Wisper Faulty Pedelec sensor

[Tim]

. The early 8Fun kits (Sunlova) were optical. Some use torque. You'd have to look inside to see what you have.

The new Kalkhoff Xion drive uses an optical sensor - not sure what that means in practice, once we get one in the workshop we'll have a delve around to see what it looks like, what it connects to, whether it's active or passive.


What advantages would an optical sensor convey, I wonder, apart from the obvious mechanical one?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

The new Kalkhoff Xion drive uses an optical sensor - not sure what that means in practice, once we get one in the workshop we'll have a delve around to see what it looks like, what it connects to, whether it's active or passive.


What advantages would an optical sensor convey, I wonder, apart from the obvious mechanical one?

The optical sensor that I've seen before was active in that it converted the light pulses into an on or off situation, i.e. when the onboard electronics saw the right light pulses for the right direction, then the signal wire to the controller went high (5v), otherwise 0v. This would theoretically allow the controller to react to the signal more quickly, because it wouldn't have to count pulses over time to figure out whether you were pedalling or not, but it depends on how fast the sensor electronics can figure out you're pedalling.

 

[OldBob1]

We used optical sensor in the lift trade as speed and floor leveling controllers on VF & VV drives.

Bob

 

[shemozzle999]

The thumb wheel on a computer mouse is optical.

Taking it apart will show you how it operates.

It basically consists of a light transmitter and a light receiver device separated by a disc with slots in, when rotated the receiver outputs a switching signal every time it can see the light.

 

[the_killjoy]

Isn't it rather a mucky environment to use an optical sensor?

 

[Old_Dave]

Optical sensor circuits are more sophisticated than magnetic.

Real life advantages of using the optical method are......

Errrrrrrrrr, Ummmmmmm , thats the sound of me struggling to find a good advantage, sending / receiving pulses and counting them is sending / receiving pulses and counting them

There is however one advantage, its in the advertising and hype of something different that may be used to imply a perceived benefit.

Magnet over hall = pulse
Emitter over receiver = pulse

Beans (not green ones) / lentils / legumes are all pulses as well

 

[jackhandy]

Beans (not green ones) / lentils / legumes are all pulses as well

But surely, it would be a retrograde step, needing a feed hopper for the pulses, thus limiting range; not to mention the ecological damage done to trails by the spent pulses?

 

[Old_Dave]

Ahhhhhhhhhh... but these are reusable pulses that just go round and round, just like the wheels of the bus

 

[OldBob1]

Optical sensors are usefull if you need to switch from one circuit to another and keeping them isolated, such as a 240 volt ac circuit switching an input into a processor at say 5 volts dc, or sometimes the other way.( 5 volt switching 240 volts).