Bafang M500/M600 Tuning & The BESST Tool

[dvng]

Thoughts on the 46.8 M600 Firmware....

Coming from 46.7 I think if I had to pick a single word to describe the new firmware, then I'd pick "calm". 46.7 is pretty ridiculous; loads of power, instant ramp, loads of fun but pretty crude.

46.8 feels far, far tamer. Way less of that instant woosh of power, and much slower to get to max assistance. It's still good, and the power is still there, it just takes more to get to it. With this being my first eMTB I'm not sure whether that instant ramp is normal, but it certainly puts a smile on my face, along with anyone else who rode my bike.

That being said, there is one thing I REALLY like about the new firmware. When you stop pedalling with 46.7 the assistance nigh instantly drops off, which almost feels like someone has dabbed your brakes. With 46.8 that instant stop is gone, and the assistance ramps down gradually, almost to the point where you feel like you could coast indefinitely.

One other thing I noticed is that after the upgrade the motor was "stuttering", particularly after stopping and setting off again (e.g. at road juntions). Is this because I didn't run a calibration procedure after upgrading? Within 15 minutes of riding the problem dissapeared completely.

Has anyone else tried this version? What do you think?

Thank you for the review. You did not elaborate despite the changes, did the range improved or detiorated.?

 

[Hagbard]

Today I rode about 15 miles, starting on 85% battery and ending on 25%. Mostly in assist 2, but used plenty of every level to try them all out. No significant hills.

Not sure I'd want to say whether that represents a drop or an increase in range. The lack of power intuitively suggests a range improvement, but I feel like I'd have more battery left if I did the same ride on the old firmware.

 

[thaeber]

83kg + clothing and extra battery in Backpak

You carry an extra 840 Wh battery in Your backpack? Which one? How is it?

 

[dvng]

Today I rode about 15 miles, starting on 85% battery and ending on 25%. Mostly in assist 2, but used plenty of every level to try them all out. No significant hills.

Not sure I'd want to say whether that represents a drop or an increase in range. The lack of power intuitively suggests a range improvement, but I feel like I'd have more battery left if I did the same ride on the old firmware.

That's quite a drastic drop in range. 60% utilisation for 25km is thirsty. Not sure if it's because you are on Pas 2. We're you in PAS settings 5 or 9?.

 

[Hagbard]

That's quite a drastic drop in range. 60% utilisation for 25km is thirsty. Not sure if it's because you are on Pas 2. We're you in PAS settings 5 or 9?.

5.

 

[dvng]

Thoughts on the 46.8 M600 Firmware....

Coming from 46.7 I think if I had to pick a single word to describe the new firmware, then I'd pick "calm". 46.7 is pretty ridiculous; loads of power, instant ramp, loads of fun but pretty crude.

46.8 feels far, far tamer. Way less of that instant woosh of power, and much slower to get to max assistance. It's still good, and the power is still there, it just takes more to get to it. With this being my first eMTB I'm not sure whether that instant ramp is normal, but it certainly puts a smile on my face, along with anyone else who rode my bike.

That being said, there is one thing I REALLY like about the new firmware. When you stop pedalling with 46.7 the assistance nigh instantly drops off, which almost feels like someone has dabbed your brakes. With 46.8 that instant stop is gone, and the assistance ramps down gradually, almost to the point where you feel like you could coast indefinitely.

One other thing I noticed is that after the upgrade the motor was "stuttering", particularly after stopping and setting off again (e.g. at road juntions). Is this because I didn't run a calibration procedure after upgrading? Within 15 minutes of riding the problem dissapeared completely.

Has anyone else tried this version? What do you think?

someone else tried this version and reported in endless sphere. He didn't like the gradual ramping down when pedalling stops. I am not sure how it would feel if you are cycling in technical trails, perhaps it calm down the ramping up when u start pedalling again. Did it feel natural to you? I know it's difficult to replicate the feel of a analogue bike but anything vaguely close to the natural feel is a bonus I guess

 

[Hagbard]

It felt more natural than the abrupt stop of the previous version. I did ride a few technical trails and didn't find it an issue, even though it sounds like it should be

Any thoughts on the stuttering? Is this simply a calibration issue?

