (from my understanding, of course):

the drawback of 48V is that your battery will have to get larger (13 cells vs. 10 cells per unit) in order not to loose out on capacity

the advantage of 48V is that you can get more power, the reason being that the current is the limiting factor. so, if e.g. 18 Amps is the max current that the motors can take, you will get nominal up to 36 x 18 and 48 x 18 Watts in the respective versions.

To clarify the above - amp hours are only a good measure of capacity at a given voltage. As soon as you vary the volts as in 36 vs 48 volt batteries then watt hours are the best measure of capacity. For example a 48v 10ah battery has 120 watt hours more capacity than a 36v 10ah battery.

To answer the original question, a 48v motor is wound to have more torque than a 36v motor at a given voltage or speed. The controllers of the 48v and 36v motors are identical. They are just programmed to accept a different voltage range from the battery. With the new open source firmware you can reprogram the controller to allow a broad spectrum of battery voltages (~24-52v). At higher voltages the motors spin faster and assist at higher cadences. The primary difference between the 36v and 48v motors are that they are wound differently to have different rpm and torque values at a given voltage. The 48v motor has more torque and lower speed at a given voltage and the 36v motor has more speed but lower torque. If you ride in mostly flat areas with light loads you may enjoy the extra speed from the 36v motor but if you ride in a hilly area and/or carry heavy loads you will most likely prefer the 48v motor as it will have more power and run more efficiently in those conditions.

Ok, this is something that i do not understand: that a motor has torque - ok, that it has power - also ok. But how can it have speed? (and i am not talking about the fact that it is mounted and fixed to a bike )

For my understanding, the motor helps you pedalling (assuming that you do not use it like a motorcycle). so the speed comes only from the rider. The point is only that thru the help of the motor, the rider is able to achieve the required speed, while without the motor it would be beyond his forces. So i see the motor as a supplier of torque, because this is what makes pedalling easier.

Maybe you can explain to me what i got wrong here.

 

[jur]

Ok, this is something that i do not understand: that a motor has torque - ok, that it has power - also ok. But how can it have speed? (and i am not talking about the fact that it is mounted and fixed to a bike )

For my understanding, the motor helps you pedalling (assuming that you do not use it like a motorcycle). so the speed comes only from the rider. The point is only that thru the help of the motor, the rider is able to achieve the required speed, while without the motor it would be beyond his forces. So i see the motor as a supplier of torque, because this is what makes pedalling easier.

Maybe you can explain to me what i got wrong here.

The reason that rotational speed is also a factor, is because as the rotor rotates, the rotor magnets generate a voltage on the field coils that is effectively opposite in polarity to the voltage applied by the controller (called back EMF). The higher the rotational speed, the bigger the back EMF. So at a critical speed, the generated back EMF is equal to the maximum voltage the controller applies, and at that critical speed, no current flows in the field coils, resulting in zero torque.

So, as the speed increases, the back EMF increases as well, resulting in lower torque generated with increasing speed.

 

[andyme]

Ok, this is something that i do not understand: that a motor has torque - ok, that it has power - also ok. But how can it have speed? (and i am not talking about the fact that it is mounted and fixed to a bike )

For my understanding, the motor helps you pedalling (assuming that you do not use it like a motorcycle). so the speed comes only from the rider. The point is only that thru the help of the motor, the rider is able to achieve the required speed, while without the motor it would be beyond his forces. So i see the motor as a supplier of torque, because this is what makes pedalling easier.

Maybe you can explain to me what i got wrong here.

The reason that rotational speed is also a factor, is because as the rotor rotates, the rotor magnets generate a voltage on the field coils that is effectively opposite in polarity to the voltage applied by the controller (called back EMF). The higher the rotational speed, the bigger the back EMF. So at a critical speed, the generated back EMF is equal to the maximum voltage the controller applies, and at that critical speed, no current flows in the field coils, resulting in zero torque.

So, as the speed increases, the back EMF increases as well, resulting in lower torque generated with increasing speed.

wow...ok...this is really deep knowledge...With all due respect, i think this surpasses the comprehension of many people, at least it does surpass mine.

