New Veteran "Abrams" 22-inch Wheel

[Paradox]

Just posted on youtube.

 

[That Guy]

I wish the comments were more meaningful from these guys. We learnt so far only that Abrams looks and feels big, and maybe accelerates and breaks better then Sherman? :-)

[fbhb]

 

In the thumbnail/start of @Afeez Kay's video it is clear just how huge the Abrams is in comparison to the Sherman, so unsurprisingly the weight increase to 45kg is understandable although not a very welcome increase to many.

The very tall metal frame construction, alloy control board housing, that massive wheel/motor assembly just has to be more solidly built than the Sherman's traditional plastic shell construction, so it should All add up to a step forward/construction advancement hopefully! 

Edited October 29, 2021 by fbhb

[That Guy]

Titanium framing could be an alternative but it would have a very limited market at $10k+... :-)

[Mango]

First look inside Abrams build quality

 

 

[That Guy]

Well, I think what Kevin was trying to say through all this horrible wind noise is that he liked it ("nimble" (really?), "fantastic machine")... :-)

95kph cut off though? Is it because the "learning mode" wasn't disabled?

From the build quality I picked three main negatives: plastic trolley handle holders, metal that will rust (and had some rust marks already if I understood right), and the battery connectors that are exposed to the water from the wheel and need to be further waterproofed. Plus some not very critical wood screws.

Also nice detail that the alarm speaker is integrated in the front light (so it actually could be heard when riding).

Edited October 29, 2021 by That Guy

[nowjoel]

@fbhbI saw a blue material between the mosfet and the larger aluminum cast heat sink, can you take a close up picture of this ; I want to know if it’s blue silicone TIM or actually a proper Thermal pad of quality.

@houseofjob do you see this?

Edited October 29, 2021 by JD212

[RagingGrandpa]

9 hours ago, Mango said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsDHuuWN_oM

  

On 10/18/2021 at 4:27 PM, RagingGrandpa said:

And what's going on with these GX16-5 pinouts?

Ah. The inline connectors are not GX-series. Upgrades, nice.

Edited October 29, 2021 by RagingGrandpa

[Paradox]

@Afeez Kay posted the free spin data just now.

 

[eucVibes]

A compilation of Afeez Abrams videos 🤙

[Whitebeard]

On 10/29/2021 at 12:33 AM, nowjoel said:

TIM or actually a proper Thermal pad of quality.

Interesting observation. I'd love to know the answer to this question as well.

Does anyone know the size of the thermal pad (1mm? 0.5mm? ) that is currently on the Sherman? I don't know if anyone else has tried changing the thermal pad to a better one, or use thermal paste/glue as a substitute for better temp control?

[gon2fast]

I have been known to ask dumb questions... so here we go!

With a metal box to encapsulate the mother board and metal panels with batteries attached to them, how is this wheel going to do in hot/humid environments? 

I am still getting one as that does not affect me, but dumb question off and away...
 

[That Guy]

here we go :-)

 

Edited November 1, 2021 by That Guy
link removed

[RagingGrandpa]

8 hours ago, gon2fast said:

metal panels

how is this wheel going to do in hot environments?

The alternative is plastic.

The heat source is the control board (and motor; and batteries to a lesser extent).
Those heat sources are inside the EUC.
We want the heat energy to get out of the EUC.
Metals conduct heat better than plastics. Good for Abrams.

Metal will "feel hot to touch" more than plastic, so your intuition is logical... but actually, this transfer of heat into your skin is a result of its better thermal conductivity. Metal quickly transfers the heat to your hand; plastic keeps the energy locked up inside the EUC.
 

8 hours ago, gon2fast said:

humid environments?

I presume you're suggesting a condensation risk?

Exterior condensation is usually not harmful...

The vulnerable components are the same ones that get hot during use, which is convenient. Condensation happens on cold parts, not hot parts.

[Paradox]

New video from @Afeez Kay.

 

[That Guy]

1 hour ago, Paradox said:

New video

Unavailable.. :-(

What was in the video? Was it a review?

