Hi,
I just bought a used VET-168 with only 72 miles on it. It has stood acording to the owner in a storage box for 2-3 years. It hasnt come with batteries. (i knew about that before buying). What parts should I check out on it to make sure it's safe. What would be problems I may find if any? ( like the hub motor making noise etc...??? err fyi havent checked that yet either)
Thanks
Used Electric moped owner, What are the problem areas?
Sun, 11/04/2007 - 17:41
#1
Used Electric moped owner, What are the problem areas?
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When did they take the batteries out? e.g. were they sitting in the scooter the whole time, and eventually sprung a leak all over the inside of the scooter?
You said it was stored in the box, but where was the box? Was it getting weather? Or was it totally dry?
I'd be concerned about the brakes.. such as if the pads rusted.
The tires might have vulcanized. Same with the seat.
That's all I can think of. Generally EVT did an excellent job building that thing. However there is one serious flaw. The motor is sealed and brush dust builds up inside the motor. A few people have had their motors fry because of this. Every 1-2000 miles you must open the motor and clean it out. I have instructions posted here: Cleaning an EVT hub motor. Ignore the statements on the motor claiming it is not user servicable and that it should not be opened.
- David Herron, The Long Tail Pipe, davidherron.com, 7gen.com, What is Reiki
By not buying the three-year old batteries, you have avoided the primary failure mode for neglected battery powered devices.
Try to make sure the batteries you buy are as identical as possible.
Think about how you will maintain battery balance. This may be through parallel 12V charging or through active "balancers" such as PowerCheq's.
MarkF
Thanks for the answers there:)
The bike has been indoors in a dry area and off the ground he said. So tires are ok and so is the seat.
I read alot about the battery problems on this forum and so I got a set of powercheqs Iam putting on the new batteries. (UB12500 SLA with same dimensions as the WP50-12NE , and same Voltage/AH)
Good to hear that they made this thing well. thats what I was hoping to hear :)*grin*
O yeah iam not looking forward to opening that hub motor when I hit 1-2000 miles lol.
Could I exchange it for another one say a brushless motor ( changing controller too Iam guessing)
thanks
XM-3000 BB Batteries using 5 vector smart chargers in bike
EVT 168 4 UB12500 batteries using 4 vector smart chargers
At 2K plus Km, I am happy with my brushed motor scoot. The technology is standard. The brush dust Issue is not that great. If you hotrod it, you'll be generating more dust. Having each comm element half bright half oxidized is another symptom of a lead foot (wrist?).
In return for having to clean the dust, you'll have a system that CAN be repaired. Brushed controllers are interchangable, so you can upgrade to a robotics-grade PWM controller when you're ready.
Yes the brushes will wear eventually. It isn't rocket science to cut another set down to fit the holders.
MarkF
Nice to hear that the brushed motor isnt all bad news :) I do have a problem that I just ran into. this is the 1st time I have tried to charge it. (as I have had it only a day so far) The charger that came with it just beeps and the alarm light stays on. I tried checking the connection to the battery charge connector. I checked everything I could. but the charger just stays on the red alarm. ??? is it busted? will I have to find another that will fit the EVT charge connector? HELP i dont want the batteries to die off on the 1st day !
Also I have NO clue as to how to put the powercheqs on .. the batteries dont connect in any pattern that I can tell. (dont want to blow up anything or short stuff out)
PLEASE HELP !! :)
XM-3000 BB Batteries using 5 vector smart chargers in bike
EVT 168 4 UB12500 batteries using 4 vector smart chargers
OK a quick update on the charger.... (seeing as Iam a smart boy) I took apart the charger, and low and behold 6 fuses!! and I found one had blow out. so Iam gonna change it out tomorrow and hope that it was just that simple :)
XM-3000 BB Batteries using 5 vector smart chargers in bike
EVT 168 4 UB12500 batteries using 4 vector smart chargers
OMG, the dust all over your hands and face? Please, next time use a mask at least and take a shower afterwards. This is carbon dust that causes lung-cancer (and YES, it's way more than smoking hundreds of cigarettes)...
I realize this is off topic, but...
