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First ride on the Nikola+ overheated --> FIXED!


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On 10/26/2019 at 5:30 AM, Ben Kim said:

So, my constant beeping was actually an issue with darknessbot beta. It continuously reconnecting to the wheel, and beeps won’t stop til i shut the app off via app switcher. 

Yes, it’s because the last beta.😔  Turn off the auto-torch function in settings. 
It’s because of this function. We’ll fix it in next beta. 

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On 10/23/2019 at 7:25 PM, erk1024 said:

TL;DR Conclusion: I need a new fan.

I took the Nikola+ for a ride and got it up to 40 degrees C. I could hear the fan (barely). I rode it at 50kph and the temperature climbed all the way up to 63 degrees C. I stopped and listened with my head right next to the shell. I could hear the fan spinning, but still pretty quiet. Just like the previous ride, this happened right around the 6 mile mark. I rode it a little bit more to push it over 65 degrees, and it tilted back until I was forced to get off. I let it cool off a bit and rode it home at 20kph, watching the temperature. It was around 63 degrees all the way home.

For comparison, I took out the Monster V3 and rode it at the same speed on the same route. After 12 miles, I was only able to get it up to 47 degrees C. When I got home, the Monster's fan was much louder than the Nikola+ fan. I could hear it easily without putting my head next to the shell.

The Nikola tire is at 50psi, I was riding on flat ground at 20kph, and it couldn't bring down the board temperature from 63 degrees?! That just makes no sense. In Marty's Nikola video, the fan is loud. So ... a defective fan is a pretty good guess.

 

 

Sorry, I've been away from the Forum for days as I've been leading day long rides around Southern California.

I'm not convinced that the Nikola fan is variable speed. I think it's certainly worthwhile trying to get a new fan because when they are running properly there is no doubt that it's running (no need to put your head near the shell).

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9 minutes ago, houseofjob said:

Meh, they're a dime-a-dozen, just stock up:

Thanks! I definitely will.  :)

So what do you do with the third (white) wire? Is it there for controlling the speed or something? The plug on the control board is only two pins.

Edited by erk1024
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4 minutes ago, houseofjob said:

Yup, exactly.

Just as EUC tires are really repurposed eScooter tires, EUC fans are just repurposed computer CPU/case/heatsink fans, etc., except dumber, since they don't utilize the frequency controlling 3rd tachometric wire (at least I've never seen this yet in any EUC mfr), hence only on/off, no variable speed. (makes sense I think, considering the debate over how precise Gotway temperature readings are, whether they are reading off the MOSFETs or the heatsink, etc.)

So long as you are properly identifying all the pins, you can do whatever you want with that 3rd tachometric wire I guess, like clip it off if EUC is the only use purpose, etc.

3-to-2 pin CPU fan adapters will receive, then never pass on the 3rd wire, so the connector termination will end in the first 2 wires and physically fit the board's 2-pin slot.

Awesome! Thanks! That's really helpful. I actually did order an extra fan--just in case--and when it showed up, it had three wires. So I guess that means I have a backup fan if I need it.

I peeled back the Dynatron sticker on the defective fan, and it has the same three contacts on the circuit board, but the one where the white wire went was empty. So I was guessing, I could just cut the white wire. But using that 3-2 pin CPU adapter is an easy solution!  :lol:

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14 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

Very good news. I know of multiple Nikola owners who are dealing with overheating.

Really strange that Gotway screwed this up. Every wheel on the planet overheats at 79-degrees. So then Gotway releases a new wheel that is totally enclosed (unlike previous wheels that exposed the heatheat to the outside) and lowers the overheat temperature by 15-degrees Celsius.

Gotway was the king of cool running wheels but they blew it with the Nikola.

Just another Gotway mystery :confused1:

 

 

Which GW or KS wheel has a temperature sensor directly in the fan's stream path? I remember reading about it somewhere. So it would read much lower temperature and make the owner think that it's a cool-running wheel.

It might be that the engineers try to take into account the temperature difference between t-sensor and MOSFETs, when setting the overheat limit. Perhaps, that explains the low 65C limit on Nicola? At any rate, we don't know what we are actually comparing when we compare temperatures of different models.

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20 minutes ago, meepmeepmayer said:

65° was just a panic reaction after Gluegate.

Hey meep do you happen to know at what temperature the fan kicks on, on 84V 1600wh Nikola? 

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Just now, meepmeepmayer said:

:efeec46606: Wow, thanks. You mean the 2020 LA Marty Tours? I would definitely come if I have enough money to spare!

Just to give you an idea if you planned ahead you can save a lots of money.  The lodging at LA Rotex western Inn highly recommended 8 nights none refundable 2 queen beds shared $410 each... I'm pretty sure we can find you international guys wheels to ride, many generous people here in US.  All in the planning... :D

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2 hours ago, meepmeepmayer said:

:efeec46606: Wow, thanks. You mean the 2020 LA Marty Tours? I would definitely come if I have enough money to spare!

You have a whole year to plan :thumbup:

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9 minutes ago, meepmeepmayer said:

Really? The original glue board already had 65°C? I totally forgot that...

I believe @Dzlchef can confirm this because he has ridden a lot with the original board on his 84-volt Nikola. Brian, can you confirm that it overheats at 65-degrees?

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7 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

So then Gotway releases a new wheel that is totally enclosed (unlike previous wheels that exposed the heatheat to the outside) and lowers the overheat temperature by 15-degrees Celsius.

Are there any versions of the Monster that expose the heatsink to outside air? 

Also, seems like it would be an easy mod to cut a hole in the plastic shell under the control board. Then you'd have to seal up the interface with something (silicone, grommet, weather stripping) That would be true for both the Monster V2/V3 and the Nikola+ that have the control board side mounted.

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