Noob with Magic Pies and not sure where to start.

[Ions82]

I am excited to have recently taken ownership of four brand new Magic Pie motors.  I'm just not sure which version they are.   I believe someone may have wanted to start a local e-bike business, and these were some leftover inventory from that endeavor.  I didn't meet the owner as the motors were dropped off at the annual bike swap.  The asking price for each was only $100 USD, but none of them sold.  The owner just donated them to the organization.  They ended up coming home with me, and I am now trying to figure out how I can deploy these awesome motors.

So, I've got a quartet of Magic Pies (three rear, one front), and they are all laced into 26" rims.  I believe they are V2, but I am only guessing based on what I've read.  My hope is to put the front one on a cargo bike I've got and one of the rears on my friend's tadpole trike.  A few years ago, I built a commuter using a geared hub motor.  It's a blast to ride.  I promptly got hooked on all things electric.

If anyone can tell me which version of MP I've got here, it would be helpful.  I want to make sure I have all necessary information before I proceed (as to avoid as many missteps as possible.)  Thank you for any insight you're able to provide!

[Ions82]

I did a little more researching, and I think these motors are MP2.  Of course, it didn't take long to also learn that the internal controller is often considered the Achilles Heel for this model.  That combined with the wire-through-axle design makes these motors less than ideal for future projects.  Being a fan of reliability, I'd probably want to swap the controllers (for external or updated V2 controller) right from the start.  It would be about $100/ea. either way.  Not sure I want to invest too much time and money into these motors as I don't have an immediate need to use them.  Are MP2s pretty much obsolete at this point?  Would it be a worthwhile investment to modify these motors to use with external/updated controllers?  They sure are nice and seem to have a good reputation.  It would be a shame if they never get put into use.

[Bikemad]

Hi andto the forum.

As you have already discovered, they are MPIIs not MPIIIs or MP4.

The later internal controllers (MPIII, MP4 and MP5) are not suitable for the MPII:


The MPII has the same stator and internal controller as the original Magic Pie:


MPIII, MP4 and MP5 has this style stator to accommodate the later style controller:


On my MPII, I modified the shunt in the controller so it would draw a lot more current (50~60Amps), so I didn't expect it to last very long.
However, that modification was done over 6 years ago and the bike was used regularly for ~5 years, and it still runs great when I occasionally use it nowadays.

I prefer the regen on the MPII controllers because it operates down to very low speeds, so it can even be used at a very slow walking pace.
The regen on my MPIII will only engage if I am travelling at more than 6.5mph, and then it will cut out completely below 3mph.

I would be tempted to use them as they are, and when (if) the controller fails, it would then be necessary to carry out the external controller conversion.

Alan
 

[Ions82]

That is some great info.  The redesign for the next-gen controllers was brilliant.  However, it sounds like your shunt mod really turned the stock control into a reliable workhorse.  Any control that size running 50-60 amps (for five years) is impressive.  Did you illustrate that mod in a thread somewhere?  I'll have to search the forum for some info on that.  It sounds like just the ticket for giving these fantastic motors a long life.

Is regen a viable thing for e-bikes?  I've always assumed that any energy "regained" is negligible.  Is it mainly as asset for braking purposes?  Either way, it makes me all the more curious to mod and try these motors.  Thank you for taking time to share all of that valuable information. 

[Ions82]

I have been doing a little more research on these MP2s.  I even went so far as to disassemble one to get a reference of the difficulty.  It's not bad at all, actually.  I opted for the method where I remove the non-drive side cover first and tap the drive side off from the back.

Anyway, I discovered an MX318 control inside.  In another thread, Alan had asked about the differences between the 318 and 328.  Was there ever any info that described the differences between the two?  Golden Motor's website describes 328 as being more reliable.  However, after Alan's description of his hot rod MP2 running for 5+ years, I have to wonder just how unreliable the 318 really is.

For at least one of these motors, I'd like to try the high-amp shunt mod.  Is it simply a matter of adding conductive material/solder bit by bit until the desired amperage draw is reached?   I'd like to shoot for 3,000W.  That oughta be enough to get the job done!  Have many people tried this mod?  Since I have four of these motors (and they likely don't have much resale value), I may as well do some experimenting.  Still, I don't want to damage things because of my incompetence.  Both these motors and this forum are awesome.