Search results

Another reason wireless charging is a bad idea is that it's horribly inefficient. Even a well designed induction charging solution is an order of magnitude more inefficient than wired charging and that's forgetting many of the issues raised above.

A really bad idea unless you can achieve an even weight distribution. Been there and done that with a pack half the size and it turned a great bike into an awful one.

I've nothing against big batteries (I sometimes carry 44V/62Ah, multiple packs) but that thing weighs in at 10.9kg. Unless you're able to mount it centrally in the frame triangle, forget it.

I feel for you, I really do. I've been self-employed in one way or another for the last decade and can relate to your experiences. In the UK, more than anywhere else, do people know the cost of everything and the value of nothing!

Thanks for your input. I've been aware of the existence of CycleTech since I started looking into the idea. My objection to operating under such a model is that not having your own branding is restrictive in the long-term. Unless I've misunderstood, their (my) customers would deal with...

My income is currently derived from a number of revenue streams, so another albeit inconsistent source of business could work for me. What I have discovered so far, is that it's more profitable to sell parts than fit them. It seems that the majority of people don't attribute much value to...

They're not just buying parts, they're buying parts & labour. A £150 retail bike likely contains parts resembling the quality of KitKat foil. If they want to source a £10 part from China, wait weeks for it to arrive and fit it themselves, they are free to do so. Expecting somebody else to do it...

Totally agree flecc. I underquoted and knew it at the time, but it was given for the purpose of 'testing the water' to find a cost that the market would bare. They were a typical customer though. In most of the instances that I've given a quote (around 20), the customer turned me down. One...

Yes, they knew I was just over an hour away. I told them that I'd charge £45 if they were to bring the bike to me, but they were "too busy". If anything, I thought I undervalued my time.

This is the crux of the matter. I'd certainly be interested to hear other's point of view. I've previously looked into the viability of offering a mobile ebike repair service, but found that potential customers consistently underestimated the basic cost of doing business in the UK and therefore...

I'd say the opposite is true. If you look at the top end of what is available for all three technologies, it is the controller that is the current bottleneck. There are bicycle motors that can take tens of kW and batteries that have no problem dumping similar amounts of power, but controllers...

Awesome parcel taping!

All battery packs made by Tesla feature both battery heating and cooling to deal with such issues. Interestingly, when operating in 'ludicrous mode', the battery is preheated to lower the pack's internal resistance, allowing it to dump as much power as possible.

Only up to a point. You should never charge a battery at less than 0 degrees C. Ideally, the charging temperature should be greater than 6 degrees C and the battery should be bought up to temperature first.

*Ahem* Right, I'm going to give it a go. Most electronic goods that 'require' an AC input, actually operate on DC – Alternating current is rectified into direct current, before being stepped down via a transformer or SMPS, then goes on to power the device in question. An inverter takes a DC...

As already discussed, setting up a CA as a monitoring device is a straightforward affair. Using a CA as a control device is far more involved and requires all inputs (throttle, PAS, brake cutouts, speed sensor, aux input) be routed through the CA itself. In this sort of scenario, the CAv3 is...

It sounds like you're trying to replicate functionality already available using the built in LCD/controller combo. Probably best to investigate this before adding a CA. What you propose is doable, but not without permanent (and possibly extensive, depending on your viewpoint) modification of...

In case the penny hasn't yet dropped, your PAS connector wires are connected in the wrong order!

I thought that was the case for DC, but with AC, don't the zero crossing points of the alternating waveform provide an opportunity for the muscles to expand and therefore let go of the wire?

I have always wondered this and assumed that it was down to safety - another layer of insulation between poles being a good thing. It would be good to hear something definitive.