Begode Master 134V 2400WH Suspension

[Cerbera]

On 12/26/2022 at 2:08 AM, trailless said:

Im going to stick with the stock tire for a bit

That's not a bad thought if you are fine with that horrible lean it does in the first 500 miles whenever you try and turn past a certain point. It is very grippy. Some people REALLY hate that lean though, but it does get substantially less unstable-feeling once you have worn the tread down a bit.

On 12/26/2022 at 2:08 AM, trailless said:

But what better battery cover and what silicone seal motor mods do you recommend? 

The current rubber cover grommet thing is shite for several reasons. Firstly, both ports lie within a recess, which virtually begs water to accumulate there, and prevents its escape. Inside that is a small ridge, which that water would have to surmount, but if it ever does so then it can get down the side of both charge ports and drip directly onto the BMS. There aren't even rubber grommets around those to prevent it.

Secondly, the rubber cover has a large margin between it and the outer perimeter of the recess, and is not exactly tightly over the charge ports either - it is sitting there mainly down to gravity and a tiny bit of friction fit - but anyway, not enough IMO to faultlessly withstand a heavy deluge.

You can download a charge port cover from thingiverse that completely covers the whole indent section with an overhanging rim which stops water in its tracks before it gets anywhere near those ports. If you have that AND a waterproof cover you can stretch over the whole top of the Master in big rain, then you won't have any issues with water from above getting in that machine.

The only thing you 'need' to do with silicone on the motor is plant a thin bead of it around the rim of the hubs on both sides to prevent any possibility of water getting in there. Also check the tightness of the hub bolts - several of mine were loose(ish) from factory. Lastly, to further dissuade water from getting near your bearings you can always smear the bearing cover seams with a thin layer of grease.

Edited January 5, 2023 by Cerbera

[Cerbera]

19 hours ago, Mango said:

Zen Lee had two cut outs on his Master recently.

Do we have any more info about these  at all yet ?

[chuvisco]

2 hours ago, Cerbera said:

Do we have any more info about these  at all yet ?

Yes, he posted an update showing that during the first crash, the outer aluminum had dented in, impinging on the board and likely damaged some components. He swapped the board, and the Master is now working. 

[Raptor]

 Now I tried the JBL Flip 6 grafted to the Master outdoors as well

[Elliott Reitz]

 

 

So I put 200 psi in the shock when I got it.  Dialed in 5 from max rebound to stop the top-outs.  Now, I consider this good for a road wheel.  Note the longer travel of my S22 with 190 lbs x190mm spring makes this same seated drop painless. 

Edited January 1, 2023 by Elliott Reitz

[EMA]

13 hours ago, Elliott Reitz said:

So I put 200 psi in the shock when I got it.  Dialed in 5 from max rebound to stop the top-outs.  Now, I consider this good for a road wheel.  Note the longer travel of my S22 with 190 lbs x190mm spring makes this same seated drop painless.

stuff like this with stock geometry is not pleasant  you need to change it for something better

[Elliott Reitz]

5 minutes ago, EMA said:

stuff like this with stock geometry is not pleasant  you need to change it for something better

Right, but no.  I only did the drops with it to test my home-welded seat bracket before shipping it to the guy who purchased it via eBay (welding and set screw design verification test passed).  

Stock geometry on the Master fits my use-case for the master (with 200 to 250 psi and 5 clicks from max rebound resistance). Local roads are mostly smooth with an occasional pot-hole of mild depth.  So I'm happy with the "linear" travel of its stock Master V3 linkage setup (I think its a V3 because it came with the yoga-mat headlight pad that fell off).   

And note to contrast my appreciation of linear travel Master road suspension vs the non-linear travel S22 suspension. For road-use the Master is nearly as good as the S22 for all but big pothole stuff.  Both are near 3:1 at top of range.  At bottom the (stock linkage) Master doesn't change much but the S22 decreases to 1.1 : 1.    My S22 is now smoother than the Master only now because it now has the CNC Rollers suspension and a 350 lbs spring.  I think the stock spring would be about equivalent to the give of the air-shock of the master.   Note its that ratio reduction (with 190mm length to increase preload) that lets me get away with such a light weight spring on my S22. 

