Voilamart 250W max voltage?

[BudgetBodger]

Hi All, I have a Voilamart 250w front hub and controller, that is nominally 36V. I know I can work out the max voltage by opening up and inspecting components, but just before I do I wondered if anyone else had beaten me to the punch? (My bike lives outside, and takes a fair bit of abuse, so don't want to open seals/gaskets if I can get away with it.) I plan to upgrade to a BBS02 but need a new battery before that point, and am looking at lipo's, and want to find a configuration that can also be upgraded for a 48v BBS02, but work with my current set up. (If I have to buy a new, incompatible battery, it will be another year till I can move to a mid-drive.)
Many Thanks,
BudgetBodger

 

[vfr400]

By all means if you already have lipos, chargers, cell monitors, etc , you can use them, but don't think you're going to save money using them if you have to buy them too. For a 48v system, you should use 12S so that the controller cuts-off at a sensible point. Even then, if you can, you should raise the cut-off to at least 40V.

A lot of 36v systems can manage 12S, but not 13S (48v).

If you use 12S with a 36v system, don't forget that the cut-off will be too low and any battery level indicators will be wrong. Lipos go down very quickly after about 3.5v per cell, so it's absolutely essential that you don't try to ride any distance, once your 12s pack reaches 42V.