CMonk Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 Hi, I got a ks-18a today and I was so happy, and then an hour later I became exact opposite of that... The capacitor(I think) on the board was burnt. I saw it after I took the cap off. I was unable to update the firmware before riding it, and the firmware version was not shown in the Firmware Updating section of the app. It was shown in the Basic Information section as 1.09. I don't know if it's a glitch or this is an early model / prototype or something. I guess now I need a new board anyway. Can I contact KingSong for a replacement board? Or is there any place that I can get a replacement board for cheap? Or can I get it at all for KS-18A at the moment? Please advice and thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
US69 Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 Hmmh, with a 1.09 firmware version its a very old 18A! Also i dont see a fuse, which was even on my 18A 1200w 1,5 years old.... Is it 800watt or 1200watt Version? Also you should look out to a board Version Number, somewhere noted... You should ask Ks directly for replacement board, as they with the serialnumber perhaps they know which is the right one! As there where several versions of board, not so easy...to get a replacement from a seller, perhaps ewheel.com aka @Jason McNeil can help?! And btw: Doesnt look like capacitor to me, the most burning is way above Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethereal Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 Sorry to hear about your problem with the KS18A. Did you contact the seller? He should be able to help you. Who did you buy the KS18A from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 @Diana@szkingsong.com I believe has been very helpful with KingSong customers. Maybe she can also lend a hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMonk Posted July 22, 2017 Author Share Posted July 22, 2017 5 hours ago, KingSong69 said: Hmmh, with a 1.09 firmware version its a very old 18A! Also i dont see a fuse, which was even on my 18A 1200w 1,5 years old.... Is it 800watt or 1200watt Version? Also you should look out to a board Version Number, somewhere noted... You should ask Ks directly for replacement board, as they with the serialnumber perhaps they know which is the right one! As there where several versions of board, not so easy...to get a replacement from a seller, perhaps ewheel.com aka @Jason McNeil can help?! And btw: Doesnt look like capacitor to me, the most burning is way above Thanks for the info. It is the 800W version, I checked the label on the wheel. I wonder where I can find the version number on the board, I'll take it off and look around it today. I've already sent an email to the official support. I think they are in China, and I guess the communication and shipping will both be very slow. So in the mean time. I'm going to try to find some help elsewhere. The only burnt part looks like the little thing to the right of the white plug at the upper left corner. Is it a resistor? Now it makes sense. The resistor burnt instead of a fuse because there's no fuse found anywhere. 5 hours ago, Ethereal said: Sorry to hear about your problem with the KS18A. Did you contact the seller? He should be able to help you. Who did you buy the KS18A from? I got it from @KaleOsaurusRex's site clearance. It arrived OK and I was able to ride it for a while so I don't think it's relevant to him. He said there's no warranty from him in advance so I don't blame. He might have additional boards through. But he's traveling right now so I'll have to look for help elsewhere in the mean time. 2 hours ago, Hunka Hunka Burning Love said: @Diana@szkingsong.com I believe has been very helpful with KingSong customers. Maybe she can also lend a hand. OK, thanks for the info. I'll reach out to her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethereal Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 1 minute ago, CMonk said: Thanks for the info. I is the 800W version, I checked the label on the wheel. I wonder where I can find the version number on the board, I'll take it off and look around it today. I've already sent an email to the official support. I think they are in China, and I guess the communication and shipping will both be very slow. So in the mean time. I'm going to try to find some help elsewhere. The only burnt part looks like the little thing to the right of the white plug at the upper left corner. Is it a resistor? Now it makes sense. The resistor burnt instead of a fuse because there's no fuse found anywhere. I got it from @KaleOsaurusRex's site clearance. It arrived OK and I was able to ride it for a while so I don't think it's relevant to him. He said there's no warranty from him in advance so I don't blame. He might have additional boards through. But he's traveling right now so I'll have to look for help elsewhere in the mean time. OK, thanks for the info. I'll reach out to her. CMonk- Thanks. I bought a KS14C from Will Eddy (KaleOsaurusRex) a year and a half ago at the regular price and he was great at customer response and support. Never had any problems with my KS14C and still riding it. I was thinking of buying one of the KS18A's. I was wondering if the savings is worth it versus the aggravation I will feel if something goes wrong with the wheel plus the lack of seller support since Will is done with selling electric unicycles. Back then Tina Wong helped me out with getting the code for the app as well as other concerns. Now it does look like that @Diana@szkingsong.com is the go-to rep for King Song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMonk Posted July 25, 2017 Author Share Posted July 25, 2017 48 minutes ago, Diana@szkingsong.com said: No board for the 18A. You must be disappointed, right? Sorry @Hunka Hunka Burning Love Diana@KingSong was extremely helpful in the last two days but even KingSong couldn't help me... They told me that the motor is too old to work with the new(er) board... Now