I notice in one of the comments a question about the X35+ rather than the x35, did you happen to notice any other comments about whether this would work with x35+ - I’m willing to give it a try anyway.
Superb couple of videos, just bought a Ribble with same battery/motor and my riding involves some trips to the mountains each year. I would have bought an extender but now I’m going to go down this route and bonus I keep my second bottle. Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks Yako, I’ve just bought the bits to build the extender. One further question. Did you end up connecting the batteries before turning on the iWoc or after? Cheers Phil
Thanks Yako, happy I researched and came across your original video. Literally followed along and did the soldering without the switch button, as well as using a little common sense. Had an issue where I couldn't charge the internal battery via the extender and got a the purple error light, so I added an xt60 connection between the original charger and the cut cable and connect the diode when out on rides. Besides that, everything working like a charm so far.
Hi Yako, Thanks for the detailed information, really great. I'm about to order the parts and make this myself. 1) I have a question about measuring the voltage of both batteries as you mentioned it was important to have minimal voltage difference between batteries: I imagine you measure the voltage of the hoverboard battery at the terminals of the XT60 connector ? However where do you measure the voltage of the internal battery please? I tried through the ebike motion connector but didn't get a reading. I haven't yet cut up my Mahle/ebike motion charger, did you have to do this in able to measure the internal battery voltage through the new XT60 connection please ? 2)My goal with this set up is to increase my range and thus reduce the number of charging cycles. My current commute uses 57% of my battery which means I have to charge the battery every night. With this new setup, I could potentially only charge every 3 nights which would significantly increase the lifespan of the expensive internal battery. After using the bike for a commute, would you leave both batteries connected up until using the bike the next day please? Or disconnect and reconnect? Many thanks in advance for your awesome information and all of the participants in the comments on both videos. Happy cycling to you all.
Hi Marc. The bike must be switched on to test the voltage. The larger left and right holes of the charge port are the ones to check. I always disconnect the batteries after riding, as the system won’t fully switch off with the extender connected. You will also need to disconnect then reconnect if you allow the system to go into sleep mode, which it will do after a few minutes of inactivity. This can catch you out - you will not be able to get assist, or change assist levels, if the system sleeps, but a quick unplug/plug-in of the extender wakes the bike. Mine extender is still working perfectly, and my now 6 year old internal battery still holds 41.2v when full, so is definitely being preserved by the extender. Good luck with yours!
Hi Yako, Many thanks for showing how to make a DIY Range Extender. I have an Orbea Gain 2021 and love it. My question is, on the charging cable bike socket there are four wires, Thicker Red and Black (for 42Volts) , and thinnner Orange and Grey. I unscrewed the charging socket on the bike and took a photo. What are the two thinner cables for, and I guess they are not required? Regards Russ.
Hi Russ. Those wires were the subject of much debate online! The working theory was that in it’s original and intended form, the range extender would run in parallel and use the thicker wires to connect the 2 batteries at up to 7amps. The thinner wires would connect the battery to the charger at 2amps. This system never came to pass. For the purposes of my extender, I just ignored the two thin cables, cut them off, insulated them and used the thicker cables to connect the 2 batteries. It still works perfectly, maybe 5 times a week.
I've had some health issues but I love gravel bikes and am thinking about getting one with this system to make rides easier on the body. Would you recommend the Mahle ebikemotion X35 for this purpose? Would it be possible to carry multiple range extender batteries for multi-day bikepacking rides?
Hi @P. The X35 is not a very powerful system; if your gravel is very steep, the motor will get ‘bogged down’ at low speeds, and offer little assistance. Saying that, I’ve been using mine for years on gravel - and worse (see other vids on the channel - there is a whole playlist of Gravel/Gain videos if you are feeling 1.bored and 2.masochistic!) and love it. If I had more funds however, I would invest in a suspension stem and possibly seatpost too… I’ve also just made a vid on how to do multi-day bikepacking with an e-bike…and ways of re-charging on the go… I wouldn’t recommend taking multiple extender batteries, as you will be plugging in a battery at 41.8v (full) with a depleted internal battery, which I cannot recommend. I believe that the internal battery will protect itself against this mismatched voltage, but it may do so by shutting down the system - a risk I’m not prepared to take. Others though have taken this idea of a DIY range extender and made a much higher capacity one than mine. Again, not really recommended but safe enough if you charge the internal/external batteries separately - and they are using them, from their comments. Potentially then you could make a huge capacity extender, just with a weight penalty.