 

[btl]

On 12/7/2022 at 8:06 AM, Rawnei said:

Nice informative post from Kevin @Alien Rides regarding all the different versions of Begode Master boards:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ElectricUnicycle/permalink/5678555832242333/

It's a clusterfudge.

 

Hej guys,

 

i got replacements parts for my early V1 Master. B3 board with S2 Display and a not shown here "C1 Rev 03" connector board with black PCB, connector to mainboard with cables like C3 and 120A total fuse for my 33V battery packs. 

That makes my Master a V2 - at least what relates to firmware. Correct?

 

 

[EMA]

3 minutes ago, btl said:

That makes my Master a V2 - at least what relates to firmware. Correct?

probably yes, check the version installed once you fit the board into the wheel 

[btl]

EUC dash reports GW2014804, its already installed. I wish i could transfer my mileage to the new board.

Edited January 3, 2023 by btl

[EMA]

6 minutes ago, btl said:

EUC dash reports GW2014804, its already installed. I wish i could transfer my mileage to the new board.

same as mine, v2 native unit

[Cerbera]

Just completed my 500 mile inspection of the Master, and generally very pleased with what I found.

The last 3 rides before inspection were wet rides of varying degrees so I was particularly watching out for water ingress and damage to battery packs and mountings.

The last one particularly was of concern because I was forced to ride through about 40 ft of couple inch deep floodwater, so having patted it down and air dried it upright I was keen to see how the insides were doing.

1. Despite underside of heatsink being filthy, including screws to motherboard, there was zero water or dust / dirt ingress to main motherboard case, which remained pristine.

2. Battery pack mountings show no sign of cracking (possibly because they are reinforced with the Grizzla fairing spacers).

3. No sign of water ingress to battery packs - tape is holding fine there.

4. Some occasional squeaking of suspension rails, which may indicate lack of lubrication, but its sporadic and very minor, so not too worried about that.

5. Bearing grease around seals had accumulated some dirt, but none was making its way into the bearing. Silicone seal around rim remained intact. Still silent bearings since re-grease.

6. Back light had no water ingress and is still undamaged / no cracks. I have not done much seated riding, which may explain that, and do have the protective Grizzla rear handle.

7. Front light now unpositionable and locked in highest position by Grizzla front handle. Taped off the top of the lights to stop them shining in peoples eyes.

8. Stock CST tyre has now worn down to the point where its once harsh overlean is now barely noticeable, yet it remains grippy and has become more comfortable to ride now the harsh edges have worn off. No longer feeling any need to swap for City Extra even though I have one sitting here.

9. Added to the foam blocking the hole in MB case next to the motor loom to make extra double sure nothing was getting in that way.

10. Handle remains unbroken but a few screws on retaining plates were looser than they had been. Overall tightness of bolts was as set.

11. Tested shock pressure, which had lost just 5 PSI in the 2 months since it was last inflated. Refilled back to 200.

12. Tyre had not lost anything but added 5 PSI to take it up to a still low 28.

13. No wires were trapped, and there was no obvious damage to any sleeving, as I would expect as mine is double covered by fairings and bumper strip.

14. Inspected insides of battery boxes for damage and found only few small scratches, no significant dings / dents. If stones are getting up in there they are not doing much damage. Not necessarily feeling as great a need to fit the metal plates I ordered.

15. Charges consistently to 134.1 volts - not worried about that.

16. Grizzla front handle does restrict airflow to board, as does (I suspect) blocking that front hole to a small degree. However Master still runs cool averaging only around 10 degrees higher than ambient temp on the flat, and pushing 20 degrees higher at speed and on hills. But on the plus side they also include a lot of helpful points for attaching additional lights and lasers to that, which would otherwise be quite tricky to attach because almost none of them have perfectly flat backs.

17. I did not dismantle the wheel hubs to see how much grease from the re-grease had got out. I plan to do that when I next change the tyre, but having put so many miles on it since the regrease without any further motor issues or sounds I am not that worried.

