Wilderness Energy BD24 Report

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JMac
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Wilderness Energy BD24 Report

I purchased this kit a few months ago and have been quite happy with it thus far. A few notes:

I ordered the 24 volt kit and received the 24 volt controller and charger, but
they sent me three batteries by accident. I would like to 'upgrade' the system to 36 volts or maybe even 48 volts. The brushed motor will take 36 volts for sure (according to WE) but not sure about 48 volts. Any input on third party controllers/chargers/etc is appreciated.

The hub came pre-assembled on a 26 inch rim. A couple of the spokes were broken and had to be replaced. The hub is HEAVY, and with the batteries the bike is actually quite difficult to even lift.

I needed a new fork for my bike as the existing fork did not have enough clearance. You need to measure not just the clearance at the axle but also about 3-4 inches above the axle.

I attached the rear rack to the bike seat bolts and another set of holes below the bike seat. It would probably be more stable with the second attachment point at the rear axle. The rack itself is rather cheap but functional.

Attached is all the information I have on the Wilderness Energy BD-24 kit. The scans are of everything I received with the kit. Yes, they are shipping out some pretty poor photocopies of photocopies of the manuals. Some of this in in Chinese, and any help in translation is appreciated. ***note: the forum won't allow me to attach the document as it is close to 1mb. pm me and I'll send it to you***

I was initially disappointed with the performance of this kit, but over time have come to appreciate it. I don't have a speedo on this bike so no quantitative info. I like to go a little faster than the motor will take me so I pedal most of the time, but it is a whole lot easier than it used to be, especially on the hills.

Definitely interested in putting a few more volts on the system, so again any info/comments are appreciated.

Cheers,

Jerry

NickF23
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Re: Wilderness Energy BD24

I'm pretty sure 36 volts will be fine with your existing controller. If anything did go wrong then brushed motor controllers are nice and cheap to replace. See here http://www.electricscooterparts.com/speedcontrollers.html always worth checking the motor temperature after increasing the voltage in any system, more volts will normally mean more amps, how much depends on the current limit in the controller.

JMac
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Re: Wilderness Energy BD24

Thanks for the tip, and the link! Maybe I will just fork out the cash for the 36V controller from the site you referenced. But they all mention a hall sensor, which I think implies a brushless motor, no?

Jerry

NickF23
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Re: Wilderness Energy BD24

But they all mention a hall sensor, which I think implies a brushless motor, no?

The halls sensor is in the throttle. If it were in the motor then yes it would normally be brushless.

coolio
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Re: Wilderness Energy BD24

Jerry,
Thanks for the report. I'm considering a similar set up.

How much do you weigh? Let us know the result with the stock controller if you hook up the 3 batteries. Please post what 36v controller you go with as well. Thanks, again.

JMac
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Re: Wilderness Energy BD24

I weigh 195 pounds

haven't got the nerve (or time) yet to hook up the three batteries to the stock controller. Plus I need to think about how to charge the odd one. Will keep you all posted.

Jerry

Russ
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Re: Wilderness Energy BD24

Keep in mind,

You can't use a brushless controller on a brushed motor. Make sure it is a controller for a brushed motor. I'm pretty sure halls sensors are only for brushless motors. Could someone verify that? I know you don't need halls sensors for a roll to start brushless controller, only for an immediate state one. Are you sure they didn't send you the 36 volt kit? Call them and ask if you can use 36 volts and if the charger will charge three batteries. You may be good as is.

Rocketcaver
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Re: Wilderness Energy BD24 Report

I have had the BD36 kit for about 3 years and have been pretty happy with it.
Good acceleration, good range, goes up small hills without peddeling, and I can hit 23mph on a level paved surface with fresh batteries (and I weigh 210lbs).
I also have had almost ZERO email replies from these guys, even after I ordered from them.
When I call them they always give me a sob story about having computer trouble or some such nonsense.
I love the product but they get zero points from me for customer support.
Les

The7
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Joined: Saturday, August 18, 2007 - 11:57
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Re: Wilderness Energy BD24

JMac,
Have you done so?

