UPDATE!!! Battery suddenly died during a ride

[wings02]

I went for a ride today with my Juiced Cross Current bike and my battery suddenly quit. My normal ride is around 15-17 miles on flat pavement. I set my bike at level 3 and average 25MPH. My battery meter was slightly less than half and my volts were reading 49.2. The screen suddenly went blank and there was no power. I could not turn on the battery. All of this occurred at around 15 miles into my ride. I have the 52 volt, 15ah battery. This is my normal ride and I have not hade a problem like this before. I do keep my battery charged when not in use.
NOTE, this is my second battery. My first one just died and Juiced did replace it free of charge.
Any help or suggestions is appreciated!

 

[Hootz]

The first thing you need to do is measure the actual battery voltage with a multimeter.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

It's worth cleaning all of the battery contacts with some contact cleaner and a toothbrush followed up with some dielectric grease.

TT

 

[harryS]

Does the battery turn on now?

I've come up against two types of shutdowns.

If the controller shuts down, it's usually happening when the battery voltage is sagging under load. The voltage recovers because the bike turned off, so I can turn on the display again, but I might only get a minute of run time before it happens again.

If the battery shuts down, because the BMS found a cell that was too low, I sometimes can get it to start by flipping the battery's on/off switch. On some batteries without a switch, I have to unplug the battery. Others will restart after a minute, It still might happen again. Some won't do anything til I put a charger on them, Those are the most nerve wracking as I pedal home and wonder if it will restart.

 

[wings02]

As I was pedaling back home I tried pushing the button to turn on the battery but it didn't turn on. Same thing after I got home. I hooked it up to the charger and tried it in about an hour and the battery did turn on. I will see what happens next time I go for a ride.

 

[Uuzd4S]

I went for a ride today with my Juiced Cross Current bike and my battery suddenly quit. My normal ride is around 15-17 miles on flat pavement. I set my bike at level 3 and average 25MPH. My battery meter was slightly less than half and my volts were reading 49.2. The screen suddenly went blank and there was no power. I could not turn on the battery. All of this occurred at around 15 miles into my ride. I have the 52 volt, 15ah battery. This is my normal ride and I have not hade a problem like this before. I do keep my battery charged when not in use.
NOTE, this is my second battery. My first one just died and Juiced did replace it free of charge.
Any help or suggestions is appreciated!

Yea, been using Rechargeable Lithium's in my R/C Hobby (radio control aircraft) since they first became popular over the old NiCad's. R/C'ers are Tech Geeks and Whiners so they bitch a lot when a manufacturer gets it wrong. As a result we had the best of the "pushed & matched" Mil Spec batteries & Balance Chargers from the best manufacturers for use in our R/C aircraft. One of the members is an electrical engineer/designer at Tektronix in Beaverton Ore. He's written several articles for publication on Lithium Charge state vs Duty Cycles ( how many times you can fully charge & discharge a Lithium before it won't take more than a 70% charge).
Here are Two articles explaining why storing Lithium Batteries at a Full Charge will shorten their Duty-Cycles.

How to store lithium based batteries – BatteryGuy.com Knowledge Base

BU-702: How to Store Batteries

Lead acid You can store a sealed lead acid battery for up to 2 years. Since all batteries gradually self-discharge over time, it is important to check the…

batteryuniversity.com

As far as your Electrical issues, I'm with Tars Tarkas except that I'd inspect/clean every electrical connector on the bike, including the controller in thee frame. Juiced has a fairly clear and direct way of accessing the Controller for the RCS on the upgraded controller installation page. Open the "Technical Specs" menu towards the bottom of the page and there's a YT vid for the R&R of the controller.
Happy Trails !

 

[wings02]

I went for a ride the other day and the same problem occurred. The Battery shut down at 15 miles with around half of the meter bars still displayed. The voltage was 49.9.
The difference from the last occurrence was that I did not charge my battery when I got home. The next day when I went to check the voltage, the battery did turn on and the voltage was 50 volts.
I think I am dealing with a problem with the thermal protector within the battery. I am calling Juiced tomorrow to discuss this.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

Could be, especially if you were pulling a long hill and or it was especially hot out. Did you ever clean and grease all of your contacts? I'd say the symptoms match my theory better than they do yours and my theory involves doing something you ought to do anyway, if you haven't already.

Not sure what, but it could be something else entirely....