18. Incredibly I forgot to replace the satellite board, though I did locate the old one, which is in a different place to where it is in the example video I watched that someone here posted (I forget who, sorry). mine is on the lower board, as his was, but mine is out on its own to the left of the motor cables, in fact pretty much directly under where they come into the case. Is that the right chip ? It looks very similar, but thought I'd check with those of you who also have V2 / batch 3s.

19. Also reviewed my tour logs in some detail on EUC World. Safety margin for my rides has been universally over 60%, so I am obviously not riding anywhere near its limits or caning its batteries with extreme accelerations and brakings.

So, generally speaking, quite happy with that - this tells me my waterproofing plans are working, grizzla fairings and handles seriously help in protecting the fragile bits and the unit seems electronically sound and has not done anything weird or unexpected so far. Next inspection 1000 miles.

I have also have some general thoughts regarding the Master and xtra light riders. I have to say, even though the Grizzla flow Bigs that arrived before xmas do unquestionably improve things over stock pads, I sometimes struggle to get as much acceleration as I want on up-hills, no matter how much I lean, with either general planking from the ankles or with knees bent and shins pressed hard into pads and forward lean from the waist. Other people do not seem to have, or at least report this problem, and I am quite experienced, so I am blaming my lack of heft rather than lack of correct technique.

It's particularly difficult to get moving quickly from stand-still I find, even on gentle uphills - I seem to have to wade through treacle for the first few seconds and then it's mostly fine after that once it's rolling. I only mention it because nobody yet has in any review I have seen. Is this wheel genuinely too heavy for me ? I do find it a struggle to control and prevent side-overs when holding it extended with just one bent leg, something I necessarily circumvent by always keeping it as close as possible to my body centreline when mounting or getting down. I notice a helping hand now automatically comes down after dismount as a little safety measure in case my pedal leg goes floppy

But it's a real advantage in terms of suspension - 200 PSI really is ample for me (60 KG inc gear) and I still don't think I have ever heard my Master bottom out, though I must admit I don't do great flights of stairs on it and only roll up smaller kerbs.

I was worrying slightly about the weak battery boxes being used as structural components in the Master, but I did a few quick tests today, and was encouraged by the results. The cases may have some degree of flex to them, which is why people presumably judge them to be weak but vertically, they are rock solid, even without the battery packs in, and even more so with them, and it is to the vertical axis that all structural pressure is applied, so I am thinking recently that as long as I keep an eye on those brackets to make sure they are not cracking I am much less worried than I was about those being used as part of the structural integrity of the machine, given that it is evenly distributed across 4 of them. happy to hear corollary points I may not have considered...

Otherwise I continue to be 'masterfully' happy with that machine, and once it's rolling I continue to find it wildly exciting yet magically comfortable to ride, easy to service and maintain, easy to swap tyres (if you have an MC wrench set) and generally pretty solid and resistant to damage now it's had all its upgrades. I still live in constant fear of it breaking, and rather dread being without it for any length of time, but as far as holding up to the relentless assault and rigours of horrible British Winter weather goes it seems to be doin' OK. Long may that continue !

 

Edited January 4, 2023 by Cerbera

[EMA]

On 10/25/2022 at 10:50 AM, Kutvelo said:

In my honest opinion, by built quality and parts this wheel isn't supposed to be used "as it is" on trails, but only on city gliding. Even though it was advertised by throwing down the mountain.. Beegoo should just ditch the crap shock and pads and sell it barebone + give discount to "modders".

Here is picture ripped from e-rides teardown, the worst place on mobo side waterproofing, other red circle is shaped in the box with seal. The front one goes right over the edge, riding in rain will cause air flow to push water up into the mobo box as the "seal" is a joke. The pic is from V1, it is even worse with left side cables, on V2 "only" the motor and hall cable is similarly assembled, but the difference is on V2 there is similar rubber seal to protect the cable, but this cause even bigger space for the water to get in.

i agree that those cables could be secured and sealed better.

on the other side i can show the picture of my v1 master with 5000km clean as this picture 

[Paul A]

Copy and paste of another thread.

