Swapping Motor Controller

g0brun

100 µW
Joined
Jul 21, 2020
Messages
8
Hello I have a question regarding changing motor controllers on a Daymak Amalfi, the bike was originally powered by a 84V lead battery. I dumped the lead battery in favor of upgrading to a lithium battery in the near future to save 100 lbs in mass, after hooking up the motor to the controller and a 60V/3A bench power supply for testing the motor will not spin. In my quest to get it operational I've done the following:

  • replaced the hall sensors inside the motor which has a 10" x 3" tire
  • tested the motor controller on a known functional motor that is rated 36/48V system

Upon opening the motor to change the hall sensors I noticed that the two of the leads from the hall sensor board had exposed insulation that was possibly shorted to the motor.

TL/DR: Connecting a lower voltage controller will usually make a motor work, though at a lower speed, right?
 
g0brun said:
TL/DR: Connecting a lower voltage controller will usually make a motor work, though at a lower speed, right?

Not necessarily. Not sure about your controller, since it's meant for lead acid batteries, but most controllers have a low voltage cutoff to protect the battery from over-dischargeing. Since your original battery is a higher voltage, the 60V supply may be below the LVC that the controller imposes to cut power to the motor. Does the motor still function with the older higher voltage battery?

PS. You probably should have inquired before doing all the work of opening your motor.
 
E-HP said:
g0brun said:
TL/DR: Connecting a lower voltage controller will usually make a motor work, though at a lower speed, right?
Not necessarily. Not sure about your controller, since it's meant for lead acid batteries, but most controllers have a low voltage cutoff to protect the battery from over-dischargeing. Since your original battery is a higher voltage, the 60V supply may be below the LVC that the controller imposes to cut power to the motor.

I forgot to mention that I used a different 48V controller, which is suppose to work on 60/120 degree motors, which i purchased from amazon instead of the 84V controller for testing. This 48V controller works with the another hub motor so I know the controller works.

Update: The ebike circuit tester just came in from Amazon, I hooked it up and tested the hall sensors which were operating perfectly. However upon spinning the wheel, one of the phase wouldnt light up.

Any suggestion for how to fix this?
 
g0brun said:
I forgot to mention that I used a different 48V controller, which is suppose to work on 60/120 degree motors, which i purchased from amazon instead of the 84V controller for testing. This 48V controller works with the another hub motor so I know the controller works.

Update: The ebike circuit tester just came in from Amazon, I hooked it up and tested the hall sensors which were operating perfectly. However upon spinning the wheel, one of the phase wouldnt light up.

Any suggestion for how to fix this?

OK, then to avoid any doubt, can you confirm the motor was working with the old battery and controller before you did the swaps?
 
E-HP said:

OK, then to avoid any doubt, can you confirm the motor was working with the old battery and controller before you did the swaps?

I obtained a replacement motor which worked with the 48V controller and bench power supply, so my next project will be figuring out how to rewind a motor. Thanks again
 
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