Coaster E-ASSIST User Manual

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Coaster E-assist Motor

Cargo Users Guide

Version 1.1

Table of contents: Section: Page:

Pictorial overview______________________________________________________________________ 2

Basic overview_________________________________________________________________________ 3

Getting started ________________________________________________________________________ 4,5

Initial battery power up__________________________________________1,2,3____________________ 5,6

Understanding the main dash board________________________________4,5,6___________________ 5-8

Clearing trip odometer___________________________________________5A_____________________ 7

Starting out____________________________________________________7_______________________ 9

Brakes________________________________________________________8_______________________ 9

3 Position Power Switch__________________________________________9_______________________ 9,10

Hand Throttle__________________________________________________10______________________ 10

Secondary dash board screens_____________________________________11______________________ 10,13

Shut down_____________________________________________________12______________________ 14

Battery________________________________________________________13______________________ 14,15,16

Chain Tension___________________________________________________14______________________ 16, 17

Speedometer Pickup sensor________________________________________15______________________ 17

For further technical assistance please direct questions to: [e-mail]

Technical business hours: Monday – Thursday 8:00-4:00 Mountain time zone

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Cargo Bike Description:

1. ON/OFF power switch

2. Thumb throttle

3. System dashboard

4. 3 position power switch

5. Torque sensing bottom bracket

6. Motor controller

6A. Optional dual battery switch

7. 14ah. Battery

7A. Optional dual 14ah. battery

8. Differential sprocket

9. Brushless DC motor & free wheel

10. Speedometer pickup sensor

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Basic overview:

The Coaster E-assist motor system is designed for the operator who is moving passengers and heavy cargo.

The system can be operated in an e-assist mode where the motor applies power in proportion to the amount of rider
input, or it can be operated in a full throttle operation as well.

Power can be programmed to many configurations depending on the customer needs and or e-assist street legal laws
that mandate maximum power caps.

Standard programming will have three power levels which can be changed from the dashboard. This applies to both
PAS (pedal assist) mode and full throttle mode.

Unlimited: 1650 w max. output

Legal: 750 w max. output

Economy: 500 w max. output

Under PAS (pedal assist mode), power from the motor will start being applied when the human wattage output on
the dashboard reaches 30w and increases as the rider increases their pedal output wattage up to the point where
maximum output wattage is reached per the power level settings.

Under Throttle mode, the power is increased as the throttle is depressed and continues rising at a gradual rate until
maximum power is reached per the power level settings on the dashboard. The 3 position power switch settings have
no effect in the throttle mode.

PAS and Throttle can be combined as well. Example: When, under PAS mode, you come to a hill that needs some
extra motor support you can apply throttle to give a boost of power to ascend the hill, then release the throttle when
the summit is reached. At this point it will return to PAS mode. You can also use the throttle to help at startup if you
are in a gear that is a bit too high for an easy pedal start. Simply apply a light amount of throttle as you begin to
pedal. Once you begin to pedal fast enough to generate the needed 30w of human power, the PAS will kick in and you
can release the throttle and go to full PAS mode.

Note: Using the throttle will decrease battery mileage due to increased battery load. For the best mileage from

each battery charge, run in PAS mode at the lowest power switch setting as much as possible.

The 3 position power switch controls the PAS mode only. It can be toggled at any time while pedaling, resulting in an
almost instant power change. Position 3 will give 100% of the power sent from the dashboard setting. Position 2 will
give 66% of the power and position 1 will give 33% of the power sent from the dashboard setting.
Changing the 3 position switch when only the throttle is being used will have no effect upon power output.

Applying either front or rear brake will cut the power to the motor until the brake is released at which time the motor
will gradually come back on line in either PAS mode or throttle mode.

14ah down tube battery and controller are mounted inside the left battery box. There is a keyed lock to secure the
battery from theft. The battery can also be removed from the bike for charging with no wires to unplug.

Watts: This is a unit measurement, used to measure energy transfer.

It’s a term we will use often throughout these instructions to reference either rider pedal power or electrical
motor power.

