Changing the controller

[allotmenteer]

Are controllers specific to a motor / battery or can you do a straight swap with a controller from another bike? For example I have a 15 amp, 24V brushless DC motor controller, could I replace it with any similar controller?

I imagine one would have to be careful not to exceed the max discharge rate of the batteries (especially with li-ions) and also to check the cutoff voltage, but are there any other things should be taken into consideration if I replaced the controller?

Does anyone know of a supplier of replacement controllers? Perhaps ones that can be tweaked to either provide better economy or more power?

 

[flecc]

I always think they are best treated as tied together. As you say, with Li-ion it's essential that the voltage cutoff and current limiting are precisely right. There are also some differences between Hall motor types which only a matched controller can provide for. Then there are 8 wire controllers and 3 wire controllers, depending on the functionality given to the motor. It would be easy for the manufacturers to provide adjustments for the consumer, but they wisely opt not to. With Li-ion, it would be dangerous to do so.

Probably the best option regarding the choice of better performance or better economy is to choose the right bike from the many available. Some are already clearly set up for economy at the expense of sparkling performance, the Powacycle Windsor springs to mind, and the forthcoming Twist even more so, while others are very performance oriented, like some eZee models and to a degree, the Currie Electrodrive.