Thank you for the comprehensive and detailed report on the ToSeven and alternatives. I have come to consider the ToSeven after seeing too many reports of CYC Photon problems. I ride an ICE VTX and will need to modify the T-Cycle battery holder and/or create a place for the front mount to attach.

Did you use the Tonsheng speed sensor cable extension cable on the DM001 motor? Thanks

I have had mid-drive e-assist on my recumbent trikes since 2019.  I first installed a Tongsheng TSDZ2 with a 52V battery on my LoGo (built in 2005 and similar to the Greenspeed of the same time period) in 2019 and rode over 3,000 miles in that year until the end of the year when I replaced my LoGo.  I then moved the system over to my new ICE Adventure HD FS20 and have proceeded to ride 3,000 – 4,000 miles per year using the e-assist.  The TSDZ2 as originally built could handle either 36V or 48V batteries, however a company in the US (ECO Cycle, no longer in business) provided a unit with modified firm ware to support 52V batteries.  Since then, a semiofficial version with user modifiable firm ware has become available on the internet.  You have to have a special cable(s) to support the ability to modify the firm ware and understand what you are doing.  With the modifiable firm ware the eggrider style display (controller is internal to the motor) can not be used however it will work with the stock TSDZ2.  I ran a stock 52V TSDZ2 with the TSDZ2 compatible eggrider display which I had purchased from ECO Cycle until 2024 when I swapped over to a Toseven DM01.

The DM01 supports various battery voltages so I was able to use the same battery that I had in the past.  One thing I should mention is that the TSDZ2 was a torque assist motor and the DM01 can be set up to also be a torque assist motor.  I prefer the torque assist as it provides a more normal feel and forces me to actually work instead of just being along for the ride.  I have also found that on a recumbent trike brake cutouts are not needed and throttle is strictly the choice of the user, however the speed sensor is required in both systems.  Since I’m riding in torque sensor mode the motor stops assist when I stop pedaling and I pause pedaling when shifting I have found no need for a shift sensor (which may be needed on a cadence system as the motor does not stop assist as fast as the torque system) to stop the assist when shifting gears.

As far as mounting the motor (TSDZ2 or DM01) it is the same fairly easy (roughly the same as a Bafang) and the only thing you really have to pay attention to is having a method to hold the motor in place during operation to hold it in place.  When energized the motor generates torque which will cause the motor to rotate in the bottom bracket (you can’t tighten it tight enough) which could cause damage to the motor, trike, and/or wiring.  On a recumbent trike some of the provided cables may not be of sufficient length but this is really not a problem as extender cables can be procured (on my DM01 install Johnny identified a cable to be used to extend the speed sensor).  The some of the cables are proprietary however in most cases an extension cable will not effect this operation.  Motors can come with different connectors and you may have to procure or manufacture an adapter to mate your motor to your battery.  The next problem is determining where you want to mount your display (and in many cases its attached keypad).  One solution is to look at the different mounts provided by TerraCycle in Portland, OR (https://t-cycle.com).  I currently use their bar end shifter mount for my display and keypad.  When it comes to battery mounts it is desirable to keep the battery as low as possible to keep your CG low TerraCycle is once again a place to start looking if you need a battery mount.

When I bought my DM01 it came with the cables required to update the firmware.  One cable connects to the display, one connects to the motor, a the third one connects to a USB port on a PC or laptop (Windows 10 required), additionally a small power pack was provided which connect to the cable going to the display.  I have found that updating the firm ware is easy, disconnect the display to motor connector and attach the appropriate cables (can’t mess it up as one is male and the other female so will only go one way.  Connect the cable to the USB port and follow the directions on the Toseven website (https://to7motor.com/progam-updating-instructions) to update the firmware on both the motor and display (separate operation for both).  When updating the motor you need the battery connected and energized to provide power to the motor during update, when updating the display the battery is not required but the small power pack is connected to provide the necessary power to the display during updating.  Once updating is complete it is only a matter of restoring the display to motor connection and then proceeding through the display setup menus to restore the settings you are using.  I have found it useful to build a table in my word processor which lists each menus selection, the default value, and what I currently have the selection set to.  This is handy if you want to see how a change will affect operation and also to ensure that you return to a known setup after updating the firm ware as some updates may leave values alone while others may return them to a default value.

So far, I have over 1,000 miles on my DM01 and am happy with its performance.  The DM01 appears to be somewhat of a cross between a Bafang (and its power) and the TSDZ2 (and its torque assist).  In comparing it to the TSDZ2 it feels like a more powerful motor and is way quieter than the TSDZ2.  Although I have not opened it up, I have seen videos on YouTube and it appears that the heat management is much better than the TSDZ2.  I have made similar rides (20+ miles) with both motors and when stopping felt the motor cases to get an idea of how hot the motor was and in all cases the DM01 wins by a large margin as its barely warm.  The one thing I have noticed between the two motors is that when starting from a dead stop the torque assist on the TSDZ2 kicks in almost immediately while the DM01 can have a 2 or 3 rotation of the pedals to kick in, however I have found that if I preload the pedals prior to starting the assist kicks in almost as rapidly as the TSDZ2.  I haven’t experienced a Bafang to provide a good comparison to the other two so did not really address it.

After one of the later firm ware updates the torque assist startup problem I mentioned above has been improved to where it is not considered a problem when I ride now.