Rear hub problem

[muckymits]

Have a newish rear wheel from a Powacycle, which was a complete nightmare. I finally found time to stick this on the bench today and try it on my spare controller. It checks out electrically, runs free forwards even runs a good turn or so backwards. Have 1 amp fuses in the phase wires of my controller as I throttled up the fuses blew. it now looks like the previously blown controller on the bike could of been down to this hub. Sooo any one any ideas why a hub would load up so much? when it feels so free?

 

[neptune]

First of all is at a hall sensor type or sensorless. If the latter then it will have just the three phase wires. Use a multimeter on athe lowest ohms scale , and test the resistance on every possible [3] pair of wires . So say we call the wire A,B,andC , test A to B . then A to C and finally B to C . The results should be equal on all tests. Then test for an earth fault . Test between any phase wire , and the metal shell of the motor , using highest Ohms scale . Should read Zero . Let us know results.

 

[muckymits]

all the sensors and phase windings check out( I have a fancy tester from china). its pulling too much current when you try to run it.

 

[neptune]

Strip down the hub. Is it possible that under power , the stator and rotor are rubbing together, possibly due to a worn bearing?

 

[muckymits]

Going to strip it anyway but is should not be wear, its only done about 50 miles from new. I keep seeing niggley problems with these hubs

 

[neptune]

I have no personal experience here, but 2 possibilities. Are you certain that all the hall wires are connected in the right order. Also , there is something at the back of my mind about different hubs having the halls timed in different ways [degrees], so your spare controller could in that respect be incompatible with the motor. I can think of no other reason for excess current draw apart from the above if windings and halls test OK and it is mechanically OK, including gearbox if it has one .

 

[muckymits]

The controller can do 60 and 120 degrees, if I had the phase wiring wrong it would run lumpy or if I was really good backwards

I think it is probably mechanical but why on such a young hub, its a freewheeling hub BTW you need to spin it backwards to check the phase windings.

 

[Blew it]

The Powacycles are very low powered units, around 300 watts max I believe. The individual phase wires are not normally fused, even if they were, it would need to be rated at around 15 amps. I suspect the maximum amps draw on a Powacycle is limited to around 10 amps.

In the more usual way, the only fuses to be found will be in the battery, and these are only designed to protect the battery and it's associated cables

Controllers have very little in-built protection against reverse polarity connection to the battery or shorted phase wires, either of which is usually fatal.