Making your own tec pack?

sdcoffeeroaster

Active member
Jul 22, 2018
563
209
San Diego, CA
I’ve just weighed it, 1286g for the bag, batteries and all connectors. ?
OK I finally got the 3D printed battery bottle back. Had a lot of tweaking to get things to fit since some of the dimension shrunk from the model. This is the biggest diameter I could make (and I needed this for the battery and some padding inside) and still fit the cage I selected. I think the result is OK but I suspect the mounting is a bit fragile compared to the bag. While the cap is a tight fit I worry it and the lid could come flying off so I a have a few cap locking methods in mind. It looks a bit big and bulky to me and results in a higher cg but without the bottle it lookw like a normal bottle cage and if fact it can be used for that by adjusting it to a std bottle diameter. So it looks less like an ebike but because of the diameter necessary for this hoverboard battery looks a bit bizarre and bulky to me. And I feel the bag version could be a bit more secure and protective. Total weight for either one is virtually identical at 3 lbs brackets and mounting included. So I now have 2 bag versions and one final bottle version. Any votes for one or the other and comments? Thanks.

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Tooks

Well-known member
Subscriber
Mar 29, 2020
461
556
Lincs UK
OK I finally got the 3D printed battery bottle back. Had a lot of tweaking to get things to fit since some of the dimension shrunk from the model. This is the biggest diameter I could make (and I needed this for the battery and some padding inside) and still fit the cage I selected. I think the result is OK but I suspect the mounting is a bit fragile compared to the bag. While the cap is a tight fit I worry it and the lid could come flying off so I a have a few cap locking methods in mind. It looks a bit big and bulky to me and results in a higher cg but without the bottle it lookw like a normal bottle cage and if fact it can be used for that by adjusting it to a std bottle diameter. So it looks less like an ebike but because of the diameter necessary for this hoverboard battery looks a bit bizarre and bulky to me. And I feel the bag version could be a bit more secure and protective. Total weight for either one is virtually identical at 3 lbs brackets and mounting included. So I now have 2 bag versions and one final bottle version. Any votes for one or the other and comments? Thanks.

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From an aesthetics point of view, I think I prefer the bag version of your pack. I do admire the 3D printed container too though, and it looks more ‘factory’ somehow.

The good thing is though that both designs work and extend the ride on a great bike! ?
 

savas

Member
Oct 16, 2018
137
57
sofia
Yea,
i like the bag version as well.Where did you buy the bag ?My frame is on the way.I will see what i can do with the defective internal battery.Probably i will buy a new one, not sure yet.But if you are able to print a case like the bag version this will be the best!
 

sdcoffeeroaster

Active member
Jul 22, 2018
563
209
San Diego, CA
From an aesthetics point of view, I think I prefer the bag version of your pack. I do admire the 3D printed container too though, and it looks more ‘factory’ somehow.

The good thing is though that both designs work and extend the ride on a great bike! ?
Thanks. The bag gets my vote too. The bottle is just too big in diameter, necessary for the battery I'm using. That cage can hold the bag too but it's up too high and needs a secondary strap to make sure it stays in place and a shorter rosenberger cable too.. I don't like the way the big looks with out the bag but that doesn't say that I hate to put the 1048g battery in the bag for every ride.
Yea,
i like the bag version as well.Where did you buy the bag ?My frame is on the way.I will see what i can do with the defective internal battery.Probably i will buy a new one, not sure yet.But if you are able to print a case like the bag version this will be the best!
I probably could design a more complex bottle with a shape like the bag. The bag is great once you remove the internal dividers. It's protective and roomy too and the zippers work well. The bag price is right too. The bag shape allows you to position it to clear some of the shocks that people like using with external reservoirs. I used a DVO with it and it barely touched the bottom of the bag. I sold the DVO because of this and really should have kept it...miss it now, lol. You just need to make some sort of carrier for the bag. Using the velcro straps will scratch up a CF frame or dull the finish a bit even with padding. And the plastic buckles will scratch as well. I made the from from aluminum, 0.05" thick. I might try making a 3D printed part for that. Here is the bag link on Amazon: Amazon.com : LIVE4COOL Bike Bag Top Tube Waterproof Bike Bag Anti-Tear & Abrasion Resistance with Double Sealed Zipper Bike Handlebar Bag for iPhone XR XS X 8 7 6s Plus Samsung S10+ S9 S8 Note9 OnePlus Blackview : Sports & Outdoors
 

rafaellop

Member
Dec 8, 2020
80
39
Poland
Would there be some way to attach an original Shimano battery maybe instead of the completely DIY solutions? For example E-8010 (504 Wh) or E-8016 (630 Wh) as shown here:


