Old Guys Simplex moto-peddle bike

[indian22]

Sorry about the destruction and resulting rationing for you all. Ageing infrastructure and poor selection of which projects are allowed funding is a huge problem in the U.S. too.
Glad to hear the battery project is going forward. Is this a 20amp hour battery?
I had a 48v 20amp hour give up on me and need the get another to replace it for my "fat ugly" fat tire bike. I got three years and a lot of hours out of it so no big deal. I bought it online and have no idea what type 18650 cells were used, but intend to find out if they were off brand Chinese or real deal cells (which I suspect) either way They worked really well till they didn't. Electric after this much time still learning.

Rick C.

 

[fasteddy]

Hi, Rick,
Thank you. I'll post a link to the flood area that just came up on our news site about an hour ago. This may be the most expensive disaster in Canada's history.

If I remember correctly it's a 20Ah battery. Silverbear and I bought our batteries from the same seller. The Liitokalla Official Store on AliExpress. They were recommended by the chap who has the Ebike School channel. Panasonic cells with the green label.

I would guess if the battery lasted for 3 years they were the real deal. This site sells batteries as well. We are using the battery holder from Vruzend instead of spot welding them so we can take them apart and replace any bad cells without any trouble.

Just the battery differences is a steep learning curve. Each one of course has advantages over the others. So many shady sellers with look alike cells it's hard to be sure your getting what you want. Then there are the endless, sold out's, that just finding what you need is a long, winding effort.

I"m hoping I have everything gathered up to get the job finished. Painting will have to wait until spring but it's about time to make a parts run to Home Depot and the metal store for parts for the delivery box. I've been holding off due to the Covid virus since we are a port city you don't know who's who and our count is going up.
With my trashed lungs I'm a crispy old guy if I get it.

Steve.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/wyntk-bc-floods-dec-4-1.6273667

 

[fasteddy]

Here are the battery cells we are using. They have a 100 cell pack as well. We just ordered as many as we felt we needed by combining the number of battery.

7.75US $ 53% OFF|Hot Liitokala 100% New Original Ncr18650b 3.7 V 3400 Mah 18650 Lithium Rechargeable Battery For Flashlight Batteries (no Pcb) - Rechargeable Batteries - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

If your using the Vruzend battery holders you will need the button top batteries. Spot welding you will need the flat top batteries.

The link to Vruzend also.
Battery kits

Steve.

 

[indian22]

Thanks Steve. I follow Micah Toll and consider his input valuable though he is heavily sponsored and also part of Vruzend products. I like the Lego like concept a lot though it adds to both size and cost of a large battery pack. It has value as a simple way to proceed.

Rick C.

 

[fasteddy]

Hi, Tom,
Silver bear and I went with the extra cost of the Vruzend kit both for the simplicity and because if a cell goes bad we can find it and replace it easily. If I was going to build a number of batteries I would invest in a very good spot welder.
Not overly expensive in the long run. I have seen some excellent ones and with the 12v car battery to power it they were in the $300-$350 range and that may have been Canadian dollars.

If you click on Reply at the bottom of the page you can leave a message with Eric who owns the site and ask him why your not being notified. He's always replied quickly and solved any problem I've had.

Steve.

 

[indian22]

Hi, Tom,
Silver bear and I went with the extra cost of the Vruzend kit both for the simplicity and because if a cell goes bad we can find it and replace it easily. If I was going to build a number of batteries I would invest in a very good spot welder.
Not overly expensive in the long run. I have seen some excellent ones and with the 12v car battery to power it they were in the $300-$350 range and that may have been Canadian dollars.

If you click on Reply at the bottom of the page you can leave a message with Eric who owns the site and ask him why your not being notified. He's always replied quickly and solved any problem I've had.

Steve.

Rick not Tom, heh heh and I'll check with him.

Vruzend is a quality choice and certainly would be easier to run maintenance on. Lack of quality batteries and size of finished packs, not a problem for tadpoles, but for bikes it can be; kept me from buying the kit.

Rick C.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

 

[indian22]

You get blamed for everything Tom!!

Hi, Tom,
Silver bear and I went with the extra cost of the Vruzend kit both for the simplicity and because if a cell goes bad we can find it and replace it easily. If I was going to build a number of batteries I would invest in a very good spot welder.
Not overly expensive in the long run. I have seen some excellent ones and with the 12v car battery to power it they were in the $300-$350 range and that may have been Canadian dollars.

If you click on Reply at the bottom of the page you can leave a message with Eric who owns the site and ask him why your not being notified. He's always replied quickly and solved any problem I've had.

Steve.

Steve I've placed battery orders or any major purchases for my hobby work on the back burner till after my major end of year expenses such as, federal taxes, property tax, donations, insurance adjustments, gifts and property repairs. I don't care for surprises in my financial affairs. I see increases in most every area, just not a fan of having to dip into savings for any of it.

I will eventually just buy three new 48v. 20 amp packs and be done with it. One for replacement and two for other projects. I like standardized plugs between bikes and batteries for switching rapidly between bikes. I've gone to saddlebags on racks as my mounting standard on several e bikes and my hybrid. By doing this I can maximize the use of batteries and limit the number of batteries required for multiple bikes (five at the moment) this seems most practical at the moment.

Rick C.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

^

 

[indian22]

Weather here in Indian Territory has been fantastic with very few cold days and those only just at freezing, like today and tomorrow. The 10 day forecast after Wednesday is for nice Fall like weather....go figure. As a result I've had lots lovely riding and some work thrown in.

I got serious on bike maintenance and modifications on the bikes which get ridden the most. Little details which were not small things. So not all completed to this point, but I'm getting there.

