CycleCharge Project - Announcements & Discussions

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Cyclezee

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Following on from this earlier post, I have now managed to get some pics of the new CycleCharge Li-ion batteries. They don't have housings yet, nor professional labels, but at least this gives you an idea of build quality and size.

From left to right: 24V10Ah, and 36V10Ah Lithium-Ion batteries, regular charger and fast mode higher current charger. The batteries use the standard IEC (Kettle plug, female) for power out, and female barrel-style connector for power input from the chargers. I had them designed this way for safety so there's no mistake when it comes to charging, and very low risk of a short or shock from the batteries.



Note: the slighter taller charger is the "super fast" one that charges from flat in < 3 hours, and this is the charger we'd like Charge Points to have. The slightly smaller and slightly lighter one next to it is the normal trickle charger one, which takes < 7 hrs to charge from flat. These are based on a 36v/10Ah battery charge.

As to the battery housings, the ones we received from China just weren't suitable at all (I think something got lost in translation somewhere and we ended up with battery cases that resembled mini-car battery housings!

We're still looking for suitable housings... ideally what we want is something in matt black or grey ABS plastic that looks similar to our charger housings (only taller/wider of course with two connections at either side (charging input via barrel connector, and power output via female IEC connector/cable). If anyone has any sources cheap, do post.
Sorry if I have missed something, but how many bikes accept a kettle style battery connector?
 

danielrlee

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Any update on the Cyclecharge scheme Morphix? I watched the countdown on the 'coming soon' page come and go a few weeks back and am still waiting in anticipation.
 

JamesW

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Nov 17, 2014
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Sorry if I have missed something, but how many bikes accept a kettle style battery connector?
Surely a kettle style connector is easy to rewire/ wire a connection up for to fit your bike - not difficult.
Besides - then you could run your bike from the mains via a small transformer for on stand debugging without running down the battery!!
 
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morphix

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Oct 24, 2010
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Any update on the Cyclecharge scheme Morphix? I watched the countdown on the 'coming soon' page come and go a few weeks back and am still waiting in anticipation.

Hi Daniel,

I ran into some hiccups and technical probs with the new website, which has severely delayed the launch unfortunately. To make matters worse, the old server which hosted the existing website died (both master and backup disks!) so the old site has been off-line.

I had a chat with Lynda just before xmas (the co-founder and project coordinator) and she decided it would be best to focus on getting the old site restored and back online for now, as it contains all our Charge Points and members details.

So, I've spent the last few days restoring the old CycleCharge website. Most of it is now restored, but because it's on a new server platform, there's a few things broken/missing, that need fixing still which I'm working on today.

The plan now is, as mentioned before, to operate new and old sites on separate domains....

www.cyclecharge.org.uk = old site
www.cyclecharge.co.uk = new site

The two sites will both be running for a while until all the data is carried across from the old site to the new one which will use the WordPress platform and a special theme I've chosen which supports smartphone/tablet devices. Once the data is moved across and the new site is fully functional, the old site will disappear and both domains will once again point to the same site.

ETA for new site... difficult to say, although the new site is installed and ready, it needs content and data carried across and some design changes to the theme.. I'm working on it every day, but since there's only myself who does the IT/web stuff, it's taking much longer than it would if I had volunteers or an IT team! *hint hint*

I promise, it will be well worth the wait though, the new site will be fantastic and much more exciting and dynamic than the present one. Also, all those new members who have applied for membership and cards, I haven't forgot about you and have a list here - thanks for your patience and the £1 donation payments on PayPal towards our costs.

Your membership packs and cards will be sent after the new site is launched. We're incorporating a QR code onto the membership cards and into the new website, to enable Charge Point scanning which will provide us with a lot of technical benefits including statistical analysis of Charge Point usage, this is partly the reason for the delay sending cards out.
 

morphix

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Oct 24, 2010
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A call for more CycleCharge volunteers...