That was a fabulous follow up, I really appreciated your comments at the end about range anxiety. I live in an area where there are hills and mountains. I want to go on adventures and your comments really resonanted with me - thanks-you !
Got to take the plunge and get this done! Double the range for a little over £100, bargain if you ask me. Great video again Yako and thanks for some great advice and tips. J
It’s nice not thinking about range, for sure, but knowing your expensive internal battery will last longer was the biggy for me. Keep well mate and thanks as always.
Great videos. I have done all my parts research and ready to start building my DIY range extender. One question. From you first video on building a range extender there were a lot of comments as to whether the new DIY ranger extender was actually a parallel battery or just a 2amp charger for the internal battery. Lots of opinions but no clear answer. In lieu of actually seeing the Mahle wiring diagram there is no way to really know. So in some of the comments there was discussion of running a controlled test to answer the question. Did that happen and what are the conclusions? Thanks again for all your work.
Yes it is parallel. One viewer was an electrical engineer with time on his hands and confirmed that the load was split evenly between the two batteries, which was great news. Thanks for the support Garry, and good luck (you'll love it!)
Fantastic. It’s a game changer, to be honest. I can climb maybe 2400m with the extender. You simply won’t worry again. Just don’t go crazy and ride around in red all the time!
@captnkirk2588 No, I very rarely, if ever, use the max assist. Most of the climbing here is under 12%, though they are often very long. If I know there will lots of climbing in a ride I make sure I take it easy on the assist, like on my “Beating the Bucket List” video.
Hello , excelente vídeo , please is possible to tell me who to cut the cable of the charger Plug ? How many cables are inside and what is the polarety ?
Thanks Pedro. The length of the cable will depend upon where you want to put the extender battery. I think I cut mine at 40cm but you will need to measure this yourself depending on the size of your bike. There are two thin cables and two larger cables. You can ignore the thin ones and connect the larger ones. From memory, I think they were red and black, so polarity was obvious. Hope this helps!
@@dieselracecomp try PowaTechnic on Ebay. I arranged for them to supply the plug and cable only for €18 but this was nearly 2 years ago. You will need to get in touch directly, they do not sell this item in their store online.
@@yakoridesagain today i have test the extender on my Vibe orbea and did not work . The extender is a Volabike that was Sold to a Scott ebike . I have chance the Plug but did not work . So today i will purchase the baterie and the diode to put um my bike .
Hi Phil. when both batteries are fully charged, I connect the extender to the Ideal diode which stays in my saddle bag, push the battery in there too, then plug the lead from the diode into the charge port in the bike. This turns the Iwoc on, no need to touch it until you want to change the assist level. If you leave the bike switched on but unused for several minutes (say a cafe stop), you will find that the iwoc stays on but has gone to sleep mode and you cannot change assist. You will have to unplug the extender at the charge port then plug it back in to reset. You will have to unplug the extender before turning off the system at the Iwoc when you are done. Hope that helps. Fire away if you have more questions!
Thank you so much for the follow up. I hade a Cannondale Tesoro wich went back on warranty and now expecting a Orbea H10 Vibe Hybrid and planning och making this extender. If i need to ask you something about this build later on, is this the right place to do so? Really thankfull for all help.
@yakoridesagain I'm curious if it's possible to use bigger battery then of a hoverboard. Something similar to an ebike would be great that I could place on the bike carrier.
My hoverboard battery is a 7Ah one, not the standard 4Ah Edwin, so it is the same capacity as my ebike to give 14Ah total. You can go bigger, but you must charge the batteries separately and check the voltage is the same before connecting. There is plenty online about this, but my research would lead me to recommending that you match the capacities of the batteries.
Hello, yes, the bike works well with the additional battery connected. However, one thing I have noticed is that both the internal and external battery are designed to switch themselves off when the voltage gets to about 30volts. But when the two batteries are connected together this protection doesn’t seem to work so there is a danger of running the voltage really low and potentially damaging the battery.
