Electric Bikes - Electric Bike Conversion under $600

Brief Background
A couple of years ago, I used to ride my bike (Trek 4500) to school all the time. I have since graduated and commute a longer distance for college. My commute is a long (about 15 miles). It does not have many long or substantial inclines. At most it probably has a few 1/2 mile 6% grades. For the rest, the grade is probably 2-3%.

As you can see, such a long commute would be pretty long and exhausting. It is an urban commute, with lots of cars, traffic lights, and such. Thus, I need to keep up with traffic.

Not long after I started with this commute, I simply resigned to the fact that I need to take the bus. And I did do that, for over a year now. However, the basic problem with the bus is the slowness, unpredictability of arrival, and low frequency.

A cure-all problem would be a car right? Well, I'm a college student, and I can't afford that. So I have decided to reconsider biking again, but electrically.

Sadly, my Trek have been stolen. I currently have a Miyata hybrid bike and a 90's Specialized Rockhopper. I am looking to convert the Rockhopper. The Miyata I will keep for my lightweight biking.

What I want...

I am looking to do a electric bike conversion under $600. I have been digging through the bike forums here, and read up on electric bike conversion.

From what I understand, e-bikekits.com is a good source for conversion kits, and elitepowersolutions.com is a good source for batteries. I want some advice from fellow members that are far more knowledgeable than me. What parts combination would you recommend? From where? It doesn't necessarily have to be from the places I have mentioned.

I just want a conversion that can run well, and doesn't feel too slow, last my entire commute with a couple of miles to spare, is reliable, and won't break down too fast. I am leaning towards a front hub motor. I am fine with other chain, the back, etc, as long as the setup is not too complicated or expensive. The one thing I know, is that SLA batteries are DEFINITELY out of the table. Knowing that my commute is long, it is possible that the battery is drain out by the end of the commute, so high capacity batteries is a must.

As for the fork, I'm not sure if it is Aluminum, but I am definitely replacing it with a new steel fork of some kind.

Currently, the Rockhopper has a setup in the back that there is a dual rack (sides) to carry stuff. I could potentially use area to store the batteries.

Conclusion

If fellow members can give me tips, advice, information, I will be very happy for it. I'm not very literate at all of this e-bike parts. I can somewhat understand, so please take in mind that fact. Reading through the forums, I get a bit confused sometimes due to the word jargle and the fact that I don't know what some components are.

By the way, what is a torque arm and BMS (controller)?
Google didn't come up with anything helpful for either of the two.

I change the cost range to $600 max. I couldn't change the title because the forums wouldn't let me.

I change the cost range to $600 max. I couldn't change the title because the forums wouldn't let me.

Fixed that for ya.

I change the cost range to $600 max. I couldn't change the title because the forums wouldn't let me.

Fixed that for ya.

In the future is possible I will buy this.......... at this moment is impossible for me

1/ebay kit 500w 36v from cammy_cc (ebay) = 230usd shipped

2/tunder sky 20ah batt 36v from thunder-sky.com = 250-300 + shipping

2/headway batt pack 36v 12s1p 12ah = 170+shipping

low than 600usd

I'd probably go with http://hightekbikes.com/kits.html

http://www.e-bikekit.com/shop/index.php?p=catalog&parent=4&pg=1

For the batteries, you got the right idea I think. Buy 36v 20AH THundersky pack from elitepowersolutions.com for about $335 (including shipping)

A BMS is Battery Management System. A lot of battery dealers will tell you that you need one but if you are smart and don't do anything dumb, you don't need one. I don't use one. I did a 19 mile ride just a couple days ago and my batteries are fine. I just don't use more than about 10 - 12 AH . As long as you don't take your batteries over the 90 % capacity limit then you'll be fine. If you buy the 36v20AH lifepo4 from elitepowersolutions.com, just to be safe, I'd do the same and only use about 10 - 12 AH. That way your batteries last a long time and you know you won't over-discharge them. 10AH will get you 20 miles if you pedal. If you have a really efficient motor, it might get you 25 - 30 miles. I have a energy hog motor that likes to use a lot of amps. 10 - 12 AH is still a pretty long ride. You can ride for an hour to hour and a half on that easily.

