Aventon Controller Modifications

S

smary

New Member
Region
USA
Newer member here posting to the forums and appreciating the feedback and information being provided. I posted this question on the Bikes By Brand category and have not received any responses.

Question I have about the Aventon PACE 500 and the new controller modifications they announced and release early March. Press release states in part, the following:

"To answer your feedback, we have removed the regulation to pedal a quarter rotation to activate the throttle, allowing you to use the throttle from a dead stop. Yes, you heard correctly, by popular demand, you will now have throttle on demand."
"Many customers have sent us their feedback on the pedal assist functionality with many noting that they feel a small jolt when both pedal assist levels 1 and 2 kick in. This, we decided, needed to be fixed. As a result we have reduced the intensity of acceleration rates for both levels 1 and 2 of pedal assist. This change will provide riders with a smooth transition into both these levels of pedal assist, allowing for a much smoother and more comfortable riding experience for everyone!"

I'm considering Aventon PACE 500 as my first ebike, because I can purchase at a LBS and the new bikes with sell with the new controller. Throughout my research on the forums, the throttle "Launching" and high speed for PAS 1 and 2 have been a constant complaint from the Aventon riders and is a concern for me in selecting that bike. Since Aventon announced and released the controller updates, there is very little information so far from users on whether or not the modifications have resolved their issues. The few I did find state that the speeds in PAS 1 and 2 are still too high.

My question is whether or not any of you have theories as to why, if Aventon gave in and made modifications to the controller, why didn't they modify the controller to allow for programmable PAS similar to the Ride 1 Up 500 controller. Maybe it's an issue with the components on the two different bikes or maybe programmable PAS is proprietary to Ride1Up but it just seems as though Aventon really only resolved one issue by allowing the Throttle On Demand, and riders still feel the speeds on PAS 1 and 2 are still to high. Making the controller programmable would eliminate any future or ongoing complaints about that issue.

Just curious.
 
Timpo said:
You're asking a hypothetical theory of why Aventon hasn't fixed the issue.

I think it's better to call Aventon and ask them :confused: I think you'll get the answer that way, instead of theory.
Click to expand...
Well, gosh. I never thought of that ;)

Yes, I could call them but I wouldn't expect to hear them say, for example, well we didn't change to programmable yet because we're going to wait until next year when we can charge you another $150 to buy an another upgraded controller (my pessimistic thought).

Based on the knowledge base within the forums, just wanted to see if anyone had ideas in case there is an obvious mechanical or component specific reason, hypothesis, theory or logical guess, that would prevent them from making the change that would not be apparent to me being new to ebikes. It just seems odd to me, since they resisted making the changes they recently made for so long, why they possibly wouldn't have just taken it a step further and allowed the user to choose the variable on each level.

If it's taboo to ask this type of question in the forums, let me know so I know for future reference.
 
Timpo said:
What kind of controller does Aventon use?

It is square wave? If that's the case, obviously it won't be as smooth as sine wave.
The other one is cadence sensor... it won't be as smooth as torque sensor.

And yea, as you mentioned, it could be simple programming.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure - the description doesn't say square wave or sine wave. Here is a picture of the retrofit controller the just released with the updates if you can tell anything by that.

1616039065690.png
 
First, you need to know the adjustable programming on the R1U is NOT proprietary. There are controllers available on the aftermarket that are VERY user programmable. Check out the KT controllers for instance. Some may even be a little too adjustable for many of us non engineer/rocket scientist types.

The fact they changed the programming (software) to fix what they did just means they are listening - and I'm betting they lost some sales because of that 1/4 turn first thing. THAT'S what really gets their attention.

Many bikes are using Lishui controllers. These are fairly programmable by design, but they are being held down very tightly by the manf's. For all practical purposes they are pretty much considered NOT programmable. The manf's are the only ones able to make changes - for now anyway. There's always hope some brainiac will break the code and turn it over to the public.

Last, this is generally NOT about the hardware. It's about the software (firmware), written in the controller and display. This being prehistoric times when it comes to e-bikes, this is likely where you and I are going to see things evolving quickly. That 1/4 turn before power is a perfect example of what I'm talking about there. There's room for a TON of improvement here. There's very little required for instance, to get that "too fast in PAS 1" complaint under control..... My thought anyway. - AL
 
AHicks said:
First, you need to know the adjustable programming on the R1U is NOT proprietary. There are controllers available on the aftermarket that are VERY user programmable. Check out the KT controllers for instance. Some may even be a little too adjustable for many of us non engineer/rocket scientist types.

The fact they changed the programming (software) to fix what they did just means they are listening - and I'm betting they lost some sales because of that 1/4 turn first thing. THAT'S what really gets their attention.

Many bikes are using Lishui controllers. These are fairly programmable by design, but they are being held down very tightly by the manf's. For all practical purposes they are pretty much considered NOT programmable. The manf's are the only ones able to make changes - for now anyway. There's always hope some brainiac will break the code and turn it over to the public.

Last, this is generally NOT about the hardware. It's about the software (firmware), written in the controller and display. This being prehistoric times when it comes to e-bikes, this is likely where you and I are going to see things evolving quickly. That 1/4 turn before power is a perfect example of what I'm talking about there. There's room for a TON of improvement here. There's very little required for instance, to get that "too fast in PAS 1" complaint under control..... My thought anyway. - AL
Click to expand...
Thanks for the information. At least I have a better understanding that it is something they have control over whether or not to make additional changes. Hopefully programmable PAS will become the norm and they will make the change to remain competitive.

Appreciate the input.
 
I’ve ordered an Aventon level, and expect to receive it this week and get it assembled and tuned. I am a retired electronics engineer and have done my fair share of programming as well, going all the way back to the original IBM PC and before. If there’s a way to get into the programming level of this controller I expect I’ll be able to . I doubt very much that it’s hardwired programming (firmware) . I feel as if I’ve been challenged , so I’ll let you know what I discover in the coming weeks.
 
Det11 said:
I’ve ordered an Aventon level, and expect to receive it this week and get it assembled and tuned. I am a retired electronics engineer and have done my fair share of programming as well, going all the way back to the original IBM PC and before. If there’s a way to get into the programming level of this controller I expect I’ll be able to . I doubt very much that it’s hardwired programming (firmware) . I feel as if I’ve been challenged , so I’ll let you know what I discover in the coming weeks.
Click to expand...
PLEASE DO!
 
Sorry. I can't be much help regarding telling you if that's the right manual. If it matches up with your display though, I would think you'd be good to go.
 
So now the question is, does the Aventon display allow you in to all of the areas shown in the manual, or are some "missing"?
 
Det11 said:
I’ve ordered an Aventon level, and expect to receive it this week and get it assembled and tuned. I am a retired electronics engineer and have done my fair share of programming as well, going all the way back to the original IBM PC and before. If there’s a way to get into the programming level of this controller I expect I’ll be able to . I doubt very much that it’s hardwired programming (firmware) . I feel as if I’ve been challenged , so I’ll let you know what I discover in the coming weeks.
Click to expand...
Any follow up on this effort? Aventon is unable and / or unwilling to stock the display / head unit for this bike. Major thumbs down to Aventon for their product support.
 
Is there any coverage for other controllers? EBR highly rates Rad Power and Nakto but it seems they are as bad as I have found. Rad takes orders and money but never delivers. Nakto passes off warranty coverage to AMAZON. Both are the same bikes but no name of the controller. Just Chinese.
Rich
 
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