Can you please maybe explain terms that are commonly used, because i think these are the terms that many people are used to: I am talking of Watts, Volts, Amps.

Was I wrong in saying that a 48V motor can be "stronger" (i.e. have more Watts/ Horse Power) than a motor with 36V? provided both motors have the same maximum current value?
Can it really be in real practical life, that a 36V motor will actually have advantages over a 48 V motor? especially since we have customizable software?
By all means i am not being cynical, these are sincere questions.
If i take cars for example: where and when would a car with 100 HP be superior to a car with 200 HP? even more if the motor characteristics are being controlled by software/firmware?

So therefore, not knowing what you know, i have a real problem to understand if and why and when a 36V motor could perform better than a 48 V motor no matter how bad he tries (meaning: how well the firmware may be adapted)

so: what would really be a good reason to prefer a 36V motor over a 48 V motor

 

[jur]

Ok, this is something that i do not understand: that a motor has torque - ok, that it has power - also ok. But how can it have speed? (and i am not talking about the fact that it is mounted and fixed to a bike )

For my understanding, the motor helps you pedalling (assuming that you do not use it like a motorcycle). so the speed comes only from the rider. The point is only that thru the help of the motor, the rider is able to achieve the required speed, while without the motor it would be beyond his forces. So i see the motor as a supplier of torque, because this is what makes pedalling easier.

Maybe you can explain to me what i got wrong here.

The reason that rotational speed is also a factor, is because as the rotor rotates, the rotor magnets generate a voltage on the field coils that is effectively opposite in polarity to the voltage applied by the controller (called back EMF). The higher the rotational speed, the bigger the back EMF. So at a critical speed, the generated back EMF is equal to the maximum voltage the controller applies, and at that critical speed, no current flows in the field coils, resulting in zero torque.

So, as the speed increases, the back EMF increases as well, resulting in lower torque generated with increasing speed.

wow...ok...this is really deep knowledge...With all due respect, i think this surpasses the comprehension of many people, at least it does surpass mine.

Can you please maybe explain terms that are commonly used, because i think these are the terms that many people are used to: I am talking of Watts, Volts, Amps.

Was I wrong in saying that a 48V motor can be "stronger" (i.e. have more Watts/ Horse Power) than a motor with 36V? provided both motors have the same maximum current value?
Can it really be in real practical life, that a 36V motor will actually have advantages over a 48 V motor? especially since we have customizable software?
By all means i am not being cynical, these are sincere questions.
If i take cars for example: where and when would a car with 100 HP be superior to a car with 200 HP? even more if the motor characteristics are being controlled by software/firmware?

So therefore, not knowing what you know, i have a real problem to understand if and why and when a 36V motor could perform better than a 48 V motor no matter how bad he tries (meaning: how well the firmware may be adapted)

so: what would really be a good reason to prefer a 36V motor over a 48 V motor

My Apologies. I am an electrical engineer and I ran off with what I am familiar with.

A 36V motor can be exactly as powerful as a 48V motor. Say for a given power (watts) the 36V motor would take a proportional higher amount of amps compared to the 48V motor, because watts=volts*amps. To keep energy (Wh, watt-hour) equal, the 36V battery needs to have a proportional higher amount of Ah (ampere-hour) than the 48V battery.

Higher current (amps) needs beefier wires and connectors, so to use a 48V motor usually results in less power wasted ie better efficiency because it delivers the same power while using less amps.

The back EMF is simply volts appearing on the motor windings as the rotor turns, the dynamo effect. Once that dynamo effect is equal to the maximum volts that can be delivered by the controller, the controller can't force any amps into the winding; it needs the volts on the winding to be less to be able to force amps into the windings.

Hope this makes it a bit clearer.

 

[jur]

Adding to that, a 36V motor generates less volts (ie lower back EMF) than the 48V motor so at the same voltage applied by the controller, the 36V motor would top out at higher speed than the 48V battery.

However, because a 36V motor has fewer turns on the field coils, more current is needed to generate the same torque as a 48V motor, because torque is proportional to amps*turns. Therefore the maximum amps from the controller must be set to a higher value for the 36V motor to generate the same torque as the 48V case. That would produce more wasted power (ie heat) in places like the battery management system (BMS).

