Just came back from my first real test ride! It was a blast.
Thanks for all the help @Namasaki
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Glad to hear and your build looks great! How did you like the power of those Lipos?
Ha. I think I’ll need a longer board to really see. Gets kinda wobbly. I only tested on flat ground. About to head to a hill for a test.
I’m at 37.9 V after charging for a bit. What voltage does it stop charging at?
It should chard Charge to 42v or at least 41.8 How long has it been at 37.9 And you do have the BMS turned on while charging right?
it can take some time with a 2a charger. Check the output voltage of the charger. My brick chargers read about 41.95v when there is no load on them. frankly, I’m pretty much done using brick chargers except maybe when traveling. At home I only use an adjustable linear power supply with constant current and constant voltage modes
I do turn the bms on while charging. Not sure how long it has been at 37.9. Is it bad to leave it that low? It’s probably been around there since I ran it up and d Wn the street before I got the holes in the enclosure. Last Saturday maybe
you might have a problem with that charger. turn off the board and the charger and unplug it then plug the charger in and check its output voltage. See if its outputting 42v
it’s not bad to leave it at around 38v for storage.
Ok good to hear. I’m surprised it has so much go even though I didn’t charge it past 38. I have to be careful with the throttle when I’m already up to speed or it almost throws me off!
I’m assuming there is a way to limit the throttle in the vesc software. I would definitely need a longer deck to push it to its top speed too.
It did just fine going up a pretty steep hill near my house, even at 36 ish volts
Another issue I had was when I got to the cutt off voltage set (around 34) when it just cuts out it’s really jarring. Then as I was pushing it home I accidentally pulled on the throttle and it threw me off. Haha
You can adjust the torque with the amp settings in the vesc. I recommend charging it full 42v
Maybe I should try another charger it sat at 40.8 volts for a while and after I unplugged the charger and plugged it back then the charger indicated it was done. Unless my volt meter is not accurate. Sure took forever to charge too.
With a full charge I think it has more range than I have endurance though. Went on another long ride. My legs are jelly right now.
In my experience most volt meters are little better than a guess. You should get a Bluetooth adaptor to plug into your VESC and checkout the @Ackmaniac firmware and mobile app. You get true voltage readings, among other info.
I want to use that app too! What kind of bluetooth thing I need, where to get it? I’m in EU.
So that app working through bluetooth, do I need internet for that app while I’m riding? I mean it calculates speed by rotations of wheel or GPS?
Can you check the output voltage of your charger with a volt/ohm meter while it’s not charging the board. It does sound like an issue with the charger. I had issues with my brick chargers shutting off before the pack was fully charged. Even the more expensive 5a charger does it.
I just checked it out. Looks pretty sweet. Tempted to try to make my own version of the VESC bluetooth module first since I have so many little bluetooth/wifi boards sitting around. I might give the firmware a try. I am a little hesitant to try experimental firmware on a device that could injure me.
I ordered some cheap chinese bluetooth adaptor from ebay. If they ever get here I am going to make cables to fit and try them out.
I’m curious how the wattage control works in comparison to amperage control.
Honestly I cant really tell the difference at 6s, haven’t tried both at 10s. WHat I like is the acceleration/brakeing curves and the ease of PPM setup. Also, the bluetooth to mobile app is awesome. It has modes so you can setup slow for kids, fast for you, or anything in between.
The app via Bluetooth part sounds reall cool
I just did a range test and got 13.5 miles on flat ground. Top speed 20 mph. That brought my battery from full charge to 35v at rest. Still didn’t trip any low voltage protection I went another .6 miles to try to hit 14 even and brought the pack down to 33v. At that point the Vesc started cutting power. Still I’m really stoked to get over 10 mi on a 10s/5000 I think 35 or 36 is a good stopping point. I believe draining lithiums too low is much worse than charging them to full. When I get home I’m gonna pop the hood and check each cell to see if they stayed in balance
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