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Getting started:

1. Make sure on/off switch, on the side of the battery box, is in

the off position.
Pull the rubber boot off the on/off power switch located on
the side of the battery box.
See photo 1A & 1B for location

When the button is in the off position it will stick out 1/16”

further than when in the on position. See photo 1C
The difference is very slight so look closely. You may have
toggle several times until you get it in the position with the
most button showing which will be the off position.
Replace the rubber water proof cap.
This is only necessary for the initial setup.

The battery has been unplugged for shipping safety. You will
need to connect the Anderson connectors behind the battery.
Remove the battery from the base. Rotate the key ½ turn
counter clockwise to unlock the battery.
See photo 1D.
Slide the battery forward 1” and lift upwards to remove.

Repeat on battery B if equipped with a dual battery.

Connect the Anderson connectors from the back of the battery base
with the power cable going to the controller unit. (Red to Red & Black
to Black) See photos 1E & 1F
For bikes with a single battery ignore photo 1G.
For bikes with a dual battery connect the Anderson connectors in the
right compartment. See photo 1G.

A small wrap of electrical tape will insure that these connectors should
never become disconnected.
Not necessary but advised.

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2. Reinstall the battery. Match the 6 locking fingers on the bottom of the 48v down tube battery with the 6

locking notches on the battery base, then slide backwards 1” to dock with the base. Rotate the key 1/2 turn
clockwise to lock. The battery should not slide forward or backward once the key is locked. If the key won’t
lock or the battery moves around, then you haven’t engaged the locking notches of the base with the locking
fingers on the battery.

3. Depress the on/off switch which will power the system

up. (see photo 1B)
You will see the dashboard come to life and the small
red LED light on the front of the controller will light up.
(see photo 3A)

If equipped with a dual battery you will need to toggle the
battery switch to whichever battery you want to use before the
system will power up.

The switch will toggle between battery A, OFF, battery B.

This switch will also kill the power to the entire motor system.
See photo 3B

Note: Do not store any items in the battery box. The battery and controller should have air space around
them, so that heat can dissipate. The controller can become warm with continuous heavy use.

4. Main Dash Board:

The first screen on the dash board that you see is the main data screen.
Starting in the upper left corner: (see photo 4A)

A. Battery shaped Icon: This will give a quick visual state of charge of the battery.

When fully charged you will see one white pixel dot at the very top. As battery life is used up it will drop
down and more white pixels will appear. This icon is for quick visual reference but should not be used for
absolute battery charge state.

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B. 52.8 V: This shows the battery voltage remaining in the battery. When fully charged this will range from 52V

to 54V on a 48v battery. The voltage will drop gradually as the bike is operated, but it should never drop
below 36.4v. At this point the system will shut down to protect the battery from discharging too far and
potentially damaging the battery.

C. 0.00 mph is the speedometer for the bike. It can be programmed for MPH or KPH.
D. L. (bottom left icon) This icon serves two purposes. The first is the brake lock indicator

Photo 4B shows the brakes in the off position (icon is vertical, line is straight and still)
Photo 4C shows the brakes in the on position (icon will toggle back and forth when brake is on)
When either brake is activated the motor is deactivated until the brakes are released, at which time
the motor will come back on line in a few seconds.

The second purpose for this icon is the throttle position indicator.
Photo 4D shows the small horizontal line at the bottom of the vertical line. This indicates that no
throttle is being applied.
Photo 4E shows the horizontal line moving up the vertical line as the throttle is applied. It indicates
approximately ¾ throttle in this photo.

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E. O w : This is the wattage output, either in PAS (pedal assist) or full throttle mode.

In PAS mode you must be generating at least 30 w of human output (pedaling)
for the motor to start applying power. In unlimited mode the motor will add 4
times the wattage as the human output wattage. (example: if the operator applies 100w of human
output the motor will match with 400w of motor output)
Note: When stationary, this number may not always display as 0. The weight of the pedals
can affect this number. It may show 0 to 6 watts. This is normal.

In full throttle mode this will indicate how much power in wattage that the motor is putting out.
Max. wattage indicated here is largely based on the power settings which will be discussed further
within these instructions.