So I'd buy one of those kits...from hightekbikes or e-bikekit. Then for a charger, I wouldn't buy the one from elitepowersolutions, you'll need a 12v charger or a 36v SLA charger. You might already have a 12v charger for a car battery that you could use. Just make sure it doesn't output more than about 10 amps. I use a black and decker charger to charge mine. It's a bit of a pain to charge 3 packs with a 12v charger because you have to charge each pack individually but I don't mind. It's cheaper. Then I'd buy one of these 3.2v lifepo4 chargers to make sure your cells are balanced. It's $13. http://www.all-battery.com/TenergyLiFePO4BatteryCharger01300.aspx

You'll want to balance your cells maybe once or twice per month. By balance them, I mean just topping them up to full capacity with the 3.2v lifepo4 charger. I charge mine up with the B&D charger and then I use the 3.2v charger to top each one up. Since the B&D charges to about 98 % , it only takes about 15 - 20 min for the smaller charger to fill the rest of it up.

Anyway, it sounds complicated but it's pretty simple once you do it once or twice. I can charge all my pack up in about 2 or 3 hours if I use a 10 amp charge on the B&D. If you don't want to fool with manually balancing them or charging them, you can get a BMS but that'll be about an extra $100 - $200.

Let me know if you have any questions.

2/headway batt pack 36v 12s1p 12ah = 170+shipping

low than 600usd

Where did you find a 36v12AH headway for $170 ? I've never even seen a 12AH headway cell. I've only seen 10 AH cells and I think they are about $19 per cell. So a 36v10AH pack would be about $19 x 12 = $228 plus shipping and it's only 10AH capacity. Also, you have to put it all together.

Btw, Neoslan, buy the Thundersky pack if you want a quality battery pack. Those ebay/cammy packs are crap. I run my bike the whole way full throttle with a 35 amp controller and my battery pack doesn't even get warm.

And oh yeah, one more thing....buy one of these
http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=10080

Turnigy watt meter. You'll need it to know how many AH you have used on your trip so you don't over discharge your batteries. Install it on somewhere on your bike so you can periodically look down and see how much battery you have used. It's only $24. It's a must have if you use lifepo4 battery.

That's about it. The BMS basically just prevents you from over discharging your lithium batteries. Lifepo4 can be used to 90 - 95 % of it's capacity but if you use more than that and the voltage of one single cell goes below about 2.5v then that cell is dead and cannot be used again. That's why I say only use about 10 - 12 AH of the 20AH pack so you make sure that you never over discharge it. Using only 50 - 60 % of the pack prolongs the life of them too.

Hi, thanks for the advice.

I took a look at High Tek Bikes and e-bikekit. They both seem to be pretty good companies with support. The prices seem very similar.

Can you advise me on which one is better and which do you recommend?

Does the one from High Tek Bikes support 48v battery packs?

Should I wish to do so, is there a way to get the e-bike to propel me faster than 20 MPH?

The owner of e-bikekit.com says that he quality inspects all his products before he ships them out. The front wheel kit says it can be run at 36v or 48v. From what I've read, the 48v probably will get you anywhere from 25 mph to 28 mph. The 36v will probably get you from 20 - 24 mph...somewhere in that range just so you know. Is 25 - 28 mph fast enough?

The hightekbikes.com only works with 36v. Hightekbikes.com says there motor is 750w and goes 22 mph at 36v. If you wanted to, you could buy a motor from hightekbikes.com and then buy a infineon 48v controller from cycle9.com and put together your own kit to make it 48v or hightekbikes might be able to put together a kit for you that will work for 48v if you e-mail them. He is also on endless-sphere.com by the name of Terry I think. If you make a thread over there, I'm sure he will probably see if it if you give it a day or two. Or e-mail him directly. I don't know him but I know of him.

