Hydra in (semi)gloss black (Cerakote H109)

No, they're from the BMS Bluetooth app. You have to sideload a sketchy app from a sketchy website and not touch any settings that would destroy your battery.

You've been warned.
And it actually connects to your phone wirelessly via Bluetooth? I recall seeing some bafang motors Bluetooth enabled but I didn’t understand how.
 
And it actually connects to your phone wirelessly via Bluetooth? I recall seeing some bafang motors Bluetooth enabled but I didn’t understand how.
The battery management system connects wirelessly by Bluetooth. The motor controller is separate and connects with the programming cable. You can even connect to the battery when it's removed from the bike.
 
The battery management system connects wirelessly by Bluetooth. The motor controller is separate and connects with the programming cable. You can even connect to the battery when it's removed from the bike.
That's very useful. Do you know if the "protections" stats are reset once you plug the battery back in to re-charge? I'm seeing 0 for everything, but the battery is re-charging now.

Do you find the "total voltage" stat a better indicator of how much battery life you have left?
 
No the battery management keeps a record of everything. how many charges, overcharge, under charges shorts etc.
 
Yes. I am showing 0 for all protection items even though I have gotten various versions of the shutdown with this battery. I am also seeing total voltage of 56.02 V even though the battery is showing charged 100%. I thought voltage at full charge is supposed to be around 58.7 V, which is what the charger reads. Not sure if the app reading and charger reading should match.
 
Are you guys still discussing 'System Shutdown' on the new Hydras?
I had a phone conversation with Pushkar yesterday regarding my bike, because of some changes I requested like 29x2.6 wheels and DVO suspension. My bike build was put in the back-burner. I will certainly ask him to de-bugged my bike prior to shipping. Field test it or dyno it to simulate System Shutdown.
Smart to go with the 29s Rome. Getting a set will be my first order of upgrade business for mine. I think for any riding in 'not flat' terrain, the 29s will provide better rolling capability and a slightly higher bb/crank height which is a plus. I woukd have changed my order from the 'demo' to real bike if I had thought about it in time.
 
WW has a set for my order but Pushkar said it's a few hundreds more but he hasn't given me full details on the build, all he said was high performance. And no actual date of delivering it.

Lsthrz have you fixed the System Shutdown?
No, I've been away traveling so haven't had a chance to ride it since that day. Curious to see if it recurs and the how and why of it.
 
Cockpit cleanup day!
IMG_20211120_141006.jpg

- 2 finger brake levers
- 500C display (version 5.2 and they still don't have the battery gauge scaling with the battery voltage setting)
 
If you want some little snappy thingies to fix your cables together that still allows for some movement & manipulation of the cable in the clip, Jagwire 4mm/5mm & 4mm/4mm cable hooks are really great! More expensive than zip tires of course but they're easily removable and reusable. They also have some rotating hooks for clipping cables that don't run next to each other together. Bummer to hear about the 500C, I picked up one with my backup M620 because it's nice & small while still giving lots of info but I guess it still lacks a little functionality eh?
 
Good info on Jagwire.
Have you used their Stick on guide below, and if so do you know if they hold on a flat surface? They have a curved based and I wonder if they are flexible enough to stick on a flat surface.
 
@scrambler they're aluminum so I wouldn't think they'd want to flex an awful lot, but if you could flatten them they probably won't want to flex back. I don't like non-permanent adhesives on finished surfaces though so I would opt for the little plastic cable guide clips meant for brazed or welded guides on the frame (if it's a metal frame, and those guides would be pained/coated like any other part of the frame). My stuff is all internal from headtube to rear stays so I could avoid all that mess - wish I could help you out there more!

