I put the low amp controller on the bike to get more range. Then I accepted that I had to pedal assist the bike. I put on a small chain ring so that I wouldn't have to pump so hard to get the bike started or climb hills. It all works fine on small inclines or short steep inclines, but it is a bear on long steep inclines. I actually had to pull over to catch my breath on one today. I think I didn't let the bike set the pace. I was trying to force it to go the speed I wanted not the speed it wanted to go. The bike workout is more fun than the walking around the mall so I'm going to stay at it.


I am also going to build the rhino again with the big motor and the big controller. I want at least one bike that I can jump on and run to the store for a box of nuts and bolts. But I'm also going to keep this one as is. I want to be able to ride it for at least a small workout. Actually I probably should put the big controller back on this bike and the small on a rhino with a 500 watt motor. It would most likely give me an equally good workout. I think I might just do that over the weekend.

tiny chainring..

I found a 6" chain ring no doubt off a 16" bike. I put it one the chain drive bicycle. I tested it and it picks up the pedal much later. It is easier to be the bike moving but not much for helping with the speed. It should be better on those hills that seem to be giving me a problem this morning. I have no idea how it will effect the range. I got about eight miles on the charge this morning and it still had something to give. How this will work I don't know. It should cut the range a little since the pedal assist will be starting later. We shall see.

I rode my ebike to test the range of the lower powered bike. I got almost double the milage on the charge that I had been getting with the high priced spread. Yes there is some work involved but it isn't too hard. I might try to ease it a little but I'm not sure just how I would do that and still keep the range I want.

On another note I think I am going to go down now and put together a hybrid battery pack for a short ride just to test it again.,

As promised, I took the bike down to the shopping center. It did okay... I think I need to learn how to pedal assist. I keep trying to get the speed up to the motor speed on level ground and it just ain't going to happen. I think I need to let the motor do more of the assisting. I feel like, if I let the speed bleed off enough, I will be able to just pedal it like I was on a level surface. I will have to check it out on my next ride.

I have also been working on my battery pack. I started this because I wanted a battery pack so that I was able to replace a couple of pieces without a major effort or outlay of cash. I lost sight of that and was trying to save pennies again. I now have decided that, when a battery over heats for any reason, it is probably best to check the cells inside the damaged string and toss any that show any signs of wrapper deterioration. I have been trying to repair them with vinyl tape but they seem to fail again anyway, so I'm just going to toss them from now on.

I figured I needed a minimum of 20 strings to make a 25amp discharge battery. So I put together one 20 string battery and I have 14 strings ready for the next one. I am supposed to have another 14 strings on the way so that will give me enough plus a few extra to make repairs with or to add more ah for range.

Tomorrow is another day/.

Trip the mall

I rode the bike with the smaller controller to the mall for my walk this morning. The ride down was mostly downhill so it was okay. The ride back however was a different story. I had to climb one wicked hill in traffic so I chose to ride a different route home.

The hill was more wicked but it was without any traffic at all. I worked my butt off getting up that hill. The motor did not seem to be any help at all. it is true that it was a very, very challenging hill so I want to try another one more realistic. that is my project for a few minutes from now. I left the house with the batteries hot off the charger. When I came home after a two mile ride they were reading 13.24 which is still almost full power. It ran the two miles on surplus charge only so that part seems to be an improvement.

I'm going to ride down to the shopping center. It has a big hill on the way home but there is no way to avoid all the hills on a ride so now I will see what the bike with the small controller will do real world.

With the thirty amp controller it will run up the hill with no pedal assist needed, but I am sure this is going to require some how much is the question.

rather be lucky

It's kind of nice to find out that by accident you did something right. When I build batteries i use common kitchen foil to make the connectors. I stretch vinyl tape over the foil to add tension and some protection from wear. So last night I found I had a battery that wouldn't charge well. A battery is really a 12 volt string of smaller 12volt batteries in parallel to increase the amp hours. So when I took it apart I found a couple that had lost their connections somehow how no big thing, but I also found one that had over heated. I replaced the connection that was heated and the battery was fine. There was no other damage. Obviously the foil and vinyl tape disintegrate with heat. It is a good thing since the circuit went open before it damaged the aa cells. I still need about a hundred to a hundred and fifty aa cells to finish the battery. I have real hopes that it will work as it should.

I think I have figured out the safe way to calculate the batteries. I figure all AA batteries at 1.25 amps. I then take my controller and read the max amp output and match the number of batteries to it. I will probably give it a little extra for Kentucky windage.

With the test proving that I can mix the batteries, I could have replaced the sla one at a time as they wore out. I think I am going to just order enough to complete the pack before I mess with them again. I am almost there and my sla pack is working just fine.