Hi Yako I have an m30 gravel carbon it has a display which gives me the mileage covered the remaining mileage and the battery status. I did just over a100 miles with the bike battery and factory range extender, the display showed 100.7 miles the extender had 15 % left the bike battery had 67 % ,most of the ride was flat l did a vid on RUclips also put it on Komoot just to prove it ,only weight 65 kilos and I'm 75 😢 but still fit 😊 .I enjoy your vid I'm not brave enough to build an extender 😊
Hello dear my baizifu conversion kit brushless kit moto wire are red black and yellow and the throttle red black and white how can I mount it on the bicycle 😊😅
I just tried to find it and only came up with sites re-selling them, so perhaps the company (Gares) is no more. Try a Google search for “Samsung 36v 7ah hoverboard” or substitute “Panasonic” or other reputable cell manufacturer. I wouldn’t go with generic cells. Sorry I couldn’t help more.
@@yakoridesagain Would you mind pointing me to a link to a battery that would work? I'd even be happy to pay you for helping me. I really want to make this work but don't really have the technical knowledge to make sure I'm doing it correctly.
OK I hope I’m not being mean, but it’s quite easy to find a suitable battery. I just searched for 36v 7Ah battery US and they sell them in Walmart, with a separate charger and an XC60 connector and an XC60 plug and cable. It’s almost the whole kit! If you follow the video, buy an Ideal diode of the type I used, you can hook this up almost without soldering (only one connection). Please carry on asking questions, I know how unsure I was until I did it!
I thought about it, but it would be a pain sending them abroad…you could buy the bits and ask an electrical appliance repair place to do the soldering…there are only a few to do… Many thanks Leon.
Hi. When my bike is on charge using the original charger, It wont drive the wheel and operate as normal. How due you avoid this when the second battery is plugged into the charging port?
Hi Graham. I don’t know! I’m not at home to check either, sadly, but the original range extender mimics the 42v 2a of the original mains charger and obviously works with the system on…as does mine!
Also what does it weigh compared to the Mahle range etender, if it is less, could you make one with even more cells & get even more miles & still only weigh about the same as the Mahle?
Well, that is an interesting area to talk about…you can’t change the number of cells, but as with all rechargeable lithium cells, the capacity grows as technology improves. The latest cells suitable for this task have nearly three times the capacity of the ones I used, for barely more weight. Mine weighs 1.1kgs, I think the Mahle one is roughly the same or a little more.
Is it necessary to use ideal diode when you connect DIY battery and Mahle main battery in the down tube? just wondering what happens if I directly connect external DIY battery to the main one using Mahle cable... I thought the two batteries were still parallelly connected one another.
Hi yoonkim. If the main battery is at a higher voltage than the external battery when connected, it will try to equalise the voltage instantaneously. The likelihood of fire is very high, and as I am sure you know, a lithium battery fire is almost impossible to extinguish. The ideal diode works as a one-way valve, stopping excess current from flowing from the main to the external battery. If, EVERY SINGLE TIME WITHOUT FAIL, you checked the voltages of the two batteries with a voltmeter, and found them to be
@@yakoridesagain Many thanks for your kind answer. One more question, when you need to charge the batteries why are they to be charged seperately? In other words, would it be a problem if I charged the both batteries at the same time simply by connecting the DC charger to the DIY battery, connected with the main battery through ideal diode? and I made it, using 20A LG cell battery just did the same as you did, which now allows my Bianchi e-aria to travel about 160km-ish at one go. Only one thing I did differently was the type of diode. Now that I couldn't seem to find a proper ideal diode in the market, I just used a normal diode which necessarily caused a slight voltage drop generating inconsiderable amount of heat. Anyways, thanks to your sharing your tips, I'm happy with the result, don't have to buy Mahle's overpriced range extender
Definitely charge them separately @yoonkim as each battery will have different parameters set into their management systems as at 2A one will take much much longer to charge (say 10hrs vs 4hrs) and the smaller battery will not want to be receiving 2A when it is full. Please be very careful. Also, I am worried about your choice of diode! Do you know what you have so that I can check?
@@yakoridesagain Thanks again. I've checked with the seller and was told that the diode was 150EBU04/150EBU02 (max 200V, 150A). Can you please have a check for me if this diode can be used?
