REVIEW: QR-E 250W ELECTRIC BOOSTER BICYCLE MOTOR AND B60i AND B70 BATTERY

[Charlie Pendejo]

Thanks yet again. It makes sense the 4" version would be stronger than the 2.75" I'm using. Two reasons not to switch:

(a) It's too clean and sensible, not something one would call "crackpot" or "harebrained." It'd feel too out of character.
(b) And oh yeah, there's only about 3.55" between chainrings. I could probably fit a 3" hinge in there, but wouldn't expect sizing up 1/4" to give that much more juice.

Adding supplementary pull from the rear seemed like far & away the simplest thing to try, so I tried it. First I bolted a short bit of stretchy strap + buckle to the motor assembly:

And when I'd finally added enough pressure for the motor to retain grip in boost mode, it was with a daisy-chained pair of reusable zip ties, hooked through a slot in a steel adapter which holds the rear fender:

I may try to refine this a bit, perhaps replacing the zip ties with a strap and routing between fender & seat stay... but at least I've arrived at something that has worked well for a quick jaunt around the neighborhood. This weekend I'll aim to get out with the kiddo for a longer 15+ mile shakeout ride.

Today's other surprise was only getting my new (purchased a year ago but unused until now) S2 switch to work very sporadically, like 1 try in 10. Old one still works, though it got damaged in touring 2 summers ago - it needed resoldering and I lost the front face of the "box" which surrounds the switches. I'll troubleshoot later, and at least have enough parts that I should be able to put together one complete & functional S2. Or maybe this is a sign from the universe to try and put together my own control including a boost switch that can stay on once toggled.

 

[EMGX]

You can make your own switch for ~$10 with a 6ft usb micro extension (make sure it has data wires, not just charging) and switches of your choice. The extension wires are very small gauge so soldering can be a challenge.

 

[Charlie Pendejo]

I may well do that, and having assembled some amp & preamp kits over the decades, soldering's more in my wheelhouse. Do you know where I can find a wiring diagram / description?

Another connector fairly near the control end would add a lot of convenience: I could simply disconnect the cable before removing the handlebars, as part of folding & bagging the bike. That probably would've saved my original S2 from getting damaged when I packed the bike to bring on a train or bus.

Poked around both Amazon and AliExpress looking for handlebar-mountable switches with both a latching switch (for boost) and a momentary switch (for mode). They exist, often intended for headlight + a horn, but most are either for 22mm mountain bars (I have 25.4 drops) or cost more than I want to spend.

 

[EMGX]

Blueberry posted the wiring info which I followed, it's pretty simple.
I didn't want one of the handlebar mounted switches because they limit placement. Just ordered some rocker switches to try those out, cost $3.99 including shipping for 5 of them on Amazon. I wanted latching so I could activate regen without having to hold the button, just blipping a switch on/off works for changing power mode. I'm going to wire a brake cut off switch in line with the boost button for safety because I have one but that probably isn't that important.

 

[EMGX]

I made up another switch using latching rocker switches. I think I'll stick with this and may or may not add a brake cut out.
The 6 ft usb micro extensions I have (came two in a pack, for ~$8 back when I bought them) have 4 wires, red (not used), black (common ground), green (corresponds to the mode/regen switch) and white (corresponds to the power switch). I'm not sure if all manufacturers use the same color coding so YMMV.

 

[EMGX]

they say B70 batteries can be used with the Pro. I've got it to power up with "information" totally disconnected but I haven't done extensive testing yet. I think it'll work though. Best I can tell "information" is a logic level signal from the controller back to the battery pack that tells the indicator lights to turn on?

Side note, I tried connecting up a 10s3p battery to the Pro to see if the extra few volts from another cell in series would make it go faster, but actually it refuses to turn on with a battery voltage above 38V.

Blueberry, if you still check in on this thread, where did you see that they (Qiroll?) say B70 batteries can be used with the Pro? I did message them and all they messaged back is the generic statement that the H70 is for the Pro and the B70 is for the Mute. I ended up buying a Pro and did try the B70 battery from my Mute just to see if it works, which it did but it was just a short test run. I'm planning on riding the Mickelson trail in South Dakota next week (weather permitting) and taking the B70 battery along as a power bank and as a standby for the Qiroll but don't want to run it on low voltage if it could overheat or otherwise damage the motor.

