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The Eclipse 30V Upgrade Project – February, 2001
It has been noted that the Sporty and Eclipse scooters have limited upgrade potential. Despite the large, heavy frame, they have a small battery box that has little or no extra space in it. Nonetheless, I could not bring myself to leave it in the stock condition. I knew it would be silly to put serious money into my “tank”, but wanted to see what could be done on a budget. If you have one of these units, you too can build your own “Eclipse Flash” without investing too much time or money.
Validating the Concept
My idea was simple. Add an additional 6V SLA battery in series with my two 12V-12A Longs and see what happens. Would six more volts make a difference? To find out, I strapped a Powersonic 6V, 9.5Ahr battery on the back of my kick plate and wired it temporarily in series with the Longs. I had my son pace me on flat ground using my 21-speed bicycle with a US Pro Drive power assist package and Cateye speedometer. The results? Stock, the Eclipse was good for 11MPH. When I spliced in the extra battery, my top speed rose to 15MPH, with the same 180lb rider load. The Eclipse was noticeably quicker and maintained speed on hills better too.
A Tale of Two Controllers
You should note that there are at least two controllers that went into the Sporty/Eclipse scooters. A relay-based two-stage design seems to have been replaced with a solid-state circuit like I have in mine. I can see five power devices that share a heat sink, which attaches to the top of the case with thermal compound. I decided not to autopsy my controller while it was still working, but you should know that I have not tested adding voltage using the original controller. It may change the characteristics of the start-up relay.
Mounting the Battery
The Powersonic I had on hand was fine for testing, but it was too big. I found a 6”x4”x2” Panasonic 6V, 10Ahr SLA at a local surplus electronic store (Wacky Willy’s) for $4.50. The clerk claimed they are used once for one year in medical monitoring gear. The Panasonic fit snugly under the frame in front of the battery box and behind the extra heavy-duty steering gear. I split a section of bicycle tube to pad the battery where it touched the frame and secured it with a pair of 15” tie-wraps going around the frame and battery. There are holes in all four corners of the Eclipse battery box where you can easily route wires between the internal and external batteries.
Full-time or Part Time Boost?
I had considered using a relay to switch in and out the extra battery for two reasons. It’s always cool to have a “turbo” button, and if the 6V SLA dies prematurely, you can get home on your 24V system. But for the extra complexity and finding a place to mount the relay and switch, I elected for full-time boost. If my 6V cell bites the dust, I simply shunt the Panasonic to go back to 24V.
Charge It
I had already adapted my Eclipse to use the charger from my Currie 24V system, but I needed a way to charge my 6V SLA. During a trip to Batteries Plus, I discovered a DelTran “Battery Tender Jr.” 1aH intelligent float-charger for 6V SLAs for a mere $40.00. Both chargers worked together without any problem and acted independently. I used lug-splitters to take off dedicated charging connections and terminated them with modular automotive-style quick disconnects. The original supply that came with my Eclipse did not like the new arrangement, however. I had to disconnect the 6V cell before it would charge the primary batteries normally.
Road-test
The Panasonic performed as well as the Powersonic, and the Eclipse is definitely much more spunky. The oversized motor shows no tendency to overheat, even after extended rides. The battery doesn’t rattle, and all the connections I made using 12-gauge wire are solid. It’s a success.
Dress It Up
For a headlight, I settled on a Sigma Sport Elipsoid 5 cell clamp-on halogen bicycle light with 5 1100mA nicads and a charging port. On the tail is a standard 5-led flashing beacon. For a signaling device, I used a Radio Shack piezo buzzer wired through a cool silver and black horn switch to the 24V bats. A Rhode Gear Mountain Mirror clamps on the handgrip and lets me see approaching vehicles. A few cool stickers and I’m done!
Eclipse Flash Price Tag
Eclipse scooter from Costco: $350.00
Headlight: $15.00
Surplus 6V battery: $ 4.50
6V DelTran float charger: $39.95
Horn button: $2.50
Piezo buzzer: $3.29
Rhode gear mirror: $15.00
Wire, tie-wraps, electrical h/w: $10.00
Total: $430.24
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