How to wire lights and bypass the speed controller?

P

paul fortman

100 mW
Joined
Oct 27, 2018
Messages
40
I am running a 48v 2000w electric scooter which has a 12v 25w headlight pre installed.
I decided to add 2 additional lamps,
i first wired them in series and they were noticeably dimmer than the main headlamp. When wired in parallel they were much brighter but either way the much bigger issue was that the motor engaged driving the back wheel, really scary!!
Anyone got any ideas why this is happening and how to overcome the problem? I just want to achieve some extra front lighting.

Thanks in advance.
 
What is the source for the 12V?

What else does the 12V run?

How low in voltage does the 12V get when both lights are on, vs when only the original one is on?


If the 12v is required for the controller, then if the load on the source is too great, perhaps it drops too low in voltage, and the controller begins to act in unintended ways.
 
paul fortman said:
I am running a 48v 2000w electric scooter which has a 12v 25w headlight pre installed.
I decided to add 2 additional lamps,
i first wired them in series and they were noticeably dimmer than the main headlamp. When wired in parallel they were much brighter but either way the much bigger issue was that the motor engaged driving the back wheel, really scary!!
Anyone got any ideas why this is happening and how to overcome the problem? I just want to achieve some extra front lighting.
Click to expand...
OK first off, switch to LED lighting. 1/4 the power draw, 1/4 the heat. You can replace those three lights with LED's and get more light for less power than you needed with a single 25W light.

Next, do the lights operate off a 12V DC/DC converter? If so, then that same converter may be driving the motor controller logic, and all your 12V light are browning it out - leading to odd behavior (like the motor running.) In any case, switching to LED will solve that.

Or stick with your original light.
 
Thanks for the help on this guys,
Before we go any further, I think the advice regarding using LED bulbs is probably the way forward.

The big question is, where can I get led bulbs with the same fittings as these bulbs in the images?
These are the original bulbs but I have no idea where I can get the same in LED's with the same fittings
 
paul fortman said:
Thanks for the help on this guys,
Before we go any further, I think the advice regarding using LED bulbs is probably the way forward.

The big question is, where can I get led bulbs with the same fittings as these bulbs in the images?
These are the original bulbs but I have no idea where I can get the same in LED's with the same fittings?



e86620d7e81f5249f40f15b52051f28d.jpg
df1a2c0eb2ce6ea304fc56570cce3282.jpg
dcaed8489d722cbb8b112db83155c11e.jpg
5113fa515345f2455b2c2b5ac92cfd31.jpg


Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
 
I've been having issues wiring extra lights to my scooter.
The extra lights are causing a brownout which is causing the speed controller to become confused and engaging the motor drive which is super dangerous.
So my questions are as follows..

How do I wire the lights directly to the battery but bypass the speed controller? And how would I drop down the voltage from 48v to 12v? (I will use a separate switch) I won't use the built in scooter on/ off headlight switch.

Also, alot of LED headlights for scooters seem to say they work between 12v & 80v.
As I am running 12v would that mean the lights would be really dim?

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 
paul fortman said:
How do I wire the lights directly to the battery but bypass the speed controller? And how would I drop down the voltage from 48v to 12v? (I will use a separate switch) I won't use the built in scooter on/ off headlight switch.
Click to expand...
You need a DC/DC converter. Ebikes.ca sells them. So do many others. Make sure you put your main power switch between the battery and everything else.
Also, alot of LED headlights for scooters seem to say they work between 12v & 80v.
As I am running 12v would that mean the lights would be really dim?
Click to expand...
No. Good LED lights have ballasts that limit current. So the brightness will be similar between the limits of voltage it can handle.
 
Alan B said:
LED lights don't have ballasts.

The wide ranging voltage LED lights have built in DC/DC converters.
Click to expand...
So in a nutshell what would you recommend doing?

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 
billvon said:
paul fortman said:
How do I wire the lights directly to the battery but bypass the speed controller? And how would I drop down the voltage from 48v to 12v? (I will use a separate switch) I won't use the built in scooter on/ off headlight switch.
Click to expand...
You need a DC/DC converter. Ebikes.ca sells them. So do many others. Make sure you put your main power switch between the battery and everything else.
Also, alot of LED headlights for scooters seem to say they work between 12v & 80v.
As I am running 12v would that mean the lights would be really dim?
Click to expand...
No. Good LED lights have ballasts that limit current. So the brightness will be similar between the limits of voltage it can handle.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the info I very much appreciate it

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
How to wire lights to speed controller?
Replies
3
Views
1,010
ATWasHere39
A
C
Chimera”... Antique style E bike build, circa 1915...why and how
Replies
6
Views
968
classicalgas
C
F
  • Locked
Zapino ZAP scooter upgrade
Replies
17
Views
3,055
neptronix
neptronix
tsellers
Frey M600 V2, Purchase, Pre, and Post-assembly tips
Replies
1
Views
2,481
Davnic
D
Volvofan
Rear 36v 500-1000W hub motor recommendation for high speed commuter?
Replies
2
Views
820
Volvofan
Volvofan
Back
Top