Sabvoton controller tripping my circuit breaker

[fc689]

Hi everyone.

I recently built an ebike with a QS205 hub motor, and a Sabvoton 72150 controller. It was working great the first few rides, then all of a sudden the whole thing grinds to a halt. I initially got error message 9, which then changed to error message 13.

I soon discovered that one of the screws in the rear disc had worked loose, and had torn through one of my hall wires. I managed to re-solder the wire back together (it was the black one, I believe this is the neg?), and the error message is now gone. However, when I run a hall test, or if I apply any throttle to the bike, the whole thing shuts off. It appears to be tripping the circuit breaker my battery runs through.

Does anyone have any suggestions about what the likely problem is here? Could my controller have been damaged when the hall wire was torn through?

Thanks!

 

[fc689]

Hi everyone.

I recently built an ebike with a QS205 hub motor, and a Sabvoton 72150 controller. It was working great the first few rides, then all of a sudden the whole thing grinds to a halt. I initially got error message 9, which then changed to error message 13.

I soon discovered that one of the screws in the rear disc had worked loose, and had torn through one of my hall wires. I managed to re-solder the wire back together (it was the black one, I believe this is the neg?), and the error message is now gone. However, when I run a hall test, or if I apply any throttle to the bike, the whole thing shuts off. It appears to be tripping the circuit breaker my battery runs through.

Does anyone have any suggestions about what the likely problem is here? Could my controller have been damaged when the hall wire was torn through?

Thanks!

 

[MadRhino]

My guess is that you have more damage than you first noticed to the motor wiring. Check again. You may have some damage on phase wires, maybe one is almost cut, or short.

Disc screws must look like this:
Note the blue thread lock, standard and mandatory. The head is always Torx.

 

[fc689]

Thanks for the reply. There was minor damage to one of the phase wires, but there was still a solid connection. I used hot glue to re-insulate it. I may have another look though like you say, just to be sure.

Another thing I've noticed is that the motor spins freely by hand when not connected to the controller, but as soon as I connect up all the phase wires, it does not turn freely. What could this mean? Damaged MOSFETS in the controller perhaps?

And yes, I've now used locktight on all my disc screws to prevent this happening again! Can't believe the amount of damage one tiny screw has caused.

 

[Hardergamer]

Check the phase wires just as they enter the motor, and if they are good as well as the now fixed hall wires then you probably blow a hall sensor and you will need to pull the motor apart. Here is a guide on how to test the halls before you do. https://www.ebikes.ca/documents/HallSensorTestingFinal.pdf

 

[Hardergamer]

I answered your other post before I saw this one, yes you have probably blown a mosfet, again use this Grin guide to test them. Also, I have changed mosfets before but never in a Sabvoton 72150 as they look tight.
https://www.ebikes.ca/documents/BlownMosfets.pdf

 

[fc689]

Thanks @Hardergamer. I believe I have indeed blown a set of hall sensors in the motor. I have not done the multimeter test on them (hard to probe into the connector), but when I connect the hall connector I get the hall error code 13 on the controller. However luckily the QS205 has two sets of hall sensors, the second set does not give me the error code so I assume it is intact. I have now done the continuity test on the controller, and I have indeed blown the MOSFET feeding on of my phase wires.

Just wondering how this could have happened? When the disc screw tore through the hall wire, could it have blown a set of hall sensors as well as the MOSFET?

 

[Hardergamer]

Yes, it is very common to blow the halls with a stripped phase wire. Did you fix the halls?

 

[j bjork]

Damaged MOSFETS in the controller perhaps?

Probably. I doubt that it is because of the damage to the hall ground.
If there are no damage to the phase wires it probably is just the controller quality.