There are a few problems with some of this advice. Mainly, wiring anything directly to the battery introduces another quiescent current drain through the extra DC-DC converter unit(s). (Although a standard western component should be at around 100uA, the cheap Chinese eBay units (0:28) can be as high as 10-20mA each, and one would suspect that the ones built into cheap lights would not be the best.) This drains the battery when everything is apparently switched off, unless there is a primary switch on the battery itself, or at least upstream from everything else. Using the recommended solution (lights that each include their own separate buck converters) merely multiplies the quiescent drain problem - each one sinking up to 10-20mA. Although this is small, it is important - if a battery is nearly depleted, and left for some days, this is non-trivial for the many batteries that have no main switch. Storing a bike for a couple of weeks in an empty house could be disastrous, or worse if occupied. Also, although the BMS will have some measures built in to recognise its own very small quiescent drain, this may not watch the charging port, and might over-discharge the battery if current is drawn from this port. Depending on the chemistry used, this too can be incendiary. The video above ignores the fact that type and condition of viewers' batteries is not known. A full 10Ah battery will be depleted by 2 low-quality buck converters in about 21 days. A quick search on Endless Sphere shows someone whose battery dropped a couple of volts in 4 days with such an arrangement. Even in the best case, a good DC-DC converter at the 40V range can achieve around 300uA 'standby' current, which will drain a battery from 10% (a typical level at which one might be stored by a careless owner) in around 3 months. Giving general advice to novices about specialist, potentially dangerous matters seems unwise.
@@thedoopa3169the information with all the technical jargon goes over the top of my head somewhat, but am I right in understanding that if using 3 x 12v strip lights connected in series on a 36v battery connected via an isolation switch for when not in use should not give power drain when the lights not in use.
An informative video, thanks. With regard to 3 x 12v led strips wired in series for a 36v battery, am I right in assuming it doesn’t matter how many LEDs are on each of the 3 strips providing they are equal numbers as each strip is connected in parallel? I’m also thinking it would be better to come straight of the battery rather than connect on to any existing components so as not to potentially overload any of those circuits? Any advice greatly received. Thanks.
Thank you Micah for those awesome tips! Really love how those strips look and a great way to add sufficient light with low weight and no extra converters.
If you tap into your bike battery main terminals remember to add a fuse. Your bike is a moving part with vibration and possible cable rubbing/wear. The short circuit of the battery will deliver enough power to fry standard light cabling. The BMS short circuit protection will not protect you because the lighting cable is so thin that it offers too much resistance for the protection circuit to identify it as a short circuit. A 2 amp fuse should be enough to protect your wiring. For example: 2 amp @ 36 volts = 72 watts max for your lights. I use 8.2 volt 30,000 lumen lights that draw just under 3 amps. So 3 amps * 8.2 volts ~= 25 watts = 1 amp fuse @ 36 volts when using a buck converter operating at 85% efficiency ((25w/0.85)/36). The cable will easily take two apps so I choose to simply fuse at 2 amps.
Thanks, but I found out it was a bit more complicated. You maybe want your lights to switch on/off together with your main switch, or your built-in controller switches (like e.g. automatic lights-on in dark places available on some systems). Also you may want your brake action (and sometimes your intention to turn) to reflect on your tail light. So, this is not answering the problem "How to add any LED lights to an electric bicycle".
i just bought a dc to dc converter and plan on mounting it to the outside of my e mountainboard. im building a 36v battery 10s12p abd all i want to do is to add USB charging somehow and run these smaller 5v blower style fans inside the chassis to try and put some airflow over the BMS and the pack in the hot summer months
Why is running your own dc-dc converter a "cop-out" or "cheating"? It opens up your options to the lights you can use instead having to use one that has a built-in converter. Running an external converter opens you up to a lot more options or brands you might be partial to instead of having to hunt for one with a built in converter.
If wanting to install indicators that need a 12v flasher unit your going to need a converter to deliver 12v, so how do you wire in a 12v converter when that’s your only option and why is that cheating. Seemed to have skipped the option which many might need as the only viable option.
I have been using LED strips on my bike and trailer for a couple years now (when necessary), but the power in the battery is the most valuable thing I carry. I use a dynamo hub for most of my lighting needs and use it to charge power pack(s) whenever my bike is moving. I have even used my front wheel as a small water wheel one night and woke to a fully charged power pack. LED's are great but I rarely tap my drive batteries to run them. It's like using my water in the Mojave to keep the rims clean.
@@jesuraja4586 Yeah, Newton that crazy antisocial guy. What a nut huh? I am absolutely sure that there is "some" drag or energy lost spinning the dynamo, but with a 26" X 2" wheel I couldn't feel it at all when spinning it by hand. The loss of energy from the battery that goes into spinning the dynamo is negligible on a 30+Ah battery and pays off many folds in the convenience of having 10V of power whenever the front wheel spins. And that is all above the true purpose of having a reliable headlight on demand. Newton would also have countered with his 2nd Jewel-of-a-law... and with all the mass that I move the dynamo is nothing but pure convenience. But your right! Nothing is free... trust me I had to buy it. ;) - imgur.com/a/zXXlyuv
Finding 36/8V lights is not a problem. But store-bought ebike battery has only female socket where you plug the controller in, you don't want to mess with this socket. You have to open the controller, find 36/48V output, solder the lights wires to it and solder some ugly connector outside the controller box. That is, if you get lucky and controller box is accessible. Those blue bricks in the video are for DIY crowd, maybe 3 years ago more people were making their own ebikes but now it's gone out of style.
just use normal dc adapters, for phones, laptops. where 220v ac goes in, you can put aywhere from 40v to 220v DC in, doesnt matter the polarity and you get 5, 12, 19v on output, depending on what phone, laptop charger you have
I love all you do Micah, just bought your book on building battery packs, amazing read! I do have one critique however, even though you CAN draw power from you charging port on your battery to feed a light, depending on you BMS, it can be a very bad idea to do so, as it could damage the BMS. I love the idea of wiring several 12v lights in series however! Never would have thought of that, keep up the good work!
This is true, but I've never seen a BMS that can't handle at least 2A via the charge port. This seems to be a nearly universal minimum for ebike battery BMSs. So unless you're using huge lights that pull more than 2A, I can't see this being an issue. But you're right, pulling more current that the BMS can handle via the charge port could damage it.
Thanks for your reply, I only mentioned this since I sought to use this very method to power a LED headlight, but was warned against it by the battery manufacturer. Perhaps they were just being overly cautious.
Hi Micah, I have 4 lights on my bike which need a total of 43 watts of power to run. The maximum voltage they can run at is 24 volts but my ebike battery is 48 volts. I want to connect a dc-dc converter from my ebike battery to the lights so that it can step down the 48 volts to 24 volts to power the lights. I am thinking of buying this dc-dc converter: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/292416497951 You stated in the video that I can draw power from my charging port, and reading your comments here, you state that I should be able to draw at least 2 amps from the charging port. If I do the math, the dc-dc converter will probably draw around (43/48 = 0.9) 0.9 amps, which is well below the 2 amp limit. Will this work? Let me know. I also have a USB port on my ebike battery - would I be able to draw power from that?
@@EbikeSchool I was about to try ur method of wiring to charger port but now Idk if these light will be to much draw...How can I access power without damaging BMS? I was told to find B+B- wire but IDK what that means
I understand what you are showing and saying, but what kind of process is needed to put ends of lights in a plug and how do i hook it up to the battery ?
I didn't know you could get lamps with converters in them - thanks for that! I used a buck converter to drop to 12v - i also use it to power indicators & its okay, i made an effort to waterproof it with dampstart on the pcb. The 12v lamps in series should all draw the same current or close to it.
Very nice and clear video, mate... A quick question : assuming I cut off my 48V rear light on my e-bike, solder in a 12V DC step-down converter there, and use that source as a main hub for my 12V lighting sub-system, does this sound like a good idea? Motorcycle 12V turn signals in the front and back, and that's pretty much it... I guess the current draw won't be too high? (that's my main fear). Thanks for your input!
Hi Micah. I love your helpful videos. I've been thinking about using your 4 x 12v light strip setup, with the white in the front and the red in the rear. it occurs to me that if one were to add a flasher somehow it could also function as turn signals. I just don't know how to do the flasher thing. Anyway, thanks for all the great ideas and tips. Keep 'em coming, please.
Didnt he just do that? Isn't it explained when it is shown? There isn't much more than the explanation given. 1. Get waterproof 12v strip lights. 2. Wire 4x 12v in series for 48v. 3. Connect to E-bike with zip ties or whatever. The only thing that isn't self explanator is wiring in series, and a single youtube search will provide tons of answers for you.
