I fear I will shortly be joining Kocho in disposing of my Vectrix, although for different and rather sadder reasons.
I think it's dead. Whether I killed it or it dies of natural causes I'm not sure, but the end result is the same. Not being an expert, I have a suspicion the motor controller has bit the dust. But there's nothing from the gauges either, so perhaps the instrument cluster is dead too.
Turn the bike on, the luggage compartment light works and the brake light works. CanBus is active, ScooterDiag recognises inputs such as brake levers, throttle position, side stand etc. But that's pretty much it. On the "Firmware Upgrade" tab, ICM, Instrument Cluster and Battery Charger light up green, Motor Controller is red. BUT there's no 'software revision' under Instrument Cluster either. In the newer "Vectrix Diagnostic" app both Instrument Cluster and Motor Controller are red. Tried reflashing the motor controller which gives an error message. And although I've found the Instrument Cluster firmware I can't get it to reflash either. Pictures of the various diag screens and error messages here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesbarbour/albums/72157629425074732 - scroll down to the bottom.
So I'm stuck. And I'm inclined to take this as a sign. As I mentioned a few months ago, since I moved house last September I use the Vectrix much less. I'm closer to the Metro and my commute is also more bikeable. And my garage is smaller, which means the Vectrix more often than not just in the way.
Question, then: Anyone in here interested either in the semi-doorstepped VX-1 in its entirety, or in any of the parts / accessories? If no-one on here wants it I'll probably eBay the useful bits and freecycle the rest.
Sad day but it's been a fun four years.
Do we get it for free if we can guess where you are located? I'll say "England, somewhere". ;-)
Oops. That would help, wouldn't it ;)
Wrong side of the pond - I'm in Falls Church, VA. But I'm impressed that you correctly placed my accent :D
It's all in the pronunciation. ;-)
Now that Leaf cell conversion appears to be the best option, someone should be buying up dead ones, converting them, and selling them for $7-10k. No one else makes an electric mini-tourer that will do 68MPH and go 60-70 miles. All they need in the way of updating is a J-1772 port and LED lights.
Sad to hear! I think you were one of the first who converted to Li with Matt's (antiscab's) BMS and battery option. That was quite a few years and a lot of miles ago, right?
I think both the public charging station and LED lights are done already by DIY. Forgot which plug he used, but check 300mpg.org - he did a Leaf conversion last year and documented it extensively. LED light might be a little trickier, as an entirely new headlight is needed to be DOT compliant and therefore street-legal. But there are already LED plug and play replacement bulbs that in reality work good enough and, while they may not technically be legal for street use, they work better than the OEM halogen, which is pretty weak. The custom firmware supports such conversions (one gets blinking warning dashboard light without that firmware update, but the headlight works fine regardless).
I know. I think there is a market, though, for both conversions of NOS bikes at the above price, and gently used 'converts' for a bit less, and to get the best price and attract buyers like me, the J-1772 port and LED conversion should be done up front. BTW, do you know if Zero's J-1772 adapter plug will work with the VX-1 chargers ok? AFAIK it's just a J-1772 to SAE 120 volt adapter with the right resistor inside to modify the charging station's pilot signal. That might be an even better option, as it's only(?) $300 plus shipping, and if it works it should be Plug & Play. A 60 mile range is much easier to live with if you can add 20-30 miles by stopping at a public EV charging station for an hour...
Sorry, I have not researched the Zero adapters, so can't tell you if they work or not on Vectrix. I think they will, but I'm not that knowledgeable in the topic. That said, I don't think you can add 20-30 miles per hour of charging, unless these are low-speed miles. If you are charging at 1KW, then for 1 hour you will get maybe 10 miles out of the 60 miles range is my guess. The limiting factor is the low-powered built-in charger, which even at full power at 1.5KW will take over 4 hours to fully recharge an empty battery in the Vectrix (something like 6kWh usable in our 18-cell setups). Yes, 4x1.5 = 6kWh, but the last stages of the charge cycle take longer and are done at lower power. Still, I think full charge from "empty" is not faster than 4 hours, so maybe 15 miles of mixed riding per hour of charge at full power?
