Magic Pie 2 with ext control and v3

[Hugh]

Good to know, thanks for the info. The folks at Golden Motor still have my parts, including the ext controller so when they are returned I will see what can be done to help with cooling.

[Yka]

Hello Hugh,

I do not know anything about your controller or Pie 2. Thus my comment might not fit, but my experience with I think gen 5 Pie PAS would make me expect that Pie gen 2 PAS is not likely be very great

I had to scale my PAS rate so high that it's practically pedal on off throttle as other vice it would not assist enough for slow uphill with my gears.

Thus if PAS is huge effort to get working might be better idea to have 1-5V signal to throttle and control it with PAS sensor ( and current speed  & motor power ).  The how to question is still open for me too as direct PAS to 1-5V would likely be as bad as my current gen 5 Pie PAS...

[Hugh]

Well I must give credit when credit is due. The ticket system - still not really a fan, but I do understand why they implemented it, does prob work for many small issues. Having said that the staff at Golden Motors did go above and beyond. I have been camping while they had some of the parts from my Magic Pie system and after returning home got a reply from them that they managed to get the PAS system working and my parts are in transit back to Winnipeg. Once the parts arrive everything will be reinstalled, probably a slow multi day process since we are in the midst of a heat wave and summers here are short, usually lasting 3 months or less.

[Hugh]

I received the parts back from Golden Motor. They indicated the PAS now works. It being summer and with many things to take care I've only partially installed the set up back onto the trike. Hopefully in the next week I'll get to it and test it out.

[Hugh]

I finally had time to attend to the trike and installed all the components that the guys at Golden Motor returned to me. Powering up the system shows that the PAS now works but it is unlike any PAS I am used to. With the trike on a pair of jackstands in the garage when I sit on it and peddle the PAS runs the motor in an intermittent way. On my other bikes/trikes when you turn the pedals the PAS simply engages and runs the motor(s) smoothly through the wheel rotatation. On the Magic Pie motor now when pedaling the motor engages then stops then engages again. Later today I will take the trike out for a test ride to see how that translates into a riding experience. It won't be a long ride, there is so much smoke from all the wild fires in Western Canada that outdoor exercise is not recommended.

[Hugh]

Hastings, I put a little over 32 km's on the the trike today. Outside temp was averaging a bit over 30 C. I checked the fins on the controller also the motor itself. Neither  got any more then warm to the touch. I must say though I was not pushing the trike very hard, never over 22 kph and lots of slower stuff for intersections, etc
    Have to give credit where its due, I adjusted the PAS sensor and went for another ride. The people at Golden Motor did an outstanding job  on the parts I sent them. The PAS works great, the Cycle Analyst in conjunction with the Grin switch that enables me to dial in the level of assist with the plus and minus buttons is really nice to use. It cost me 6 volts to go a bit over 32 km's and the more I use it I'm pretty sure I will be able to stretch that out. I have 2 17.5 amp hour batteries and I think about 40 plus km's should be easy to get per each.

[Hugh]

I've been taking the trike out a bit more the last few days. Staying fairly close to home in case any issues arise. So far its all good. I have a couple Bafang mid drive motors in addition to the Magic Pie direct drive. The thing I notice the most about the Magic Pie is the whine it emits. I don't mind the noise but it is noticeable. All in all I'm now fairly satisfied with the motor, it has lots of power. I've been able to easily cruise along at 20 plus kph. On each ride after a long stretch I have stopped and placed my hand on both the controller and the motor. Never more than just warm to the touch.

[Hugh]

No issues with the set up now. It is very pleasant to ride. So now the next step is being planned. I made the Delta trike that the pie motor is on out of 1 1/2"  by 1/8" thick steel tube I had laying around in the garage. It is a bit over 8' long and quite heavy. A couple days ago I picked up some thin wall square tube (1/16"). Using the old frame as a partial template a new, somewhat shorter frame will be built and it will retain the 26" rear wheels but have the front wheel changed from a 26" steel rim to a 24" alum rim. All part of a weight reduction plan. That will be offset a bit by a coroplast fully enclosed body.

I have built 2 different coro bodies on a homebuilt tadpole trike and one on a fat tire delta. Interestedly the blue coro fat delta can be seen on Pinterest by searching for enclosed trikes. Anyway one notable thing about the first 2 bodies was despite the weight the streamlining gave They took less energy to peddle and needed less power draw from the motors.