New Veteran "Abrams" 22-inch Wheel

[techyiam]

A quick update on the Kevin's capacitor upgrade on my Abrams. 

Aside from what Kevin has noted on the benefits of adding two additional capacitors, mainly lower tendency to cutout when going over speed bumps at 45 mph, and less vibration in the free spin speed test, I noticed two other benefits after adding the two additional capacitors.

(1) No more odd low decibel vibrational motor noise when going forwards or backwards from stationary. The motor itself doesn't actual vibrate. It just makes a noise that appears as if the motor is vibrating.

With the original firmware 2.0.02 and without additional capacitors, that noise used to be a fairly loud crackling noise. That was the signature Abrams motor noise when accelerating from rest. People originally thought the Abrams used a trapezoidal controller, as opposed to a sinusoidal one. After updating to firmware 2.0.015, the motor noise changed to an audible vibrational noise.

(2) With the latest firmware, and the addition of two capacitors, the pedal sensitivity improved significantly. Basically now, I can accelerate and brake with only the feet on the pedals. No other contact with the wheel is needed. This to me is quite significant. Of course with pad usage, the acceleration and braking will be stronger. Before, it was not even close. The first time I tried to accelerate or brake on my Abrams, I got basically the same first reaction that Black Corba did when he first got on the Sherman-S at AVS. BTW, I am not big nor heavy, and the Abrams and the Sherman-S, both weigh the same at 97 lbs. OK, the Sherman-S may have higher pedal height. 

Oddly enough, the Abrams rides very similarly to a bigger V12 with more battery, especially now with good pedal sensitivity. Not kidding. OK, I still can feel the extra heft, but the wide width doesn't bother me anymore. Maybe with time, and my body adapts, I may not even feel that.

Time-stamped 

 

Edited December 14, 2022 by techyiam

[techyiam]

Another quick update on my Abrams. 

I have just become a bigger Guinea pig. I added two more capacitors to my controller. This is equivalent to adding four capacitors to a stock Abrams. Since Kevin only added two, and I haven't come across anyone else adding four, I am now in uncharted territory.

To my disappointment, pedal sensitivity did not improve further. I think I am now getting into territory of diminishing returns. The motor maybe a tad smoother and quieter when accelerating from rest, hard to tell though. However, I haven't encountered any issues. I think I will keep this configuration for now.

Another thing that I did was to play with the stock pads placement. I decided to place them lower. This notion came from my experience with the Inmotion branded pads on my V12. As it turns out, it got worse.

The way I figured was that on a 22" wheel, it would require more rider input than on a 16" for the same acceleration. Pedal sensitivity can help, but only up to a certain point. After that, the rider needs to either lean more, use more leverage, or both.

On the V12, with the braking pads, I don't really need to lean too much backwards to get decent braking performance. On the other hand, on the Abrams, sometimes I need to lean backwards more, and I lose balance. So for the Abrams, either I use more leverage, or use a padding system that locks my feet in, allowing me to lean way over but not lose balance and fall off. I guess there is a third option theoretically, and that to carry weights on me, or eat all my meals at fast food joints. 🙂

The Abrams is a tall wheel; it significantly taller than the V12. If I can grip the top with my knees and lean forward, I can get the Abrams to accelerate.

When I first got my Abrams, I wanted to experiment riding it padless. Hoping on, right away I realized that my body weight alone on the pedals was not going to generate enough torque to cause the wheel to accelerate or brake, at least, not in a significant way. This included leaning as much as I could, moving my abdomen forward, and standing on the balls of my feet. As a next step, I decided to try non-slip carpet grip tape at the top of each side where my knees make contact with the sides of the wheel. This helped greatly. But that means my legs would have to be squeezing the wheel. Nevertheless, I test rode the Abrams around the neighborhood, and beyond during off hours when there was no traffic.

Next, I added the stock pads. Initially, they didn't really help that much because my legs would just slide past them.

What made a big difference was to cover the stock pads with non-slip carpet tape. I also added the non-slip tape above the pads where my knees would make contact with the controller housing.

This setup works best if you ride with straight legs. This implies that your inner knees or lower legs have toughen up, and no longer hurts when you squeeze the wheel with your legs. If you bend your knees, then your legs have a tendency to slide past the pads.

That's where I am at now.

