Help identifying rear hub motor please

[Rabbashanks]

Hey guys.
I'm trying to find out if my 250 watt brushless motor can safely handle more than the 36v11a battery i got with the bike.

I can't see the "controller", only the motor, battery and screen display.
The screen has a 36v sticker on the underside, but menu options for 24 36 48 and possibly higher.


I'm attaching photos of the bike, motor, battery and screen, if anyone can help identify the motor and controller specs and max battery upgrade possibility I'd appreciate it a lot!

N.b
The pas and throttle already go to 18mph before cutting out, but peddling up to about 21 still feels practically effortless which is nice given the 15.5mph limit most bikes now have.

I've also changed the tyre size setting and found it gave me an extra 1mph or so top end, but admittedly I'm looking for a bit more power (offroad) without having to change too much.

I can link to the site i bought from if anyone wanted to see but the spec listing is pretty basic hence my post.

 

[vfr400]

That motor can easily handle 36v 25Ah.

 

[Rabbashanks]

Am i right thinking the controller is in the motor hub? Or are they not a factor with hub motors?
Obviously I've read that my battery option is down to the controller capacity but without knowing the make model or spec of my motor I'm still unsure...

Thanks btw, i think you also responded to my first post a few weeks ago. Much appreciated!

 

[Benjahmin]

Whilst the motor can handle a higher voltage, the controller may not. There are inrush capacitors in the controller and it is these that will blow with a fully charged 48v battery, if they are not rated high enough. You need to get sight of the controller - it may be built into the battery compartment. The controller is seperate from the display, as you say the display has multi-voltage functions, but this doesn't mean the controller has. Beware of the magic blue smoke !
If, by more power, you mean,say, 14Ah instead of 11Ah then this is no problem as long as it is the same voltage.
Altering the wheel size will, generally, give you a false speed reading as the computer uses wheel circumference (and number of rotations) to calculate speed. So it's likely that you extra 1mph is merely a function of changing this parameter.

 

[Rabbashanks]

Whilst the motor can handle a higher voltage, the controller may not. There are inrush capacitors in the controller and it is these that will blow with a fully charged 48v battery, if they are not rated high enough. You need to get sight of the controller - it may be built into the battery compartment. The controller is seperate from the display, as you say the display has multi-voltage functions, but this doesn't mean the controller has. Beware of the magic blue smoke !
If, by more power, you mean,say, 14Ah instead of 11Ah then this is no problem as long as it is the same voltage.
Altering the wheel size will, generally, give you a false speed reading as the computer uses wheel circumference (and number of rotations) to calculate speed. So it's likely that you extra 1mph is merely a function of changing this parameter.

Whilst the motor can handle a higher voltage, the controller may not. There are inrush capacitors in the controller and it is these that will blow with a fully charged 48v battery, if they are not rated high enough. You need to get sight of the controller - it may be built into the battery compartment. The controller is seperate from the display, as you say the display has multi-voltage functions, but this doesn't mean the controller has. Beware of the magic blue smoke !
If, by more power, you mean,say, 14Ah instead of 11Ah then this is no problem as long as it is the same voltage.
Altering the wheel size will, generally, give you a false speed reading as the computer uses wheel circumference (and number of rotations) to calculate speed. So it's likely that you extra 1mph is merely a function of changing this parameter.

Thanks for the help mate.
I should have mentioned i changed the speed settings from mph to kph when altering the wheel size from 26 to 18inch, which supposedly compensates for the inaccurate reading; the now kph reading should be roughly the mph its doing. It does feel a bit nippier...

Im thinking i will def stay at 36v but yes, more amps would be nice. I was hoping someone could identify the motor in order to see what and where the controller is without having to open it up. (i have googled the numebers printed on but nothing specific comes up).

I think the battery is hailong but if the controller is in the hub motor i still don't know for sure if it could handle 48v or merely 36v with a higher amp like you suggested.

 

[wheeliepete]

Looks like your controller is in the base of the battery holder.

 

[Nealh]

Very few hubs have a controller inside and your will not have.
If the controller is a battery holder integrated type then little chance of obtaining one with higher amp out put, you would have to go the ugly route and use a stand alone remote controller and all the wiring involved.

 

[vfr400]

You can't change anything in the hardware of that controller because it will be potted. If you can find the secret button sequence in the display, there might be a setting for maximum current.

As above, there's nothing to stop you from using a different controller that you can install anywhere else on the bike in a box or bag as long as you can do basic wiring.

 

[minexplorer]

Hey guys.
I'm trying to find out if my 250 watt brushless motor can safely handle more than the 36v11a battery i got with the bike.

I can't see the "controller", only the motor, battery and screen display.
The screen has a 36v sticker on the underside, but menu options for 24 36 48 and possibly higher.


I'm attaching photos of the bike, motor, battery and screen, if anyone can help identify the motor and controller specs and max battery upgrade possibility I'd appreciate it a lot!