I am strangled with a broken wheel. I can think of some ideas like mismatching motor and board but I can see the danger in it. If anyone has any better idea please advice me! I'd be really happy to talk about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethereal Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 40 minutes ago, CMonk said: @Hunka Hunka Burning Love Diana@KingSong was extremely helpful in the last two days but even KingSong couldn't help me... They told me that the motor is too old to work with the new(er) board... Now I am strangled with a broken wheel. I can think of some ideas like mismatching motor and board but I can see the danger in it. If anyone has any better idea please advice me! I'd be really happy to talk about it. That certainly is a big deterrent now for getting an older KS18. Not good news at all when even the manufacturer can't help you. I have always heard good reviews of https://www.facebook.com/1radwerkstatt. Maybe they can solve your dilemma. Please update when you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMonk Posted July 25, 2017 Author Share Posted July 25, 2017 10 minutes ago, Ethereal said: That certainly is a big deterrent now for getting an older KS18. Not good news at all when even the manufacturer can't help you. I have always heard good reviews of https://www.facebook.com/1radwerkstatt. Maybe they can solve your dilemma. Please update when you can. Now I feel like I'm trying to resurrect a mummy, lol. Thanks, I'll try to contact them and see what goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flass Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 A bit worrisome that Kingsong does not keep a stock of older parts to their wheels, especially for products not THAT old but about 1,5 years.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriull Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 On 22.7.2017 at 7:10 PM, CMonk said: ... The only burnt part looks like the little thing to the right of the white plug at the upper left corner. Is it a resistor? Now it makes sense. The resistor burnt instead of a fuse because there's no fuse found anywhere. ... This is a resistor - if one googles for "Ks-18A motherboard" one can see nice pictures of it alive. Could be "red-black-black-gold -- brown"? - Cannot really 100% identify the colors on the pictures ;( If you can you could try replacing it - but there are chances that this is not the only part that died... Maybe also some ks18a owner is around here and can help identifying? As the google resulsts show, you could still have chances to get a new KS18A board from some shops/aliexpress/.... Basically you could ask everyone selling KS if he still has some stock... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
US69 Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 11 minutes ago, Chriull said: This is a resistor - if one googles for "Ks-18A motherboard" one can see nice pictures of it alive. Could be "red-black-black-gold -- brown"? - Cannot really 100% identify the colors on the pictures ;( If you can you could try replacing it - but there are chances that this is not the only part that died... Maybe also some ks18a owner is around here and can help identifying? As the google resulsts show, you could still have chances to get a new KS18A board from some shops/aliexpress/.... Basically you could ask everyone selling KS if he still has some stock... It can get really hard to get a matching board to his Motor... Nowadays KS have Versionnumbers on their boards and detailed Versionnumbers on each Motor. But especially the 18A have been a lot Motor Versions and boards also, 500W, 800W, 1200W and 1500Watt I know that alone the 1200Watt Motor has had at least 3 different boards and 2 different Motor Versions, each incompatible with each other. But didn't Kale/Will have another board for the 18A? I remember i read something like that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethereal Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 5 hours ago, KingSong69 said: It can get really hard to get a matching board to his Motor... Nowadays KS have Versionnumbers on their boards and detailed Versionnumbers on each Motor. But especially the 18A have been a lot Motor Versions and boards also, 500W, 800W, 1200W and 1500Watt I know that alone the 1200Watt Motor has had at least 3 different boards and 2 different Motor Versions, each incompatible with each other. But didn't Kale/Will have another board for the 18A? I remember i read something like that... Will does have another board but he is including that with another KS18A that currently has some kind of wobbly issue which was a return item. The extra board will be sold with this KS since most likely the wobbly issue is board related. I wanted an extra board just in case but he would not sell it separately. I am quite surprised that KIng Song does not have the control board for this KS18A. They just went down 2 notches in the reputation scale with this not so old KS18A issue. Even Apple waits at least 4-5 years before they start neglecting older models. I hope someone from King Song is reading this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
