alien special battery problem

stormb22

Pedelecer
Jun 18, 2010
65
0
hi all i have had an ongoing problem with my alien special e-bike the problem is with the battery when you switch it on the three power lights come on but when the throttle is operated or the pedlec the motor does not respond the green and amber lights flash ,you can hear the power in the motor when it is lifted off the ground the motor turn very slowly but thats it ,alien sent me a new battery in may and this cured the problem but now three months later the new one has got the same problem (the old one was 3 months old to) any come across this problem before?
 

Scimitar

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jul 31, 2010
1,772
40
Ireland
So, each battery is turning its toes up after approx 90 cycles of use... just a thought; are they SLAs by any chance, and do you run them right down?
 

JonBurns

Just Joined
Mar 12, 2010
3
0
Edinburgh
Had a similar problem with my Alien GSII but it was intermittant, I had a look in the box that houses the controller and found a couple of loose connections. Everything has been fine since I pushed all the connections in firmly. Don't know if it will be the same thing causing your problem but its easy enough to have a look.
 

Blew it

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 8, 2008
1,472
97
Swindon, Wiltshire
hi all i have had an ongoing problem with my alien special e-bike the problem is with the battery when you switch it on the three power lights come on but when the throttle is operated or the pedlec the motor does not respond the green and amber lights flash ,you can hear the power in the motor when it is lifted off the ground the motor turn very slowly but thats it ,alien sent me a new battery in may and this cured the problem but now three months later the new one has got the same problem (the old one was 3 months old to) any come across this problem before?
Two dodgy batteries on a trot is a bit too much of a coincidence for my way of thinking.

Assuming you are still using the original charger, this may be the common denominator and needs to be checked first. I suggest you fully charge the battery, and then check the open contact voltage of the battery, it should read between 40.3 and 42 volts. You will need a multimeter to do this.

As a matter of interest, did AlienOcean give you any feedback on the condition of the original battery after it was returned to them?.

If the battery is at the voltage suggested above, you will then need to check for high resistance in the cable that connects the battery to the controller using the multimeter set for 'ohms'. I think that will keep you busy for a while, but further tests may be needed to get to the bottom of the problem.

Have fun
Bob
 

onmebike

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 3, 2010
499
1
West Essex
The new battery initially cured the problem? If this is the slide in rack system with contacts in the end of the battery that mate with the controller, I'd first check the contacts on both battery and controller. There may be evidence of oxidization, burning or pitting on the contacts. Make sure their clean and a snug fit. If possible close the female side of the contacts for a better connection. Failing this, open the controller and look for loose connections.
A faulty keyswitch on the battery may be another area to investigate, try bypassing the switch.
 
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stormb22

Pedelecer
Jun 18, 2010
65
0
alien battery problem

checked all the cable and connections all contacts are clean opened up the controller box all good,when i sent the first battery back alien just said it was a faulty battery (they tested it on one of their bikes and it done the same thing)seems strange though that it has happened on near enough the same amount of charges on both batteries (around 80 charges) i never let the battery run down its a lithium ion and they suggest charge after each use which i do. 16 mile run to work then it gets charged without fail.i was wondering if it could be the charger doing the damage?