tonaro bighit bicycle problems

[Jwerta]

Hi all I am new to this forum and I was hoping that I could get a little bit of help

I have tried searching and searching for an answer to my problem but alas I can not find it anywhere
I just recently bought two second hand bighit bikes one for parts and one that actually works (supposedly)
here is the problem- when I am riding everything is fine the pedal assist kicks in nicely just enough to help me get up to speed, but when I get past about 2 kms sometimes more in distance all power just shuts down and I am unable to turn the bike on..... at first I though it was a loose wire or something (witch it could still be) but i checked all over and couldn't see one. so I was playing around in the battery area where the controller is and I though oh maybe the controller is stuffed so I opened it up and every thing looked fine... then I plugged it in with its case of and a red blinking light came on on the controller I though great that's not the problem, so I started fiddling with some wires when bam the controller started smoking so I disconnected it and though well that one is stuffed that must have been the problem. I got the controller from the parts bike and put that on the good one and rode almost 5 kms when it cut out. I took it home checked the fuse and wiring and nothing seemed wrong I unplugged the fuse and put it back in and it was all working again grrr I am at my wits end I need help :/

thanks in advance this looks like a really great forum If you have any questions please ask as I really want to solve this xD

Jwerta

 

[Tom L]

Do you have a meter that you can measure the battery voltage with?
Sounds like the battery management system could be cutting off the battery due to under voltage.

Also there are a bunch of Tonaro owners here: http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=44867

 

[d8veh]

I would say that it's the low voltage control doing its job. Your first step must be to measure the battery voltage before your ride (after charging) and again after it's cut-out. The reason that the controller went bam is that you shorted something out. You can also check that both the controller and battery have 36v written on them.

 

[Jwerta]

okay I just tested the battery and it was about 45v cant see what volts it meant to be but looked at the controller and it says 24v but its hard to tell if that's the volts as its all in Chinese

just to it for a ride and now the motor is running but wheel is not turning i have a feeling the belt or something has come off

 

[Jwerta]

oh I feel so silly the motor problem was just that I plugged two cords in the wrong spot on the controller :/ there is a blue and a green one very similar in colour I just had the blue attached to the green one and visa versa hahaha

im going to go for a ride now and ill see what the voltmetre says when and if it cuts out

 

[dogman dan]

I don't know much about those bikes. They look similar to the R martins though. Chances are that the battery is pretty tired. It may take full voltage when charged, but only be holding a very small capacity. So it's going dead faster than it should be, and the low voltage cutoff curcuit shuts it off.

For most 48v batteries, 44v is empty or very close to it. The voltage when resting will be higher than when running, so you might see the voltage sag a lot on a tired battery, shutting off the lvc, then when stopped it may show a decent voltage. Only to sag 6v or more when you run it, and shut off again.

De power the bike when you fool with the wires.

 

[Jwerta]

okay so I just went for a ride and figured out that if I take my feel of the pedals while the assist is on the spin so the assist stays on so i was just cruising around with the assist on constantly and then it cut out again just got home and read the volts of the battery and its only about 2 volts less than when I wasn't riding it so its still above 40... :/

 

[Jwerta]

I don't know much about those bikes. They look similar to the R martins though. Chances are that the battery is pretty tired. It may take full voltage when charged, but only be holding a very small capacity. So it's going dead faster than it should be, and the low voltage cutoff curcuit shuts it off.

For most 48v batteries, 44v is empty or very close to it. The voltage when resting will be higher than when running, so you might see the voltage sag a lot on a tired battery, shutting off the lvc, then when stopped it may show a decent voltage. Only to sag 6v or more when you run it, and shut off again.

De power the bike when you fool with the wires.

very interesting point!

though the battery indicator showed full charge right before it cut off but you could be right that it is just not holding its charge at all hmm would it be worth getting a new maybe slightly higher voltage batter and controller or just a new batter of the same volts?

thanks for all the help you guys im such a noob at this stuff xD

edit: also can anyone please recommend a good battery? I think id rather order online as shops in WA are expensive

 

[Jwerta]

okay well I have found out that the battery is just really old and is not holding much charge... also there is 7 cells and the battery reads it is 24.9v :/ they are also bulging a lot which I am guessing means they are stuffed!

can any one recommend a good battery and maybe also a controller to go with the battery?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Tom L]

What about the battery from the other bike?
Spare parts are available (not sure where you are, these are Australian distributors):
http://www.zocoelectricbike.com.au/products-page/spare-parts/10ah-battery/
http://www.aseakoelectricbike.com.au/products-page/spare-parts/aseako-10ah-battery/

Though you might be better off with a ping battery:
http://www.pingbattery.com/servlet/StoreFront

Or one from cellman:
http://em3ev.com/store/index.php?route=product/category&path=35

Also just FYI check out what Kiwi did to upgrade one of these bikes:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=32375

 

[Jwerta]

Both bikes are about two years old so I would say it's stuffed to....

Thanks for the links I will have a look now

 

[dogman dan]

step one would be to determine what voltage your battery is supposed to be. Sounds like you may have a 24v system, so I am confused by your references to 40v.

Unless replacing the controller too, you'd be best off to get a new battery of the same nominal voltage. "24v" might be 7 cells of one battery chemistry, or 8 cells of another.

Pingbattery, who sells lifepo4 is the guy I tend to recomend, but he's not the cheapest.

