Problems with motor controller (New to ebikes)

[omegagamer89]

I ordered all my parts and such off of ebay in a first attempt to convert my bike into an electric bike. I am using the following parts:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/110913700071?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
http://www.ebay.com/itm/330737389362?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=251147109564
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380471563374

I am having trouble hooking it all up. (I want to test it out before I attach any of it to the bike)

Here is what happens:
1) I hook the throttle up to the throttle connector on the controller (Blue to blue, red to red, black to black. I have also tried black to red and red to black)
2) I plug the motor into the motor connector. (This has a specific plug that can only go in one way so I know for sure that part is in right)
3) I connect my 2 12v batteries together in series, then connect one wire from the battery to the power connector on the motor controller, but leave the second one disconnected. Then, when I go to connect the last wire and complete the circuit, it sparks a lot (WAY more than it reasonably should) and if I leave it connected the wires overheat and start to smoke and it even melted part of the housing around the power connector.

HOWEVER. If I just remove the controller completely, and just connect the battery straight to the motor, it works fine.
No sparks, no heating up, no smoke. I even tested it with the polarities reversed, and with one battery or both, to be sure, and it works fine both ways.

So what I need to know is, what am I doing wrong with the motor controller that is causing the wires to heat and smoke like that?
They dont heat up when its just the motor and battery, (no matter how long I leave it connected) so its not that they are too small a gauge to handle the voltage. From everything I can tell, this SHOULD all be working fine. But, for some reason, that darn motor controller just screws up the whole thing when I try to connect it.

Also, FYI, I just leave the brake, brake light, switch lock, charger and indicator connectors unplugged. Could that be a problem or no?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. If anyone could maybe even supply a link to a set of good instructions for what Im trying to do, that would be excellent.

 

[d8veh]

It's difficult to say wothout seeing it, but you get those symptoms when you connect the battery the wrong way round.

 

[omegagamer89]

I could make a video showing me trying to hook it up if that would help. And the problem is that I dont think I CAN be hooking the battery up wrong. Theres only two possibilities, and Ive tried it both ways, with the same results.

 

[wesnewell]

I could make a video showing me trying to hook it up if that would help. And the problem is that I dont think I CAN be hooking the battery up wrong. Theres only two possibilities, and Ive tried it both ways, with the same results.

There;s only one right way. The other way may cause real damage.

 

[amberwolf]

If the wires in the connector or at the controller or battery ends are reversed polarity (even if they are the right color), then even if you plug things in "right" they will still damage the controller; this can blow up the FETs which turns them into a dead short, so that after doing this then it will have the same results even after reversing the power wires. Or the capacitors can be damaged (blown up, etc). So it's possible the controller is already dead.

 

[dnmun]

not just possible, it is dead if it was smoking. those batteries are not made to be traction motors, but for motorcycle starting.

how do they get charged? all bad. whatta wasta money.

 

[dogman dan]

At the minimum, you have cooked the controller. Quite possibly not your fault, could have just been defect. Good thing they are cheap.

 

[d8veh]

The most sensible next step would be to get a new controller. When you look at the battery connector, the red wire is the "+" - assuming that they wired ir right. Sometimes, the guys soldering on the wires get a bit mixed up. You could guarantee this point by putting a fuse between the battery and controller for testing - say 10amp, and then when it works with the wheel off the ground, change the fuse to a 30 amp one.

Please resist the temptation to run your motor with a swiitch direct to thhe battery while you waiit for a new controller. It'll work for a bit and then your motor will go up in smoke . I'm talking from experience!

It's not unusual to get some sparks when you connect the battery correctly, but only when you first touch the wires.

 

[dnmun]

red to black on the throttle, need new throttle.

reversed controller, need new controller

artificial batteries, need a real battery pack.

no way to recover with this equipment set. start over after reading more about how to connect things without reversing polarity.