Simple/low-cost Electric go kart conversion

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Functional Artist

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Tidying up my notes-n-stuff

So, it looks like

...a 24V 500W motor (rated 2,500 RPM's)

...running on ~10" tires (~32" circumference)

...@ a 8:1 ratio (10 tooth drive sprocket & a 80 tooth driven sprocket)


Will draw ~30A to start off & ~15A crusin' & go ~10 mph :thumbsup:


MS/GR=ASxTC=IM/FT=FMxHR=FHxMM= MPH

(look ma, I'm doin Algebra) :2guns:

Motor Speed/Gear Ratio=Axle Speed x Tire Circumference = Inches per Minute traveled/Foot(12) = Feet per Minute traveled x Hour(60) = Feet per Hour traveled x MPH Multiplier(.000189) = Miles Per Hour


In this scenario


2,500/8 = 312.50

312.50x32" = 10,000.00"

10,000.00"/12 = 833.33

833.33x60 = 49,999.80

49,999.80x.000189 = 9.45 MPH


Motor speed is (2,500 rpm's) divided by the gear ratio (8) = axle speed (312.50)

Axle speed (312.50) times the wheel circumference (32") = inches per minute traveled (10,000.00")

Inches per minute traveled (10,000.00") divided by inches in a foot (12") = Feet per minute traveled (833.33)

Feet per minute traveled (833.33) times minutes in an hour (60) = feet per hour traveled (49,999.80)

Feet per hour traveled times miles per hour multiplier (.000189) = 9.45 MPH :cheers2:
 

Functional Artist

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When we moved up to the 48V 1,000W MY-1020 (brushed) motor

...the meter showed that it drew ~25A to start off & ~8A crusin'

...& the GPS showed that it went ~14 MPH


The label says it's rated @ 3,000 (max) rpm's

...but, the math doesn't seem to work out


MS/GR=ASxTC=IT/FT=FMxHR=FHxMM= MPH


If it's (really) running @ 3,000 (max) rpm's

...that would be


3,000(motor rpm's)/8 = 375 (axle rpm's)

375 (axle rpm's) x 32" (tire circumference) = 12,000 (inches traveled-per min.)

12,000 (inches traveled-per min.)/12 (inches per ft.) = 1,000 (feet traveled-per min.)

1,000 (feet traveled-per min.) x 60 (min. per hour) = 60,000 (feet traveled-per hour)

60,000 (feet traveled-per hour) x .000189 (MPH multiplier) = 11.34 MPH


But, we know (from our testing data) that e-Lemon-aid did 13 - 14 mph (consistently)


So, it seems like (for the math to work out properly)

...that this 1,000W motor

...operating @ 48V

...is actually running @ ~3,750 (max) rpm's


3,750/8 = 468.75

468.75 x 32" = 15,000"

15,000"/12" = 1,250'

1,250' x 60 = 75,000

75,000 x .000189 = 14.8 MPH


Yup! that seems a bit more realistic :2guns:
 

JohnT

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This is a awesome post can I ask where did you get your batteries at and roughly with you and the kart how much does everything weigh in at ? I'm in the process of building and electric kart I was just wondering .
 

Functional Artist

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This is a awesome post can I ask where did you get your batteries at and roughly with you and the kart how much does everything weigh in at ? I'm in the process of building and electric kart I was just wondering .

Thanks! :thumbsup:


I use batteries like these (~$21.00 ea. delivered)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/12-Volt-12...064789?hash=item2110b2a895:g:o~cAAOSwQiFaegEy

At my local battery shops these batteries are ~$35.00 ea.

I usually look online for better deals :cheers2:


I never actually weighed this kart but, I would guess

...the kart is ~75 - 100 lbs.

...& I am ~150 lbs.

So, ~225 - 250 lbs. (roughly) :2guns:
 

JohnT

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I was worried with the batteries and my weight would tax the motor a little too much . So with your current setup about how long can you ride the kart before recharging the batteries and how long does it take to recharge the battery ?
 

Functional Artist

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I was worried with the batteries and my weight would tax the motor a little too much . So with your current setup about how long can you ride the kart before recharging the batteries and how long does it take to recharge the battery ?

Running @ both

...24V (2 - 12V 12AH batteries)

...& 48V (4 - 12V 12AH batteries)

I have gotten at least

...30 minutes of run time

...many, many times :thumbsup:



For charging, I use

...@ 24V this 24V 1.6A charger (~$20.00 delivered)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Cruzin-Coo...-than-stock-/131556451534?hash=item1ea16024ce

...@ 48V this 48V 2.5A charger (~$25.00 delivered)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/48-Volt-2-...152157?hash=item20e7d0765d:g:ALEAAOSw32lY0wuL


* So, run time is ~ 30 min.

