Cooked controller, replacement ordered

I damaged my controller by overpowering and overheating it.

Symptom, motor stutters, is not accelerating smoothly, intermittent power, feels like one of three phases is not powering.

Cause: overpowered the system and heat broke something.

Solution: upgrade controller, forced air cool it too.

This failure is my fault, I've been riding a 36/48v hub motor with a 15a controller, but I'm running it at 58.8v because I like to go fast. I recently built a new battery array of two air cooled battery and was hoping to get my range up to 1 hour of full power ride time.

It ran well until climbing a 10% grade the last 2.2km (1mi) to get home. Air temp was about 35C (95F) and no clouds, motor started stalling, I stopped and paused in the shade and checked temps. The fans kept the battery nice and cool, voltage was 52v, then I felt the controller cover was very hot. It had vent holes but no forced air.

I got home and recharged the battery, pulled to cover off and checked all wires for burns or short, all is good with them. But the motor stutters and can't make power. This is the controller, it appears the adhesive on the label got soft and the sticker bubbled up a bit too.
Pictured below is the dual battery array, at the lower left of the image is the controller cover.

With the motor and battery disconnected, try measuring resistance with a meter between each phase wire and battery negative and battery positive wires on the controller. Swap the meter probes on each measurement. If the output FETs are good, each measurement should look like a diode, with high resistance in one direction but not the other. If any combination is near zero in both directions, it indicates that FET bank has a short. It may be possible to replace the shorted FET(s) and make it work again.

fechter said:

With the motor and battery disconnected, try measuring resistance with a meter between each phase wire and battery negative and battery positive wires on the controller. Swap the meter probes on each measurement. If the output FETs are good, each measurement should look like a diode, with high resistance in one direction but not the other. If any combination is near zero in both directions, it indicates that FET bank has a short. It may be possible to replace the shorted FET(s) and make it work again.

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thanks, all three motor wires showed high resistance on negative and zero reading on positive.

OK, blown high side FETs.

Assuming there isn't going to be a relaxing of the throttle hand, it's time to buy a bigger controller and dial the current down to match your battery. That way the controller will run cool and you can skip the fans. Get one with a wide voltage range, so when the battery dies, you can up the voltage. When the motor melts, whether before or after the battery, replace it with a fast wind motor.

You'll need better brakes.

E-HP said:

Assuming there isn't going to be a relaxing of the throttle hand, it's time to buy a bigger controller and dial the current down to match your battery. That way the controller will run cool and you can skip the fans. Get one with a wide voltage range, so when the battery dies, you can up the voltage. When the motor melts, whether before or after the battery, replace it with a fast wind motor.

You'll need better brakes.

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You're correct in your assumption, I like to move the same rate of speed as the cars around me.

I've got a 48V - 72V 26A-33Amp controller on order from ebay, I don't know if it will interface with my display, I don't need a display anyway.

regarding brakes: more go = more whoa, I'm on a V brake frame with cables and not happy with it. I still can't descend the mountain comfortably, I've been walking the bike down when riding to town. I've destroyed brake pads, boiled hyd brake oil and melted brakes lines on this descent and it's not getting any less steep.

This store bought bike I'm on has been upgraded, abused and replaced as much as possible, the only original piece left is the motor and it's not melted yet, but it's way beyond it's engineered specs. I've gone as far as I can with this bike.

I'm building a new bike based around the geared hub motor that has regen from our Canadian friends at GRIN. I plan on stretching a steel beach cruiser frame to be a bit longer, similar to a radwagon, modifying a motorcycle front fork with dual hyd discs and putting motorcycle rims/wheels on it.

N8! said:

I'm building a new bike based around the geared hub motor that has regen from our Canadian friends at GRIN. I plan on stretching a steel beach cruiser frame to be a bit longer, similar to a radwagon, modifying a motorcycle front fork with dual hyd discs and putting motorcycle rims/wheels on it.

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The regen should tame your downhill braking excitement quite a bit.

N8! said:

You're correct in your assumption, I like to move the same rate of speed as the cars around me.

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What about the drivers or "self-driving" systems travelling faster than you that don't see you? Cyclists get squished by SUVs etc, even in groups sometimes. I find a 1800LM rear flasher powered by the ebike battery works well to increase visibility, in addition to all the usual hiviz gear from head to toe. Mine's on flashing rapidly day and night. Well noticed even in bright daylight. If it wasn't, I'd install more of the same.