F. 3.32 mi: This part of the window will toggle between the trip odometer (photo 4F) and

Amp hours (photo 4G). It will toggle every 5 seconds.

The trip odometer can be reset as needed. This will be discussed further into this manual.
Photo 4F shows 3.32 miles since the last trip meter reset.

The amp hours gauge is the true reading of how much battery life has been USED.
The AH will begin at approximately 0 with a freshly recharged battery and will begin to
increase as the battery power is used. The usage will add up slowly when in PAS mode set at a

low power setting, and quicker when in throttle mode at full throttle.
Each time a freshly recharged battery is connected the system will reset the AH screen.
Photo 4G shows 2.83 Ah used out of the 14 Ah that the battery is rated.

5. Toggle buttons: The gray buttons below the screen are

used to toggle between screens and for certain input
functions. (see photo 5A)

Pressing the right button once will toggle to the
next screen. Pressing it again will advance to the
third screen. Pressing the left button will back up
a screen.

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A. Press the right button once and advance to

the second screen.
This screen gives the trip mileage on the left
and the total bike odometer on the right.
From this screen you can hold the right button
for several seconds to clear the trip odometer.
See photo 5B

B. Press the right button once to advance to the third

screen.
This screen is mainly for trouble shooting only.
It has very little relevance to daily operation.
See photo 5C

6. Motor power levels on the dashboard.

These settings effect both PAS mode and full throttle mode.
Two items to note: A. The unlimited mode will deplete the battery much faster than the economy

Mode.

B. If you’re under power cap regulations for street use in your area, it’s

your responsibility to set the power mode to the regulation power levels.

To change power mode settings, hold the left button down while toggling the right button.
Each toggle of the right button will change a mode level. When you reach the mode, you want, release both
buttons.
The screen will switch back to the last main screen that you where viewing.
Mode #1 will allow the motor to put out 1650w max. (see photo 6A)

Mode #2 will allow 750w max. (see photo 6B)

Mode #3 will allow 500w max. (see photo 6C)

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7. Starting out:

Once you begin to pedal you will notice the WATT portion
of the screen increase in number. (see photo 7A)
When you reach 30w the motor will gradually begin to add
power. The harder you pedal the more power that the
motor will add. The number that is displayed after the
initial start will be the combined human/motor watt output
in PAS mode or it will show the motor watt output if in full
throttle mode.

8. Brakes:

Both the front and rear brakes, when squeezed, will deactivate the motor. Even if you are pedaling or running
in full throttle mode, the motor will be deactivated until the brakes are released. Once the brakes are
released the motor will gradually come back online. The dashboard icon will also indicate if a brake is
activated.
See photo 4C.

9. 3 Position power switch:

Always begin in a low gear to make the initial take off nice and smooth. Once you reach 30w of pedal power
the motor will kick in and you will feel a noticeable reduction in torque through the pedals and you should
accelerate gradually. The harder you pedal, the faster you will accelerate.

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Next, you will want to experiment with the power switch located near your left thumb. (see photo 9)

The power switch can be changed at any time, whether pedaling or not. The
dashboard will only display the setting for a few seconds before returning
to the main screen.

Level 1: When you toggle the power switch to #1 you will see the screen appear like photo 9A.
This indicates that for every watt of human power you put into the pedals the motor will put 1.95 X

more watts.

Level 2: Photo 9B This setting puts 2.98 X more watts than the rider puts in.

Level 3: Photo 9C This setting puts 4.00 x more watts than the rider puts in.

Note: When riding on a flat road or going down a slight incline with no load on the bike you may feel or hear a

surging in the motor. If you find this to be a problem, you can turn the power switch to a lower number to reduce
this motor surging.

Why this surge may happen:
As your right leg is hitting the bottom of the pedal stroke there is a minute power drop until the left pedal
begins to add power back into the system. This is happening in a millisecond. In that millisecond, the motor
senses the power drop and will add power to compensate for the lack of pedal input. Once the left pedal
begins to add power, the motor will decrease power until the next stroke comes around where it repeats the
cycle. With a heavy load or going up a slight incline you will not notice any change and should find a nice
smooth power band. It only happens with no load on a flat surface or slight down hill road with light loads.
The motor is design for heavy loads, so it reacts quickly and with lots of torque. If you experience surging,
you should drop the power switch down to a lower power level. This will also reduce battery usage.

