Razor E300 - Acid lead to LiPO

[smaua]

Hey everyone. I'm new here and trying to read and learn about electronics recently and I will keep reading, still got a long way to go. I know very little about it at the moment. Anyway I`ve got a Razor E300 that I want to modify from acid lead to LiPo.

I've found 2 threads already where people did this and tried to understand what parts I will need. I narrowed it down to a bunch of items and am wondering if somebody who has a clearer picture of these kinds of conversions can have a look and tell me if the parts should work together and if there's something else I should be thinking about.

Eventually I`m thinking to also switch to a brushless motor and improve the break system if i`ll need to but for now I`m concentrating on the battery conversion.

So, for now the extra parts I'm thinking to replace to Acid Lead batteries are:

-a 22.2 volt LiPO that has 16Ah and 6s and 15C with a JST-XH balancer cable.
-an EP charging cable for LiPO batteries
-a charger that is for 200 watt (100 watt per channel, maximum two x 10 amps, for 1 to 6s lipo
-a balancer board that is compatible with the battery cable above

I`m not sure about modifying anything else except for taking out the acid batteries and putting in the new parts, and hope they work together? It seems like it should be simple but since I have no experience with this any suggestions would be super great!
Thanks for reading!

 

[kfong]

The original controller should be swapped out, it's only an on-off system. If you keep it, it can only handle 24 volts. If you do change it out, I found the design not stable at high speeds due to the short coupled front wheel. It wasn't designed to go much faster than 15-18mph. I converted two of them for my nieces, kept the voltage close to the original and put a real throttle setup.

Some pics in this thread
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=32135&start=25

 

[smaua]

Thanks for the reply kfong. I`m not sure I understand these components very well. Like, if i leave the controller as it is and since my motor is the original one, it should be fine for now, right? It just means that it will go at maximum speed always?
Or is it that the battery is 22.2 v and motor is 24v and that doesnt match up? If i would like to keep the original controller is it going to work with the 22.2v battery or do i need to find two 12volt ones? I`m sorry if my question is silly, I was just looking at battery packs and the 22,2 is the biggest i found...there doesnt seem to be a 24v pack with a lot of Ah at the place where I am getting the battery from.

The original controller should be swapped out, it's only an on-off system. If you keep it, it can only handle 24 volts. If you do change it out, I found the design not stable at high speeds due to the short coupled front wheel. It wasn't designed to go much faster than 15-18mph. I converted two of them for my nieces, kept the voltage close to the original and put a real throttle setup.

Some pics in this thread
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=32135&start=25

 

[smaua]

new controller looks really nice tho..one day i`d love to add that!

 

[kfong]

22 volt should be fine, it ends up being 24 when fully charged. Your main problem will be discharging your packs too low and damaging them. You need a way to cut power at a certain voltage or have a device signal you at full discharge. Also read up on all the safety precautions about using lipos.

 

[smaua]

yeah since yesterday i read a lot about the safety of it. i`m thinking to get the lipo safety bag and also try to get some concrete blocks and sand...

would the e300 not have a way to prevent over discharge of the acid lead batteries already? or it's not good enough for LiPos because it would have to monitor each cell individually? hmm

 

[kfong]

I wouldn't trust the controller since it set for lead acid batteries. LiPo require a more specific shutoff voltage, you should never go below 3.65 volts per cell. That would be 21.9 volts for a 6S pack.

yeah since yesterday i read a lot about the safety of it. i`m thinking to get the lipo safety bag and also try to get some concrete blocks and sand...

would the e300 not have a way to prevent over discharge of the acid lead batteries already? or it's not good enough for LiPos because it would have to monitor each cell individually? hmm

 

[elvill]

Depends…

If your 300 has thumb throttle variable speed right now then controller will probably be able to take 36v easy. I did this and been overvaulting stock with 36v lipo for great results. If you are heavy you will want to change out the 55t with 80t then your motor will last. Otherwise it will get hot and die out soon. The only reasons to go from SLA to LIPO is

1) You know LIPO charging/balancing/monitoring very well
2) You lack room for big SLA
3) Want better performance and duration
4) You can afford higher cost

I run 36v lipo on my sons bistro mod, And dual 24v motors overvolted to 36v and +mph25! with original 55t motor gets warm even with dual motors.

 

[elvill]

Battery sharks has a crazy deal on 3x 12v 18ah for $92 shipped - that is the most cost effective deal for 36v18ah I've seen!