It's one of these smaller "1800LM" headlights made red with heat-resistant acetate sheet:

That’s a nasty light setup. Have you tried getting someone to ride your bike while you drive behind it to see how blinding it is? Same for the front lights.

Guerney said:

What about the drivers or "self-driving" systems travelling faster than you that don't see you? Cyclists get squished by SUVs etc, even in groups sometimes. I find a 1800LM rear flasher powered by the ebike battery works well to increase visibility, in addition to all the usual hiviz gear from head to toe. Mine's on flashing rapidly day and night. Well noticed even in bright daylight. If it wasn't, I'd install more of the same.


View attachment 355059


It's one of these smaller "1800LM" headlights made red with heat-resistant acetate sheet:


View attachment 355060


View attachment 355061

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>

What about the drivers

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they are a menace, always have been, they kill everything around them and spray tire dust, pollute and suck.. sometimes I'm a driver and it sucks. I avoid the roads they prefer when I can.

I had to turn down my screen brightness to read this post, very nice lights.

if I ride after dark I very rarely leave my gated community. We have only a few residents, most are elderly, and we all drive very slowly, day or night.

Once I'm out on the main roads all bets are off, I'm roadkill. I have to take a main highway down the mountain, there's two other routes but they worse than the main road and there's free range gaurde dogs on both. Once I get to the city I can get off the main roads and take slow narrow streets until I connect to the bike trail(s)

Guerney said:

What about the drivers or "self-driving" systems travelling faster than you that don't see you? Cyclists get squished by SUVs etc, even in groups sometimes.

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Recent case in point:

N8! said:

>


they are a menace, always have been, they kill everything around them and spray tire dust, pollute and suck.. sometimes I'm a driver and it sucks. I avoid the roads they prefer when I can.

I had to turn down my screen brightness to read this post, very nice lights.

if I ride after dark I very rarely leave my gated community. We have only a few residents, most are elderly, and we all drive very slowly, day or night.

Once I'm out on the main roads all bets are off, I'm roadkill. I have to take a main highway down the mountain, there's two other routes but they worse than the main road and there's free range gaurde dogs on both. Once I get to the city I can get off the main roads and take slow narrow streets until I connect to the bike trail(s)

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I'm out day and night, all hours and areas all over the UK. In the UK legal speed is limited - ocasionally I pedal beyond the legal 25km/h cutoff to keep up with slow moving traffic (this is legal because you're using your own power), but only if I'm stuck on a single narrow lane for whatever reason. Because of the risk of being crushed by large metal boxes on wheels driven by the blind, automated, intoxicated, distracted or dead etc, I don't dare assume I'm visible to anyone, despite all those lights mentioned, additional flashing colour changing spoke lights making patterns as they spin on both wheels, a bright red flashing LED sash on my back, being dressed from head to toe in high visibility clothing, and sporting a GoPro on the jawguard of my helmet recording constantly in case I need to sue someone. And they will be relentlessly sued to within an inch of their lives, believe me.

glennb said:

That’s a nasty light setup. Have you tried getting someone to ride your bike while you drive behind it to see how blinding it is? Same for the front lights.

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My lights don't blind drivers. Look carefully at the photos - they point down at the road, and I've tested my light setup on driver friends to make sure they're not blinding. I've had no complaints from cops either. If the three headlights totalling 6000LM on my handlebar were all flashing, they could cause accidents at night, so I keep those constant except during the day, when two are constant and one 1800LM is flashing. The lollipop contraption on the right keeps vehicles away - instead of whizzing past at high speed an inch away from my handlebar, they zoom an inch past that, which is 39.99cm away from my handlebar (legal limit is 40cm). It doesn't alter my trajectory if struck, tested that too - simply swivels out of the way.

I pedal beyond the legal 25km/h

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those are rookie numbers amigo, boost that voltage up, build fatter batteries with higher C rating... racing is breaking.

cars kill, I've been hit 3 times in the last 45 years, none bone breaking but I've donated some skin to the asphalt gods

he only defense is to not be there.

that video, the lack of infrastructure.... I'd never ride in that area. Since that happened in Dallas I assume the car driver was given a cookie and new gun for running the bike over, the DUI is just tacked on to look fair.

This arrived yesterday, I don't have time to hook it up and see if it works with my display today, hopefully I'll have time tomorrow.
Anyone here familiar with this controller?