Hello!
I purchased a Merida 550 off EBAY. I got it dirt cheap. Part of that reason was because it did not have a battery pack with it. I had a vendor tell me he could acquire a Merida Battery pack for me but after winning the auction and placing the order with him he later informed me he couldn't get them anymore. So I decided to build my own. I purchased a wiring harness and battery charger from Electric Rider and bought 2 - 12 Volt 18 AH AGM batteries locally. My intent was to wire them in series and of course I had discussed this with the guy at Electric Rider. He said their harness was for 36 volt systems but that it would work fine for a 24 volt system I just wouldn't need the second jumper wire for the batteries. His jumper wire contained a fuse in it to protect the batteries. Or at least I think thats why it was there. And even though I didn't necessarily need an ignition key switch it was included in the harness. So last night with all the parts having arrived I assembled everything. I wanted the installation to look professional so I took the time to carefully remove a bunch of the side guards and plates that hid all the wiring, motor, controllers etc. I found the wires that went to the battery lugs and simply slipped my wire ends under the screws and retightened them. Of course I put an end connector on the wire first that had a round washer type end that fit over the hole that the screw went through. After getting everything wired up correctly and all my guards and everything put back in place I switched on the key. There was a loud POP and upon investigating I discovered the 40 AMP fuse in the fuse holder that was wired into the jumper that connected the two batteries together in series was completely blown! So I doubled checked all my connections to be sure I hadn't wired up the wrong polarity. All was well. However, I did disover one connection where the two blade connecters joined the connectors themselves were touching the bike frame. It was on a negative wire which I thought wouldn't be important but maybe it is. Obviously I can easily put some electrical tape around that connection or heat shrink some insulation around it but I am wondering if that really is the problem. I may try it as soon as I can go out and buy some more fuses. I only had the one. And of course I know I can call Electric Rider for advice come Monday but of course I'm impatient and wanted to be up and riding this bike over the weekend. So I thought I would ask here if anyone has any advice on how I might track down my electrical problem. If I do insulate the one spot where the wire was touching the frame and it still blows the fuse how should I go about checking for the problem?
Thanks so much in advance for any helpful advice anyone might offer.
P.S. I went ahead and drew up a diagram showing how I wired it. I'll attach this to my post.
Randy
If the bit of bare wire was in contact with the painted part of the frame, I doubt that would be it. Looking at your digram, the only thing I could think of that could be the probem is that the controller is blown. Other than that, check to make sure the controller isn't doing something like using the frame as a ground.
I can't tell, but it looks like those screws holding the controller on the bike are going through the frame. If this is the case, then it's quite possible that the power leads going to the controller are being shorted through the frame. To check, unscrew the controller from the frame, and try to power it up. If it works, then this is your problem.
The author of this post isn't responsible for any injury, disability or dismemberment, death, financial loss, illness, addiction, hereditary disease, or any other undesirable consequence or general misfortune resulting from use of the "information" contai
Thanks for the reply. After I acquire some more fuses I am going to try it again. The black looking block that has 4 screws going through it, bolting it to the frame is a hard plastic type of material. I believe it acts as an insulator and does not allow any of the current from the battery connections to exit through to the frame of the bike. I may do as you suggest however, I'm not looking forward to taking all that apart again. I may first unplug the two leads going from the battery pack to the original battery lugs on the bike and see if that makes a difference. Essentially taking the controller out of the loop. Is there anything I can do with a meter? Check resistance or anything at the battery lugs to see if there is a problem with the controller?
Well I will report back once I get the fuses.
O.K. now I'm really confused and I realize I may need to wait until I can talk to the guy I bought the wiring harness from but when I went to get more fuses they only came in sizes 3 AMP through 30 AMP. No 40 AMP. They did have a 40 AMP in a different size fuse but not in the regular 2 blade plastic ones. I also noticed that the fuses seem to be color coded and the one that burned out was RED with a 40 stamped into the top edge of it. The RED fuses in the store are 10 AMP. I bought a package of 10 amp and 30 amp fuses and came home. When I carefully look at the two fuses and compare them to the burned out one the 10 AMP fuse looks identical to the burned out one. The 30 AMP fuse looks different. The metal strip inside looks thicker. I'm inclined to believe that the number 40 stamped into the burned out fuse is not the AMP indicator and that it is actually a 10 AMP fuse. What would be the norm in a circuit like this? Or have I not provided enough information.
