sparky5

Hi Mer. Likewise if this is avaliable from a website or other source I also would like to buy one ?? Thanks, Mark.

Cheap battery Hi, Mer It sounds like a bargain ! but ( theres always a but ) is it going to be up to the job of running your bike ? The rate that you can discharge the battery is very important, a bike motor can take over 10 amps under full load. Do you have any more information about it ? Ie; a charge / discharge graph Is it made by a recognised manufacturer ? How are the cells arranged? If it is ok and avaliable I am sure that a few of us would like a "second" battery at that price. HTH Cheers, Mark.

Voltage Hi Jim Ive just checked my "best" battery it was fully charged a couple of days ago and is holding 27.03 Volts. Funny thing though I also have a sick battery that reads 26.67 Volts ! And shows a full bank of indicator lights. Just goes to prove you cant tell a good 'un by voltage alone ! HTH Cheers, Mark.

New bike Thanks for that. While I love the LA Free I get on well with it at the moment but I am sure that things have moved on and am looking for "an upgrade" I am not getting any younger and the assistance that the LA Free gives me is ok at the moment however I feel that a more powerfull and flexible machine may be appropriate as I get less able...............(I hate getting old with bad legs) Your response is very much apreciated. Thank you. Cheers, Mark.

Hi all. As you are all aware I have an old LA Free but I am thinking of replacing it, what is the general feeling on the type / make of an equivilent / replacement. I am sure that everyone has different thoughts on this subject. Therefore all advice is welcome. Are hub motors the way forward ? Is there a direct replacement for the LA Free ?? Is a 36 Volt motor the best ?? Cheers, Mark.

Perfect !! This is a classic case of how brilliant this forum is !!!! Mark.

Hi all. Does anybody know how to find out the age of my La Free ?? it is probably quite old (like me) it is a three speed model without the rear wheel locking device, if that helps. Is there any way of finding the age from the serial number ?? also since owning it it has always made a "num num num num" niose from the motor when under power, as most info says it is almost silent when running should I be worried or taking some action to remedy the noise ? I am on holiday this week so have time to strip it if required. Also is there a handlebar mounted battery meter avaliable that I can add that will give a sensible reading of the battery power remaining whilst riding ?? Thanks for looking. Cheers, Mark.

Battery not charging Hi Ajax I would be very suspicious of your first charger as it took out the fuses !! if you have access to an amp meter it might pay to check the charge current It may be that the first charger was indeed faulty and that is the reason the blade fuses blew. I strongly believe that a good charger is essential if you are going to get long life and good reliability from your battery pack. As the source of all the power you use from the battery comes from the charger initialy, and the battery is just (!!!) a convenient and portable package to keep it in until you use it, its no good having an expensive battery if the charger is not up to the job of looking after the battery and is going to knacker it in no time! Cheers, Mark.

Hi all. I have a spare battery case for my LAFree and see that "D" cells rated at 11ah are avaliable at just under £9 a pair this would make a re-celled battery less than £100 however they are not "tagged". Has anyone managed to solder a complete pack using ordinary D cells? Is it a possibility without destroying the cells? If so what precautions should I take? I dont want to waste time and money on a "non starter"! I see from his brilliant web site that flecc built a pack with 128 AA cells, the question is it going to be as easy using D cells? Cheers, Mark.

Non charging battery Hi Ajax I dont know if this is going to help but the battery pack used with the LAFree has two fuses, a 20 amp for the main output and a 5 amp fuse in series with the charger circuit they are both INSIDE the battery case ! maybe yours has the same ? If it does, to check it you will have to open the battery case and find it . There is also usualy a thermal link also in series with the charging circuit (sometimes two, a la Giant Suade) this is buried in the middle of the cell pack to disconnect the charger in the event of excessive temperature, once "blown" they have to be replaced. They are Avaliable from RS ETC, you will need to find the temperature rating of them it's stamped on the side Magnifying glass required!. Sorry Just realised this is a lithium battery probably not the same as a NiMh, Sorry to raise your hopes. Cheers, Mark.

SLA Batterys I have had some years of experence with sealed lead acid batterys mainly used on UPS systems and of course Flecc is absolutly spot on. The batterys need to be perodicaly "cycled". That is run down and re-charged this will help to prevent sulphating and loss of capacity. In a UPS the batterys are constantly float charged and it has been found that if not periodicaly Cycled will refuse to supply the required output when needed, so it is deemed good practice to run the ups to "cut off" at least once a year. so therefore if kept for a long time "not used" the effects are the same and the batterys will eventualy "die" of old age even if not ever called upon to support the load. As with all chemical power sources the reactions will continue within the cells and there is nothing we can do to stop it, all such things have a finite life and the best we can do is to slow the deterioration of the battery, by using best possible management ie cycling on a regular basis. HTH Cheers, Mark.

