Project build thread. Diamond back overdrive EV

[rborger73]

I don't like the parallel charging boards. I used parallel charge and balance cables when I used to charge my 12 4s packs parallel all at once.

Not to pry... but what didn't you like about them? The plan is to get this setup to bulk charge. Bike is together.. No air in the tires since I've no idea wtf kind of tire valve that is but I do not have the tool to fill them. lol Must be a bike only thing since we have just about any kind of tool for car and truck tires you need. Sure 3 mins of google will learn me something.... off I go.... I'll put some pics up in a bit.

And BARELY but I can fit all 12 batteries for a total of 20 Ah at 48v. Love that there is already the water bottle rivets attached. Will put up some pics in a bit.

 

[rborger73]

Maybe some pics will start getting more comments... :lol:

Batteries just taped together with electrical tape to see what kind of space I'm working with. I may have to try to fit things a couple of different ways, but that one is going to work I think.

And I now know what a "Presta valve" is... And I guess I'll be buying an adapter to keep in my kit... lol

Anyone using Spedict wanna chirp up any advice? Haven't got an idea yet on when It will ship or when I'll get it yet, probably know tomorrow how long of a wait. Hoping to see a tracking number for the motor shipping tomorrow as well.

I think I made the right move with the magic pie 3 but time will tell. To me the internal makes it easier to get this thing rolling, and after seeing how close space is I'm hoping the internal will suffice for quite some time. I'll probably buy a external controller to have on hand incase it dies out.

 

[rborger73]

My brother thinks he can beat me with him pedaling his bike and me on mine for a 40 mile ride. He hasn't read up on ebikes he just has no idea. lol.

Looking for a better rear carrier. This seat position makes it tough to have a carrier that stays far enough from the top of the tire. Not sure how well I'd like the ones that bolt down by the wheel. The front pelican cases look akward to me, but I'm considering one to have the possibility of 3 packs. This thing with the batteries in it feels like nothing. I was a lil surprised at just how light the frame was. The batteries are nothing. I weigh around 150 lbs at the moment which is a little higher than average. Shouldn't be hard to get me and bike and all moving down the road nicely.

 

[Chalo]

My brother thinks he can beat me with him pedaling his bike and me on mine for a 40 mile ride.

If you are diligent about conserving your battery energy, you have a chance.

40 miles is in the neighborhood of where electric bicycles stop being obviously useful as bicycles. And we had to get much better batteries than we started with to get to that point. To go much farther than that with e-power, you either have to tolerate small amounts of assist or else carry quantities of battery that impair ride quality and performance.

Pedal cyclists on normal bicycles have demonstrated the ability to ride more than 500 miles in 24 hours (first accomplished in the 1930s). To cover 35 miles in one hour. And to cover one kilometer in less than a minute. These performance benchmarks are nothing to sneeze at. No electric bicycle can do all these things.

 

[rborger73]

Well my brother hasn't been on a bike in a year or two so I think I'm safe. lol I already have 20 Ah fitting nicely in the triangle, there will be a rear carrier with 20 Ah if I feel like I need more distance, and I can do a pelican on the front as well. 12 bricks feels like nothing to me after rolling around on a wally bike with 4 sla batteries over 20lbs together on a rear carrier. This bike is super light.

I'll have to do a final weigh with motor and all but I don't expect I'd be over 70lbs with 40 Ah on board plus the motor. I'm 150lbs. I see people getting 40 miles using the 15 Ah Magic pie rear carrier batteries with out a lot of issue that weigh a lot more than me, so I have high hopes. . I pedal all the time wherever I go. Planning on swapping out the front sprocket for the largest I can fit. Gear selectors on this are pretty cool though, but have to see if I can fit the 8 speed with the mp3 I may have to buy a 7speed for the back. We'll know soon.

 

[wesnewell]

Not to pry... but what didn't you like about them?

Try charging a configured 12s4p pack made up of 4s packs without tearing it apart with those paraboards and see how that works out for you. If you're going to run12s, you should really get a 12s charger. It will make life much easier.

 

[dogman dan]

Main thing I hated about a paraboard, was that the wires on packs are too short to reach the board easy. If you buy lengthening wires, then why not just make your own parallel harness out of them?

FWIW, you can just drill out the rims to fit a Schrader tube if you want to.

Id hate carrying the battery with those packs crosswise like that.

1 It's pretty wide.
2 Far more important, what do you think is going to happen to all those wires when the bike crashes?

Build yourself some hard sided saddlebag style battery carriers if it won't all fit in the triangle, or something. Put some in the triangle, and some in a hard box on the handlebars, or even on a rear rack if it's only a few pounds left. Check out the EM3ev triangle bag, it will carry 15 ah for sure. Then the last 5 ah could carry pretty easy anywhere.