In the future, I may consider putting on a different padding system, and have my feet locked in.

 

Edited December 20, 2022 by techyiam

[I2x2]

On 12/19/2022 at 9:44 PM, techyiam said:

Another quick update on my Abrams. 

I have just become a bigger Guinea pig. I added two more capacitors to my controller. This is equivalent to adding four capacitors to a stock Abrams. Since Kevin only added two, and I haven't come across anyone else adding four, I am now in uncharted territory.

To my disappointment, pedal sensitivity did not improve further. I think I am now getting into territory of diminishing returns. The motor maybe a tad smoother and quieter when accelerating from rest, hard to tell though. However, I haven't encountered any issues. I think I will keep this configuration for now.

Another thing that I did was to play with the stock pads placement. I decided to place them lower. This notion came from my experience with the Inmotion branded pads on my V12. As it turns out, it got worse.

The way I figured was that on a 22" wheel, it would require more rider input than on a 16" for the same acceleration. Pedal sensitivity can help, but only up to a certain point. After that, the rider needs to either lean more, use more leverage, or both.

On the V12, with the braking pads, I don't really need to lean too much backwards to get decent braking performance. On the other hand, on the Abrams, sometimes I need to lean backwards more, and I lose balance. So for the Abrams, either I use more leverage, or use a padding system that locks my feet in, allowing me to lean way over but not lose balance and fall off. I guess there is a third option theoretically, and that to carry weights on me, or eat all my meals at fast food joints. 🙂

The Abrams is a tall wheel; it significantly taller than the V12. If I can grip the top with my knees and lean forward, I can get the Abrams to accelerate.

When I first got my Abrams, I wanted to experiment riding it padless. Hoping on, right away I realized that my body weight alone on the pedals was not going to generate enough torque to cause the wheel to accelerate or brake, at least, not in a significant way. This included leaning as much as I could, moving my abdomen forward, and standing on the balls of my feet. As a next step, I decided to try non-slip carpet grip tape at the top of each side where my knees make contact with the sides of the wheel. This helped greatly. But that means my legs would have to be squeezing the wheel. Nevertheless, I test rode the Abrams around the neighborhood, and beyond during off hours when there was no traffic.

Next, I added the stock pads. Initially, they didn't really help that much because my legs would just slide past them.

What made a big difference was to cover the stock pads with non-slip carpet tape. I also added the non-slip tape above the pads where my knees would make contact with the controller housing.

This setup works best if you ride with straight legs. This implies that your inner knees or lower legs have toughen up, and no longer hurts when you squeeze the wheel with your legs. If you bend your knees, then your legs have a tendency to slide past the pads.

That's where I am at now.

In the future, I may consider putting on a different padding system, and have my feet locked in.

 

Thanks for the update. I’ll be following this for sure 

[JoeBean]

Hi, I'm going to do this mod this winter. I think I understood how to do it but do you have pictures of your work?

like where exactly to solder (on the board or piggyback on the wires) ect.

Love my Abrams btw despite the bad rep. 

 

 

 

 

[techyiam]

On 12/21/2022 at 10:07 PM, JoeBean said:

Hi, I'm going to do this mod this winter. I think I understood how to do it but do you have pictures of your work?

like where exactly to solder (on the board or piggyback on the wires) ect.

Love my Abrams btw despite the bad rep. 

I am assuming you were speaking to me:

I watched Kevin's video very carefully to see what he did, since he rode with his capacitor modification for some months now.

I didn't want to remove the controller board from the wheel--if I could help it--since the Abrams is known to run cool. There is no reason to disturb it.

As an aside, LeaperKim didn't just mount the mosfets directly to the aluminum casing for cooling. They mount the mosfets to a metal heatsink that was polished to a mirror finish, and then mount that to the aluminum casing. If you have played with overclocking in the PC days, you would understand why the mirror finish. 

From Kevin's video, I saw that he merely piggybacked the additional capacitors on the original. And that is what I did.

When you try to do it, you will find that other wires are too close, and you will not have enough room to do the soldering. 

I first tied the wires away from the capacitors. I also use a soldering gun with a custom-made slender tip. I also practice with an unplugged soldering gun first. It is extremely easy to touch other wires with the hot tip. I managed fine.

I tinned the original capacitors' leads first, as well as the new capacitors leads. Then I soldered the new capacitors on.

