E brake cutoff not working? How can I diagnose?

[63corvairsprint]

I finished installation of all my componts this weekend and got my need test riding in for my first commute into work. The first particular bug I have been unable to correct is my E -brake power cutoff barke levers, don't seem to work? Or perhaps I am misunderstanding how they should work?

Are they supposed to completely suspend power to the motor?

First of all I wanted a "cruise" control, so I have the thumb throttle butted up to the shifter so it does not return to zero upon release, it stays where ever I place it. I assumed it would kill power and I would have to bring it to "zero" and re-throttle. I can stop the rear wheel with my disc brakes, but it doesn't stop the motor from getting input from the throttle and as soon as I release the brake it accelerates back up.

I can still hear what sounds like the motor trying to turn? I tried adjusting the brakes so th elevers have full travel (alomst touching the grips) thinking I wasn't releasing the cutoff button, but I still couldn't get them to cut power?

Any thoughts on how to test or check them? or am I just thinking they work differently than they really do?

 

[MadRhino]

Don't stop or slow down your motor with braking, that is making a lot of heat and eventually, will kill it.

Test your Ebrake circuit by shorting the 2 wires. If that is cutting off the motor it means that your brake lever switch or wiring is at fault. A bad connector, cut wire or wrong position of the switch in the lever, are things to look for. If shorting the wires don't cut the power to the motor, it is your controller that is wrong.

 

[d8veh]

Testing the brake switches should be easy because that's all they are. You need a meter or circuit tester that beeps when it makes contact. You then put one probe on each pin of the two-pin connector, and when you operate the brake, it should beep. You might need a friend to help because you need three hands.

Most controllers need to have the throttle set to zero at start-up before they will operate the throttle, so, if you leave your throttle permanently on, it won't work after you switch off.

The brake switch only temporarily cuts the controller power, and as soon as you release the brake, the bike will continue with whatever throttle is set. You don't need to re-initialise with zero throttle. When you release the brake, your bike will immediately power back up as long as the throttle is open, but it should suspend power while the brake is operated. It's not easy to check that that's what's happening without a watt-meter, where you would see the watts go down to zero when you operate the brake.

I operate my bike in a similar way to what you describe, and sometimes I have to double-check that the brake switch is still working. Another way to check it is to lift the motor wheel off the ground and power it up and then operate the other brake, which should cause it to cut and slow down.

 

[63corvairsprint]

I checked the front brake by lifting the rear wheel off the ground and braking while the throttle was engaged, it does nothing to motor speed.

I will have to assume the rear is also unresponsive...as I can stop the wheel with my disc brakes.

It does not make sense that when the brake is released, the motor re-engages. I would think that a "safety" switch would kill the motor until manually re-activated.