On balance, you get more from a 48V motor, except speed.

casainho's firmware is better than the original f/w because it incorporates compensation for the orientation of the magnetic field to make sure the maximum volts is aligned with the rotating vector of the motor field. That way, more volts is effectively applied to the rotating field, allowing current to flow at higher rotation speed. So his f/w gets more performance from the 48V motor.

 

[jbalat]

I have been getting a lot of rubbing lately from the inside of the chainring to the motor.. Yes it does normally rub, you can see a big wear mark on the inside of the chainring but lately its been squeaking and getting annoying

If I grab the chainring it will tilt some.. Anyone else have this issue

 

[ri53hu]

For Jbalat.
I have a 48v engine and I also have an eccentric clearance on the pedal axis so about 1-1.5 mm. I think the bad bearings motor will have about 1450 km and the engine is still under warranty so let me show it.

I use compiler R.

 

[shaddi]

I have been getting a lot of rubbing lately from the inside of the chainring to the motor.. Yes it does normally rub, you can see a big wear mark on the inside of the chainring but lately its been squeaking and getting annoying

If I grab the chainring it will tilt some.. Anyone else have this issue

Yes, me too. Where the hell is it touching something? Have to get a closer look...

 

[nbdriver]

Thank you all for all these informations about motors. But one more question is it dangerous for my 36V motor to run on a 13S Battery ? That question because if i order a 48V Motor for my other bike i would like to be able to use the battery on both bikes.

Thank you,

 

[Bash1303]

I have been getting a lot of rubbing lately from the inside of the chainring to the motor.. Yes it does normally rub, you can see a big wear mark on the inside of the chainring but lately its been squeaking and getting annoying

If I grab the chainring it will tilt some.. Anyone else have this issue

I had the same problem.
It was the chain ring touching the reduction gears plastic cover (the indelt that covers the small gear). Adjusted the seal under the plastic cover especially att the two corners so that it is propperly under and pushen the plastic cover in place. That resolved the issue.

 

[vscope]

Thank you all for all these informations about motors. But one more question is it dangerous for my 36V motor to run on a 13S Battery ? That question because if i order a 48V Motor for my other bike i would like to be able to use the battery on both bikes.

Thank you,

I am running my 36V motor on 12S Lipos for about 1500km now without a problem.
So 13S will no problem either.

 

[andyme]

Voltage Drop over distance with OS firmware..typical average experienced value

Hi, I wonder what your experience is: It is now a bit colder admitedly (about 10 degrees C).

My battery is 13s3p Konion VTC6 cells

I am starting at 54,2 Volts (measured with external voltmeter) and after 20 km of what i would call really moderate riding (no real offroad, easy going, speed average around 18-20 km/h, cadence about 70, a bit of moderate climbing) I am down at 45 Volts.

this means a drop of 0,45V per km, and i remember that with the original firmware I experienced rather 0,2-0,3 V. But it was warmer then...say 20-25 degrees C.

Is this a value that could correspond to your experience?

 

[mctubster]

Voltage Drop over distance with OS firmware..typical average experienced value

Hi, I wonder what your experience is: It is now a bit colder admitedly (about 10 degrees C).

My battery is 13s3p Konion VTC6 cells

The voltage of Li batteries is a very poor measure of state of charge (unless rested for hours and measured at a constant temperature). You are right that lower temperatures can substantially (temporary) reduce Li batteries voltage, especially under load.

Not a useful measurement in my opinion. You need a coulomb meter if you want to accurately track capacity, state of charge.

Regards

 

[andyme]

Voltage Drop over distance with OS firmware..typical average experienced value

Hi, I wonder what your experience is: It is now a bit colder admitedly (about 10 degrees C).

My battery is 13s3p Konion VTC6 cells

The voltage of Li batteries is a very poor measure of state of charge (unless rested for hours and measured at a constant temperature). You are right that lower temperatures can substantially (temporary) reduce Li batteries voltage, especially under load.

Not a useful measurement in my opinion. You need a coulomb meter if you want to accurately track capacity, state of charge.

Regards

But at the end of the day (actually much earlier...) it is going to be the voltage measurement that is going to control my ride...because at 39 volts it is gonna end...

