Source for cheap thumb throttles with "molex" plug?

Chalo

100 TW
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Hi people,

One of the running projects I have that relates both to my personal interests and my workplace duties is to compose a minimal, simple, easy kit of e-bike components for DIY e-conversions or resuscitating inoperative bikes. The aim is threefold: to minimize conversion or repair cost, to simplify the process for folks who aren't experienced, and to ease troubleshooting and ongoing maintenance, while optimizing reliability.

The system layout as it stands is as follows:

1) A relatively low powered dual-mode controller that can agree with a range of battery voltages and current capabilities. I can find this part easily and very cheaply.

2) A 9 pin breakout cable as appropriate, to mate a typical geared hub motor to the above type of controller. This is also easy and cheap enough to find.

3) A cost-effective second life battery of higher original quality than the usual new manufactured e-bike battery. These are fairly random, but it seems there's always something available. Quality and availability is continually improving, it seems.

4) A salvaged hub motor. There are lots more of these around to salvage than you might think. They're the least likely part of an e-bike system to be beyond saving, in my subjective experience.

5) A cheap and reliable throttle, ideally thumb, ideally usable on either right or left side. But here's the kicker: I want it to come with the kind of plug that cheap cheesy Chinese speed controllers almost always use-- the ones referred to as "molex" that are not in any way actually Molex connectors, or even fake Molex connectors. Having to splice wires or replace plugs is contrary to the objective here.

Here's the kind of controller-side throttle connector I'm trying to mate up with:
1000003071.jpg
It's very very easy for me to find throttles that come with male terminals that match the right housing, but almost impossible to find ones that come with the plug housing itself. Grr.

TL; DR--

Who knows where I can find cheap, either-side thumb throttles with the corny Chinese type connector including the plastic plug housing? Failing that, who knows where I can find just the male 3 pin plug housings by themselves? Thanks to anybody who can help point me in the right direction.
 
There are some variations of that housing, but it's likely that the ones here will fit

I once knew the name of the housing, but I don't recall it ATM.

It's not Molex and it's not Tamiya, though both of those names get bandied about for them, neither are they AMP.

EDIT: an accidental find, at the end of this post, shows that quite a few hits occur using MTW 110 series connector
Hopefully this is the right one (and not a different one of the variations).

An image search for "white 3 pin housing" finds a few that look like the right one, or something close at least,
like this
or this


That last pair of links appears to have an actual name and model, so the males are 6030 series, females 6040, MTW 110 series. The number of pins used is part of the model number but is more complex than that. I tried to paste the data table below but it is a mess, so instead there's a screenshot.
1736226966146.png
 
Last edited:
Cool project btw.
 
where I can find cheap, either-side thumb throttles with the corny Chinese type connector including the plastic plug housing? Failing that, who knows where I can find just the male 3 pin plug housings by themselves?
Not local to you,

Throttle with male housing:

Company in the first link have a few variations of throttle, but some of them are confusing as they show pictures with both male & female housing on the same product page.

3 pin male + female housings:
 
Thanks afzal and Inanek. I haven't ordered anything on AliExpress in a while, since they seem to interfere with doing it with my fone browser (and there's no way I'm installing a Chinese app that does who knows what other than e-commerce).

The main reason I seek a thumb throttle is that they're much more likely to work with existing shifters on the donor bike. It's not only a big ask to neutralize or impair the shifter on someone's bike, but it's often beyond their abilities to remove or even relocate it.

I did recently find a cheap twist throttle with the "molex" (Sumitomo) plug on it from eBay, but unfortunately it's a female plug so it won't work with the controllers I want to plug into. I'm not super pleased with the unnecessary fin on the hard twist grip, but if that were my only issue with it, it would pass muster.
 
There are some variations of that housing, but it's likely that the ones here will fit

I once knew the name of the housing, but I don't recall it ATM.

It's not Molex and it's not Tamiya, though both of those names get bandied about for them, neither are they AMP.

EDIT: an accidental find, at the end of this post, shows that quite a few hits occur using MTW 110 series connector
Hopefully this is the right one (and not a different one of the variations).

An image search for "white 3 pin housing" finds a few that look like the right one, or something close at least,
like this
or this


That last pair of links appears to have an actual name and model, so the males are 6030 series, females 6040, MTW 110 series. The number of pins used is part of the model number but is more complex than that. I tried to paste the data table below but it is a mess, so instead there's a screenshot.
View attachment 363976
Thanks AW! This is gold. 💛
 
Following up:

Yes, the graceless off-white multi-pin plugs with spade terminals that I've only ever noticed in cheap Chinese e-bike components, seem to have been lifted from Sumitomo designs. But to find them for sale online, you have to search for "2.8mm" or "6.3mm" connectors where instead of referring to number of pins, many sellers refer to them as "2 way", "3 way" etc.

Good news is that they're cheap and available in lots of pin counts. I don't super love the way my Anderson Powerpole crimper mashes them, but the 15A and 30A slots do okay depending on wire gauge and on my care in keeping the terminals' "wings" out of the crimp zone.

 
Chalo: You don't need an app if you order from a desktop computer. AliExpress now accepts Paypal so no worries about giving the whole of China your Visa info, I order regularly from them and it works seamlessly. Shipping is often more than it used to be but compared to ordering a $15 item from Stanton Inc or Electric Scooter Parts (US vendors), who seem to charge at least $50 + duty/fees to Canada, AliExpress is a pretty good deal. Same items, cheaper prices/shipping, but longer wait.
 
I don't super love the way my Anderson Powerpole crimper mashes them, but the 15A and 30A slots do okay depending on wire gauge and on my care in keeping the terminals' "wings" out of the crimp zone.
The contacts in this type of connector better fit a "Molex" crimper, if you have one around. (the molex also does JST ok)

Otherwise this kit or any of a bajillion identical ones out there will have at least one die that fits them:
 
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