Brand new Wisper 906 - charging the battery

[northlondon43]

Hi
I've just bought the above and am on the first 'deep charge' so I'm doing as told (manual and shop) and riding until the battery totally discharges. I've done 80km so far and the battery still shows 2 lights. However, on the way home today, the display flashed 04 error a couple of times yet there are as I said two lights/bars showing. Should I be recharging yet as I understood that 2 bars = 55% charge left???

 

[flecc]

The 04 code does mean it needs recharging. The meter LEDs will be inaccurate initially until you've completed the deep charge/discharge cycles, those enabling the meter to reset it's zero point.

 

[northlondon43]

Many thanks for that. I only wish the shop had said the same as I would have put the battery on charge when I got home. Instead of which, it's 9pm and I leave at 7.30 for work....just hope 1.5 hrs doesnt matter Thanks again Adrian

 

[dmcgoldrick]

Hi
I've just bought the above and am on the first 'deep charge' so I'm doing as told (manual and shop) and riding until the battery totally discharges. I've done 80km so far and the battery still shows 2 lights. However, on the way home today, the display flashed 04 error a couple of times yet there are as I said two lights/bars showing. Should I be recharging yet as I understood that 2 bars = 55% charge left???

just the same with mine..........the computer seems to give an indication of when to recharge but the green lights on battery always seem optimistic......usually get 04 uphill with 2 green lights still on but computer only one bar.....
regards

 

[flecc]

That's probably due to the extra power drain going uphill, the voltage drop causing the computer to read lower. Battery meters are not very accurate devices since they just measure voltage drop. Batteries are chemical devices of course, so their content cannot be accurately measured in real time by electrical means.

 

[Jon]

Ive had a similar thing on my Oxygen i have been trying to drain the battery as much as possible but that was a hard job i ended up doing 35 miles on/off road up hills alsorts and on the way to work this morning it felt far too draggy and was not maintaining as high speed on the flats. I was convinced it wouldnt get me home so i plugged it in when i got to work despite the readout saying it was 1 to 2 lights and ive left it on charge from 11am this morning got the bus home and ive left it on charge. I think i read it suggests 3 deep cycles so i have two more to go

 

[Mussels]

I've still not done a deep discharge on my 906. It'll happen one day when I forget to charge it but until then I'm not willing to push it up the steep hills on my commute when the battery is low.
The lights on the battery lie like a hairy egg but I know from the handlebar display when the voltage is tailing off and I have a fair idea how much is left.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Thanks Flecc, absolutely spot on in both posts.

David and Adrian, thanks for bringing this point up , I will add a new line to the manual.

After the first couple of charges, it is always best to recharge your bike after every journey. Battery technology is moving forward very rapidly and the need to completely discharge on the first couple of cycles is no longer necessary. You should still completely charge the battery then discharge to three lights for the first couple of uses, to be absolutely certain the cells are balanced. In our experience the most important practice to adopt when looking after your battery is to make certain the battery does not become over discharged. If the battery voltage drops too low the cells can be irreparably damaged rendering the battery useless.

It is important to remember the battery management system is always on and drawing power from the battery. For this reason we ask owners to charge their battery every 6 weeks or so during the winter and never leave their battery fully discharged even for a few days.

Best regards

David

 

[northlondon43]

Thanks David for clearing up the discharge issue because, as you know, the current manual says otherwise. I take it for the first 3 charges I should still do a 'deep' charge, i.e. 12 hours?

Adrian

 

[allen-uk]

Adrian:

I bought my Wisper 905 last July from PowaRider in Woking.

They gave me the following instructions re. battery charging and overnight charging, and I hope they apply equally to the 906, and that they won't confuse you.

I would also say that due to weight and unfitness, I have never really got a good 'deep discharge' out of mine - I can't get it past 2 lights on the battery - but it doesn't seem to have done any harm!

Please note: Battery charger lights
Your bike has been supplied with the latest 4A version of the Wisper charger (2A for 8Ah batteries) – this operates in a slightly different way than described in the instructions.

When charging is complete the fan on the charger will stop and the orange light will turn green – then, after a few seconds it will turn orange again – but the fan will not be operating, this is normal operation for the new chargers.

When checking the charger to confirm that charging is complete – if the light is orange – check that the fan is not turning – if it is stopped charging should be complete – the orange light is now indicating a trickle charge mode. To double check – with the charger still connected to the battery switch the charger switch to off, wait 5 seconds and switch it back on – if charging is complete the fan will not spin at all, the light will briefly show green and then change to orange – you can also check at the button on top of the battery that the battery is showing all 4 charge lights. Note that the orange light will eventually turn to green – if left on an overnight charge for example the light will be green by the next day.


A

 

[northlondon43]

Thanks A, I think I understand!

It just goes to show that there doesn't seem to be consistency amongst the dealers (and perhaps Wisper) on how crucial instructions are handed out. I haven't been given or told the instructions you outline above at all.
Adrian

 

[Wisper Bikes]

You are absolutely right Adrian, however, we have been putting together a definitive set of instructions over the last few weeks. We will get everyone singing off the same hymn sheet by the end of this week.

All the best

David

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Thanks David for clearing up the discharge issue because, as you know, the current manual says otherwise. I take it for the first 3 charges I should still do a 'deep' charge, i.e. 12 hours?

Adrian

Hi Adrian, sorry I missed this!

Two is fine and simply charge until the light goes green.

All the best

David