20151124 Battery Pack Testing again

I got out for another ride yesterday to continue to characterize the battery range.  This time I tried to ride in the 10 to 12 mph range.  I managed to average 14.1 MPH so I'll need to make another run.  The estimated range is somewhat better only up to 59 Mi.  Controlling average speed turns out to be harder than I'd realized.

20151123 Battery Back and Testing Again

I had an issue with my battery.  Turned out there was some defect in the charging connector and when I went to disconnect it the leads shorted destroying both the battery and charger side XLR connectors.  I returned the battery and charger to Allcell who sorted things and sent it back without issue.

Now that the battery is back I'm continuing to test to characterize the range.  I went for my first reasonably long ride today (temps in the 30s so a bit brisk).  Here's the data:

Route - Map says 19 miles.  CA says 24.  There were some hills.

I cruised at 15 to 20 MPH for most of the ride and averaged about 16 MPH while pedaling continuously.  The bike and battery can easily sustain this speed.  However range is sharply reduced to around 45 miles.

Here's summary results to date:

It looks like something in the 10 to 12 MPH range is a sweet spot.

There is no doubt that I'll need a second battery for the TransAm and that I'll need to manage my speed based on required range for the day.

Ride 20151016 - Miriam, Barbara, Marc & I go for a ride

Out for a ride with Miriam, Barbara & Marc.  6 miles through some nearby neighborhoods.  Marc has a new bike and Miriam rode one of Barbara's.  Good time with friends.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taRYFKW6g9A

eRides

I've done a number of rides now on the electric trike, sometimes with BB and sometimes by myself.  Here is some data from ridewithgps.

When I'm with BB my speed averages around 8 to 9 mph.  By myself, speeds are significantly faster.  I've been trying to characterize speed vs amp hour (battery consumption).  Here's the data so far and a chart.

A couple of things are clear.  Higher speeds use MUCH more battery.  Likewise consumption is MUCH worse when there are serious hills.

It's still a bit early to know what to expect but it looks like with this setup I should have a range anywhere between 70 mi and 100 mi depending on speed, hills, and how much pedaling I do.

New trike work table

After a bit of experimentation here's what I ended up doing to make a work table for the Wild One.

The table is low enough that I can lift the rear wheel onto the table without the boom dragging (only just).  Once the rear wheel is up, it's just a matter of lifting the front and rolling the trike onto the table.  The table is just a bit narrow for the front wheels so I used a piece of 3/4" plywood to make it a bit wider.  There are blocks under the plywood to keep it from twisting on the table.  Two blocks on top are 'stops' for the front wheels so the trike doesn't roll off.

The three 'stands' are free standing and movable so I can load any trike.  The two front stands are taller than the rear stand so the trike is in the same plane as when on the ground.   They are assembled without fasteners/glue out of 'notched' MDF pieces.  A bit of pipe insulation serves as padding.  Here are some closeups of the stands.

This is by far the best of the approaches I tried.

Ordered ebike/etrike parts)

After considering many options I've placed an order for an ebike kit.

Items Shipped

Product Name	SKU	Qty Shipped
EZEE REAR KIT, ADVANCED PAS	K:eZeeR_Adv-EM:eZee20R-C:C3625-EZ_R-KIT_TA:TorqArm_V4-CAP:CA3_Switch-KIT_CA:CA3-DPS-KIT_CAP:PAS_12P_Chr-KIT_T:T-Thumb-E:EbrakeWuxD-F:FW9Spd1132	1
Motor Wheel Size
1 x eZee20R US$550.00	EM:eZee20R
Freewheel?
1 x FW9Spd1132 US$32.00	F:FW9Spd1132
Controller
1 x C3625-EZ_R US$160.00	C:C3625-EZ_R
V3 Cycle Analyst
1 x CA3-DPS US$140.00	KIT_CA:CA3-DPS
Pedal Sensor Type
1 x PAS_12P_Chr US$20.00	KIT_CAP:PAS_12P_Chr
Throttle Choice
1 x T-Thumb US$10.00	KIT_T:T-Thumb
Include 3 Position CA3 Switch (for changing presets or limits)
1 x CA3_Switch US$12.00	CAP:CA3_Switch
Torque Arm?
1 x TorqArm_V4 US$35.00	KIT_TA:TorqArm_V4
eBrake Cutoffs?
1 x EbrakeWuxD US$24.00	E:EbrakeWuxD

