I have the Ecotric fat tire , snow and beach model purchased new through Amazon in March of 2019. Out of warranty by a month. Riding home from the store today about 100 yds from my apartment ( thankfully) the display went dead and no power to the motor. I thought maybe I had accidentally pushed the off button when I pushed the button to shift down the pedal assist. Nope. When I got home I pushed the battery button to turn off then pushed it again to turn on. Nothing. The battery won't turn on. I plugged the charger into the battery and pushed the battery on/off button and the battery came on. The readout showed 3 bars of battery remaining. I'm thinking the readout is incorrect ( hopefully) , or the battery is toast, (probably). Looks like I'll be spending part of my stimulus check on an new battery. Helpful comments appreciated.
Battery died ( I think)
- Thread starter Randroid
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tomjasz
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Those battery indicators are notoriously inaccurate. Best to test with a multimeter. ANENG AN302 is a cheap but functional meter. I just looked up the bike. WOW for that price I'd bet the battery is built with generic Chinese cells and a $5 BMS
rich c
Well-Known Member
Were you riding on throttle only? Going up a grade? Battery being toast is highly unlikely. More like voltage sag drawing more amps that temporarily took the pack below minimum. As Thomas said, measure voltage on the pack and then ask questions. Good thing you only had to ride your bicycle 100 yards! You could have been stuck there forever! LOL
No, not riding on throttle only, something I only do in #2 pedal assist in the driveway to and from my apartment. Not on a grade. This is the first problem I've had with the bike.
I have a Fluke 75 multimeter. Used to work in the electronics industry years ago, like when there was still a company called NCR. Thanks.
I have a Fluke 75 multimeter. Used to work in the electronics industry years ago for NCR if you know that company. I'm 74
Yeah well, I'm 74 and social security is my only income, so I can't afford high end as you no doubt can.
Chancelucky2
Well-Known Member
sometimes, it's something as simple as the battery coming out of its cradle (even by a little bit) and disconnecting. It happened to me once. In the meantime, I'd clean the connectors on both sides.
tomjasz
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We're dominated by brilliant fellas your age.
Not entirely clear about some members ages but there's a boatload of sensible peers here.
Ready and willing to help sort your issue!
Ok. I'll check that out. Thank you.
tomjasz
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I get it. We're retired and live on our hay day tax bill. I get it! Battery purchases can be brutal. Careful searching and reviews can bring up batteries that are at least safe and use A grade cells. Better to save for however long and buy a more expensive battery. It doesn't have to cost more than a third more than you likely will spend. I paid a dear price in 2014 for a battery. I thought I was overextending my finances, but we'll do season 6 on those batteries. Generics could work as long but odds are they won't. It's more than cells. It's how they were built into a pack and what the BMS amounts to.
Best wishes for a giant smile!
Lots of help here.
tomjasz
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BTW, if you buy China direct its around $12! Troubleshooting electrical issues is another reason a multimeter is an essential tool. I can't afford to have a kid learn, so I learned.
Ok, Mr J . Thanks. I'll start researching a better battery. This one finally charged up. Didn't know the readout was notoriously unreliable.
harryS
Well-Known Member
I was with AT&T when they ate up NCR in 1990 and choked on it. Hewlett Packard and Fluke. Good instruments. I use a $20 craftsman meter and three or four Harbor Freight freebies. I am probably one of the few to ever use the Hfe tester in those HF meters.
Randroid, your battery is probably out of balance, and it probably can't balance itself. It means one of the series cells is half charged, (there are 10 series groups in a 36V pack). The charger is unable to get it to full charge, so you're stuck having it go flat even though you might have 3 bars left. That's probably around 37 volts,
Randroid, your battery is probably out of balance, and it probably can't balance itself. It means one of the series cells is half charged, (there are 10 series groups in a 36V pack). The charger is unable to get it to full charge, so you're stuck having it go flat even though you might have 3 bars left. That's probably around 37 volts,
If that's true, what are my alternatives ? I'm going to remove the battery tomorrow and check it out best I can. It hasn't been removed since I bought the bike a year ago because the plate it's mounted to wasn't installed exactly parallel to the down tube and I had a heck of a time getting it back on the one time I did remove it. The bike has never been ridden in the rain and it's stored inside, my living room. Thanks for the reply.