US69 Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 3 hours ago, Ethereal said: Even Apple waits at least 4-5 years before they start neglecting older models. I hope someone from King Song is reading this Even apple? as our EuC producers like KS and GW are more ore less little garage chinese firms, with not more than 20 workers, i am not very surprised... Your 18a version is not produced anymore...so thats really bad luck! i would try to ask some of the aliexpress sellers...i have the "Rockwheel" Store in mind...or ask 1radwerkstatt.de...they do repairs on Ks since 3 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethereal Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 4 minutes ago, KingSong69 said: Even apple? as our EuC producers like KS and GW are more ore less little garage chinese firms, with not more than 20 workers, i am not very surprised... Your 18a version is not produced anymore...so thats really bad luck! i would try to ask some of the aliexpress sellers...i have the "Rockwheel" Store in mind...or ask 1radwerkstatt.de...they do repairs on Ks since 3 years. When I used Apple as a comparison, I meant that even Apple who is money driven (e.g. utilizing the parts on an Apple device to a proprietary screw, proprietary chargers, headphone connector, etc so that they will be the only parts suppliers) that Apple would have the common decency to not neglect their customers with "older devices". Their software updates are still accommodating to the much older devices until about 4-5 years down the line. This is what I meant. For King Song to not be able to accommodate for a 1.5 year old model is just plain ludicrous. In addition, I don't have the KS18A. I was just eyeing the leftover KS18A that Will has available at a markedly reduced price. I am deliberating whether to purchase the KS18A and take a chance on not being able to have a compatible control board as a compromise to the big savings. Since CMonk is having such difficulty, I am having reservations now. I did advise him to check out the 1radwerkstatt.de. Your Rockwheel store would be another good alternative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
US69 Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 5 minutes ago, Ethereal said: When I used Apple as a comparison, I meant that even Apple who is money driven (e.g. utilizing the parts on an Apple device to a proprietary screw, proprietary chargers, headphone connector, etc so that they will be the only parts suppliers) that Apple would have the common decency to not neglect their customers with "older devices". Their software updates are still accommodating to the much older devices until about 4-5 years down the line. This is what I meant. For King Song to not be able to accommodate for a 1.5 year old model is just plain ludicrous. In addition, I don't have the KS18A. I was just eyeing the leftover KS18A that Will has available at a markedly reduced price. I am deliberating whether to purchase the KS18A and take a chance on not being able to have a compatible control board as a compromise to the big savings. Since CMonk is having such difficulty, I am having reservations now. I did advise him to check out the 1radwerkstatt.de. Your Rockwheel store would be another good alternative. Oh, sorry, thougt you were the owner... (i personnaly would) not do that on Kale, the price savings is not worth it and i would guess the wheels are more nearly to 2 years old..staying a long, long time unused. No spare parts anymore available and i guess a good used one - where it is clear that it works- would be available for the same if not much less money. My 2 cents... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethereal Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 1 minute ago, KingSong69 said: Oh, sorry, thougt you were the owner... (i personnaly would) not do that on Kale, the price savings is not worth it and i would guess the wheels are more nearly to 2 years old..staying a long, long time unused. No spare parts anymore available and i guess a good used one - where it is clear that it works- would be available for the same if not much less money. My 2 cents... All good. I value your advice because I know you have tons of experience with King Song products. Will did have a new KS18A and he has ridden it around the driveway but not long distance and it does work. Having said that, CMonk also said his KS18A was good for an hour until his control board issue surfaced. So even with a working New KS18A available and tested by Will, I would still be taking a gamble because the control board could go kaput any second. Just not worth the aggravation. Basically you get what you pay for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMonk Posted July 25, 2017 Author Share Posted July 25, 2017 10 hours ago, flass said: A bit worrisome that Kingsong does not keep a stock of older parts to their wheels, especially for products not THAT old but about 1,5 years.... I think this case is a little bit special because this is a very old one from what I have collected in the last few days. The board doesn't even have fuse, and the print on the board says www.jingcongddc.com which was KingSong's previous website URL... The board looks more like a board from a 200 bucks 14" generic wheel. I guess it's from that "Oh, this kinda works, let's get it out here and if a lot of people want more then we can make it better" era. And it's quite different now. Edit: more pictures 10 hours ago, Chriull said: This is a resistor - if one googles for "Ks-18A motherboard" one can see nice pictures of it alive. Could be "red-black-black-gold -- brown"? - Cannot really 100% identify the colors on the pictures ;( If you can you could try replacing it - but there are chances that this is not the only part that died... Maybe also some ks18a owner is around here and can help identifying? As the google resulsts show, you could still have chances to get a new KS18A board from some shops/aliexpress/.... Basically you could ask everyone selling KS if he still has some stock... I see that ewheel has a control board for KS-18AY, and that's a 1200W controller, and the motor is 800W. https://www.ewheels.com/product/ks18ay-1200w-replacement-control-board/ Please correct me if I'm wrong. On the battery side, 1200W continuous output means current draw is maximized at 1200/(3.6 * 16) = ~20.83A 800W continuous output means current draw is maximized at 800/(3.6 * 16) = ~13.89A They both peak at 3000W so 3000/(3.6*16) = ~52.08A I think the battery side would be fairly OK unless the 800W uses 15A continuous draw battery. Need to verify this. On the motor side, since the voltage from the battery pack is the same 67.2V, 1200W basically means it can handle more current. And when voltage does not change, putting more current through the motor will give it more torque. And at the same time, it might damage the motor if too much current is constantly applied. So if I use this board, a dead motor in the long run is inevitable, am I on the right track? Does it worth a try? 23 minutes ago, KingSong69 said: Oh, sorry, thougt you were the owner... (i personnaly would) not do that on Kale, the price savings is not worth it and i would guess the wheels are more nearly to 2 years old..staying a long, long time unused. No spare parts anymore available and i guess a good used one - where it is clear that it works- would be available for the same if not much less money. My 2 cents... Yeah, this one was working when I bought it, but I didn't know the 540WHr means an extremely early model. I found out later and that's my fault. So I'm eating the cost right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