Refer to this picture as an example: www.electronicshub.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Series-Wiring.jpg If you want a video that also incorporates the theory and practice, try this 5 minute lecture: ruclips.net/video/v1a629-Ryjc/видео.html In series wiring, you take the positive wire from your battery and wire it to the positive terminal of your light. Add a wire to the negative terminal of the light you just wired to. Take that wire and connect that to the positive terminal of the next light. Add a wire to the negative terminal of the light you just wired to, and repeat the process until you have reached your desired total voltage drop. So if you have in Micah's example a 48V battery and four 12 volt light strips, you would wire all 4 up in series to obtain a total voltage drop of 48V and therefore a circuit that is not going to exceed the volt rating of the light strips. Once you have wired up the 4 lights in series, you'll probably want to add a switch. The switch can be placed anywhere in a series circuit because breaking the circuit anywhere switches the whole thing off.
I found that LED strip lights and most led lights like 9v batterys. Could use the 9v battery indpendantly and leave your main battery for the turning wheels. Create a seperate charging with recharge able 9v battery. charge and swap when you need it. A option anyways still learning BMS like stated below
Interesting video except in 3rd example he keeps repeating that the method he’s using is wiring those led light strips in what he refers to as “series.” He is actually wiring them up in “Parallel.” Not series. Series is in a line or one after the other. Parallel is next to one another with one common but branch as his diagram actually shows. Other than that oops in identifying the correct verbiage for what he is explaining, the thought process and function is actually correct. Nice instructional overall.
Do you have a video that shows how to add a USB outlet from our battery? I have searched everywhere and couldn't find a comprehensive step-by-step guide.
This is pretty much how to add LED lights to any bike even if it's not an electric bike. If you do it on a bike that's not an electric bike, you have an advantage of the battery being much smaller. 2032 batteries and USB rechargeable ones are garbage. They die on you, especially the front ones. Having the front and back light on one battery is beneficial. The light sets made for Ebikes are much more reliable and brighter than the crap that's made for regular non motorized bikes.
That's exactly why I prefer lights that run off the main battery. That and the fact that smaller lights are either flimsy, or the sturdier ones cost way too much!
The battery connector will plug into the engine. Can you run through how to slip in the wires for the switch and the lights? Do I do it in parallel or series and what parts connectors do I need to connect them together? Thank you.
Hi MikeyI found out a much easier and also the cheapest way to convert 52 Volt into 5 volts to run regular bicycle led lights.What i did :) I took a old switching phone charger which everybody has laying around or you can buy very cheap.And my Led bicycal light designed for 6 Volts runs perfectly on the old charger :)Altrought most chargers say they can run on 100 Ac till 240 Volt Ac it also works on 52 Volt DC. As inside the charger it rectifies the voltage at the input first into DC.
if you don't know during the daytime use what they use to teach in high school drivers training?? try the HAND SIGNALS?? THEY DO WORK, BUT BETTER YET TRY THIS THING?dOES THE SIGNALING FOR YA?wITH U.S.B. PORT RECHARGING TOO! ENJOY HOPE IT HELPS? FIND IT ON E bAY TOO, www.ebay.com/itm/Remote-Control-Wireless-Bike-Bicycle-Laser-LED-Tail-Lamp-Turn-Signal-Light-NEW/273395266332?_trkparms=aid%3D333200%26algo%3DCOMP.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20171012094517%26meid%3D1f608fcb08e546b9aa6cba7d10cc3ae4%26pid%3D100008%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D121830723451%26itm%3D273395266332&_trksid=p2047675.c100008.m2219 HERE'S EVEN A BETTER ONE JUST LEAD THE BIKE AND IT POINTS WHICH WAY YOUR TURNING AND BRAKE IT LIGHT UP LIKE A STOP LIGHT ALL AUTO TOO! ENJOY? www.banggood.com/XANES-stl-01-64-LED-80LM-Intelligent-Automatic-Induction-Steering-Brake-Safety-Bicycle-Taillight-with-Infrared-Laser-Warning-Waterproof-Night-Light-USB-Charging-p-1141068.html?gmcCountry=NL&createTmp=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1smjh6ub3gIVAp_ICh1iEg5zEAEYASABEgIy6vD_BwE&cur_warehouse=CN
Question for Micah and everyone else, it's it easier or better to convert a multi speed bike to electric or a single speed bike? Or is it just personal preference?
depends if you are wanting to use a hub motor or a mid drive. Hub motor would be better in a single speed case and the mid drive is better in a multi speed case ( acts as a transmission for the mid-drive).
You can easily calculate it. Say if the light is 12W, that means running it for an hour will use 12Wh of a battery. If you have a small-ish generic 500Wh battery, it can run the light continuously for 500/12 = 41,6 hours.
Ehhh how about buying light strings it just attached to the spokes sounds easy to me what do you think it lwill work with a rear hub. Sounds like a no-brainer if it works but I don't know
Wouldn't you need a spotlight at the front of your bike in order to see what is happening 15 meters or so in front of you? With the LED-strips others can see you, but you cannot see far enough to be able to brake in time.
Subscribed. Thank you for a "Insightful" video with some Excellent UTubers' commentaries contributions... "Ride to Live + Live to Ride" plus a Multiple Survival Tip #1 " Assume that 1/3 of the caged drivers can't see you; Another 1/3 of the Mad Max Road Warriors are trying to kill you because of their road rage; The remaining 1/3 Will not see you because of a DIU-DWI and/or driving while distracted on their smartphone and/or other (emotional?) distractional issues! Three Thumbs Up with a many pleasurable and safe miles of riding for everyone! Mo
Thanks for your video..How do you connect the led strips in series to your 48V ebike power supply and be able to switch it on and off please? Will having to connect 4 led strips in series means you are limited to how you attach to your bike frame (ie. Can you only install the strips 4 rows thick in parallel or can you still have one or two of the rows of the four strips installed and the other one or two rows installed elsewhere on the bike? Thank you
you can glue or stick the LED (waterproof is best ) anywhere you want . for 48V you have 4 strips any length , anywhere but connected in series with a switch to 48V source.
I bought a macwheel 550 cruiser 700c ebike. Working great but the lights and horn stopped working. There was some blue powder on the battery connector which I think is an indicator of a blown fuse. But I have no idea where the fuses are or how to change them. The bike has an integrated battery JZZ-LXD-XLCD. 36v 10AH. I could really use any help out there. Thank you.
My battery is 64v 45amp and I’m trying to add rock lights that usually goes on a keel to my electric moped …..do I need to wire the rock lights to the dc-dc converter ?
My Yosepower kit has a socket to receive the supplied Wuxing head headlight operated by the control panel. I know i could fit a splitter so I could also plug in a Wuxing tail light. My question is would this overload the controller by having two lights as opposed to one light as supplied? I’ve asked Yosepower but they have replied that the kit isn’t able to support a front light even though it came with one, has a socket for it and the control panel operates it successfully. 🙄🙄. Fat load of good they are. Can’t find any spec for the rated output of the controller for the light socket either so as to be able to calculate the rated output v current draw from both lights. Any advice welcomed.
Hi Micah, i have a good one for a Q&A video... how can i charge my phone (USB outlet port) with a battery that dont have that function? if i could charge more than one phone would be great!
You can add a simple DC-DC buck converter with USB-connector, like: 3A total, max 40V: www.ebay.com/itm/3A-DC-DC-Buck-Step-Down-Converter-7V-40V-12V-24V-to-5V-Dual-USB-Charger-Module/263456372243 5A total, max 40V: www.ebay.com/itm/DC-12V-24V-40V-to-5V-5A-Converter-4-USB-Port-Step-down-Power-Supply-Buck-Module/222234755111 5A total, max 60V: www.ebay.com/itm/DC-DC-7-60-24V-12V-to-5V-5A-4USB-Output-Buck-Converter-Step-down-Power-Supply/332406614051 Many more to find on e-bay. You just connect your bicycle-battery to the in-connectors and plug your phone in the onboard USB to charge. You should put the printboards in a water resistant casing. It is smart to install an on/off switch between battery and converter. I am building some for my 36V E-bikes and mount them on my handlebar with a torch-clip. I also add some LEDs to see if they are switched on or off and to find the USB-connectors in the dark.
The series solution sound great, but what about the performace of the LED lights as the battery output voltage drops, say from 80 volts to recomended recharge (0.2 X 80 =16 volts)?.
So you have 72V(fully charged is 84V)? 84V/12V= 7 pcs in series :-) That is a lot!. PS: I have 12kW 72V 29Ah system myself, but I've ordered this DC/DC converter: www.ebay.com/itm/New-10-90V-to-2-60V-DC-DC-Step-Down-Converter-Car-Regulated-Power-Supply-Module/333335398634?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
Hey Micah the I got a 48v light with the built in inverter thing but why when my bike kicks in the power for hill climbing all lights shut down 😡 except the screen on my bike says the lights are still on 🤔
I would like to know exactly how to install a premium light to an ebike that already has light sensor & a hold "+" for 3 seconds to power lights but has NO LIGHT....????
Don't forget to deduct the total voltage from the main power, for example 36v and you only want one LED and that one LED is 3v and .002a so you deduct 3v from 36v = 33v divided by .002a and you'll need a 16,500 or slightly higher ohm resister put some heatshrink on it and off you go.