...but, recharge time is usually ~2 - 4 hours :ack2:


** Keep in mind that on a kart

...the batteries are being drained @ 10 - 30A

...but, the chargers are recharging them @ ~1.5 - 2.5A :smiley_omg:
 

JohnT

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So do use 2 24v chargers or 1 48v charger ? Sorry not wanting to be a pain in the _ss but I was looking on ebay and I find electric motor 48v 1800 w and prices go from 180.00 to 115.00 is there a huge difference between the the or is there something I should look out for ?
 

Functional Artist

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So do use 2 24v chargers or 1 48v charger ? Sorry not wanting to be a pain in the _ss but I was looking on ebay and I find electric motor 48v 1800 w and prices go from 180.00 to 115.00 is there a huge difference between the the or is there something I should look out for ?

I have many karts :wai:

I use the

...24V charger for my kids 24V karts :thumbsup:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ6bcBy1O1M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTRA1FXz9Lw

...48V charger for my 48V !Arriba! kart :2guns:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSJWEJJmJ9U


As far as a motor & matching controller

Here is

...a 48V 1,000W brushed motor/controller kit (~$100.00)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1000-W-48-...roller-keylock-Throttle-charger-/161881812471

or

...a 48V 1,800W brushless kit (~$170.00)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/48V-1800W-...121776&hash=item362b542ab4:g:JOYAAOSwLUpad9VG
 

JohnT

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Okay now I've watched all the videos of you with your karts , about how much do they weigh ? (the karts that have 48v 1800w ) And how well do they do climbing up hills , You know living in WV we have some hills . And how are they geared ?
 

Functional Artist

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Okay now I've watched all the videos of you with your karts , about how much do they weigh ? (the karts that have 48v 1800w ) And how well do they do climbing up hills , You know living in WV we have some hills . And how are they geared ?

You watched ALL of them?
...that's like over 100 videos :thumbsup:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbZcWp0v78Nd49y4h3UD9tg/playlists?disable_polymer=1

Most of my 48V karts weigh in ~250 - 300 lbs. total, with the driver

IDK there are Not many hills here in Toledo
...e-Lemon-aid is running @ 8.4:1 (10 tooth drive sprocket & an 84 tooth driven sprocket)
...!Arriba! is running @ 7.2:1 (10 tooth drive sprocket & a 72 tooth driven sprocket)

IMHO as long as you use a low (8:1) gear ratio it should climb (mild) hills OK

* If you are trying to climb hills you are going to pull some "big" amps (drain your battery's quickly)
** The steeper the hill, the larger the amp draw (draining your batteries quicker)
*** Pulling "big" amps also creates a lot of heat (keep an eye on your motor, controller & wiring/connector temps) :2guns:
 

JohnT

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Okay with that being said , where did you find a motor sprocket 10 tooth when I looked the motor come with 11 tooth? As far as weigh limit I'm guessing I should be in that same ball park of 250 to 300 lbs . My rear tires are only 11 inches tall , how big is that 84 tooth sprocket ?
My thoughts are maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to build a jack shaft set-up just so I can get a better gear ratio and have more ground clearance .
 

Functional Artist

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Okay with that being said , where did you find a motor sprocket 10 tooth when I looked the motor come with 11 tooth?

"Most of these small electric motors come with
...a sprocket for either a #25 chain size

...or the even more oddball #8mm chain size"

"I could not find #35 chain sprockets for these motors anywhere, so I ordered some from China, I call 'em "Power Curve" sprockets :2guns:
http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/showthread.php?t=38425

"You can (now) get them from Alfa Wheels"
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1000-W-48-...ock-Throttle-charger-/161881812471?rmvSB=true
...they sell them separately
...or they include a "Power Curve" sprocket", with a motor purchase

As far as weigh limit I'm guessing I should be in that same ball park of 250 to 300 lbs . My rear tires are only 11 inches tall , how big is that 84 tooth sprocket ?

"The tires on e-Lemon-aid are ~11" tall too. An 84 tooth sprocket is kinda big but, I haven't had any clearance issues."

My thoughts are maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to build a jack shaft set-up just so I can get a better gear ratio and have more ground clearance .