 

[Charlie Pendejo]

Nice. My S2 seems to be working reliably, and with other issues arising + our Montreal -> Ottawa -> Toronto ride coming up quick, I put any switch plans on hold. And really, S2 + rubber band I can slide over the boost button is an arrangement I can live with for now.

Primary "other issue" = couldn't replicate my earlier success keeping the motor engaged with the tire. Applying boost caused the motor to spin freely, burning the grit off the carpet grip tape while starting to sand the tire's surface smooth. While reviewing this thread for info on wiring switches, stumbled across reports of others encountering similar and solving it by using belt sander tape for the tire interface. That seems to work well for me, though it sure would've been nice to discover this earlier and have a lot more testing in before our imminent tour! I'll make a handful of replacement tapes to bring with.

 

[dangerzone]

Nice. My S2 seems to be working reliably, and with other issues arising + our Montreal -> Ottawa -> Toronto ride coming up quick, I put any switch plans on hold. And really, S2 + rubber band I can slide over the boost button is an arrangement I can live with for now.

Primary "other issue" = couldn't replicate my earlier success keeping the motor engaged with the tire. Applying boost caused the motor to spin freely, burning the grit off the carpet grip tape while starting to sand the tire's surface smooth. While reviewing this thread for info on wiring switches, stumbled across reports of others encountering similar and solving it by using belt sander tape for the tire interface. That seems to work well for me, though it sure would've been nice to discover this earlier and have a lot more testing in before our imminent tour! I'll make a handful of replacement tapes to bring with.

Speaking of sanding the tyres smooth, I've been using the belt sander and with my spring contraption to provide constant pressure. I've noticed today that there is a bald patch on my rear tyre that will probably need replacing very soon. Perhaps I will need to go back to the floor grip tape which is much less aggressive.

 

[BluePixel]

Hi Guys...
I think this one is interesting for the ones testing new buttons . I build a small and simple PAS Sensor which plugs into the micro USB port. The sensor is very simple you need 2 Hall sensors with digital readout, 1 ESP32 C3 and an old micro USB Cable to harvest the male plug and the wires. The 4 pins from the USB and the Hall sensors are getting connected to the ESP and with some simple code it "presses" the buttons virtually. I mounted my PAS directly to the motor. To get the magnetic Signal I glued four small magnets on the chainring and with everything in position the ESP now reads out if I am paddling forward or backward. Forward of course means boost and backwards while driving breaking and while standing switching modes. I personally think this upgrades your experience to a new level .

If some of you want to build yourself I can upload some more photos and details for building.

 

[Erik1967]

Hi Guys...
I think this one is interesting for the ones testing new buttons . I build a small and simple PAS Sensor which plugs into the micro USB port. The sensor is very simple you need 2 Hall sensors with digital readout, 1 ESP32 C3 and an old micro USB Cable to harvest the male plug and the wires. The 4 pins from the USB and the Hall sensors are getting connected to the ESP and with some simple code it "presses" the buttons virtually. I mounted my PAS directly to the motor. To get the magnetic Signal I glued four small magnets on the chainring and with everything in position the ESP now reads out if I am paddling forward or backward. Forward of course means boost and backwards while driving breaking and while standing switching modes. I personally think this upgrades your experience to a new level .

If some of you want to build yourself I can upload some more photos and details for building.

That sounds great. Please share details

 

[dangerzone]

Hi Guys...
I think this one is interesting for the ones testing new buttons . I build a small and simple PAS Sensor which plugs into the micro USB port. The sensor is very simple you need 2 Hall sensors with digital readout, 1 ESP32 C3 and an old micro USB Cable to harvest the male plug and the wires. The 4 pins from the USB and the Hall sensors are getting connected to the ESP and with some simple code it "presses" the buttons virtually. I mounted my PAS directly to the motor. To get the magnetic Signal I glued four small magnets on the chainring and with everything in position the ESP now reads out if I am paddling forward or backward. Forward of course means boost and backwards while driving breaking and while standing switching modes. I personally think this upgrades your experience to a new level .