I am strictly a science-first kind of guy so I'd like to see the research, too. There is quite a bit on the web such as this article I found when googling "carbon dust lungs". This being said any substance that is not water soluble that is of the right size can lodge in your lungs and cause problems. The damage is cumulative. There are plenty of people who die of idiopathic (meaning, as House would say, "We're idiots because we can't figure it out") lung diseases every year. Why risk it? I always use a face mask when dealing with dust and hearing protection when dealing with noise. The hearing protection has the added benefit of screening out noise like, "When are you going to clean out the gutters?"
"we must be the change we wish to see in the world"
Hi, people,
I have been riding a 2003-made EVT-4000e that I got during August 2007. For the first few weeks, there was a battery problem and one of the batterys was found to be defective (not taking sufficient charge). Electric Motorsport replaced the same, and it now works like a breeze, touchwood!
1. I've seen lone_rider's picture of the green-colored EVT-4000e run and am quite fascinated at how he got to those high speeds. Mine never goes beyond 40 mph even in power-mode! Any hints could be useful. (My batteries are AGM, BB-50 12-V units in series to form a 48-V system.)
2. I wanted to purchase a 48-V BattEQ battery balancer. That'll be very useful for me to prolong battery life. Now am only worried about one thing. Is the 48-V BattEQ balancer small enough to fit into the room beneath the seat?
Thoughts....?
Thanks, and Happy Thanksgiving!!
Venky
Venky
EVT 4000e Blue (13-Aug-2007)
Venkey58:
Hi there and happy thanksgiving to you also :)
Lets see.. the EVT-4000e you saw on the video was going down some serious hills to get to that speed :) My EVT-168 Equinox (same as 4000e but retro look) Can go 33mph on flat and i'v had it over 45mph on a small hill. It's a 2003 model I just got a few weeks back too. and it is still under 200 miles *grin*. I'd be using it every day but the weather is getting bad now here in Rochester NY.
As for the battery balancing system your looking for. Well i'v only used one so far and thats Powercheqs. Now that the PC's do 3Amps there a better buy then before. I do find that they dont balance to within .01 but more .10 . That means they keep my batteries say all around 12.8x. Best thing is there very small and fit in the 168 where most other things wont. On your 4000e there should be lots of room.
If you want more speed out of the 4000e I'd do the 60 volt mod :)
XM-3000 BB Batteries using 5 vector smart chargers in bike
EVT 168 4 UB12500 batteries using 4 vector smart chargers
About the BattEQ - the 48v version is quite small. It fits under the seat of my 168 easily, so I'm pretty sure it would fit in a 4000e.
One area I didnt think about getting a problem was the friction caused by the rear Disk brakes. Seams that I can hear the brake grabbing a bit when I manualy turn the back wheel. It's not free wheeling at all. infact when I release the throtle I slow down much faster than I would have thought. Iam not very good at the mechanical side of things so I dont know what to look at or look for. Can anyone give a few hints as how to tackle this problem?
XM-3000 BB Batteries using 5 vector smart chargers in bike
EVT 168 4 UB12500 batteries using 4 vector smart chargers
** original post deleted **
Oops - I posted instructions for a drum brake - and then re-read your post
John H. Founder of Current Motor Company - opinions on this site belong to me; not to my employer
Remember: " 'lectric for local. diesel for distance" - JTH, Amp Bros || "No Gas.
That sounds (and looks) like a warped disc to me (the wheel looks kind of funny, too). I had the same problem on my bike after some jerk bent it while it was on the bike rack. I managed to get it almost true by bending it with some padded pliers. Still not perfect, and I had to loosen the brake a lot. I can't even skid the back tire now :(. I really need a new one.
Probably should get it when a get a new derailleur. Plastic thing that holds the cable in place bent. Now it keeps pushing the chain off the sprockets.
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
For measuring speed, GPS sucks...
Actually, at the range of speeds of 25 mph or faster, handheld GPS measured speeds are hard to beat. Recall that a handheld GPS has an a very precise clock and, while the absolute position is (mostly deliberately) degraded to plus or minus 10 meters or so, it's _relative_ position accuracy over short-time periods is down to a few cm. Also, any speed error that does exist is going to be random rather than be biased.
So, presuming you are going about 25 mph (40 kph), the GPS is using two-second measurements and the relative position accuracy over that time is 10 cm, the accuracy is going be about 0.1/((40,000/3600)*2)= plus or minus 0.45%. That's good enough for me.