HOW DO I DISCHARGE FOR STORAGE

[Gionnirocket]

The XLR connector is rated at 10 amps max per pin. You won't overload it with your Grin charger but be careful what you use for a load on the discharge cycle. The bulbs mentioned above are fine but using the bike's motor for a fast discharge could be a problem.

Using the motor seems like it would be a bad idea. Spinning it at high rpms continuously with no road load wouldn't be something that I would do... But then again cycling a stored battery isn't something that I would do either.

 

[Guitartec]

Thanks for the XLR info. The Grin is so damn expensive, one would think it could discharge the battery too. Insert a sht-eating Grin here!

 

[Guitartec]

No worries...
The load is the device ultimately using the electricity... so when charging it is the battery. When discharging it would be the motor or the light bulbs for the purpose discussed above. Take note in the two previous diagrams that they are different and one shows it wired for charging and the other shows it wired for discharging. The battery is the output (load)when charging and the input (line) when discharging
You will need both a male and female XLR for each CD60 as it will sit in line between the charger and battery like an extension cord.
I prefer to use a PC power cord as it will be round and have properly sized conductors... but 16ga - 14ga speaker wire can be used. My signal wire tested to have no function and is typically not used in eBike applications. You will see it used in situations like a golf cart to inhibit someone from driving it away while charging.
The CD60 works as a simple switch so as long as you don't cross + and - nothing can go wrong. If it malfunctions for any reason it will either charge the battery as if it wasn't there or not allow charging. So no mushroom clouds.

In the pic you can see what how it will plug in. I cut the ends off of the PC power cord and then cut a short piece to plug into the charger and the remaining longer piece to plug into the battery with the Male XLR. This makes it very easy to remove it from use by just unplugging it

I've just made a decision here... I'm going with the light bulb discharge method. The reasons are 10-fold and may not make sense to anyone, but on the top of the list is that I want to be more, not less, interactive with my battery in the non-riding season. Set-it and forget-it keeps me further away, and I despriately DO NOT want to lose interest in my bike over the winter. I bought this bike just for that very reason. I'll order up the parts and assemble it over the next month as I recover from a lower back procedure. I truly appreciate everyone's input on this.

 

[Gionnirocket]

I've just made a decision here... I'm going with the light bulb discharge method. The reasons are 10-fold and may not make sense to anyone, but on the top of the list is that I want to be more, not less, interactive with my battery in the non-riding season. Set-it and forget-it keeps me further away, and I despriately DO NOT want to lose interest in my bike over the winter. I bought this bike just for that very reason. I'll order up the parts and assemble it over the next month as I recover from a lower back procedure. I truly appreciate everyone's input on this.

Go for it!
What ever is going to keep you out of trouble is what I always say.
I try to ride as often as possible through the winter but it does get tough and sometimes it's just too cold for very long weeks at a time.
Charge'm, pedal'm and burn'm... it's all good.

 

[Guitartec]

Go for it!
What ever is going to keep you out of trouble is what I always say.
I try to ride as often as possible through the winter but it does get tough and sometimes it's just too cold for very long weeks at a time.
Charge'm, pedal'm and burn'm... it's all good.

Insert a big smile here. Thanks again!

 

[AHicks]

Just keep in mind those bulbs can get REALLY REALLY hot when left on for extended periods......

They WILL burn the hell out of you instantly..... not hard to figure how I learned THAT lesson!

 

[6zfshdb]

Just keep in mind those bulbs can get REALLY REALLY hot when left on for extended periods......

They WILL burn the hell out of you instantly..... not hard to figure how I learned THAT lesson!

Yes, those bulbs do indeed get hot. I hang the socket from a shelf to keep it clear of combustibles. I'll eventually switch to a porcelain bulb socket base so I can just set it on my workbench.

BTW, that battery / bulb rig comes in handy during a power outage for providing room lighting.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Curious.... where did the idea of having to cycle a stored battery come from? I don't think I've ever seen this in a tech doc. But I am forgetful these days
I wouldn't think storing less than 6 months would be a problem.. but maybe longer has some benefit?

