Bafang Ultra Drive programming

[JCHobbes]

I located the updated software for editing settings in the Bafang Ultra Drive. The software did not show any com ports. Unlike the BBSHD version, I can manually enter the com port into the Ultra Drive software, the same com port as BBSHD version uses.

Also the cable for editing settings is woefully short. I use a 36" usb extension cable. I have a 72" usb extension cable but did not think to test it.

Details about editing ultra drive settings can be read in one of Karl's awesome blog posts shown below.

[vtdownhiller]

I have reprogrammed my Ultra 750w a lot and haven't found any settings that I love.. Karl's is way off on the torque settings, best I found was

https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=93000

gave that dog drive a little more umphhh

[ozzy]

Hi do you know if these motors can be programed to 200w to be legal in australia

[JCHobbes]

I have not changed any settings on the new mid drives yet, but they be able to be "de-tuned" to 200 watts.

The state of Michigan in the U.S.A. wrote new regulations for e-bikes, rendering my 1500 watt bafang mid-drive bikes illegal to ride on the street. As long as I'm not riding like an idiot, no one will know they are illegal, and unless law enforcement is up to date with the regs, and REALLY bored, I doubt I would ever be bothered by the law.

[vtdownhiller]

moved all the min cur % to 3 and its way better...

[MN Slick]

Does anyone know if the Bafang Ultra can be programmed to perform like the BBSHD on hill climbs? I use my bike for hunting and want the motor to do the work like the BBSHD does. In short, I do not want to exert myself at all and sweat. The stock setting on the Ultra is terrible for my application. Not researching deep enough into how the Ultra performs was a big mistake. Anyway, I have the programming software and have done some experimenting but am not there yet. The factory is no help and Bafang did not respond. I’ve researched but have found relatively little on the Ultra. Karl’s Special Sauce was not special for my application nor was the youtube video that is out there so I assume these reprograms are more for sport/trail riding applications.

Anyone have any guidance or suggestions?

Thanks

[vtdownhiller]

The ultra is a dog... It's tourque sensing it is nothing like my bbs unit
just adjust your min cur to 3% and it'll be better
Karl's special sauce is a joke... I don't think he even tested a tourque drive

[ProphetZarquon]

I haven't been able to find a single guide that calibrates the torque sensor; it's as if no one has even tried. Seems impossible to ever get accurate torque sensing if the ranges detected are all still set to arbitrary default spans that probably aren't very close to calibrated *at* *all*...?!?

Why does no one use the "TqVoltate" mV readings with a torque wrench or weights ¡or at least their leg force on the pedal! to calibrate the "Delta Voltage" mV ranges which assign the detected pedal force in Kg, if they hate its torque sensing so much?

All this time spent working on all the OTHER settings to make up for lousy torque sensing, & yet the one group of fields which are definitely there to help calibrate the torque sensor, have only been given cursory guesswork at what the real ranges should be? Are those not the calibration fields!? (Delta Voltage) The live torque sensor readout seems to be available *right* *there*!? ("TqVoltate")

I'm so confused by these guides, & the lack of real world sensor data reported back by users, so far.

Am *I* the one that's missing something, or is it kinda everyone else?
Our new Frey AM1000 is in shipping right now... I guess I might find out?

[Mike_V]

Mind Reader do Tell the future
Torque Sensor Def: You sweat while pedaling uphill like a donkey.

[MN Slick]

The ultra is a dog... It's tourque sensing it is nothing like my bbs unit
just adjust your min cur to 3% and it'll be better
Karl's special sauce is a joke... I don't think he even tested a tourque drive

It sure seems like a dog which is hard to believe since it's an "upgrade". I moved my min cur to 3% but with snow on the ground it's hard to test on a hill climb. Still seems inconsistent on flat ground, motor kicks in sometimes but not other times. Throttle is weird too. Sometimes it's a sloth on the throttle and other times it excellerates. Hating this thing!

[vtdownhiller]

When I get my bike back out this spring I'll check my settings and we can compare.... Hopefully we can come up with something that works between us

[MN Slick]

When I get my bike back out this spring I'll check my settings and we can compare.... Hopefully we can come up with something that works between us

Sounds good. Snow melted here so I was able to do some hill climbing on a short but steep hill. The results: the motor kicked in and propelled me up the hill only after I goosed my pedal cadence on flat ground before I started up the hill. In that case I could feel the motor kick in and accelerate before the incline and remained engaged up to the top. . On the other hand if I started up the hill without the motor accelerating on the flat the motor would not kick on during the climb no matter how hard and fast I pedalled. Back to the drawing board.

