Thank you. Can I assume that all Pedal assist are interchangeable?
If you mean the PAS sensor itself, no, therea re quite a few types both phsyically and electrically, in how they connect, the voltages used, the signals they put out,e tc. See the ebikes.ca page on learning about PAS systems for a few variations you might run across out there.
If you mean the controller itself, then also, no, because they have to match with the PAS sensor that was used.
If you mean the controller compatiblity with all the other sthings on the bike, like the display,e tc., that depends on the specific parts involved--the only way to guarantee compatiblity especially with controller/display is to get them as a set from the same place at the same time, if they are bought separately (sometimes even from the same place) they might be incompatible firmwares or protocols, etc.
I assumed that the controller they sent were defective because there was no QC stamp on the back like the original.
The stamp is just a marking, and doesn't mean any qc was actually done, so don't count on that being there being a sign it was tested or it being missing a sign that it wasn't. :/
The only way to know a controller is defective or not is to test it; if it fails the tests and you are certain that it is wired correctly *for that specific controller's wiring needs*, then it's probably defective. Keep in mind that wire colors are not standard, nor are connector types or wirings even if they look the same as another. Without a well-created *accurate* manual of some kind for that specific model of that specific controller, it's pretty tough to know what it's individual wires are for, to make sure you hook them up correctly. (you also have to already know what the individual wires on your system are all for, as well).
Connectors that appear identical may not be wired identically, or evne used for the same signals. .it's more common for stuff using higo/julet types to be wired in a common way, but that is not a guarantee. Also there are clones of various types of connectors that don't fit the real ones or each other correclty, so that pins don't mate fully or at all...
the place I bought it from gave me the number for the tech support which turned out to be a person with limited knowledge and no real support team.
That would be standard for pretty much any product (not just ebike parts). Well, actually it isn't standard--it's quite a few steps up from most since they *had* a phone number *and* they answered.
