BBSHD and BBS02 Configuration (Programming) Resources

Here is a list of everything you need to successfully configure/program your BBSHD/BBS02.  A description of each follows:

BBSxx Configuration (programming) software:
https://penoff.wordpress.com/2016/01/13/e-bike-conversion-software/

Programming cable:
https://www.electrifybike.com/store/p3/Bafang_Programming_Cable.html
ttps://www.empoweredcycles.com/collections/8fun-bafang-bbs02-accessories/products/usb-programming-cable-8fun-bbs02-mid-drive-motor

Programming “How to’s” and tips:
A Hacker's Guide to Programming the BBS02 & BBSHD
Programming the BBS02 & BBSHD Without Frying Your Controller and Losing Your Sanity
Stefan Penov's BBSxx Config Help.pdf

Configuration files:
BBSHD & BBS02 Configuration '.el' files

​About the Bafang Programming Resources:
The BafangConfigTool.exe is in a zip file you can download on Penoff's Hobby Page and is a huge upgrade to the original configuration tool from Bafang. Bafang released the source code and Stefan Penoff (Penov) took it and made it better. I could have just provided a direct link to the zip file but I didn’t because I think you really should pay Stefan’s Hobby Page a visit.  It is worth reading what the guy who did the work has to say.  So the old configuration tool called Controllerst.exe from Bafang you should avoid because Penov''s is so much better. Unlike the original Bafang version, Penov’s actually works the way it is supposed to.

​ Here is what Stefan Penov says about it, "Basically I took the original software which also included all required source files and made it look better, fixed many bugs, improved its operation and added a small help file. Now you don’t need administrative rights under windows 8 and 10 to be able to see the available COM ports. The interface looks more tidy and well aligned and also uses better English. Numerous bugs were fixed, regarding error messages and error checking, communication, parameter limits and so on."

The next links are to where you can buy the programming cable that connects the usb on your computer to the BBSxx controller cable.  Be sure to follow the instructions carefully on hooking it up.  The pins in the controller green connector are very small.  Be sure to line up the arrows on the connectors and push gently while wiggling the connectors a bit.  It should slide right in.  I am now very careful and never do this in the dark as I have bent pins and shorted wires burning out controllers by being in a hurry and not having enough light.  Here is the cable you need:

Then come the links to two must read articles on the nuances of BBSxx programming delivered from the hard hitting pen of  Karl Gesslein on his e-bike blog. Read Karl's words very carefully. There are some hidden nuggets in there like his warning about the "Time of Stop" parameter where he says, "I strongly recommend setting this to 5, especially if you want to use the PAS system without using e-brakes."  Setting this higher (which is typical) can unexpectedly hurl you into traffic or into a tree if you are in the backcountry.  I actually like to set this to 10 or 12 as I occasionally don’t down shift when I should and don’t want the motor to stop from timing out at slow cadences.  Note: Stefan Penov renamed this 'Stop Delay' which makes more sense.

I should also point out that when you download Stefan's version of the Bafang software you will get another not to be missed gem in a pdf help file he wrote. It can save countless hours scratching your head trying to figure out how the controller configuration tool works and what the parameters do. I included it on its own in the above links but it also comes in Stefan’s zip file.

So in a nutshell, to configure the controller in a BBSHD or BBS02 you should go to Penoff''s Hobby Page and download his upgraded Bafang Configuration Tool. With it will come his help file. READ IT! Get a Bafang Programming Cable and don't forget to read Karl's articles for important insight into what you are about to do.

Stefan Penov is an engineer living in Norway where he commutes by bicycle - now e-bike.  He posts occasionally on ES. On his hobby page in addition to rewriting the Bafang software he posted the blow by blow tale of his BBS02 conversion project in two parts and then concludes with this gem "Next post will follow after some time and it will be about the software used for tuning of Bafang’s controllers. I am currently rewriting it but it will take me some time. Why do I do that? Because I can." How cool is that? I think Stefan is describing a lot of folks in the DIY e-bike community that donate time to help newcomers and each other in all of the various e-bike forums. Why do we do it? Because we can. We also know the more we help others ride e-bikes the better the planet we live on will be for all of us.

Oh, and one more thing - a bit of a rant about the confusion surrounding configuration vs programming ... For some reason I think Bafang started the confusion by putting their configuration tool in a folder called 8funprogrammingsw. It is not really programming.  Stefan Penoff made programming changes to the configuration tool but he rightly called it a configuration tool and not a programming tool.  Stefan went into the source code and made changes to fix it and make it better, that is programming.  When we use the tool to change parameters in the controller, that is more appropriately called configuration.  

​Matt at Empowered Cycles has been working with Bafang for many years and he told me that because you are only tweaking parameters and making configuration changes to the controller, it does not void the warranty as some have said.  When you use this configuration tool you are not actually reprogramming your BBSxx controller.  If you were to modify the firmware in the controller then you would in fact be reprogramming which could void the warranty.  To my knowledge Bafang has not released the source code for the controller and no one is actually doing this.  

The configuration tool only changes parameters that tune the motor for a particular bike and/or rider.  Now that doesn’t mean you can’t make changes that are insane and even dangerous, it just means that with the configuration tool you have the freedom to make adjustments that fit your riding style and preferences and are free to explore the limits of what your bike and motor can do without voiding your warranty.  You can even use it to force limits on your motor to make it fit within the legal limits of wherever you live.
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