Cyclamatic CX2

[ksoree]

Dear community,

I've been given a cyclamatic cx2 from a colleague who purchased it a while ago but due to a delivery fault was not sent a charger and and has since purchased a new bike.

I've scoured the internet looking for a replacement but as a novice this is quite daunting and there doesn't seem to be any customer support for cyclamatic.

Does anyone know the charger for this bike or could anyone suggest the best way to replace?

Many thanks

 

[vfr400]

You can get them from Ebay very cheaply. Your battery is nominally 36v, but it charges to 42.0v. sometimes they call it a 36v charger and sometimes 42v. You have to look in the details of any listing to check what the charging voltage is. Current needs to be around 2 amps.

There's one here for £8 with the correct connector.

Battery Charger 36V 2A for Ebike, 42V max output, Lithium LiPo Battery, XLR 3pin | eBay

Output :42V 2A Input: AC100-240V Input Voltage: Nominal Voltage:100-240Vac Variation Range:90-264Vac Nominal Frequency:50/60Hz Variation Frequency:47-63Hz Charging Plug Type: XLR Note: 36V is battery voltage and 42V is the charger voltage. Package Included: 1 x Charger.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[vfr400]

When it arrives, the only thing you need to check is that the polarity is the right way round. For that, you need a voltmeter. Only the outer two pins are used, so you check the voltage across them first in the battery to see which way round they are, then switch on the charger and check its outer two pins. It'll probably be OK, but you must check. If you can't check it, find someone who can.

You can get the original charger from SportsHQ, but make sure you're sitting down when you see the price. See "Contact us" at the bottom of the listing.

Cyclamatic CX2 Folding Electric Bike

DELAYED DISPATCH - THIS ITEM WILL DISPATCH FROM 07/07/20.Ideal for cities, boots, boats and caravans - get further on your travels with the Cyclamatic Foldaway Electric Bike.

www.thesportshq.com

 

[Andy-Mat]

Dear community,

I've been given a cyclamatic cx2 from a colleague who purchased it a while ago but due to a delivery fault was not sent a charger and and has since purchased a new bike.

I've scoured the internet looking for a replacement but as a novice this is quite daunting and there doesn't seem to be any customer support for cyclamatic.

Does anyone know the charger for this bike or could anyone suggest the best way to replace?

Many thanks

You need to know the nominal voltage of the battery:- 24v, 36v or 48v are the usual ones, and a clear picture of the charging socket, and many here can then help you further....
Bad news is if the battery has not been charged for a long time, it is probably in a state that the proper charger will not charge it anymore.....
This is automated for safety reasons, to prevent the battery catching fire.
If true , then a so called "Zero Volt Charger" will be needed to recover the battery.
A good cycle shop should be able to recover the battery for you, but ring them first with as much battery detail as you have. Any numbers you can read off the case as a prime example!
If it is recovered, will take many charges and uses to hopefully recover the full distance that can be ridden.
I had a similar problem in 2017, and it took me about 6 months of heavy riding to get the battery from around 22 KM per charge up to 60KM per charge.....which was a pleasure of course, it did not bother me....
I hope that this is not the case for you, but being aware of the possibility is important.
Best of luck and if I can help further, just ask, as many bikers have very little technical understanding about their Li-ion batteries, but are willing to make guesses at your expense....e.g. Its fully normal sadly!!
Andy

 

[ksoree]

You need to know the nominal voltage of the battery:- 24v, 36v or 48v are the usual ones, and a clear picture of the charging socket, and many here can then help you further....
Bad news is if the battery has not been charged for a long time, it is probably in a state that the proper charger will not charge it anymore.....
This is automated for safety reasons, to prevent the battery catching fire.
If true , then a so called "Zero Volt Charger" will be needed to recover the battery.
A good cycle shop should be able to recover the battery for you, but ring them first with as much battery detail as you have. Any numbers you can read off the case as a prime example!
If it is recovered, will take many charges and uses to hopefully recover the full distance that can be ridden.
I had a similar problem in 2017, and it took me about 6 months of heavy riding to get the battery from around 22 KM per charge up to 60KM per charge.....which was a pleasure of course, it did not bother me....
I hope that this is not the case for you, but being aware of the possibility is important.
Best of luck and if I can help further, just ask, as many bikers have very little technical understanding about their Li-ion batteries, but are willing to make guesses at your expense....e.g. Its fully normal sadly!!
Andy

Thank you all for your help!!

I'm not sure when it was charged last buy when I received it I was able to ride it a full day with power

 

[ksoree]

Thank you all for your help!!

I'm not sure when it was charged last buy when I received it I was able to ride it a full day with power

Thank you all for your help!!

I'm not sure when it was charged last buy when I received it I was able to ride it a full day with power so I'm assuming that the battery will be fine however do you think the chargin issue may still be an issue.

Also what is the correct set for the polarity of the charger? What should I be looking for?

 

[Andy-Mat]

Thank you all for your help!!

I'm not sure when it was charged last buy when I received it I was able to ride it a full day with power

How long ago, and what was the indicated charge level (if you have such an indicator) when you were finished riding or even better, what level now?

There are plenty of Li-ion chargers on ebay, for under 40 UK Pounds, you must just make sure that you know your nominal battery voltage, the connector size and the connector polarity. Pick one with a low charge level, its better in the long term for the battery, 2 amps is quite enough, and keeps the price of the charger down.

There are some expensive chargers that really look after the battery, 120 UK Pounds or so, which are truly fantastic.

