DIY HACK - How to make your own open source motor controller!
Check out this cool little hack, it’s an open-source motor controller for an electric bike. There’s no pictures of a finished version but can’t wait to see this circuit in action!
n brief the PicOx is a PicAxe 08M based digital Controller that performs an ADC of a Hall-effect throttle and an ADC of a Hall-based current sensor. These two parameters determine the “Mark” value of a 15Khz PWM signal that does the switching to the Output stage. At the end of the project the Controller can sustain 48V @ 75 Amps repeatedly for approx 5 second bursts and is really only limited by the In-Line breaker that cuts the supply voltage, though the entire system’s overall design objective is met reliably at 48V 50Amp operation…
Electrobike Pi - Hybrid Electric Bike

At $7500, I’d probably get a real bike like a Suzuki GSX-R600 but this hybrid electric bike is cool since you can charge it within about 2-3 hours and goes upto 46mph. I wouldn’t want to go that fast in a bike like this though…
This blindingly red transporter “combines the lightweight portability of a bicycle with speed and self-propulsion more akin to a motorcycle,” as it includes a 36-volt pack of NiMH batteries that provides “about one horsepower” to the 58-pound device. The unit can be fully charged “from any standard household outlet in 2.5 to 3 hours and can run for 25 to 30 miles,” and according to a report from the LA Times, the 20mph maximum stock speed can be increased to around 46mph “with a little after-market hot rodding.” Granted, the base price on this thing is said to be around $7,500, so it looks like the most of us will have to stick with the trusty Huffy ten-speed for the time being.
DIY - Add Electric Motor to your bike
I’ve seen groups of electric motor bikers the other day along the 17 mile drive in San Francisco, but here’s some cool links on the web about adding an electric motor to your bike:
The idea of attaching a small electric motor to a bicycle has long been one of my ambitions. When cycling home from work, whichever route I took it was always an up-hill journey of varying gradients, and I vowed that one day I would fit a motor to give that little extra help as and when needed. It seems a bit ironic that, now I have retired from work, I have at last got round to doing something about it. However, it does mean that I now have more time to experiment, and enjoy the results.
I’ve seen come cool kits that you can buy too including an interesting kit from china that has a minimum order quantity of 300 for those interested in starting a e-bike business. Bicycle-power.com has many cool links about e-bikes too.
Other links about custom electric power bikes:
Eric Peltzer’s Electric Bicycle via make
Build a custom electric power source for your bicycle









