BBS01 programming - that doesn't fry the controller

mfj197 · Nov 15, 2015

What do you want the motor to do that it doesn't do already? That might help us determine what settings you might want to tweak, if any. I've reprogrammed my motor and also that of another member here. Mine's done nearly 4k miles fast commuting and the other member's was used by his other half on an alpine cycling holiday, including ascending Alpe d'Huez. Frying the controller was only a problem on the BBS02 never the BBS01.

Reprogramming can really make this an epic motor but it helps to know what you think is wrong with it now and how you would wish it to behave.

Michael

mfj197 · Nov 19, 2015

You might not need to change the programming at all as it will probably do what you need in the highest assist level. Changing the limit speed to above 40km/h doesn't require reprogramming the motor as it is altered from the display.

The biggest problem I found with the default programming was as the assist level was reduced, so too was the pedal cadence. It's set to limit the crank speed to lower amounts in lower assist levels. No-load assist is approximately 90rpm which is a comfortable cadence for me (I'm a cyclist anyway). I use the motor at partial assist virtually all the time (2 or 3 out of 5) and I still want to provide assistance up to a cadence of 90rpm, but just at a lower drive current (and hence lower assist).

The big changes I've made are the following:

On the Basic tab I've set the Limit Spd(%) to 100 for every assist level (except Asst0). This allows the motor to provide assistance throughout the cadence range even at low assist levels.
On the Pedal Assist tab I've set the Keep Current(%) setting to 100 to allow full assistance via PAS (it was set to 60). There has been some debate over what this setting does and some people think it only constrains the amount of assistance provided once the Limit Spd(%) has been exceeded, whereas others believe it constrains the amount of assistance provided throughout.

Changing the maximum drive current to 18A from 15A is another alteration that can be made, which increases the maximum torque the motor can supply. It doesn't spin any faster but it can pull harder. The motor can tolerate it fine - in fact the 350W version of the BBS01 is exactly the same as the 250W with this exact change made. The hardware is identical. I haven't made this change myself as I find with the above modifications it pulls plenty hard enough and I'm always using it in lower assist levels anyway.

Most of my riding earlier in the year when it was dry was between 22 and 25mph, or 35-40 km/h. This is on assist level 3 out of 5. On assist 5 it will happily hold 27mph (43km/h) and the limitation there is the gearing - I would need a higher gear to go faster. This is on a road bike without suspension (which saps power), so it's a fast bike anyway.

Michael

Fordulike · Nov 19, 2015

DuncanDK said:
Hi Michael

That is a good question. To be honest, I read the articles about the BBS02 and I just assumed that a reprogramming was nescessary for the BBS01 aswell.

I will receive the motor this week and install it next weekend. I wish to be able to drive with a speed of 40 kph, combining my pedalling with the BBS01.

What capacity battery have you ordered?

Michael has suggested some parameter changes that work for him and I've changed a few settings on my BBS02 that work for me, but bear in mind that changing the maximum amps to 18A, plus the 'Keep Current' to 100% will empty the battery much quicker than stock settings.

Try the bike out on stock settings first as Michael says, then decide if you really do need to change anything

Fordulike · Nov 27, 2015

DuncanDK said:
Hi guys

I have just installed the motor and I have programmed the controller.

Whenever I change the max current from 15 to 18, the display (c965) shows 11H as an error code when I stop pedalling. That indicates controller heat error. However, it is NOT a heat thing. When I switch back down to 15A the error code disappears entirely.

Do you know why?

Sorry, I don't know why, but I can suggest a workaround solution to providing some extra power the motor.

Without changing the max amps from 15A to 18A, as you have been doing, go to the 'Pedal Assist' page in the programming software.

There you will see a parameter called 'Keep Current'. It will most likely be factory set at 60% or lower.

Increase it a little, maybe to 70 or 80%, write it to flash, then test ride the bike to see if you like the difference.

You may have already read about what 'Keep Current' does, but if you haven't, I'll dig out the post where I try to explain its feature.

If you get an error of any kind after changing parameters, then always revert back to the last known non error settings

Fordulike · Nov 27, 2015

DuncanDK said:
Please send the link with the explanation.
Why not set 'Keep current' to 100%, and then adjust the assistance level 1-9?

