New member, used pedelec

[ANewby]

Hi, I've just joined, age 72, and hope you may be able to help me, I recently bought a used pedelec, just to dip my toe in the water and try to get some fitness back after health issues.
The bike has no identification except the frame number on the headstock, BYLE0012, can I post a pic or two to see if anyone knows what it is?
There is an issue with the socket on the battery pack, can I also post a pic to see if anyone can suggest a source for a replacement?
Thanks in anticipation, your forums seem to be full of knowledgeable people!

 

[Nealh]

Welcome , posting pics always helps to possibly find parts or solve problems.

 

[ANewby]

Hi, I'm a real newby when it comes to forums as well as to electric bikes, so please put me right if I do anything wrong, I'm not sure how to post images on here, but I've tried.
Is this the right forum for this type of inquiry?
The bike has an 8fun rear hub motor and a battery pack on the rack, the battery connector looks to have got very hot and needs replacing, where do I find one? According to the local advert I bought the bike from, it was less than a year old, can anyone tell me what it is?
Thanks for your interest

 

[Nealh]

The hub is a Bafang if there are 7 gears it's a bpm hub if 8 or 9 CST hub, no idea on the kit supplier. The battery looks well used for a year old and is similar to the 07 model sold by BMSBattery in China, the controller will be housed in the front end of the battery housing.
The socket is the charging inlet, some where you may be able to find a replacement needs to be 2a rated or what ever the charger is rated.

 

[Nealh]

These on ebay look like the ones on my batteries but are 12v should hold up I would have thought as are 3a rated, needs a new hole drilling and soldering to your wiring. Also you would need the male plug also and refitted to your charger.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-1MM-X-5-5MM-PANEL-MOUNT-DC-SOCKET-CHARGER-POWER-JACK-DUST-WATERPROOF-COVER-/321553675476?var=&hash=item4ade17b4d4:m:mr-klCorozMrcvA1ZVujJ3Q

 

[Deleted member 4366]

The bike is an unbadged alien Aurora or Ocean depending on the size of the motor. it's difficult to tell from the photo, but it looks like the Bafang BPM motor, so it's the Aurora. Alien have been out of production for several years. Those bikes were popular about 5 or 6 years ago, so i doubt that it's one year old unless, somebody imported some more from the original factory . maybe that's why no badge, unless you can see that the decal on the downtube has been removed.

The connector is just a standard one. I'm not sure of the designation, but if you change both sides, you can use one a pair of these. Just connect the outer two pins:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-Pcs-IEC-C14-C13-3-Pin-Chassis-Panel-Mount-Plug-Connector-AC-250V-10A/262412062702?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid=2220072&algo=SIC.MBE&ao=2&asc=20140122125356&meid=4fc9a6f028d948398beaead5f349aac8&pid=100005&rk=1&rkt=6&mehot=lo&sd=291533169596

edit: I just looked again, and I'm not sure that those connectors are a matching pair.

If all else fails, remove both connectors to leave holes to run wires out, and then use whichever connectors you want. I normally use Deans. Leave enough wire so that you can draw the battery back first to give access to the connectors, then disconnect and remove the battery. Or, leave the battery on the bike, like most people do , which gives you the option of joining the wires directly.

 

[Nealh]

Looks like d8veh has come up with the goods again, top banana .

 

[ANewby]

Hi guys
Thanks for all your interest and help. You have confirmed that the hub is Bafang, as it's 7 speed. I think I was told a lot of stories when I bought the bike, the guy said he'd only ever charged the battery once!
I looked at the ebay listing for plug and socket, and, like you I'm not sure they're a matching pair, so I've asked the seller, no reply yet. I've tried all over for the 2 pin version as a direct replacement for my damaged one, with no luck. Here's a pic showing the other half, on the controller.
If I go for the latter option and replace the socket and plug between the battery and the controller, what current rating does it need to be? Is 10a OK?
Can I safely remove the black end of the battery case, once I remove the fuse?
There is a charging socket at the handle end of the battery, see pic. The charger says 36 volt, 02a.
Once again, thanks for all your help, much appreciated

 

[Benjahmin]

Looks to me like that plug/socket combo is way under rated, which is possibly why it melted in the first place. Any electric bike is going to draw more than 5A. Most of the panel mount sockets I can find are 2A(Schurter) or 5A(IEC) and I can't find a combo where both the plug AND socket are panel mount. That's the problem with what D8veh linked too, they all do that. One or the other is mormally cable mount.
Would it be possible to pull the socket out of the battery, mount a cable mount one, and still get the battery into the rack? Although I still think the pins would be under rated.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

The connectors in the Ebay link above are not a matched pair. I remember about 4 or 5 years ago, someone was looking for that same connector, and somebody found one. If we knew what it was called, it would be easy to find.

