Battery wall-mount storage/charging

[BricksNkicks]

Hello all, thanks for the help on my first post regarding locking suggestions.

Wondering if anyone has any ideas around battery dock/storage (wall-mount) while charging. I?m think of making 2 docking stations close to an outlet, where I can charge the batteries while not on the bike. Perhaps there?s a third party solution? Or I will make a few cradles out of wood as that?s one of my backgrounds.

Thanks for your time.

[JimInPT]

Check eBay, Etsy and other third-party linking sites to 3-D print shops - I've seen printed holders for chargers and various things attached to them - seems like modding one with a shelf strong enough for an e-bike battery would be an easy mod if one doesn't already exist.

[Altema]

Found one for you! This one appears to have a holder for the charger and a mount to hold the battery. The link on Etsy is below. Alternately, you could use an original battery mounts and place a 5mm spacer behind it to make it easier to slide the battery onto.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1211774366/rad-powerbikes-charger-wall-mount-kit?

[JimInPT]

Found one for you! This one appears to have a holder for the charger and a mount to hold the battery. The link on Etsy is below. Alternately, you could use an original battery mounts and place a 5mm spacer behind it to make it easier to slide the battery onto.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1211774366/rad-powerbikes-charger-wall-mount-kit?

Altema, I believe that item is to hold the charger brick itself and manage the cabling, not holding a battery as well, although the photos are pretty unhelpful to be sure.  A separate shelf, 3D printed or not, would suffice for that.  If it were me, I'd just get a couple of brackets and a piece of 8" x 24" shelving at the hardware store, mount it on the wall near a power outlet and just set everything on the shelf.

In my garage, I have a 6-foot extension cable hanging from a ceiling outlet next to the door opener; I just plug the charger into that, set it on the floor and plug into the battery to charge on the bike.  I also have an Alexa power outlet inline up at the top, so I say "Alexa, e-bike 7 hours" or "Alexa, e-bike 12 hours" for either a regular or battery-balancing charge cycle, after which it shuts off.  Works very well and appeals to the lazy side of me, just leaving the battery on the bike.  Since I have the battery u-locked to the bike's frame to prevent blank-key theft, it's a bit more hassle than stock to remove it.

[Altema]

Found one for you! This one appears to have a holder for the charger and a mount to hold the battery. The link on Etsy is below. Alternately, you could use an original battery mounts and place a 5mm spacer behind it to make it easier to slide the battery onto.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1211774366/rad-powerbikes-charger-wall-mount-kit?

Altema, I believe that item is to hold the charger brick itself and manage the cabling, not holding a battery as well, although the photos are pretty unhelpful to be sure.  A separate shelf, 3D printed or not, would suffice for that.  If it were me, I'd just get a couple of brackets and a piece of 8" x 24" shelving at the hardware store, mount it on the wall near a power outlet and just set everything on the shelf.

In my garage, I have a 6-foot extension cable hanging from a ceiling outlet next to the door opener; I just plug the charger into that, set it on the floor and plug into the battery to charge on the bike.  I also have an Alexa power outlet inline up at the top, so I say "Alexa, e-bike 7 hours" or "Alexa, e-bike 12 hours" for either a regular or battery-balancing charge cycle, after which it shuts off.  Works very well and appeals to the lazy side of me, just leaving the battery on the bike.  Since I have the battery u-locked to the bike's frame to prevent blank-key theft, it's a bit more hassle than stock to remove it.

The pictures are poor, but the part on the left seems to match up to four of the six tabs on the back of the battery. The Alexa outlet is a good idea. I use a manual timer that I set with a twist, but it works ok. I have five batteries that I use on a regular basis, and have to keep an eye on them when I'm trying to match voltages for using in pairs. Considering getting a smart charger that lets you chose the charging rate and final voltage. I do have one, but it's for 48 volt batteries, and I use 52v now.

[BricksNkicks]

Thanks for all the great ideas and the link to the Etsy store, I think I found something useful linked from that first shop. In regard to setting a timer for the batteries, is it better to go that route rather then leaving them charging for hours on end?

Thanks

[handlebar]

Thanks for all the great ideas and the link to the Etsy store, I think I found something useful linked from that first shop. In regard to setting a timer for the batteries, is it better to go that route rather then leaving them charging for hours on end?

Thanks

I use a timer marked in 15 minute increments up to 12 hours. I got the kind where you turn a dial because setting a digital timer was needlessly complicated. The charger used to run all night if I was asleep when it finished, and they say that's not good. Now I set it for the time I estimate it needs. It usually needs topping off in the morning, but that takes only half an hour or so. The last time, I set it for 12 hours because it was time for balancing.

To charge in the garage, I'd make the kind of shelf I put on an old 4x4 post by my back steps. I used scrap 2x6 and 2x10 from construction across the street. For a back board, I attached a 2 x 6 to the post with lag bolts. I sawed 45 degree gussets from 2 x 6 and used one sheet rock screw to hold each to the back board. The screws need only to keep the gussets from falling from their own weight.

I laid the 2 x 10 shelf on the assembly and drilled four holes just big enough slide in 16 penny nails as pins. Two go into the back board and two into the gussets. I lubed the holes with silicone grease so that rust and swelling won't stop me from lifting the shelf off for maintenance.

It's at a good height to clamp mower blades for sharpening with a 1/2" belt sander. It has saved me a lot of trips up and down the steps because it's big enough for five bags of groceries or an assortment of tools. It's strong enough for a sort of hand rail in conditions when the steps might be icy. I could have used plywood for a wider shelf. For charging, coffee-cup style hooks could be screwed into the backboard to hold wires.

[Altema]

I use a mechanical timer as well, and it works out well when I travel with the bike
For lithium ion batteries, it's better not to leave them plugged into the charger for hours unless doing the balancing procedure. Occasionally it's ok, but frequently sitting at maximum voltage for hours causes premature capacity fade. In some cases, crystalline structures called dendrites form on the negative electrode inside the battery, and it most often happens when the battery is at 100%. I do charge my batteries to 100% when I know I'm going to use them in the next day or so, but I take them off the charger when full, or use the timer. I treat my phone batteries the same way, and will wait until morning to charge the rest of the way. My wife plugs hers in and leaves it on the charger all night, and her phone batteries always need to be replaced after two years while mine last three or four years.


A link to a timer on Amazon is below, and it sounds similar to the one Handlebar describes:
https://amzn.to/3aLNbaR

[handlebar]

I use a mechanical timer as well, and it works out well when I travel with the bike


A link to a timer on Amazon is below, and it sounds similar to the one Handlebar describes:
https://amzn.to/3aLNbaR

The same item. What are the odds that we would have found the same item on Amazon?