Hello. Been doing some research about ebikes and decided to try to make my own from scratch. Went to the local dump today and found a treadmill, which I took apart, as well as a bunch of batteries that were holding good charge, to get me started. The only thing wrong with the treadmill was that there were 2 resistors that had come unattached from their solder points. Easy fix.
So far, here's what I have:
MOTOR - Brushed, Permanent Magnetic DC Motor, 2.25 HP, 130 VDC, 18 AMPS
BATTERIES - 4 SLA "YUASA" 12V, 17.2Ah
So I don't know TOO much about electronics but I understand that the AC to DC controller will not work with the setup as it is now. The motor works great when plugged in but I need to get a new controller.
One question is, will a 36V 30A Brushed DC Controller from ebikes.ca ($75) work with this setup? I'm hoping to rig only 3 batteries in series to get 36V (I know, a lot of weight but I'm thinking of possibly transferring to a trike in the future with more power). Anyone know of any other DC controllers that could work and where to get one?
Also, anyone have experience in rigging up chain drives to their bikes and what have people found to be the best way? I'd like to rig to the rear tire to allow for peddling, but also considering a straight electric-only bike with the motor rigged under frame to front pedal chains (pedals removed). Any suggestions?
Something similar to thing perhaps.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGTB_uZdw0o