10. Hand throttle usage:

The hand throttle is not necessary for the bike to operate in
PAS mode. It’s a handy device to assist with starting out if
the bike was stopped in a high gear and forward movement
is needed before a down shift can be completed. Simply
apply a small amount of throttle to start the bike moving
while pedaling and down shifting. Once you are in the
correct gear simply let off the throttle and the PAS mode
will take over in a few seconds.
Some operations choose to remove the throttle to avoid full
throttle usage by operators or if local bike laws only allow PAS bikes.
See photo 10A.

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11. Secondary dashboard screens:

A. Clearing the trip odometer:

Hold the right button down 4 seconds. The screen will blink and clear the trip odometer.
See photo 11A & 11B

Note: The main odometer can’t be reset.

B. Entering diagnostics screens.

Hold left button 4 seconds. The view seen in photo 11C will
show up briefly before going to the first screen.
Most of the screens are locked and you will not use or be able
to change them, however there are a couple screens that will
be used for trouble shooting. These are addressed further into
the manual.
Toggle the right button to move to the next screen. Toggle the
left button to back up one screen.

C. SETUP SPDOMETER

This screen is locked.
See photo 11D

D. SETUP BATTERY

This screen is locked.
See photo 11E

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E. SETUP THROT IN

This screen is locked.
See photo 11F

F. SETUP THROT OUT

This screen is locked.
See photo 11G

G. SETUP SPEED LIMS

This screen is locked.
See photo 11H

H. SETUP POWER LIMS

This screen is locked.
See photo 11 I

I. SETUP PAS SENSOR

This screen is locked.

It can be used to diagnose problems if the PAS system doesn’t

seem to be working.
The small cross icons (see arrow in photo 11J) that the arrow is
pointing to will toggle up and down as the pedals are turned. This
will indicate that the torque sensor is sending data to the
dashboard. If the cross icons do not toggle there is a problem with
a connection or with the torque sensor.

J. SETUP TRQ SENSOR

This screen is locked.
It is also used for diagnostics of the PAS system.
Photo 11K shows the V and Nm when the bike is stationary.

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(no pedal being applied)

These numbers may vary a few points so don’t worry if they don’t

match exactly.

Photo 11L shows pedal pressure being applied. These numbers will
vary depending on how much pedal pressure is applied. It

shouldn’t go much over 3.90v or over 59.0Nm with a good amount

of pedal pressure. This tells you that the torque sensor is working
and sending usable data to the dashboard.

K. SETUP TEMP SENSR

This screen is locked and disabled.
See photo 11M

L. SETUP AUX POT

This screen is locked.
It will give you % of assistance in the three power switch levels.
You can see this while changing the 3 position switch while in this
screen.

Photo 11N.1 shows the 3 position power switch set at #1.

Photo 11N.2 shows the 3 position power switch set at #2.

Photo 11N.3 shows the 3 position power switch set at #3.

M. SETUP CALIBRTION

This screen is locked.
See photo 11 O

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N. SETUP PRESETS

This screen is locked.
See photo 11P

O. SETUP Preferences

This screen is locked.
See photo 11Q

P. The last toggle of the right button will bring up the Leaving SETUP

Screen.
The screen will revert to the main screen after 3 seconds.

12. Shut down:

It’s very easy.
Just press the power button on the side of the battery box. You
will notice the dashboard will go blank.
You need not remove the battery since the power switch kills all
power to the system.
See photo 12A

13. Battery:

When dealing with Lithium Ion batteries it is best to have them removed from the bike for charging.
Follow the battery removal steps listed in section #1. See photo 1D.

Only use the 2 amp charger supplied with your Coaster Bike. Other chargers may or may not be fully
compatible with the 14a battery and may cause problems or shorten the life of the battery.
For safety sake, Coaster does not suggest charging batteries overnight when no one is present in case of a
problem.