My brother had his BBSHD out there too. What a joy it was!

[wr75]

Sounds good. Snow melted here so I was able to do some hill climbing on a short but steep hill. The results: the motor kicked in and propelled me up the hill only after I goosed my pedal cadence on flat ground before I started up the hill. In that case I could feel the motor kick in and accelerate before the incline and remained engaged up to the top. . On the other hand if I started up the hill without the motor accelerating on the flat the motor would not kick on during the climb no matter how hard and fast I pedalled. Back to the drawing board.

My brother had his BBSHD out there too. What a joy it was!

Have you figured anything else out yet to make it work as it should?

[joq3]

Can anyone provide me with the latest Bafang Ultra programming software? Please send me a PM with a link. The one found on OP's link is very old.

[MN Slick]

Have you figured anything else out yet to make it work as it should?

I haven't had it back out due to snow. In theory you should be able to start on a hill with the throttle to get going then goose the pedals to engage the motor. I'll see if it works once the snow melts.

[JCHobbes]

I just sold my ultra drive bike. I was attempting to show the buyer how to use the software, but could not get it to connect. The BBSHD software connects with comm 5 but the ultra drive software gives error message. I tweaked settings on ultra drive once, but now cannot connect with the ultra drive software. Anyone else have this problem?

[hibrian]

Most of the problems I see on the Internet about connecting this software to a Windows computer have to do with the COM ports.

The software for this motor was written for windows 8. Quite often, when using windows 10, you must right click on the program and select run as Windows 8.

if you save the software after running the program, the computer will remember this and run it in the windows 8 mode the next time you start the program.

When the software is running correctly in the windows eight mode, it will automatically search for a comport and connect to it, setting the baud rate to 9600.

As the computer is talking to the bicycle controller, the blue LED in the connector will flash.

[fambo1]

has anyone figured out how to get the ultra to perform properly

[eBikeaholic]

Yeah I finally figured out the torque settings. It depends on what you're using it for. The stock settings are probably good for mountain biking since that's what it's designed for, but I've got mine setup for smooth consistent road commuting.

I prefer to keep the motor running consistently while cruising (even at a ghost pedal with no torque pressure). Although not as energy efficient it rides more like a moped when at speed. I recommend at least 20Ah capacity for decent range when running the stock controller at full power 30A x 52v = 1500w.

I had to read through Karl's post a bunch of times while testing but it's mostly in understanding the relationships between:

• Start(Kg) and MinCur(%),
• Full(Kg) and MaxCur(%),
• Return(Kg) and KeepCur(%).

As far as I understand it, the Start(Kg) is how much pressure you initially put on the pedal which then triggers the MinCur(%), which is basically the amount of power the motor will get (I think it uses the Limit current % from the Basic tab which sets the PAS levels). Notice I have the MinCur(%) set to gradually increase across the matrix, this is because I think the Spd0-Spd100 columns represent how fast the pedals are spinning (cadence sensor?)... or it might be the motor rpms? Start(Kg) decreases across the row so less pedal torque is needed to power the motor.

Full(Kg) is how much pressure is on the pedals while moving which then triggers the MaxCur(%). I have all these set to 100 across the board to keep the power consistently maxed out to whatever PAS level is set on the display. Full(Kg) steadily decreases across to require less torque needed to power the motor.

I think Return(Kg) is when you stop pedaling and coast for a bit, then start pedaling again which triggers KeepCur(%). I set this row to match MinCur(%) because it can't be higher and it serves a similar purpose for a smooth power transition. Return(Kg) is set to 0 so the motor will run while ghost pedaling at speed.

The thing about Karl's info is that it's for the Luna ludicrous controller which they don't seem to sell. It might be more relevant to using a phaserunner controller but I haven't gotten that far yet. His post was a crucial help for figuring this thing out.

My prototype is also currently setup with a high gain single speed 58/17T drive train fyi but that shouldn't affect the settings much. I'm planning to throw a Nexus 3 on there for better cadence at speed.

Here's how I have it setup for 52v street commuting with the stock controller at 30A:



To summarize: the three Start, Full, Return(Kg) settings will affect how much torque you need to apply to the pedals, and the three MinCur, MaxCur, KeepCur(%) settings will affect how much power then gets sent to the motor.

Hope this helps, let me know if I need to elaborate otherwise I'm working on a YouTube vid to walk through it... subscribe to eBikeaholic for notification, hopefully it'll be up by next week.