That is a viable option, but you'd need a beefier resistor depending on how many and what power level of lights you're using. Also, that's just wasted heat. It's a small amount, but I'd rather turn that energy into light instead of heat.
Hi, really nice video. I have a question, i buyed a 36v 500w Hub motor, and the controller doesn´t have a connection to a LCD panel so i can control the level of the power of the motor. Do you know a solution to have it incorporated?
Good video. Would it be possible to wire in a 12v plug in to part of your battery while building your battery bank? Then you have a 12vdc plug in to be used for anything you want really from lights to a radio. Keep up the great work.
Absolutely. You could include a small DC-DC converter with a 12VDC output inside of your battery, right next to your BMS. You'd input the battery's discharge wires to it (run a couple extra smaller wires in addition to the main "battery out" wires) and you'd have the equivalent of a 12V aux plug in your battery, good idea!
No, I mean drop the DC-DC converter, and just tap right into say 4 of the batteries out of the 40 or however many batteries are in your battery bank, and just spot weld in a wire on the POS and a wire on the NEG of those 4 batteries to get 12vdc. Of course this is assuming each battery is 3vdc. Then just run that plug in out of the battery for 12vdc use for lights and radio or whatever. I'm asking, because having ANOTHER electronic piece inside the system is just one more thing that could fail and it won't fail at noon when the sun is up and you don't need lights, it will fail when it's dark outside and you're riding along, and then what will you do? It's pretty hard for a few wires to fail that are hard wired right from the battery to a light. I like simple and the fewer the electronics on board, the better as far as I'm concerned.
Theoretically yes, that would be possible, but it would cause a different problem. Those 4 cells (or 3 cells might be better as they charge to 4.2V) would be drained faster than the remaining cells. That means when you charge the pack, the BMS is going to be working harder to balance it, and depending how much you used your lights, you could end up with a very unbalanced pack that could take many extra hours or even days to balance when charged.
Okay, that's the answer I was afraid of hearing. How much loss do you have with a DC--DC converter or is it so small that it's not worth talking about? Also, what kind of amps are we talking that a DC-DC converter can handle? Thanks for your time. I do appreciate it more than you know.
I wouldn't expect to get more than 90% efficiency. So if your lights require 10W total (which would be a lot), then you're looking at losing about 1W of power in wasted electricity from the DC-DC converter. So it will cause some loss, but the scale is very small. There are DC-DC converters of all power levels. Most small ones are rated at 1-3A or less, but you can find them up to 30A or more! It's just a matter of choosing the correct one for your needs.
hey Micah I am looking to build my first battery for my first ebike build looking for 100 LG HG2 looking for 72v 15ah pack someone told me the vruzen kit won't hold the packs 100a 72v output have any suggestions ?? also would love to pick your mind on other ideas for my build like which BMS and charger would be best and where to get all the supplies to build it
Hello ,, how many 18650 battery's would I need to equal or better the battery range that is currently on my ebike please ,,250watt hub motor 24 volt the battery claims it is 24 volts at 8.8 amp ,, however if I fully charge the battery my voltage meter says it's 29.3 volts,, with pedal assist at 15 mph in the uk ,,I get roughly 14 miles before battery needs a recharge ,, the price of another standard type slide in battery is equivalent to about 300 US dollars ,, I'm sure I could make one a lot cheaper than that,, and would I have to make the battery to produce almost 30 volts considering the hub motor claims its 24 many thanks if you reply ,,, Shane uk
Would it work to put two of the lights with built in DC-DC converters in series or parallel? I'd like to run the lights in parallel with the motor off my battery (assuming the lights will only pull what they need), but wasn't sure how to approach lights with built in DC-DC converters, as far as whether the lights relation to each other should be series or parallel. Any thoughts?
@MDonovan 8x8x2😢😢😢😢😢😢u to🎉😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😅😢Cornelius Vanderbilt Wood, who went by C.V., was hired by the Stanford Research Institute in the early 1950's where he worked as an engineer and as an outside consultant to Walt Disney, helping with the logistics of the construction of Disneyland. Walt was so impressed by Wood’s intelligence and problem-solving capabilities that he offered him a job as the supervisor of the construction of Disneyland. ❤️🏰😢🎉All life is valuable, no doubt, but as a qualified Submariner on SSBN 608, 616, and 640 class Submarines, I do wish the talking heads would quit talking about the folks that lost their life on the submarine the last week as if they were equals to me and my fellow Submariners. They were not Submariners, they were high priced tourists. They have not trained for years, qualified in their craft and boat, spent months submerged, nor have they earned the respect of their fellow shipmates who willing put their lives in their hands daily for months on end. Their deaths are tragic, but upon looking at more facts than most, in a light few can, they were really preventable. The design as well as mentality of the owner in his approach to hiring, training, and preparing were severely faulted. There is a reason we have not had a major tragedy in our community since the Thresher and Scorpion. When the Kursk went down it sent a ripple through our community regardless of country of origin. Those were Submariners, Brothers of ours even if from a different country. These folks shouldn't have died, because they shouldn't have been there. This wa😅😅s n😮😢othing more than a sight seeing trip to gawk at the wreckage that took many lives as well. 🎉🎉Next time watch a RUclips video.🎉🎉😢😢🎉 😢🎉 Walt and Woody (Walt's nickname for Wood) were both fiery, passionate individuals and became close very quickly. Walt trusted Woody and named him Disneyland’s very first employee. Wood not only supervised the construction of the park, he actually was the one who chose the site among the orange groves of Anaheim AND was in charge of purchasing the land where the park was built. 🍊 It was C.V. Wood who, as Vice President and General Manager of Disneyland, gave Vice President Nixon the Key To Disneyland in August of 1955, one month after the grand opening of the park. If you’re anything like I was and you’ve never heard of this guy before, this doesn’t make any sense, right? How could a man who was so deeply involved with the construction and creation of Disneyland, a man who Walt Disney often referred to as “a son,” be totally left out of all of the Disney history books and films? Why doesn’t Cornelius Vanderbilt Wood have a window on Main Street U.S.A. in Disneyland, the park that he was so incredibly instrumental in making a reality? 🧐 The answer is a bit of a complicated one. In July of 1956, just one year after the opening of Disneyland, C.V. Wood was gone. Not only was he out as Disneyland’s Vice President and General Manager, he was wiped clean from all of the historical accounts of the Disney company as well. Walt Disney had his older brother, Roy O. Disney (another key figure in the history of the Disney company, but that story is for another post!) fire Wood reportedly after a heated argument. It’s not known what that argument was about and neither Walt Disney nor his brother Roy ever went public with the true reason why Wood was fired so abruptly. There were rumors that Wood had embezzled money from the Disneys and their company, but there were never any legal proceedings or records that would prove that as a fact. Other speculated reasons for the firing were that Wood was taking too much credit publicly for the creation of Disneyland or that he was fired because he was designing other theme parks behind Walt Disney’s back. Whatever the reason, Wood’s relationship with the Disney Company ended swiftly and without much fanfare. It was like one day, C.V. Wood was in the Disneyland offices, holding meetings like he always did, and the next day he was gone and never spoken of again. 😳 When his new theme park Freedomland U.S.A. opened in the Bronx in 1960, it seemed like Wood was finally going to achieve the fame and fortune that Walt Disney had achieved with Disneyland’s opening in 1955. The park was made up of several themed lands including Little Old New York, Chicago (which had daily shows depicting the Chicago Fire of 1871), The Great Plains, San Fransisco, The Old Southwest, New Orleans Mardi Gras, and Satellite City: The Future. If any of these ideas sound familiar at all, they should! They were designed an awful lot like Disneyland’s themed lands as Wood was trying to create an east coast version of the popular west coast tourist destination. On the day that Freedomland U.S.A. opened, The Ed Sullivan Show hosted a preview of the new theme park, calling it Disneyland’s equal on the east coast. The following day, traffic was backed up so badly in the Bronx with cars trying to get to the park that Freedomland U.S.A. had to stop selling park tickets. 🤯 The initial success of the “East Coast Disneyland” was very short-lived, however, and by the end of it’s first year of operation, Freedomland U.S.A. was already over $8 million in debt. After a few more struggling years, the park was met with the extremely tough competition of the 1964 New York World’s Fair (Walt Disney’s ultimate retribution on his old pal, Woody) and Freedomland U.S.A. filed for bankruptcy and was later torn down. On the site in the Bronx where the park once stood now stands Co-Op City, a large residential development, and the Bay Plaza Shopping Center. A plaque was installed in 2013 commemorating the theme park that once stood on that location. After his most ambitious theme park was shut down, C.V. Wood did achieve some fame and fortune when he moved the London Bridge from London to Arizona and opened it up as a tourist attraction. He then was hired by Warner Brothers where he worked until his death in 1992. The Disney Company still does not acknowledge any link to Wood to this day, and his existence is still completely wiped out of the “official” history of Disneyland and the Disney Company. It’s doubtful that anyone will ever know the true reason why Wood and Walt Disney had the intense falling out that they had as almost everyone who knew either man isn’t around to tell their stories any longer. Just remember, the next time you’re in Disneyland or Walt Disney World, that yes, Walt Disney was in fact a genius and a visionary. Disneyland was his dream project, his creation, and one of his greatest accomplishments. But also remember, Walt Disney had a little bit of help in realizing his dream, and that help’s name was Cornelius Vanderbilt Wood. 😲 Thank you SO MUCH for reading this one! This was a long one that I first wrote for my blog years ago, maybe seven or so years ago, actually! I hope you enjoyed it! ❤️
so if you wire in series, it'll only pull the amount of current required for one particular LED.? Wouldnt that mean that that current is divided among all the other LEDs? Wouldnt this mean that each LED gets less current in series?
