New MP Edge dead after 20 minutes

[Marcuspg]

I just received my Magic Pie Edge (VECTOR) 700c Front Conversion Kit 1 x Magic Pie Edge (VECTOR) 700c Front Conversion Kit and installed it with a 48V 12.5A TIGER SHARK Lithium Battery 500W  battery. The wheel worked but the Smart Manager would get stuck on error 9 (communication error). I tried the blue tooth connection and it worked, except when I turned throttle the wheel would spin but speedo would not change and other categories went blank (ie no battery, speed, etc) .
The wheel worked ok though... and it took for a ride and it worked great.... until around 20 minutes when it stopped working.
I checked battery and recharged and checked the voltage (was 48 om multimeter) , but wheel still dead.
The throttle lights still light up. When it turn battery back on, then turn throttle, it sometimes makes a small jolt (as though it is trying to accelerate) bit then it is totally dead.
I have checked all connections and they all seem ok.
Not sure what to do now. Please help!

I wonder if it may be the throttle? I found these instructions for an older pie:
https://www.goldenmotor.ca/FAQ/questions.php?questionid=102
but the MP Edge connection is quite different.
Thanks

[Bikemad]

Hi Marcus andto the forum.

48V is much too low for a freshly charged 48V lithium battery, as it should be between 53V and 58V dependant upon the cell chemistry and the number of cells in series.
It sounds to me like the charger is not charging correctly (unless your voltmeter is reading very low  ), so make sure you have the correct input voltage selected on the charger (if there is a switched 110V/220V option to select it).



Most chargers usually have the maximum charging voltage marked on the casing, so it will probably be 54.6V, 58.8V or 58.4V, and you might be able to check the charger's output voltage with your voltmeter to see if it is correct.



If the battery is full, all three LEDs on the throttle should light up, if you only have the single red LED lit, the battery voltage is too low.

A 500 Watt battery is not ideal for a Magic Pie Edge running on the default 18 Amps maximum current setting, as it can pull up to 1000 Watts under heavy load.  You would need to reduce the maximum current setting of the controller to 9~10 Amps to prevent the battery from being overloaded.

I suggest that you contact your supplier directly and explain the problem to them.

I'm assuming that you have the BAC-601 Smart Display, in which case there are two types (early and late) and you need to have the later type to be compatible with the Magic Pie Edge controller.

Torque arms are not supplied by GM and are not part of the motor kit, therefore if you have ordered and paid for these in addition to the kit, you will need to contact your supplier and inform them that they did not arrive.

Alan
 

[MrFred]

This post reminds me of a question I had about my MP Edge. Mine is also a front wheel kit and has been working great for me. It's a simple setup - throttle only, no display, no PAS, no bluetooth, etc.

I know when you order a kit, you need to specify the throttle voltage (36V or 48V). I'm guessing this is just for the 3 light voltage indicator lights? If so, there are at least 2 48V battery technologies (LiFePO4 - fully charges to 58.4V; LiPo (13s) - fully charges to 54.6V).

My question are those lights "calibrated" for the higher voltage LiFePO4? So you will go from 3 lights to 2 more quickly when discharging the lower voltage LiPo?

This is just a curiosity for me as I realize these lights are only a very rough indicator of voltage.

[Marcuspg]

Thanks for the response.

I rechecked the battery voltage. It was 53.6V. (I misremembered the voltage on the original post).
I also checked the charger (voltage was 55.3V).
The three lights on the throttle all come on when the battery is plugged in too.
I also tested the voltage where battery wires connect to the MP wires and the voltage is also fine here.

Not sure if there is any other way of testing what is wrong.?

[Marcuspg]

Also, the bluetooth doesn't turn on at all now. Not sure why this would have changed.

[GM Canada]

1 - When you turn on the power are the lights on the throttle lit?
2 - if so when you turn the throttle do the light go out?

Gary

[Marcuspg]

1) yes, lights are on (see pic above).
2) no, lights don't change at all when I turn the throttle.

[Bikemad]

As the throttle LEDs are fully lit and don't reduce when the throttle is applied it could be a problem with the throttle itself, the +5v supply from the controller, or a fault with one of the brake switches.

If you unplug both brake switches and there is still no response from the motor, then the brake switches are probably fine (but I suggest that you still leave them disconnected until the problem can be located).

As the Bluetooth is not turning on at all, try unplugging the Bluetooth dongle and see if it makes any difference to the motor operation.

You can also check the +5V supply on the 5 pin connector that the Bluetooth dongle plugs into, but be very careful not to accidentally touch the meter probe against two adjacent pins.
I suggest cutting two 10mm long pieces cut from a small plastic drinking straw and then placing them over the two pins being tested (pins 2 and 4 in the diagram below) to ensure that each probe can only touch one pin when inserted into the straw pieces.



With the main harness unplugged from the motor harness, you should have a reading of at least 4 volts across these two pins. If the voltage is less than 3 volts, then the controller is probably faulty and may need to be replaced.

Also check that the four unterminated wires for the Pedelec and Reverse are not exposed and touching each other. 

Please let us know the result of these tests.

Alan
 

[Marcuspg]

Thanks Alan.
Was away and just got back onto this project. I got a replacement controller. All working well now. Thanks for the help.
I have also reduce the maximum current setting of the controller to 10 Amps. Out of interest (and for future batteries) what is the best battery wattage for the edge?