Battery Upgrades

[Reinaldo Almodovar]

Hey mark i tried ot but it wont power my motor??

 

[Trail Cruiser]

Hey mark i tried ot but it wont power my motor??

You need a tester to check if the power source has juice coming out from it. You also have to check the motor directly to make sure it's working. If your system is originally 48 volts, your controller may have a low voltage cutoff, if it does, then you can go back to 48 volts with either 4 or 8 batteries. Also check for built-in fuses in the controller and motor itself if they have one. Do you have an external (separate) controller or is it built into the hub motor?

 

[Reinaldo Almodovar]

I have a controller that came with it but separate. I tried even 36v a set of 3 sla and it still did not work so it must have a low voltage cutoff. I just added 4 sla and left it like that because my understanding that an extra 5th battery will cause it to die quicker. I was using 5 before and it sucked.

 

[Reinaldo Almodovar]

Hey mark thanks. I went ahead and sold 2 batteries to a neighbor so i can start buying the right battery size and delete the hassles for good. I already have 1 and was able to get another so 2 down 2 more to go.

 

[Reinaldo Almodovar]

New question guys. So i went ahead and bought bigger batteries. 12v 18ah so series connection gives me 48v 18ah but i still have four small 12v 7ah. Can i connect thefour small ones in parrallel and then connect the 2 banks together for more capacity? So to simplify it. Four 12v 18ah in series "48v 18ah" and four 12v 7ah in parallel "28ah" connect both banks of four batteries together for more capacity. Yes or no?

 

[Trail Cruiser]

New question guys. So i went ahead and bought bigger batteries. 12v 18ah so series connection gives me 48v 18ah but i still have four small 12v 7ah. Can i connect thefour small ones in parrallel and then connect the 2 banks together for more capacity? So to simplify it. Four 12v 18ah in series "48v 18ah" and four 12v 7ah in parallel "28ah" connect both banks of four batteries together for more capacity. Yes or no?

The quick answer is YES.

However, it will not be a balanced discharge of the battery since the smaller bank will run out of juice more quickly. I supposed it would give an inconsistent discharge current with high surges. Another issue would be the weight. The 8 batteries will be close to 70 pounds. You need a motorcycle frame and tires for that dead weight payload.

 

[Reinaldo Almodovar]

I have a steel frame but i have decided to just sell 3 batteries for $40. I accidently connected the positive wire to the negative terminal and it got fried and melted on the 4th battery so im stuck with 3. Can that be fixed? And is it worth fixing for sell? If not i might just send it back to manafacturer and get refund for 3. I also checked the voltage and it is still the same. The battery body has minor burn marks and there is still enough of the terminal left to solder a wire on. Maybe ill be fine untill my last battery arrives tmrw?

 

[Trail Cruiser]

I have a steel frame but i have decided to just sell 3 batteries for $40. I accidently connected the positive wire to the negative terminal and it got fried and melted on the 4th battery so im stuck with 3. Can that be fixed? And is it worth fixing for sell? If not i might just send it back to manafacturer and get refund for 3. I also checked the voltage and it is still the same. The battery body has minor burn marks and there is still enough of the terminal left to solder a wire on. Maybe ill be fine untill my last battery arrives tmrw?

That 4th battery with damaged terminal most likely is still in good condition, it just needs to be fixed with new terminal. I would rather sell the small batteries since the newer ones are more than enough for your intended trips of 18-20 miles (which the smaller batteries were not enough for the range.)

 

[Reinaldo Almodovar]

I fixed it. I soldered a male terminal and works like new. Im going to sell all of them anyway but i have to use these one more time for tmrw because the other battery can take all day to get here. Thanks.

 

[Reinaldo Almodovar]

Question. What should each 12v 18ah battery read with meter before charging?

 

[Trail Cruiser]

Question. What should each 12v 18ah battery read with meter before charging?

It does not matter if it's a big battery or small battery, a 12 volt lead acid battery will have a range somewhere between 10 volts to 13.5 volts depending on the state of charge.

 

[Reinaldo Almodovar]

I mean if i check the batteries with a multi meter what would be my reading to know when to charge the batteries? Like do i charge them when they each read 8v or less. What voltage am i looking for before charging again?

 

[Trail Cruiser]

I mean if i check the batteries with a multi meter what would be my reading to know when to charge the batteries? Like do i charge them when they each read 8v or less. What voltage am i looking for before charging again?

The battery should not got below 10.5 volts, and that is by measuring the voltage while system is turned off. Discharging a lead acid battery below 10.5 volts will severely damage it. "If a lead acid battery is not immediately recharged, the lead sulfate will begin to form hard crystals, which can not be reconverted by a standard fixed voltage".

https://www.progressivedyn.com/service/battery-basics/

 

[Ann M.]

Good info @Mark Peralta,
@Reinaldo Almodovar, please check out this comprehensive info on SLA batteries & charging at BatteryUniversity.com; another good source for batter info. Overcharging or keeping SLA batteries charging at a max voltage also causes the batteries to degrade & release gas, thus shortening the cells lifespan.