 

[Waynemarlow]

Only from the TSDZ2 engine I'm familiar with, the algorythms that are used to dictate the way the motor reacts to both load and speed, need to alter each parameter for each individual engine, to get best efficiency. That in essence means going to max limits on the parameter and seeing what happens electrically wise.

On one of the upgrades of the firmware to the TSDZ2 I had a similar " stuttering" when they introduced a new algorythm in regards to field weakening, it dissappeared after a short run time and never returned. Maybe !!!!

 

[mgx]

Yesterday @Kucko volunteered to be first "tester" of new 46.8fw, so we did. All was flawless, i have not seen any motor issues after fw change. Also re-calibration was not required, all values from last "tune" were there.
I did only 1 minute short test on parking lot, and i must confirm findings already presented here, which i found very nice from my POV.

On mode 1, ramp is neat, without "kick" presented in previous fw releases (46.6/7)
Power-down is also not a instant "shutoff", but decent cruising. I need to test it more, when f.e. hit the wood inside chain how quick motor react, as this may be a bit problem. But lets see...More from today's ride.

I made some pictures yesterday on my short test circle with different profile to see/compare battery gain on older fw. Today i will recharge/flash my own bike and repeat exercise and compare. Will try to report today evening.

 

[Kucko]

Yesterday @Kucko volunteered to be first "tester" of new 46.8fw, so we did. All was flawless, i have not seen any motor issues after fw change. Also re-calibration was not required, all values from last "tune" were there.
I did only 1 minute short test on parking lot, and i must confirm findings already presented here, which i found very nice from my POV.

On mode 1, ramp is neat, without "kick" presented in previous fw releases (46.6/7)
Power-down is also not a instant "shutoff", but decent cruising. I need to test it more, when f.e. hit the wood inside chain how quick motor react, as this may be a bit problem. But lets see...More from today's ride.

I made some pictures yesterday on my short test circle with different profile to see/compare battery gain on older fw. Today i will recharge/flash my own bike and repeat exercise and compare. Will try to report today evening.

Great! I'm waiting for the evening comparison ... Yesterday I made a way of you about 6km and the motor seems so more cultivated. 1 level is really finer and max. power already shows around 250W, previously also 380W. The range of the motor after releasing the pedals is really slower and will not switch it off immediately. It suits me so well. I will see if I have lost power at max. 5 level and da unlocked 60km / h. And of course the battery life, especially at level 1, which I use the most. So I expect at least 80km in the gentle hills up to 500m climbed.

 

[mgx]

Hello, so here come the news...

Honestly, i must say following:

1) conditions as based on usual comparison metrics were not 100% identical. Sorry, today new 5cm of wet snow, yesterday it was bit chilly and less snow, today a bit of fresh snow and temperature a bit higher. From my POV, conditions on "small track" were today harder, as yesterday i have not generally problems cruising forward, today i had more. So, mind that

2) new fw 46.8 - is generally milder, smooth start, smooth stop with cruising delay, which can be problem when hitting track wood=2seconds can damage your gear with ease. Mind that. Delay is bit lower on PAS 1, but more then older fw
3) i generally feel new fw as more weak, without any kick like old. Can be fine with long term gear livecycle, but...not a lot of fun like before on steep uphill.
4) generally speaking = from table below consumtion looks bad on steep uphill, but eco-flat terain is better. Should be confirmed on longer track with exact conditions...

Notes:

track is divided into 4 sections:
1) flat- slow uphill - +50m PAS5
2) steep uphill + 250m PAS9
3) up/down - flow PAS1
4) down- flow PAS1 - normally i am doing this with 0, but for testing i left it on 1

all values are in kilometers (special for british folks)

 

[Kucko]

Great summary. I'm getting ready for the test tomorrow morning, when it doesn't finally blow and rain / snow. I will take a short classic circuit to our Rohožník quarry, across the alley to the Penta cottage, down to Najbach, to Malacky road and home. Such a cool 20km. And at least I'll find out the battery consumption and especially if that power has really decreased at the highest level...

 

[mgx]

I am wondering, that for more precise comparison we should also measure battery voltage, not just value in display.

 

[foundinthemountians]

Hi, Does anyone have the .bin of the new 46.8 firmware for the m600 48v?

 

[Kyokushin]

Hi, Does anyone have the .bin of the new 46.8 firmware for the m600 48v?

