Just wondering what some of the things others have done to thier Wilderness kits to increase reliabilty and performance.
I've found soldering the spades on each battery connector to work well. They usually arc a bit and heat up under load and soldering them saves some energy.
I also bought a cheap 50 amp car battery load tester from Harbor Fright and test each battery in the pack. I found a bad cell will clearly show a larger voltage drop under load as compared to a good battery.
Anybody else have tips or tricks to keep these functional but clearly cheapest built kits on the road?
From my experience, do not ride your BD36 with a 48v pack. I wore down my brushes in less than 300 miles.
The hub motor would not work because one of the brushes was worn down in an angle. I replaced brushes, so kit is now OK. From a practical point of view, if the motor starts getting hot, then slow down and pedal some.
your top speed and efficeincy drop when hub is hot!
What you are saying is to solder the battery terminal to the wiring? This would require removal of the plastic
coverings (in some cases). Also, when I store a 36V pack, the negative hook ups are disconnected for safety.
I do have a 12v battery desulfator, but I don't know if it would work when a pack of 3 is soldered together.
Your idea sounds cool, though.
I have a couple of cheapo multi-meters, but they only tell the voltage. Multi-meters usually don't gage how fast a battery pack will discharge. Amp-wise, they don't help.
I think a very important issue is to try to keep water from getting into the motor during summer down pours. Also when you transport the bike on the outside of a car or van, water will try to get into the electronics as you drive through rain if the bike is carried on an external bike rack,
The controller is the last thing you want to get water damaged. If it is raining hard, I put towels around the controller. I have never had water issues. I've read that it's ok to ride around in light to moderate rain, but not in a monsoon or downpour. Water-wise, the hub should not be a problem as long as the axle opening is stopped up.
The brushed motor would not shut off one foggy morning. It was 100% humidity. I had to pull the battery plug.
It was fine soon thereafter. The moisture must have affected the controller.
jacklacrack, I finally did soldered the wiring tabs to the terminals and it does seem to work as battery charging time is noticeably less for the same trips. Good idea. I sold my BD36, but that idea is good for SLA batteries in general.
I've seen 20 amp controllers around for the BD36. Maybe that will help on the efficiency?
My BD36 had a 35 amp one. Either get a lower amp controller or go easy on throttle when accelerating.