 

[rborger73]

Dude... Im not going to have it in the bike like that... I'm a fabricator... give me some credit.. lmao The whole triangle is going to be removable.

All 20 Ah will fit in the frame with no problem. That was the first fitting to get an idea using a couple pieces of electrical tape to see how the bike balance felt with the weight there... I know I'm a noob but if you read by background... I'm not gonna run down the road with wires hanging to
and fro...

There will be an inner frame holding all the batteries bolted in part to the water bottle attachment. There will be an outer clam shell that holds everything hidden, secure, and out of the way. I'm not doing anything half assed here.. lol

 

[Ykick]

You're not going to receive much helpful "discussion" while you continue to discount valuable advice and experienced contributions to your project.

Personally, this thread now reeks as if you "know it all" and whatever we might suggest is below your pay grade. Good luck with that.

Presta valves are just the tip of the iceberg, dude....

 

[rborger73]

Maybe since I posted under the pictures that it was a test fit ... I've restored 17 cars to showcar level. Owned and ran a car audio and security install business. Managed a body shop. I'm a fabricator. The noob things I'm asking about are components and bike things. I can find out all the bike things on a different forum or google. I didn't actually need anyone to tell me about presta valves. When someone acts like I'm leaving a loosely strewn together with electrical tape battery pack with wires hanging all over in the triangle and going to go down the road like that... I've put up all the info in this thread about my background. I'm not trying to be a dick but someone acting like a test fit (which I even said was a test fit) was permanent like that..is insulting when I've put above my background and history. I've read plenty of threads on here and seen plenty of people show taped up battery packs to check sizes with... And don't see people being warned the wires can't be all over and to get a bag for it... Read what I wrote if you are going to insult me.

Basically it is calling me stupid to act like I'm leaving it. It's cool I'll post a pic when its done in a few weeks and not share any details so other noobs can learn at the same time.

If anyone wants to see the continued build let me know here otherwise I'll just piss off.

 

[wesnewell]

Don't sweat it. There's so many ignorant questions asked here ignorance gets related to stupidity. I didn't know what a Presta valve was when I started riding a bike again after 50+ years off one. I just make sure the tubes I buy don't have them. I like your new bike for riding, but think it's a waste to put a motor on it. Cheaper bikes are usually more suitable for conversion because they are made with steel and weight isn't a big factor for them. You'll need some steel torque plates or you will/may chew up up your dropouts with a hub motor. And once you have the motor on, you won't care how many gears you have as you'll probably be in the highest gear 99% of the time.

 

[FeralDog]

Maybe since I posted under the pictures that it was a test fit ... I've restored 17 cars to showcar level. Owned and ran a car audio and security install business. Managed a body shop. I'm a fabricator. The noob things I'm asking about are components and bike things. I can find out all the bike things on a different forum or google..................etc etc
If anyone wants to see the continued build let me know here otherwise I'll just piss off.

@rborger73 --- May I proffer some advice?
This is a Forum.
It is not a personal blog (although a few folks here seem to think so judging by their hissy fits on weird topics --- present company excepted 8) ).
Thus the answers to your e-bike questions will have a multi-faceted input that you may not always find ingratiating to your ego.
This is a universal aspect that ALL of us here may some day experience; thus take Forum answers with a grain-of-salt, a thicker skin, and more patience :wink:
Perhaps even segregate some of your questions into other Forum Categories or make additions as New Threads --- Example , questions about tires and wheels perhaps start a new thread instead of expecting an answer tagging onto batteries & wires inquires?

{ I personally empathise with your plight of super Buddha-like experience predicating an e-bike build. I'm striving to form my own personal Kingdom with many, many minions to do my every beck and call. To reach that goal , I have been lucky enough to have a fine Nigerian gentleman that offered to provide me with $ 6.5 millions dollars and I await his processing of my confidential financial information. Once I receive my fortune, I will build a castle and simply purchase slaves/employees to build every toy I desire. I also intend to pursue an active romantic relationship with a Hollywood super-model (who I am currently emailing). Isn't the internet a great place to make friends and get instant FREE results!!! My wife and kids laugh at my plans, but little to they realize the power of the internets ! ..... }

In the time being ..... my experience with Paraboards is that I prefer the ones with "fuses". Noobs and Lipo parallel charging may sometimes experience a mix-up of wires. Thus the Parabaords offer some limited relief, and maybe an easier visible logic . Those who relish the smell of 60/40 solder and can easily whip up multi-wired harness will find the Paraboard redundant.

