Best bag for controller? Or just mount it naked?

[philipmb]

Im having a tough time finding "ebike controller bags" on Google, ebikes.ca, amazon, ebay etc. I see them all over, usually included in a kit, but my kit didn't come with a controller bag. I can find battery bags but not controller bags which are smaller.
There will be wires poking out everywhere if I don't use a small bag with a hole for the wires, but I've seen some comments that the controller shouldn't even be in a bag. If that's so why do the bags usually come with the kit?

Does anyone know where I can find a smallish rectangular (not triangle) bag made specifically for an ebike controller, roughly 7-8" long with holes for the wires on either side? I don't want a triangle bag, just something under the seat or on rack with battery, just somewhere on the frame not in the triangle and made specifically for an ebike controller.

 

[amberwolf]

Controller creates heat.

Controller in bag often means overheating.

I dont' know why vendors would supply bags for controllers in kits, unless their kit uses so little power that it has little chance of overheating the controller.

If I were to put my 12FET controllers on my SB Cruiser trike into bags, they would probably fail during my 2.5 mile trip to or from work, even without the summer heat, just from the heat generated with EABS active braking (which also heats the motros and phase wires).

The little 6FET I had on another bike with a small geared motor, however, probably would be ok in a bag.

So you should try your system out and measure temperatures in the cotnroller, and see what they get to out of a bag, adn then in a bag, and see if it gets too hot one way or the other.

Unfortunatley I can't tell you any specifics about your build, because you didn't provide any information about it. If you had a build thread for your bike and had asked this question in that thread instead, I might have been able to do more.

 

[Chalo]

Any electric device with cooling fins, vents, or fans on it needs ambient (preferably flowing) air to work as designed. Don't put it in a bag.

 

[Make More Pi]

Mount it naked.

I found that the area between the down tube and the cargo rack was a good place to mount my controller. It actually screws on to the two metal pieces that connect the cargo rack to the down tube. And I think this connection to something solid could help sink some of the heat out.

 

[arkmundi]

Ditto, exposed for cooling. Use zip-ties, not bags. Wrap exposed wiring to make neat & waterproof. Had some scrap faux leather for that and duct tape. Or Gorilla tape.

 

[dogman dan]

Some do put controllers, especially smaller power ones that don't make so much heat in bags. But they tend to live in cool damp climates. I live in the southwestern desert, and here in the summer it's mandatory to mount a controller naked.

Judge for yourself if your controller gets too hot in a bag. It should not be allowed to get very much hotter than body temp. It needs to cool. If you can't keep your hand on it as long as you want to, it's too hot. Controllers have a water seal, but if you need to, add some additional sealant to keep it dry inside. Mount the controller so it can get breeze, but stay drier when you do ride in the wet.

 

[kfong]

Cooling your electronics is always better for longevity. Easy enough to seal the controller with silicon and provide drip loops to prevent any water path into the controller. One of my favorite spots is just on the downtube, where it gets direct air exposure.

 

[arkmundi]

Click here --->> https://www.google.com/search?hl=en...8.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..9.10.596.16IOSxYHSx4....

 

[d8veh]

I have always put my controllers in bags. It shouldn't be a problem unless your motor is too high speed for its power. It also depends on your climate. I live in temperate UK. There's no bags specifically for controllers. Instead you should look for a bicycle tool bag. You get pod or triangle shaped ones that go in the frame triangle or other ones that go behind the saddle like this:

 

[chas58]

I've overheated a couple of them (little 6 fet ones), although I am running a pretty high speed motor for my power. The motor doesn't get hot, the controller does. More like warm to the touch.

I mount them naked. Painted them black to match my rear rack. No problems since then...

 

[philipmb]

Thanks for the responses, it looks like the consensus is to just Mount naked but seems like there are some that do use bags as long as the local climate allows. I'd prob need to go the naked route if heat is an issue since I'm here in Bakersfield, CA which gets desert like dry heat in the summer.

