Some Noob questions about CA3 and new setup

[Mingo09]

Last week I received and installed an EM3EV Rear wheel, 8t Mac kit, with, 50 v, 13ah, battery, and the 25 amp 6fet 3077 infineon controller. It’s great, but I have a few technical questions.

I’m using the CA3, which came from Em3EV without a USB plug, so hopefully I won’t need to connect it to anything but the bike.

Question one: why, in my main CA3 display, do my watts read out as a negative number? For example -14, or -12? It’s the same for A.H. I’m getting readouts like 0.4ah when I still have ten miles of actual range left. How can I fix this?

Question two: Is there a way to resume my cruise speed? I’ve got bike trails all around my house that cross streets about every three hundred yards and I would like to easily reset cruise. With my half-twist, being a bit twitchy, and the trails being a bit bumpy, it takes a lot longer than the 2 seconds I have the CA set to, to actually reset cruise.

Question three: what’s the best way to lengthen battery range and reduce speed with the CA3? Should I set a speed limit, should I set a power limit? If so, which one? I know that this is a pretty noobish question, but I’m no engineer, and I find that the CA3 has too many options for a simple guy like me.

Question four: What’s the best way to treat my battery well? Wait until it’s depleted and do a full charge? Charge every time I ride the bike? I can make it to work and back on the battery’s 22-mile (that’s how far I get before the battery indicator goes blank—I have yet to run it until it actually dies, though) range, but I wonder if I should also charge at work—just for the battery’s sake.

 

[markz]

I bought a cruise switch from Lyen or ebikes.ca, its bolted onto the handlebar and you press one of 3 or 4 buttons.
I have the CA3 and a 18fet Lyen, MXUS 3000W V2 dd motor.

 

[Mingo09]

Thanks, Markz. How smoothly does it work? I have a three position aux pot switch and I can set the speed so that the positions on the aux switch will be limited to one of three percentages of my top speed (I think 99%, 48%, and 19%). This works as a limiter, and it allows me to easily set cruise at any of those three speeds by switching to that position and then holding the throttle wide open. However, when I set cruise this way, it's erratic. It hunts around and lurches. If I set cruise by simply holding the throttle at a certain speed (not wide open) the cruise (when it finally does set) is nice and smooth.

Is your cruise switch different from my aux pot? Or do you know a better way to set it then with speed limits?

I looked on the ebikes.ca site but don't see a cruise switch.

 

[markz]

Cruise control module $19

I haven't installed it yet. Still need batteries, I'm just lazy because theres snow on the ground.

 

[Simonvtr]

Question one: why, in my main CA3 display, do my watts read out as a negative number? For example -14, or -12? It’s the same for A.H. I’m getting readouts like 0.4ah when I still have ten miles of actual range left. How can I fix this?

If you go thru your CA setting screen you will see "SETUP CALIBRATION" which is right before "SETUP AUX POT". Once you are on "SETUP CALIBRATION" you need to enter the OHM mΩ value which should be label on your controller unless you are running an external shunt. My 12fet lyen was 1.45mΩ You still get + watt draw but it should not be any greater then 5w due to controller idle current.

 

[Simonvtr]

Question three: what’s the best way to lengthen battery range and reduce speed with the CA3? Should I set a speed limit, should I set a power limit? If so, which one? I know that this is a pretty noobish question, but I’m no engineer, and I find that the CA3 has too many options for a simple guy like me.

I've only been using the CA3 for about 2 weeks now and with the bad weather I only had a handful of times where I was able to test settings out. But what I notice is if I limit power (amps/wattage) to much then the motor does not have any torque. There is a good video by ICECUBE57 showing how he set each of his preset speed/amps/wattage.

 

[Mingo09]

Question one: why, in my main CA3 display, do my watts read out as a negative number? For example -14, or -12? It’s the same for A.H. I’m getting readouts like 0.4ah when I still have ten miles of actual range left. How can I fix this?

If you go thru your CA setting screen you will see "SETUP CALIBRATION" which is right before "SETUP AUX POT". Once you are on "SETUP CALIBRATION" you need to enter the OHM mΩ value which should be label on your controller unless you are running an external shunt. My 12fet lyen was 1.45mΩ You still get + watt draw but it should not be any greater then 5w due to controller idle current.

Thanks Simon.

I just checked and it seems that Paul at em3ev set it correctly. Calibration is set to 2.7 ohms, which is what is printed on my controller. What else might be causing these negative numbers?

 

[Simonvtr]

Question one: why, in my main CA3 display, do my watts read out as a negative number? For example -14, or -12? It’s the same for A.H. I’m getting readouts like 0.4ah when I still have ten miles of actual range left. How can I fix this?

If you go thru your CA setting screen you will see "SETUP CALIBRATION" which is right before "SETUP AUX POT". Once you are on "SETUP CALIBRATION" you need to enter the OHM mΩ value which should be label on your controller unless you are running an external shunt. My 12fet lyen was 1.45mΩ You still get + watt draw but it should not be any greater then 5w due to controller idle current.

Thanks Simon.

I just checked and it seems that Paul at em3ev set it correctly. Calibration is set to 2.7 ohms, which is what is printed on my controller. What else might be causing these negative numbers?

Is this during idle?
I know mine goes into the negative during regan braking.
Here is a video that you can use to determine if your controller shunt value is correct.

[youtube]okpFsoHNE7I[/youtube]