It looks like this diode is designed for very high (peak 1600A) currents at up to 200volts for welding machines. It may not work effectively at 42v and much lower amperages. But I’m afraid I am not an expert in this field. All I can suggest is that you use the components I have suggested as I know that they work. Suitable ideal diodes are available on EBay and AliExpress. Good luck!
That's brilliant. Well done and thanks for posting. Way beyond my capability sadly (to implement one myself). Does this mean that you now have to ride with the extender all the time? (as you chopped around the connectors)? What is the extra weight? Also, would you be able to set things back to as they were originally, if you had a problem and had to get anything fixed under warranty? Thanks (I hope those questions made sense, i may have misunderstood what you had done!).
Thanks Ben (?). No, I can easily remove the extender (I did to show it properly in the vid) and just use the wiring part to charge the internal battery. The only thing altered is the original charger, so if you need a warranty repair, the bike can go back unchanged (just don’t include the charger). I do always use it however, as it halves the number of charging cycles for the internal battery, extending it’s life. The extender weighs 1.1kgs. Take a look at the original vid - that may help explain what I’ve done.
Thanks Yako for the reply and for clearing that up. Makes it all even better. Nice one!!! I'll check the original vid this eve. Seems crazy that an official (mass produced one) costs £500 for 208wh extra. I've got a Merida eSpeeder 200 with the x35. I'm pretty happy with it but range is an issue now and again, cos I live in a really hilly area (South Devon). Best wishes. @@yakoridesagain
Im searching for hours to get an solution without spending 600€ on the orbea setup or spare parts from them (110€ for the extender cable/130€ charger). Thanks, brilliant!
After spending £3000 on the bike I think I’ll just buy a range extender one day, also I’m not the brightest, you still lost me with the simple wiring instructions 🤣🤣🤣
Fair enough! Though the official extenders are quite limited and don’t extend the life of your battery like this one does. It was easy to make - honest!
@@yakoridesagain I think I'm correct in saying that the "official" Mahle range extenders charge the main battery whenever you are not actively drawing power (so, during freewheeling, when the assistance is switched to zero or off , or when you are riding above the cut-off speed). Presumably your DIY version works slightly differently? I admit I've not seen any of your earlier videos so I must search them out.
Not quite Roy, the Mahle extenders charge whenever connected and the internal battery is at a lower voltage. Where they fall down is when the bike is under full load (a steep hill) and the motor is drawing 7 or more amps, but the charge/extender can only replenish at 2 amps. You could drain the internal battery, the bike would shut down, but there could be loads of charge left in the extender. You would have to wait until the extender has topped off the internal battery before you could continue. My one operates in parallel- making it essentially one big battery with the internal. This means the internal battery drains more slowly at fewer amps, so less strain on the battery, and the number of recharging cycles is halved. The battery will last longer.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
It works! AND it leaves your bottle cages free…for bottles! That you will need on your newly-longer rides! Oh go on, make one. You know you want to.
I notice in one of the comments a question about the X35+ rather than the x35, did you happen to notice any other comments about whether this would work with x35+ - I’m willing to give it a try anyway.
Ready steady go, I will let you know how it goes.
Superb couple of videos, just bought a Ribble with same battery/motor and my riding involves some trips to the mountains each year. I would have bought an extender but now I’m going to go down this route and bonus I keep my second bottle. Thanks for sharing this.
No problem Phil. Bear in mind that if you use it year round you will reduce the load on your expensive internal battery.
Thanks Yako, I’ve just bought the bits to build the extender. One further question. Did you end up connecting the batteries before turning on the iWoc or after? Cheers Phil
Thanks Yako, happy I researched and came across your original video.
Literally followed along and did the soldering without the switch button, as well as using a little common sense.
Had an issue where I couldn't charge the internal battery via the extender and got a the purple error light, so I added an xt60 connection between the original charger and the cut cable and connect the diode when out on rides.
Besides that, everything working like a charm so far.
Glad I could help!
Excellent video and information, i keep the information for when and if i decide to get myself a Gain.
Have a wonderful week
Thanks Terry, you too!
Hi Yako,
Thanks for the detailed information, really great. I'm about to order the parts and make this myself.
1) I have a question about measuring the voltage of both batteries as you mentioned it was important to have minimal voltage difference between batteries: I imagine you measure the voltage of the hoverboard battery at the terminals of the XT60 connector ? However where do you measure the voltage of the internal battery please? I tried through the ebike motion connector but didn't get a reading. I haven't yet cut up my Mahle/ebike motion charger, did you have to do this in able to measure the internal battery voltage through the new XT60 connection please ?
