Need Wilderness documentation

[likes2bike]

Another newbie here and I'm hoping someone at this excellent forum can provide me some basic info. My local supplier didn't give me any sort of documentation with my BL 36 kit (bought motor, controller and throttle only) and they are better bike builders than e-technicians. The controller is marked SYK-36-40W and I'd like to know if the black and white are in fact brake interrupt. My goal is to add a cruise control and/or a less fatiguing thumb throttle. Or use brake interrupt with the twist throttles discussed elsewhere.

 

[wakataka]

I can't see the markings on my WE BL-36 controller to confirm the model number. I purchased it within the past 2 months and it is the current model that provides an instant start rather than a pedal first start. It has a small connector with small gauge black and white wires. There was no documentation about the additional connector, but I tested it and confirmed that it is a brake switch. Short across the black and white wire and the motor stops.

One thing I've done to make the thumb throttle less of a pain is to rotate it so that when you're at full throttle, the thumb lever is way forward, completely under the hand grip, where your thumb would normally be if you were gripping the handle grip. This puts the charge indicator lights down out of clear view but they are mostly useless anyway. For me, this orientation makes it a lot more comfortable, and if my thumb gets tired I can give it a rest by holding full throttle with my index finger wrapped around from the top of the handle grip.

BEWARE - the color of the wires coming out of both my WE controllers (BL-36 and BD-36) are reversed. Black is positive and red is negative. Not sure if they are all this way or not. You'll want to confirm the polarity of this connector before you hook up a battery to it. I understand you can fry the controller if you hook it up backwards.

 

[dogman dan]

good advice on the polarity. That sounds to me like the old version of the controller. Isn't the new one 50 amp. That one looks like it would be 36v 40 amp.

 

[likes2bike]

Thanks for the info, will pursue reed switch brake interrupt mentioned elsewhere.
Controller was hooked up with "normal" polarity but now you made me wonder how one would discover miswired or even check polarity of the controller anyway.
Brake/shifter/throttle config seems to be a bit difficult on e-bikes, but somewhere on this forum....

 

[dogman dan]

Once you melt a set of connectors you'll see how we notice things like this. You go to install new one's match colors, and get an experience you won't forget soon. Pretty quick you are checking everyting for polarity compuslively.

 

[caykroyd]

Sorry to restart this post, but how do you check the polarity of the controller's battery inputs before hooking up the battery?

 

[icecube57]

Whispers... VoLt MeTeR.... Well you really can check for polarity i dont think. 9 times out of 10 they are red and black. You cant go by color codes anymore. I remember i tried to guess the polarity of my battery charger and had a brown and blue wire. I though blue was negative and brown was positive but it was the exact opposite. I had a nice spark I was very lucky i didnt blow my bms up. That would have been super duper gay. That shows we do not have international standard for wiring. Alot of the time some of the chinese companies use whatever wire that had in surplus that day.

 

[dogman dan]

Check polarity with a voltmeter, 5 bucks at harbor freight, maybe 15 at autozone. Then when your are certain of polarity, check it again 8)

On the WE controller plug, the input from the battery, the positve wire has the male connector so the battery side connector has a female one preventing an accidental short if you touch the plug to a ground when the battery is unplugged.

Not sure I said that clear enough. On the wire from the battery, there is a plug with a male side exposed, and a female side protected. The female, protected side is the positive wire coming from the battery. On the controller, it is the mirror image, with the positive wire being the unprotected male one.

 

[dnmun]

you can take the thumb throttle apart and deactivate the spring, then add a rubber band, easier to hold on.

not sure if you really did reverse polarity on the controller, the plugs are built to be polarized and you need to work to reverse it. ? red is positive, black is negative, period.

 

[dogman dan]

Not on WE wiring, period. They use the same pigtail for both wires, so one has red positive, the other blue. I think it's the controller that has a blue wire for positive, and red wire for positive on the battery wire on a bl 36 kit.

 

[caykroyd]

How do you test the controller with voltmeter with no batteries connected? Since I have a BL36, that may not be consistent with wire colors, I don't want to fry my controller.