CycleCharge Representatives: Do you like travelling around, exploring new places? Are you good with people? Could you speak to business owners and persuade them of the benefits of becoming Charge Points? Or perhaps you would just like to hand out some leaflets in your area, find leads and/or contact businesses for us online by e-mail? We need more Charge Points in all areas of the UK, Channel Isles, Ireland, and beyond. If you can help us, please get in touch. Remember this is our primary purpose, building a large network of public free to use Charge Points. The new site will enable volunteers to oversee their own Charge Point 'territory' if they want to. Representative volunteers will receive recognition for their efforts in signing Charge Points. There will also be regular competitions and prizes and awards for those who sign the most Charge Points. We'll also supply you with all the materials you need including a CycleCharge Representative ID card, and we'll cover some personal expenses, if you decide to travel further a field or make a day of it! Anyone good at photography on-site, or doing write-ups of Charge Points, or registering their details for them, would be welcome too. Perhaps you can team up with volunteers in your area who prefer to do the talking/presentation side and support them?

Writers & Editors: Can you research/find or write articles/content related to e-bikes and climate change (particularly batteries, charging, social, economic and environmental benefits etc)? We could also use site editors and moderators (the new site has commenting, discussion areas, live chat and social networking site feeds).

Programmers & Web Development: Anyone familiar with the WordPress platform who wants to help develop and support the new site is welcome. Anyone with PHP, Perl, MySQL, Apache2, and general Web server admin/developer skills would be very useful and welcome volunteers. One particular area we need help with is mapping Charge Points, using Google Maps (and other services). Our existing mapping is fairly primitive so we need to improve it! The ideal scenario would be enter two postcodes, and you get a map that shows the quickest/scenic routes, and shows the Charge Points with links to their profile portals on our sites CP directory.Speaking of which, we need to re-think the portals and advertising side, how CP's can use it better to communicate with members, offer special price deals or offers to encourage members to visit etc. We also need an opt-in mailing list for CP's to use and newsletter templates. The main benefit to CP's is free advertising & marketing to an ever growing community of e-bike users, so this is an area we really need to develop well.

Battery Repairs & Recycling: We already have about 5 volunteers in this group, but welcome more. We need individuals ideally with an electronics or electrical engineering background (ideally qualified), however capable hobbyists/amateurs are very welcome too. Repairs will involve repairing CycleCharge branded batteries, and likewise, recycling, will involve salvaging good cells/BMS circuits etc from batteries beyond repair.All your costs will covered, and any tools or parts you need, supplied.

Battery development: A new specialised area..you will be helping to design, test and build the next generation of CycleCharge branded batteries. The aim is to design a range of batteries based on a common design which is intended to be easily serviceable by end users so batteries don't have to be serviced/disposed off so early. The BMS will have a matrix-style backlit LCD showing individual cell status. High quality cells will be used and easily replaceable by end users without any soldering required, using holders or clips for the cells. The BMS circuits and cells will be manufactured and sourced through our suppliers in China (or possibly the UK wholesale), but the actual finished end product will be assembled and QC/safety tested in the UK and then sold exclusively through the CycleCharge Ltd website. Battery designs and sales revenue will be asset-locked into the company for the benefit of members and the wider e-bike industry. Those building e-bikes will be able to order batteries at preferential prices and we will offer some flexibility on design, so volunteers may work in-conjunction with other companies to provide batteries and may receive payment directly from those companies. There is a lot of potential in this area and we see this as a big part of what CycleCharge does in the future, besides operating the Charge Point network. So we welcome anyone with design or business ideas, business skills (planning/marketing/management assistance), besides volunteers on the technical side.

Android App Support & Development: If anyone has any skills or interest in this area, we could really use volunteers to help develop a basic Android app for searching our Charge Point database, and adding new Charge Points from mobile devices. You don't necessarily have to be an Android developer, just having a knowledge of apps and a willingness to experiment with using existing apps would also be helpful.

