Brammo Project

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Griffo
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Joined: Sat Aug 24, 2019 1:28 am

Brammo Project

Post by Griffo »

Hi all,

Here's the project I've started, trying to fix my Brammo Bike. I know this isn't a conversion project so if you want it gone or posted elsewhere let me know.

It's a 2014 Brammo Empulse R. The battery was having various faults and making the bike unusable for the previous owner. I'm very much a DIY person, love tinkering and love bikes so I thought I would grab it and have a go at repairing it. I narrowed the fault down to a balancing issue. The onboard charger stops charging if it detects one module out of limits, tries to balance the cells by bringing down the high cells then commences charging again. The problem was that the high cell wasn't coming down so the charger refused to charge anymore.

The module out of balance was no 1 of 7 and after pulling apart the battery I found out why. The battery has 4 internal heaters that are used for heating (obviously) and also for balancing when commanded to. Due water ingress part of the module's controlling PCB had some corrosion and component damage which has stopped the heaters from working which is why the charger couldn't balance the pack. I've cleaned up the corrosion with some vinegar which seems to have worked. I now need to identify the damaged components and replace them and hopefully get this bike working again.
Brammo - Pre-disassembly
Brammo - Pre-disassembly
Brammo - Disassembled
Brammo - Disassembled
7 modules
7 modules
Module  1
Module 1
Module 1 - Cover removed showing the PCB
Module 1 - Cover removed showing the PCB
Module 1 - Corrosion
Module 1 - Corrosion
Bottom of Module 1 showing the pouch cells
Bottom of Module 1 showing the pouch cells
Top of the module with the PCB removed. 4p9s Config
Top of the module with the PCB removed. 4p9s Config
Underside of the PCB
Underside of the PCB
Corrosion cleaned with vinegar
Corrosion cleaned with vinegar
Igor
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Re: Brammo Project

Post by Igor »

Nice work so far! I can't be of any help, but I too love bikes and will be watching with interest.
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johu
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Re: Brammo Project

Post by johu »

Yes fine to have it in conversion projects always good to get a glimpse at OEM hardware.
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Griffo
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Joined: Sat Aug 24, 2019 1:28 am

Re: Brammo Project

Post by Griffo »

I may need some help identifying some of the components on the PCB. I've also managed to source some faulty modules from another bike which I can use for spare parts. I think I should be able to de-solder the components from the damaged battery and put them on mine to make it work.

Also, if you want me to take pictures of anything or do any digging for data or any info to help with any of the work done here I'm more than happy to help. I will no doubt be asking for further assistance in the future when I replace the OEM batteries and/or other components when I want to start tinkering further.
invokeperformance
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Re: Brammo Project

Post by invokeperformance »

did you ever fix the issue? I also have a 2013 Empluse.
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