Need controller for Giant Lafree Sport

My original equipment controller on my Giant Lafree Sport fried while riding in a surprise pop up rainshower. I have exhausted all my known resources trying to find a replacement controller from Giant, Giant dealers or other third parties. I have been told that a suitable option is to get a sensorless controller that would bypass the torque sensor system in the bike and deliver assist instead of through the pedals completely via throttle. A possible supplier suggested to me was Tongxin. I googled them and found them to be a Chinese firm, sent them an email, but have received no reply. I am told there are model airplane companies that also produce these sensorless controllers and that they would be better than the Tongxin product, though more costly. True? The Giant Lafree Sport for which this controller is needed has a 24 volt brushed motor: 400 watts continuous, 1,000 watts peak. My thanks in advance for help in guiding me to the right source for the correct sensorless controller I evidently need to get my bike back up and running.

you may be able to modify your current controller to work off of the throttle. why do you think the controller is bad? do you have a voltmeter and know how to use it?

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I have a voltmeter and do use it. However, I smelled something burning when the controller went bad and took it to an automotive shop right away, before I even had a chance to get home and investigate on my own. When they took the cowling off the bike that exposes the controller and connections, it was very obvious it was the controller that had burned up. There was stuff that had oozed out of the venting openings in the controller that obviously still belonged inside the casing had it not gotton so hot that it turned to liquid and oozed out. The technician immediately smelled it and told me to smell it and said we need look no further.

I have been unable to find online or anywhere else a new or used replacement that matches this controller. Thus my desire to find a suitable match in a sensorless brushed controller that will at least let me operate the bike via throttle. I like and enjoy the pedal torque sensing setup, but it appears I will have to say goodbye to that part of the bike setup unless I suddenly find a way to procure an original spec controller. I feel my best option at this point is to give up that pursuit and get one of these sensorless controllers that is a match to my brushed motor.

do you have a picture of the controller so we can verify it is brushed? if it is brushed, then you can buy a brushed controller, you don't need a sensorless controller. try ecrazyman, he has 500W brushed controllers.

I can take the bike apart and submit a picture of the controller, but it is definitely a brushed controller and for 400 watts continuous rating motor. I know, because the bike has been heavily used and I have had to replace the brushes in the motor a couple of years ago.

I take it this ecrazyman is a poster on this forum under that handle. I appreciate the tip and will now do my due diligence and try to contact him as I desperately want to get this bike back running.

Sincere thanks.

ecrazyman is keywin on here i think, but he is a supplier of ebike controllers on ebay. maybe someone has a link to his estore, he has 350 and 500W brushed controllers, but it will not be with the PAS, just throttle. try google 'ecrazyman'

You have been great to lend your helping hand. I did as you suggested and the second Google result listed was to his Ebay store. His Ebay Member ID is e-crazyman and he currently has 18 items listed. From what I see listed, I think you have led me straight to the source I needed that will allow me to soon be happily getting around on my Lafree again.

Sincere appreciation!
Harvey

You need to PM deardancer3 on this forum, he works on these

dear dancer is on here too? i thought he just hung out on the optibike google chat. he has some great stories, the one i liked best was from an old farmer way out in the boonies who had heard him go by on his opti and later commented about how he thought he was going so fast because he was being chased by a swarm of bees.

Thanks, cassschr1. I sent a message to the 'crazy' brushed controller guy via the Ebay messaging system, mostly because he didn't have a brushed controller listed on Ebay that seemed to be the right match for my 400 watt motor. As I remember, the nearest match was a brushed motor controller that said it was for a 250 watt motor. I was figuring and hoping he probably has other products that he doesn't regularly list on Ebay that would more closely match what I need. Haven't heard back from him yet, so I may go ahead and message deardancer. If he still works on these long out-of-production bikes, then he must have access to controllers that work well as replacements.

Much thanks.

If all else fails , you could try these ..
http://tncscooters.com/partsdb.php?type=ES
most any 24v , 30A brushed controller will work for you, the issue you will have is selecting one with the correct connectors if you dont want to do any mods.

Thanks, Hillhater.

Still haven't heard back from the Ebay vendor, Deardancer (Dick) replied to my PM and said he could source controllers for more recent Giant ebikes, but can't get the controllers for the older Lafree Sport bikes.

I appreciate knowing that the wattage rating on a brushed controller is not particularly worrisome. So if I don't soon hear back from the Ebay vendor, I am going to submit my order for the TNC model controller that looks like it most closely matches my connector needs and is in the ballpark in terms of motor wattage rating.

Those replacement throttles I will also need one of, appear to me to be much easier to select. Not much I see that could go wrong there when making my selection.

My thanks to the three of you who have provided input. You can obviously tell I am feeling my way on this new to me undertaking. Each of you has contributed helpful input and I think I am now prepared to soon have my bike back up and running.

Hello! I also have a Lafree sport that has stopped working after getting drenched in rainstorms. I do have a multimeter and would like to test the controller, dnmun sounds like he might know how to do this?

also, there is a circuit in the battery compartment and it is fused, not sure what the circuit does, any clues? Thanks!