Company Officers: CycleCharge is now a registered limited company (limited by Guarantee with trustee directors) and there are plans to apply for semi-charity status with the Charities Commission for tax exemption. At the moment, only myself and Lynda Graves (funkylyn) are on the board of directors. However, as the project activities expand and CycleCharge receives more funding, there will be more duties and responsibilities than we can both manage by ourselves. Eventually we need to appoint a treasurer/accountant/financial director and a marketing director/PR person, and probably various other roles will emerge. Depending on the duties or work involved, you may receive a small salary or be an unpaid volunteer with an expenses account, this will be negotiable. If any members fancy being on the board, or helping to run the company, then feel free to put your names forward. We'll probably take votes on appointments every few years.

Volunteers are unpaid for the time being, and as such you wouldn't be expected to put in long or regular hours. Just helping out whenever you can, and fitting things around your existing commitments and spare time is fine.

Note: In the not too distant future (later in the New Year), we are likely to receive some grants and private funding for CycleCharge Ltd. When this happens, some volunteers will be offered one-off payments for their time, or regular salaries for some part-time volunteers. Anyone who volunteers now, will be given preference in future when it comes to deciding who will be offered paid positions or work.

As always, this will be a collective decision though. Members will be consulted and will have a say in how finances are used. Our finances, expenditure and use of grant money will be transparent and accounts provided online for everyone to see.
 
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morphix

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Oct 24, 2010
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Surely a kettle style connector is easy to rewire/ wire a connection up for to fit your bike - not difficult.
Besides - then you could run your bike from the mains via a small transformer for on stand debugging without running down the battery!!
Yes, the kettle-style plug (IEC) has become the connector of choice in the e-bike industry (at least for DIY'ers and in China). It makes perfect sense to use IEC connectors between controllers and e-bike batteries I think because:

a) It's designed for safety and approved by the electrical manufacturing industry for use on kettles...intended to carry high currents and be semi-water resistant (or splash resistant at least). Ideal for older people with poor eyesight and children as it's a connector style and shape everyone is familiar with.

b) They're inexpensive and widely available from local electrical/Maplin stores, and online on eBay.

c) Like you say, they are easy to wire and fit - similar to a normal plug (and without soldering if done right).

Fitting tips: the recommended safer way to fit them is to put the female side of the IEC connector on the BATTERY side (so there's no risk of electric shock from exposed connector pins) and the male side on the controller.

If you're not soldering the wires onto the pins (recommended) then make sure the wire is wrapped around the screws or clamped under properly and that the cable is clamped down securely with the two screws, and the cable grommet/reinforcer (whatever the correct term is) is used on both ends of the connector, as it helps prevent the wires coming loose and any reduces strain.
 
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Kettle pplugs are not good, because they're not designed for soldering and they melt too easily. If you wrap the wires around the screw terminal, you can't use thick wire. If you don't make a good joint, they'll heat up and melt even more. I don't know what current they're rated at, but I'd be surprised if it's enough for an electric bike.

Edit: I just checked. They're 10A.
 
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johnc461165

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Aug 19, 2011
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This to me is one of the best post's on this site, someone who knows e-bikes and what people want. Morphix I must congratulate you and thank you for the time and effort you must have put into this venture. I hope to support you by ordering a battery in the new year.
 

trex

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 15, 2011
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IEC plugs and sockets are not a good choice for batteries.
After reading Morphix's ideas about making his own batteries, I'd like to point out that battery cells need to be welded or soldered, not to save money but for safety reason. Welding gives the lowest internal resistance, soldering is secondd best. Low resisstance reduces the heat.
There are also good economic reasons why batteries are made difficult to repair.
Repairs only buy you a short time of service.
If your battery is faulty in the guarantee period, you'd want a replacement, not a repaired one. Outside the warranty period, modern batteries are made for 4 years or 700 cycles, whichever comes first. Every year, new cells are made differrently from the year before. When you replace a few cells, the new cells are not the same as the old ones, they will accelerate the demise of the old cells. You pay the repair and get 4 more months of service, not 4 more years. You'd be better off with a second hand batttery than a repaired one. The only time a repair is sound is replacing the BMS.
The blue plastic sheathing that you see on the pack is there for a purpose. The design of the whole pack must satisfy UN safety tests. You can't make a pack that can be disassembled or repaired by non-qualified customers, otherwise you'd see a lot of people offering to build batteries from components on ebay.
 
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