Ok, an update on the mods...
The $18 chinese controller arrived promptly and was installed after some confusion with the wiring (no diagram supplied ..beware !)
Fairly straightforward really even for my limited "sparky" skills.
.. and the results ???
well to be honest i think the controller is working as designed, smooth take off etc , and no drama's in use .
However , i suspect the 30a limit is dulling the acceleration and hill climb speed that i had with the "hot wired" relay set up.
I had blown the 25 A fuse previously and replaced it with a 40A ( since i noticed the 24v battery pack also had a 60a fuse in for protection !)
and i suspect i had been using 30+ A at times through the relay ( 720 W ?...must get a power meter !)
So, conclusions...
$18 controller works well as intended (so far) but possibly limits performance. Maybe a higher rated controller should be used ?
$5.0 relay gives better performance but not really a ideal solution due to the possibility of gear train shock damage and lack of modulation.
Next to see what happens with a 36v battery set up with this controller ! :wink:
Word of advice... ALWAYS carry a pump and a spare tube !
...how did i learn this ?
..Went for a ride 7am this morning as support to a group doing Marathon training... across the city (Sydney).
Punctured at point farthest from home. No problem always carry tyre moose to repair & inflate.(+ tools and patch kit etc)
Moose works for a while X 3 but then fails. I consider a patch repair, but cannot completely deflate the tyre to remove it as the moose has now gummed up the valve.
No service stations in Sydney city and bike shops dont open until 10:00
No other cyclists with schrader valve pump around ...so ended up pushing 30+ kg of bike and gear 10K across the city
Never again rely on re-inflation/repair systems... pump and spare tube now installed !