ramma Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 Hi, I received my v8 that I ordered during the aliexpress 7th anniversary sale. The problem is it won't charge. I've tested in multiple outlets giving it a few hours on each, but the charge isn't going up (on the display or the inmotion app). I've never had to do more than ask sellers on aliexpress to update tracking or confirm shipped, so I was hoping others might be more familiar with the process, and when to move from taking with the seller to filling a dispute. The seller has been responsive up until I provided pictures of it not charging in multiple sockets. Now they seem to be recommending I have it looked at by an electrician. I think there's 15 days from receiving the item to file a dispute, so I'm not too rushed. Shipping it back is not really an option money wise(crazy expensive for the weight from the US). If they want to ship a replacement charger or something it could use up the dispute timeframe quite easily. It sounds like disputes are somewhat like eBay where it's better to file right away, since any chat outside the dispute isn't considered. Is that right, or is it okay to give the seller a few days to come up with a solution? Any advice or experiences would be great. Thanks! Edit - Found a multimeter and the charger brick is just dead, so at least it's not the whole wheel! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
US69 Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 25 minutes ago, ramma said: Hi, I received my v8 that I ordered during the aliexpress 7th anniversary sale. The problem is it won't charge. I've tested in multiple outlets giving it a few hours on each, but the charge isn't going up (on the display or the inmotion app). I've never had to do more than ask sellers on aliexpress to update tracking or confirm shipped, so I was hoping others might be more familiar with the process, and when to move from taking with the seller to filling a dispute. The seller has been responsive up until I provided pictures of it not charging in multiple sockets. Now they seem to be recommending I have it looked at by an electrician. I think there's 15 days from receiving the item to file a dispute, so I'm not too rushed. Shipping it back is not really an option money wise(crazy expensive for the weight from the US). If they want to ship a replacement charger or something it could use up the dispute timeframe quite easily. It sounds like disputes are somewhat like eBay where it's better to file right away, since any chat outside the dispute isn't considered. Is that right, or is it okay to give the seller a few days to come up with a solution? Any advice or experiences would be great. Thanks! I personnaly have no experience with an Dispute, so i can not say anything about doing it directly or to wait till the end of time.... But i also would give the seller a Chance before disputing.....how else can he have a Chance to help you? Also: To the Charging: Did you plug in the charger into the wallsocket first -before pluging it into the wheel? For some wheels this is a really important step..... Also i remember i read about some V8 Charge Problems before...perhaps @Jason McNeil has some insight or some tips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
affe Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 Does the LED in your charger shine in red/green color when you plug it in (without V8 connected)? Or does it stay unlit? In my V8, the charger works even if I plug in the charger to wheel first and then connect the mains plug. I usually do this on my e-vehicles to prevent sparking in the charge connector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 If something isn't quite right with a purchase, definitely file a dispute before the deadline. I'd give the seller a chance to remedy the problem, but don't become complacent and forget to file. Also don't cancel the dispute until the issue is resolved. Some sellers will pester you to cancel the dispute, but don't fall into that trap as I believe you cannot reopen the dispute if needed. Submit all video and photo evidence so it is on record. Maybe see what a replacement charger purchased from ewheels would cost including shipping and suggest as an option that the seller refund you the cost to buy a replacement charger locally. Make sure the wheel itself is functioning 100% because you don't want to be preoccupied with a defective charger issue, complete the dispute, and then find out there is something wrong with the wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramma Posted April 11, 2017 Author Share Posted April 11, 2017 26 minutes ago, KingSong69 said: Also: To the Charging: Did you plug in the charger into the wallsocket first -before pluging it into the wheel? For some wheels this is a really important step..... Yes, I tried it that way. Once or twice the wheel has lit up the display as if to show it started charging, but even after a while plugged in the charge doesn't increase (looking at the inmotion app). 25 minutes ago, affe said: Does the LED in your charger shine in red/green color when you plug it in (without V8 connected)? Or does it stay unlit? The light on the charger has never lit up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 Maybe check out this thread too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
