Electric motors in karts: a simple guide

mgrzyb16

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Edit: I found some better value ones, 10x 3.7v 6000mah with a charger for $27. Thanks for pointing those out!
don't know about the quality or reliability though!

Those are fakes one for sure. "Real" 18650 capacity is 3400 mAh. I was thinking about this solution 'cause:
1. Tesla uses 18650 as power source for their cars.
2. They are quite cheap and easy to find (every laptop battery contains few 18650).
So.... I was thinking about getting some 18650s from laptop batteries and start with it.
ps. Even if laptop battery is "dead" few cells are for sure ready to recharge and reuse.
ps2. Be careful with them. I mean really careful.
 

Krash

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18V liion battery drills typically use 18650's. They would be a handy source as they come pre packaged with battery management built in. They are a bit expensive per kWh, but the up side is they will probably have a much higher peak current rating than laptop cells and should be good quality if you buy a decent brand plus you can use them with your battery tools when not using the gokart.
I have also seen the a 40V whipper snipper, chainsaw, blower liion battery pack advertised at less than ½ the price per kWh of bigger brand 18V batteries.
Electric bike battery packs are cheaper still and also come with battery management built in.
Don't skimp on battery management or your cheap pack will become an expensive door stop.
 

mgrzyb16

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I found in Poland 18650s with 10 amps peak and 2250 mAh measured minimum capacity for 1,5$. My source is telling me that this comes from "bigger pack that has some electronic issue" so they are not used but he can't sell them as new. Anyway - that's a very good price. Hobbyking 5k mAh comes for 7 bucks which is 2 times more expensive.

Wysłane z mojego LG-H850 przy użyciu Tapatalka
 

pRoFiT

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I saw this at hf and was wondering, 40V Lithium 14 in. Cordless Chain Saw. Could it be used for a small electric go kart or mini bike? Not sure rpm or hp on it. But you would get battery charger and motor for ~$150. Only need controller? Maybe buy two, one for each tire :)
 

adr826

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Rectactor circuit

In addition to the three ways you have listed to throttle the kart there is a Rectactor circuit.

http://www.evdl.org/docs/rectactor.pdf

Its a way to progressively switch a motor that maintains the balance across the batteries. It uses 2 heavy diodes and 2 heavy duty switches to switch from 2 batteries in parallel at 12 volts to 2 batteries in series at 24 volts. This can be duplicated to use higher voltages at 24 v intervals. You can switch from 12 to 24 to 48 volts and so on using this scheme.
 

fearthechilli

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Hi,

Know this is an old thread but hopefully some one can assist.

I'll be posting in more detail in the kart section with full step by step pictures but basically I'm taking a large and a small Kettcar and electrifying them..
Initially starting with a 250W 24V DC motor like the below on the small one.

1602245846107.png

i just want to know what the difference in the types of batteries below or are they basically the same.
Both are Sealed Lead units

The 2nd picture is the type you would use in a motorbike / scooter. The 1st is just a generic battery as far as I can tell.

I'm just thinking rather than buying one new - I have a scrap / breakers yard near me and could hopefully obtain them from motorbikes ?
Would these be ok to use from the motorbikes or do they need to be the below type ??

1602245614847.png
1602245965711.png
Also can they be recharged ?

Thanks in advance
 

Liberty Karts

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Hi,

Know this is an old thread but hopefully some one can assist.

I'll be posting in more detail in the kart section with full step by step pictures but basically I'm taking a large and a small Kettcar and electrifying them..
Initially starting with a 250W 24V DC motor like the below on the small one.

View attachment 123492

i just want to know what the difference in the types of batteries below or are they basically the same.
Both are Sealed Lead units

The 2nd picture is the type you would use in a motorbike / scooter. The 1st is just a generic battery as far as I can tell.

I'm just thinking rather than buying one new - I have a scrap / breakers yard near me and could hopefully obtain them from motorbikes ?
Would these be ok to use from the motorbikes or do they need to be the below type ??

View attachment 123491
View attachment 123493
Also can they be recharged ?

Thanks in advance
Just be sure the batteries you get are deep cycle and not a battery for a starter motor. Starter motor batteries are only good for momentary use and don't handle being discharged very well. Deep cycle batteries are designed for continuous use and can be discharged to about 20% capacity before being recharged. If the scooter you get the battery from is electric powered it will have a deep cycle battery, if it's gas powered it will not be the correct type of battery.
 

fearthechilli

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thank you - all components are coming together so will try and do step by step pics as I complete each step.
 
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