 

[jbalat]

Andyme, the OS firmware is more efficient but the standard setup provides a lot more power than the original firmware. That’s why everyone immediately loves it when they try it. The more power you use the quicker your battery will go flat.

Temperature does play a role here at 10deg C the battery sags a lot. But try this...

1. Use the middle and top buttons to set your power limit to 200w.

2. The faster you go, the more drag. Set the speed limiter to 25km/hr and the drag is minimal. You will find you will be using less than 150w and your battery will last all day !!!

Above 30km/hr the drag really starts to kick in, and at 40km/hr you will be using more than twice the power !!

Try this calculator below and do some tests yourself using different speed and throttle levels, the bottom right shows your range with these settings. For instance running with 30% throttle at 25km/hr may give you 100km range but using 100% throttle will give you 45km/hr and only 20km range.

https://www.ebikes.ca/tools/simulator.html

Hope this helps

 

[nbdriver]

In my experience, i use a little bit less battery (average) to commute to work with the open source firmware vs Original firmware.
For the same travel time and conditions. What also helps to save power is the better customisation and modularity in assist levels.

I'm still hesitating between 36V or 48V Motor for my wife bicycle, it will be used for recreational use and not at high speeds, but needs a good level of assist for lazy riding. Is the 48V motor giving power at lower cadences vs the 36V one ? Or is it spinning faster ?

 

[andyme]

Andyme, the OS firmware is more efficient but the standard setup provides a lot more power than the original firmware. That’s why everyone immediately loves it when they try it. The more power you use the quicker your battery will go flat.

1. Use the middle and top buttons to set your power limit to 200w.

2. The faster you go, the more drag. Set the speed limiter to 25km/hr and the drag is minimal. You will find you will be using less than 150w and your battery will last all day !!!
Above 30km/hr the drag really starts to kick in, and at 40km/hr you will be using more than twice the power !!

Try this calculator below and do some tests yourself using different speed and throttle levels.
https://www.ebikes.ca/tools/simulator.html

Hope this helps

wow...thank you so much, this is really a useful reply!!!

let me say something though: i have programmed 5 assist levels. So, if i prefer in a given situation level 3 over level 2, it means that i want the higher power at that moment...so what i mean to say: if i limit myself to 200W (did i read from endless cadence that the middle/up button combo power value does not really work?) then i will experience that i am not getting enough assitance, no?

what i mean to say: provided i select my assist levels so that at any given time the assistance is the way i like it, is this not exactly this what i should go for?

So: is your recommendation something like a "power save / eco mode" that assists and lasts long, but may not be satisfactory in all situations?

If you want to reply to that, i would be very happy.

thanks very much anyway already

 

[casainho]

let me say something though: i have programmed 5 assist levels. So, if i prefer in a given situation level 3 over level 2, it means that i want the higher power at that moment...so what i mean to say: if i limit myself to 200W (did i read from endless cadence that the middle/up button combo power value does not really work?) then i will experience that i am not getting enough assitance, no?

I hope that soon this week a new firmware version will be released. The assist levels are now very easy to understand, as they are a factor of the power you put on the pedals!! Like if you setup 2.0 factor and you are pedaling at 100W, motor will assist you with 200W (now on LCD3 you can see in real time the power value that your are making on the pedals!!).

And the max power limitation feature (accessed with POWER + UP buttons) do works and very well.

Assist level and start power boost now work as a factor of rider pedal human power

I implemented it and it is so nice to look at LCD3 and see the motor exactly assist you, for instance, 200% of your generated pedal human power, if you did set the assist level to 2.0.

On LCD3 odometer field you can now see:
1. pedal torque (in Nm);
2. pedal energy power (in Watts).

The 1. uses as input the force applied to the pedals (torque sensor signal) and 2. multiplies 1. to pedal cadence. Because of this, the startup power boost assist level scale factor uses 1. and regular assist level scale factor uses 2.

This code is available here: https://github.com/OpenSource-EBike-firmware/TSDZ2-Smart-EBike/pull/47
Soon I hope that EndelessCadence can review/test it and make a new firmware release that includes some nice new developments!!