I got very close to damaging my Ping battery today.
Decided to try a bit more cycling this morning, as my hand has been feeling good the last few days (off work, recovering from carpal tunnel operation).
I got half way to Tesco's (just starting the big long hill) and the power cut out (all the power lights went out). Turning the key switch on and off did no good - it was totally dead. Freewheeling back down the hill I noticed the power lights lighting up (regeneration in the back wheel). This indicated to me that probably the bike was ok, likely to be a battery fault.
At home I put a voltage meter on the battery terminals, thinking it would be dead. To my surprise it was reading 26.5 volts. So the voltage had dropped for some reason and the controller was shutting everything down. That explained the “no power” fault, but not the “why”.
On removing the top of the case and looking at the battery I could see no signs of damage (no melted battery). However, when I turned the battery top over and looked inside I saw that the fuse holder was jammed between the switch terminals. Not only was it jammed; it had shorted its self to the live wire on the switch. When I prized the fuse holder away from the switch it was a molten mess.
Battery Short on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Fortunately, I had a spare fuse holder lying around so I cut the old one out and wired it in. The key switch (other than being slightly melted) appears to have escaped with minimal damage. With it all assembled I checked the voltage (to see if the battery pack was ok). Thankfully, the reading was 40.4 volts indicating the pack could be ok.
A short seven mile trip has confirmed all is working fine and the battery is now on charge, as I don't know how much the pack was discharged by the short. I can only hope that no serious damage has been done to the pack by the short.
How did the fuse holder get jammed into the bottom of the key switch?
I can only presume it happened when I recently cycled the Camel Trail. At the time I found it very bumpy. It likely happened then but has only shorted now.
-----------------------------------------------
Cougar Mountain Electric Bike 36v 200w Hub motor (Jul07)
fitted with 10 Ah LiFePo4 battery (Apr08)
Maximum range (road/hills - Cornwall) 18 miles
Maximum range (on flat) 25 miles
.
Decided to try a bit more cycling this morning, as my hand has been feeling good the last few days (off work, recovering from carpal tunnel operation).
I got half way to Tesco's (just starting the big long hill) and the power cut out (all the power lights went out). Turning the key switch on and off did no good - it was totally dead. Freewheeling back down the hill I noticed the power lights lighting up (regeneration in the back wheel). This indicated to me that probably the bike was ok, likely to be a battery fault.
At home I put a voltage meter on the battery terminals, thinking it would be dead. To my surprise it was reading 26.5 volts. So the voltage had dropped for some reason and the controller was shutting everything down. That explained the “no power” fault, but not the “why”.
On removing the top of the case and looking at the battery I could see no signs of damage (no melted battery). However, when I turned the battery top over and looked inside I saw that the fuse holder was jammed between the switch terminals. Not only was it jammed; it had shorted its self to the live wire on the switch. When I prized the fuse holder away from the switch it was a molten mess.
Battery Short on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Fortunately, I had a spare fuse holder lying around so I cut the old one out and wired it in. The key switch (other than being slightly melted) appears to have escaped with minimal damage. With it all assembled I checked the voltage (to see if the battery pack was ok). Thankfully, the reading was 40.4 volts indicating the pack could be ok.
A short seven mile trip has confirmed all is working fine and the battery is now on charge, as I don't know how much the pack was discharged by the short. I can only hope that no serious damage has been done to the pack by the short.
How did the fuse holder get jammed into the bottom of the key switch?
I can only presume it happened when I recently cycled the Camel Trail. At the time I found it very bumpy. It likely happened then but has only shorted now.
-----------------------------------------------
Cougar Mountain Electric Bike 36v 200w Hub motor (Jul07)
fitted with 10 Ah LiFePo4 battery (Apr08)
Maximum range (road/hills - Cornwall) 18 miles
Maximum range (on flat) 25 miles
.