For $600, you aren't going to get the best of the best but these motors have been tested. I know the Aotema motor from hightekbikes.com has been tested and is of decent quality. I don't know much about the quality of e-bikekit.com but there have been no real complaints on endless-sphere.com yet so it's probably alright. I'd e-mail hightekbikes.com and ask him if he can put together a 48v kit for you with the Aotema motor. The problem is that the 48v20AH thundersky is $416. Is that okay? That's going to push your total kit to about $750 - $800 total if you choose to do that. I like the Aotema motor from hightekbikes.com better than whatever e-bikekit.com is selling (not that it's bad, though) but I'd probably go with the Aotema kit.

Or, what you could do is e-mail hightekbikes.com and tell them that you want a 48v kit with the Aotema motor BUT only buy a 36v 20AH thundersky and then later on, if you want to upgrade, you can buy another 12v20AH THundersky pack and increase your speed without buying another controller.

That way, you won't spend too much but you'll have the option of going faster later without buying any new controller or equipment.

If you do decide to get a 48v kit but use only 36v of battery, make sure the controller will work with 36v because some controllers will not work at 36v because of the Low voltage cutoff.
This controller works at 36v or 48v...I'm not recommending you buy it but I'm just showing you one
http://www.cycle9.com/c9store/electric-a-la-carte-controllers-and-throttles-c-21_20/infineon-controller-36-48v-25a-p-198?zenid=1a84fe69fbd3a2663bcbacf609a9ddb

I bought a 36v - 72v controller so I can use any voltage from 36v - 72v. It makes things a lot easier. My controller cost $200 though.

I think I am going to buy a 36v with a option of upgrade later. That seems to be the better option.

I am looking at the Elite Power Systems website and I am a bit confused.
Whats the difference between these two?
http://elitepowersolutions.com/products/index.php?cPath=16
http://elitepowersolutions.com/products/index.php?cPath=26
I kind of think that the latter link is a package bundle. What's the difference? Is the former link where I have to buy 3 4-pack batteries and link them together? How would I go about doing that? (Do I need to solder? etc)

If the latter indeed is a package bundle, why is it more expensive than the individual Thundersky batteries?

Thanks for the big help so far!

One is for a package deal which includes a charger. Actually, the links didn't work too well but if I understand you, one is just a package deal and then the other is buying the cells individually. I would recommend just buying 3 of these packs
for $104.
http://elitepowersolutions.com/products/product_info.php?cPath=16&products_id=74

The only difference is that you don't get the charger. You can get the package deal if you want which includes a charger but my friend who bought the charger said that it sucked so I didn't buy it and instead used a 12v black and decker charger.

Is the former link where I have to buy 3 4-pack batteries and link them together? How would I go about doing that? (Do I need to solder? etc)

If the latter indeed is a package bundle, why is it more expensive than the individual Thundersky batteries?

Thanks for the big help so far!

The cells come already linked together with copper bars. The only thing you'll need to do is buy 10 gauge wire at a hardware store and some ring terminals and join the 3 packs together. It was really easy to do. I used a pair of pliers to crimp the ring terminals on the wire. If you have a crimper tool, that would be even better. You can find ring terminals at a hardware store or even Radio Shack. What I did was unscrew the bolts, if you look closely on the packs, you'll see that there are bolts that unscrew. I took the bolt with me to a hardware store and found a ring terminal that would fit and then bought some 10 gauge wire and that was pretty much it. Then I duck taped all 3 packs together so they won't move around very much.

Here is a ring terminal

141322

Where did you find a 36v12AH headway for $170 ? I've never even seen a 12AH headway cell. I've only seen 10 AH cells and I think they are about $19 per cell. So a 36v10AH pack would be about $19 x 12 = $228 plus shipping and it's only 10AH capacity. Also, you have to put it all together.