It went well for me.

Sorry, I don't have pictures. 

This should be a straight forward job.

If you have never removed the battery packs before, let me know.

 

Edited March 1, 2023 by techyiam

[techyiam]

Another quick update. 

Finally the salt has been washed away, the raining has paused, and the roads have dried up some.

I have started to commute on my Abrams.

I think I will continue to leave all four capacitors in place since the motor is supremely smooth and quiet, and the pedal sensitivity is noticeably better at speeds.

Braking on the Abrams is now better than on my V12. I am still using stock pads on my Abrams. 

Firstly, the braking on the Abrams has a predictable immediate linear response. If I lean back slightly, the wheel brakes lightly immediately. If I brake hard, and keep the pressure on, the rate of deceleration does not let up all the way to a full stop. And if I need to brake hard, I lean back a bit, grab the front handle, and push on the pedal with my heels. Braking modulation and power is better than my other wheels. Out of the box, it wasn't like that.

At higher speeds under harder, braking, if I don't slide my legs back first then brake, the wheel can wobble. But if I do, no wobbles. 

Maneuverability is very good. If I were to ride after dark and got surprised by a pothole that I want to avoid, I can make a quick maneuver as straightforward as on my V12. I may use more strength, but I wouldn't have noticed it.

One thing I don't like about the tire is that it train tracks. The Cordial scooter tire that I have on my V12 doesn't train track whatsoever. 

For example, I was making a left turn at a three-way stop sign. I have been doing the exact same turn for a very long time. I have never noticed a ridge on the road surface before. While I was making the turn on my Abrams, the tire makes contact with the ridge and stops turning, and force me to go straight, heading into somebody's front yard. Mind you, there was a sidewalk first. I panic at first for a fraction of a second as the sidewalk was coming up quick. But luckily, I remember this thing is agile, so I made a sharp left turn after the ridge. It was a relief when the Abrams readily responded. 

What gets me is my 16" V12 had no problem at anytime making this same turn. It was dark. I may have to go back there in daylight and investigate. 

I find myself using the front and rear grab handles a lot of the times instead of the trolley handle. The trolley handle is not robust enough to handle the mass of the wheel. 

I really like the headlight and taillight. The headlight is bright. However, the high beam projection pattern is very similar to that of the low beam, except for intensity, unlike on a motorcycle, where the high beam projects further down the road. 

I am now riding in strong mode. The reason is because during acceleration, the pedals dips forward, but doesn't recover. The V12 implementation is way better.

On bumpy roads, I find that the 22" diameter tire is still not enough. The jolts are still bothersome. 

Range is definitely better than the V12, as expected. But it is too soon to talk about range since I still in the new-wheel-period, and I can't trust it yet. So my speeds are low. Having said that, I briefly got up to around 50 km/h and it braked very confidently. 

And lastly, I feel the acceleration response is closer to a Begode than an Inmotion. I am look forward to tapping in the 3500W in the future. 🙂

Edited January 2, 2023 by techyiam

[lirva]

Just ordered Abrams, it's propably been sitting in shelf for a while. Never ridden monster so will see how this feels. 

I guess some reseller want to get rid of those, so thats why it's close to 2000€ on some place's. 

 

 

[techyiam]

57 minutes ago, lirva said:

Just ordered Abrams, it's propably been sitting in shelf for a while. Never ridden monster so will see how this feels. 

I guess some reseller want to get rid of those, so thats why it's close to 2000€ on some place's. 

 

 

Make sure the motor does not have the stamped date code: 2110xxxxxxxx.   (2021 October)

The Abrams that reportedly have had cutouts have this date code. 

You want at least 2111xxxxxxxx.    22xxxxxxxxxxx (2022, any month is even better) 

 

[lirva]

On 1/27/2023 at 2:51 PM, techyiam said:

Make sure the motor does not have the stamped date code: 2110xxxxxxxx.   (2021 October)

 

I did ask before the purchase and they said that new firmware and motor should be there. But i'll see when the wheel arrives.

Is the bars or the controller box rigid enough to put seat. I'm 100kg and the bars looks to be using pretty small bolts.

[techyiam]

4 minutes ago, lirva said:

Is the bars or the controller box rigid enough to put seat. I'm 100kg and the bars looks to be using pretty small bolts.