If some of you want to build yourself I can upload some more photos and details for building.

I am interested in this too. Wiring diagram, code and parts list would be much appreciated

 

[3dxl]

QIROLL Prototype 400W+ finally installed.

Hey guys, sorry for long absent, finally i got a bought a small 16" inch folding bike to test out Qiroll's prototype 400W+ unit. Due to its size 400W+ could not be install on my road bike or any short rear frame wheel base. So this 16" wheel folding frame have longer arm to fit between the wheel and bottom bracket. The unit looks big but upon testing by riding around the neighborhood it does have torque power. I haven't ride up the hill yet but later hopefully this evening. Happy with my clean stealthy build. Will post my finding about its performance soon. Btw video of 400W+ in action is on my twitter post here: https://x.com/SupermotoXL/status/1946818025052836317

 

[Chazmo]

Very slick, @3dxl !!

 

[stompandgo]

Holy seatpost, Batman!!!

Seriously, clean build.

 

[3dxl]

TEST RIDE #1: QIROLL Prototype 400W+

Note to Qiroll product developer; Here's my latest finding when testing your prototype 400W+ unit.

• Weird knocking sound: 1st day test ride was ok when riding first 2km on flat road. However on 2nd day after i climbed a total of 4 km of hill climb with gradient of 15% slope angle (Still have to but a bit of 50% effort to pedal) the unit started to have this "knocking" sound every time i trigger the throttle button. Sound like a hammer knocking my bike frame. I didn't see anything loose on the motor mount and the clutch roller is still tight. Something inside the motor is acting up.
• Battery consumption: By pressing full throttle on the button (Sport mode/RED LED); 4km of hill climb with gradient of 15% slope angle (with 50% effort to pedal) + 3km of flat road riding (no pedaling) = Consumed/drained 2x bar on my battery.
• Re-gen braking not working: When pressing the "Circle/round button" it didn't slow down or stop the motor. But the Sport (Red LED) to Eco (Blue LED) modes works.
• 400W+ vs old PRO impression: I don't feel much difference in term of speed maybe probably because i'm on 16 inch bike but the pickup/acceleration especially going up the hill can be felt as it it perform better than 320W PRO. The 400W+ roller unit slips a lot during acceleration probably due to having more torque than 320W PRO so i have to put the clutch more contact pressure to the tire surface.

I'll try to make test video when i have time for it, right now i have to do more adjustment to my bike ready for long distance city ride soon.

 

[3dxl]

H70 battery problem.

Has anyone encounter this problem?
Today in the evening during cycling commute towards home from my office; half way on the road the Qiroll unit stop working. I saw my battery showing 2 solid bar blue LED light lit indicating i still have some power left in the battery pack but it won't throttle the unit. So i decided to unplug the battery connector and reconnect back hoping to reset everything, but now the battery blue LED light does not lit any light at all. That 2 bar light was gone!. I've check everything; the wire connection but nothing helps. So i unclutch the Qiroll and pedal manually back home....the hills are painfull!!

Reaching home after plug that H70 battery on other bike with Qiroll unit confirm it was drained or something. However it was quite odd because if it drained it should have show a steady decline through linear decrease of full 4 bar LED blue light level bar indicator until it started to blink dimly on the last bar. I suspect one of the Li-on battery cell is not "balanced" during charging or one of the battery cell failed or having lower voltage than other Li-on cell or BMS issues causing a quick drop of voltage.

When i charge back it took half hour (30 minutes) to show green light on the charging adapter indicating it done charging and LED showing full 4 bars of blue LED light lit rather than 3 hours usual charging time.

So here are my questions:

• Has anyone encounter similar problem dropping power without warning (from 50% to 0% immediately) after re-plugin the battery plug?
• Has anyone try or able to open the H70 battery canister? How to open it? ...i need to check if the Li-on battery cell is working or if BMS (Battery Management System) board was working or not?