______________________________

 

 

Yesterday was a very bad day for my Master V2.3.  I went for a short ride, ~8 miles, due to the cold temps. When I got home, I do as I normally do and connect up the charger and top off my batteries for the next ride.  I plugged in the charger, then turned it on.  Oh, the charger is the Alien Rides fast charger. Within a few seconds, massive amounts of smoke started pouring out of the top of the master.

I immediately pulled the power on the charger; the wheel was making a wining sound and when I stood it up, the motor felt partially engaged.  I quickly unscrewed the screws holding the top pad/seat on and then the screws holding the display cover.  Grabbed some plyers and pulled the battery plugs from the board.  Everything was charred black! I was like WFT happened.  I do not understand what could have occurred to cause such a reaction.  

I spent the next hour or so pulling the boards out of the wheel and cleaning them up.  Every single board was damaged to some degree.  The bottom board with all the MOSFETS had major damage with blown components, and melted traces.  I took some photos of the damage.  The display was even damaged as well as the cover. 

I sent Alien Rides and email with the photos, so hopefully we can get this repaired quickly.  They had just sent me the little circuit board to fix the display issue and I was just going to do one quick ride then replace it.  I did not get a change to even open the package the new board came in before dealing with this massive issue.

I feel fortunate this happened while I was there and not in another room of the house.  This could have easily resulted in a house fire. You can imaging my panic as smoke is dumping out of the wheel and I am in a mad race to get the batteries disconnected to save what I could of the wheel and my house. My hands were black from all the smoke from the wheel. The battery packs all measured right around 65.14V - 65.17V, so they were not even charged fully.

Does anyone have an idea of what could have happened. It was not a wet rainy day; I did no jumping or had any wrecks. The wheel behaved as it always did; nothing out of the ordinary. 

[Paul g]

4 hours ago, Paul A said:

Copy and paste of another thread.

______________________________

 

 

Yesterday was a very bad day for my Master V2.3.  I went for a short ride, ~8 miles, due to the cold temps. When I got home, I do as I normally do and connect up the charger and top off my batteries for the next ride.  I plugged in the charger, then turned it on.  Oh, the charger is the Alien Rides fast charger. Within a few seconds, massive amounts of smoke started pouring out of the top of the master.

I immediately pulled the power on the charger; the wheel was making a wining sound and when I stood it up, the motor felt partially engaged.  I quickly unscrewed the screws holding the top pad/seat on and then the screws holding the display cover.  Grabbed some plyers and pulled the battery plugs from the board.  Everything was charred black! I was like WFT happened.  I do not understand what could have occurred to cause such a reaction.  

I spent the next hour or so pulling the boards out of the wheel and cleaning them up.  Every single board was damaged to some degree.  The bottom board with all the MOSFETS had major damage with blown components, and melted traces.  I took some photos of the damage.  The display was even damaged as well as the cover. 

I sent Alien Rides and email with the photos, so hopefully we can get this repaired quickly.  They had just sent me the little circuit board to fix the display issue and I was just going to do one quick ride then replace it.  I did not get a change to even open the package the new board came in before dealing with this massive issue.

I feel fortunate this happened while I was there and not in another room of the house.  This could have easily resulted in a house fire. You can imaging my panic as smoke is dumping out of the wheel and I am in a mad race to get the batteries disconnected to save what I could of the wheel and my house. My hands were black from all the smoke from the wheel. The battery packs all measured right around 65.14V - 65.17V, so they were not even charged fully.

Does anyone have an idea of what could have happened. It was not a wet rainy day; I did no jumping or had any wrecks. The wheel behaved as it always did; nothing out of the ordinary. 

Shouldn’t this one also be added to the fires thread? (If he wasn’t home to disconnect the batteries it would’ve been a fire.)

[Magman116]

I would think it would fit right in line with the fires thread. If I was out of the room for even 5 minutes, it would have been over for my house.

[Paul g]

21 minutes ago, Magman116 said:

I would think it would fit right in line with the fires thread. If I was out of the room for even 5 minutes, it would have been over for my house.

I did a search and simply could not find the fire thread to add this incident. Maybe someone could help?

[Paul A]

Member Asphalt manages the Fire History thread.

He/she will probably update the records when in forums next.