Btw, Neoslan, buy the Thundersky pack if you want a quality battery pack. Those ebay/cammy packs are crap. I run my bike the whole way full throttle with a 35 amp controller and my battery pack doesn't even get warm.

of course I preffer the tundersky batt than the ebay packs............sure......

12ah headway............ price 15.6usd+shipping
http://www.xhnykj.com/en/product.asp?classid=39

Thanks so much for your help!
I would have been soo confused without your help.

So let me calculate that...
E-Bike Kit (w/ ship) $386.63
3 4-Pack Thundersky batt w/ ship $342.00
Tenergy Top-off Intelligent Charger w/ ship & tax $22.70
Turnigy Watt Meter $24.00
10 Gauge wire + ring terminal $30.00
Charger $25 (any recommendations on which models to get for optimal performance/charging time?)
Total $930.33

It's a little over-budget, but that's fine. I saw on the e-bikekit website an option for SLA wiring for $14. What is that and should I get it? Also, I read that you have a rear wheel setup. How are you liking it? Do you think it is tremendously more difficult? If I like this conversion, this may just be the first of many conversions I do.

I have a front wheel hub motor. Anyway, you'll have to wire it yourself so I wouldn't buy any wire online, I'd but it at a hardware store near you. I went to Lowes or Home Depot and they have these spools of wire and you just tell them how much you want. I told them I wanted 20 ft of 10 gauge wire. It was about $12.

For the charger, I bought a 12v black and decker with 2/10/15 amp selection capability so I can charge at 2 amps or 10 amps. This is good because you have a 20 AH battery so you'll need more than 2 amps sometimes to charge it. Just don't use over about 10 amp to charge.

I would get the one that has a 2/6/10 amp because 6 amp charging is better than 10 amp on the battery. They say 6 amp is the optimal charging current for these 20 AH Thundersky so I'm using a little over it but not by much. Sometimes you'll only use about 4 AH on the battery and then you can use the 2 amp charge. That's what I do. A 12v charger is good because if you upgrade, you can still use that charger. If you buy a 36v charger and then upgrade, you'll still need another charger for that 4th pack.

You can get almost any 12v charger as long as it has an automatic shutoff feature. I'd get this one

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-VEC1087CBD-Battery-Charger/dp/B000EJTI4G/ref=pd_sbs_auto_10

Just letting you know that the alligator clips on the end. I had a problem getting them on the bolts because if you look at the battery back, it has a top on it. What I did to resolve this was put on a screw so that the bolts would sit up higher on the battery pack. Just letting you know that if you buy the black and decker charger you might have to do some modifications to get it to work easily. If you get a charger with a smaller alligator clip like the one on the Tenergy charger that you are getting, it might work better. I haven't found a bettery charger so I'm just recommending the black and decker. It'll work but you have to buy some screw to put on the bolts so that they sit higher.

Still, the black and decker would be the best choice because you can use 2/6/10 amps on it. Just keep in mind that you'll have to buy some screws for like $2 to put on the bolts so that they sit higher up so you can get the alligator clips on it. When you go get the ring terminals, just get some screws to go on the bolts. That will solve the problem. But yeah, that's everything you need.

Also, I cut off the ends of the top so I could remove them easily. Here is how it looks...see how the corners are cut off...that's so I can remove the tops easily without taking the wires off...

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/2373/dsc00005gxx.jpg

Here is how the cells looks with the top off.. See the copper bars that connect them.

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/2663/8topviewnewpack600x450.jpg

When you take the plastic top off..

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/344/7openingpack600x450.jpg

See how the alligator clips on the black and decker is a little large, that's why the bolts need to sit up a little higher.

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/403/editedblackdecker05.jpg

Just make sure that you understand that if you do it this way, without a BMS, you can only use 50 - 60 % of the pack so you don't damage the battery. Just letting you know. You'll still get 20 miles range or more just off 50 - 60 %. It's actually better for the battery to only use that much anyway but I'm just letting you know. If you want to use 90 % of the capacity, you'll need a BMS....like a little circuit board that attaches to the battery. I don't use one but if you wanted to, that's what you would do.