Stleride
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Re: Wilderness Energy BD24

`Rocketcaver ,
Welcome to our V is for Voltage Community, what company was that with the poor customer service, we'd like to add them to our list?

Stleride
Moderator Team Captain

Moderators are dedicated volunteer V Team members who help keep your V Forums running smoothly and provide Forum Support.

`

Stleride
Moderator Team Captain

Moderators are members of our very dedicated community volunteer <a href="http://visforvoltage.net/page/106-our-community-volunteers">V Team</a> who help keep our <a href="http://visforvoltage.net/page/251-poli

Rocketcaver
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Re: Wilderness Energy BD24

Oh, sorry.
I bought my kit from "Werelectrified" who seem to be the seller for Wilderness Energy.

arbiker501
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Re: Wilderness Energy BD24 Report

How loud is the brushed BD 36?

rasbrad
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Joined: Sunday, December 30, 2007 - 23:56
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Re: Wilderness Energy BD24 Report

In a very quiet neighborhood you can barely hear her hum when starting out. Above 10MPH the wind noise drowns out any noise from the motor. Very pleased with our BD36 also.

ipcamper
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Re: Wilderness Energy BD24 Report

I bought the Wilderness Energy BD-24 kit almost two years ago for my wife's bicycle. She had a hip replacement 5 years ago and hadn't been cycling with me since. The kit has held up very well. After the first year, I decided to upgrade it to 36 volts, and added a third battery and a new controller and throttle. The weight of three lead acid batteries above the rear wheel made the bike top heavy. I added side baskets to the rear and placed two batteries on one side and the controller and the third battery on the other side. With the batteries down near the center of the wheel, the bike is very stable and well balanced. On 36 volts the motor is quite strong. My wife gets to ride and pedal as she can, and I get a real workout trying to keep up with her.

I don't doubt there are better kits out there ( and better instructions with the kits ) but this hub motor was well worth the price. The only recommendation I would give is --- if you want good speed and hill climbing, get the BD-36. if you just want a little assist then the BD-24 is fine.

JMac
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Last seen: 16 years 1 week ago
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BD24 upgrade to 36V

Well, I finally got off my fat butt and sourced a new motor controller to upgrade to 36V. I decided not to risk running the stock 24V controller at 36V, and I needed to get a 36V charger anyway. With the recommendation from a previous poster I visited electricscooterparts.com and looked through their vast inventory of cool project parts. I found a couple of controllers that looked promising (and inexpensive) and called to get more info. The tech guy I talked to was completely unhelpful. So back to the website to figure it out for myself. I ended up getting the following parts (I already had a third battery which came with the 24V kit by mistake):

Code Item Qty Price Total

SPD-CT611B9 CT-611B9 36V 500W Electric Scooter Speed Controller
(SPD-CT611B9) 1 $34.95 $34.95

CHR-36V1.6A2P 36 Volt 1.6 Amp Automatic Battery Charger With 2-Port Inline Plug
(CHR-36V1.6A2P) 1 $29.95 $29.95

CNX-54 6 Pin Throttle/Speed Controller Connector Set With Pins
(CNX-54) 2 $1.49 $2.98

CNX-415 2 Pin Inline Port With Wires
(CNX-415) 1 $5.95 $5.95

CNX-2PX2 Heavy-Duty 13" Dual 2-Prong Connector (CNX-2PX2)
1 $4.95 $4.95

Sub Total: $78.78
Sales Tax (8%): $6.83
Shipping: $6.60
Grand Total: $92.21

I took a few pictures of the conversion and can post them somewhere with a writeup if anyone is really interested.

The performance increase is amazing. I can barely keep up with the pedaling on flat runs, and the bike can tackle all but the steepest hill with no assistance at all on my commute.

I highly recommend the upgrade!

....though I am already considering going to 48V

:-)

JMac

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