Just got a Halfords Carrera Sparc

madanglian

Finding my (electric) wheels
Apr 15, 2011
9
0
Hi everybody, just got a Carrera Sparc off ebay.
No charger, hope it hasn't been nicked .......
Had lots of fun charging the battery using a laptop PSU, a bunch of 10w resistors and a multimeter ;)
Now I know it works, I will be investing in a proper NRAM Sparc charger soon -
£ 60 :eek:
From Halfords £ 98 :eek: :eek:
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,760
30,348
They aren't bad prices though, many chargers costing up to £125 now.

At £60 that SRAM Sparc NiMh charger is reasonable, assuming it's an NiMh battery you have. They also do a lithium battery, but that wasn't on the Halfords version.
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madanglian

Finding my (electric) wheels
Apr 15, 2011
9
0
Yes, it is NiMH. :)
I thought the price was partly because at 16.8v it's a bit of an odd voltage. There are lots of chargers for batteries which are nominally 12v for instance.
I see the correct charger can do a full charge in 4 or 5 hours, so it must be going at around 0.3C (2.5 amps) and use a temperature sensor (third pin on charger?) to tell it when to stop.
 
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flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,760
30,348
Yes, it has an NTC thermistor on the third connection to signify end of charge.

Most e-bikes are 24/26 volt or 36/37 volt systems, the Sparc being an oddity, based as it is on a pair of tool type motors within the hubshell.
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madanglian

Finding my (electric) wheels
Apr 15, 2011
9
0
Yes, it has an NTC thermistor on the third connection to signify end of charge.

Most e-bikes are 24/26 volt or 36/37 volt systems, the Sparc being an oddity, based as it is on a pair of tool type motors within the hubshell.
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Another question, do all the Sparc chargers have the 3-pin square connector? One or two places (eg here) show it as a round plug.
 
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flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,760
30,348
There were two Sparc models, the first was a very noisy 12 volt system which was badly received, so it was soon redesigned and re-released in the 16.8 volt version. That photo used is of the the earlier 12 volt charger, the system using an SLA battery which only needed two connections, and the old Sparc 12 volt manual illustrates that round DC power plug. The later 16.8 volt Sparc manual illustrates the square plug, so that's the version you want. You'll need to check the charger version that seller has.

There's also the alternative lithium battery for the later system, and that could also need a different charger since lithium chargers are mostly two connection ones. The lithium battery is 18 volt and boosts power just a little.

Here's a link to the 16.8 volt pdf manual if you don't have it.
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madanglian

Finding my (electric) wheels
Apr 15, 2011
9
0
There were two Sparc models, the first was a very noisy 12 volt system which was badly received, so it was soon redesigned and re-released in the 16.8 volt version. That photo used is of the the earlier 12 volt charger, the system using an SLA battery which only needed two connections, and the old Sparc 12 volt manual illustrates that round DC power plug. The later 16.8 volt Sparc manual illustrates the square plug, so that's the version you want. You'll need to check the charger version that seller has.

There's also the alternative lithium battery for the later system, and that could also need a different charger since lithium chargers are mostly two connection ones. The lithium battery is 18 volt and boosts power just a little.
Thanks for that. It definitely says "16.8v 2005>" on the website I have now ordered it from, and the cells in my battery pack have a label on saying they're NiMH.

I see nearly all the places that had it advertised at £60 or less have upped the price in the last few days. Wouldn't be surprised if I get a phone call tomorrow quoting T&Cs, especially the one about "prices subject to change without .... " etc.
 
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flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,760
30,348
I hope not for your sake, but I think you are ok since they are making a point of the 15% discount in their ad.
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