Here is one that you could buy if you were interested. Of course, if you upgraded, you'd have to buy another one. I just don't fool with them because the battery outlasts those flimsy little circuit boards anyway. And people have had problems with them so I just manually balance my packs.

http://www.hightekbikes.com/BMS.html

¿morph999 this is the photos of the thunder sky 20ah packs of 12v?

thanks for show this........... amazing cells wow

¿morph999 this is the photos of the thunder sky 20ah packs of 12v?

thanks for show this........... amazing cells wow

Yep. I just added another 12v on to my battery pack. Now have 48v on it. Not sure if it was the wind or what but I could only get up to 33 mph today. Just took it out very briefly. I was hoping it would go to 35 mph. It could have been the wind I guess. It was blowing kind of hard. The 5303 is supposed to go 35 mph at 48v so that's why I'm a bit disappointed right now. I'll see what it does tomorrow. I guess the pack wasn't fully charged either so maybe that was part of it too.

I have been thinking, and now I'm wondering this:

Do I have to charge each of the 3 battery packs individually? Or, since it is wired together, it would charge all if I clamp the charger down to one of the batteries.

Also, what's your take on Wilderness Energy kits?

As long as you put the alligator clips on the right terminals, it will charge the packs individually. You don't even need to remove the wires, you just put the clips on the terminals and it will charge them individually. I had the same question but yeah, apparently, it works. I was surprised to find out too. With a 12v charger, you can only charge them individually though because it's rated 12v.

You can get a 36v charger if you want....like something like this...this is only a 2 amp charger so if you ran it down 10AH (half the pack)...it'd take about 5 hours to fill it. With a 2/6/10 amp charger, and you used the 10 amp charge setting, it would only take about 3 hours to charge it because of the 10 amp setting. That's why I recommended the black and decker. If you can find a 36v 6amp charger, that would work too. This is just an example of what it would look like. I also like using a 12v charger because I think it keeps the batteries more balanced than a 36v charger would.
http://www.batteryspec.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?action=link&product=122

I think wilderness e-bike kits are crap. And some of them have a 50 amp controller so if you got that, you wouldn't be able to use Thundersky batteries because it pulls too many amps. These batteries are rated 2C which means 20 x 2C = 40 amps is the most you can safely use it without damaging it. That means it works for anything up to about a 35 amp controller. The controller in the e-bikekit.com kit and hightekbikes.com kit are both 20 amp controllers. My controller is a 35 amp controller and it still works fine.

Definitely look around and find out what is good and bad. A good place to also ask questions is endless-sphere.com forum. Lots of e-bike enthusiasts there and they have a e-bike review section where people review the motors that they bought. You got these companies to choose from:

nine continent
crystalyte
bmc
currie
cyclone
aotema (hightekbikes.com kit)
ampedbikes.com
heinzmann
bafang
goldenmotor

Most of those would be more expensive than the kits I recommended. The only place that I would not recommend you buy one is from a website called ebike.biz . That guy takes people's money and then doesn't send them anything in return. Lots of people angry about it. I also wouldn't recommend buying a golden motor because people have complained about the quality. I wouldn't buy a currie motor or a cyclone because of the noise but some people don't seem to mind the noise. I just prefer hub motors because they are easier and seem to have less mechanical problems. And they are quieter than chain driven motors.

I know I said that the wilderness kit was crap but for $260, it's probably not a bad beginner's kit. I found the kit for $260 while I was looking for something else. Thought I'd pass it along. Apparently, it comes with batteries too. I don't know what the quality of it is.
http://us.itselectric.ca/Wilderness_Energy_BL_36_Front_Wheel_Kit_p/kit-conversion-kit-bl-36.htm
Might be something good just to see how you like e-bikes and see if you want to take it further. It does have SLA batteries, though which suck really bad.
Here it is. I just thought maybe you might want to look at it. Also, that website has some really stealthy designs. They have these battery boxes that go in the mid-frame of your bike. The batteries are about half the capacity of the Thundersky so you wouldn't get as much range but it's something to look at and consider. Everyone is different so, this might appeal to you. Here is the battery box for mid-frame
http://us.itselectric.ca/product_p/batcase-bbx-3.htm

and it looks like this
http://ca.itselectric.ca/v/vspfiles/pim-gallery/pictures/33.jpg

Morph,

Thanks for all the help in this thread! Although I haven't said much, I've been reading posts on this forum and at ES quite frequently. Too bad I don't understand so much of the lingo at ES...because I sense that the information there is good.