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A. Insert the DC plug into the battery before plugging the 110v AC

plug into an outlet.
See photo 12A

B. Plug the 110v AC plug into a 110v outlet.

There is an LED light on the top side of the charger that
indicates what state of charge the battery is in.
When in charge mode it will appear red.
See photo 13B

C. When the battery is fully charged, the LED light will turn green.

See photo 13C.

D. The back of the charger has a charge indicator chart that shows

the charge colors and blink codes.
A blinking red light means either a wire is not connected
correctly or there is a fault in the battery or charger.
Try reconnecting the wires. If this solves the problem, great!
If it does not, try a different battery. If the blinking light turns
solid then there is likely a problem with the original battery.
However, if the light continues to blink it is likely there is a
problem with the charger and should be replaced.
It is uncommon for a charger to go bad, but it is possible.
See photo 13D.

E. The battery also has a charge status indicator on the right rear

of the case. Holding this button will light up 4 LED lights. When
fully charged you will see 1 red light and 3 green lights. As the
charge is depleted these green lights will turn red one at a time.
See photo 13E.

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F. There is a fuse mounted on the left front of the battery near

the charging port. If the LED lights on the battery will not light
up than the fuse may be blown due to a short or overheating.
Simply unscrew the cap, pull the fuse free from the cap and
replace with a like fuse. Fuses can be purchased from Coaster
Cycles or another suitable fuse supplier. Be sure the new fuse
matches the information printed on the side of the original
fuse.
This does not happen often but be aware of the possibility and
how to fix it.
See photos 13F & 13G

G. Take note of the numbers on the key and on the battery lock

mechanism. Each battery is keyed differently for security
purposes.
See photo 13H.

Important note: Place the spare battery key in a safe location

in case the first is lost or broken.
It is always a good idea to have an additional spare built as
well. The battery can’t be removed without the key.

14. Chain tension:
A. Chain tension should be addressed on a weekly basis or more

often if the bike is being heavily used.
Measurements are taken between the differential sprocket and
free wheel sprocket. Rotate the wheel one way to take up the slack
on the bottom side, rotate it the other way to allow all slack to
hang down on the bottom side of the chain. This measurement
between these two chain lines will be the slack. It should range

from 0” to ½” max.
Anything over ½” of slack should be adjusted out. See photo 14A.

B. If adjustment is needed, use two ½” end wrenches to loosen

the (2) 5/16” chain tension bolts. Slide the motor back in the

slots until 0” to 1/16” of chain slack is reached.

Retighten the 5/16” bolts and torque to 19 Nm or 14 ft lb.

See photo 14B

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C. If the motor & brackets have been removed, you must realign

the motor with the differential sprocket. Set the motor into

place and install slotted aluminum angle brackets.

See photo 14B

Use a straight edge that is at least 16” long. Clamp one end to

the inside edge of the differential sprocket.

The other end should span all the way to the motor free wheel

sprocket.

See photo 14C

Align the inside edge of the free wheel sprocket with the straight edge. Using a 7/16” end wrench, lightly

tighten all 4 motor alignment nuts, then recheck alignment. Torque the 1/4” nuts to 8.5 Nm or 75 in lb.

D. Lube the chain according to the Coaster bike manual that was supplied with the bike.

Note: A new chain will stretch substantially during the first week of operation which is normal. Depending on

amount of use and weight of loads being carried you may need to adjust chain tension several times. If you run out of
adjustment you may need to remove a link or replace the chain. Chain life depends on the weight carried and miles
traveled under heavy loads.

15. Speedometer:

Periodically check the magnet gap of the speedo pickup sensor. The gap between the sensor and the magnet
face should be approximately 1/8” or 3mm.
The groove in the pickup sensor probe should line up
with the center of the magnet.
See photo 15A.

Note: If your speedometer stops working or is having

problems, start trouble shooting by checking this first.
This sensor also gives data to the dashboard which is
used by the PAS system. This magnet and sensor should
be cleaned and checked for adjustment regularly due to
Its’ importance in the motor operation.

Thanks for choosing the Coaster E-Assist motor system for your cargo needs.
Please follow all safe biking practices.
We wish our customers the best of luck!