Controller wiring query

[mw1]

Hi all,

I have a few questions about wiring up a controller I bought for an Izip mountain trailz I have & would appreciate any advice you can give me.
I know where the wires need to go, but am unsure of the simplest way to go about it.

There is a connector with thin blue & red wires that is supposed to go to the ignition switch. Can I splice these into the main feed from the battery (as this is only live once the ignition is on?).

There is another connector with thin black & red wires that says it goes to the charging port. What is this for & does it need to be connected? I ask because the controller doesn't recieve any power while the battery is being charged, so I'm not sure if it is actually required.

Thanks in advance for any help / advice.

Regards, Mark

 

[Deleted member 4366]

H

1.There is a connector with thin blue & red wires that is supposed to go to the ignition switch. Can I splice these into the main feed from the battery (as this is only live once the ignition is on?).

2.There is another connector with thin black & red wires that says it goes to the charging port. What is this for & does it need to be connected? I ask because the controller doesn't recieve any power while the battery is being charged, so I'm not sure if it is actually required.

1. No. They're both positives. They have to be joined, normally by a switch, for the controller to work.
2. They're just low power battery positive and negative wires. You can charge through them or charge through any other battery positive and negative wires.

 

[mw1]

1. No. They're both positives. They have to be joined, normally by a switch, for the controller to work.
2. They're just low power battery positive and negative wires. You can charge through them or charge through any other battery positive and negative wires.

Thanks for your reply D8veh.

Just to clarify then, can I just join the blue & red wires without passing them through a switch, as there won't be any power to them until the ignition is switched on? And I take it then that I don't need to connect the black /red & just be sure they are isolated from everything else?

Regards, Mark

 

[Deleted member 4366]

The red wire is a battery positive. There's a common ground from the battery to the controller. When you connect the red to the blue, the blue becomes a battery positive, which then provides the power for the controller.

Don't confuse that with power for the motor. The battery is more or or less connected directly to the motor, but it has to go through a gate that's operated by the controller. The controller uses its own low power from the battery via the blue wire to open and close that gate. All the time the blue wire is connected to the red, the controller consumes a few watts, so it'll eventually drain the battery. That's why you should use a switch to switch it off when not needed.

 

[mw1]

I really appreciate your help D8veh, and please excuse me being dense, but how does it consume power when there is none being supplied from the battery to the controller? The reason I am trying to avoid running any extra wires from the controller compartment to the battery output is that on these bikes the wiring runs externally up the side of the battery case.

Thanks again for your help.

Regards, Mark

Sorry, not the battery output itself, but to that area.

Ah, I think I get what you mean : I have to connect the red wire to a battery +ive. Therefore I can only connect the blue wire through a switch so that power isn't being consumed all the time?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

The controller needs power for its own circuitry and to power the the throttle and pedal sensor. The power for the motor is separate, but regulated by the controller.

It's a bit like you turning on a tap. You don't need to provide the power to push the water out, you just turn the tap, but you need your own small amount of power for that.

 

[mw1]

Got it now D8veh,

Apart from sleep deprivation & being in a noisy environment where it was hard to concentrate I was also thrown by the fact that not all controllers have those wires, presumably taking their power directly from the battery.

As soon as I find time I'll wire it all up, & post a final update.

Thanks very much for your help, it is much appreciated.

Regards, Mark

 

[mw1]

Hi again,

Well I wired the controller up today with interesting results...
I soldered the blue & red wires together & made up a new main power lead with a separate switched feed for them. During initial testing I had only twisted the blue & red to the +ve. This join came apart during testing, yet everything still works!
Left it like that & took it out for a quick 5 mile ride with no problems, & it can't drain the battery because the feed to the controller is dead when the ignition's off.
Still slightly baffled, but very grateful for your help D8veh.

Regards, Mark

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Baffling indeed!