I'm even looking to get a longer cable for my display to solder in place of the short one that comes with the 500C so all my connectors go inside the cavity between the headtube and battery compartment of my frame. Outside though the cables are in 3 main runs; display & dropper together, shifter & rear brake together, and then the front brake that's run along the dropper & display with 2 clips then also clipped to the rear brake with one of the rotating clips before going down to the fork. The rear brake is also clipped to the dropper cable housing where they cross; the clip is snug on the 5.5mm brake line but slides freely along the 4mm cable housing when I turn back & forth. The cables all stick out about 105cm forward from the headtube and aren't pulled tight when I turn as far as I can in either direction, but I am including a bumper thingy to prevent hitting the carbon frame with the tops of my stanchions ala some Specialized frames. It's a piece built into the battery retention plate (the front one with the lock) that holds some rubber bumpers. The original design makes it easy for my to print a thick piece so the force is spread through the bracket before going to the frame. Note I have a Dengfu E06 so this whole bumper thingy now is just me going off on some weird rambling tangent instead of getting out the door to take the dog on a hike like I intended to...
 
Well, I'll be damned. The 500C gauge is displaying correctly for a 52V battery. I have no idea if it's reading that from the motor controller or they're all just stuck on 52V now. They used to only display correctly for 48V batteries.
 
Well, I'll be damned. The 500C gauge is displaying correctly for a 52V battery. I have no idea if it's reading that from the motor controller or they're all just stuck on 52V now. They used to only display correctly for 48V batteries.
I have the 500c and believe it has been displaying battery voltage normally for the few weeks I’ve been using it.
 
I have the 500c and believe it has been displaying battery voltage normally for the few weeks I’ve been using it.
Yes, voltage is correct within 0.1V of my voltmeter. Percentage and the bar-graph gauge is also reasonable for a 52V battery.
 
One year in and my Hydra with the Archon X1 controller is still going strong. I opened the motor and replaced the yellow Bafang grease with Lubriplate Synxtreme HD2 calcium sulfonate synthetic grease. It's supposed to outperform lithium. I'll check on it in another year. The motor seems quieter but I'm still the loudest thing on the trails.

I also added heat shrink tubing to the motor phase wires to further insulate them from the metal housing. I recall some people having problems with short circuits there. The motor temperature sensor wires already had electrical tape on them for this purpose.

I finally got around to installing the 52V, 20Ah battery I built with Samsung 50E2 21700 cells. 14Ah just wasn't enough for me.
IMG_20220506_183946.jpg


It sits on high density foam and is strapped to the cable management clamps with Velcro. The battery cover also has high density foam that pushes against the battery.
PXL_20221125_190500235.jpg


Here are some details of the battery build for those interested...

The parallel cell groups are matched by internal resistance and isolated from eachother with kapton tape. Cells are glued together with neutral cure silicone. Balance wires are isolated from the cells and power wires with kapton tape. Cells are spot welded with 0.2 mm pure nickel. I used the same 30 Amp BMS model as my original battery. The connector is an anti-spark XT90.
IMG_20220501_162700.jpg


The front and back are covered with adhesive backed fishpaper wide enough to wrap around the ends of the cells. This double layer over the ends of the cells made the pack very stiff.
IMG_20220501_165332.jpg

The pack was then covered with tough polyolefin heat shrink tubing. If I did it again, I'd use LG M50LT cells and route the balance wires a bit better.
 
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I just got my bike recently and brought it into Canada , the box was not dinged up like that and it was delivered by FedEx , the throttle however did break but wattwagon has sent me a new one already. The rest of the bike looks to be in great shape , 1 minor scratch on the frame but it's tiny. I love your paint job did you get that done custom ? I was tempted to get custom paint but the price was too steep. I ordered mine to Bellingham and brought it across the border myself to avoid brokerage fees and the extra shipping cost into Canada.
 
I miss living close to the US border (Sumas). Shipping costs from the US into Canada are insane. It's cheaper to send something from Germany than the US.
 
I love your paint job did you get that done custom ?
No, I only ordered the single free color. The Trevor van Riemsdyk Edition decals were free. Perhaps Watt Wagons tested their fitment on my frame and left them on?
 
I miss living close to the US border (Sumas). Shipping costs from the US into Canada are insane. It's cheaper to send something from Germany than the US.
No kidding the price into Canada was crazy , I'll go get it myself thank you ! 300 usd to Bellingham 750 to Canada just down the road like 30 minutes !
 
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