2)My goal with this set up is to increase my range and thus reduce the number of charging cycles. My current commute uses 57% of my battery which means I have to charge the battery every night. With this new setup, I could potentially only charge every 3 nights which would significantly increase the lifespan of the expensive internal battery. After using the bike for a commute, would you leave both batteries connected up until using the bike the next day please? Or disconnect and reconnect?
Many thanks in advance for your awesome information and all of the participants in the comments on both videos.
Happy cycling to you all.
Hi Marc. The bike must be switched on to test the voltage. The larger left and right holes of the charge port are the ones to check. I always disconnect the batteries after riding, as the system won’t fully switch off with the extender connected. You will also need to disconnect then reconnect if you allow the system to go into sleep mode, which it will do after a few minutes of inactivity. This can catch you out - you will not be able to get assist, or change assist levels, if the system sleeps, but a quick unplug/plug-in of the extender wakes the bike.
Mine extender is still working perfectly, and my now 6 year old internal battery still holds 41.2v when full, so is definitely being preserved by the extender. Good luck with yours!
@@yakoridesagain Amazing, thanks ☺️
Hi Yako, Many thanks for showing how to make a DIY Range Extender. I have an Orbea Gain 2021 and love it. My question is, on the charging cable bike socket there are four wires, Thicker Red and Black (for 42Volts) , and thinnner Orange and Grey. I unscrewed the charging socket on the bike and took a photo. What are the two thinner cables for, and I guess they are not required? Regards Russ.
Hi Russ. Those wires were the subject of much debate online! The working theory was that in it’s original and intended form, the range extender would run in parallel and use the thicker wires to connect the 2 batteries at up to 7amps. The thinner wires would connect the battery to the charger at 2amps. This system never came to pass.
For the purposes of my extender, I just ignored the two thin cables, cut them off, insulated them and used the thicker cables to connect the 2 batteries. It still works perfectly, maybe 5 times a week.
Thank you, that is valuable information. I will order the parts tomorrow. I’m in Melbourne, Australia so looking forward to summer. Russ
As always superb answer, thank you. I’ll buy you a coffee when I get in later! 👍🏽
More than kind, Phil. Thank you.
I love your Rapala Jointed box. Finnish lure making company. :)
The best!
I've had some health issues but I love gravel bikes and am thinking about getting one with this system to make rides easier on the body. Would you recommend the Mahle ebikemotion X35 for this purpose? Would it be possible to carry multiple range extender batteries for multi-day bikepacking rides?
Hi @P. The X35 is not a very powerful system; if your gravel is very steep, the motor will get ‘bogged down’ at low speeds, and offer little assistance. Saying that, I’ve been using mine for years on gravel - and worse (see other vids on the channel - there is a whole playlist of Gravel/Gain videos if you are feeling 1.bored and 2.masochistic!) and love it. If I had more funds however, I would invest in a suspension stem and possibly seatpost too…
I’ve also just made a vid on how to do multi-day bikepacking with an e-bike…and ways of re-charging on the go…
I wouldn’t recommend taking multiple extender batteries, as you will be plugging in a battery at 41.8v (full) with a depleted internal battery, which I cannot recommend. I believe that the internal battery will protect itself against this mismatched voltage, but it may do so by shutting down the system - a risk I’m not prepared to take. Others though have taken this idea of a DIY range extender and made a much higher capacity one than mine. Again, not really recommended but safe enough if you charge the internal/external batteries separately - and they are using them, from their comments. Potentially then you could make a huge capacity extender, just with a weight penalty.
That was a fabulous follow up, I really appreciated your comments at the end about range anxiety. I live in an area where there are hills and mountains. I want to go on adventures and your comments really resonanted with me - thanks-you !
My pleasure, Dean
Got to take the plunge and get this done! Double the range for a little over £100, bargain if you ask me. Great video again Yako and thanks for some great advice and tips. J
It’s nice not thinking about range, for sure, but knowing your expensive internal battery will last longer was the biggy for me. Keep well mate and thanks as always.