How many? Hi all. Living in Bristol we are quite spoiled for choise as the local council has insisted on cycle paths / bridal ways following new roads as they have been built, (one of the few sensible things they have spent our council tax on) the ring road has only been finished a few years ago and there is a cycle path with proper bridges ETC. It is a joy to be able to follow the course of the traffic without having to come in to close contact with it. We also have a disused railway line that has been converted in to a cycle way as you are aware of. It starts at the centre of bristol and goes all the way to Bath, being an old railway line it is quite level (as opposed to the rest of the roads round Bristol) and is a cyclists dream. Back to how many electric bikes have I seen on the cycle track not many, but incresing every trip when you are riding one a suprising number of people notice you when you go by especialy the young! The "Ass in the air peddeling as though their life depended on it" brigade make coments but I ignore them as without the help of the battery I would not be cycling at all!!! Cheers, Mark.

Where? I am in Bristol in the west country. It's very hilly round here, kills batterys for a passtime! Cheers, Mark.

Found it That would be Google. I was looking for info and a more sensible price on a second "SP1" charger and the elusive "panasonic" plug just after buying my bike. Cheers, Mark.

Confirmation Hi all I have just recieved the eight "panasonic" plugs I ordered from Farnell components and I am very pleased to confirm that they are a perfect fit in the LAFree battery. Enjoy. Cheers, Mark.

Connector Hi As you say flecc there is no reason to use more than three connections to the battery as most of the others ground one end of the thermister to the negative terminal ?????? Strange that on the lafree they brought the thermister wires out seperate also if you trace the PCB in the charger the thermister is eventualy grounded to the negative any way ???? Anyway I can now fit a pukka plug on my second mains charger, And one on my car cigarette socket charger for when on holiday! Never have a dead battery again. Happy days. Cheers, Mark.

That Elusive plug! Hi again all. "flecc Well done Mark, great find." This is hi praise from the "GURU" thanks, very much appreciated it makes the hours spent searching well worth it. They did have 501 when I placed my order for 8, now their stock level is droping like a stone !! If your interested, the way I found it was, (yawn) you can switch off here if you like. I figured that any decent company would mark their product with there logo, so using a pair of very strong glasses - and a large magnifying glass I found the letters HRS on the front by the no 3 pin. I entered this in google as "HRS CONNECTORS" and up popped the web site for Hirose Electric Co it was then an easy job to trace the offending item. After finding the americian sites I first tried RS components No luck there, But Farnell came up trumps...WHOOPEE. Glad to be of some help ! Cheers, Mark. I guess that if at first you dont succeed keep looking !! I love the internet!!!!!!

Hi all I have done some intensive searching on the good old internet and think I may have found the strange din type plug used by panasonic on the la free battery. It is manufactured by Hirose Electric co. its part number is RPC2-12P-7S if you "plug" this into google (sorry) a couple of americian sites pop up one showing stock at about six dollars each. HTH Cheers, Mark. Update. Farnell.com have them in stock in the uk at £2.77 + vat each, Farnell part number 1077725. Minimum order £20+vat.

Thanks. Thanks to you both, your help is much appreciated I am new to the delights of power assisted bikes and learning fast. I used to cycle a lot when I was young but a motorcycle accident and bad legs and feet passed on from my mother put a stop to that many years ago. The LAFree has given me back the joy of cycling again, you cant believe how good it feels! As you say Flecc that plug is impossible to find however by the look of it the fixing inside the battery pack may take a standard Din panel socket. No problem changing the charger plug for a proper Din plug, the existing uses 4 ways so I think a 5 pin 180 degree type would suit admirably with no chance of incorrect connection. Maybe a project for the winter months? Thanks again. Cheers, Mark.

Hi all I am sure that someone will be able to help me with my problem, I have posted a wanted ad on the site for an LA Free charger. since then I have been reading up the various threads and it seems very unlikley that I will be able to aquire a "genuine" charger. That being the case It seems as though there are a number of Smart chargers that will do the job. I am considering a charger manufactured by the Shenzhen corporation, after checking the spec sheet it seems to be a satisfactory substitute. The only thing that I need to check is the type of thermister fitted in the LAFree battery pack. The charger is a 3PXO-N7030 smart NiMh charger, and is designed to work with an NTC type thermister 10k b=3950. Can anyone confirm that the sensor fitted is ok to work with this charger? Having just paid £250.00 for a new battery I dont want to fry it with an unsuitable charger. Thanks for looking. Cheers, Mark.

*no longer required* Wanted Giant LA Free NiMh battery charger, working one prefered Bristol area. Thanks for looking. Cheers, Mark. PS. also looking for a plug to connect to the battery pack it's a special, 7 pin job 6 round the outside and 1 in the middle female. It looks like a din type but it aint! I cant find anywhere that sells them. NO LONGER REQUIRED, 1.5.2008. But thanks for looking. Cheers, Mark.