Think of voltage as the pressure needed to push the current through your LEDs: Imagine the LEDs in series is a long pipe. The more LEDs you have in series, the longer the pipe gets, the more voltage you will need to push something from one end to the other. Now think of the current as a marble being pushed through your pipe. This marble will have to pass the entire pipe (all the LEDs) to reach the other end. The marble doesnt shrink while in the tube (all the current passes all the LEDs and comes out the other end). The analogy im using here is basicly the "Think of electronics like you think of water". You can read more about it here: hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/watcir.html
Gurkdream, Thank you for refreshing my memories while teaching others. For the Newfies, a forward facing front high intensity spotlight is still highly recommended for several more valid reasons. Happy trail ridings with a "Visual Line of Sight", Mo
how to connect an alarm system to an electric bike. I put a 36v to 12v converter and tried to install a motion, motorcycle alarm system on my ebike, but I have to leave the key on for the alarm to work. Can you help me find a solution to use this alarm without leaving the key in the battery?
The solution is to run a power wire to the alarm that does not go through the key switch. A dedicated wire from the battery (upstream from the key switch) to the alarm will do this.
I actually already made a video on capacity testing. It's called "how to build a lightbulb discharger" and shows how to test the capacity of a battery. But in your case, that sounds like a weak parallel group that still charges to full, but when you apply load, its voltage drops and causes your BMS to cut off, thinking it's protecting the battery from overdischarging.
EbikeSchool.com So, I charged by battery, cut the BMS out AND replaced controller,....same problem so,...guess it's the battery,...(or the handlebar display) (?) anyway,....guess I gotta learn or walk(lol)
I have a 3wheel ebike with 60v battery.if I put a 6strip lights on my ebike, will this strip led light can consume my battery fast if use it for let say for 45minutes running motor?
no the lights are about 10% or 20% of your motor consumption. you should use 5 x 12 V waterproof LED strips wired in series with a switch to 60V source . ruclips.net/video/lx65B74V_60/видео.html maybe add spiral wrap after
Hi Micah, I bought a new LED headlight for my e bike : suerpoweful : 25W ! It worked for 20 seconds and it burned the BMS.... But I really love that headlight !! - Only the light function is dead, do I need to buy a new controller or is there a way to upgrade the DMS to work with 25W ? - Or do I have to bypass the DMS and connect directly this headlight to my 48V battery ? Also, do I have to change the wires ? (the original light wires are pretty thin...) Thank you for your help
Hi, is your 24v battery pack a 4s or 3s? I want to build one(24v battery pack) and I am confuse on how many series I should use. I have a 24v motor and planning to build an electric vehicle for my niece.
Typical Li-ion 18650 cells are rated at 3.7 volts each but output up to 4.2 volts for a little bit while fully charge and I would only take it down to 3.0 volts max. With those numbers a 6s battery would be rated at 22.2 volts with a max of 25.2 volts and low of 18 volts. That is too low as a sealed lead acid while rated at 12 volts can put out up to 14 volts each pack so approximately 28 after a full charge. I'd use a 7s setup for a 24 volts setup. It would be rated at 25.9 volts, lowest safe output would be 21 volts and peak would 29.4 volts
Thank you for the reply, but I already created my battery pack. Unfortunately, what I did was a 6s pack since I don't have enough 18650's. But its a good thing to know these stuff. I will definitely keep this in mind for the next pack that I will make. :D Thank you very much!
Most of the time it will work, but with less power (less light). A 9V-battery-block will be empty quite fast though. It is better to use 3 rechargeable 18650 Li-Ion batteries in series using a 3S battery holder like: www.ebay.com/itm/1S-2S-3S-4S-BH-18650-LIPO-Battery-Holder-Wire-PCB-Mount/282820706703
Thanks i looked everywhere for this information because i have a e scooter and i want install two more headlights, but it says dc12v-80v . So i was confunse , it means that i can use power source from 12volts until 80v correct ,my scooter is 52v 18.2 amp . So i want add two more headlights i should make them in parallel or series ? You was the only one that i found after one day looking and asking people for this matter . I hope you can help me with this i would be very thankful. Cheers
I have purchased some 12v strips. The wire leads that came with them are such a small gauge they always seem catch on something and break. Have you seen LED strips with a larger gauge than 20?
my understanding of how a resistor works must be incorrect. I guess that explains the heat it would produce. I guess this is why a buck converter was designed? thanks again for explaining
i have 88 volts on my bike. and i use same metod of connection 12v leds under frame in serial, and 80v main headlight. and its very bad idea. shortcircuit on wires will kill my bms, or batery pack. god bless me xD
Shortcircuit will not kill your BMS or battery-pack, that's the whole idea of having a BMS. As long as there is a short-circuit the BMS disconnects the battery-pack until you solved your short-circuit-problem.
I just noticed your name, any chance that you're italian? Anyway I don't know any, try googling, for the waterproofing thing I think that you can do it yourself with some liquid duct tape.
@@antoniogalluccio4213 sono italiano, ho letto il nome solo dopo che mi hai risposto e quindi ho pensato che lo fossi ahahah, comunque se cerchi su internet ne dovresti trovare di luci a 5v anche se non credo che saranno molto potenti, io sfrutterei la 5v per caricare il telefono, controlla solo l'amperaggio per non rovinare la batteria del telefono
There are a few problems with some of this advice. Mainly, wiring anything directly to the battery introduces another quiescent current drain through the extra DC-DC converter unit(s). (Although a standard western component should be at around 100uA, the cheap Chinese eBay units (0:28) can be as high as 10-20mA each, and one would suspect that the ones built into cheap lights would not be the best.) This drains the battery when everything is apparently switched off, unless there is a primary switch on the battery itself, or at least upstream from everything else.
Using the recommended solution (lights that each include their own separate buck converters) merely multiplies the quiescent drain problem - each one sinking up to 10-20mA. Although this is small, it is important - if a battery is nearly depleted, and left for some days, this is non-trivial for the many batteries that have no main switch. Storing a bike for a couple of weeks in an empty house could be disastrous, or worse if occupied.
Also, although the BMS will have some measures built in to recognise its own very small quiescent drain, this may not watch the charging port, and might over-discharge the battery if current is drawn from this port. Depending on the chemistry used, this too can be incendiary. The video above ignores the fact that type and condition of viewers' batteries is not known.
A full 10Ah battery will be depleted by 2 low-quality buck converters in about 21 days. A quick search on Endless Sphere shows someone whose battery dropped a couple of volts in 4 days with such an arrangement. Even in the best case, a good DC-DC converter at the 40V range can achieve around 300uA 'standby' current, which will drain a battery from 10% (a typical level at which one might be stored by a careless owner) in around 3 months.
Giving general advice to novices about specialist, potentially dangerous matters seems unwise.
Smh. You really have no idea what your talking about
@@thedoopa3169the information with all the technical jargon goes over the top of my head somewhat, but am I right in understanding that if using 3 x 12v strip lights connected in series on a 36v battery connected via an isolation switch for when not in use should not give power drain when the lights not in use.
An informative video, thanks.
With regard to 3 x 12v led strips wired in series for a 36v battery, am I right in assuming it doesn’t matter how many LEDs are on each of the 3 strips providing they are equal numbers as each strip is connected in parallel?
I’m also thinking it would be better to come straight of the battery rather than connect on to any existing components so as not to potentially overload any of those circuits?
Any advice greatly received.
Thanks.
I love the way the stops looks on the bike. It would be great if those lights at the back can be used as left and right turn signals.
Thank you Micah for those awesome tips!
Really love how those strips look and a great way to add sufficient light with low weight and no extra converters.
If you tap into your bike battery main terminals remember to add a fuse.
Your bike is a moving part with vibration and possible cable rubbing/wear. The short circuit of the battery will deliver enough power to fry standard light cabling. The BMS short circuit protection will not protect you because the lighting cable is so thin that it offers too much resistance for the protection circuit to identify it as a short circuit.
A 2 amp fuse should be enough to protect your wiring. For example: 2 amp @ 36 volts = 72 watts max for your lights.