No, not strong enough. I never sit on my Abrams, because the bottom crossbar that is made of aluminum alloy is too weak. It will fail in fatigue over time.

[Jonah Hax]

On 12/12/2022 at 3:38 PM, techyiam said:

I did the EUC Upgrades (Kevin) capacitor upgrade on my Abrams. 

I bought the capacitors from the linked site he provided. As he had warned, shipping was slow, but the capacitors are exactly the same ones that are already on the board. I added two capacitors, making it a total of 4 capacitors. I also switched to Soft Mode. My first impression after the mod, is that it is now smoother, snappier, and more responsive. Starting from rest, the motor is a bit quieter. So it is almost silent.

I am wanting to add 2 more capacitors, making it a total of six.

Has anyone tried the 6 capacitors configuration? 

I should be getting my Abrams tomorrow. I have not been able to source some capacitors since the link Kevin provided does not ship to my country. Do you know if it would be ok to use some capacitors with higher uf rating as long as the voltage is the same?
 

[techyiam]

17 minutes ago, Jonah Hax said:

Do you know if it would be ok to use some capacitors with higher uf rating as long as the voltage is the same?

Disclaimer: Do this mod at your own risk.

I did it because I was curious, and Kevin has been riding with this mod for almost a year with no negative outcomes. Moreover, e-rides hires Kevin to do this mod for all the Abrams e-rides sells currently. Furthermore, others have done this with no reported complaints. 

In Kevin's video, he added 2 capacitors. I added 4 capacitors. All capacitors I added are the same as the original capacitors. But I have only ridden for about 2 months with the mod. Based on my limited experience, I have experienced positive outcomes, and no negative outcomes.

Regarding the modding, the added capacitors are piggybacked onto the original ones, as was done by Kevin. I did not remove the controller board to do this mod.

Edited January 31, 2023 by techyiam

[Jonah Hax]

29 minutes ago, techyiam said:

Disclaimer: Do this mod at your own risk.

I did it because I was curious, and Kevin has been riding with this mod for almost a year with no negative outcomes. Moreover, e-rides hires Kevin to do this mod for all the Abrams e-rides sells currently. Furthermore, others have done this with no reported complaints. 

In Kevin's video, he added 2 capacitors. I added 4 capacitors. All capacitors I added are the same as the original capacitors. But I have only ridden for about 2 months with the mod. Based on my limited experience, I have experienced positive outcomes, and no negative outcomes.

Regarding the modding, the added capacitors are piggybacked onto the original ones, as was done by Kevin. I did not remove the controller board to do this mod.

I am aware of all that :-D

But I am wondering that since you added 2 more caps to each cap already in place, you have added 1120 uf on top of the original 560 uf, so that is why I am wondering if it would be a problem to just use bigger caps and only add 1 extra per cap?

 

[techyiam]

3 hours ago, Jonah Hax said:

But I am wondering that since you added 2 more caps to each cap already in place, you have added 1120 uf on top of the original 560 uf, so that is why I am wondering if it would be a problem to just use bigger caps and only add 1 extra per cap?

That was my answer to your original question. That is what I tried, and that is what I have to share.

Since, I merely piggybacked the 4 capacitors onto the original, and the electrical current is still limited by the original capacitors' leads to the board, one would think it should be equivalent. But I didn't use 2 biggers capacitors.

As of now, no one has been able to give a convincing explanation as to why this works. It just does. So deviate at your own peril. I took this risk when I added 4 capacitors instead. 

Should you do this, it would be appreciated if you could shared your data point at a later date.

Edited February 1, 2023 by techyiam

[lirva]

Just got my Abrams, Motor code was 21120523 which might be ok.

Firmware is 2.0.2, EUC world shows me that 2.0.15 is available, is it safe to upgrade?

[Kekafuch]

2 hours ago, lirva said:

Just got my Abrams, Motor code was 21120523 which might be ok.

Firmware is 2.0.2, EUC world shows me that 2.0.15 is available, is it safe to upgrade?

 

I went from .02 to .15. Motor became more silent. Wheel felt faster. More importantly .15 is the second firmware update addressing the cutout issue. The wheel will continue to balance without hall sensor data when travelling at speed above around 10kmh. It’s advised to update to firmware. A faulty motor will likely run terribly or cut out at low speed and at this point make a warranty claim.