N.b
The pas and throttle already go to 18mph before cutting out, but peddling up to about 21 still feels practically effortless which is nice given the 15.5mph limit most bikes now have.

I've also changed the tyre size setting and found it gave me an extra 1mph or so top end, but admittedly I'm looking for a bit more power (offroad) without having to change too much.

I can link to the site i bought from if anyone wanted to see but the spec listing is pretty basic hence my post.

So the display is compatible for 48v. Get the controller out.it will either say 24v/36v or 36v/48v in which case u could splash out on a 48v battery and get 33% more power . otherwise if its a 36v controller and says something like 7-15amps then you can add a little solder to the shunt to increase the amps to 18-19amps.All small controllers are able to handle that. You need to be carefull not to overdo it tho.Use a watt meter to tell how many amps its pulling,they are in expensive u wire them in between the controller and battery. ive done this,really gives the bike more oomph.

 

[Woosh]

So the display is compatible for 48v.

The factory ticks one box to show which voltage the LCD was set to work with.
That does not mean you can run at higher than the specified voltage.
For example, all the Bafang / King Meter LCDs are made to work only with the specified voltage.

 

[minexplorer]

The factory ticks one box to show which voltage the LCD was set to work with.
That does not mean you can run at higher than the specified voltage.
For example, all the Bafang / King Meter LCDs are made to work only with the specified voltage.

that makes sense of the 36v sticker,thats what they chose.so the 48v option in the menu not user changeable.

 

[harrys]

Your motor can probably handle 500W, whether you get that from 48V @ 10A or 36V @ 15A., as long as we're talking brief forays into full throttle. If you're riding up a 2 mile hill at 10%, you may overheat. I have run smaller motors on 52V, but I don't beat on them.

A 36V controller will have either 50V or 63V filter capacitors. The former will slowly deteriorate on 48V because full charge is 54.6V, and finally pop. Might take months, Might be a week.

In any case, even if your controller can take 48V, you'll only go about 22-23 mph if you get 18 mph now. That's not worth the expense of another battery and display, is it?

 

[Nealh]

So the display is compatible for 48v. Get the controller out.it will either say 24v/36v or 36v/48v in which case u could splash out on a 48v battery and get 33% more power . otherwise if its a 36v controller and says something like 7-15amps then you can add a little solder to the shunt to increase the amps to 18-19amps.All small controllers are able to handle that. You need to be carefull not to overdo it tho.Use a watt meter to tell how many amps its pulling,they are in expensive u wire them in between the controller and battery. ive done this,really gives the bike more oomph.

These controllers are mostly micro solid state electronics and are usually potted for water proofing, likely they don't have a conventional shunt but a mini solid state shunt resistor on the pcb, if you were good at electronics it may be possible to change out the S/R. The effort of de-potting and resealing is not worth it.

 

[harrys]

Not all are potted. This first one is in a Hailong pack too. I can't see the capacitor voltages, but it does have a shunt.

Again, if buying a bigger battery, might as well get the whole thing with a 48V controller.

Most external controllers look ugly like a wart on an ebike, especia;;y if they don't have a nice integrated wire harness..

 

[minexplorer]

These controllers are mostly micro solid state electronics and are usually potted for water proofing, likely they don't have a conventional shunt but a mini solid state shunt resistor on the pcb, if you were good at electronics it may be possible to change out the S/R. The effort of de-potting and resealing is not worth it.

i was assuming it was one of those regular silver box type controllers that usually pair with hub motors so Nealh is probably right.so unfortunately you may not have much option but to use the bike as is.

seems so many people inc myself after buying a legal/near legal power bike soon realise they want more.its the reason i always advise from experience to just buy a bloody bbshd and then you dont get this situation down the line.

 

[Rabbashanks]

Thanks for all the help guys!

So...if i bought this 36v 20a battery (same as my current one but almost double the amps) it should wire up fine with my motor and display as the controller is internal...
Giving me more range and torque but probably no more top speed?
I'd pay the £325 to replace it...with the justification that eventually I'd need a new fresh battery anyway...

Thanks again!
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/232994552874

 

[wheeliepete]

The larger battery will only increase your range, no extra torque.

 

[Rabbashanks]

The

i was assuming it was one of those regular silver box type controllers that usually pair with hub motors so Nealh is probably right.so unfortunately you may not have much option but to use the bike as is.

seems so many people inc myself after buying a legal/near legal power bike soon realise they want more.its the reason i always advise from experience to just buy a bloody bbshd and then you dont get this situation down the line.

The bbshd looks amazing! Would still need to buy a battery too but in an ideal world...this is my next one! Wow.

 

[Rabbashanks]

The larger battery will only increase your range, no extra torque.

Ah i see. Thanks Pete!
Looks like I'll be sticking with what i have until xmas or so...god i want that bbshd now lol.

 

[wheeliepete]

The battery in your link is taller than the one you have, so make sure it will fit in your frame OK, it looks a bit tight to me.