Remove the charger when the battery is full, as leaving it connected will reduce the life of the battery, but slowly. Most just signal green for charge full, and many believe wrongly, that there is no more charging, which is wrong, a tiny current still flows with most chargers......
regards
Andy


regards

Andy

 

[ksoree]

Hi Guys, I bought a charger from ebay and a multimeter from Halfords. I tried to check the polarity myself and it would appear that the positive results are given when test leads are reversed to when testing the battery. Does this mean that the polarity is not compatible?

 

[Andy-Mat]

Hi Guys, I bought a charger from ebay and a multimeter from Halfords. I tried to check the polarity myself and it would appear that the positive results are given when test leads are reversed to when testing the battery. Does this mean that the polarity is not compatible?

Do remember, especially with Chinese made equipment, they do not always stick with the correct colours of leads, which has cost many dearly!!! Do not forget this!!
It does sound as though the charger needs the polarity (connector) changing!!

It depends upon the type of meter. Older style with a "needle" (Analog) tend to have the polarity reversed with respect to the lead colour, easily forgotten.
Modern Digital meters generally the pole with the red lead, will signify the positive end of the battery.
With any meter, its not difficult to get it right, the black lead is plugged into the COMmon socket, the Red lead may have several possibilities, you will need to use on that might be marked V/Ohm/f (on my meter), showing it is for voltage, Resistance and Capacitance.

Simply switch to voltage (without putting the test leads on the battery!), select 2 or more volts and place the red lead on the positive end of a single cell, taken from say a torch, the tiny button end is always positive, and the black lead on the base at the other end.
This will tell you immediately how the meter is designed, as you should get a positive value reading on a digital meter (generally the "+" will not be displayed, but if you see a value with a negaive sign "-", then the polarity is reversed......
On an old fashioned Analog meter, the needle does NOT try to go backwards, is a sign of positive, but most will go backwards with the red lead on the small button. This problem is why I recommend only Digital meters, its far easier to get correct!!
But as you neglected to tell us what type of meter you have (Analog or Digital), that has made my help a bit more difficult to understand....Sorry for that.
Do get it right before you go near the bike battery.....
Ask if you need more help, its far cheaper than an accident!!
regards
Andy

 

[ksoree]

Do remember, especially with Chinese made equipment, they do not always stick with the correct colours of leads, which has cost many dearly!!! Do not forget this!!
It does sound as though the charger needs the polarity (connector) changing!!

It depends upon the type of meter. Older style with a "needle" (Analog) tend to have the polarity reversed with respect to the lead colour, easily forgotten.
Modern Digital meters generally the pole with the red lead, will signify the positive end of the battery.
With any meter, its not difficult to get it right, the black lead is plugged into the COMmon socket, the Red lead may have several possibilities, you will need to use on that might be marked V/Ohm/f (on my meter), showing it is for voltage, Resistance and Capacitance.

Simply switch to voltage (without putting the test leads on the battery!), select 2 or more volts and place the red lead on the positive end of a single cell, taken from say a torch, the tiny button end is always positive, and the black lead on the base at the other end.
This will tell you immediately how the meter is designed, as you should get a positive value reading on a digital meter (generally the "+" will not be displayed, but if you see a value with a negaive sign "-", then the polarity is reversed......
On an old fashioned Analog meter, the needle does NOT try to go backwards, is a sign of positive, but most will go backwards with the red lead on the small button. This problem is why I recommend only Digital meters, its far easier to get correct!!
But as you neglected to tell us what type of meter you have (Analog or Digital), that has made my help a bit more difficult to understand....Sorry for that.
Do get it right before you go near the bike battery.....
Ask if you need more help, its far cheaper than an accident!!
regards
Andy

Thanks for your help. I have a digital meter I've tried the cell test you suggested and it has given me a positive reading for the correct position. I tested the charger which has the positive read in one position which is different to the battery. Does this mean they are not compatible?

 

[Andy-Mat]

Thanks for your help. I have a digital meter I've tried the cell test you suggested and it has given me a positive reading for the correct position. I tested the charger which has the positive read in one position which is different to the battery. Does this mean they are not compatible?

The positive of the charger, needs to connect to the positive of the battery.
What does the label on the charger show, there is usually a tiny graphic depicting which part of the connector is plus and minus. If this is the opposite to what you are measuring, you have a problem!!
You might like this:-

Complete Guide to Using the Correct Charger or Power Adapter (and What Happens If You Don't)

Wait! Just because the plug for that universal adapter fits into your laptop or phone doesn't mean it's safe to use. Read this guide on finding the right charger or power adapter.

www.groovypost.com

Be very careful and take no risks!!
regards
Andy

 

[vfr400]

Let's make it simple. Positive pin on the charger has to go in the positive hole in the battery socket and the negative pin goes into the negative hole.

When you've checked each with the meter, mark the positive pin, so it's obvious whether you have the polarity right when you bring the charger connector to the battery because it's easy to get mixed up which is which.

If they don't match, disassemble the connector on the charger and swap the wires over. That might mean unsoldering and resoldering the wires.

 

[ksoree]

Let's make it simple. Positive pin on the charger has to go in the positive hole in the battery socket and the negative pin goes into the negative hole.

When you've checked each with the meter, mark the positive pin, so it's obvious whether you have the polarity right when you bring the charger connector to the battery because it's easy to get mixed up which is which.

If they don't match, disassemble the connector on the charger and swap the wires over. That might mean unsoldering and resoldering the wires.

Thank you for simplifying the process I've checked it again ensuring not to confuse the direcion of the sockets and managed to charge the battery. Which was wonderful for half the day until I hit a bump in the road and the power cut out.

Has anyone encountered this?

I opened up the base panel and and tinkered around a bit which didn't return the power for pedaling but did return the power to the front light which leads me to believe that something is shorting out a connection.

Does anyone have an idea?

 

[vfr400]

Only a meter can tell you where the problem is.