US69 Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 24 minutes ago, ramma said: Yes, I tried it that way. Once or twice the wheel has lit up the display as if to show it started charging, but even after a while plugged in the charge doesn't increase (looking at the inmotion app). The light on the charger has never lit up. That is a absolutly clear sign that the charger is just dead!!! When you plug it into the wallsocket alone....the green light has to lit up! Otherwise the charger is dead! When it only lit up if you put it into the wheel...it only gets a bit power through the wheel.... Take that into consideration, before destroying/desputing a small chinese ali seller.... Perhaps you have someone nearby, who could give you a Charge to check the rest of your wheel? I personnaly would try to get a Discount because of the charger...and buy a new charger at ewheels.com.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 I have had the case that the adapter between the charger to the electrical outlet was defect! No kidding. In case there is an adapter you may check this first, in particular as it is the most inexpensive part to replace. Then, IIRC you can also find a charger for the V8 on Aliexpress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanghamP Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 My Gotway charger made a pop, and made the smell of burning circuits/plastic. The seller sent me a new charger and since then has worked fine. I am disturbed how hot the chargers on both my wheels get; call me paranoid but when it gets that hot I unplug it, wait a few hours, and then continue charging to about 85%. I really don't like having the chargers get that hot as I've never seen chargers be that hot. Maybe that's just how wheels are... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
US69 Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 5 hours ago, LanghamP said: My Gotway charger made a pop, and made the smell of burning circuits/plastic. The seller sent me a new charger and since then has worked fine. I am disturbed how hot the chargers on both my wheels get; call me paranoid but when it gets that hot I unplug it, wait a few hours, and then continue charging to about 85%. I really don't like having the chargers get that hot as I've never seen chargers be that hot. Maybe that's just how wheels are... That are the 120watt on a small room :-) Stronger chargers with 200Watt or more sometimes have a fan.... That makes them colder...but hooray if the fan dies...then it gets real dangerous ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 6 hours ago, LanghamP said: I've never seen chargers be that hot. Maybe that's just how wheels are... Though it has nothing to do with the wheel, only with the charger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanghamP Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 4 hours ago, Mono said: Though it has nothing to do with the wheel, only with the charger. The extremely high energy capacity of a wheel doesn't require a correspondingly high energy charger? Above 95 percent or so my stock Inmotion charger makes this high pitched warbling sound, and the charger gets hotter than hell. I don't like it but I don't know if it's legitimately dangerous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EUCMania Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 15 hours ago, LanghamP said: My Gotway charger made a pop, and made the smell of burning circuits/plastic. The seller sent me a new charger and since then has worked fine. I am disturbed how hot the chargers on both my wheels get; call me paranoid but when it gets that hot I unplug it, wait a few hours, and then continue charging to about 85%. I really don't like having the chargers get that hot as I've never seen chargers be that hot. Maybe that's just how wheels are... I put the charger on my office trash can which has a flat top made with stainless steel. I find that reduces the temperature of the charger. To reduce the temperature further, I will use another flat piece of metal to contact the other side of the charger. I did an experiment by putting a big kitchen knife over it. It helps. More ways to reduce the temperature: 1. Put it over a laptop base fan https://www.amazon.com/Laptop-Cooler-Notebook-Computer-Cooling/dp/B06X9V9CJJ/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1491974123&sr=8-7&keywords=laptop+base+fan 2. Put CPU heat sinks from my old computer on the charger. Or use the heat sink from my old video card https://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GV-N75TWF2OC-4GI-Graphics-Cards/dp/B013WAL3AU/ref=sr_1_10?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1491974591&sr=1-10&keywords=video+card 3. Use USB fan https://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-USB-Powered-Portable-Solution-Gooseneck/dp/B003XN24GY/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1491974281&sr=1-1&keywords=usb+fan 4. Drill some holes on the charger case to facilitate air flow. I have not done so. Danger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramma Posted April 12, 2017 Author Share Posted April 12, 2017 2 minutes ago, EUCMania said: 4. Drill some holes on the charger case to facilitate air flow. I have not done so. Danger. Only do that with the case removed, and only remove it after being unplugged for a while. Capacitors can be pretty dangerous. After opening the V8 charger, since the seller wanted a picture, it's kinda obvious why it gets so hot. It's got components dissipating heat to a few pieces of metal put around the bottom and sides, and just about all of it is covered in some (i think) silicon glue. Took a photo for Discrod folks, and attached it here for others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 10 hours ago, LanghamP said: The extremely high energy capacity of a wheel doesn't require a correspondingly high energy charger? No really (and I would also nitpick that it is the battery carrying the energy, not the wheel, as batteries are very universal tools to carry energy). The current produces the heat, but you can charge any battery safely at any current lower than 1C (which refers to the fraction between charge current times voltage and battery capacity, e.g. 5A * 84V / 480Wh = 0.875), which means at any current which takes at least one hour to charge the entire battery. If you want to charge the battery