If the battery isn't fully charged, why does the charger indicate that it is ?
harryS
Well-Known Member
The charger goes green when the battery stops accepting current. This happens when any of the series groups hits the max voltage, which is usually 4.20 volts. If your Fluke still works, it would measure a full charge of 42 volts for a healthy 36V battery. consisting of ten series groups.
Let's say you get 41 volts. If all ten series groups were at 4.10 volts each, that's OK. But if nine are at 4.2V, that leaves one at 3.8V, which is barely above half charge. That's an example of an unbalanced battery. When that single cell reaches its minimum, around 3.0V, the pack shuts off, even though it has three bars.
Sometimes, those low cells can be recovered. Sometimes they're low because the cell is worn out.
DYI (do yourself in) work on batteries is only for experts. But you can read this guy for more info.
electricbike-blog.com
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Let's say you get 41 volts. If all ten series groups were at 4.10 volts each, that's OK. But if nine are at 4.2V, that leaves one at 3.8V, which is barely above half charge. That's an example of an unbalanced battery. When that single cell reaches its minimum, around 3.0V, the pack shuts off, even though it has three bars.
Sometimes, those low cells can be recovered. Sometimes they're low because the cell is worn out.
DYI (do yourself in) work on batteries is only for experts. But you can read this guy for more info.
Nursing An Out Of Balance Lithium Cell Back To Health Without Dying In The Process
On our solar-powered off grid system we have 4 massive 60lb 6v 232 Ah Lead Acid golf cart batteries hooked up in series to make a 24v system. Every couple of weeks on a sunny day we have to equaliz…
electricbike-blog.com
The battery reads 41.6 v. No way I'm going to open it. If it makes any difference, the bike is only ridden a couple of miles a day. It's probably been a month since the battery was charged before this happened. Is it true that the battery should be charged every time the bike is ridden ? What do you suggest ? I don't mind spending the money on a quality battery, but in these days of universal deceit, how do I know if it's of good quality ? Price doesn't necessarily mean quality anymore.The charger goes green when the battery stops accepting current. This happens when any of the series groups hits the max voltage, which is usually 4.20 volts. If your Fluke still works, it would measure a full charge of 42 volts for a healthy 36V battery. consisting of ten series groups.
Let's say you get 41 volts. If all ten series groups were at 4.10 volts each, that's OK. But if nine are at 4.2V, that leaves one at 3.8V, which is barely above half charge. That's an example of an unbalanced battery. When that single cell reaches its minimum, around 3.0V, the pack shuts off, even though it has three bars.
Sometimes, those low cells can be recovered. Sometimes they're low because the cell is worn out.
DYI (do yourself in) work on batteries is only for experts. But you can read this guy for more info.
.Nursing An Out Of Balance Lithium Cell Back To Health Without Dying In The Process
On our solar-powered off grid system we have 4 massive 60lb 6v 232 Ah Lead Acid golf cart batteries hooked up in series to make a 24v system. Every couple of weeks on a sunny day we have to equaliz…
harryS
Well-Known Member
Hey, maybe it won't happen again.
Batteries are supposed to go 400 cycles charging to 100% and running to 20% (same as running flat). For maximum life, some folks only charge to 90%. On a 36V battery, that doesn't leave much power, so I charge mine to 100% before riding. I try to avoid keeping it full for long periods. Like Tom, I've got batteries from 2015. Not claiming they have the original capacity, but we rarely use more than 4AH on a ride, so the old packs serve us.
I never looked inside my Ecotric silverfish pack. It's probably like the $250 packs sold on ebay.
Batteries are supposed to go 400 cycles charging to 100% and running to 20% (same as running flat). For maximum life, some folks only charge to 90%. On a 36V battery, that doesn't leave much power, so I charge mine to 100% before riding. I try to avoid keeping it full for long periods. Like Tom, I've got batteries from 2015. Not claiming they have the original capacity, but we rarely use more than 4AH on a ride, so the old packs serve us.
I never looked inside my Ecotric silverfish pack. It's probably like the $250 packs sold on ebay.
tomjasz
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Sadly you don't, which is why a trusted and reviewed reseller is so important.
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