"PVC pipe" lipo battery case build

[Dreddydave]

Long time lurker of the site, and I've learned a lot here so I thought it's time I give something back

I've measured up and found that 6s lipo packs fit very well in some rectangular PVC downpipe, so that's been the basis for my latest bike (1000w hub). PVC's cheap and really easy to work with and I think looks pretty good. This first pic is after I've cut the pipe to size with a cheap angle grinder, and attached an aluminium piece to close the top.

2 x 6s lipos fit snuggly in the pipe on top of each other, but still have a little room for expansion.

How the 12s2p batteries will fit in the case.

Velcro straps to hold the battery to the frame. It holds it really well without any movement while riding.

Added on/off switch and hole for the battery power cables into the other side of the controller, so power goes in one side and out the other.

Completed controller.

Controller mounted behind the crank, trying to be stealthy :wink: It hides ok from the crank side.

Completed bike, crank side

The next step now is to strip the whole bike again and paint it white, so it matches the battery pack.

 

[miuan]

much less trouble to paint the battery black

 

[Pure]

Pretty neat build. I know a lot of people prefer to have some sort of pressure on their LiPo so maybe wrap your packs in something to give them a snug fit. Some guys go as far as to clamp them between plates of plastic. The idea is that not allowing them to swell helps maintain their internal resistance.

much less trouble to paint the battery black

LOL I was thinking the same thing.

 

[BikeFanatic]

I love that case. Nice and low, and If you paint it black it will blend well. Very stealth build.

 

[sn0wchyld]

nicely done mate, if you have access to a heat gun you can easily heat form it too, if you need some more elaborate shapes.

 

[Hillhater]

Nice pack holder Dave.
One question: .. is there anything (foam ?) between the packs to prevent them sliding around inside the pipe and "mashing" into each other ??

 

[Beachcruzer]

Very slick. Paint everything matte black. Beauty.

 

[Dreddydave]

Ok, I think I'll go with the general consensus here and paint the battery black! The bike still needs a respray anyway. It'll be a stealth bomber!

I forgot to mention that there's 2 Velcro straps to the seat-tube as well as the 2 on the top tube. It means I just need to rip the Velcro and unplug it from the controller for charging. And yeah, there's foam at each end and in between the cells.

 

[Alan B]

Nice idea in this thin wall PVC material. I may have some uses for that. I've seen thicker wall stuff but it gets heavy, this is pretty lightweight looking.

One thing to wrap packs in to provide some pressure and friction and keep them from chafing is 3m Vet Wrap. Like a slightly tack Ace bandage that only sticks to itself this stuff works great and doesn't make a mess when you remove it.

 

[neptronix]

NICE!!! I love the ingenuity here.

 

[Grinhill]

Looks good Dave. +1 for the black.

Had you seen Hyena's battery case before doing this one? His bike has a couple of PVC pipes strapped to the top tube.

 

[Dreddydave]

Thanks for all the positive comments guys

The black GT's replacing my "daily-rider" shown below. It's a 450w MY1018Z brushed motor with a 36v/10Ah LiFeP04, and the bike was found under my house when I bought the place (cleaned up and resprayed by me though!). It's got a free-wheeling crank but doesn't have a freewheel on the motor, so requires the motor running when you want to pedal. 35km/h without pedalling is not bad though, so I only really need to pedal up hills to keep the speed up.

Happy to sell this one now if someone wants to give me a good price and pick it up :wink:

 

[Whiplash]

Does anyone have a link to buying this occur pipe? In the US I have not been able to find it??

 

[sn0wchyld]

Does anyone have a link to buying this occur pipe? In the US I have not been able to find it??

as far as I know it may only be available in aus, I think it was GCinDC that ended up getting hyena to ship some over for him!! Have a call round the local hardware stores, ask for square/rectangular downpipe. Its a shame too, the stuff is great to work with once you add in some pvc cement and some heat...

Still finishing it off but a damn sight lighter than my old steel case, and much better looking!

 

[Ykick]

I've been eyeing something similar found in the fencing supply dept. 4"x4" and 5"x5" square fence and railing PVC posts.

 

[wineboyrider]

I've seen something quite like it in the rain gutter department at Lowe's..... :wink:

 

[Harold in CR]

There is a thread over on Elmoto, telling about bending Lexan, same as bending sheet metal. Guy says no heat required. Other guys have tried it and report that they can't believe how easy it is to work with.

 

[Alan B]

Some plastics will bend cold, others not.

 

[Whiplash]

Yeah, I have seen the 4x4 stuff but its too bulky like that, but maybe, I could cut it in half and use it for the lower battery case and just use Velcro to strap in the batts

 

[sn0wchyld]

Yeah, I have seen the 4x4 stuff but its too bulky like that, but maybe, I could cut it in half and use it for the lower battery case and just use Velcro to strap in the batts

you can use a goop called PVC CEMENT to glue pieces together - its strong as, if not stronger than the pvc itself. its all thats holding my bat case together, wich is made up of cut and bent 100mm by 50mm pvc pipe. make sure you use a primer before though, otherwise the strength of the bond is compromised...

 

[Alan B]

PVC cement is a solvent cement. It makes a great bond when the joint is thin, not so strong if the joint is thicker.

 

[gtadmin]

- You can filler rod weld PVC, I've done it before. You use a specialised heat gun that has an outlet of about 6ø and filler rod 3ø, the trick is to get the temperature correct :wink:

 

[Samd]

Nice one Dreddy Dave,
I have been looking for casings for several hundred old mobile phone batts I have been putting together. Might be a nice thin solution - toolboxes too wide/tall.

PS> Group ride in Melb on the 10th December as a topic under "e-vents" if you are interested.
SD

 

[Jimbo]

I used the same stuff on my Big Hit - Wickes sell it by the metre here in the UK.

 

[Dreddydave]

I've been pretty busy at work, but with the nicer weather I want to get the bike finished before next week so I can ride it to work. I'm going to be painting everything flat black, including most of the bike parts that are currently chrome.

Stripped:

It puts the primer on it's skin...