d8veh- You don't think much of my idea then? There is a lot of unused talent out there in our community, not least of all yourself. You seem to have a real grasp of battery tech. Surely the Pedelec community can be a route to many people avoiding the pitfalls of DIY battery replacement, with guidance from tech-savvy people like you and in a small way myself. If we can demonstrate how it can be done safely and at a large discount to the normal battery replacement sources why wouldn't the Pedelec community support such an idea?

 

If you look at 289's response, he is typical of where people's priorities lie in the real world. He cannot see the value of paying 3 times the price for an item he can directly source for a third of that. Wringing of hands and saying how wrong it is will do diddly-sqat - it will happen however much the industry deplores it.

As a community we must show them a better way, by supporting them in their DIY efforts, sourcing good quality materials and batteries, then helping them as they build their own battery packs SAFELY.

When you get your battery re-celled by Insat International (ebay link above), you get a choice of the best cells available. After the re-celling, you can have a battery with considerably more capacity and or power. Battery cell technology has moved on considerably since you origininally bought your battery. These re-cells give you access to the latest developments.

 

In other words, the re-cell will improve it a lot from what it originally was.

d8veh- I probably posted this in the wrong area, will post in a more appropriate place

Cheers, Tony

D8veh and Vidtek spot on.

 

Just about to forward battery and payment to get battery re-celled at a very reasonable cost. Courier collection and delivery included in this UK service.

 

Was just about to go again to China then contacted UK comapny after reading post above.

 

This auld pensioner and his wife are looking forward to be soon oot and aboot on oor bikes.

d8veh- You don't think much of my idea then? There is a lot of unused talent out there in our community, not least of all yourself. You seem to have a real grasp of battery tech. Surely the Pedelec community can be a route to many people avoiding the pitfalls of DIY battery replacement, with guidance from tech-savvy people like you and in a small way myself. If we can demonstrate how it can be done safely and at a large discount to the normal battery replacement sources why wouldn't the Pedelec community support such an idea?

Battery repair/manufacture is not a job for amateurs. The welding takes lots of practice to get it right. You need a lot of different materials. You can buy a complete battery for less than what you'll pay for the cells and BMS. You still need a case, heat-shrink, nickel strip, wire, solder, connectors and test equipment.

 

If you're interested in finding out about batteries, it's good to do as a learning excercise, but it won't be an economic way of getting a new battery.

Battery repair/manufacture is not a job for amateurs. The welding takes lots of practice to get it right. You need a lot of different materials. You can buy a complete battery for less than what you'll pay for the cells and BMS. You still need a case, heat-shrink, nickel strip, wire, solder, connectors and test equipment.

 

If you're interested in finding out about batteries, it's good to do as a learning excercise, but it won't be an economic way of getting a new battery.

d8veh-

I tend to disagree with you about not being a job for amateurs, I myself have replaced many battery packs individually over the years, mainly power tools, but I did have access to some decent tools in my factory, as well as an industrial spot welder (I still have a half interest in my trailer factory in Perth). Although my background is as a television engineer and I understand schematics and power supplies I see no reason a talented amateur could not do the same.

I am sure once a good supply chain is established, there are many savings to be had in a rebuild, I am not suggesting a build from scratch. There are links to the Alibaba site where good Samsung cells and quality BMS boards can be sourced for a fraction of the cost of a professional rebuild, so I respectfully suggest maybe you can have another think about it. If it turns out that the figures just don't add up, then I will bow to your better judgement and abandon the idea.

All I can say is try it, and then see if you think it's an economical proposition.

 

There's a plentiful supply of cheap ready-made replacement batteries and good quality re-celling. It's mainly ignorance that stops people using these services. Why would anybody want to spend £500 on a replacement battery, when you can get a better one for £250?

 

You don't even need to fit the same type/style of battery on many bikes. You can swap your crappy rack one for a nice down-tube one, which, as well as better handling, would give more power and capacity.

 

When people buy a bike, the savvy ones might ask about the cost of a replacement battery. For many bikes. that's an irrelevant question, but some expensive bikes use Canbus or other communication with the battery, which locks you in to a direct replacement. For me, that would be an import consideration. It also locks you out from repairing/replacing other important modules as well, like motor, controller and HMI. If you're technically ignorant, that makes no difference because you'd be taking your bike back to the dealer to be fixed anyway. and be at the mercy of their charges.

I thought about building batteries for myself and others at one point and the conclusion was let people like Insat do it. [mention=10760]vidtek[/mention] you have the know how but many people including DIY pedelec builders familliar with soldering irons wouldn't risk using a spot welder on a battery cell.

 

After lots of research I chose to go the LiPo route because I have the time to watch over charging and am careful and methodical. I can have a 16 Ah LiPo for the cost of a 10.4 Ah Li-Ion including chargers and sundry.

.....battery re-celled by Insat International (ebay link above), you get a choice of the best cells available. ......

 

Just done this and had a great service from Mary,Jimmy and the Insat Team.

16Ah battey re-celled, case repaired, new charger, all collected and delivered for a VERY reasonable cost.

 

I was very happy with the Chineese battery that I fitted to the wifes 705Wisper and thought about going that route again but decided to give the Insat team a chance with my Alpino Wisper bike.

 

Just back from my first outing with the new improved battery and can highly recommend this cost effective method for a new battery.

 

Wi her new hips and ma new battery.....oor wee dug will need to keep up wi these auld pensioners

Just waiting on some sunshine for SWMBO and the dug to join me in our outings wi the bikes.