tathambenjamin

Just today I have become the owner of a Trek Valencia + with the bionx kit, and I have been reading to find some information about repairing it. I am also trying to find information specific to this year and model as it seems they came with different batteries and other hardware over the period they were made (I2c vs. Can Bus, if that makes sense?).



Some details:

The bike came to me without a key and a charger. The battery is very low (but not totally dead) ,and has probably sat for a year and a half according to the previous owner. I did get it to power up for about 5 minutes and was able to get the regenerative function to work, and the taillight to light up. No battery bars.

So, I was hoping you could tell me:

1) What would I do to try to revive the battery? I gather that just recharging it to full might not be a good idea...

2) Where could I buy a charger (I am not even certain of the voltage for this battery)? The controller is the I2c version from Bionx.

3) I thought I read that there is a member here or elsewhere who will rebuild these batteries or knows how to do so. Is that so? If so, could you tell me a bit about that.

I am sure some of these answers can be had, at least partially, by searching, but I thought a few of you might know some things specific to this model...

Any info/ direction/ help would really be appreciated. I can post pictures of what I have (especially the battery) if that would help determine the battery model/ voltage, etc.

Thanks!

350htrr

There is some info here, https://www.nycewheels.com/bionx-documentation.html

tathambenjamin

Thanks for that. It does give some useful bits of information. Still can't find a suitable charger. I found that my battery is the 40.7v, 6.4ah version. I cant find any chargers that are 40.7v let alone one that seems to have the same connector as the battery. I have emailed trek and called a Bionx dealer, they have said they will call back.

CXT

Without a key and without the charger? You sure it wasn't stolen?


1) What would I do to try to revive the battery? I gather that just recharging it to full might not be a good idea...
At the bike shop where I got mine, they had new batteries but they sat on the shelf for a very long time. In order to 'wake them up' they had to hook up the charger, raise the bike on the bike stand, and start pedaling which causes a current draw on the battery while it was on the charger. They had to do this for 20 to 30 pedal strokes before the battery would charge normally.

2) Where could I buy a charger (I am not even certain of the voltage for this battery)? The controller is the I2c version from Bionx.
From a Trek dealer. The Trek series has a different power connector at the battery. If you try to buy a typical Bionx charger, it probably won't fit. Expect to pay $125.

3) I thought I read that there is a member here or elsewhere who will rebuild these batteries or knows how to do so. Is that so? If so, could you tell me a bit about that.
I have read it can be done but it's extremely rare & difficult. Bionx has a proprietary system with their batteries and you will most likely ruin it if you try to take it apart.

tathambenjamin

I am running the serial numbers with local dealers and police to make sure it isn't stolen. It had a front wheel that was badly damaged, and the guy I bought it from had had it in a storage unit for over a year, which was his explanation for not having key and battery. If I find it was stolen, I have his address and a copy of his DL.

Thank you for the info.

Someone on endless sphere said the 45v charger (from trek) would work for this battery. Does that make sense? I was under the assumption that charger voltage would match battery voltage?

I appreciate the insight on how to charge the battery. I put on a different front wheel and went for a short ride when I got it home. The console powered up momentarily, so I am hoping there is still some life left in the battery. Going to try to check things out and if the battery is shot I will start taking things apart to work on cell replacement. There is a member at endless sphere named doctor bass who says you can test and replace cells in the pack and it will still work with the original trek/bionx equipment.

tathambenjamin

My battery voltage is 40.7 (vs. the 45 of the charger). Will that work or will it overheat the battery?

350htrr

Every charger I have ever used charged the battery higher than the battery nominal V, for example my 12v car battery charger charges the battery to 15v+ but does it in an alternating way reducing the charge to 13v+ for awhile then upping it again, my 48v BionX charges to about 52v but again it varies to not over heat the battery...

tathambenjamin

I have noticed this when charging SLA 12v batteries, but the chargers and batteries for those applications are always labelled and referred to as 12v chargers. I have never looked to see the maximum charge capacity of a Li-ion battery, wasnt sure if it was safe to assume they work the same way. Thanks.

350htrr

I think I misread before, all the chargers I used were the right chargers but still went up higher while charging, I thought this charger went to 45v on your 40.7v battery so I figured it should be OK, but now I think the charger is for 45v and it will probably go higher, so I wouldn't use it...

tathambenjamin

Thank you for clarifying that. Anyone have a model # or the exact voltage of the charger used for the I2C version of the Trek Bionx setup? I can't find anywhere that sells or even lists it online, and the local Bionx dealer has yet to return my call/email.