48 volt pack wires running hot

[deekmacrae]

I have installed a 1000 watt hub motor, with a 4x 12 volt battery in series, however, the wires keep running hot, in some cases, melting the spade connectors, and the fuse blew too, as the kit and fuse had no indication of ampage, I resorted to 13 amp household fuses, I go through around a pack a week, its clear that the connections between the controller and hub need an upgrade too, as the 3 main power wires run hot and melted together, thank god I spotted it quick enough, I chucked the bag that came with the kit away, and have resorted to using a amsterdam box, its large enough for both the controller and the 48 volt sla pack, the controller and wire seem to run cooler, but I can easily blow a fuse if im even 2/3rds throttle, I have used standard equipment wire for the battery, and its probably causing the problems with the fuse and heat, can anyone recommend a wire good enough to handle the power and heat, and what fuse do I need for this 1000 watt motor, i have purchased 15 amp fuses but afraid to use them, the wire I used was single core 0.6mm equipment wire, and standard spade connectors, many thanks in advance, and I can post pictures if requested.

 

[Rodney64]

Would be best to use wire that's 12 gauge and as far as the fuse goes if the controller is 20 amp then your fuse will need to be higher than this. The heat will be coming from the wire you are using. .6mm is not thick enough.

 

[deekmacrae]

12 gauge, like speaker wire ?, sorry for being a noob, also, how do I tell the ampage of my controller ?, it only says 1000 watts on the outside

 

[dnmun]

the metal clips of the fuse holder make bad contacts and the fuse holder is acting like an electric space heater.

 

[deekmacrae]

the metal clips of the fuse holder make bad contacts and the fuse holder is acting like an electric space heater.

spot on mate, the thin wires and bad fuse holder all contribute to the problems, some 12 gauge wire and a blade inline fuse holder with a 20 amp fuse the solution ?

 

[Rodney64]

Yes it maybe ok. As long as it's copper.hobby king online sell good wire.

With 1000 watt kits the way it's calculated is 48 times the amperage of the controller equals 1000.

 

[deekmacrae]

I have four 12 volt battaries running in a series, peak ampage of each is 4.6 amps, so would a 48 volt 20 amp be reasonable to hold the current and heat ?

 

[deekmacrae]

guys please help, I have a 1000 watt hub, and a 4x12 volt 20ah sla battery pack, the fuse blows all the time, iv ordered some 12 gauge silicon wire for the batteries and a inline 20 amp fuse, I am using 13 amp household fuses and 0.6mm equipment wire like a noob, do you have any recommendations for rewiring the battery and what fuse I should be using, thanks.

 

[deekmacrae]

guys please help, I have a 1000 watt hub, and a 4x12 volt 20ah sla battery pack, the fuse blows all the time, iv ordered some 12 gauge silicon wire for the batteries and a inline 20 amp fuse, I am using 13 amp household fuses and 0.6mm equipment wire like a noob, do you have any recommendations for rewiring the battery and what fuse I should be using, thanks.

 

[wesnewell]

The fuse you use should be at least the same amperage as the max amperage of your controller. I don't know of any 1000W system that is less than 26A, so I'd go with a 30A fuse for it. I've been using a 40A ATC fuse on my 40A controller for at least 3 years now without blowing it.

 

[deekmacrae]

The fuse you use should be at least the same amperage as the max amperage of your controller. I don't know of any 1000W system that is less than 26A, so I'd go with a 30A fuse for it. I've been using a 40A ATC fuse on my 40A controller for at least 3 years now without blowing it.

thanks man, iv ordered 2 meters of 12 gauge, instead of the pissy 0.6mm i was using, and ordered both 25 amp and 30 amp fuses with an inline holder, hopefully that will stop my wires overheating and the fuses blowing

 

[deekmacrae]

new to the ebike world, a problem thats been plaguing me for weeks, and it was solved within 2 hours of joining

now if it blows up my ebike im blaming you lot...hehe

anyways, thanks guys for being solid

 

[shinobi]

Watts = volts * amps
watts/volts = amps
watts/amps = volts

Got it?

So, if you have a 1000w controller at 48v, you will be pulling ~21 amps from each battery, not 4.6

Now, let's find out what size wire we need.

Let's google some ampacity charts.. here's one http://wiki.xtronics.com/index.php/Wire-Gauge_Ampacity

Let's see here, 12 gauge enclosed is good for 23 amps.

So there you have it

TL;DR:: USE 12 GAUGE (2MM) WIRE AND A 25A FUSE.

 

[sal_park]

Ipeak ampage of each is 4.6 amps

I doubt it, I suspect that on the battery it says something like 4.6Ah ? This means that the pack can supply 4.6 amps for 1 hour or say 0.46 amps for 10 hours - it has nothing to do with the maximum instantaneous current the battery can supply. I suspect that your setup with a 1000W motor will probably have a peak current somewhere around 20 amps ? Either way, more than 4.6 amps !