Many people get an ebike, and quickly decide they like it, but want a few more mph, or a bit more oomph up hills. This is where you might get in a bind, if you buy an expensive 24v battery only to find you crave 36v. To me, the only way out of this bind is having a budget for more than one bike. That's not an option for many. So think about it quite a bit, before making the plunge for a more expensive battery.

 

[Jwerta]

Yea it confused me to..

I went and bought a volimetre and read the positive and negative terminals coring from the batter and it read 48v after riding and it cutting out it read 46v.. So I decided to take the battery out for a better look and there are 7 cells and a sticker on the side reads 24.9v weird huh? Also the battery cells them self have a Fairly big bulge coming from them :/

I defiantly think I need to get a more v battery as thus one struggles a but up hills also I do have to bikes to play with

 

[dogman dan]

Somehow or other, you need to find out exactly what voltage your particular model and year of tonaro is supposed to be running on.

Calibrate your voltmeter. We just had another guy this week that was getting way high voltage readings, that were caused by a weak battery in his DVM.

It's quite possible that your bike is a 24v model. "24v" is generally charged to the 28v ballpark. It's also quite possible that you have a battery, but it's not the one the bike is supposed to run on. Markings on the controller, if present, might help you figure this out. Your range might be short because your 36v bike is running on a 24v battery at present. I'm not saying this is so, just saying don't assume anything. You could have a battery for another model bike on your bike.

 

[Jwerta]

My vault metre is brand new not even a week old

The controller has 24v on it...

Would it not be possible to get a 36v controller and battery? The motor is 200w as that's the legal limit in western Australia

 

[d8veh]

Normally these bikes are 36v, so 36v batteries and controllers are readily available for them. I've never heard of a 24v one. Are you sure it's a Tonaro Bighit? A photo of your bike would be nice so that everyone can see what you've got. Normally the battery is a special shape that fits inside the special welded frame rack, which makes alternative batteries awkward, but if you don't care what it looks like, you can fit any battery.

7 cells is definitely 24v, so your voltmeter is not reading correctly, which is confusing everybody. Again, a photo of the inside and outside of your battery would help.

Once we have the photos, it'll be a lot easier to help you.

 

[Jwerta]

okay my pics are to big so I am just going to post a link to them... I hope they help

Also thank you so much for all the help you all have already given me

http://imgur.com/a/MYHOO#0

 

[dogman dan]

Then I find it hard to explain how a 24v battery can be putting out 48v. New voltmeter is no garantee it's good. You might find a car battery, and see if you voltmeter shows close to 12v when you try it on that.

You can do anything, but of course 36v would likely be over your local watt limit. Whatever it rolled out of the factory with, it's definitely a 24v bike now.

A new 36v controller and a 36v battery, and it will be a 36v bike. Looks like brushed to me, so controllers don't cost that much.

 

[Jwerta]

Great so its as simple as buying a new controller, battery and charger all 36v right?

Also sorry to ask for so much help but where would I get the right controller for my bike? And also battery that will fit the controller

 

[d8veh]

The photos help a bit. but I wanted to see the battery case and the back of the bike where it fits to see if someone has modified it.

The motor looks like a brushed windscreen wiper motor but it isn't. It's brushlless.

If you have a look at the tonaro user group thread, you''ll see what other people have done with their tonaros.
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=44867

 

[Jwerta]

Na the back is all stock....

 

[Jwerta]

here is the case... sorry about the blurry photo! http://imgur.com/a/RHLSL


one more question

would this controller http://www.dhgate.com/controller-36v-10ah-for-electric-bike-250w/p-ff8080813976b4890139af5e465970ff.html fit this battery http://www.pingbattery.com/servlet/the-8/lifepo4-lithium-phosphate-iron/Detail ? and would the controller fit my bike?

 

[gorach]

Hi Jwerta, Tonaro used to sell these bikes with 24v batteries and controller which is what you have. Nowadays they sell them with 36v batteries and controllers. Your safest easiest option would be to buy a 36v battery and controller from Aseako or Zoca Rossa in Australia - Tom L posted the links above. A cheaper option would be to buy them on ebay; the controller you posted looks fine but the Ping battery is too tall to fit in the compartment eh, so you need one that will. The normal battery measures 8"*4.5"*2.5" roughly so anything around that size will do. Look up " bms battery" on google and that takes you to a Chinese seller with 36v 10AH batteries about $200. The bigger battery and controller will give you much more power and speed than at 24v. It should also be more or less within the 250watt limit, not that you should worry too much about that unless you are a known felon. Its worth reading some of the threads here so you know what you are doing, best of luck.

 

[Jwerta]

Hi Jwerta, Tonaro used to sell these bikes with 24v batteries and controller which is what you have. Nowadays they sell them with 36v batteries and controllers. Your safest easiest option would be to buy a 36v battery and controller from Aseako or Zoca Rossa in Australia - Tom L posted the links above. A cheaper option would be to buy them on ebay; the controller you posted looks fine but the Ping battery is too tall to fit in the compartment eh, so you need one that will. The normal battery measures 8"*4.5"*2.5" roughly so anything around that size will do. Look up " bms battery" on google and that takes you to a Chinese seller with 36v 10AH batteries about $200. The bigger battery and controller will give you much more power and speed than at 24v. It should also be more or less within the 250watt limit, not that you should worry too much about that unless you are a known felon. Its worth reading some of the threads here so you know what you are doing, best of luck.

Thank You!