Ok, that was pretty cool.
Esk8 battery was down to accepting only 40 watts from portable charger, when I disconnected charger in park, packed everything away, commanded Fiona into her chariot, and hit the far Neighborhood.
Full throttling around that smooth asphalt, far faster and going much further than anytime before.
When we returned to the park, I set up charger on same Ridgid battery, and esk8 battery was 36.68v and booster was 150 watts input = 141.2 watts output.
I have a loud powerful adjustable speed 60mm fan to blow over CCCV booster, and walking through the park, I heard it shut off, and swapped in my Other Ridgid battery and was back at nearly 142 watts charging.
It has USB C charger attached to it too.
Ridgid battery packs have the low voltage disconnect internal to battery pack. Makita batteries, Dewalt and some others have the low voltage protection in the tool, not the battery, so keep this in mind should anyone think about a similar portable battery to battery charger.
It is possible to overdischarge such packs when using them outside their specific tool brand.
Ridgid 18v batteries often go on sale from Home depot for very reasonable prices
2 4.0 ah batteries and charger for 99$ happens a few times a year, but they sell out quick.
Of the 18v Makita, Dewalt, Ryobi and Ridgid packs I own, the Ridgid is my favorite.
If one properly registers the battery within 90 days of purchase, they have a ‘lifetime service agreement’ and one an get new equivalent batteries at no charge, though i am not sure of the process and number of hoops involved.
The Ridgid charger I have, has a 21vdc wall wart 40 watt power supply, and separate charge cradle. It and wall wart are pretty compact, and I often use wart to power things, like fans, directly.
At park’s edge I walked to some shade, packed up charger, loaded Fiona, and it was so nice to have nearly full torque available, and be able to go fast, and not worry about making it home.
So It was hammer down all the way home, and we arrived at speed and measured 34.76v, which roughly translates into 2 more miles at a sedate pace, but torque is way down below this voltage.
I removed 3 velcro cinch straps, dropped the enclosure, and hunted for the highest temperature I could find on exposed Battery exterior with IR temp gun, which was 132.5f. A bit hotter than desired, but it had been either discharging or charging the entire time.
My lingyi’s heatsink didnt feel all that hot and my hub motors were 135.5max, which is kinda normal.
Improvements would be reducing the time it takes to set up and take down charger, and having 2 Ridgid packs in Parallel to share the load of the CCCV booster.
My booster is only capable of 150 watts input, before it starts making a high pitched noise. It would be nice to charge at 1C, 5.2 amps, instead of the 3.3ish this booster can output.
More watt hours in the enclosure would certainly be better than having to carry a battery to battery charger, but I am happy to have this option.
It was great to explore farther, and at far higher speeds than previously possible. No range anxiety.
The second Ridgid battery settled to the 18.63v before I slapped it on charger at home, So it had a fair amount of its 72 watt hours left to charge the esk8 battery had I needed it to.
The two 4.0ah Ridgid batteries and booster and fan all fit in chariot basket inside a fanny pack, and its balance was hardly affected, and the extra weight not a factor. I have 2 2.0 ah 36wh 18v Ridgid batteries too.
My 2 7s junk batteries have ~150 wh
combined, to power the CCCV booster, and higher input voltage means the booster wastes less wattage, and i dont have to beat up my Ridgid batteries.
I assume their bms’ are wired for discharge. I’ll have to check.
I do have audible low voltage alarms if they are not
Kayaking seems to be off limits for a while longer, but at least we can roll much farther away from home base now.