Shipment #100003218 |Print Shipment

Track this shipment
Tracking Number(s):	2015-10-01

Items Shipped

Product Name	SKU	Qty Shipped
B4820_LIM_AC	BK:B4820_LiM_AC-B:B4820LiM-AC-BP:BattBag-RB3-KIT_CG:Satiator608	1
Battery Pack
1 x B4820LiM-AC US$1,295.00	B:B4820LiM-AC
Include Battery Bag with Key Switch Harness
1 x BattBag-RB3 US$45.00	BP:BattBag-RB3
Upgrade to Satiator Charger
1 x Satiator Upgrade US$250.00	KIT_CG:Satiator608
DANGEROUS GOODS BATTERY SHIPPING FEE - REMOVE IF LOCAL PICKUP	Shipping:Fedex DG	1

For the moment I've only ordered one battery (48V x 20 AH).  That's enough to allow me to characterize the range and ride locally without issue.  I'll likely need another (possibly two) for the TransAm to get the targeted 200 km range.  I placed the order a couple of weeks ago and it should arrive tomorrow.

The battery came today and is sitting on charge.

I've ordered a faster charger but this one came with the battery and is enough to get things started.

Ride 20150929

Video from today's ride.  I was a bit faster and overall felt stronger when the ride was done so I'm encouraged that I'm getting some 'recumbent legs'.  Here's the route:

Video of the ride.  I tried the time lapse function shot at 720p with a frame every 5 seconds.  Not sure if I like it or not.  It rained a bit along the way and the 'fuzzy' images are a result of water on the camera lens.

Here are the ride stat details:

Here's a summary of my progress on this route to date:

Rides 09/28 & 09/29

I've continued to ride the same 8.4 KM route to try to improve my leg strength.

I've recorded most of the rides with ridewithgps on my cellphone.  It took a bit to figure out how to actually use the app but it does provide some useful data.  Sadly, the GPS based data such as speed, elevation, and distance are a bit problematic since the GPS is subject to errors sample to sample.  Even so, it's interesting and generally useful.

Here is the ride data from the 28th and 29th.

28th

29th

I clipped the details for the 19th.

29 details 1

29th details 2

 Clearly I'm not fast on the trike.  Even so, my average speed is near that of the published data for Copenhagen (where people ride bicycles frequently and it's generally flat).  The grade data is clearly bogus, likely the result of GPS errors.

Since I've been doing the same ride ride to ride results are useful.

Ride summary

While there is considerable variation, average speed and ride time seem to be improving somewhat.  It's also worth noting that I am far less leg weary after the ride than when I started.  So overall, I am encouraged.

Rides 9/23, 25, 27

I feel stronger and think I'm going faster but the numbers don't show it.  

Ride 20150922 and bike

Forgot to turn the camera on but here's the route.

Tried a big brim on my helmet.  Does a good job of keeping the sun out of my eyes but at speed it wants to leave.  Looks like sunglasses are in order.

Also built a mount for my cell phone.  $0 and works just fine.  I'll paint it and declare victory

Ride20150920b

Ride20150919

Another ride - rather long.

Ride20150918

Just a fun ride.

Bike Update

I've made some more changes to the bike.  Here's what it looks like now:

New camera mounts and head rest

I'm still experimenting with the camera mount but all in all things are working well.  I've re-tightened the bolts joining the two frame sections and the twisting seems to have stopped.

I did have one 'failure' when the chain tube moved into the rear derailleur.  I've adjusted it and hopefully all is now well.

I've also adjusted the left brake.  I'm not entirely satisfied with how it is working and may need to do a bit more work in that area.

Here are some closeups of the modifications.

Head rest details.
Much simpler and more adjustable

Modified mirror mount
Added flasher

Right side mount
Plan to add cell phone here

Front camera mount

Old school pedal clips

Bike update

I've made a number of updates to the bike.

First, I trimmed the headrest so it now looks like this:

I may trim it a bit more.

Second, I shortened the mirror arm.  This works as well.  I'll paint it black so it matches the rest of the bike.  I may also lower it a bit.

I am also experimenting with the camera mount on the front of the boom.  The video looks nice but there is a LOT of chain noise.

Head Rest

I've added a headrest.

I still have some trimming and cleanup to do but it basically works.

It is made out of a piece of schedule 40 PVC 1" pipe and a bit of pipe insulation I had from another project.   The pipe is bent into a U and zip tied to the seat frame.  There is a trick to bending PVC. The technique I used is described here: https://youtu.be/UKssOvO3nJs.  Home Depot sells some springs used in bending pipe.  They are flared at one end.  I cut the flared end off and formed a hook like this:

I used a 1.5" pipe as a form and heat gun to create a U shaped piece like this:

 The holes you see are left over from another project. Drill a couple of holes on each arm to accept zip ties.  Paint black or whatever you like.  Cut a piece of PVC insulation to length and slip over the pipe.

Instant low cost head rest.