US69 Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 9 minutes ago, CMonk said: Does it worth a try? Nope, dont buy the ewheels board! this is definitly ONLY for a Ks18Ay, which has a very special 1200watt motor type! Your board looks nearly like a Ks14c board from older times...no fuse...cingcong...etc... As hard as it is...you have to try to get a AT LEAST a 800Watt board...even questionable if this is Ok snd the right type than! ASK ewheels.....ask 1radwerkstatt...ask whom you can get...or try to fix the resistor on the board! If all that dont work? try to get a motor AND board combination from KS or an reseller.....at least you have a 520wh batterie and a shell :-( That 520wh alone shows that ks18 is a special version.....only see that on sale from Will. All other 800Watt ks18 where minimum 680wh....ewheels sold a 840wh version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethereal Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 9 minutes ago, KingSong69 said: That 520wh alone shows that ks18 is a special version.....only see that on sale from Will. All other 800Watt ks18 where minimum 680wh....ewheels sold a 840wh version. So the 800 Watt motor 840 Wh version or even the 680 Wh version of the KS18A is newer than the 520 Wh KS18A version? Does this mean that the quality as well as reliability has improved then? Will has the 800 Watt 840 Wh New KS18A. Is this one even worth it given the possible control board scarceness issue with this version too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMonk Posted July 25, 2017 Author Share Posted July 25, 2017 10 minutes ago, Ethereal said: So the 800 Watt motor 840 Wh version or even the 680 Wh version of the KS18A is newer than the 520 Wh KS18A version? Does this mean that the quality as well as reliability has improved then? Will has the 800 Watt 840 Wh New KS18A. Is this one even worth it given the possible control board scarceness issue with this version too? When talking to @Diana@szkingsong.com, I wasn't able to identify whether they don't have the board for ALL the KS-18A or they don't have the board for the mummy that I have. I had already paid her for the board the previous day, and then it seemed the fact that they don't have a matching board surprised her also. She proceeded to refund me the money and told me that they just don't have the board for KS-18A. It didn't matter to me which one she meant. I just accepted the fact that they are not sending me a board so I'll have to look for something else. You might need to contact her or someone @ Kongsong to clarify that if you want to continue your plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethereal Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 5 minutes ago, CMonk said: You might need to contact her or someone @ Kongsong to clarify that if you want to continue your plan. Thanks, CMonk. I hope you get help with your control board issue too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMonk Posted July 25, 2017 Author Share Posted July 25, 2017 Oh WOW.... Guess what I found.... https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Balanced-car-special-accessories-Unicycle-accessories-Unicycle-controller-Kingsong-KS-18-controller/1748730_32691925756.html The exact same board, by ROCKWHEEL!!!!! @KingSong69 But for $260... and according to Aliexpress, they have 96 of them! For 260 is it worth it? I don't think I have other choices... And neither does this one have a fuse! I can almost see it burn again....... Should I add my own fuse or is it a dumb idea? Please advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meepmeepmayer Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 Just an idea, would it make sense to buy a new motor (1200W) and board of a newer (latest?) KS18A version? If you exchanged that, would it be compatible with the rest? If that can be done, maybe a current board is cheaper so this might make sense in the long term if you are worried about the old board blowing again (which would be another 260 and may be supply constrained). And you get an improved wheel as a bonus. Also, 260 is crazy price for any board!! edit: oops, that was already suggested. But I think if it can be done, maybe it's worth it. How much did you pay for the wheel in the first place? Also maybe the 520Wh is a custom/exchanged battery, not from the factory? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMonk Posted July 25, 2017 Author Share Posted July 25, 2017 18 minutes ago, meepmeepmayer said: Just an idea, would it make sense to buy a new motor (1200W) and board of a newer (latest?) KS18A version? If you exchanged that, would it be compatible with the rest? If that can be done, maybe a current board is cheaper so this might make sense in the long term if you are worried about the old board blowing again (which would be another 260 and may be supply constrained). And you get an improved wheel as a bonus. Also, 260 is crazy price for any board!! Well, it's either I didn't see it correctly or it just changed. Now it's 280. I'm not buying it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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