[trailless]

I dropped the wheel while trolleying it, I clipped the edge of some stairs. Well I guess the trolley handle hit something and now its hard to put down and I have to pull rather hard for it to come up. Anyway to fix this? 

[Rawnei]

15 minutes ago, trailless said:

I dropped the wheel while trolleying it, I clipped the edge of some stairs. Well I guess the trolley handle hit something and now its hard to put down and I have to pull rather hard for it to come up. Anyway to fix this? 

Like, just initially or all the way from top to bottom?

Difficult to say exactly what could be wrong, it's a flimsy construction all the way, you might have to take it apart and look at the individual parts, if it's all the way top to bottom could be one/both of the pipes that got bent or dented, if just initially it's something with the locking mechanism inside.

[Cerbera]

Yeah the handle struts could have got deformed slightly whilst fully extended - they really don't like a lot of weight from the side when fully out.

If you undo the screws at the top you can at least find out which one has the problem or if they both do, and might be able to wiggle them about, subtly bend / persuade them back to where they should be. Also check none of the screw receptacles have got bent forcing screws to weird angles.

Worst case scenario might be that you have damaged or cracked the main brace that bridges the suspension arms to the main chassis as documented in @Rawnei's recent thread. Is your suspension suddenly stiff too ? Hopefully not, as that is major ball-ache to remedy.

[trailless]

5 minutes ago, Rawnei said:

Like, just initially or all the way from top to bottom?

Difficult to say exactly what could be wrong, it's a flimsy construction all the way, you might have to take it apart and look at the individual parts, if it's all the way top to bottom could be one/both of the pipes that got bent or dented, if just initially it's something with the locking mechanism inside.

It's from the bottom position locked and probably up to the second position before the top. So I have to hold the button down and have to physically pull the handle out. After about the second locking position it'll move a bit easier. I can see scratches on one side of the handle pipes so I'm guessing one or both of those got bent... 

[trailless]

3 minutes ago, Cerbera said:

Yeah the handle struts could have got deformed slightly whilst fully extended - they really don't like a lot of weight from the side when fully out.

If you undo the screws at the top you can at least find out which one has the problem or if they both do, and might be able to wiggle them about, subtly bend / persuade them back to where they should be. Also check none of the screw receptacles have got bent forcing screws to weird angles.

Worst case scenario might be that you have damaged or cracked the main brace that bridges the suspension arms to the main chassis as documented in @Rawnei's recent thread. Is your suspension suddenly stiff too ? Hopefully not, as that is major ball-ache to remedy.

I didn't really notice anything off with the suspension. I rode down stairs and hit some pot holes all fine. I do have the kuba links installed and still trying to find the right psi for the rockshox shock. 

I'll double check but hopefully it's not the main brace... 

[Rawnei]

7 minutes ago, trailless said:

It's from the bottom position locked and probably up to the second position before the top. So I have to hold the button down and have to physically pull the handle out. After about the second locking position it'll move a bit easier. I can see scratches on one side of the handle pipes so I'm guessing one or both of those got bent... 

Yeah so it's bent/dented/misaligned, you could take it out and see if you can fix that, otherwhise you would have to order a new one.

8 minutes ago, Cerbera said:

Worst case scenario might be that you have damaged or cracked the main brace that bridges the suspension arms to the main chassis as documented in @Rawnei's recent thread. Is your suspension suddenly stiff too ? Hopefully not, as that is major ball-ache to remedy.

I don't think that happens so easily, so far nobody reported same problem as me and my problem was that it had flexed causing misalignment, bending and cracking was done by my hands. 🙂 But regardless they need to make that part stronger evidently.

[Cerbera]

1 hour ago, Rawnei said:

so far nobody reported same problem as me

Yeah I reckon many people have that problem in the post, or here already and don't yet know it. It is in a place that is all but impossible to see any part of without full and complete disassembly of the machine ! But yeah, agree it is unlikely to have been caused by a gentle side-over, though it happened to Rawnie and his suspension, despite his exceptionally careful riding and stairs avoidance ! So can't be ruled out.

Edited January 17, 2023 by Cerbera