Reducing power for young rider

Im building an electric Go Kart but its pretty much the same as a geared scooter and so I'm trying this forum as it seems like most of my google searches have ended up here. I'm still gathering parts but I picked up a cheap Chinese my1020 48v 1000w motor, yk31 controller and a hall effect throttle combo. My goal is to build something that my young kids can ride reasonably safely but then twist a dial and let my teenage step son have fun with it. In my head I can simply wire a potentiometer inline with the throttle and therefore the controller will only give partial power even at full throttle. But I'm pretty sure its not quite that simple. Potentiometers are cheap so if I don't hear anything I might just try it.

If anyone has attempted something similar and has any advice I'd be very appreciative.

Thanks

Yes, a potentiometer will work to some extent. Normal range for a hall throttle signal is roughly 1-4 volts. Typical input resistance of a controller is around 20k ohms.

There are a few ways to hook up a pot. You could set it up as a divider on the signal line or place it in series with the signal line. Both of these approaches will cause a large dead zone in the throttle when turned down but work normally when turned up.

Another approach is to put resistance in series with the 5v supply to the throttle. This should have less dead zone but not allow as low of a setting.

Thanks! For the price of a pot I think its worth a shot. I probably should have studied up on dc electrical prior to starting this, so will you just verify the wiring for me. The signal from the throttle is wired to the central pin (wiper) of the pot. The right pin goes to the controller and the left pin goes to ground. I'm hoping that by dividing the voltage of the signal and not the 5v power maybe it will minimize the dead zone when the pot is turned down low.

Thanks again

I'd take the signal from the throttle and run it to the right side of the pot and hook the wiper to the controller input. Ground the left side of the pot. This will divide the throttle signal.
Sorry I can t give you a drawing but I'm using my phone.

You could eliminate the dead zone by running the left side to a fixed 0.8v source but probably not worth the effort.

Thank you. I'll be giving this a try very soon.

fechter said:

You could eliminate the dead zone by running the left side to a fixed 0.8v source but probably not worth the effort.

Click to expand...

Could you put a diode on the base of the pot to ground to create this?

amberwolf said:

Could you put a diode on the base of the pot to ground to create this?

Click to expand...

Yes. That would most likely work. You'd still have some dead zone but it would be much smaller.

An expensive approach would be to use a Cycle Analyst at ~$130. A menu option allows you to limit the amperage flow. If you wanted to get fancy you could get a 3-way toggle for high, medium, and low amperage settings.