Here's an update on what's going on:


Ordered a Ebike-Kit front and back kit (one of each to see which I like best)
About to order 3 or 4 Thundersky 12v 20AHs. I'm a bit disappointed to find the price is no longer $104, but $120.
About to start looking for a steel fork for the front hub motor
About to place orders for these:


Tenergy Top-off Intelligent Charger w/ ship & tax $22.70
Turnigy Watt Meter $24.00
10 Gauge wire + ring terminal $30.00
Charger $25
Decided to get MagicShine 900 in the fall when it gets dark early. These lights are crazy bright for the price, and people on all sorts of biking forums give raving reviews. (geomangear.com if you want to buy)


If there is any hints or tips that anyone could provide me, that would be awesome.

hey, instead of getting that Turnigy watt meter, you should buy two of these instead. It's much better. It will tell you the voltages of the individual cells which is what you need. These weren't $15 when I gave you the advice. These have come down in price since then.

http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=10952&Product_Name=Cell-Log_8M_Cell_Voltage_Monitor_2-8S_Lipo

You'll need an 8S cable harness for both of them. This one is only $6.50
http://cgi.ebay.com/5pcs-8S-Lipo-balancer-cable-22AWG-silicone-wire-25cm-/150440564673?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Radio_Control_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2306f4d7c1

You need the cable because you are going to want to be able to unplug the cell log monitor when you aren't using the batteries because otherwise they'll run the batteries down.

And last, I recommend getting either piezo buzzer...it's an alarm that can be hooked up to the cell log monitor and it will go off when one of your cells get to 2.5v. Something like this. It's only $3.50
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062397

Or you could wire the cell log monitor into a key switch like another forum member did. Or even another option is to not buy the piezo buzzer but get extra long wire so you visibly read the cell log monitors so you can see when one of the cells gets low. The monitor has it's own alarm too but I think it's pretty low. I'm still saving up money myself to buy one...I should be getting one pretty soon.

Definitely get something to protect these batteries because they can be damaged if you the voltage goes below 2.5v at any time. Even if the voltage sag goes below 2.5v.

I had just received my three Thundersky packs. I bought a spool of 10 gauge wire from Radioshack, and have a pack of variety ring terminals hanging around. Now comes the hard part...I can't figure out how to hook up all the Thundersky packs together. I've studied your pictures and read what you wrote, trying to figure it out.

Can you explain how to hook up the batteries in detail, morph? I'm so flustered right now...

I appreciate all the help!

Ok. Did you get one of these, though? Get two of them if you have more than 8 cells. And best thing to do is probably mount them on your handlebars so you can see the individual cell voltages. You need to keep the cells within the range of 2.5v - 4.2v . Or attach an alarm on to it would be even better.
http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=10952&Product_Name=Cell-Log_8M_Cell_Voltage_Monitor_2-8S_Lipo

You'll see on the top that it has a "+" and "-" . Leave the plastic tops on them for now. They will help you know how to hook it up and also prevent a short. Be very careful that you don't short out any of the cells or packs. A short happens when you touch a "+" and a "-" of the same cell or pack. Do not do this !!! It could kill the battery and it will be a big spark.