"Yup, you can it's just more"
...work
...weight
...moving parts
...& expense
 

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mcrcat

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As far as a motor & matching controller

Here is

...a 48V 1,000W brushed motor/controller kit (~$100.00)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1000-W-48-...roller-keylock-Throttle-charger-/161881812471

or

...a 48V 1,800W brushless kit (~$170.00)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/48V-1800W-...121776&hash=item362b542ab4:g:JOYAAOSwLUpad9VG

I bought a 48v brushed motor and speed controller combo on eBay similar to the one you have linked here. When I read the "About this item" section on the listing it says Unite MY1020, but in the photo and what I received is a clone I believe. Do you have any experience with the clone motors? How do they compare with a real Unite MY1020? The photo on the listing names the motor as a
ZY1020 rated at 3000 rpm with a max current of 20.8amps.

The motor I received has an Alfa Models sticker that says
ZY1020GD and claims 2800rpm with a max current of 26.7 amps.

Should I confront the seller about the difference in motors or do you think it is comparable? I imagine the difference between 2800rpm and 3000rpm can be adjusted with gearing and my motor claims to be able to pull roughly 6amps more than the ZY1020 sticker in the ad, but I usually don't trust Chinese clone ratings much.

Thanks for all the info you guys post here, this is my first post and this forum has given me the confidence to do my own electric kart conversion.

As for the kart it is a Tyrod IV frame that I want to turn into a kiddy kart for my daughter. If it ends up having enough power to give my 220lbs butt a ride that would be a great bonus.

Here is the listing I bought and a photo of the motor I received.

https://m.ebay.com/itm/size-35-Sprocket-1000W-48V-DC-Electric-Motor-w-Base-Control-Box-f-Ebike-Gokart-/162852342765?txnId=1678265127006

20180312_151813.jpg
 

Functional Artist

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I bought a 48v brushed motor and speed controller combo on eBay similar to the one you have linked here. When I read the "About this item" section on the listing it says Unite MY1020, but in the photo and what I received is a clone I believe. Do you have any experience with the clone motors? How do they compare with a real Unite MY1020? The photo on the listing names the motor as a
ZY1020 rated at 3000 rpm with a max current of 20.8amps.

The motor I received has an Alfa Models sticker that says
ZY1020GD and claims 2800rpm with a max current of 26.7 amps.

Should I confront the seller about the difference in motors or do you think it is comparable? I imagine the difference between 2800rpm and 3000rpm can be adjusted with gearing and my motor claims to be able to pull roughly 6amps more than the ZY1020 sticker in the ad, but I usually don't trust Chinese clone ratings much.

Thanks for all the info you guys post here, this is my first post and this forum has given me the confidence to do my own electric kart conversion.

As for the kart it is a Tyrod IV frame that I want to turn into a kiddy kart for my daughter. If it ends up having enough power to give my 220lbs butt a ride that would be a great bonus.

Here is the listing I bought and a photo of the motor I received.

https://m.ebay.com/itm/size-35-Sprocket-1000W-48V-DC-Electric-Motor-w-Base-Control-Box-f-Ebike-Gokart-/162852342765?txnId=1678265127006

View attachment 95509

A lot of these "clone" motors are kinda new to the market
we need to test them & post the data :thumbsup:
but, I have not heard anything bad about the ZY motors.
I have used a couple of the YT80Y450 (24V 450W) motors
They are very powerful & seem to be pretty ruggedly built :2guns:

I used one on El Turbo here
http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/showthread.php?t=36894
...even over-volted it to 36V (several times) :auto:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-704ZyJkaU&index=16&list=PLoL6eIYWPO_nHQGd71JlTBCk9cwuQrOaQ
 

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mcrcat

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Thanks for the quick reply,

I will stick with the motor then and post the results when I get everything setup.
 

bmscott

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This is good stuff - not incredibly far from what I'm planning, although I'm going to start a separate thread as my focus is on super-low-cost. Still, your motor and battery setup are in the same range as mine and you're getting a lot more speed than I was hoping for, which is good news! And if I could find an old frame like that, I might sidestep most of my anticipated construction problems and just go with it... but the old frames I've seen available so far are all very small.

Great write-up though, thanks!
 

Jamie Nevin

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Choice of 24v motors

Hello,

Which of the 24v motors gave the longest run time?

Many Thanks,

Jamie
 

Functional Artist

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IMO
There's not really much difference, just different manufacturers.

Kinda like the difference between a GE light bulb (made by General Electric) or a Phillips light bulb (made by the Phillips Corporation)

They both screw into the same type of a socket & put out roughly the same amount of light

The brand name motor (MY1020) usually costs more
The clone motor (ZY-1020) usually costs a little less
 
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