TT

 

[Uuzd4S]

I went for a ride the other day and the same problem occurred. The Battery shut down at 15 miles with around half of the meter bars still displayed. The voltage was 49.9.
The difference from the last occurrence was that I did not charge my battery when I got home. The next day when I went to check the voltage, the battery did turn on and the voltage was 50 volts.
I think I am dealing with a problem with the thermal protector within the battery. I am calling Juiced tomorrow to discuss this.

Well, the Good News is that you've got decent riding weather in November, the Bad News is you can only ride 14 miles. Yea wings02, it's no fun getting onto your E-bike and wondering how far it's gonna go before the Gremlins have their way. Hopefully Juiced does the right thing and replaces your Battery w/ new if it's a Warranty issue or sells one at a very good discount.
Again, I'm w/ Tars Tarkas on this one, clean ALL the connectors w/ an appropriate cleaner, including the Speed Controller stashed in the frame, and apply some dielectric grease (silicone grease w/ electrical conductive properties). That'll get you a better connection than factory and will give some moisture-proofing qualities to the connectors.
It's occurred to me that your Brake Power Cutoff proximity sensors/switches within each of your Brake Levers may be the source of your problem. There is an additional lead coming off the Speed Controller that serves the same function that should be capped off as it is not used. These switches are operated by proximity to a magnet within the Brake Lever Hyd piston and I believe the circuit is Normally Open on these prox sensors until they get close to the magnet on the Hyd plunger. Here's a couple of Tektro YT videos that explain this system. You don't need all the fancy detection displays or Brake Lever adjustment tools. You can easily do this with an Ohmmeter
Vid One and Vid Two.
The Logan Brakes are knock-off's of the Tektro HD-E350's and the sensors are interchangeable. You should be able to determine if these Cutoff Sensors within the Brake Lever assy is working in your garage. I'd unplug both sensors, set the bike up so you can allow the rear wheel to turn freely, get the motor going w/ the throttle or Walk function and plug in the sensors. If the motor quits you've found the issue. Also, it could be as simple as a sensor tightened too close to the magnet to begin with and may only need adjustment.
That's my Two Cents worth, Good Luck.

 

[wings02]

I don't think it is a brake sensor especially since when the battery cuts out, the display also goes blank. I did try hitting the battery when the power is on to test for a loose connection but the power stayed on. I do appreciate your input though!

 

[harryS]

Many battery BMS do have thermal sensors now, but I think that's pretty hot when that happens. You would probably feel it thru the case. A more common reason is weak cells in an unbalanced battery. BMS detects one low cell, and it shuts off. Usually happens when you use throttle or pull high current. Does your Juice display show voltage as you ride? If it does, do you see it sag when using throttle? It varies, but a good battery ought to be around 2-4 volts. If you get 4-6 volts, battery is tired or too small.

Are you charging to 100% when you recharge, or are you cutting off at 90% or lower for battery life? If you do go to full charge, what's the battery read when it gets there? Max is 58.6V,

 

[Uuzd4S]

I don't think it is a brake sensor especially since when the battery cuts out, the display also goes blank. I did try hitting the battery when the power is on to test for a loose connection but the power stayed on. I do appreciate your input though!

Yup, I guess if the LED Display is going blank when the power to the motor stops, then ya gotta suspect the Battery. I was wondering if your display has spit out any Error Codes when you were able to power back up. I've included the Juiced website link. Their site shows a possible 12 different Codes with nearly all dealing with Power. If you do get a Code showing, Juiced should be better able to help.
Have you checked All connectors, including the Speed Controller ? Here's Juiced page on installing their 12 MOSFET Higher output Controller. It's short-n-sweet & straightforward and will give access to all hidden connectors for inspection. Go down the page to "Technical Specifications" and hit the + sign, you'll see a video on accessing your Controller.
There are aftermarket suppliers that Re-build Juiced Batteries. I've investigated these guys, (HI-C Battery at 1273 S. Cherokee St, Denver, Colorado 80223) and perhaps an e-mail exchange w/ one of their Tech's could provide an answer. Another thought is that I haven't read where you've inspected the Battery Fuse's. Here's a link, go to page 8 for Fuse R&R and Ohm those puppies out.
Happy Trails, bw

 

[wings02]

Sorry for not answering sooner. From what I can see when riding, battery voltage range is around 2 volts dropped when coasting then starting to pedal again. I am going to call Juiced tomorrow to ask them their opinions also.
Thank you all again for your help!!!!! I will keep you posted.