Let me know if anyone manage to open the Qiroll battery canister and show how to.
Thanks in advance if anyone have solution to this issue. Much appreciate any help.

* Will email this issue to Qiroll support soon,

 

[Chazmo]

I was going to warn you to keep a close eye on the battery when charging it to see if it was heating up. If it got warm/hot anywhere that’d probably indicate cell unbalanced and could’ve been an indication of damage to a cell. It sounds like your battery’s BMS might’ve gone on the blink. Does your battery show charge level when it’s being charged? And, if so, while you were charging it, did it start at 1 bar or 0?

I don’t know anything about the QI battery itself. Good luck when you hear from the factory. It’s certainly possible that just charging it up all the way balanced it, but I would’ve been concerned about heat.

Anyway, I hope it all works out, @3dxl ! Keep us posted about what QI tells you to do. Is it in a warranty period?

 

[EMGX]

I think Blueberry posted about having opened up a Qiroll battery, you might send him a message about details if he doesn't respond to this thread. I suspect that the plastic cap may be glued onto the aluminum tube which may have to be destroyed in order to open it up. Keep us posted.
On another front I've found that my old used Pro works surprisingly well with the 24v battery from my mute model. I have several Ryobi 18v 4ah power tool batteries that I want to wire 2 in series and see how that works for the Pro.

 

[Charlie Pendejo]

Adding supplementary pull from the rear seemed like far & away the simplest thing to try, so I tried it. First I bolted a short bit of stretchy strap + buckle to the motor assembly:

And when I'd finally added enough pressure for the motor to retain grip in boost mode, it was with a daisy-chained pair of reusable zip ties, hooked through a slot in a steel adapter which holds the rear fender:

Adding pull from the rear turned out to be viable, but not with even "extra strong" releasable zip ties: the issue isn't the strength of the zip tie itself, it's the limited grip from its little nylon teeth, which eventually loosen up. Early in our Toronto -> Ottawa -> Montreal trip I picked up a steel coil spring and it's a far better solution, anchored to the rear rack to provide tension.

Other issues had us riding without the motor for most of the trip, including that a gash in the rear tire's sidewall (perhaps repeated bouts of belt-sanding during trials with sandpaper + inadequate zip-tie tensioning weakened the tire and contributed?) necessitated replacing the tire, and I only found a knobby 20" mountain bike tire in the local shops. Not a tragedy considering how flat most of the ride was.

Back home, returning to carpet grp tape in this setup seems promising. Only issue from today's test ride is that the tape self-ejected after 5 miles- seems like a very solvable problem. I wonder if having too much pressure against the tire could've been part of today's issue - the roller wheel was hotter than I expected when I stopped and checked after hearing the tape bail out. Anyone have insight on how much pressure is ideal, beyond "enough so that it doesn't slip against the tire?"

 

[3dxl]

I was going to warn you to keep a close eye on the battery when charging it to see if it was heating up. If it got warm/hot anywhere that’d probably indicate cell unbalanced and could’ve been an indication of damage to a cell. It sounds like your battery’s BMS might’ve gone on the blink. Does your battery show charge level when it’s being charged? And, if so, while you were charging it, did it start at 1 bar or 0?

I don’t know anything about the QI battery itself. Good luck when you hear from the factory. It’s certainly possible that just charging it up all the way balanced it, but I would’ve been concerned about heat.

Anyway, I hope it all works out, @3dxl ! Keep us posted about what QI tells you to do. Is it in a warranty period?

• When charging the H70 battery once it was new last time and now an old battery there's no sign of heating up.
• Qiroll battery when charging there's no charge level indicator showing up. Those "leveled" indicator (4 bar LED level) only works when battery is hooked up with Qiroll unit on bike. Only the charger display one green light on the charger adapter to show the charging indicator when its done. RED LED = Charging, GREEN LED = Charging completed/trickle charging.
• I don't know much about their battery warranty period. I did email them yesterday night, hopefully they reply back soon.

Today i drove my car to work instead of cycling. The traffic was horrible! Wish the battery would work again.