quickly, you need high currents, but they are not a requirement and I am rather sceptical that the typical 1.5-2A current would qualify as "high current" anyways. I have a 50W 12V office lamp right next to me, the transformer of which produces consequently more than 4A current. A 1000W heater on the 110V net sees about 9A current. Quote Above 95 percent or so my stock Inmotion charger makes this high pitched warbling sound, and the charger gets hotter than hell. I don't like it but I don't know if it's legitimately dangerous. That sounds strange, I would think it should get rather less hot at the end of the charging cycle, as the current goes down in the end. I never checked whether (or observed that) this is the case for any of my chargers but I also rarely go above 95%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanghamP Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 I'm actually quite frightened of the battery in my wheel (@Mono ) because of the energy involved. If I were to take the energy in my wheel that drives me several miles up some steep hills, and put that in The Flash, and he punches me in the center of my chest, how much would that hurt? This wasn't something I had thought about at all until I unboxed my wheel and turned it on. It then dawned on me just how much energy is stored in these...creatures. It was unexpected, and I guess a large reason why I'm suddenly so fascinated and enthusiastic about wheels. Just how dangerous are these wheels? I mean, all that energy...what happens if it goes off all at once? Is that even possible? Or on an airplane? How about dropping a wheel accidently off a curb, or if it goes off into the water? I treat my wheel like a massive bomb between my legs that can emasculate me at any time for any or no reason (like a woman) and I wonder if such caution is warranted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EUCMania Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 8 hours ago, ramma said: Only do that with the case removed, and only remove it after being unplugged for a while. Capacitors can be pretty dangerous. After opening the V8 charger, since the seller wanted a picture, it's kinda obvious why it gets so hot. It's got components dissipating heat to a few pieces of metal put around the bottom and sides, and just about all of it is covered in some (i think) silicon glue. Took a photo for Discrod folks, and attached it here for others. How to open the case? I do not see any screws. Are they hiding under the rubber feet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramma Posted April 12, 2017 Author Share Posted April 12, 2017 2 minutes ago, EUCMania said: How to open the case? I do not see any screws. Are they hiding under the rubber feet? Yep. The rubber feet are just held on by some adhesive, so they can be put back on easily after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EUCMania Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 The charger's efficiency is computed as outputEnergy/inputEnergy = 1 - heatProduced/inputEnergy. For the GW charger, I would say that the heat is like that of a 5-10w light bulb. The input power is roughly = output power = 1.75A * 67.2v = 117.6w. So the efficiency is about 1 - 7.5/117.6 = 94%. This is good considering most good power supply unit (PSU) of a computer is rated as 80+, and PSU with 90+ rating is much more expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 8 hours ago, LanghamP said: Just how dangerous are these wheels? A not too difficult prediction: the overwhelming majority of people who will die due to these wheels, will die due to speeding or cars. That is where their danger comes from. Also not too difficult to predict: when compared to bicycles or motorbikes, their level of danger is (much) closer to the former. Of course, if you grab the spinning wheel with your hands it is enough energy that you could lose a finger or two. 8 hours ago, LanghamP said: I mean, all that energy...what happens if it goes off all at once? Is that even possible? I don't know, what if the energy of all the atoms of the wheel is released at once? Will the earth remain to be in a single piece in this case? 8 hours ago, LanghamP said: Or on an airplane? They are not allowed on passenger airplanes. Yet, the likelihood that they would bring down an airplane is rather exceptionally small, IMHO, yet not impossible, so I can see the point of the ban. 8 hours ago, LanghamP said: How about dropping a wheel accidently off a curb, or if it goes off into the water? I have seen or heard of wheels going off curbs or falling into water. Usually nothing spectacular is happening in these cases, apparently. Yet I am worried about free running wheels, to a lesser extend because they may punch me in the center of my chest, but to a larger extend because they put innocent bystanders into danger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramma Posted April 17, 2017 Author Share Posted April 17, 2017 Catastrophe averted! The seller sent a replacement, and it just arrived. Best of all, it's working perfectly! Now to find a less cumbersome way around inmotions geoblocking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 32 minutes ago, ramma said: Catastrophe averted! The seller sent a replacement, and it just arrived. Best of all, it's working perfectly! Now to find a less cumbersome way around inmotions geoblocking. There has been a recent report in the French forum that it worked without any workarounds, at least after the first registration. Though it might depend on the platform and app version... https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espritroue.fr%2Ftopic%2F2046-contourner-lactivation-inmotion-pour-les-roues-chinoises-avec-un-vpn%2F%3Fpage%3D4%23comment-47465 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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