 

[Adrian.s]

Can someone tell me the best way to discharge my 52v battery for winter storage? The bike is burried in my shed and the battery is in my basement. I've been leaving the green power light on hoping this paracidic drain will discharge it, but it's taking forever. I need an inexpensive and quick discharge method. Any help would be appreciated.

Keep the lights on if you have display ?

 

[6zfshdb]

I updated my battery discharge rig to make it more convenient to use.

I switched from the temporary bulb sockets with alligator clips to these screw down E26 sockets:

Amazon.com

I added a 12 hour timer for ease of use:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LBHB2IA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Along with four of these bulbs:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XC3N59Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Instead of using the XLR charging port, I cut the plug of a cheap extension cord in half. The flat spades fit perfectly into the main power connector on my Pedego battery.




By using the main battery connector, I was able to take advantage of the battery's internal power switch and fuse.


The rig can be used & stored flat on a bench or hanging on a wall.


All four bulbs draw just under 1 amp. Bulbs can be added or removed to adjust the draw. In theory, all four will fully discharge a 48V, 15AH Pedego battery in a little over 15 hours. A test showed the rig reduces a fully charged battery to 80% in about 4 hours.

Different connector schemes will have to be used on other types of batteries. The XLR connector will work since the draw is only 1 amp.

The total cost of the rig is just under $60. It has other uses though. It provides the equivalent of four 60 watt bulbs for up to 15 hours. In addition to using it during a power outage, I've also used it as a portable light source when working outdoors.

 

[tlippy]

I think maybe most of us can just go for a short ride to knock the battery down from it's 100% status. Unless you want to be really anal about it, there's no rocket science or exact percentages required here. If you know the bike is going to be put away at some point soon, just stop charging it when you get back from a ride! Then, if you do decide to go, charge it up and go. Just don't charge it up when you get back - unless you've managed to drain it completely. Then charge it up for a few hours and forget it. You're good to go for months if necessary! KISS!

Nice to see a sensible reply. I'm thinking many are making this battery thing a lot more complicated than necessary

 

[Guitartec]

Nice to see a sensible reply. I'm thinking many are making this battery thing a lot more complicated than necessary

Not an option for me.

 

[fixercqi]

I find myself in the same boat as the op. It was -20 here yesterday and I am 75 yrs old, and I did not get to be that old by riding in those temps LOL. Can anyone tell me how to determine which terminals on a 36v Giant Liv battery are the terminals to connect to with the light bulb discharger. The battery has 6 contacts and slides into a rear pannier carrier. Can I determine this with a multimeter some how? Thanks, I guess this is an old post but here's hoping someone sees it.

 

[AHicks]

I would try the ones on each end. If it works, fine. If it doesn't try a different pair. As long as you get 36v+ you will have a pair that will work for your purposes I would think....

You're placing the 12v bulbs in series, right? So you don't blow them with the 36v as soon as they're connected?

 

[6zfshdb]

I would try the ones on each end. If it works, fine. If it doesn't try a different pair. As long as you get 36v+ you will have a pair that will work for your purposes I would think....

You're placing the 12v bulbs in series, right? So you don't blow them with the 36v as soon as they're connected?

The bulbs I linked in an earlier post are rated at 12 - 48V. They can be wired in parallel with no problem.

 

[fixercqi]

Thanks for the information guys, I would try the bulbs in series first I think, but I took dcv readings and I can't find any 2 terminals with 36v potential.???

 

[AHicks]

What kind of readings are you getting?

 

[fixercqi]

What kind of readings are you getting?

Something like 1.5v when I place one probe on the outside left contact and then work my way across each of the others, with the other.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Something like 1.5v when I place one probe on the outside left contact and then work my way across each of the others, with the other.

The BMS may be shutting down the output... Try waking it by plugging in the charger or cycling any ON/OFF switch on the battery.

 

[fixercqi]

The BMS may be shutting down the output... Try waking it by plugging in the charger or cycling any ON/OFF switch on the battery.

I think you must be right. There is no on/off switch on the batt. but the control module on the handle bar turns it on for sure. ( must be talking to the battery management ???) I will see if the charger can wake it up. Do you mean to say that it will stay activated (wake up) for a period of time after I unplug the charger, or will it have to be plugged in to keep it activated? Does the charger have to be plugged into 110 also to cause it to wake up?