I use 8.2 volt 30,000 lumen lights that draw just under 3 amps. So 3 amps * 8.2 volts ~= 25 watts = 1 amp fuse @ 36 volts when using a buck converter operating at 85% efficiency ((25w/0.85)/36). The cable will easily take two apps so I choose to simply fuse at 2 amps.
whre tf should i tap off the power for the buck converter. I cant use the main ports
Thanks, but I found out it was a bit more complicated. You maybe want your lights to switch on/off together with your main switch, or your built-in controller switches (like e.g. automatic lights-on in dark places available on some systems). Also you may want your brake action (and sometimes your intention to turn) to reflect on your tail light.
So, this is not answering the problem "How to add any LED lights to an electric bicycle".
i just bought a dc to dc converter and plan on mounting it to the outside of my e mountainboard. im building a 36v battery 10s12p abd all i want to do is to add USB charging somehow and run these smaller 5v blower style fans inside the chassis to try and put some airflow over the BMS and the pack in the hot summer months
Why is running your own dc-dc converter a "cop-out" or "cheating"? It opens up your options to the lights you can use instead having to use one that has a built-in converter. Running an external converter opens you up to a lot more options or brands you might be partial to instead of having to hunt for one with a built in converter.
doesn't solve larger loads like 30 amp air horn
Exactly. That's not a cop-out or cheating, especially when he mentioned using lights with built-in dc/dc converters too.
He literally explains why he feels this way.. smh
Just buy ebike light kit 8-80 Volts
If wanting to install indicators that need a 12v flasher unit your going to need a converter to deliver 12v, so how do you wire in a 12v converter when that’s your only option and why is that cheating. Seemed to have skipped the option which many might need as the only viable option.
I have been using LED strips on my bike and trailer for a couple years now (when necessary), but the power in the battery is the most valuable thing I carry. I use a dynamo hub for most of my lighting needs and use it to charge power pack(s) whenever my bike is moving. I have even used my front wheel as a small water wheel one night and woke to a fully charged power pack. LED's are great but I rarely tap my drive batteries to run them. It's like using my water in the Mojave to keep the rims clean.
Dynamo power is not free. Main battery would waste that energy to run the dynamo unless you are pedaling and waste your energy. Newton’s first law.
@@jesuraja4586 Yeah, Newton that crazy antisocial guy. What a nut huh? I am absolutely sure that there is "some" drag or energy lost spinning the dynamo, but with a 26" X 2" wheel I couldn't feel it at all when spinning it by hand. The loss of energy from the battery that goes into spinning the dynamo is negligible on a 30+Ah battery and pays off many folds in the convenience of having 10V of power whenever the front wheel spins. And that is all above the true purpose of having a reliable headlight on demand. Newton would also have countered with his 2nd Jewel-of-a-law... and with all the mass that I move the dynamo is nothing but pure convenience. But your right! Nothing is free... trust me I had to buy it. ;) - imgur.com/a/zXXlyuv
Finding 36/8V lights is not a problem. But store-bought ebike battery has only female socket where you plug the controller in, you don't want to mess with this socket. You have to open the controller, find 36/48V output, solder the lights wires to it and solder some ugly connector outside the controller box. That is, if you get lucky and controller box is accessible. Those blue bricks in the video are for DIY crowd, maybe 3 years ago more people were making their own ebikes but now it's gone out of style.
Those are some excellent ideas! I've been wondering how I can add lights to my 48 volt ebike, now I know! Excellent work, keep it up!
just use normal dc adapters, for phones, laptops. where 220v ac goes in, you can put aywhere from 40v to 220v DC in, doesnt matter the polarity and you get 5, 12, 19v on output, depending on what phone, laptop charger you have
I love all you do Micah, just bought your book on building battery packs, amazing read!
I do have one critique however, even though you CAN draw power from you charging port on your battery to feed a light, depending on you BMS, it can be a very bad idea to do so, as it could damage the BMS.
I love the idea of wiring several 12v lights in series however! Never would have thought of that, keep up the good work!
This is true, but I've never seen a BMS that can't handle at least 2A via the charge port. This seems to be a nearly universal minimum for ebike battery BMSs. So unless you're using huge lights that pull more than 2A, I can't see this being an issue. But you're right, pulling more current that the BMS can handle via the charge port could damage it.
Thanks for your reply, I only mentioned this since I sought to use this very method to power a LED headlight, but was warned against it by the battery manufacturer. Perhaps they were just being overly cautious.
Hi Micah, I have 4 lights on my bike which need a total of 43 watts of power to run. The maximum voltage they can run at is 24 volts but my ebike battery is 48 volts. I want to connect a dc-dc converter from my ebike battery to the lights so that it can step down the 48 volts to 24 volts to power the lights. I am thinking of buying this dc-dc converter: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/292416497951
You stated in the video that I can draw power from my charging port, and reading your comments here, you state that I should be able to draw at least 2 amps from the charging port. If I do the math, the dc-dc converter will probably draw around (43/48 = 0.9) 0.9 amps, which is well below the 2 amp limit. Will this work? Let me know. I also have a USB port on my ebike battery - would I be able to draw power from that?
@@EbikeSchool I was about to try ur method of wiring to charger port but now Idk if these light will be to much draw...How can I access power without damaging BMS? I was told to find B+B- wire but IDK what that means
Best instructions/ideas I’ve seen! 👍
I prefer to keep lights and motor separate. I run 12v for lighting and 48 for motor. Thumbs up.
It’s a great video to show a easy way to save money making your own then buying those fancy light kits
Good video very interesting yes a good point why not use a converter, they can be kept reasonably waterproof like other items on your bike.
I understand what you are showing and saying, but what kind of process is needed to put ends of lights in a plug and how do i hook it up to the battery ?
Yeh
Should be the point of this video, shouldn't it?
Thank you. Lots of great ebikes dont come with a plug for lights so this was great and to use the charger port : excellent
I'm glad I watched this video
Thank you
I didn't know you could get lamps with converters in them - thanks for that! I used a buck converter to drop to 12v - i also use it to power indicators & its okay, i made an effort to waterproof it with dampstart on the pcb. The 12v lamps in series should all draw the same current or close to it.
how did you wire your buck converter to the battery?
Very nice and clear video, mate... A quick question : assuming I cut off my 48V rear light on my e-bike, solder in a 12V DC step-down converter there, and use that source as a main hub for my 12V lighting sub-system, does this sound like a good idea? Motorcycle 12V turn signals in the front and back, and that's pretty much it... I guess the current draw won't be too high? (that's my main fear). Thanks for your input!
Hi Micah. I love your helpful videos. I've been thinking about using your 4 x 12v light strip setup, with the white in the front and the red in the rear. it occurs to me that if one were to add a flasher somehow it could also function as turn signals. I just don't know how to do the flasher thing. Anyway, thanks for all the great ideas and tips. Keep 'em coming, please.
Some controllers have tail light wires that activate when you hit the hand brake. What voltage is that line?
Can you make a video of those 4 led strip lights wire series and where did you connect it. Im also using a 48v ebike. Thanks and ride safe.
Didnt he just do that? Isn't it explained when it is shown? There isn't much more than the explanation given. 1. Get waterproof 12v strip lights. 2. Wire 4x 12v in series for 48v. 3. Connect to E-bike with zip ties or whatever. The only thing that isn't self explanator is wiring in series, and a single youtube search will provide tons of answers for you.
Refer to this picture as an example: www.electronicshub.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Series-Wiring.jpg
If you want a video that also incorporates the theory and practice, try this 5 minute lecture: ruclips.net/video/v1a629-Ryjc/видео.html
In series wiring, you take the positive wire from your battery and wire it to the positive terminal of your light.
Add a wire to the negative terminal of the light you just wired to.
Take that wire and connect that to the positive terminal of the next light.
Add a wire to the negative terminal of the light you just wired to, and repeat the process until you have reached your desired total voltage drop.
So if you have in Micah's example a 48V battery and four 12 volt light strips, you would wire all 4 up in series to obtain a total voltage drop of 48V and therefore a circuit that is not going to exceed the volt rating of the light strips.
Once you have wired up the 4 lights in series, you'll probably want to add a switch. The switch can be placed anywhere in a series circuit because breaking the circuit anywhere switches the whole thing off.
I found that LED strip lights and most led lights like 9v batterys. Could use the 9v battery indpendantly and leave your main battery for the turning wheels. Create a seperate charging with recharge able 9v battery. charge and swap when you need it. A option anyways
still learning BMS like stated below
Interesting video except in 3rd example he keeps repeating that the method he’s using is wiring those led light strips in what he refers to as “series.” He is actually wiring them up in “Parallel.” Not series. Series is in a line or one after the other. Parallel is next to one another with one common but branch as his diagram actually shows. Other than that oops in identifying the correct verbiage for what he is explaining, the thought process and function is actually correct. Nice instructional overall.
This is great! How do you actually connect it to the batter? attaching splitter on the batter leads?
Take it to the battered women's shelter!
Do you have a video that shows how to add a USB outlet from our battery? I have searched everywhere and couldn't find a comprehensive step-by-step guide.