Right, I just found it. Bloody amazing. I can't remember my own phone number, but I remembered that. There's an an alternative offered in this thread. just wire the outer two pins:

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/alien-phylion-battery-connectors-source.10634/page-2

Having said all that, I wouldn't waste my effort. If it were my bike, I'd chuck those connectors, extend the wire out and use Deans, like I said. the connector needs to be able to handle 20 amps; however, if you connect with the battery switched on, the instantaneous current is massive due to the capacitor in the controller instantly charging. That results in the terminals getting etched away. The debris on them then interferes with the connection and that causes it to heat up in use, which is probably what happened to yours.

 

[ANewby]

Hi Guys
Thanks for all your input, I like the idea of enlarging the hole in the controller housing, then using an inline connector, maybe something like the well known lawn mower type, this looks far sturdier and able to cary the current, how does that sound? these are rated at 10a at 240v.We shall overcome, I'm just so grateful for all your help on a subject I know nothing about, I was a mechanic, but electricity is a dark art to me!

 

[signwave]

Hi Guys
Thanks for all your input, I like the idea of enlarging the hole in the controller housing, then using an inline connector, maybe something like the well known lawn mower type, this looks far sturdier and able to cary the current, how does that sound? these are rated at 10a at 240v.View attachment 18974We shall overcome, I'm just so grateful for all your help on a subject I know nothing about, I was a mechanic, but electricity is a dark art to me!

I would try and find a different plug and socket if I were you.

That looks so so easy to reverse the polarity.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Use a Deans one, like I said, so that the wire and connector goes into the hole as you push the battery into the rack. Deans can handle 30 amps and they cost next to nothing. XT60 are good too:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ripmax-T-Shape-Deans-Gold-Plated-Connector-with-HeatShrink-2-Pairs-/181948166939?hash=item2a5cf4b31b:g:yJMAAOSwHQ9WXbdK

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-PAIR-Of-RC-XT60-Lipo-Battery-Connectors-With-Heatshrink-1-x-Male-1-x-Female-UK-/232237806061?hash=item361273b1ed:g:gb0AAOSwstxU62dh

 

[Danidl]

Hi Guys
Thanks for all your input, I like the idea of enlarging the hole in the controller housing, then using an inline connector, maybe something like the well known lawn mower type, this looks far sturdier and able to cary the current, how does that sound? these are rated at 10a at 240v.View attachment 18974We shall overcome, I'm just so grateful for all your help on a subject I know nothing about, I was a mechanic, but electricity is a dark art to me!

.. actually electric connectors are more a mechanical engineering problem than an electrical one... The key to good performance is selecting a low cost conductive material for the female connector which does not tarnish, corrode or fatigue and with sufficient spring that it will wipe the other connection free of tarnish.
The power mower connections would not be a good choice for a number of reasons. DC is much more wearing on contacts than an AC voltage. If contacts are rated at 10 amp AC they would typically be rated 2 amp DC. The possibility of reversing the polarity would be catastrophic for the motor controller electronics. Contact resistance is much more important in a low voltage circuit than in a mains circuit. , If those mower connections dropped say 3 volts due to contact resistance , it would only affect the power in mower by 1%. , If it dropped the same in a bike circuit the power loss would be 10%. .. in fact it would be higher as the bike might be drawing 2 or 3 times the current..

Take d8vehs advice...

 

[Benjahmin]

Take d8vehs advice...

+1
I'ts definitely current capacity you need not voltage rating, also irreversibility is crucial.

 

[ANewby]

Thanks again guys, I take your point re reversibility, I've ordered the XT60s, I like the look of them, so much smaller and neater than the one I had in mind, but I'm amazed they're rated at 65a constant, they should be no trouble to tuck in through the original holes. I hope I won't trouble you too much more, until the next problem!