 

[rborger73]

Thanks guys. Inner triangle frame built, batteries fitted. I'm not trying to be a jerk on this stuff, but if people read above they'd see I'm not looking to throw a triangle bag in and some zip ties. Yes some of my questions are nooby for bikes and for making sure particular components will work. That is more asking peoples experience on things. I've had 3 cars in IASCA competitions where nothing in the trunk was left stock and placed all 3 cars in the top 3. Building ISO boxes out of fiberglass and glassing them fully into the spare tire well. Frame off restorations of a bakers dozen Studebakers. We literally have frame machines with angle iron cemented into the heated floors. I'm not trying to brag, I'm just trying to save people some of their answers to things I'm not asking help with.

Pics coming up in a moment. If you think I'm arrogant or whatever else that is fine. Choose not to reply. I've thanked everyone for their replies many many times in this thread, even said just because I decide to go a different way with something doesn't mean I don't appreciate your opinion. I've been working on cars and bending sheet metal since I was 10, welding and body work since I was 15, car audio and building things out of fiberglass resin and particle boards since I was 16, And restoring Studebakers and old cars since I was old enough to walk. This all gives me some unique skill sets and perhaps ways of doing things not done by most people. Feel free to wait till I'm done and then tell me you told me so. I'll deserve it if I end up with a piece of crap I just sunk just south of 2k in.

 

[rborger73]

Maybe since I posted under the pictures that it was a test fit ... I've restored 17 cars to showcar level. Owned and ran a car audio and security install business. Managed a body shop. I'm a fabricator. The noob things I'm asking about are components and bike things. I can find out all the bike things on a different forum or google..................etc etc
If anyone wants to see the continued build let me know here otherwise I'll just piss off.

@rborger73 --- May I proffer some advice?
This is a Forum.
It is not a personal blog (although a few folks here seem to think so judging by their hissy fits on weird topics --- present company excepted 8) ).
Thus the answers to your e-bike questions will have a multi-faceted input that you may not always find ingratiating to your ego.
This is a universal aspect that ALL of us here may some day experience; thus take Forum answers with a grain-of-salt, a thicker skin, and more patience :wink:
Perhaps even segregate some of your questions into other Forum Categories or make additions as New Threads --- Example , questions about tires and wheels perhaps start a new thread instead of expecting an answer tagging onto batteries & wires inquires?

{ I personally empathise with your plight of super Buddha-like experience predicating an e-bike build. I'm striving to form my own personal Kingdom with many, many minions to do my every beck and call. To reach that goal , I have been lucky enough to have a fine Nigerian gentleman that offered to provide me with $ 6.5 millions dollars and I await his processing of my confidential financial information. Once I receive my fortune, I will build a castle and simply purchase slaves/employees to build every toy I desire. I also intend to pursue an active romantic relationship with a Hollywood super-model (who I am currently emailing). Isn't the internet a great place to make friends and get instant FREE results!!! My wife and kids laugh at my plans, but little to they realize the power of the internets ! ..... }

In the time being ..... my experience with Paraboards is that I prefer the ones with "fuses". Noobs and Lipo parallel charging may sometimes experience a mix-up of wires. Thus the Parabaords offer some limited relief, and maybe an easier visible logic . Those who relish the smell of 60/40 solder and can easily whip up multi-wired harness will find the Paraboard redundant.

Thanks for all that . The fuse boards sounds like a good idea. Doing car audio for year and having high capacity farad capacitors that can do just as bad and worse than lipo... I know no matter how careful you are... everyone ends up blowing a bad spark eventually. I melted a heavy duty DC switch messing with the old bike trying to setup a simple switching between parallel and series setup. The idea was to throw a switch or two and switch it from 24v to 48v. So if I was doing a long ride where I needed range simply flip a few switches... ya I ended up getting a working system going with it but made one boo boo. lol Anyways pics almost ready to upload posting in a bit.

 

[rborger73]

Ok bout an hour or so work today and this far now. I'm going to "attempt" to pull off a clam shell that makes someone think likely of a F117. I'm going to photoshop up a mock up tonight if I get inspired.

 

[rborger73]

Ok motor and torque arms are shipping tomorrow. Spedict haven't got tracking yet or reply other than thanks for your order. I can run without it if need be for testing. Too cold to go too far. Trying to figure out a good way to lock the clamshell. I'll post a photoshop with my plans later one.

 

[rborger73]

I'm really not liking the prices of these HXT 4mm Bullet connectors. Doing some more research. Must be something equal but less stupidly priced.

 

[rborger73]

Oy vhey... Just spent over 100.00 in wire, solder, new soldering gun, heatshrink, and friggin bullet connectors. Hopefully should have all of it by weds at latest. The plan is to have the battery fully wired up, everything built at least.. I'm going to check on prices for powder coating the side panels I'm making tomorrow. If they can do that matte black look like is on the bike for a reasonable cost that seems the way to go. Once I get the sides built I'm going to see what kind of room I have for a set of recessed LED flashlight / headlights. If I can find one not stupid expensive and worth the effort light wise to fabricate them in.