Gareth HI, quick question when checking the voltages of the bike and range extender do they need to be powered on or powered off to check ? Thanks
Apologies for the delay Ninja. The bike must be switched on, the extender not.
Great videos. I have done all my parts research and ready to start building my DIY range extender. One question. From you first video on building a range extender there were a lot of comments as to whether the new DIY ranger extender was actually a parallel battery or just a 2amp charger for the internal battery. Lots of opinions but no clear answer. In lieu of actually seeing the Mahle wiring diagram there is no way to really know. So in some of the comments there was discussion of running a controlled test to answer the question. Did that happen and what are the conclusions? Thanks again for all your work.
Yes it is parallel. One viewer was an electrical engineer with time on his hands and confirmed that the load was split evenly between the two batteries, which was great news. Thanks for the support Garry, and good luck (you'll love it!)
Just installed your system on my bike. All seems to be working well. Waiting for it to stop raining so I can give it a proper road test.
Fantastic. It’s a game changer, to be honest. I can climb maybe 2400m with the extender. You simply won’t worry again. Just don’t go crazy and ride around in red all the time!
Please let me know how you get on, Graham.
@@yakoridesagain How much assistance are you dialling in with your estimation? 100% (40nm) of assistance throughout all your climbing?
@captnkirk2588 No, I very rarely, if ever, use the max assist. Most of the climbing here is under 12%, though they are often very long. If I know there will lots of climbing in a ride I make sure I take it easy on the assist, like on my “Beating the Bucket List” video.
Hello , excelente vídeo , please is possible to tell me who to cut the cable of the charger Plug ? How many cables are inside and what is the polarety ?
Thanks Pedro. The length of the cable will depend upon where you want to put the extender battery. I think I cut mine at 40cm but you will need to measure this yourself depending on the size of your bike.
There are two thin cables and two larger cables. You can ignore the thin ones and connect the larger ones. From memory, I think they were red and black, so polarity was obvious. Hope this helps!
@@yakoridesagain Thanks for the information !!!
Now i need to finde the cable to cut
@@dieselracecomp try PowaTechnic on Ebay. I arranged for them to supply the plug and cable only for €18 but this was nearly 2 years ago. You will need to get in touch directly, they do not sell this item in their store online.
@@yakoridesagain today i have test the extender on my Vibe orbea and did not work . The extender is a Volabike that was Sold to a Scott ebike . I have chance the Plug but did not work . So today i will purchase the baterie and the diode to put um my bike .
Hi Jako, Did you end up connecting the batteries before turning on the iWoc or after? Cheers Phil
Hi Phil. when both batteries are fully charged, I connect the extender to the Ideal diode which stays in my saddle bag, push the battery in there too, then plug the lead from the diode into the charge port in the bike. This turns the Iwoc on, no need to touch it until you want to change the assist level.
If you leave the bike switched on but unused for several minutes (say a cafe stop), you will find that the iwoc stays on but has gone to sleep mode and you cannot change assist. You will have to unplug the extender at the charge port then plug it back in to reset.
You will have to unplug the extender before turning off the system at the Iwoc when you are done.
Hope that helps. Fire away if you have more questions!
Thank you so much for the follow up. I hade a Cannondale Tesoro wich went back on warranty and now expecting a Orbea H10 Vibe Hybrid and planning och making this extender. If i need to ask you something about this build later on, is this the right place to do so? Really thankfull for all help.
Glad I could help! Here is fine, or by email which is in the description: yakorides@gmail.com
@yakoridesagain I'm curious if it's possible to use bigger battery then of a hoverboard. Something similar to an ebike would be great that I could place on the bike carrier.
My hoverboard battery is a 7Ah one, not the standard 4Ah Edwin, so it is the same capacity as my ebike to give 14Ah total. You can go bigger, but you must charge the batteries separately and check the voltage is the same before connecting. There is plenty online about this, but my research would lead me to recommending that you match the capacities of the batteries.
Can you also use the speedfun ghost to take the speed restrictor off?
You could, but you only get an extra 2-3km/h of assist, which to my mind isn’t worth it.
Oh Mr yako you are so clever. I am glad I married you.
You’re the best* thing that ever happened to me Ricardo!
