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Hi I have an old Powabyke with SLA batteries (yes I know ). The charger blew up a while ago and I bought the cheapest one on eBay but I am not sure it is working properly. The range of the bike is rather poor. It barely manages 6 miles. It is possible the batteries have just worn out. The bike has 3 x CSB EVH12150 12V 15Ah. The full charge voltage from the batteries is 40.2V and the output from the charger when disconnected is 41.6V. I haven't measured the actual voltage when charging but I suppose I could break into the link somewhere. According to the datasheet the minimum charging voltage is 14.4V per battery i.e. 43.2V so it seems a bit low. https://www.avacom.cz/Datasheety/CSB/PBCS-12V015-F2AD.pdf I also have a Powabyke charger for the Li-ion battery, do you think it would work?

Hi I'm after a battery box for a Powabyke commuter or euro, the type that fits in the crossbar. Not bothered if it has any batteries in it.

I think it is unlikely that electric scooters will be legalised, as unlike bikes I doubt they could be safely used on the road. Nor could they be used on pavements due to the risks to pedestrians.

You can also use a DC-DC converter to step down the main battery voltage to 5V USB e.g. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DC-6V-40V-To-5V-3A-Double-USB-Charge-DC-DC-Step-down-Converter-Module-RM-/201955024040?hash=item2f05751ca8:g:f44AAOSwXetZQQCm I use a similar module to power my lights.

Oh if anyone has a copy of the service manual for the motor I would appreciate it if they could send me a link to it. James.

The controller is not the original one for the Powabyke. I guess the original controller broke and the owner tried to replace it with this one. The battery level indicator light is part of the original controller circuit board which is why it is missing. Firstly you will need the wiring diagram for the replacement controller which can be found here: www.tncscooters.com/YK71/YK71.pdf You will also need to know which wires on the bike are for the motor, throttle and power. These are the only things you need to wire up at least to make it run. It should be easy in the case of the motor and power as it is just two wires each and you can trace them from the motor and the key switch. The throttle is trickier as from what I remember the original Powabyke throttle is "backwards" so you may find you get full throttle in the off position (assuming it still has the original throttle). The throttle has three wires - red, yellow and green, but I don't know what they are. You might need to buy a new throttle that will work with the new controller. I think something like this will be ok: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Universal-Thumb-Throttle-Speed-Control-for-E-Bike-Electric-Bike-Scooter-3-Wires-/192176324648?epid=1687788956&hash=item2cbe9a0028:g:DwoAAOSwhvFZCZUh

I recommend a Tile bluetooth key finder. If you lose it then any Tile user can "find" it for you. Only thing I don't like is the battery cannot be replaced.

Hi does anyone know where I can get a set of replacement carbon brushes for an old Powabyke shopper type motor? Also is there any information on how to set the timing of the motor?

Thanks I didn't notice that it was missing the BMS, of course the picture does not show the connections to the battery. The difficulty with the Li-Ion option is finding a reputable supplier in the UK who will sell me just a battery.

I have a Powabyke 24 Speed Commuter. It came with the Li-Ion battery upgrade but the battery is basically worn out and needs replacing. I'd like to keep it on the road but given the age I don't want to spend too much on it. The simplest option would be to buy SLA batteries as I have both types of charger for it and I can probably get 3 cyclic batteries for around £100 or so. Obviously this would make the bike a lot heavier. I saw this on eBay and I thought it might be a better option, as its about the same price. Has anyone had any experience with this seller? What are the chances that these are genuine Panasonic cells? Can I use my existing Powabyke Li-Ion battery charger with it? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/E-bike-Battery-8700mAh-8-7Ah-36V-30x-Panasonic-NCR18650PF-10S3P-/263064078192?hash=item3d3fd74770:g:-RAAAOSwfRdZLmPl

I finally found the problem, it was the external fuse holder. It was making poor contact with the fuse causing a voltage drop and charging issues. Fortunately it is a common part so I replaced it.

The spacers are because the same case is also used to hold lead acid batteries. They are Sony US18650V cells aka "konion".

There's no BMS inside the Powabyke battery, just several packs of 18650 cells wired together.

Thanks for the advice. I let the battery drain down and recharged it and it seems to be behaving itself again. The battery must be around 8 years old so I wouldn't be surprised if it was on its last legs.

Ok, an update. I think the battery is to blame. I took out the control board, soldered some wires onto the power pins and connected directly to the battery. The same problem as before, I measure 35 volts direct from the battery but when I connect the control board it drops to 3.7v. Occasionally it works and the voltage stays at 35v. The battery is the lithium ion variety. I did check the current at the battery and sparked and blew the fuse in my multimeter. Is there a protection circuit in the battery that might be cutting out? I thought the powabyke lithium battery was pretty "dumb", just a bunch of 18650 cells welded together and a few fuses. I wonder if it has something to do with the cold weather as I noticed the battery is running down faster recently. If I connect the control board to a spare SLA battery that I have it seems to work fine (I cannot use this battery in my bike as it is the "shopper" style). I have put a video up to illustrate my problem. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g64ZVLd712Q