Ok, I recommend using a crimper and crimping the terminal rings on to the wires. It's not too hard with some practice. You need to connect the "+" of one 4-cell pack to the "-" of another pack. This is called hooking up in series. You do this for all the packs and then when you are done, you will have one terminal that is not hooked up to anything that is "+" and one that is "-". You will have then created a 36v pack.
http://www.otherpower.com/otherpower_battery_wiring.html
Ok, look at this diagram for an example. The top picture where it says "series wiring example". That's what you are going to do. Take your time on it and be careful. Also, be careful not to tighten the bolts on the batteries too tight because it seems like they could possibly break kind of easily. Just hand tighten them with a wrench.

Here is my setup....arrange the batteries exactly like this and it will probably be easier for you. See how the wires go from a "+" to a "-"
http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/6196/dsc00005mh.jpg

Ok, this is better. So the point that I labeled "A" connects to the point I labeled "B". And "C" connects to "D". that's it. That's all there is to making your battery pack. Then you have those other two terminals on the bottom in the picture below that connects to either your celllog monitor or controller depending on what you are using.

http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/6025/dsc00005mhcopy.jpg

In the picture above, a short would be if you connect C to B. This would possibly destroy your battery so don't do that !!! Be careful that you don't accidentally do that.

Another possible short would be when you finally get the pack all hooked and you are beginning to hook it up to your controller or watt meter, be careful not to connect those ends because that would also be shorting it out. That's why anderson connectors are good because it's harder to short with those on.

how did you hook the ring terminals to the positive and negative battery terminals itself? did you unscrew the bolt(screw) on the positive and negative terminals, or did you wiggle the ring terminal around the bolt to get it under the bolt (screw)

how did you hook the ring terminals to the positive and negative battery terminals itself? did you unscrew the bolt(screw) on the positive and negative terminals, or did you wiggle the ring terminal around the bolt to get it under the bolt (screw)

Yes, you can take the cells out of the silver plastic cases to reconfigure them if you need a different dimension for your case. I did that because a built a 24V 20AH that slides into the rear rack mounting system on my Currie conversion kit. FYI, you should look at that kit. It's very inexpensive ($299.95 with free shipping from thesuperkids.com) and has great torque. I retired to a national forest west of Glacier National Park and this 450W non-hub motor kit handles the steep hills I travel very well. My old runners knees couldn't handle the hills here, but I don't have problems with this power assist kit. Ecoforumz (www.ecoforumz.net) is organizing a group buy of this kit but haven't posted any details about the price, etc. Here are photos of my battery before I put it in the case I made as well as in the case and the case mounted in the Currie rear rack system, which hold the batteries on the side of the rear rack, keeping the center of gravity low and improving handling.

http://pic50.picturetrail.com/VOL442/7447283/15664551/384975140.jpg

http://pic50.picturetrail.com/VOL442/7447283/15664551/385304410.jpg

http://pic50.picturetrail.com/VOL442/7447283/15664551/385308747.jpg

You have to unscrew the bolts. Then slide the ring terminal on ...then slide the washers on and then screw the bolt back on.

It seems to be screwed on pretty tight. I don't want to damage it, so I'm just going to ask a few more questions before I do that.

The bolt seems to be screwed on like this:
Screw
Washer
Nut

Should I unscrew the nut or screw first? Which order is preferable? Or should I loosen both slightly at the same time?

Also, if I mess up, can I replace the screw/washer/nut with stuff I can find from a hardware store, or do I have to get special ones from the maker of these batteries directly?

Thanks

You unscrew the small bolt that is in the center of the terminal, it's about half an inch long. Seems like it was a 7 or 8mm hex, i used a small socket wrench to get it off. Make sure you don't try to turn the larger outer hex, that's the terminal and it doesn't turn. You can put a wrench or pliers around that outer hex to stablize it when turning the small inner bolt. Just make sure you don't short across the terminals with your wrench.

The bolts are standard hardware, stainless steel I would think.

I just went through everything you are a few months ago. Everyone here was great about helping me get a good setup.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?631390-Looking-for-battery-recommendations

I pulled my cells out of the cases. I found an Avenir bag at Dick's sporting goods that the batteries fit into perfectly. I put the controller in one side pouch, the watt meter in another, and a key switch in the back.