I am so pleased you get my sense of humour. Love you videos keep going
Well it’s always tricky with the written word, isn’t it! I did make an assumption from your ‘itoldyouiwasill’ moniker on FB…
Indeed. My bike only has a range of about 45 miles with about 800m of climbing. Doubling that would be great.
Have you made any progress with this Graham?
Hello, yes, the bike works well with the additional battery connected. However, one thing I have noticed is that both the internal and external battery are designed to switch themselves off when the voltage gets to about 30volts. But when the two batteries are connected together this protection doesn’t seem to work so there is a danger of running the voltage really low and potentially damaging the battery.
I’ve never got that low…now I need to check! How are you dealing with this? Are you switching off when the iwoc flashes red?
It’s only happen once where I used a lot of full power. I use the app to monitor the voltage now don’t let the voltage drop below 31 volts.
Even so, not as advertised. Apologises.
Hi Yako I have an m30 gravel carbon it has a display which gives me the mileage covered the remaining mileage and the battery status. I did just over a100 miles with the bike battery and factory range extender, the display showed 100.7 miles the extender had 15 % left the bike battery had 67 % ,most of the ride was flat l did a vid on RUclips also put it on Komoot just to prove it ,only weight 65 kilos and I'm 75 😢 but still fit 😊 .I enjoy your vid I'm not brave enough to build an extender 😊
Very nice riding! Sounds like you love your Gain like I do! Keep it up!
Hello dear my baizifu conversion kit brushless kit moto wire are red black and yellow and the throttle red black and white how can I mount it on the bicycle 😊😅
Hi Norman - I have no idea, but found this if it helps.
www.ebay.com/itm/395420711041 It’s a diagram of how to connect up your Baizifu kit.
Can you post a link to the battery you use?
I just tried to find it and only came up with sites re-selling them, so perhaps the company (Gares) is no more. Try a Google search for “Samsung 36v 7ah hoverboard” or substitute “Panasonic” or other reputable cell manufacturer. I wouldn’t go with generic cells. Sorry I couldn’t help more.
@@yakoridesagain Would you mind pointing me to a link to a battery that would work? I'd even be happy to pay you for helping me. I really want to make this work but don't really have the technical knowledge to make sure I'm doing it correctly.
I don’t mind helping. Where in the world are you?
@@yakoridesagain I'm in the United States.
OK I hope I’m not being mean, but it’s quite easy to find a suitable battery. I just searched for 36v 7Ah battery US and they sell them in Walmart, with a separate charger and an XC60 connector and an XC60 plug and cable. It’s almost the whole kit! If you follow the video, buy an Ideal diode of the type I used, you can hook this up almost without soldering (only one connection). Please carry on asking questions, I know how unsure I was until I did it!
Great video Yako, you could have a nice side earner selling these to us X35 Ebikesystem owners, who dont wanna pay over the odds for the Mahle one.
I thought about it, but it would be a pain sending them abroad…you could buy the bits and ask an electrical appliance repair place to do the soldering…there are only a few to do…
Many thanks Leon.
Hi. When my bike is on charge using the original charger, It wont drive the wheel and operate as normal. How due you avoid this when the second battery is plugged into the charging port?
Hi Graham.
I don’t know! I’m not at home to check either, sadly, but the original range extender mimics the 42v 2a of the original mains charger and obviously works with the system on…as does mine!
Just checked again. The bike will run with charger plugged in so I’m all good to go. Battery and ideal diode ordered 😊
Great stuff! Get ready for loooong rides!
Also what does it weigh compared to the Mahle range etender, if it is less, could you make one with even more cells & get even more miles & still only weigh about the same as the Mahle?
Well, that is an interesting area to talk about…you can’t change the number of cells, but as with all rechargeable lithium cells, the capacity grows as technology improves. The latest cells suitable for this task have nearly three times the capacity of the ones I used, for barely more weight. Mine weighs 1.1kgs, I think the Mahle one is roughly the same or a little more.
Is it necessary to use ideal diode when you connect DIY battery and Mahle main battery in the down tube? just wondering what happens if I directly connect external DIY battery to the main one using Mahle cable... I thought the two batteries were still parallelly connected one another.