Bafang_M500_M600/Firmwares/Official/Motor at main · OpenSourceEBike/Bafang_M500_M600

Contribute to OpenSourceEBike/Bafang_M500_M600 development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

 

[foundinthemountians]

Bafang_M500_M600/Firmwares/Official/Motor at main · OpenSourceEBike/Bafang_M500_M600

Contribute to OpenSourceEBike/Bafang_M500_M600 development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

Thanks!

 

[savas]

HI Guys,
is it possible to download the firmware from my motor?Or how do you get these firmwares?


Greets

 

[Hagbard]

HI Guys,
is it possible to download the firmware from my motor?Or how do you get these firmwares?


Greets

It is not. My understanding is that these firmware versions are sent directly by Bafang to individuals, and circulated (via forums like this) across the internet.

 

[Kyokushin]

Yes, thats community based repository.
There is no official way to download firmware or download it from engine.

 

[Kucko]

Today was finally beautiful weather - sunny, almost no wind 5 ° C, so I tested the new FW 46.8 especially only on the 1st level on my reference circuit. And my feelings are mixed. But I didn't save the motor at all, it almost always went downhill at full speed. As I wrote, the 1st level is finally weaker, it kicks less at the start and especially the max. power is up to 250W and after switching off it has a longer range. I still had between 230-250W on the display and therefore the average speed was decent - 27km / h. You can go at a speed of 35-40km / h on the plain and downhill over 50km / h. I am very satisfied with this. It's worse with the range. At 22.8 km, the battery loss was 44%, which represents a range of 52 km per battery charge. So not much at level 1. With the previous FW 46.7, the motor was livelier and even more environmentally friendly. I missed under 40% of the battery on this circuit and I also rode to the 5th level. I will still give him a chance with a longer and more demanding tripe of about 50km and 600m climbed and I will use all levels. Maybe he'll come to life a little ...

Start - 134.1km, 76% battery
Climb - 141.5km, 54% battery - 7.4km, loss 22%, + 210m climbed
Descent - 156.9km, 32% battery - 15.4km, loss 22%, -210m descented
Total 22.8km, loss of 44% battery, 210m climbed

 

[Waynemarlow]

Guys, as much as I want to thank you for your efforts, these trips aren't very fact finding in regards to Wh's used. All sorts of things like temperature, trail conditions, tyre pressures, even whether you had a large lunch are going to change the Wh's used.

At a minimum you need not to use voltage, but measure actual Wh's used. Without knowing exactly the Wh's used and consider the local environmental conditions of the day comparing like for like, you are purely guessing.

 

[mgx]

is there a menu for Wh used? Or i need finally install bafang app?

 

[Waynemarlow]

Note the very flat voltage discharge curve of a Lithium battery at lower temps below and you can see why it is very very very difficult to use only voltage as a comparison.

 

[Waynemarlow]

is there a menu for Wh used? Or i need finally install bafang app?

I'm not sure that the App keeps a total W/hs used sadly.

 

[mgx]

I checked app, there is no data for comparison. Also wattmeter use "total power" meaning motor+man-power, so hard to compare. There is some CAL energy used/wasted, but i dont known how this is calculated or counted, so...

On other say, temperature on second day was +2C warmer, so i can rule-out lower lion capacity due freeze. But there was +3 cm more snow + it was wet, so...

But, i will repeat test on longer track with more altitude gain, where this will become more visible.

1.2=fw 46.7
2.2=fw 46.8
same time, same circle.

 

[Kucko]

Ďakujem za načítanie FW46.6 do testu a pri nízkej kapacite batérie 25% som nenašiel rozdiel oproti najnovšej 46.8. Cez víkend dám svoj referenčný okruh a uvidím oproti včerajšku...

 

[Kyokushin]

I have a question for the M600 owners.
What is the level of power reduction on around 30 and 20% of battery? What peak power output you have then?

 

[mgx]

250W (at 20%) at 46.7, at 46.8 i think it was increased to 30%

 

[Kyokushin]

and around 50%?

 

[mgx]

In 46.7 i didn't noticed any power degradation in 100-20% SOC, but i have never checked watts, its just feel. In new FW i have not noticed same , but honestly saying i have not been checking Watts, so i dont know. @Kucko said, that power-safe mode in 46.8 came in 30% (before it was 20%), and below 20% motor was just unusable... He today returned back to 46.6 just to compare...