Addendum to Vectrix VX1 owners manual v0.1, Vectrix VX1
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//-->Addendum to Vectrix VX1 owners manual for bikesmodified with “The Laird” firmwareIntroductionThe original Vectrix charger software has some deficiencies which caused extreme batterydegradation. Due to the Vectrix financial problems and finally its bankruptcy the flawedsoftware was never updated to correct the battery degradation issues. Fortunately theVectrix owners community responded and one person in particular (alias “The Laird” onthe VisForVoltage forum) developed an improved charger software which is now used bymany Vectrix owners.This bike has been modified with this charger software and therefore is in better conditionthan unmodified Vectrix VX1's. Due to the changed charger software the original Vectrixowner manual is no longer applicable in some areas. This addendum addresses thesechanges.For more background on the the software it is advised to read the appendices to thisaddendum.IndexChapter 1: Important Characteristics.............................................................................................. 21 Voltage cutoff........................................................................................................................................... 22 Switching on the bike or charging the bike while fans are still running.....................................................23 Restriction in the use of chargers.............................................................................................................. 24 Software bug............................................................................................................................................. 35 How to get help......................................................................................................................................... 3Chapter 2: Changes to Instrument cluster.....................................................................................4ITEM 4.......................................................................................................................................................... 4ITEM 25........................................................................................................................................................ 5Appendix 1: Software characteristics as published on the VisForVoltage forum....................7Appendix 2: Background of the original software deficiencies................................................10Appendix 3: Background of the modified software...................................................................15Appendix 4: Installation of the modified software....................................................................18Chapter 1: Important CharacteristicsThere are some characteristics to using this software which must be understood and it isvery important for preserving battery life that the new owner is aware of these andfollows the recommendations described in this addendum.1Voltage cut-offDue to the use of an older motor controller software version in conjunction with themodified charger software the bike will allow the driver to continue applying full power(throttle) until the battery voltage drops down to 102 Volts.At 102 Volts the battery is operating at a dangerously low voltage and cell damage willoccur. This is why the driver must always monitor the battery voltage in the left gauge ofthe instrument cluster (see chapter 2, ITEM 4).Measures:When driving immediately reduce the throttle when the voltage reading in the left gaugeof the instrument cluster drops below 115 Volts.When at standstill the voltage reading in the left instrument cluster shows 120 Volts arecharge is required. Stop riding to prevent battery cell damage.2Switching on the bike or charging the bike while fans are still runningThe modified charger software will always keep the battery cooling fans running afterriding or charging for a period of time. This post riding/charging cooling period can varybetween bikes and has been adjusted for each bike to accommodate specialenvironmental or other requirements.The bike with license plate MX DD 35 has a post riding/charging cooling period of 90minutes.If during this post riding/charging cooling period (battery fans running) the bike isswitched (ignition) on or is connected to AC power three things will happen:1) The red battery light and the red temperature light will start flashing2) During riding only: The power bars in the right hand gauge of the instrumentcluster will stay fixed and will not indicate the true state of charge3) After unplugging the bike from power or after switching off the ignition of bikeafter riding the battery cooling fans will immediately stop runningMeasures:Resetting the bike by switching off the ignition or unplugging the power will restorenormal operation for subsequent use.3Restriction in the use of chargersThe modified software can only be used in one charger type. This is the “ESD” model. If thecharger needs to be replaced please ensure that the replacement charger is also the ESDmodel. The replacement charger will need to be re-programmed with the modifiedsoftware. Please refer to Appendix 4 for installation instructions.4Software bugNot related in any way to the modified software, there is a software bug which exists in allVectrix VX1 bikes. As a result of this software bug the instrument cluster will appear to befrozen and the bike will no longer respond to any input. If this occurs a reset of the bike bydisconnecting the battery may be required!This software bug will be triggered when a bike is switched off and then very shortly afterswitched on again. The time between switching the bike off and on again must be at least10 seconds to avoid triggering the software bug.It is important to be aware of this software bug due to the behaviour as described inCharacteristic number 2 above.5How to get helpPlease visit the VisForVoltage forum and check the community handbook to see if you canfind an answer. If you cannot find an answer to your question please create an account,introduce yourself to the forum members and clearly describe your bike and problemsymptoms. There are many very knowledgeable bike owners participating in this forumand most problems can be solved.Link to Vectrix community handbook:http://visforvoltage.org/forum/6737-vectrix-collaborative-handbookChapter 2: Changes to Instrument clusterThe behaviour and/or functionality of some of the instrument cluster functions havechanged with the use of the modified software. These changes will be described in thischapter.The instrument cluster is shown in below picture and the changed functions are marked inRED.ITEM 4•Function in the old software: ESTIMATED RANGE READING•Function in the modified software: BATTERY PACK VOLTAGEThe result of this change is that the “EST RANGE” and “KM/MILES” text in the instrumentcluster have become obsolete and must be discarded.In the new function of Battery Pack Voltage this field will always show the actual voltageof the battery pack.At standstill a fully charged battery will show a voltage above 140 Volt. Depending on howlong ago the bike was charged the voltage will vary. Minutes after charging the voltagemay be as high as 146 Volt but 4 hours later this could already be reduced to 142 Volts.The Vectrix battery chemistry is NiMH which has a high self discharge rate. This means thatas soon as the charging is completed that the battery will start to loose its charge. In coldweather situations this self discharge is less evident and higher voltages can be seen.During riding the voltage will start dropping due to the use of energy from the batteryand due to the battery internal resistance.Under load, when the battery must deliver a lot of power to the motor, the voltage willdrop mostly due to the internal resistance of the batteries. This is normal, the higher theload is which is put on the batteries the bigger the voltage drop will be (for example dueto acceleration or going uphill). It is very important to closely monitor the voltage duringriding as it will indicate when the battery pack is reaching dangerously low voltages andwill accurately show when the battery is depleted and needs recharging.Important values to be rememberedAt standstill:Above 140 Volt – Full batteryBetween 128 and 135 Volt – Normal useBelow 128 Volt – nearing empty, reduce acceleration and speed120 Volt – Batteries need recharging, stop riding!While riding:Around 130 Volt – Normal useBetween 120 and 126 Volt – nearing empty or high load (acceleration)Between 115 and 120 Volt – Too high load, reduce acceleration and speedBelow 115 Volt – you are causing battery damage!!ITEM 25Function in the old software: BATTERY LEVEL INDICATORFunction in the modified software: BATTERY LEVEL INDICATORAlthough the function itself has not changed the behaviour has. Previously the batteryindicator (fuel gauge) would always show all 17 bars illuminated after charging even if thebatteries could not hold a full charge. This means that at some point during the ride thebike would fall below its minimum voltage and stop operating while seemingly still havebattery capacity.In the modified software only the actual charge that has been provided into the batteriesis added in bars to the fuel gauge. This means that when the batteries are no longercapable of holding a full charge this will be reflected by having not all bars in the fuelgauge illuminated after charging.Another change in behaviour is the more pessimistic count of the self discharge effect.This means that the number of bars are reduced based on the time the bike has been leftunused after a ride or charge. This will cause the effect that when the bike is used daily thefuel gauge will show a lower capacity (less bars) than what the battery actually holds atthat time. Although the accuracy may be off at this point the voltage readout in the leftgauge will provide information on the true state of charge.To know the real capacity of the battery pack (and to reset the fuel gauge accuracy), ride
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