External lights that tap into the battery power

what would be required to power external lights off the internal battery?

 

You would need a "step down voltage regulator / converter " (connected to main pack) - to take maximum 42V and down convert it to 12 / 9 / 5 Volts for whatever LED's / lights you are using - or you need to tap into this voltage on the motor controller / riser card (which I don't recommend)

seems like a neat idea and someone on reddit posted same but not sure I would do it

I have the serfas LED truck mounted LEDS and a Petzl headlamp and an assortment of rechargeable LED bike lights.

I think its safer to use a completely different battery / power source than what the board requires.

something like this: step-down-converter

there are lots of these available - you need to match your source voltage and your output voltage with what works for your project - (so in our case I think 42V source and depending on the out out 12/9/5Volts)

fyi its more efficient to step down than step up (and less heat seems to be generated with a more efficient circuit)

 

that was probably my thread you saw on reddit, hoping to catch some Evolve employee attention, or maybe just a wider audience.

I already have powerful lights that use their own battery, but it's a pain in the ass to take off 3 accessories after every ride, and reassemble the board. We only get 8 hours of daylight here in Seattle in December

 

I agree - take them off to charge - would get tiresome after a while

we need an accessory port of some sort - like the currently not moving BBoard V2 (lol)

 

with the easy clips on the GT battery, it should be easy to clip in an accessory port

 

ok I updated the link in the previous post ^ up there - here is the example again

sample-step-down-converter

Does everyone agree the max source voltage with our pack is 42V ?

Typically the source voltage can be variable - I think the rule of thumb is at least a couple of V above the output voltage

The output voltage is either fixed (at a common V - like 12/9/5/3.3) or variable.

If variable you need a multimeter or even easier get a converter with a built in display (just keep in mind some will display the source voltage while most display the output voltage or you can toggle this with a button next to the display) and you turn a small POT with a screwdriver to get the target output voltage.

These things are pretty neat because as long as the source voltage is above the output voltage it doesn't really matter what it is (used alot in solar panel charging circuits where the source varies based on the amount of sunlight hitting the panel etc)

 

nice! thanks!

 

so all I need to do is run wires from where the battery runs off, through this
DROK-Converter-Step-down-Regulator-Stabilizer
and set the block to 12v, then I can run wires to a nice 12V high intensity bike light, like maybe this
Offroad-Driving-Lights-Off-road-Christmas




.

 

This one seems to take a higher input voltage - also has LED display etc
It has a small potentiometer you have to adjust with a small (eyeglasses type flat head screwdriver) to set the output voltage (you can read on the display or with a basic multimeter)

Check-this-one

(the one I posted earlier you can adjust the output digitally by pushing buttons - but its input voltage is less only up to 32V)

It would be best to measure the battery pack in your board after a full charge to get the actual voltage to go by to get the proper voltage converter but if you go with this one it should do the 42V (I think the pack is max)

then yes just pick the LED lights with whatever output voltage you want - (commonly 12V or 9/6/5V etc)

 

also watch the amperage on the load side (the LED's side) - best to be 2Amp or less (I think boost goes up to 3A for short periods) - these converters usually have protection built in anyway and will just shutdown if overloaded - curious to see how you will mount this - maybe in its own small plastic box outside the motor controller bay - best isolated for cooling and likely not enough room by controller anyway