Bighit battery querie

[adifrank]

Hi everyone, my name is Frank.
Long time lurker.
Wonder if any of you guys can help.
Bought a Bighit ( Tonaro ) two weeks ago and while i am pleased as punch with it but
im not sure the battery is performing as it should. Did some measurements below.

Fully charged 41.7 volts
5 1/2 miles 1 light out 38.5 volts
11 1/2 miles 1-2 lights out 36.5 volts ( 5 ) lights on rudimentary handlebar control
16 1/2 miles 35.6 volts 1 light on only under load
21 miles 34.7 volts 0-1 light under load While riding
This has all been done on flat ground and 98 % pedaling very little use of the throttle.
One or two shallow inclines included.
once the battery gets to 35 volts, noticeably less speed and pulling power.

So can anyone who has one of these please help me determine whether these measurements sound right, because at the moment its not going to reach the distances
which i read about on here.
Also the motor cuts momentarily just for a second while pedaling usually a couple of
times while out riding.
Phil from Power Pedals has been an absolute star, as we first thought it may be the controller. So he sent me one to try but its not made any difference.
So now we are going to change the battery and see if maybe one of the cells is collapsing under load.
Or am i expecting too much and this behavior is normal.
Any input from you Knowledgeable guys would be appreciated if poss.

Frank..

 

[eddieo]

while you are waiting for an owners response: You cant really get a real idea of range from most handlebar mounted LED's as most drop like a stone under load only to recover when coasting along. Only way to tell range is to ride till flat I would think. My first wisper suffered from just having this poor handle bar indicator, but later models had LED panel on battery as well which was a much better indicator of state of battery.

even with new battery on the way think its best to ride till flat so you can make a proper comparison with new one...

 

[adifrank]

Bighit

while you are waiting for an owners response: You cant really get a real idea of range from most handlebar mounted LED's as most drop like a stone under load only to recover when coasting along. Only way to tell range is to ride till flat I would think. My first wisper suffered from just having this poor handle bar indicator, but later models had LED panel on battery as well which was a much better indicator of state of battery.

even with new battery on the way think its best to ride till flat so you can make a proper comparison with new one...

Yes thanks Eddieo,
I Know the leds are not accurate, but cutoff volts are 29.5 so could i assume that 21 miles
and 34.7 volts off load is sort of half empty.
Frank

 

[eddieo]

if half empty @ 21 miles = 42? total... that is pretty darn good from a 10 Ah battery

 

[NRG]

With a new battery you need to run it down fully from a fresh full charge to reset the internal battery fuel gauge. Then give it a full charge and allow the cells to balance out..then judge the range. The battery should measure 41.2v off the charger if healthy...beware that some multimeters are not that accurate!

 

[Deleted member 4366]

It sounds like the battery is a little out of balance, which is common for any battery that hasn't been used for a while, so don't be too quick to judge it. Once it's been through a few charge cycles, it might settle down. Once a 36v battery goes down to 34v, it's nearly empty and it'll have noticeably less power.

Personally I don't like to run a battery flat.Instead I charge every time I use it. Neither do I believe in conditioning, but who knows?

 

[adifrank]

Battery conditioning

Ok
d8veh
Have been keeping it topped up after every ride, but will try and run it down just once tomorrow. And see what happens.
What im still curious about is the motor cutting out for a moment while pedalling.
Its like a retarding effect for three or four seconds and then carries on normally weird.
Thanks for the suggestions.
Frank

 

[NRG]

You only need to run it flat to reset any BMS fuel gauge, you don't need to condition it. A top after every ride is fine.

 

[Geebee]

The battery when under load especially as it gets down maybe hitting low voltage cut-off, thus causing the momentary hesitations.

 

[adifrank]

The battery when under load especially as it gets down maybe hitting low voltage cut-off, thus causing the momentary hesitations.

Yes that would explain it, but it happens at random usually within half a mile of setting off
with a fresh battery.
Maybe twice whilst out, and it seems to occur more when on medium power.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Yes that would explain it, but it happens at random usually within half a mile of setting off
with a fresh battery.
Maybe twice whilst out, and it seems to occur more when on medium power.

You've probably got a faulty connection somewhere. Phase wires usually give a bit of a clunk, so probably not them. Brake switches are strong contenders. Do you ride with your fingers on the brakes? If so, don't. Most other problems would show on the throttle LEDS at the same time as cut-out.

 

[adifrank]

You've probably got a faulty connection somewhere. Phase wires usually give a bit of a clunk, so probably not them. Brake switches are strong contenders. Do you ride with your fingers on the brakes? If so, don't. Most other problems would show on the throttle LEDS at the same time as cut-out.

Thanks d8veh
I thought of that, so am careful not touch the brakes.
When it happens, if one led is out while riding when the motor cuts all leds come on as the load has
been taken off the battery.
Very puzzling. But thanks all for your input.
Will check the wiring connections again anyway.
Frank..

 

[hech]

Hi adifrank. In my experience the Bighit uses about 10watt/hours per mile which is pretty good I think. So the battery is usually good for 35 miles at full assist but that depends on whether you are grossly obese or riding up the Matterhorn at the time. The wiring loom and connecters are of poor quality and may well be the cause of you conking out from time to time, but at least it will give your chums on their Khalkoffs a chance to catch up eh?

 

[wd0021089]

Hi adifrank, with regard to the motor cutting out every now and then even when charged up try removing the magnet off the rear wheel the problem you have has been spoken about several times on this forum. In most cases taking the magnet off the rear wheel fixes the cutouts.

 

[mike killay]

Frank,
I am back from holiday, I know you have tried to phone but I cannot understand the answerphone! Give me a call.
SteveinDenmark had this cutting out problem and it was traced to the restrictor magnet on the back wheel.
In a previous post, I recorded that my 1 year old battery ran for over 17 miles on the flat without pedalling at all. If you can find somewhere flat, try this, it will give you some idea if the battery is wrong or not

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Hi adifrank, with regard to the motor cutting out every now and then even when charged up try removing the magnet off the rear wheel the problem you have has been spoken about several times on this forum. In most cases taking the magnet off the rear wheel fixes the cutouts.

Yes, good point. I rember now. It also gives more speed doesn't it?

 

[mike killay]

Yes, good point. I rember now. It also gives more speed doesn't it?

Baseless rumour!!!
it is a well known fact that Tonaro wheel magnets are prone to falling off and replacements are hard to find.
I tried the Chemists, Tesco, the paper shop, hairdressers etc.
No luck

 

[adifrank]

Bighit Probs

Baseless rumour!!!
it is a well known fact that Tonaro wheel magnets are prone to falling off and replacements are hard to find.
I tried the Chemists, Tesco, the paper shop, hairdressers etc.
No luck

Hi Guys,
Thanks for all your suggestions, but the magnet has been removed.
First thing i did. Im beggining to think the two problems are not connected
so im picking up a new battery friday ( Kudos to Phil at Powerpedals )
if this fixes the lack of distance prob then i will have to hunt down the
wiring fault somehow. Not too keen on pulling the wiring out of the frame tho.
Im not a big lad only 11 1/2 stone in old money, and my other bike does much more to the gallon.
Thanks all well see what happens.
frank.

 

[Eagle]

Frank,

My Tonaro voltage readings are about on a par with your ones.

I recharged the battery and it read 42.4v initially.

I did a 7 mile trip (using maximum assist) and the battery read 37.6v.

The first 2 miles is uphill and the rest is fairly flat plus a long downhill. I should add that I am a lot heavier than 11 1/2 stone but the diet and exercise are really shedding the flab.