This is the kit I'm building:
http://gocarlite.com/product/48v-high-end-geared-motor-system/

 

[philipmb]

I've overheated a couple of them (little 6 fet ones), although I am running a pretty high speed motor for my power. The motor doesn't get hot, the controller does. More like warm to the touch.

I mount them naked. Painted them black to match my rear rack. No problems since then...

Painting it black is definitely an interesting suggestion I hadn't thought about yet. Is simply spray paint good enough or did you use something else?

 

[philipmb]

Unfortunatley I can't tell you any specifics about your build, because you didn't provide any information about it. If you had a build thread for your bike and had asked this question in that thread instead, I might have been able to do more.

Sorry for that, what area of the forum would I make a build thread? Pictures section?

 

[philipmb]

Click here --->> https://www.google.com/search?hl=en...8.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..9.10.596.16IOSxYHSx4....

Some really interesting images in that search link lol.

 

[mark5]

If you have to put your controller in a bag use a mesh bag. If the controller will fit in it at all.

 

[chas58]

I've overheated a couple of them (little 6 fet ones), although I am running a pretty high speed motor for my power. The motor doesn't get hot, the controller does. More like warm to the touch.

I mount them naked. Painted them black to match my rear rack. No problems since then...

Painting it black is definitely an interesting suggestion I hadn't thought about yet. Is simply spray paint good enough or did you use something else?

I just cleaned, primed, and spray pained it to match the black rack it is mounted on.

 

[TheBeastie]

Yeah controllers have fins to stay cool, ever opened up your PC to see the big finned heat sink and fan? Would you put a thick bag over that?
The reason there isn't a giant fan on your controller like there is on a desktop PC CPU is because the controller is expected to be sitting naked in open air and when the bike is moving its getting the same amount of air a fan would give.

Seems like a common mistake some folk try to do, I feel a tad disgusted for ebike kit sellers who have to exchange warranty for people over heating controllers putting them in bags etc.
I noticed my S12S controller has grown at least %30 in size since my first s12s controller probably with same guts inside but they had to make the whole metal shell casing bigger due to people killing them due to lack of air.

The battery bottle style frame case there above with the built in controller has at its base rather large vent/inlet holes on the bottom also it's holes face into incoming airflow as the bike movies.
I do paint my controller black but that's my limit and the moment I do that I accept the fact the if it no longer works that's purely my fault.
I place my *wires only* in a simple draw string bag with a little hole cut on the other side.

http://www.banggood.com/Accessories-Drawstring-Bags-For-Gopro-HD-Hero1-2-3-Camera-Accessory-p-86238.html
http://www.banggood.com/Black-Soft-Cloth-Pouch-Storage-Drawstring-Bag-Sunglasses-Glasses-MP3-p-932637.html

 

[Chalo]

I live in temperate UK

"Temperate", he says. Maybe for peat moss, I say.

Gotta remember all of us in this discussion have common ancestors from equatorial Africa.

 

[tomjasz]

I found this seat post bag on closeout at sierratradingpost.com $35
9x4.7x5.5"
We'll see, but it look nice.

 

[Raged]

I put mine in a saddle bag and it did get warm, but nothing went wrong. My controller is over-specced for my setup though (not pushed hard).

Sorry pics are big, they're from my build thread. I eventually moved the power switch to be under the seat as it was easier to get to.

 

[RustyKipper]

After reading this thread I thought I would have a feel of my controller tucked away in the rear bag after a particularly arduous 20% climb peddling hard at 9mph for about a minute, 6 fet controller shunt modded to 18A driving a 250W hub motor, it was quite hot to the touch, I was quite surprised. probably didn't help that it was part covered by my wet weather clothes ( I live in the UK 53 degrees north, 500 feet elevation and yesterday outside temperature 20 centigrade). I will be relocating the controller outside the bag very soon! Couldn't do much on a weekday night as this is my transport to work so just added a plywood baffle to keep some air space around the controller.