Replcing the cable between Controller and Cockpit

[Q-Wing]

Hi,

I´m riding a 2009 Optibke and need to replace the cable between controller and Cockpit as well as the cable to the derailleur.

Is there anybody in the group, did the same job in past?

If yes, it would be great to learn, what is tricky or what I should avoid.

Thanks in advance

Christian

[M R Smith]

I'd like to have a step by step for this too!  

This build video does show the steps, in reverse, needed to break open the x00 and R series:
  https://youtu.be/5YlmHtrGHmI 

[Q-Wing]

Hi M R Smith,

since the feedback was quite poor, I got a suitable cable from a workshop (24 x 0,15mm2) Outer diameter fits perfect, and the load can be handled be the core diameter.

Since I will add a Cycle Analyst later, the add. cores are very welcome to connect a PAS-Sensor and the shunt. 

Just the connector was a problem. It needs AWG24 to fit the insulation displacement contact. I soldered the wires, works fine.

Today, the cable is connected, but bike is dead. Since the battery was not charged for 6-8 weeks, I guess the battery is totally discharged :-(.

Voltage at the battery is 0,2 VDC w/o charging. Connecting the charger, Voltage is app. 45 VDC. Since the battery ia app. 5 years old, it may at the end of its lifetime.

I will charge it for 24 h and see what happens. 

Replacing the controller board in the frame will be a challenge, hands are to big...

to be continued

Christian

[M R Smith]

One thing you might try: if you have an RC multi-voltage charger such as a GT Power A8 you could start at a lower number of cells and increase the number as the battery pack cells revive slowly.  We have successfully restored a half dozen BionX 36v Li-Mn packs and another 4 Currie Tech Li packs that had been stored for years, but still had some residual voltage. The two packs that were flat out dead were gone and unrecoverable.

This type of charger does have protection for runaway voltage spikes and other problems caused by completely failed cells in a series string 

 Best, Mark

[M R Smith]

PS - more to the point, I forgot to note that we used a GT Power A8 to revive a 2007 Optibike 600 NiMH battery pack. Now, as my primary ebike, this model 600 has 65%-70% or so of estimated orignal Ah capacity. We measure 8.6ah charging current after dozens of cycles to restore this pack in 2018 and again this past two months after it sat for 3 months. 

This year the Optibike 600 status LEDs went from initial blinking RED LEDs to solid RED LEDs after the OEM charger completed first cycle in March. After at least 30 charge/discharge cycles of riding and charging, the battery pack now accepts the 8.6ah in, which is probably around 6.5ah usable in the pack after losses are included, and the status LEDs go solid GREEN when the OEM charger shows solid GREEN. 

This ebike was stored in a garage or a partially heated storage bin so never got below freezing, and rarely gets above 90degF. That helps the longevity of the battery pack.

So, yes, old packs MAY revive if cared for and slowly "resuscitated".  YMMV! 

[Q-Wing]

Hi Mark,

thanks for your prompt and long answer. Seems to me, you are not a  newbie.

0 VDC on the Molex-Connectors of the battery-pack. Checked the battery: it´s fully charged (40,4 VDC). 

I will contact optibike for some assistance, since I´ve no clue what controls the battery. Maybe it´ s the 10k NTC. 

Cheers

Christian

[M R Smith]

s this one of the Optibikes with the 3 position switch under the seat? One position is for the internal battery, middle position is neither, and 3rd position is for external battery pack. But I don't see any wires from the switch to the controller board on our old Optibike 600. The switch just controls external connection to the charger port.

You are saying you can probe the pack, which has full voltage, but you get 0v on the connector?  Wow, very rare to get a bad crimp or less likely a solder joint on a connector, but it happens! You might check continuity from where each side of the battery pack molex connector makes connection with battery out to the connector pins. 

Best, Mark

[Q-Wing]

Hi Mark,

yes, the relay-board with the 3-pos- switch. 

Problem is not any crimp contact in the power line. Even on the screw on the PCB just 0VDC. Some signal is missing to trigger the MOS-FET / TRIAC on the PCB of the battery pack. 

The NTC of the battery-pack is wired in a loop though the 4-pin connector. Seems to be a fail-save design. Will check the wiring up to the driver board tomorrow. Maybe the NTC- or the charging-wire is not OK. The wires of the charging socket have been broken today. Some corrosion on the +-wire. Maybe.one other the others is broken as well.

Cheers

Christian

[M R Smith]

That control line impacts the charger input current as well. When in the neutral position or incorrect position, the battery packs (external if you have one and internal) get only trickle current. For awhile our 2007 Model 600 would not charge with the selector switch in any position until I found some corrosion on the leads from the battery select switch and resoldered it in place with shrink wrap over it. Maybe should have used glyptal instead of shrink wrap, hmmm.

[Q-Wing]

sorry for delay.  my notebook is brocken as well. 

Made a setup without bike and MBB, just PCBs and found 46 V at the CGR(+) of the battery and 41,0 V at the BAT(+) but nothing at the LOAD(+) of the battery. 

STATUS LED of the Battery is steady green for 40 sec after the switch is ON, flashing for 5 sec. and starts again.

I checked the switch. Soldering is OK, resistance on both poles is < 0,1 Ohm. I will make a shortcut on the two poles and see what happens.