Here's also the battery mount to the downtube:
 

Daslevin

New Member
Aug 4, 2020
20
10
Germany
The attachment on the frame would be to difficult. You had to cnc some mounting points then weld it to the frame or so..
 

sdcoffeeroaster

Active member
Jul 22, 2018
563
209
San Diego, CA
While that version did provide a solid mount I didn't like the straps I had to use that marred up the soft carbon fiber finish. So I'm now using the version below without incident. I'm using the two cage mounting screws and one of the TEC pack larger 10mm screws as extra security. I have not had any issues with the pack sliding out or moving around while riding.
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Torpedillo

New Member
Nov 4, 2020
29
11
Spain
Hi guys, finally my battery arived from China, it took more than a month due the train traffic. It's a little big but it can offer a lot of km o range. Yesterday I tested it and about 30km with 900m altitude difference and it was not ended. A coleague engineer has printed me a cage but it doesn't work well at this momment, the shock absorber touches the cage. This is the first version, and you can let the adapter installed and put the battery from the side, because otherwise it cannot be mounted. Right now I'm testing with the bottle support and a couple of big straps I bought at Aliexpress.

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sdcoffeeroaster

Active member
Jul 22, 2018
563
209
San Diego, CA
Nice. the only thing I don't like about this type of mounting of course are the straps. No matter how tight they were with mine, over time they abraded my carbon fiber finish. I recommend some padding for now until you get the mounting sorted out. At least no more range anxiety, lol. Looks pretty heavy so the mount is going to have to be very strong to take bumps, rocks and jumps and to clear the shock you'll probably have to raise it up a lot so the handling might take a slight hit. My 250 wH just barely hit the DVO shock I had so I sold the DVO cheap. Now I wish I had kept it. I could have possibly reformed the bag in the lower region (dimple it with heat maybe?) or just raised it up an inch or so. Not the smartest thing I ever did, lol. I have a new Lyrik Ultimate and need a better shock to match now.
 

Oly

Member
Feb 6, 2021
7
0
San Diego
Hello sdcoffeeroaster, my name is Don. I live in sd in the Del mar area. Have a Bold 2 29r hardtail. Anyway, a couple of weeks ago my van got broken into and part of the $6k loss was my tec pac if you happen to see any for sale in or from San Diego.

Need to work on getting a replacement system but don't think I'll be spending the money for a tec pac again as they seem to be about $750 out of Europe and my business is not going well. I missed the spare batteries offered on craigslist. Talked to the guy briefly just before he sold them(probYbly to one of the members here). Wasn't comfortable with him, only to find out a couple of days later after they were gone he was legit from someone I trust. I'm looking to put together something like what you built. You are the only person I have seen who has come up with a good answer to the problem... good job! Do you live anywhere close to me and would you be willing to help direct my sourcing to put one together? So happy for this forum as it is the only solution for solving this problem I have seen for a focus owner. Thanks
 

sdcoffeeroaster

Active member
Jul 22, 2018
563
209
San Diego, CA
Hello sdcoffeeroaster, my name is Don. I live in sd in the Del mar area. Have a Bold 2 29r hardtail. Anyway, a couple of weeks ago my van got broken into and part of the $6k loss was my tec pac if you happen to see any for sale in or from San Diego.

Need to work on getting a replacement system but don't think I'll be spending the money for a tec pac again as they seem to be about $750 out of Europe and my business is not going well. I missed the spare batteries offered on craigslist. Talked to the guy briefly just before he sold them(probYbly to one of the members here). Wasn't comfortable with him, only to find out a couple of days later after they were gone he was legit from someone I trust. I'm looking to put together something like what you built. You are the only person I have seen who has come up with a good answer to the problem... good job! Do you live anywhere close to me and would you be willing to help direct my sourcing to put one together? So happy for this forum as it is the only solution for solving this problem I have seen for a focus owner. Thanks
Don, I'm in PQ so not far from you. I've built 3 of these packs so far. The last one with the 250 wH battery is the one I use. That battery is expensive relative to the cheap Chinese ones on ebay or AliExpress but it's a full 250 wH. I have a 2nd one that was only about $35. that I don't use which is 158 wH. It's good for 10-12 miles depending how much assist you use. I also have a 2nd bag built with a rosenberger plug (I had to get them shipped from Germany so I bought 5 to keep the shipping cost down, I think I paid $40. a piece) and voltage gage all wired up. I can probably make you a deal on all or part of the that bag I don't use if you are interested. Drop me a private message here and we can exchange emails. That 250 wH battery cost me $129. If you consider that 20 high end powerful 18560 cells cost $100. it's really not a bad deal. But the Chinese one I have is OK it's just made from 2200 mah cells instead of 3500 mah cells so the range is less. You only need to fab a bracket for it. I have the first bracket but I didn't like that very much because I had to use velcro to hold the pack on and it scratched up the CF frame too much. You can come over and take a look if you like.
 

savas

Member
Oct 16, 2018
137
57
sofia
Guys,
for all of you who are building these packs, here a source for cells from alliexpress.The cells seems to be legit based on the reviews,there is also an american site where they sell tesla cells same stuff like these, probably better because taken directly from a car.


