Brompton conversion... would this Whoosh kit work?

[DBrown67]

I currently have a Whoosh BPM 350W kit fitted to a mountain bike. I'm thinking of swapping it over to a Brompton using a Nano electric 250W front wheel. For now I just want to establish if this is possible, forget about fitting and foldability. This is just an idea.

I don't know much about the 250W Nano wheel other than I can buy it separately. But I'm not sure about the connector between wheel and controller. If they can be connected then would the controller be suitable? I don't want to be burning the motor out.

This is a picture of the controller that came with my bike (got this pic off Whoosh website) and the motor connector lead has three pins in a triangular shape that plug into the large long black lead in the pic. I'd also have to check the crank sensor fitment.

I appreciate some may think this is a daft idea, but I'd like to keep the mtb if possible and I've been very happy with this kit so far in the 18 months I've had it.

 

[Nealh]

The 250w Nano needs to be an unsensored hub to use with the BPM controller.
Any PAS sensor should work, you need the Julet wired one which Woosh will likely have for sale. Apart from that the 20a may be quite a lot for the Brompton use and Nano hub but this will only be available in PAS 5 or throttle use unless you speed control is used.

 

[KirstinS]

, but I'd like to keep the mtb if possible

Hi you lost me a bit here as it sounded like you want to keep the bpm on the mtb but remove the controller and battery to use on the brommie (with the nano motor)

I think I must have this wrong as you then have an mtb with a useless lump of a motor

Swapping controllers back and forth sn't really practicle in my view. Batteries can be

If you want two Ebikes with a shared battery this is very possible. All my bikes share various 36v packs but each has its own controller

Controllers with led panels are pretty cheap. If I understand correctly then I'd look to buy a suitable controller and panel for the brommie and share the battery between them

 

[KirstinS]

For example a treid and tested basic controller and panel. Consider a baseline but I've used a few of these in the past without issue (until I've pushed them to limit by chucking 50 plus volts through them!)

S-KU65 Controller for LED810 250W15A 6mosfets Controller LED 36V

S-KU65 Controller. It is suitable for all our 250W motor and Q100 Motor. This controller is compatible with 24V and 36V battery.

bmsbattery.com

 

[DBrown67]

Hi you lost me a bit here as it sounded like you want to keep the bpm on the mtb but remove the controller and battery to use on the brommie (with the nano motor)

I think I must have this wrong as you then have an mtb with a useless lump of a motor

Yeah, this is what I was thinking. I suppose you're right, I may as well get a kit for the Brompton and share the battery across bikes. But I have no idea what to get as I'm a n00b at this stuff. I can put things together and "engineer" a fit but my knowledge of ebike parts is very poor. I don't know what parts are compatible with each other to make up a kit.

I just know that what I already have works well and if I could get away with just buying a new wheel that would have been OK.

 

[KirstinS]

Yeah, this is what I was thinking. I suppose you're right, I may as well get a kit for the Brompton and share the battery across bikes. But I have no idea what to get as I'm a n00b at this stuff. I can put things together and "engineer" a fit but my knowledge of ebike parts is very poor. I don't know what parts are compatible with each other to make up a kit.

OK, no worries. That's what the forum is for

So, do you actually own a nano motor in a wheel?

Just if not there may be better options for you these days. I'm not too up on brommie compabitle motors but someone recently did one on the forum

 

[DBrown67]

OK, no worries. That's what the forum is for

So, do you actually own a nano motor in a wheel?

Just if not there may be better options for you these days. I'm not too up on brommie compabitle motors but someone recently did one on the forum

No I don't have the wheel. Nano is the only kit I knew for the Brompton (apart from the official build of course). I've been in touch with them and they told me I can buy the wheel on its own. The kit is £520 to buy with no battery/charger which I think is a lot considering I paid £600 for my kit which included battery/charger. But then again, what do I know about parts? Nothing really LOL.

 

[Nealh]

What is the drop out width of your Brommie forks ?

 

[Woosh]

I should have my kit for the Brompton ready in late January.
The front motor wheel fits the Brompton 74mm (OLD) dropout.

 

[DBrown67]

I should have my kit for the Brompton ready in late January.
The front motor wheel fits the Brompton 74mm (OLD) dropout.

That sounds cool. But would I be able to use my existing HL battery from that BPM kit? I appreciate you might not be able to give full details right now.

 

[Nealh]

The Aikema 74sx is ideal for 75mm D/O's and suspect this is the hub Woosh will be using.

 

[Woosh]

That sounds cool. But would I be able to use my existing HL battery from that BPM kit? I appreciate you might not be able to give full details right now.

battery: yes.
LCD: yes.
I can't remember which battery you have, let's assume it's an HL battery, the same solution applies to rack battery too.
controller: you need a new HL or rack battery controller.
it will still be much cheaper than buying a whole new kit.

 

[KirstinS]

battery: yes.
LCD: yes.
I can't remember which battery you have, let's assume it's an HL battery, the same solution applies to rack battery too.
controller: you need a new HL or rack battery controller.
it will still be much cheaper than buying a whole new kit.

If Woosh will sell you this kit with the HL rail with integrated controller (but no battery) then I suspect this is the best/simplest/neatest option for you

Plus, if you search around the forum, you'll see they have great rep for after sales care, warranties and stuff.

