Modifying King Meter LCD power levels

[Jodel]

I have fitted Woosh DWG22C rear hub motor kits to two of my bikes and have been very pleased with the results. The kits use cadence sensing and speed control to modulate the output from the motor. The controller is made by Lishui and the LCD display is a King Meter 529.

Generally, I’m happy with this arrangement, but I’d like a bit more control over the power level settings. There are 5 settings and whilst there are marked differences between Levels 1-3, there is little change if you alter the level between 3-5.

I’d like to make the settings a bit more linear, for example have level 1 set to deliver (say) 40% power, level 5 to provide 100% power with the other levels proportioned equally between these values.

My mechanical knowledge is pretty reasonable, but I have limited expertise in the electronic side of things.

Two questions for the gurus here please:

1) I understand that some displays / controllers allow a degree of user customisation, but I’ve not seen any way to modify the parameters of the King Meter 529. Is this LCD display ‘locked’ or is there any software to permit minor modifications? I’m not interested in changing the fundamental elements such as maximum permitted amps, just the power level settings.

2) Another possibility is to replace the King Meter 529 with one of the ‘better’ King Meter displays such as their SW-U model as this can also display the watts currently used by the motor. Not an essential feature but a ‘nice to have’.
http://www.king-meter.com/backend//KingMeter_upload/material/doc/2020-11-18/SW-U-II User Manual_5S protocol_ V1.0_20201107_1605684849287.pdf
I’m not sure if this display would connect to the existing Julet connectors in the Woosh harness or even if it can be obtained easily in the UK, but might be worth investigating. I have assumed that this display would be able to communicate with the Lishui controller as it is the same manufacturer as the original display.

Any comments / guidance gratefully received.

 

[Woosh]

the kd58c LCD has advanced settings - you can set the number of assist levels + power for each level like on the Woosh Gran Camino.
However, I don't have any KD58C in 48V in stock.

 

[Jodel]

Woosh - the KD58c LCD looks like it would provide the additional level of control that I'd like. Do you have indication of when these units are likely to be back in stock?

If you / Andy are able to provide the 'base' settings, that would be helpful too, as I don't want to 'cook' anything!

Ta.

 

[Woosh]

Do you have indication of when these units are likely to be back in stock?

I knew of its capabilities but I did not order any.
I'll ask the suppliers.

 

[eFred]

Generally, I’m happy with this arrangement, but I’d like a bit more control over the power level settings. There are 5 settings and whilst there are marked differences between Levels 1-3, there is little change if you alter the level between 3-5.

I have the same kit on my bike and very rarely go above level 3 for the same reason so the option to adjust the power settings to suit the way I ride the bike would be useful. The option to have a zero level that the other king meter displays offer would be good as I’ve a switch at the moment wired into the pedal sensor to do this

 

[Jodel]

I have the same kit on my bike and very rarely go above level 3 for the same reason ....

Yes, it seems slightly odd that the King Meter 529 doesn't seem to have any user configurable options. Other KM LCD's appear to offer more opportunity for end-user customisation. The KM SW-U unit looks quite decent in terms of user configurability.

On the one hand, I'm an inverate 'fiddler' but on the other hand, I don't want to fix what isn't broken!

 

[Bogmonster666]

I agree, this would be an improvement. The 0 assist with just speed and the watt output of the motor at a given point in time are probably both useful. Being able to see the watts going up is a good incentive to put a bit more manual effort on the pedals if you have a long way to go on a charge...very easy to slack off with the cadence sensors.

In general, for me I think a torque sensing CD system would be in many ways be a better fit from a riders experience, and also the fact that the lower assist levels will still help up to 15mph. However, I am still going with hub due to reliability and maybe more suited to all the junk I lug about on my bike...so yes, I think a more functional controller would be good.

I see kd58c is cheap and easy to pick up from the Chinese sites (and happy enough to take a punt on a low value item ). I am not familiar with the different ebike connections (my last one was all solder joints and heat shrink). Also, are there different versions of the kd58c to suit different motors - the ones I see listed say suitable for bafang mid and hub - would these also work with the DWG22C. Also, I see there appears to be a 24v to 48v version and a 36v to 52v version, guessing either should work?

 

[Bogmonster666]

I had a read of the manual and you can tweak the assist within a small range. E.g. lever 1 can be set from 45 to 55% assist. I have a suspicion (but no proof) that tweaking the higher assist modes may not achieve that much other than possibly bogging down a bit earlier on very steep hills? At the end of the day, the cadence sensor system is really quite crude. Not saying it is bad, just not very refined.

The current power output by the motor is a little graph type display that is displayed simultaneously with other output like speed. Being able to see at a glance that the motor is working hard is a good incentive to pedal a bit harder - it's this feature of the display that I think I would find most useful...as I think the hub cadence system encourages slacking, whereas the torque sensing system directly feeds back that you are slacking because you are going slower...

 

[Woosh]

...as I think the hub cadence system encourages slacking, whereas the torque sensing system directly feeds back that you are slacking because you are going slower...

The main difference is when you climb a steep hill.
It's much easier with a cadence sensor.

 

[Jodel]

I knew of its capabilities but I did not order any.
I'll ask the suppliers.

Woosh - have you had an opportunity to contact your suppliers regarding availability of the KD58C LCD display? Happy to e-mail Andy at the shop if that is easier.