My R-20 Timeline

1/31/2008

Scooter arrives!

2/7/2008

Charger stops working

2/28/2008

Received new charger from Soneil

3/5/2008

Speedometer broken. Turbine gear stripped -- no grease.

3/24/2008

Circuit breaker started to trip while riding. Attempted many "fixes" over the next
Attempted many "fixes" for circuit breaker problem

• re-seating all connectors
  
• securing rear break wiring bundle to frame (the wires/connectors were dangling next to the shock absorber spring.)
  
• tightened the contacts inside the molex connectors
  

Problem would come and go, so whenever i tried something i wasn't sure if it helped or not.
Finally got so bad that i couldn't ride a mile without the breaker tripping.

9/4/2008

Circuit breaker problem resolved!

1. Before taking anything apart, i can see that the connection going in to the circuit breaker has been very hot. The insulation of the two wires going in has actually melted together.
   
2. The end of the wires are very corroded.
   
3. The clamp in the circuit breaker is also corroded, and the contact is half-covered with melted insulation.
   

i've cleaned off the wire, cleaned out the clamp in the breaker, and put everything back together and tightened the wires.
i'll try riding to work again this morning and see if i can make it without the breaker tripping again.
My guess (and it's only a guess) is that when it was assembled, the insulated portion of the wire was clamped into the breaker and because of that, there was too small of an area of wire making contact. That led to the higher temperature, causing the melting insulation and the corrosion. The overheating under load tripped the breaker.

11/1/2008

Received new speedometer turbine from EVT -- 8 months to get this part. :-(

1/2009

Rear tire started losing pressure, and then one day while i was riding the valve stem popped out.

5/2009

Front tire did the same thing -- valve stem popped out while riding. Both times, the rubber boot that fits into the rim is all cracked, and the metal valve stem isn't held in anymore. Looks like really substandard rubber for a tire.

7/2009

One day i hit a bump on a railraod crossing -- probably 2"-3". When i hit the bump, the throttle came off in my hand. i've also attached a photo of this. The plastic ring that holds the throttle on the handlebar shattered. Again... seems like poor-quality plastic.
Pieced it together with superglue and electrical tape so i could keep riding, but it would still come off in my hand every time i hit a small bump.

7/2009

Range is getting shorter. 9 mile commute is taking 3/4 of a full charge. Time to start shopping.

9/2009

New batteries -- 5 x Werker WKA33-12C

9/2009

Nail in the tire. Finished the ride home on a flat. Plugged the hole, but after riding flat it leaked around the seal. Went to a cycle shop to get it re-mounted, and decided i really needed a new rear tire anyway.

9/28/2009

Received new throttle from EVT -- only a 2 month wait this time.

10/20/2009

DC/DC converter died.

10/28/2009

EVT replied to my 10/20 email. i had already bought a DC/DC converter from ThunderStruck-ev.com

11/2/2009

Controller died. Power transitors fried.

11/16/2009

i discover www.visforvoltage.com forum. Conclude that overall i have been pretty fortunate with my R-20, but there's no point in sending photos of the inside of my burned out controller to EVT because they have seen so many of them already.

11/30/2009

Rececived Kelly controller from EVT. Plug it in. Controller status is green. Scooter still doesn't work -- no response to throttle.

12/2010

Off and on troubleshooting. Simplified connections from throttle to controller. Potentiometer to controller's throttle input. Check controller programming through COM port. Still can't figure it out.

1/10/2010

Charger stops working.

1/20/2010

Oscilloscope on throttle and hall sensors from motor. All dead. The old controller apparently took out all of the other components with it. (The hall sensor in my old broken throttle works as expected.)

1/21/2010

Epiphany!!Another user on this forum has said "Think of the Z as a project, not a true option for transportation."

i did get 1.5 years of daily commutes out of it, so i don't want to complain. But now i need a new motor and throttle. In the past four months i've already invested in new batteries, tire, dc-dc converter, and controller, so i don't want to give up now. Here i am with a "project" sitting in my garage for 3 months that is 60% complete, and EVT hasn't even replied to my question about buying a new motor. Can't rely on them for support going forward.

Stay tuned... the R20++ is coming.