Powacycle Charger Problem

[Del 80]

d8veh, trust me to get it wrong,anyway, it is a 5 pin plug, think it's what they use for microphones, I'm told that only 3 of the pins are actually used.....trying to attach a picture of it.....Del.

 

[Del 80]

Correction, only 2 wires are used.......Del.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Are you sure it's five pins. Microphone ones are normally 3 pins,. This one:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Xlr-connectors.jpg

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Right, got it now. I've seen those connectors between the battery and controller before, but never on a charger. Anyway, it seems you have some experience of fitting them to a charger. I hope it wasn't a bad job that shorted out the charger. You're correct that only two pins are used, so you need to find out which two. You'll have to identify the "+" and "-" wires on the new charger so that you can connect it the right way.

 

[Del 80]

yes, d8veh, definatley 5 pins, the ''female'' end is attached to the lead....the ''male'' end is built into the battery housing, ......see my other thread for pics........Del.

 

[Del 80]

Thanks d8veh, when I first got the bike, the plug was shorting badly, a chap at work fixed it for me....no problems until couple of days ago.....just wonder if damage had been done to charger, that had weakened it, and it took while now to pack up, anyway, hopefully will get new one from Juicy bike, and keep you posted....thanks...Del.

 

[Atmosphere]

We see this problem regularly in the workshop and from your description of the problems it is very likely the charging circuit fuse - INSIDE THE BATTERY- not the charger
You will need to open up the battery casing carefully and you will see an orange blade fuse and a green one. It is the orange fuse that probably have gone.
If you are not happy doing this take to a specialist shop or drop by ourselves if you are near
Hope that helps and saves you money

 

[Del 80]

Thanks for that Atmosphere, got a new charger on order, one thing, I can't remember, but does charger light up if not actually plugged into battery ? I seem to think that it does, but could be wrong......Del.

 

[Del 80]

New charger has arrived.....big thank-you to Bob at Juicybikes, now, old charger wires are red & black, new charger wires are white & black, presumably red on old charger is live +, but what about new charger, will white be live + ??......any help appreciated.......Del.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

New charger has arrived.....big thank-you to Bob at Juicybikes, now, old charger wires are red & black, new charger wires are white & black, presumably red on old charger is live +, but what about new charger, will white be live + ??......any help appreciated.......Del.

Don't guess or go on hearsay, otherwise you'll be looking for another new charger.

Test it with a voltmeter. If you don't already have one, you can get one from any of the cheap tool or motor spares shops. You can also get them from Maplin or DIY shops. You only need a cheap one - about a fiver.

When the meter is the right way round it'll show approx 36v, and when the wrong way, -36v. You can check both the battery side and the charger.

Before you connect the charger, you should open up and check that all looks well in your original multi-pin connector in case something in there damaged the charger.

 

[Old_Dave]

Hi Del

Few options ... in order

1. Give Bob a ring and ask him
2. Use a volt meter (every home should have a cheap one, lol) and see whats +
3. Phone a friend that has the above and get them to pop around.

P.S note to self, must learn to type quicker as d8veh's post http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/12686-powacycle-charger-problem-3.html#post151717 is a better reply

O'h and the voltage shown on the meter when the charger is not connected to the batteries may be as high as about 42v so don't worry if its not showing 36v (thats for a 36v charger, for 24v then 28'ish v applies)

 

[Del 80]

d8veh, tested it, showing 29.4.......white is live+.....other way round shows -29.4.....just going to check plug.........Del.

 

[Del 80]

Thanks d8veh, and Old Dave, charger plugged in, red light on, everything seems o.k., d8veh, presumably it reads 29.4 because it's a 24v battery ?.......thanks for all your help............Del.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Thanks d8veh, and Old Dave, charger plugged in, red light on, everything seems o.k., d8veh, presumably it reads 29.4 because it's a 24v battery ?.......thanks for all your help............Del.

Yes, sorry, I forgot it's 24v

 

[Del 80]

Thanks d8veh, been on charge just over an hour now, everything o.k......couple more and it should turn green........fingers crossed !!..............Del.

 

[Del 80]

Coming up to four hours now, and still showing red, is this normal ?......I don't want to ''fry'' the battery..........Del.

 

[Old_Dave]

What's normal may be different with the new charger ( cos it may have a lower charging current )

However the golden rule is... Stop if it gets hot, warms good but hots bad.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Deleted member 4366]

A 10aH battery will take approximately 5 hours to charge with a 2 amp charger from fully empty. How full was it before you started charging?

 

[Del 80]

d8veh, less than half full, going by those 3 lights on top of battery, Old Dave, the charger is warm, but not excessively so............Del.

 

[Del 80]

Strange thing happened, whilst still charging, after about 5 hours, I moved battery and green light came on, having checked ''female'' plug earlier, I now wonder if ''male'' plug in battery housing is at fault, I think tomorrow I shall open battery housing up and have a look......I wonder if this is what knackered original charger ?.............Del.