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yopappamon (http://www.bikeforums.net/member.php?190077-yopappamon), if you have any tips for him, be my guest because I'm just a recreational e-biker so some things that I do might not be suitable for everyone. I tend to be more meticulous and I don't mind the tediousness of my charging method. Have you got those signalab BMS ? If so, how do you like it?

I just finished moving, so I haven't done much lately. I have a second kit to build and haven't gotten to.

My boss's wife goes to China regularly so I'm trying to arrange having her pick up the BMS to save the shipping.

I was running the coil of my on off relay through the CellLog alarm contact and I think I burned up the alarm output. The coil was drawing too much current and now the alarm contacts don't work. Next time it will just run a buzzer.

He might want to find a friend who has some electrical / electronic knowledge to help. It sounds like he's in a little over his head and could get in trouble fast if he's not careful.

I paid someone to build my first e-bike but I built the 2nd one on my own after seeing how he did it. I remember feeling pretty overwhelmed by the kit and stuff so I can imagine how he's feeling.

It won't hurt the batteries if they sit around for a while until you figure out how to get everything connected. There are some e-bike shops in california. Maybe you could get one of the shops to help you or pay them to hook it up for you.

I ended up having someone else finish the wiring for me. To this day, I still don't know how that wiring the battery thing fully works. I have just have a general idea. I would still like to learn. If anyone could show me...preferably a video, that would be great! I plan on electrifying a cargo bike, and I want to do everything myself this time.

The bike is pretty good. Torque is substantial. However, the speed is pretty slow. It goes probably max 17 mph with a little pedaling.

Is there a way I can increase max speed? I was thinking about adding another identical Thundersky battery, making the battery pack go to 48v from its current 36v. However, I'm not sure what that does. Does adding a battery pack increase the capacity of the battery, or does it increase the amount of electricity it sends to the wheel so that it goes faster?

Also, I was pondering whether two wheel setup would increase speed. Would I be able to wire it to draw electricity from the current battery at the same time (basically supplying energy to both front/back wheels)? I was wondering, but then I remembered reading somewhere that the wheels might work against each other. Would it then be too inefficient?

Nice batteries Morph! They make a nice package. I like how you charge them too; very hands on. Is the B&D charger automatic or do you just monitor the charging?

If anyone's interested..

I sell a 36v (48v capable) ebike motor kit for $250 including shipping.
It includes...
Motor laced into any wheel size you want, brake levers, controller, headlight with keylock for entire system.
Totally water resistant.. Have ridden in torrential rains for hours with no effects to the motor or controller or headlights or wiring.

For a total of $590 including the shipping, I include a 36v 15ah lifepo4 battery with BMS and 5a charger. For $60 more I upgrade the battery to 36v 20ah. All shipped from USA and takes no longer than a week.

Is it a speed or torque motor? Front or rear?

Nice batteries Morph! They make a nice package. I like how you charge them too; very hands on. Is the B&D charger automatic or do you just monitor the charging?

It's automatic. I've fallen asleep before while charging and nothing happened. The charger cuts off on it's own. There is only one thing I don't like about Thundersky batteries and that's that they are kind of bulky. They are smaller than SLA but bigger than LIPO. My batteries weigh about 18 lbs. SLA's of the same voltage and capacity would weigh about 65 lbs.

sounds like he's got the torque motor.

Neoslan, yes, going to 48v would increase your speed to about 22 or 23 mph but I'd suggest maybe buying a different motor. Like maybe a 2805 Nine continent.
http://ebikes.ca/store/photos/M2805FD20.jpg

Do you have lots of hills in your area? If so, then the 2805 might be a bad idea. The 2805 is a speed motor. It has comparable speed to the 5303 crystalyte in a 26" rim. It only comes in a 20" rim at ebikes.ca so you'd have to spend $80 and get it put in a 26" rim if you wanted to do that.

What kind of speed are you looking for?