1st e-bike conversion, talk me up, or talk me down!

[Dewey]

picked up this beauty to mod into a battery box on Wednesday: https://www.honeywellstore.com/store/products/honeywell-deluxe-steel-cash-box-6113.htm Any thoughts?

It's certainly less in your face than an ammo can battery box, might you need special drill bits if you intend to drill power wire holes through a cash box? Are you planning to make it removeable to charge off the bike?

 

[Clyde]

that box you got is a steal at $40 especially with all that cash in it !
I thought you were going with a triangle battery.

Actually found the medium size for $20. Going to run over to Makersmith this week with a buddy and see if we can cut off one corner while maintaining the hinge and lock. Going to mount it under the juncture of the top tube and seat tube. Should look pretty trick if we can get it to to work. The new higher Ah 18650 cells make smaller, denser packs possible, but I'm still struggling with how densely to pack them. Most rides will likely be short hops, but I can also envision tearing around the local paths for a couple of hours at a time, and don't want the battery pack getting too hot.

I totally hear you about the motorcycles. This project is going to replace my dearly departed '08 Ninja 250. Been a small motorcycles guy since my XR75 back in '77. Favorite so far was the Yamaha RZX 135 2-stroke, but the Ninja was nice, too. The Suzuki Katana 150 4-stroke was woeful... Just a miserable, horrible machine.

 

[Clyde]

It's certainly less in your face than an ammo can battery box, might you need special drill bits if you intend to drill power wire holes through a cash box? Are you planning to make it removeable to charge off the bike?

My thought is that I'll hang the box from the top and seat tubes with some U bolts (with one leg cut off to account for the hinge and dipped in flex-seal) mounted to brackets inside the box at the top and rear. This would make the nuts inaccessible while the box is locked. I'll run the Bafang power connector into the box and make the battery pack removable for charging while leaving the box mounted, mostly.

 

[Dewey]

I don't know anything about battery building but your point about cell spacing and thermal runway is mentioned in Ron's series on DIY battery building https://www.electricbike.com/introduction-battery-design-1/

Bearing in mind I have no knowledge, but I like the concept of the Vruzend DIY kit connectors, they assemble like Lego without welding, seem to leave some space between the cells, support individual cell fusing, and I just think its cool you could swap out an individual bad cell relatively easily. However others on this forum have described issues with the contacts on this type of battery, although Tom has described using compression (or sandwich) plates and long bolts to affix the contacts firmly.

 

[Clyde]

I don't know anything about battery building but your point about cell spacing and thermal runway is mentioned in Ron's series on DIY battery building https://www.electricbike.com/introduction-battery-design-1/

Bearing in mind I have no knowledge, but I like the concept of the Vruzend DIY kit connectors, they assemble like Lego without welding, seem to leave some space between the cells, support individual cell fusing, and I just think its cool you could swap out an individual bad cell relatively easily. However others on this forum have described issues with the contacts on this type of battery.

Yeah. Close packing the cells in a honeycomb, while it allows for a smaller pack, is a trade-off for thermal efficiency. I think spacers like these are a good compromise: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32951013779.html Isolates the cells and provides for a little airflow while maintaining close-spacing. Seems like the trick is to build enough capacity so that the battery never has to work all that hard and heat up, hence the 52v.

 

[Clyde]

My hero! https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=65719&hilit=close+packed+18650

 

[Clyde]

So now I'm torn... I could motor up now and start riding, and upgrade the rear hub and brakes later, or wait for all the acoustic stuff to be finished and then add the BBSHD...

 

[Clyde]

I was just browsing around universalcycles.com looking for a heavy duty, single speed ebike chain when I stumbled across their custom wheelbuilding service, which looks to have extensive hub/rim/spoke options and is, IMVHO, quite affordable. I'd considered rebuilding my existing bikesdirect.com wheel with an IGH, but this looks like a much better option.

Universal Cycles -- Custom Wheelset Builder

Universal Cycles - 30,000+ mountain & road cycling parts. Online & in Portland Oregon since 1997. West Coast & Midwest warehouses. Instant price matches. 29er, BMX, freeride, single speed, & downhill products.

www.universalcycles.com

 

[Dewey]

I was just browsing around universalcycles.com looking for a heavy duty, single speed ebike chain when I stumbled across their custom wheelbuilding service, which looks to have extensive hub/rim/spoke options and is, IMVHO, quite affordable. I'd considered rebuilding my existing bikesdirect.com wheel with an IGH, but this looks like a much better option.