Thanks
Randy
O.K. so I insulated all the bare spots of wire and made sure everything was in order. Put the 10 AMP fuse in the holder and turned on the key. POW! It blew instantly! So I decided to take all the covers off and double check all my wiring and make sure everything was right. Lo and behold I discovered that where I ran my leads to the battery lugs I crossed them up. I couldn't believe my own eyes! To save money I had bought just one roll of black wire and darned if I didn't get confused! Anyway, I am going to switch the wires around so they are correct and will report back!
Randy
Pwnd. Hope you didn't hurt that controller!
The author of this post isn't responsible for any injury, disability or dismemberment, death, financial loss, illness, addiction, hereditary disease, or any other undesirable consequence or general misfortune resulting from use of the "information" contai
O.K. so now I have the wires switched so everything is correct as shown in my diagram. I put another 10 AMP fuse in the fuse holder and turned on the key. Nothing happened. Which initially I thought was probably a good thing. But than I noticed that the "Fuel Gauge" didn't light up or show anything. Neither did the rear tail light. And of course when I hopped on and pedaled nothing kicked in to assist me.
So of course now I am worried that I may have hurt the controller. I hope not. I'm still hoping that perhaps an internal fuse inside the controller has blown instead. I know nothing about these and do not readily see a fuse. How can I go about checking the controller? I will post a few pics in a little bit. I just wanted to update everyone on my progress and see if anyone had some words of advice for me. It is really frustrating and I guess I can't blame anyone but myself for crossing up the wires. But I just want the bike to work!
I go and pick it up. I order the stuff. It finally comes. I acquire the batteries. I finally get everything wired up. And here I sit with a bike that still isn't working. Very frustrating.
If I did blow the controller is there anyway I can replace it? Do I have to get the exact one that came with the bike? Or will any controller work. My guess is it may have to be the specific one. Is there anyone out there that knows anything about the Merida Peda-lec?
Thanks for letting me vent. Let me know if any of you have any suggestions.
Randy
Oops! Forgot to mention. I did check the voltage at the battery lugs and I did have voltage showing up there. I did not check the voltage at the motor. Perhaps I should try that. Although it is my understanding voltage wouldn't necessarily be sent to the motor until the person started pedaling. So that may not prove anything.
O.K. here is an image of the controller and all the wires etc. I have looked for a fuse but could not find one. I don't know what to do next. I will probably talk to the guy I bought the harness from tomorrow. He seemed pretty sharp. Maybe he can give me advice. Any advice from you guys would be appreciated.
Randy
Ooh, doesn't sound good. You might have to get a new controller.
Your bike is 250 watts, right? If it is getting a new controller is no big deal. The little one I got for experimentation on (24V 30A) was about $20 (USD) including shipping, so don't sweat it.
In fact, if I were you I'd upgrade to a 36V controller if you can put another battery on the bike. Be warned that the motor won't last quite as long and you'll have to replace the brushes more often (if it's a brushed motor). Might be acceptable, though.
The author of this post isn't responsible for any injury, disability or dismemberment, death, financial loss, illness, addiction, hereditary disease, or any other undesirable consequence or general misfortune resulting from use of the "information" contai
Hello everyone!
Update on my Merida 550 Pedelec problems.
I finally found a bike shop in Canada that deals with a distributor that carrys Merida parts from the factory in Tawain. They can acquire the controller for my Merida 550 and so I have placed the order for it. Nobody here wants to know what it costs. O.K. I'll tell just to reap the sympathy posts. $375.00. I know Link of Hyde posted that a controller shouldn't run very much and I am sure if it were a simple motor strapped on a bike with a battery the controller to run the setup wouldn't cost much. But this is a pedelec and the controller is tied into sensors in the pedal crankshaft system and the motor is controlled based on the pressure being applied to the pedals. It doesn't have a throttle. It's designed to assist seamlessly the human efforts to pedal the bike. I've been told it is akin to power steering. Anyone who has driven a car with manual steering knows that it is hard to turn the wheel when the car isn't moving fast but with power steering you can spin the wheel with one finger. When you pedal this bike I am told that the pedals turn effortlessly just like power steering. And after you exceed 20 miles an hour the assist cuts out.
Interestingly enough this bike shop can also acquire the battery pack for me that is meant for this bike. The one that will mount directly above the pedals and slip down over the battery lugs. If I had found this shop before deciding to rig up my own battery system I wouldn't be having to buy a controller because I would have bought the battery from them and that would have been it!