This is pretty much how to add LED lights to any bike even if it's not an electric bike. If you do it on a bike that's not an electric bike, you have an advantage of the battery being much smaller.
2032 batteries and USB rechargeable ones are garbage. They die on you, especially the front ones. Having the front and back light on one battery is beneficial. The light sets made for Ebikes are much more reliable and brighter than the crap that's made for regular non motorized bikes.
Led strips look a cool way to go...no more forgetting to charge the stand alone lights
That's exactly why I prefer lights that run off the main battery. That and the fact that smaller lights are either flimsy, or the sturdier ones cost way too much!
I use a rear button light for the moment but, do worry about the future so will look or a front charging port light thanks!
The battery connector will plug into the engine. Can you run through how to slip in the wires for the switch and the lights? Do I do it in parallel or series and what parts connectors do I need to connect them together? Thank you.
Hi MikeyI found out a much easier and also the cheapest way to convert 52 Volt into 5 volts to run regular bicycle led lights.What i did :) I took a old switching phone charger which everybody has laying around or you can buy very cheap.And my Led bicycal light designed for 6 Volts runs perfectly on the old charger :)Altrought most chargers say they can run on 100 Ac till 240 Volt Ac it also works on 52 Volt DC. As inside the charger it rectifies the voltage at the input first into DC.
I'd like to see a turn signal tutorial
if you don't know during the daytime use what they use to teach in high school drivers training?? try the HAND SIGNALS?? THEY DO WORK, BUT BETTER YET TRY THIS THING?dOES THE SIGNALING FOR YA?wITH U.S.B. PORT RECHARGING TOO! ENJOY HOPE IT HELPS? FIND IT ON E bAY TOO, www.ebay.com/itm/Remote-Control-Wireless-Bike-Bicycle-Laser-LED-Tail-Lamp-Turn-Signal-Light-NEW/273395266332?_trkparms=aid%3D333200%26algo%3DCOMP.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20171012094517%26meid%3D1f608fcb08e546b9aa6cba7d10cc3ae4%26pid%3D100008%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D121830723451%26itm%3D273395266332&_trksid=p2047675.c100008.m2219 HERE'S EVEN A BETTER ONE JUST LEAD THE BIKE AND IT POINTS WHICH WAY YOUR TURNING AND BRAKE IT LIGHT UP LIKE A STOP LIGHT ALL AUTO TOO! ENJOY? www.banggood.com/XANES-stl-01-64-LED-80LM-Intelligent-Automatic-Induction-Steering-Brake-Safety-Bicycle-Taillight-with-Infrared-Laser-Warning-Waterproof-Night-Light-USB-Charging-p-1141068.html?gmcCountry=NL&createTmp=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1smjh6ub3gIVAp_ICh1iEg5zEAEYASABEgIy6vD_BwE&cur_warehouse=CN
Might sound stupid but... can you make a video on how to wire them up? Like what kind of wire tap plug etc to wire it up to the main battery. K thx
Not stupid at all... perhaps I should have included that in this video. I'll add it to the list of future videos: Adding connectors to wire up lights
Please do!
Question for Micah and everyone else, it's it easier or better to convert a multi speed bike to electric or a single speed bike? Or is it just personal preference?
depends if you are wanting to use a hub motor or a mid drive. Hub motor would be better in a single speed case and the mid drive is better in a multi speed case ( acts as a transmission for the mid-drive).
Another helpful video Micah, thanks
How bad do the LED lights draw down the battery?
You can easily calculate it. Say if the light is 12W, that means running it for an hour will use 12Wh of a battery.
If you have a small-ish generic 500Wh battery, it can run the light continuously for 500/12 = 41,6 hours.
Great question
Wow that's such a cool idea, thanks.
Ehhh how about buying light strings it just attached to the spokes sounds easy to me what do you think it lwill work with a rear hub. Sounds like a no-brainer if it works but I don't know
Sir. it's safe to use my light here's the info (+/-12V-85V) it was written that way for my Ebike 48V 20A?
please reply. please.
Wouldn't you need a spotlight at the front of your bike in order to see what is happening 15 meters or so in front of you?
With the LED-strips others can see you, but you cannot see far enough to be able to brake in time.
But what about adding on /off switch
Subscribed.
Thank you for a "Insightful" video with some Excellent UTubers' commentaries contributions...
"Ride to Live + Live to Ride" plus a Multiple Survival Tip #1 " Assume that 1/3 of the caged drivers can't see you; Another 1/3 of the Mad Max Road Warriors are trying to kill you because of their road rage; The remaining 1/3 Will not see you because of a DIU-DWI and/or driving while distracted on their smartphone and/or other (emotional?) distractional issues!
Three Thumbs Up with a many pleasurable and safe miles of riding for everyone!
Mo
This is more of a "is it possible to add lights to an ebike" instead of a "how to add lights to an ebike".. I guess I need something more beginner.
Hi!
Could you do a video on fitting a USB charger to an ebike?
Thanks for your video..How do you connect the led strips in series to your 48V ebike power supply and be able to switch it on and off please? Will having to connect 4 led strips in series means you are limited to how you attach to your bike frame (ie. Can you only install the strips 4 rows thick in parallel or can you still have one or two of the rows of the four strips installed and the other one or two rows installed elsewhere on the bike? Thank you
ruclips.net/video/lx65B74V_60/видео.html
you can glue or stick the LED (waterproof is best ) anywhere you want . for 48V you have 4 strips any length , anywhere but connected in series with a switch to 48V source.
I bought a macwheel 550 cruiser 700c ebike. Working great but the lights and horn stopped working. There was some blue powder on the battery connector which I think is an indicator of a blown fuse. But I have no idea where the fuses are or how to change them. The bike has an integrated battery JZZ-LXD-XLCD. 36v 10AH. I could really use any help out there. Thank you.
My battery is 64v 45amp and I’m trying to add rock lights that usually goes on a keel to my electric moped …..do I need to wire the rock lights to the dc-dc converter ?
Do you know the name of the cables that split the connection from the battery? So I can add the lights to the wiring.
Y cable
awesome video you know I am going through this now. Thank you for the shared knowledge :)
My Yosepower kit has a socket to receive the supplied Wuxing head headlight operated by the control panel.
I know i could fit a splitter so I could also plug in a Wuxing tail light.
My question is would this overload the controller by having two lights as opposed to one light as supplied?
I’ve asked Yosepower but they have replied that the kit isn’t able to support a front light even though it came with one, has a socket for it and the control panel operates it successfully. 🙄🙄.
Fat load of good they are.
Can’t find any spec for the rated output of the controller for the light socket either so as to be able to calculate the rated output v current draw from both lights.
Any advice welcomed.
Hello Micah. How do I tap into dolphin style battery.
Hi Micah, i have a good one for a Q&A video... how can i charge my phone (USB outlet port) with a battery that dont have that function? if i could charge more than one phone would be great!
You can add a simple DC-DC buck converter with USB-connector, like:
3A total, max 40V: www.ebay.com/itm/3A-DC-DC-Buck-Step-Down-Converter-7V-40V-12V-24V-to-5V-Dual-USB-Charger-Module/263456372243
5A total, max 40V: www.ebay.com/itm/DC-12V-24V-40V-to-5V-5A-Converter-4-USB-Port-Step-down-Power-Supply-Buck-Module/222234755111
5A total, max 60V: www.ebay.com/itm/DC-DC-7-60-24V-12V-to-5V-5A-4USB-Output-Buck-Converter-Step-down-Power-Supply/332406614051
Many more to find on e-bay.
You just connect your bicycle-battery to the in-connectors and plug your phone in the onboard USB to charge.
You should put the printboards in a water resistant casing. It is smart to install an on/off switch between battery and converter.
I am building some for my 36V E-bikes and mount them on my handlebar with a torch-clip. I also add some LEDs to see if they are switched on or off and to find the USB-connectors in the dark.
Super helpful! Thanks!
The series solution sound great, but what about the performace of the LED lights as the battery output voltage drops, say from 80 volts to recomended recharge (0.2 X 80 =16 volts)?.
So you have 72V(fully charged is 84V)? 84V/12V= 7 pcs in series :-) That is a lot!. PS: I have 12kW 72V 29Ah system myself, but I've ordered this DC/DC converter:
www.ebay.com/itm/New-10-90V-to-2-60V-DC-DC-Step-Down-Converter-Car-Regulated-Power-Supply-Module/333335398634?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
Can you show us how to add a USB port to a home-made battery.
I cant find good turn lights that works on 48v fatbike v8 only need them for the front
Not simple enough. My battery has one plug to my motor. I don't know how to connect a new plug.
How is the 12V light mounted to the handlebar? Are there clamps available? What would they be called?
Hey Micah the I got a 48v light with the built in inverter thing but why when my bike kicks in the power for hill climbing all lights shut down 😡 except the screen on my bike says the lights are still on 🤔
I would like to know exactly how to install a premium light to an ebike that already has light sensor & a hold "+" for 3 seconds to power lights but has NO LIGHT....????