Hi yoonkim. If the main battery is at a higher voltage than the external battery when connected, it will try to equalise the voltage instantaneously. The likelihood of fire is very high, and as I am sure you know, a lithium battery fire is almost impossible to extinguish. The ideal diode works as a one-way valve, stopping excess current from flowing from the main to the external battery. If, EVERY SINGLE TIME WITHOUT FAIL, you checked the voltages of the two batteries with a voltmeter, and found them to be
@@yakoridesagain Many thanks for your kind answer. One more question, when you need to charge the batteries why are they to be charged seperately? In other words, would it be a problem if I charged the both batteries at the same time simply by connecting the DC charger to the DIY battery, connected with the main battery through ideal diode? and I made it, using 20A LG cell battery just did the same as you did, which now allows my Bianchi e-aria to travel about 160km-ish at one go. Only one thing I did differently was the type of diode. Now that I couldn't seem to find a proper ideal diode in the market, I just used a normal diode which necessarily caused a slight voltage drop generating inconsiderable amount of heat. Anyways, thanks to your sharing your tips, I'm happy with the result, don't have to buy Mahle's overpriced range extender
Definitely charge them separately @yoonkim as each battery will have different parameters set into their management systems as at 2A one will take much much longer to charge (say 10hrs vs 4hrs) and the smaller battery will not want to be receiving 2A when it is full. Please be very careful. Also, I am worried about your choice of diode! Do you know what you have so that I can check?
@@yakoridesagain Thanks again. I've checked with the seller and was told that the diode was 150EBU04/150EBU02 (max 200V, 150A). Can you please have a check for me if this diode can be used?
It looks like this diode is designed for very high (peak 1600A) currents at up to 200volts for welding machines. It may not work effectively at 42v and much lower amperages. But I’m afraid I am not an expert in this field. All I can suggest is that you use the components I have suggested as I know that they work. Suitable ideal diodes are available on EBay and AliExpress. Good luck!
That's brilliant. Well done and thanks for posting. Way beyond my capability sadly (to implement one myself).
Does this mean that you now have to ride with the extender all the time? (as you chopped around the connectors)? What is the extra weight? Also, would you be able to set things back to as they were originally, if you had a problem and had to get anything fixed under warranty? Thanks (I hope those questions made sense, i may have misunderstood what you had done!).
Thanks Ben (?). No, I can easily remove the extender (I did to show it properly in the vid) and just use the wiring part to charge the internal battery. The only thing altered is the original charger, so if you need a warranty repair, the bike can go back unchanged (just don’t include the charger). I do always use it however, as it halves the number of charging cycles for the internal battery, extending it’s life. The extender weighs 1.1kgs.
Take a look at the original vid - that may help explain what I’ve done.
Thanks Yako for the reply and for clearing that up. Makes it all even better. Nice one!!! I'll check the original vid this eve. Seems crazy that an official (mass produced one) costs £500 for 208wh extra. I've got a Merida eSpeeder 200 with the x35. I'm pretty happy with it but range is an issue now and again, cos I live in a really hilly area (South Devon). Best wishes. @@yakoridesagain
Im searching for hours to get an solution without spending 600€ on the orbea setup or spare parts from them (110€ for the extender cable/130€ charger). Thanks, brilliant!
I was in the same boat. This works. Hope you’ve seen the how-to, it’s very simple.
After spending £3000 on the bike I think I’ll just buy a range extender one day, also I’m not the brightest, you still lost me with the simple wiring instructions 🤣🤣🤣
Fair enough! Though the official extenders are quite limited and don’t extend the life of your battery like this one does.
It was easy to make - honest!
@@yakoridesagain I think I'm correct in saying that the "official" Mahle range extenders charge the main battery whenever you are not actively drawing power (so, during freewheeling, when the assistance is switched to zero or off , or when you are riding above the cut-off speed). Presumably your DIY version works slightly differently? I admit I've not seen any of your earlier videos so I must search them out.
Not quite Roy, the Mahle extenders charge whenever connected and the internal battery is at a lower voltage. Where they fall down is when the bike is under full load (a steep hill) and the motor is drawing 7 or more amps, but the charge/extender can only replenish at 2 amps. You could drain the internal battery, the bike would shut down, but there could be loads of charge left in the extender. You would have to wait until the extender has topped off the internal battery before you could continue. My one operates in parallel- making it essentially one big battery with the internal. This means the internal battery drains more slowly at fewer amps, so less strain on the battery, and the number of recharging cycles is halved. The battery will last longer.