I thought I might have three battery packs, lithium, (ouch!) gone bad, but have two of those going strong again. The third battery is yet to be addressed.

I've been using various saddle bags supported on rear racks for a couple of years and have made various mods to bikes and bags, leather is by far the best choice in bags. Finding bags which are proportionally correct for bicycle frames and are heavy duty, plus large enough to house a lithium pack; isn't easy. Bag stap designed for a horse rump have to be cut down to bicycle rack width and then attached with brass Chicago bolts or rivets. Battery frames which support the battery weight and are attached to the rear rack are necessary with heavier batteries. Stuff I came up with after many hours of riding and using the bags.

I've gifted several bikes to family so I'm down to seven bikes and I've pretty much retired a couple of these as well. Even though I ride daily, year round, some bikes get ridden more than others and still maintence is required on all.

My electric V twin Schwinn straight bar build is ready to accept the motor this Spring and the Old Crow Electric V twin is getting motor and controller change as well, this is the third such change on both. New and better stuff just keeps coming out for the electrics. Using 48v lithium and the right motor/controller setup 10 plus hp is a real thing. Though I like 72v for speed I hate the cost compared to 48v and the 72v 20 amp packs are quite large. I mostly ride under 30 mph so speed is just an occasional burst anyway.

Keep warm guys in the North, lol!

Rick C.

 

[indian22]

Dissected the "dead" 48v pack and found the BMS was the problem all cells tested good and balanced so I should be able to get another battery up and running.i plan on buying a 50amp BMS to replacethe30amp that's faulty. I think I was at fault, pretty certain really, I shorted a connector and thought I got away with it at the time, as it reset, then I rode it for a couple of weeks & all seemed ok....till it wasn't.

I should buy a 220v spot welder as I have 8 lithium packs and being able to repair or replace dead cells would pay for one pretty quick I'd think. The 110 v units are pretty light in the britches; I'm thinking. Plus light sheet metal work requires more amps and I have my 220 line separated from my house wiring and heavy fuse. Also a heavy duty variable power supply is on my list as well.

Rick C.

 

[indian22]

Can't believe it's been 3 months since I posted to this thread. I've done a lot of testing of the Ol' Crow electric V twin bike and with multi motor, battery and controller setup. Ranging between 72v and 48v at 40amps to 160 amps. Sprocket ratios and quite a few miles of riding all enter into my testing. Horsepower output between 4hp and 15 hp are factors of voltage and amps, big differences. 48v and 60 to 80 amp seem well suited for my everyday riding and yield almost 4hp and just over 5hp respectively, both power the 3kw rated motor well and overheating not a factor with either motor or controller. Wide open all the time isn't my style of riding or testing, but long steep hills, up to a mile in length, are. Both motor and controller are dual voltage 48v or 72v so I can switch back and forth from 48 to 72volt, but not to super high currents with the 72v. I must change controllers to reach 160amp on 72 volts. The dual voltage controller has a range up to 100 amps
which is 10 hp or so, still a lot of power and the 3kw motor doesn't much like it. So to go to this range of power with 72v requires both a motor and controller upgrade and higher current battery change. Unless I upgrade tires and wheels to moped DOT standards to get both safe and legal at highway speeds all this extra power is wasted for me. Cruising at 40 mph is fast for me on good bicycle tires. So 48v 60 to 80 Amps is good for me

Still have some drive train mods to make along with motor case housing tweaks and cosmetic changes. Then final, final testing and fun.

Rick C

 

[indian22]

Another long drought between posts to this thread. I completed the reduction gear and bottom bracket assembly machine work which will replace the internal jack shaft I used for the 'Ol Crow electric V twin. Though the internal jack shaft worked well it was too limited in ratio selection range and involved quite a bit of time to switch sprockets. I will make at least one more for my Harley "Peashooter" I brought both bikes back inside the house to work on in the heat of the day under air conditioning. Mornings have been really nice but high today forecast for 100 degrees. If it reaches the century mark it will be our 6th. time this month reach the century mark. More in May this year than all of last year combined.

Rick C.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

"Cool beans" as Curt would say.

Tom

 

[fasteddy]

I keep drifting by and looking at this. It's amazing what a skilled craftsman can do even if he doesn't have a full machine shop at his disposal.

Steve.

 

[silverbear]

You do such nice work…

 

[curtisfox]

"Cool beans" as Curt would say.

Tom

That it is, most defiantly.............Curt

 

[indian22]

Thanks guys I've been posting a lot on Tom's tool shop thread in the Tavern forum. So this is a kinda double post of a small bit this little project and it's been fun to get this done.

Rick C.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Pulling double duty to flesh out two threads Rick, is an earnest credit to you.
My sincere regards,
Tom

 

[indian22]

Tom it's never a problem to share for me.

I determined that the hop in the get along was eliminated with tailstock support, at least to the eye. The lathe spins it on the arbor well. As to measuring the sprocket run out there's a problem, this sprocket, the 32t, is not close to pristine as I used it on an early bike project and altered it to fit a 415 chain using a drill press to spin the socket while grinding it with a hand held angle grinder, not precise but quick. It worked but I can see the uneven tooth height that process resulted in. Measuring for concentricy will have to wait till I replace the sprocket with a new one, which was my plan to start with. This one is just to test ratios out and see how they perform on the 'Ol Crow. It's fine for that purpose. Also it's not flat by a lot, but tightening it flush seems to take all the wobble out. It's China girl kit "quality" so not so great.

The inside sprocket runs out good, at about .0015 or a bit under, but the real test of concentricity is out at the other end of the reduction drive, but the secondary chain line, to me, is the most important of the two as long as the numbers don't get too large.

Rick C.