E-bike conversion kit - Controller Housing???

[olliemontague]

Hi all, Merry Christmas!

I just bought an electric bike kit with a special waterproof controller that is sausage shape and fits niceley alongside the bottom bar of the bike frame and the conversion was a great success (Let me know if you're interested in where it came from, I've found a good supplier that provides a full kit including 9Ah Li-Mn battery for under £400)

However, most other electric bike kits have box shaped controllers. Two questions:
Where do you put the controller? (How is it housed on the bike?)
Are motor controllers generally waterproof as they come or do you need to put them in a water sealed box? I know that some Powabikes have special metal boxes on the front handlebars where the controller goes.

Thanks!

Ollie

 

[SamTexas]

I have never heard of a sausage shaped controller. Can you post a picture of it?

The eZee controller sold by ebike.ca is waterproof. http://ebikes.ca/store/store_ezee.php scroll down a few pages to see a picture of it under a running faucet.

I don't know if mines are waterproof, but I always enclosed mines completely inside the battery box. I am not fond of seeing exposed controllers and messy wiring.

 

[amberwolf]

However, most other electric bike kits have box shaped controllers. Two questions:
Where do you put the controller? (How is it housed on the bike?)

Take a look thru the before/after creations thread; it has lots of pictures of various mounting places.

 

[dogman dan]

Mostly I put controllers on top of a rear fender, and below and or behind my ass. Dryest spot on the bike while moving.

But the only water here is usually a puddle from a poorly adjusted lawn sprinkler.

 

[passpato]

You need a short cable run from the battery to the controller.I live in a damp climate, So I fit the battery and controller inside a plastic box on a rear rack.Some controllers are waterproof such as the Heinzmann stand alone controller. It depends where it is made to be mounted.
You should also consider it needs to loose heat so it needs to be attached to a heat sink.