I'm probably still going to buy the battery from them since I like how it mounts on the bike and looks a lot less messy than the system I've devised but I may wait until I am sure replacing the controller actually fixes the problem. And than if it does. I may have to ride the bike back and forth to work (20 Miles One way) for a few months to pay off the controller and than to save up money for the battery. I figure I can save $50 a week riding the bike to work and back. In fact I've started riding my regular bike while waiting on the controller in an effort to save money. Getting into work isn't bad at all but for whatever reason (probably because I'm tired after working all day) the ride home is just plain rough! Of course I'm out of shape and I'm sure that doesn't help any either.
So when I receive the controller and get it mounted into place I will pop back in to update everyone!
I need an original battery holder for a Merida also. Do have the details of this source (and price?)
If you do a Google search for Merida 550 batteries, you'll find a place in British Columbia that sells them. For reference, you could try www.nycewheels.com. They can probably tell you where to get one.
This is a great bike! Easy to clip along with little effort at 15 mph. Very powerful assist from the motor. Its worth the expense to get a new battery. It fits the bike well, locks on with a key, and works for a very long time. This is a very well made bike....I bought one used locally, with a tired battery. Bought a new one, and really love it. My wife had a knee replacement, and its really fabulous for her. I liked it so much I bought another hybrid bike for me........a Mikado Volta, from Canada.
These bikes are especially awesome if you need to peddle up hills or over suspension bridges. While you always have to pedal, the power assist you get is quite amazing!
I modified my Merida to 36-volts with a throttle which works better than the stock bike. I have control over when and how much assist I get, not the controller. All the instructions for this modification is on my AOL web page HERE. Some of the links for parts are old, but similar parts are still available to make these modifications. There is no need to use the exact part I used. If you would like help with these mods or need help finding a suitable part I would be happy to help. chas_stevenson [at] yahoo.com
I also have one stock controller if anyone needs one, make me an offer.
I also tried another modification with the stock controller at 24-volts which was also very successful. I added a button to the handlebar which acted as a turbo button. The button makes the controller think you are peddling as hard as you can and the controller gives the motor the maximum available power. You can even pedal backwards and hold the button down and fool the controller causing it to drive the bike. HERE is the link for that modification.
Grandpa Chas S.
I have 2 Meridas one of which has a motor that I took apart and have yet to put back together - If you are desperate I would let go of the battery pack and or controller of one of the bikes . The problem I had found was trying to find the exact size battery to fit the case. The only size that I found had a smaller amphr rating. It seems that the battery that fit the case was specially made for Merida and is not readily available. I had almost forgot about my Merida rides thanks for the memory jog. I put at least 2500 miles on mine - JOHN BREZA - TRANS-PORT+STATION
"think outside the car"
I bought my battery from Woodcock Cycle Works in Manitoba Canada. I paid $250 for it. SLA 9AH 24 Volt. It is a factory original. Their website is www.woodcockcycle.com
could you e- mail me ,i tried to reach ur e- mail no luck ,i need some parts and questions answered thanks USMC gideonrich2000 [at] yahoo.com
big rich aloha
i could use it buddy i need some bsic questions can you help USMC gideonrich2000#yahoo.com thanks
big rich aloha
chas stevenson could e- mail me ,i know how to use that system also mr brezzy
big rich aloha
sorry i meant john beza or any kind knowedgable soul, i need help with my 550 thanks, batteryy pack fell off came all apart i reasssembled ,1st try blew fuse ,put red wire oppissit side of key and all lights come on ,no blown fuse, and stay on,bike has a full charge, seconds later two ckicking sounds near pedals no power when i pedal ,help a MARINE out ,aloha USMC
big rich aloha
Hello, I am putting out a general request for a wiring diagram for a Merida TEV 550, or a close relative. My plan has to do with deceiving the sensors but maintaining the original circuitry. There are two sensors each with three wires, attached near the pedal crank. What do each of them do? What effect would splicing a switch or false signal generator have for each wire or combination of wires out of those six? What would bypassing any of those six with a switch or false signal generator do? I hope to solve these questions myself, which I should be able to do if I have a wiring diagram, "technical" or built from experience. I don't want to guess about this. Thankyou. Persona NonGrata
With a hammer, a chisle can be made. With a hammer and chistle, files can be made. With hammer, chisle, and file anything else can be made.
Kaishan k500w retired, Merida TEV500 on indefinite sabbatical, currently using a Currie E-zip Trailz.