You deffo could order parts from China and DIY too but expect zero support (and probably more time on here too boot

 

[DBrown67]

battery: yes.
LCD: yes.
I can't remember which battery you have, let's assume it's an HL battery, the same solution applies to rack battery too.
controller: you need a new HL or rack battery controller.
it will still be much cheaper than buying a whole new kit.

It is an HL down tube battery. I remember when I bought the kit I said I wanted the largest capacity available. I get around 45 miles from full charge but that is on level 4 (out of 5). I only charge it once a week which suits me. I think I'll wait a bit till the kit is released and get used the the bike for starters.

Oh I know about Whoosh support... and if you need a trial tester I could help out Thanks for the help everyone! <^.^>

 

[vfr400]

This is the motor you want for a Brompton, but you have to build it into your own rim (Sun CR18).

Q85 24V200W-250W Front Driving V-Brake Hub Motor RPM 201

Q85 24V200W-250W Front Driving V-brake, rim-brake E-Bike Hub Motor. Waterproof Hall Sensor and Sensorless compatible plug.

bmsbattery.com

I'd recommend this controller to go with it.

S06S-BL 24V/36V 250W Controller for with Bluetooth IOS or Android APP Voltage 24V

S06S-BL 24V/36V 250W Controller for with Bluetooth IOS or Android APP

bmsbattery.com

You also need to select an LCD, PAS and throttle. You also need at least one hidden wire brake sensor.

HWBS - Hidden Wire Brake Sensor 1pcs

HWBS (Hidden Wire Brake Sensor), Wire Length: 1.2M

bmsbattery.com

 

[DBrown67]

This is the motor you want for a Brompton, but you have to build it into your own rim (Sun CR18).

Q85 24V200W-250W Front Driving V-Brake Hub Motor RPM 201

Q85 24V200W-250W Front Driving V-brake, rim-brake E-Bike Hub Motor. Waterproof Hall Sensor and Sensorless compatible plug.

bmsbattery.com

I'd recommend this controller to go with it.

S06S-BL 24V/36V 250W Controller for with Bluetooth IOS or Android APP Voltage 24V

S06S-BL 24V/36V 250W Controller for with Bluetooth IOS or Android APP

bmsbattery.com

You also need to select an LCD, PAS and throttle. You also need at least one hidden wire brake sensor.

HWBS - Hidden Wire Brake Sensor 1pcs

HWBS (Hidden Wire Brake Sensor), Wire Length: 1.2M

bmsbattery.com

This all looks good apart from the fact that I have a 36V battery already and all this is 24V. Is that OK to do? Plus the motor doesn't fit in the forks unless they are spread a bit.

Just searching around and I see the Q70 motor. Fits right in and is already 36V. Dunno how suitable it is otherwise. But what with not knowing what I'm doing (if I'm really honest!) I'm not confident ordering from China.

 

[vfr400]

Sorry, I meant to click the Q70. You need to select the 328 rpm version. That's important.

 

[DBrown67]

Had a go at looking at parts to make up a kit. Took a while and I have no idea if this would work.
I like the waterproof connectors as they take the soldering out of the equation,
However, some of the extension cables look a bit strange to me with ends missing.

If I had the battery cradle in a bag on the front block I'd need a way to quickly disconnect so the bag could be removed. Or maybe a slim bag down the back of the stem that remains there permanently? Though this would look crap as the battery is so tall. I don't want to use the luggage block solely to house the cradle. I want to use the bag and be able to disconnect freely.

Weight is not an issue for me. I won't be carrying it much at all or going multi modal on buses/trains.

Motor (Same as Q70? Says they have over 400 in stock but they still needs 15 days to prepare?)
Controller (Made to fit my existing battery case. Just not sure about the 65 cells part. Is this critical?)
LCD (I like how discrete this is)
PAS (Same as on my MTB)
Throttle (Needs a suitable clamp/bracket)
Brake levers (Unsure if this is a pair or for single. For price doesn't matter. 100% necessary?)

1-4 Extension cable (Might not need these cables but listed in case)
Motor extension cable (If I did need this it would become ludicrously long)
PAS extension cable (No connector on one end though)
Brake lever extension cables (Again, no connectors on one end)

Sun CR18 16" Rim (36 hole)

Dunno how much it would cost to lace motor to that rim at a LBS. £50? £100?
And how reliable are "TOPBIKEKIT"?

 

[Woosh]

if we are talking about my forthcoming kit for the Brompton, the kit is similar to this one, except the controller is Lishui LSW947 and a left side pedal sensor.

In the case of the OP, I think the battery will have to go behind the seat post and use an HL controller instead.

 

[DBrown67]

Yeah that kit looks cool but as you say, for me to use my HL battery the cradle will need to be mounted on the inside of the front stem. Plus I really don't want to lose the functionality of the front luggage block.

Mounting the cradle on the stem isn't going to look elegant but it should work. Central handle bar bolt can be one mounting point. Another can be on a brace that goes across the rise of the M bar. Using simple "P" clips attached to the bar could achieve this. Shouldn't affect the fold either as the inside of the stem faces outward when folded.