Throttle on Wisper folder

[DannyK]

My wife has a Wisper 805fe. It is 37 volts with a 250 w motor. There are 3 wires to the motor. The motor power is brought in by a sensor on the crank but not untill she has pedaled a couple of revolutions and then sometimes so sharply that the wheel spins if on gravel. Her problem is starting off particularly if facing up hill where she finds it difficult to make the first few revolutions. She is in her 70's and parhaps lacks the confidence of somebody a bit younger. I wondered if it would be possible to fit a button or thumb throttle to start the bike from rest to say 4 mph so that she could get her balance before pedaling.Hope that some of you with a more technical bent may be able to help.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Everything is possible, but there might be better solutions. there's lots of different versions of that bike. We need to know what you have.

Is it an old one?
Do you know which year it was first sold?
Does it have a control panel of some sort or the 2-button high and low.
Do the brake wires plug into a connector near the handlebars or go directly into the frame?

 

[DannyK]

Everything is possible, but there might be better solutions. there's lots of different versions of that bike. We need to know what you have.

Is it an old one?
Do you know which year it was first sold?
Does it have a control panel of some sort or the 2-button high and low.
Do the brake wires plug into a connector near the handlebars or go directly into the frame?

Hi d8veh, thanks for replying so quickly. We bought the bike new in May 2010 and was manufactured in March of that year. There is a small panel on bars with 3 assist levels, an on/off button, a light button and 4 indicator lights for the battery. The brake wires do infact go into a small triangular box below the handle bars.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Two more questions. Is there a 4th unused wire coming out of that triangle? Are you any good at wiring and soldering?

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Thanks Dave,

Hi Danny,

Our 805fe bikes are indeed about 7 years old now, it's good to read your wife's bike is still going strong.

Our earlier folding bikes did not have throttles, however as Dave suggests there may be a solution. We have throttles and controllers in stock and would be able to fit to your bike. As your bike was purchased back in 2010 it does not need to be restricted to 4mph.

Dave may have a method that you could fit yourself, which would be less expensive than us doing the conversion for you.

May I suggest that you call me next Monday, I will check that we have everything needed to upgrade your bike and let you have a price.

All the best, David

 

[DannyK]

Two more questions. Is there a 4th unused wire coming out of that triangle? Are you any good at wiring and soldering?

Hi d8veh,
I opened the triangle box up and there is a spare wire going in from the battery box area. There are 3 wires red, yellow and black. I have measured the voltages and get R/B 4.7 volts and R/Y 4.65 volts B/Y zero volts and yes I can solder.Thanks to both you and David from AMPS for taking an interest.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

OK. What I would recommend is changing the controller to a current control one. Yours is a speed control one, which regulates the pedal assist to a fixed maximum speed, but gives maximum power from the start. A current control one would regulate to a fixed maximum current (=power) on each level, regardless of speed. On level one, the power is very gentle.

All controllers work the same in principle: Three wires for the motor, three for the throttle, three for the PAS,, two for the battery, etc., so you can use an alternative one.

If Wisper have a plug-and-play replacement with current control, that would probably be the easiest solution, but I've got a feeling that they only have current control on their latest bikes, so might not have a suitable replacement.

You will be able to add a throttle with whatever new controller you get. The half-width ones are easiest to fit as long as you don't have twist gears. After that a plain (no switch or LEDs) thumb throttle.

This one works quite well. You need the LCD, Speed sensor, PAS and throttle. Your present PAS will probably work with it, but for the sake of £2, you're covered. Your present brakes will be OK:

http://www.pswpower.com/peng/iview.asp?KeyID=dtpic-2016-3F-47MA.50CQY

This one would be easy to install:
https://bmsbattery.com/ebike-kit/647-s06pw-easy-assembling-waterproof-connector-kit-ebike-kit.html

and this one, where you have to order the LCD, throttle, PAS and speed sensor separately:

https://bmsbattery.com/ebike-kit/545-s06p-250w-torque-simulation-square-wave-controller-ebike-kit.html

Note: I'm assuming that your motor is sensorless (only three wires). If it's sensored (8 or more wires), you need a different controller.

 

[RobF]

I don't understand the electrics, but would suggest a thumb throttle for starting purposes.

The half-grip twist ones are easy to twist too far and break, particularly when starting because we all tend to grip the bars tighter doing that, even though there's no need to.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

I don't understand the electrics, but would suggest a thumb throttle for starting purposes.

The half-grip twist ones are easy to twist too far and break, particularly when starting because we all tend to grip the bars tighter doing that, even though there's no need to.

Hi Rob, it depends on the quality of the the half twist throttle. We haven't had any issues in the last couple of years with our current model.

All the best, David

 

[Woosh]

Hi RobF,
We are moving gradually to thumb throttle, not because the half twist or twist grips are less reliable but because we can fit more comfortable leather covered grips.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Full-width throttles breaking, yes, but I never heard of a half-width one breaking. You can't really get a good enough grip on them.