[Paradox]

1 minute ago, That Guy said:

Unavailable.. :-(

What was in the video? Was it a review?

Plays for me.  I will try it again.

[Denny Paul]

1 hour ago, Paradox said:

New video from @Afeez Kay.

 

 

1 minute ago, That Guy said:

Unavailable.. :-(

What was in the video? Was it a review?

still shows up fine for me. Trying to watch at work? maybe there's a firewall set for 'distracting websites' haha

[That Guy]

1 minute ago, Denny Paul said:

Trying to watch at work

I better get back to work!... :-))

[supercurio]

3 hours ago, Paradox said:

New video from @Afeez Kay.

 

I really wonder what's up with this mainboard / firmware.

It sounds like a cheap squarewave controller as soon as there's any acceleration: not a fan.
Then @Afeez Kay tries to hype it up as a feature, a mark of "Good work by Veteran".

Hoping it's not gonna become a trend, that would be so dumb - especially at the expense of a few efficiency %.

[Paradox]

6 minutes ago, supercurio said:

It sounds like a cheap squarewave controller as soon as there's any acceleration: not a fan.

I don't like the sound on the video either.  His response to one comment  is "The sound of the motor is sweet in person".

I hope it really sounds better in person.  If this is a sound effect that can be turned off then it's ok.  It would be a problem for me if the sound is coming from the motor and can not be adjusted.

[That Guy]

I personally don’t mind the sound if it is not a design flaw of either the motor or the controller.

I am very curious whether Abrams is robust to handle its own huge weight. For example, will a fall on its tail bend the fender bar? And will the battery compartment not crack after just the first or second drop on the top right corner?

[supercurio]

1 hour ago, Paradox said:

 hope it really sounds better in person.  If this is a sound effect that can be turned off then it's ok.  It would be a problem for me if the sound is coming from the motor and can not be adjusted.

The Abrams doesn't have speakers so it's not a sound effect.

This sound is produced by the coils starting and stopping to pull on magnets suddenly instead of progressively, following current generated by the controller more like "on/off" commutation, instead of smoothly pulling more, then less following the rotation of the magnets.

This sudden start/stop of pulling the magnets makes components of the motor act like a speaker, transforming this subpar, less efficient control strategy into sound.

On some wheels (most Gotways), you can hear a similar sound at the lowest speeds, especially going uphill, as the controller struggles to control its timing very precisely.

But now the Abrams seems to so that at all speeds, reverting to squarewave-like control when asked some torque?

Owning a cheapo electric scooter with 2x1000W squarewave controllers, I'm not looking forward to wheels sounding like that. It gets old quick, and it's not optional.

Going back to a quiet wheel after riding the buzzing scooter is a relaxing, high quality experience.

Edited November 2, 2021 by supercurio

[InfiniteWheelie]

There's a lot of great features on this wheel. The fan-less metal heat sink compartment, large tubeless tire, sealed battery compartments, height for sitting, roll cage, overall build quality etc. That said there's some room for improvement, I'd want to wait for a gen 2 version...

As others have pointed out, the motor sounds like it's using a cheap square wave controller. That's not a good thing for efficiency, and the noise sounds horrible. The battery connector isn't waterproof according to the tear down video. The soldered on wires would preferably be connectors. Also, if they really want to increase the quality in wet weather, they could give all the steel parts an ED coating to totally prevent rust.

Edited November 5, 2021 by InfiniteWheelie

[KiwiMark]

I've seen videos of people riding seated on EUCs, but I just can't do it on my RS, I would have to lower my butt down way too low.  I'd really like to have an EUC that I could ride seated some of the time, this is a big plus of the Abrams.

I'm not too bothered about the noise, especially when those that have ridden it say that it sounds fine in person.

I'd like to see some full reviews and some testing on the weather resistance, I'd really like to own a PEV that is fine to ride even if there is a possibility of rain or if there might be an occasional puddle along the way.

I know there are people that have bought the very first Shermans that came out and never had any problem with them, hopefully this wheel will also turn out to be reliable from the start.