 
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artzicat1

Active member
Mar 3, 2019
65
108
israel
I'm not really sure. Is it Shimano? If this is the case this should work, but only if have a similar electronics
yes it is a shimano sys .i have a levo with a diy range exender(tec pack) but it does not work fully without diodes betwen the bike pack and external pack .do you use diodes in this setup ?
 

sdcoffeeroaster

Active member
Jul 22, 2018
563
209
San Diego, CA
Looks like I'm going to take the range extender project to the next level and make my own battery packs. My 250 wH extender works great. But I would like to be able to use a Fox dpx2 type of shock and I really can't do that without moving my battery up pretty high affecting the cg too much. And my battery adds 2 3/4 lbs while providing up to 23 miles of added range. Most of the time I really don't need that much and if I use the native battery then I'd just like something in reserve like a 125-180 wH range extender that would only add 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 lbs. And I would like the extender to look like a water bottle and use std water bottle cage or something like that so that when I don't take the battery I can just take a water bottle. And lastly, I'm a retired mechanical engineer, and I need challenges, lol. So I'm going to learn to weld batteries I guess.

My proposed battery size is shown in the picture below (taped up mock up). You can't buy something this size unless it's a very long assembly with all 10 batteries in a row. It's what they call a 10s1p (10cells) and 125 wH if I use a 3500 mah 18650 battery or 180 wH if I use the Testla style 21700 5000 mah battery. The size of the 18650 pack would be about 50mmx55mmx138mm with the BMS and fit inside a custom water bottle. The neck of standard water bottles is just not wide enough but the major inside diameter is perfect. Any thoughts? Of course using this battery on boost would not make any sense and it's more an ECO mode type of option.

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themoon

Member
Sep 12, 2020
96
16
Ukraine
I also considered 10s1p teslas, but this resulted in total weight around 900 grams, and gave 5000 mah, while 10s2p 18650 weighted 1300 grams and gave 7000 mah... plus you have to consider cutoff of 1p is earlier too when running low, so actual capacity will be even less.

What you describe sound really close the the option I have now, tbh. It is easily removeable, looks like a water bottle, and thanks to a fidlock mount you can actually carry a bottle if you do not want battery too -> just need 2 fidlock systems. A bit expensive I guess, yeah, but for me well worth it.
 

sdcoffeeroaster

Active member
Jul 22, 2018
563
209
San Diego, CA
I also considered 10s1p teslas, but this resulted in total weight around 900 grams, and gave 5000 mah, while 10s2p 18650 weighted 1300 grams and gave 7000 mah... plus you have to consider cutoff of 1p is earlier too when running low, so actual capacity will be even less.

What you describe sound really close the the option I have now, tbh. It is easily removeable, looks like a water bottle, and thanks to a fidlock mount you can actually carry a bottle if you do not want battery too -> just need 2 fidlock systems. A bit expensive I guess, yeah, but for me well worth it.
Did you make your own battery or will the std hoverboard battery fit the Fidlock bottle? Do you have a picture? Yes I did figure the 10s1p would be a bit current limited and cut out early unless I stayed on ECO mode. The 10 21700 batteries alone are 800g so that is an issue as well as you pointed out. I did see the Fidlock bottle but it didn't give dimensions. Is this the size you used? Fidlock BottleTwist Water Bottle Kit (Smoke) (15oz) [FL-09611] | Accessories - Performance Bicycle (performancebike.com)
 

Torpedillo

New Member
Nov 4, 2020
29
11
Spain
Looks like I'm going to take the range extender project to the next level and make my own battery packs. My 250 wH extender works great. But I would like to be able to use a Fox dpx2 type of shock and I really can't do that without moving my battery up pretty high affecting the cg too much. And my battery adds 2 3/4 lbs while providing up to 23 miles of added range. Most of the time I really don't need that much and if I use the native battery then I'd just like something in reserve like a 125-180 wH range extender that would only add 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 lbs. And I would like the extender to look like a water bottle and use std water bottle cage or something like that so that when I don't take the battery I can just take a water bottle. And lastly, I'm a retired mechanical engineer, and I need challenges, lol. So I'm going to learn to weld batteries I guess.