What I would like is assitance up to 90 rpm cadance. Thereby having the motors input and putting my own pedaling on top of that, raising the top speed by +10 km/h

Will provide an explanation at a later date, when I can find what I wrote.

As for setting the 'Keep Current' to 100%, then no problem. That would basically unlock the full potential of the controller at all times.

Obviously, depending on how your controller is presently programmed, there will still be current limiting in the lower PAS levels. But you could have all the power in highest PAS 5(9), without the 'Keep Current' setting reducing the power after the bike is moving.

In your case, that could be 540 watts at 100% 'Keep Current', instead of 324 watts, if your 'Keep Current' is presently programmed to the factory standard of 60%.

It's a bit sneaky how these units come from the factory, because buyers use the formula to calculate max wattage by multiplying volts x amps. When in actual fact you are only getting volts x amps x 'Keep Current' setting. Which can be as low as 60% of what you think the unit should be outputting.

I've heard some retailers reprogramming the 'Keep Current' as low as 30%, maybe to minimize potential warranty returns

Fordulike · Nov 28, 2015

DuncanDK said:
I have just returned home from a test drive with 'Keep Current' at 90%. I feels way stronger than at 60%. I will try it at 100% tomorrow and possibly change the 'Slow start model' (ramp up) a little and raise the 'Start Current' up from 10% as well.

Hahaha, I should have bought such a motor and changed to bike-communting years ago. This is great.

Glad you like the result. Be careful with the 'Start Current' though. Too high, and you may put excess strain on the unit's internal gears, as it'll put more torque through them from a standstill.

arnaudzi · May 4, 2016

Ok first sorry for my poor english, I'm french and I will try my best...
I have a bbs01 250w and I program 18A instead of 15A I have an error message on the display 11h.

arnaudzi · May 4, 2016

mfj197 can you please send me your motor settings? Because my bbs01 250w now make some little jolt, bump when I'm pedaling

Deleted member 4366 · May 4, 2016

Error code 11 is controller temperature too high.

How old is your BBS01? On the older ones, it was possible to damage the mosfets in the controller by setting incorrect parameters. From memory, it was something to do with start-up current.

If your mosfets are damaged, it makes the motor judder, hum or kick without turning. If your motor runs, but then stops, it's not a mosfets problem.

Can you describe a bit more what's happening with your motor?

Deleted member 4366 · May 4, 2016

There's a good guide to programming the BBS02 here:

https://electricbike-blog.com/2015/06/26/a-hackers-guide-to-programming-the-bbs02/

arnaudzi · May 4, 2016

Tank you for your reply. My motor is new it does work but when I'm pedaling is not fluent is like the assistance was cutting and immediately start again. Sorry for my English.

arnaudzi · May 4, 2016

I had a look on the link for the guide and it is very interesting. On my motor the keep current was set at 20. So put keep current at 100 and every limited speed at 100 won't kill the controller?

Fordulike · May 4, 2016

arnaudzi said:
I had a look on the link for the guide and it is very interesting. On my motor the keep current was set at 20. So put keep current at 100 and every limited speed at 100 won't kill the controller?

As d8veh says, the temperature might be reaching it's limit coz you've maxed out the settings. Change them back to the original settings, go for a ride and tell us if you are still having problems.

If the bike rides ok with the original settings, then increase parameters like 'Keep Current' gradually. Say 30%, go for a ride, if ok, 40% and so on.

Only the latest BBS02 and BBSHD are ok to max out the controller settings!

arnaudzi · May 4, 2016

OK now it's work. The maximum keep current I was able to set up is 75 over that porcentage i will have a code error on the display. For my BBS01 this the settings are:
BASIC
-Limited current 15A
-Limit spd 100% for each of them

PEDAL ASSIST
-Start current 10
-Slow stars mode 4
-Start up degree 2
-Time of stop 10
-Current decay 8
-Stop decay 0
-Keep current 75

TROTTLE HANDLE
-Start voltage 11
-End voltage 35
-Mode curent
-Designated assists 8
-Speed limited 40km/h
-Stat current 5

BBS01 programming - that doesn't fry the controller

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