If you are talking hypothetically, for some future improved version of the charger, then yes, it would be nice to get 30 miles per hour of charging or quicker :-)
This video talks about a DIY adapter - see if it answers your questions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfKOCQpaaXI
The related discussion is here:
http://visforvoltage.org/forum/13992-vectrix-j1772-charging-port
The blog about the DIY adapter is here:
http://300mpg.org/2015/03/31/the-diy-j1772-charging-adapter/
It was, and the bike's been great. Leaf conversions hadn't really been thought of then, so the 40Ah LiFePO4 was the thing to do.
Haven't heard from antiscab in a while ... Matt, you still out there?
What shape is the battery pack in, Jimmy, and how well did it work in the VX-1? What was your range when last used? If Kocho sells his bike to someone else, there is that D%$#! Vectrix 10 miles from me....
You're right, Kocho: I was talking about lower-speed range gained from a one hour charge, and being a bit optimistic. Still, we now have enough public charging stations in my area that, if I were low on range and needed to get home safely, I could probably find one close enough - IF I could use it! I just reread the blog about the adapter, having read it a couple of years ago. Here is a link to the Zero adapter, which should interest us both. Kind of expensive for what it is, but much more convenient than building your own. I was going to get one for the SR, back when I thought I'd actually be keeping the bike...
http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=122
Battery pack is in good shape - conversion was November 2013 so not even 2 1/2 years ago. Build thread here: http://visforvoltage.org/forum/13618-successful-40ah-li-conversion - I was extremely happy with it right up until when it died.
If I decide to call it a day I may look to sell the batteries separately to one of the local EV crew. But yes, as you suggest, the ideal solution would be for someone with dead batteries who can make one good bike out of two.
"No one else makes an electric mini-tourer that will do 68MPH and go 60-70 miles."........
My Current C130 goes 75 mph+ and will do 60+ miles combined city/highway but you may be correct that they don't make them anymore..........
LCJUTILA
Yes, I was talking about bikes presently in production.
I don't know about buying two non-running bikes with the hope of getting one revived, Jimmy. Still, if I don't get Kocho's bike, but sell the Big Red Lemon, my choices are then probably "no electric motorcycle" or "try to fix that local VX-1 cheaply. I have no desire to buy another bike that I haven't ridden first. Maybe I should just stick with electric bicycles!
Jsmes i have a new controller if b you need
James i have a new controller if b you need
Thanks Jim. I think I'm going to call it a day though. It's been a fun journey.
Anyone interested in a centre stand, top box, lower seat or anything else off the bike? Figured I'd ask here before I start putting bits on eBay. I guess my CanBus is for sale, too, along with a couple of old windows XP laptops that are perfect for running ScooterDiag.
I sure am still around, just not as active a poster as I used to be
shame to hear of the demise of your bike
usually that failure mode is the IGBT module on the motor controller fails shortcircuit, blowing some fuses
That parts of your bike still turn on suggest only the cap fuses are blown
motor controllers are getting pretty cheap these days - www.vectrixparts.com seems to be the cheapest source at the moment
Daily Ride:
2007 Vectrix, modified with 42 x Thundersky 60Ah in July 2010. Done 194'000km
I am interested in a few parts, sent a PM
http://www.evalbum.com/preview.php?vid=1174
http://www.evalbum.com/preview.php?vid=4677
http://mhomoney.blogspot.com
http://Lithiumvectrix.blogspot.com
Jimmy!
Happened to me, very similar problem.
look at this post, last posts:
http://visforvoltage.org/forum/13724-dead-vectrix-continous-reboot
I'm sure it's the DC DC of the MC. In my case the DC-DC still could send 5V instead of 12V, the dash was rebooting continuously. first replaced MC. Some time later I tried to replace the DC-DC of that old damaged board, and success! it was fully functional again!
The Dash I'm sure it is OK. It is not receiving energy that's all. Test the voltage of the DC DC and replace the DC DC of your board or replace the MC, don't trash your vectrix!