Why not use a simple resister using ohms law R= V/A?
Don't forget to deduct the total voltage from the main power, for example 36v and you only want one LED and that one LED is 3v and .002a so you deduct 3v from 36v = 33v divided by .002a and you'll need a 16,500 or slightly higher ohm resister put some heatshrink on it and off you go.
You mean making a voltage divider?
This would work but you would have losses across the resistors, the losses could be negligible.
Slight if any and these little DC to DC converters are never 100% Efficient either.
That is a viable option, but you'd need a beefier resistor depending on how many and what power level of lights you're using. Also, that's just wasted heat. It's a small amount, but I'd rather turn that energy into light instead of heat.
instead of resister just use more LED so you get more light
How do I wire brake light to vesc or any controller
We need a new link for dc to dc converter for ebike ?
Hi! Can you make a tutorial on how to connect tail light / brake light on escooters? ^_^ thanks in advance!
wire lights in series and add a switch ruclips.net/video/lx65B74V_60/видео.html
Great ideas. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it!
is it the same lumens for every diff bbattery voltages?
Micah 👍👍👍
show how to do it step by step please
ruclips.net/video/lx65B74V_60/видео.html
Hi, really nice video. I have a question, i buyed a 36v 500w Hub motor, and the controller doesn´t have a connection to a LCD panel so i can control the level of the power of the motor. Do you know a solution to have it incorporated?
what do you do with a 52V battery?
Good video. Would it be possible to wire in a 12v plug in to part of your battery while building your battery bank? Then you have a 12vdc plug in to be used for anything you want really from lights to a radio. Keep up the great work.
Absolutely. You could include a small DC-DC converter with a 12VDC output inside of your battery, right next to your BMS. You'd input the battery's discharge wires to it (run a couple extra smaller wires in addition to the main "battery out" wires) and you'd have the equivalent of a 12V aux plug in your battery, good idea!
No, I mean drop the DC-DC converter, and just tap right into say 4 of the batteries out of the 40 or however many batteries are in your battery bank, and just spot weld in a wire on the POS and a wire on the NEG of those 4 batteries to get 12vdc. Of course this is assuming each battery is 3vdc. Then just run that plug in out of the battery for 12vdc use for lights and radio or whatever.
I'm asking, because having ANOTHER electronic piece inside the system is just one more thing that could fail and it won't fail at noon when the sun is up and you don't need lights, it will fail when it's dark outside and you're riding along, and then what will you do?
It's pretty hard for a few wires to fail that are hard wired right from the battery to a light. I like simple and the fewer the electronics on board, the better as far as I'm concerned.
Theoretically yes, that would be possible, but it would cause a different problem. Those 4 cells (or 3 cells might be better as they charge to 4.2V) would be drained faster than the remaining cells. That means when you charge the pack, the BMS is going to be working harder to balance it, and depending how much you used your lights, you could end up with a very unbalanced pack that could take many extra hours or even days to balance when charged.
Okay, that's the answer I was afraid of hearing. How much loss do you have with a DC--DC converter or is it so small that it's not worth talking about? Also, what kind of amps are we talking that a DC-DC converter can handle? Thanks for your time. I do appreciate it more than you know.
I wouldn't expect to get more than 90% efficiency. So if your lights require 10W total (which would be a lot), then you're looking at losing about 1W of power in wasted electricity from the DC-DC converter. So it will cause some loss, but the scale is very small. There are DC-DC converters of all power levels. Most small ones are rated at 1-3A or less, but you can find them up to 30A or more! It's just a matter of choosing the correct one for your needs.
What about the amperage? Im running a 5p 15s battery 🔋
hey Micah I am looking to build my first battery for my first ebike build looking for 100 LG HG2 looking for 72v 15ah pack someone told me the vruzen kit won't hold the packs 100a 72v output have any suggestions ?? also would love to pick your mind on other ideas for my build like which BMS and charger would be best and where to get all the supplies to build it
Hello ,, how many 18650 battery's would I need to equal or better the battery range that is currently on my ebike please ,,250watt hub motor 24 volt the battery claims it is 24 volts at 8.8 amp ,, however if I fully charge the battery my voltage meter says it's 29.3 volts,, with pedal assist at 15 mph in the uk ,,I get roughly 14 miles before battery needs a recharge ,, the price of another standard type slide in battery is equivalent to about 300 US dollars ,, I'm sure I could make one a lot cheaper than that,, and would I have to make the battery to produce almost 30 volts considering the hub motor claims its 24 many thanks if you reply ,,, Shane uk
Would it work to put two of the lights with built in DC-DC converters in series or parallel? I'd like to run the lights in parallel with the motor off my battery (assuming the lights will only pull what they need), but wasn't sure how to approach lights with built in DC-DC converters, as far as whether the lights relation to each other should be series or parallel. Any thoughts?
if parallel they have same voltage half the amps. if series they have half the voltage same amps. maybe you need two switches for two lights
@MDonovan 8x8x2😢😢😢😢😢😢u to🎉😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😅😢Cornelius Vanderbilt Wood, who went by C.V., was hired by the Stanford Research Institute in the early 1950's where he worked as an engineer and as an outside consultant to Walt Disney, helping with the logistics of the construction of Disneyland. Walt was so impressed by Wood’s intelligence and problem-solving capabilities that he offered him a job as the supervisor of the construction of Disneyland. ❤️🏰😢🎉All life is valuable, no doubt, but as a qualified Submariner on SSBN 608, 616, and 640 class Submarines, I do wish the talking heads would quit talking about the folks that lost their life on the submarine the last week as if they were equals to me and my fellow Submariners. They were not Submariners, they were high priced tourists. They have not trained for years, qualified in their craft and boat, spent months submerged, nor have they earned the respect of their fellow shipmates who willing put their lives in their hands daily for months on end. Their deaths are tragic, but upon looking at more facts than most, in a light few can, they were really preventable. The design as well as mentality of the owner in his approach to hiring, training, and preparing were severely faulted. There is a reason we have not had a major tragedy in our community since the Thresher and Scorpion. When the Kursk went down it sent a ripple through our community regardless of country of origin. Those were Submariners, Brothers of ours even if from a different country. These folks shouldn't have died, because they shouldn't have been there. This wa😅😅s n😮😢othing more than a sight seeing trip to gawk at the wreckage that took many lives as well. 🎉🎉Next time watch a RUclips video.🎉🎉😢😢🎉
😢🎉
Walt and Woody (Walt's nickname for Wood) were both fiery, passionate individuals and became close very quickly. Walt trusted Woody and named him Disneyland’s very first employee. Wood not only supervised the construction of the park, he actually was the one who chose the site among the orange groves of Anaheim AND was in charge of purchasing the land where the park was built. 🍊
It was C.V. Wood who, as Vice President and General Manager of Disneyland, gave Vice President Nixon the Key To Disneyland in August of 1955, one month after the grand opening of the park. If you’re anything like I was and you’ve never heard of this guy before, this doesn’t make any sense, right? How could a man who was so deeply involved with the construction and creation of Disneyland, a man who Walt Disney often referred to as “a son,” be totally left out of all of the Disney history books and films? Why doesn’t Cornelius Vanderbilt Wood have a window on Main Street U.S.A. in Disneyland, the park that he was so incredibly instrumental in making a reality? 🧐
The answer is a bit of a complicated one. In July of 1956, just one year after the opening of Disneyland, C.V. Wood was gone. Not only was he out as Disneyland’s Vice President and General Manager, he was wiped clean from all of the historical accounts of the Disney company as well. Walt Disney had his older brother, Roy O. Disney (another key figure in the history of the Disney company, but that story is for another post!) fire Wood reportedly after a heated argument. It’s not known what that argument was about and neither Walt Disney nor his brother Roy ever went public with the true reason why Wood was fired so abruptly.
There were rumors that Wood had embezzled money from the Disneys and their company, but there were never any legal proceedings or records that would prove that as a fact. Other speculated reasons for the firing were that Wood was taking too much credit publicly for the creation of Disneyland or that he was fired because he was designing other theme parks behind Walt Disney’s back. Whatever the reason, Wood’s relationship with the Disney Company ended swiftly and without much fanfare. It was like one day, C.V. Wood was in the Disneyland offices, holding meetings like he always did, and the next day he was gone and never spoken of again. 😳
When his new theme park Freedomland U.S.A. opened in the Bronx in 1960, it seemed like Wood was finally going to achieve the fame and fortune that Walt Disney had achieved with Disneyland’s opening in 1955. The park was made up of several themed lands including Little Old New York, Chicago (which had daily shows depicting the Chicago Fire of 1871), The Great Plains, San Fransisco, The Old Southwest, New Orleans Mardi Gras, and Satellite City: The Future. If any of these ideas sound familiar at all, they should! They were designed an awful lot like Disneyland’s themed lands as Wood was trying to create an east coast version of the popular west coast tourist destination. On the day that Freedomland U.S.A. opened, The Ed Sullivan Show hosted a preview of the new theme park, calling it Disneyland’s equal on the east coast. The following day, traffic was backed up so badly in the Bronx with cars trying to get to the park that Freedomland U.S.A. had to stop selling park tickets. 🤯
The initial success of the “East Coast Disneyland” was very short-lived, however, and by the end of it’s first year of operation, Freedomland U.S.A. was already over $8 million in debt. After a few more struggling years, the park was met with the extremely tough competition of the 1964 New York World’s Fair (Walt Disney’s ultimate retribution on his old pal, Woody) and Freedomland U.S.A. filed for bankruptcy and was later torn down. On the site in the Bronx where the park once stood now stands Co-Op City, a large residential development, and the Bay Plaza Shopping Center. A plaque was installed in 2013 commemorating the theme park that once stood on that location.
