Sondors battery issue?

[Turd_Fergusson]

So I’ve got a Sondors MadMod that will only power up with the battery plugged in. With it unplugged, even when the battery shows a full charge, the bike won’t turn on. In fact the bike goes dead immediately after I unplug the battery from the charger.
This has to be a battery issue, right? I’m in the process of tracking a replacement down but I just wanted to make sure I’m not missing something. Thanks!

 

[Annieolnie]

Sometimes a pinched wire or loose plug can cause this same sort of symptom. Area 13 on YouTube had his Sondors bike come with a pinched harness, which caused it to refuse to power on. You should go over all of the harness and all of the connectors to make sure nothing is loose or pinched. There is probably a T60 connector behind wherever the battery bracket is and you could check that too, for a proper connection. Is it just the motor, or is the display also not turning on? If it is just the motor, then unplug the brake cutoffs switches in case one of those is acting up. Let us know how it goes.

 

[m@Robertson]

So I’ve got a Sondors MadMod that will only power up with the battery plugged in. With it unplugged, even when the battery shows a full charge, the bike won’t turn on. In fact the bike goes dead immediately after I unplug the battery from the charger.
This has to be a battery issue, right? I’m in the process of tracking a replacement down but I just wanted to make sure I’m not missing something. Thanks!

You know that Sean Alarid, who you can find on Facebook's Sondors Storm Owners Group, is the person who purchased all of Sondors' spare parts when they went out of business, right?

If anyone has a spare battery - or if you want to find someone with a Madmods battery they will part with - you'll find it posting at that group.

 

[Turd_Fergusson]

Thanks for the assist guys. I was able to source a battery locally to see if that was the issue. Dropped it in and it worked perfectly. Mystery solved.

 

[EbikeFu]

DO NOT TURN ON THE BIKE WHILE IT IS CHARGING!

 

[m@Robertson]

DO NOT TURN ON THE BIKE WHILE IT IS CHARGING!

There is no safety-related reason to say that.

 

[EbikeFu]

There is no safety-related reason to say that.

Really? Well..I personally had a $1600 dual motor scooter that I only got to ride 1 time as the first owner . Pulled it into the garage and plugged it in. Neighbor came by to check it out. Turned on the scooter to show him the display. Big. Bright. Colorful.Yay!
Closed up everything for the night and went to bed.
Woke up turned on the scooter to look at the screen while drying clothes.
Decided to take it for a ride before work and turned the scooter off.
Unplugged it.
Turned the scooter on and my heart sank as I watched the battery steadily drop to 0% and then power off.
Tried charger again. Green.
Turned on scooter. Full power no problems.
Turned off scooter. Unplugged. Powered on.
Instant death.
Took it back to the shop. They explained what had happened and replaced the scooter.
Lesson learned.
Figured ebikes would behave similarly.
I'm on my 5th EV now but just starting to actually DIY

 

[Annieolnie]

I still don't understand what happened here?

 

[EbikeFu]

I still don't understand what happened here?

Sorry.Shorted the BMS when the power was turned on while charging

 

[m@Robertson]

I still don't understand what happened here?

I think the OP found a 3rd party who got him a replacement battery. With any luck he'll post back with details. The MadMods bikes were not I think good sellers, so there's not a lot of them out there (super heavy bike with only a 750w hub motor and bigger tires than the usual 20" so torque-challenged a little) . But sooner or later someone else will have the same problem and it would help them to know of a solution.

Sorry.Shorted the BMS when the power was turned on while charging

Thats probably the result of some other problem than having the bike or battery turned on (like a BMS that was defective). Charging with a live battery is pretty common... and a requirement for every battery that doesn't have an off switch, which is a whole lot of them. Turning it on and off at the display is definitely not a risk. Its pretty common if you have a voltage display to use it to help figure out current charge level.

With that said, some bike manufacturers will tell you to shut the battery off when charging. But that is something that comes from the legal side more than it does the tech side. If you aren't sure how this stuff works (or you are using a cheapie charger from the manufacturer... which is almost everybody) then follow the manufacturer's instructions.

 

[EbikeFu]

I think the OP found a 3rd party who got him a replacement battery. With any luck he'll post back with details. The MadMods bikes were not I think good sellers, so there's not a lot of them out there (super heavy bike with only a 750w hub motor and bigger tires than the usual 20" so torque-challenged a little) . But sooner or later someone else will have the same problem and it would help them to know of a solution.


Thats probably the result of some other problem than having the bike or battery turned on (like a BMS that was defective). Charging with a live battery is pretty common... and a requirement for every battery that doesn't have an off switch, which is a whole lot of them. Turning it on and off at the display is definitely not a risk. Its pretty common if you have a voltage display to use it to help figure out current charge level.

With that said, some bike manufacturers will tell you to shut the battery off when charging. But that is something that comes from the legal side more than it does the tech side. If you aren't sure how this stuff works (or you are using a cheapie charger from the manufacturer... which is almost everybody) then follow the manufacturer's instructions.

I can definitely say that it gave me PTSD and wasn't a very good first experience with e mobility

 

[m@Robertson]

wasn't a very good first experience with e mobility

Well if it makes you feel any better, thats a really rare problem to have.