There is risk to update the firmware as the controller may get bricked. You should email Linnea or sales to have a paper trail in case you need assistance. Video the update process as evidence. 

 

[techyiam]

On 2/7/2023 at 8:57 AM, lirva said:

Just got my Abrams, Motor code was 21120523 which might be ok.

Firmware is 2.0.2, EUC world shows me that 2.0.15 is available, is it safe to upgrade?

Owners of Abrams with motor code of 2111xxxx, and 2112xxxx who have reported said they had no cutouts.

 

Initially, I was very hesitant to update the firmware from 2.0.2 to 2.0.15 because in a old video, Madpack said that after an update, the pedal sensitivity dropped considerably and he was longer enjoying riding the Abrams. However, the update he used back then was quite old. Firmware 2.0.15 is the last one for the Abrams that came out in June of 2021. 

Also, in the comment section of a more recent video, he said he had heard that the firmware 2.0.15 restored back the pedal sensitivity. But he never tried it himself. 

Long story short, I finally took the plunge because firmware 2.0.15 has the hall sensorless system as a backup to the regular hall sensors, to prevent cutout due to bad hall sensors signals. 

After updating firmware from 2.0.2 to 2.0.15, the motor was less loud, and the pedal sensitivity was fine. There was no lost in performance. I did not experience anything negative.

The firmware update requires you to find and download the firmware from a website. And install it.

You need to establish a Bluetooth connection to your Abrams. 

You need to enable location for both the phone and the app. Don't forget the latter.

To do the update, your Abrams has to be resting on the rear, bottom crash bar. And the Abrams has to be turned on. But there is no kill switch. 

To do this, turn on your Abrams, lean the wheel sideways until self-balancing is disabled. Then get the Abrams to rest on its rear crash bar. The Abrams sitting on the rear crash bar is not stable. You will need to have something to prevent it from falling sideways. 

Best of luck.

Edited March 1, 2023 by techyiam

[InfiniteWheelie]

Has anyone had vibration problems on their Abrams, especially while walking it or going slowly? It seems my wheel is starting to lightly vibrate at times on and off, and I even had a few stronger/louder pulses while turning sharply with the trolly handle. It’s still somewhat minor but seems to be getting worse. Any idea what may be causing it?

Edited February 7, 2023 by InfiniteWheelie

[techyiam]

2 minutes ago, InfiniteWheelie said:

Has anyone experienced vibration on their Abrams l, especially while walking it or going slowly? It seems my wheel is starting to lightly vibrate at times. and I even had a few strong pulses while turning sharply when walking it. It’s still somewhat minor but seems to be getting worse. Any idea what the cause may be?

Sorry, I have not experienced any kind of vibrations. 

I walked around with it in a large supermarket, and I have practiced going slow below 4 km/h for miles. Never have I experienced any kind of vibrations. 

[InfiniteWheelie]

20 minutes ago, techyiam said:

Sorry, I have not experienced any kind of vibrations. 

I walked around with it in a large supermarket, and I have practiced going slow below 4 km/h for miles. Never have I experienced any kind of vibrations. 

I didn’t either until the last few days, It was very smooth before that.

Edited February 7, 2023 by InfiniteWheelie

[techyiam]

24 minutes ago, InfiniteWheelie said:

I didn’t either until the last few days, It was very smooth before that.

Uh oh.

It could me next. 

What is your mileage?

I am still a touch below 400 km's.

[lirva]

7 hours ago, InfiniteWheelie said:

Has anyone had vibration problems on their Abrams, especially while walking it or going slowly? 

Check that the control board is not loose? Try to calibrate.

[Jonah Hax]

16 hours ago, lirva said:

Just got my Abrams, Motor code was 21120523 which might be ok.

Firmware is 2.0.2, EUC world shows me that 2.0.15 is available, is it safe to upgrade?

I upgraded without problems and the wheel doesn't grunt nearly as much now.

 

[techyiam]

40 minutes ago, Jonah Hax said:

I upgraded without problems and the wheel doesn't grunt nearly as much now.

 

+1.

My update was quick and painless.

It is not like the V12 firmware update, which was very iffy, and painfully slow. What made it worse was that the update was in multiple parts, no feedback nor instructions were given.

[Kekafuch]

 

https://euc.world/blog/worlds-30-top-wheels-of-2022/