After his most ambitious theme park was shut down, C.V. Wood did achieve some fame and fortune when he moved the London Bridge from London to Arizona and opened it up as a tourist attraction. He then was hired by Warner Brothers where he worked until his death in 1992. The Disney Company still does not acknowledge any link to Wood to this day, and his existence is still completely wiped out of the “official” history of Disneyland and the Disney Company. It’s doubtful that anyone will ever know the true reason why Wood and Walt Disney had the intense falling out that they had as almost everyone who knew either man isn’t around to tell their stories any longer. Just remember, the next time you’re in Disneyland or Walt Disney World, that yes, Walt Disney was in fact a genius and a visionary. Disneyland was his dream project, his creation, and one of his greatest accomplishments. But also remember, Walt Disney had a little bit of help in realizing his dream, and that help’s name was Cornelius Vanderbilt Wood. 😲
Thank you SO MUCH for reading this one! This was a long one that I first wrote for my blog years ago, maybe seven or so years ago, actually! I hope you enjoyed it! ❤️
How do I wire for my 60v bike?
I have AXA 6v lights. How can I make it work?
isnt the third option of series wiring kind of dumb because theyll be pulling so much current which could be used for ebike range?
Series = "uses" more voltage
Parallel = "uses" more current
This method (series) will only draw the amount of current one strip needs so very low.
wicked. thanks for explaining :)
so if you wire in series, it'll only pull the amount of current required for one particular LED.? Wouldnt that mean that that current is divided among all the other LEDs? Wouldnt this mean that each LED gets less current in series?
Think of voltage as the pressure needed to push the current through your LEDs:
Imagine the LEDs in series is a long pipe. The more LEDs you have in series, the longer the pipe gets, the more voltage you will need to push something from one end to the other. Now think of the current as a marble being pushed through your pipe. This marble will have to pass the entire pipe (all the LEDs) to reach the other end. The marble doesnt shrink while in the tube (all the current passes all the LEDs and comes out the other end).
The analogy im using here is basicly the "Think of electronics like you think of water". You can read more about it here: hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/watcir.html
Gurkdream,
Thank you for refreshing my memories while teaching others.
For the Newfies, a forward facing front high intensity spotlight is still highly recommended for several more valid reasons.
Happy trail ridings with a "Visual Line of Sight",
Mo
how to connect an alarm system to an electric bike. I put a 36v to 12v converter and tried to install a motion, motorcycle alarm system on my ebike, but I have to leave the key on for the alarm to work. Can you help me find a solution to use this alarm without leaving the key in the battery?
The solution is to run a power wire to the alarm that does not go through the key switch. A dedicated wire from the battery (upstream from the key switch) to the alarm will do this.
Can you do a vid on "capacity testing"??( I have a battery that shows 48v,....but dies under ANY load)
I actually already made a video on capacity testing. It's called "how to build a lightbulb discharger" and shows how to test the capacity of a battery. But in your case, that sounds like a weak parallel group that still charges to full, but when you apply load, its voltage drops and causes your BMS to cut off, thinking it's protecting the battery from overdischarging.
EbikeSchool.com So, I charged by battery, cut the BMS out AND replaced controller,....same problem so,...guess it's the battery,...(or the handlebar display) (?) anyway,....guess I gotta learn or walk(lol)
Can I use a 48volt front hub motor as a generator to keep 48 volt battery on rear wheel charged?
I think not
should this all be wired in parallel with the ebike components on in series with them?
Parallel
I how old bike model without battery,how to install led lamps plz sagest.
I have a 3wheel ebike with 60v battery.if I put a 6strip lights on my ebike, will this strip led light can consume my battery fast if use it for let say for 45minutes running motor?
no the lights are about 10% or 20% of your motor consumption. you should use 5 x 12 V waterproof LED strips wired in series with a switch to 60V source . ruclips.net/video/lx65B74V_60/видео.html maybe add spiral wrap after
How can you add a switch to that?
Hi Micah, I bought a new LED headlight for my e bike : suerpoweful : 25W ! It worked for 20 seconds and it burned the BMS....
But I really love that headlight !!
- Only the light function is dead, do I need to buy a new controller or is there a way to upgrade the DMS to work with 25W ?
- Or do I have to bypass the DMS and connect directly this headlight to my 48V battery ?
Also, do I have to change the wires ? (the original light wires are pretty thin...)
Thank you for your help
I was wondering about using relay
Hi, is your 24v battery pack a 4s or 3s? I want to build one(24v battery pack) and I am confuse on how many series I should use. I have a 24v motor and planning to build an electric vehicle for my niece.
Typical Li-ion 18650 cells are rated at 3.7 volts each but output up to 4.2 volts for a little bit while fully charge and I would only take it down to 3.0 volts max. With those numbers a 6s battery would be rated at 22.2 volts with a max of 25.2 volts and low of 18 volts. That is too low as a sealed lead acid while rated at 12 volts can put out up to 14 volts each pack so approximately 28 after a full charge.
I'd use a 7s setup for a 24 volts setup. It would be rated at 25.9 volts, lowest safe output would be 21 volts and peak would 29.4 volts
Thank you for the reply, but I already created my battery pack. Unfortunately, what I did was a 6s pack since I don't have enough 18650's. But its a good thing to know these stuff.
I will definitely keep this in mind for the next pack that I will make. :D Thank you very much!
👍🏻
i have a light and it requires 12v....if i have 9v battery will it work??
Most of the time it will work, but with less power (less light).
A 9V-battery-block will be empty quite fast though. It is better to use 3 rechargeable 18650 Li-Ion batteries in series using a 3S battery holder like:
www.ebay.com/itm/1S-2S-3S-4S-BH-18650-LIPO-Battery-Holder-Wire-PCB-Mount/282820706703
@@czarzenana5125 actually 4 or 5 would be brighter
Thanks i looked everywhere for this information because i have a e scooter and i want install two more headlights, but it says dc12v-80v . So i was confunse , it means that i can use power source from 12volts until 80v correct ,my scooter is 52v 18.2 amp .
So i want add two more headlights i should make them in parallel or series ?
You was the only one that i found after one day looking and asking people for this matter .
I hope you can help me with this i would be very thankful.
Cheers
What did you end up doing. I would imagine wiring them in series would be the safest.
It would have helped if you didn't hide the wires with your damn hand
Bro I need your help
can i just tap the 12V from my battery pack?
Franze Reyes not recommended as it will unbalance your cells
I have purchased some 12v strips. The wire leads that came with them are such a small gauge they always seem catch on something and break.
Have you seen LED strips with a larger gauge than 20?
couldsnt you just use a resister or two to drop 48v to 12?
You would still be using the same 48v (if you consider wattage). You would just waste "36v" over the resistor as heat.
my understanding of how a resistor works must be incorrect. I guess that explains the heat it would produce. I guess this is why a buck converter was designed?
thanks again for explaining
i have 88 volts on my bike. and i use same metod of connection 12v leds under frame in serial, and 80v main headlight. and its very bad idea. shortcircuit on wires will kill my bms, or batery pack. god bless me xD
Haha, well you can always include a small in-line fuse!
Shortcircuit will not kill your BMS or battery-pack, that's the whole idea of having a BMS.
As long as there is a short-circuit the BMS disconnects the battery-pack until you solved your short-circuit-problem.
My kit has a 5v connector to install a front light that did not come with the conversion kit. How can I use that?
Buy a 5v light, connect it to the connector and here you go
@@TheGameIsFunny but it needs to be waterproof I guess,, could you suggest me a link please?
I just noticed your name, any chance that you're italian? Anyway I don't know any, try googling, for the waterproofing thing I think that you can do it yourself with some liquid duct tape.
@@TheGameIsFunny si sono italiano, lo sei anche tu o lo parli?
@@antoniogalluccio4213 sono italiano, ho letto il nome solo dopo che mi hai risposto e quindi ho pensato che lo fossi ahahah, comunque se cerchi su internet ne dovresti trovare di luci a 5v anche se non credo che saranno molto potenti, io sfrutterei la 5v per caricare il telefono, controlla solo l'amperaggio per non rovinare la batteria del telefono
dont you think your bike is "glowing" way to much and that you are a danger on the road ......