My proposed battery size is shown in the picture below (taped up mock up). You can't buy something this size unless it's a very long assembly with all 10 batteries in a row. It's what they call a 10s1p (10cells) and 125 wH if I use a 3500 mah 18650 battery or 180 wH if I use the Testla style 21700 5000 mah battery. The size of the 18650 pack would be about 50mmx55mmx138mm with the BMS and fit inside a custom water bottle. The neck of standard water bottles is just not wide enough but the major inside diameter is perfect. Any thoughts? Of course using this battery on boost would not make any sense and it's more an ECO mode type of option.

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Hi sdcoffeeroaster, I like and understand your approach, and it's useful for you. In my case My wife needs a lot of battery, she can be 3 hours using it and needs more than this. My next project will be to replace the internal battery from the bike and insert a new one of 800, 900 wh because now is not used all the tube, I think rebuilding it with new more capable batteries we could achieve this. I guess you have a 3d printer for you project. My mech engineering coleague is printing me now a new cage, like a bottle to fit it better in my bike. Keep posting your ideas, please
 

sdcoffeeroaster

Active member
Jul 22, 2018
563
209
San Diego, CA
That's not a fidlock bottle, I meant standard fidlock mount. It can hold anything in diameter to 10 cm. And it can handle 1.3 weight with extreme jumps, even though they guarantee only 1 kg. Tested myself :)

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I went back and re-read your posts. You said you arranged 1 battery surrounded by 6 for 7 per unit. Did you use 7 of these (minus one battery in the middle) to get 20? So that would make it about 210mm long or so? What BMS did you use? I see these round BMS boards are still available on Aliexpress: Bms redondo para batería de botella, paquete de Puerto dividido para carga y descarga con sensor de temperatura, 10S, 36V, 20A|Accesorios para baterías| - AliExpress
 

themoon

Member
Sep 12, 2020
96
16
Ukraine
Yeah, it is 7, 7, 6 configuration, with round bms taking the slot of the 7th cell on top level - so that all fits in 24 cm... it could be a bit less: the magnetic rosenberger I use at the top takes around 3 cm itself. If you just put the cable through (and make it non-disconnectable), you'll save some length.

I did not do the wiring myself, so cannot tell which BMS was actually use, its make
 

sdcoffeeroaster

Active member
Jul 22, 2018
563
209
San Diego, CA
Yeah, it is 7, 7, 6 configuration, with round bms taking the slot of the 7th cell on top level - so that all fits in 24 cm... it could be a bit less: the magnetic rosenberger I use at the top takes around 3 cm itself. If you just put the cable through (and make it non-disconnectable), you'll save some length.

I did not do the wiring myself, so cannot tell which BMS was actually use, its make
That AliExpress source was the only round one I found anywhere online so I'm betting you are using that one. I'm just thinking about if all of this is worth the effort, lol. Maybe my setup and using the DPS shock will be OK for me until I buy a new bike someday? I have plenty of range (628 wH) with my extender. I was considering the Factory DPS which fits too. I still like your approach of a more water bottle "look" though and I guess I enjoy the challenge. I figured the welding stuff and supplies will cost me about $100. and then there is the leaning curve too.
 

themoon

Member
Sep 12, 2020
96
16
Ukraine
Well, if it is a challenge that you want, only you can decide which works best for you :) For me it was really important that the battery could be easily dismounted and placed in a pouch -> which is then thrown in a backpack without any wired meddling around. Maybe it is a placebo, but I've found that without the external battery I like how bike behaves better... so something easily dismountable was a priority.

Btw, the whole battery (soldering, bms etc) cost me smth about usd 150... but factoring the price of rosenbergers and fidlock it becomes not so cheap. But well, e-bikes are not cheap in general.

What I really like compared to TEC f.e. is that you get more mAh per gram with looks that do you scare everyone :)
 

Torpedillo

New Member
Nov 4, 2020
29
11
Spain
Hi guys, if you need some Boa like lock, I found this in aliexpress. I think I will buy one to test my project.


Even this seems to be useful

 

themoon

Member
Sep 12, 2020
96
16
Ukraine
as far as I know lithium batteries are quite susceptible to shock... so unless I'm very sure that this thing can hold at least 1.3 kg of dynamic weight, I would be quite cautious - this thing might snap. And the point of boa in Fidlock system is that it can easily be snapped of because of used magnets. IMO boa in itself does not seem like a better option to a bottle cage then... I'd suggest using this: Fine Tune Bottle Cage Fully Adjustable. I have one, seems quite nice
 

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