Universal Cycles -- Custom Wheelset Builder

Universal Cycles - 30,000+ mountain & road cycling parts. Online & in Portland Oregon since 1997. West Coast & Midwest warehouses. Instant price matches. 29er, BMX, freeride, single speed, & downhill products.

www.universalcycles.com

Yes I thought about using them for my recent drum brake wheel build, I like the detail they put into the wheel builder part of the website. I decided to have my LBS build my wheel in the end because they've done excellent work on the two IGH wheels they built for me in the past and I want to continue supporting them.

 

[Clyde]

That was my original plan, but none of my LBS are answering their phones or email this week.

 

[Dewey]

That was my original plan, but none of my LBS are answering their phones or email this week.

If you do decide to go with them I'd be interested to read how it goes, keep posting.

 

[Clyde]

If you do decide to go with them I'd be interested to read how it goes, keep posting.

Just had a phone call with them to see if they could hold my order and redirect, but was too late. The guy on the phone said that they're about 2 weeks behind on wheel builds, but indicated that they'd be able to accomodate me sending the hub back to be a build component. That way I get to try my hand at vinyl wrapping it before I send it back. I'm thinking orange, with matching forks...

 

[Dewey]

I get to try my hand at vinyl wrapping it before I send it back. I'm thinking orange, with matching forks...

Nice, based on Workcycles Instagram feed orange goes great with grey/gray

 

[Clyde]

Yeah. Saw a polish video recently where they converted a Marin with a BBSHD, and it was gray with red forks. Slaps.

 

[Clyde]

Making some progress tracking down someone to build my battery pack here in Murka. Ebikemarketplace, MTO Battery, and FTHPower have all responded to my RFQs, and seem willing, although the prices are about double the cost of a sketchy Chinese pack. Will update as information is available.

Here's where I envision the battery case fitting:

 

[JES2020]

Making some progress tracking down someone to build my battery pack here in Murka. Ebikemarketplace, MTO Battery, and FTHPower have all responded to my RFQs, and seem willing, although the prices are about double the cost of a sketchy Chinese pack. Will update as information is available.

Here's where I envision the battery case fitting:

View attachment 58256

Nice powder coat!
Why not turn the batterys so that the long section is straped to the top bar? That's the way I always see them mounted. Are you trying to get the CG lower?

 

[Clyde]

it's not the nicest finish I've seen, but not too shabby for a $350 netbike.

Filling up the frame with battery is easy, but I haven't seen a secure way to do it and don't care for the look. I'm after a more compact battery so as to mount it as close to the seat tube as possible. Seems to me like the part of the frame designed to bear a load.

If I ever do a 72v pack it would likely be two 36v packs in parallel with the long sides running up the top tube, but with the big ends forward, like a gas tank. But better actually start this build first. ; )

 

[JES2020]

it's not the nicest finish I've seen, but not too shabby for a $350 netbike.

Filling up the frame with battery is easy, but I haven't seen a secure way to do it and don't care for the look. I'm after a more compact battery so as to mount it as close to the seat tube as possible. Seems to me like the part of the frame designed to bear a load.

If I ever do a 72v pack it would likely be two 36v packs in parallel with the long sides running up the top tube, but with the big ends forward, like a gas tank. But better actually start this build first. ; )

In a few days I might have more info on securing the triangle. I have an appointment with a machine shop !

 

[Clyde]

I'm wavering...

Finding someone to make a triangle battery in that configuration here in Murka is proving to be a really, really expensive proposition, and the Luna Wolf V2 is perfect in every way except that it's another fnarking downtube-hugger, and there doesn't seem to be any way to secure the thing to the bike while at work/school/out of line of sight. Why can't they include some secure, external loop of some kind that I could run a cable through? Going to have another look at the pictures and see if we can't work out some way of it not being someone's $550 gift, perhaps by welding an extension onto the steel plate...

That said, my buddy and I will continue with the triangle box build, as it would fit a close-packed 52v (if anyone ever decides to build one here, or for the brave) or even 72v triangle battery (like this beast: https://lunacycle.com/72v-triangle-panasonic-GA-10-5ah/), which will be my eventual upgrade if I don't manage to murder myself at 35 mph. Hello Makersmith!

 

[JES2020]

In a few days I might have more info on securing the triangle. I have an appointment with a machine shop !

Well here is my attempt at extra security for my triangle.
I know I know it looks"industrial," but I don't want my bike to stick out to the thieves .

16 gauge steel (cant' bend by hand), In fact I had to take it to a machine shop, the regular metal brakes couldn't bend it!
It may look easiy to defeat but it is covering the Velcro straps so they can't be undone or cut without cutting the bolts. These bots are priliminary, I think I'll get some security bolts instead of allen wrench ones.

Side benefit, the battery is much more stable, very little movement, ( I could add a small metal bottom strap and it would be totally solid).
A touch of paint and I'm done.
My alarm is coming today.( I can hide it inside the shield.)