 

[rborger73]

I've decided to to a matte black vinyl with a low gloss on the clamshell covers. The front where the hole is now will have a wooden headlight assembly for mounting LED small flashlights (one on each side). They'll lock in place but be removable if you need them off the bike. The wooden piece will be high gloss shiny black to match the front of the seat. The rest of the panel will match the rest of the seat. Going to have the Diamond back logo that runs down the lower tube embroidered into the vinyl and may take off the top tube white and logo. If I have it embroidered I'm going to try and find some sort of white thread that isn't prone to staining and easy to keep clean. Hoping there is some kind of plastic coated thread I can get.

I've also decided to find as bright of red and orange LED's I can. I'm going to recess them into the headlight and tail light assemblies. Its not much more to just go ahead and give this sucker turn signals and possibly brake lights. I wasn't planning on putting the golden motor brake levers in, but I'm going to see how they look. Maybe I can strip the guts and put them into the stock levers somehow. I haven't gotten an eye on one up close yet to tell. Should be easy enough to run the brakes lights off a small relay same as the cut off for the motor from the brakes.

I'll run coat of sealer on the wood once it is perfect then block sand it super smoother. I really want the high gloss on the wood parts to match that high gloss on the seat. I'm hoping once I ride this I can deal with the seat. Other wise I'm going to take my nice comfy one and have it done in the same vinyl I"m using on the sides and diamondback sticked in the rear of the seat.

Going to do this the same way I used to do showcars. Frame is getting scuffed and scratched but I'll redo the paint on it at the end of mock up and before final assembly.


The vinyl makes the most sense. The idea of getting on the bike in shorts in the summer when it has been sitting in the cool garage and resting a bare thigh on it sounds better with vinyl.

The rear corner will have a small piece of wood in the corner. RED led lights will be embedded in that piece and it will also be high gloss black. Liking so far?

I might tomorrow make a new just "build" thread sans me arrogantly offending others.

For now off to research super bright leds and existing bike brake and turnsignal light systems. Oh and DC to DC convertors that are super small and variable and able to set a rough input range.

 

[rborger73]

Did a quick mock up in PS. Have to see what quality vinyl I can get, and hunting for super bright LEDs. Guess I was too "jerky" to get replies anymore. Oh well sure someone somewhere is enjoying my updates... lol

 

[deffx]

Guess I was too "jerky" to get replies anymore. Oh well sure someone somewhere is enjoying my updates... lol

Maybe 102 minutes between posts is not long enough to receive the replies you crave. You did not ask any questions either to reply directly to. Are you just chasing confirmation on what your doing or just praise in general?

Your bike is coming along well. Looks like it will be very tidy and you have put allot of thought into that. Keep documenting your build its very good for other people to see and copy or get ideas from.

Not very many people will post replies just for the sake of it, normally only if there is a technical problem they can advise on

 

[rborger73]

Guess I was too "jerky" to get replies anymore. Oh well sure someone somewhere is enjoying my updates... lol

Maybe 102 minutes between posts is not long enough to receive the replies you crave. You did not ask any questions either to reply directly to. Are you just chasing confirmation on what your doing or just praise in general?

Your bike is coming along well. Looks like it will be very tidy and you have put allot of thought into that. Keep documenting your build its very good for other people to see and copy or get ideas from.

Not very many people will post replies just for the sake of it, normally only if there is a technical problem they can advise on

No was bunch of posts yesterday including first pics put up. Either way no matter. I know these are the threads I love best on here seeing builds and getting ideas.

 

[torker]

Yea I have posted stuff I would thought I would get all kinds of responses .. It is ok. I did think something might be usable for your leds. I use these for signs. Basically waterproof and in all colors. Only thing is they are a wide beam pattern. Like 150 degrees. Brighter than crap. You may have to add some kind of reflector or diffuser. Some are 3528 leds @ 0.45 ma.amps 5050 are like 0.70 ma 12 volt. Most places want to sell you 100 pcs.lots If you want a few I could send you some to try out.

 

[torker]

Tried to post 2 pics ??

 

[rborger73]

Appreciate that. I'm going to order this set on amazon I found first and see what they look like. Full turn signal and brake kit. Just have to rip it apart and put it where I need it. I may redo the leds though if these are too dim so I'll keep those in mind. It's just weird and a little clique here at times I see. I've read here for a year or so. When I dive into a subject I love to read as much as I can about it. This is a fun lil hobby and great transportation at about a penny a mile for the fuel.