Nikola plus charging issue

[propou]

Hi all, new to euc.

 

Question. Is the charger fan supposed to be spinning while its charging the wheel?

 

The charger has green lights but I am pretty sure it isnt charging. Rode it from 100% to 19% according to euc world.

 

Charged it a bit today. Not sure how to check so i fired it up while plugged in. And saw it's at 30%. And then its has not increase since. Been plugged in for 2 hours or so?

 

Did drop it while riding yesterday. Shell open, connecters around the charging port seems to be fine?

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Denny Paul]

Yes, the fan in the charger is supposed to spin while it’s in use.

Normally, as soon as you plug the charger into the wheel the light turns red. The charger light staying green means the charger is not attempting to charge the wheel at all for some reason. I would email your dealer and ask for some help. You may have to buy a new charger, or even send your wheel back from repairs depending on what’s going on.

 

Edited April 24, 2021 by Denny Paul

[propou]

Thank you so much for the reply. Will try and see if i can get someone local with a gotway charger to try and charge the wheel. That would first eliminate the possibility of faulty charger. 

[propou]

Just an update for anyone in the future that might run into the same problem.

Before I could source a second charger to test. Managed to verify the charger is outputting ~100v but not to the connectors. The fault is a disconnection on the ground wire to the connector, it has snapped off completely ... Resolder it back on and its now charging. 

And as Denny mentioned. When connected the fan runs and one of the green light goes red.

 

Edit: typed on phone and autocorrect eff up alot of things...

Cheers.

Edited May 14, 2021 by propou

[James C. ReedC]

I have the same problem, can you tell me how you reachedthe connectors to find broken wire? Did you have to open up and split wheel completely? My charge port connectors are shrouded by plastic housing.

[Denny Paul]

@James C. ReedC

for a nikola + right?

heres the panel that you’re dealing with. Look closely at the edges and how it articulated with your wheel. I think if you take off both side panels, you may be able to pop the whole front panel forward to get a better look.

https://alienrides.com/products/nikola-front-panel

 

[James C. ReedC]

....but that's the catch - I could not remove the left pedal, the blue lock-tite was invincible.  I had right tools and all. Then I wound up trying to drill the screws out; don't know what they are made of but - no dice....stuck 😔

  ....but now the others in forum are urging me to contact  Alien Rides , upon the premise that my Nikola AR Plus which is only 5 months old should be covered by warranty...?

  ...but my question is: I  actually received my Nikola from their parner/repair affiliate "A Rides" - so should my wheel still be covered by Alien Ride's warranty, being that "a rides" was just middle man and wheel came from Alien Rides??

  Whoever knows the answer to this, please inform me because I am very confused.  The AR warranty is 2 years long; shouldn't I be covered by this, or is this just "wishful thinking "??    🤔 

[James C. ReedC]

....also, I see there are 3 wires connected at each of the 2 charging ports; if one of the black grounds broke free (as this other guy said happened to him), would that discontinue the voltage showing at ports? (My ports show voltage), and also, would such a broken wire cause charger to stay green and not charge wheel, as is the present situation??

[James C. ReedC]

....I have news: while I am definitely pursuing the possibility of Alien Rides being responsible for a warranty period on my Nikola AR Plus, I finally took the accumulated advice of all you helpful people (thank you all again), and disconnected each battery one by one - finally closing upon a battery disconnection which allowed the charger light to turn red and begin charging. This is a semi-sweet/bitter pill, because I must accept fact that a $600.00 battery went bad and I don't know why, and although someone said that I could "absolutely ride the Nikola Plus without one of it's batteries - I ask everyone if this is absolutely true? Nevermind the fact that both my range and power will be lessened - will it be "SAFE" for me to ride this way??

 

[Tawpie]

1 hour ago, James C. ReedC said:

will it be "SAFE" for me to ride this way??

"Safe enough" IMO. My 16XS.LR was purchased as a 16XS which is pretty much the same thing as a 16X but only 1 battery instead of 2. It was fine, but had a lower speed limit and was easier to overpower. I do suspect a Nik+SX would be exactly the same... usable, but gently.

[James C. ReedC]

....thanks I appreciate your response- but by the same token- I  am now worried about charging; my Nikola AR plus is no longer a 100v wheel- am I  right?  But I am using a 100v charger.....am I  therefore in danger of overcharging these 2 remaining batteries??? Someone who knows this answer please help me out......scary 🥺

[Tawpie]

No worries on that front, it's still a 100V wheel it just can't pull as much current from the batteries. The packs are connected in parallel, which means each pack is 100V so the remaining packs are perfectly safe to charge (assuming there's nothing else wrong). 

Edited March 9, 2023 by Tawpie

[James C. ReedC]

........does anyone know how far  I can now charge my 100v Nikola AR Plus which is now "MINUS" one battery? If it is no longer a 100Volt wheel, then what exactly is it,and how do I regulate the amount of voltage I allow to flow from it's 100Volt charger?

[James C. ReedC]

Wow, really? It's still a 100V wheel? I didn't know that. So does that mean that I can charge it all the way to 100 as usual?