GoldenMotor.com Forum

General Category => General Discussions => Topic started by: Mechanic on May 25, 2016, 04:53:23 PM

Title: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Mechanic on May 25, 2016, 04:53:23 PM
I got a 48v 3kw bldc motor and controller from goldenmotor.ca. I've hooked everything up as per the diagram. I have 48v across the controller fuse and controller ground. I am getting no response from the throttle. I unplugged the throttle and checked the wires from the controller and there is 0v on any of them, anyone have any ideas?
Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Rayhaque on May 26, 2016, 03:10:11 PM
Hello Mechanic,

What is your "e-lock" connected to? It should be provided with 48v which in the case of a car would come from an ignition. But if you have no lock, or ignition, you need to connect it directly to the 48v+ connection on the controller. Seems simple enough, but that threw me for a loop when I was hooking up my GM gear.
Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Mechanic on May 26, 2016, 05:43:56 PM
Ok I assumed if that if you didn't want to use that feature you leave it unhooked. I'll try that when I get back to work and see what that does. Too bad these controllers don't come with some sort of  instructions or documentation!
Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Mechanic on May 26, 2016, 05:49:05 PM
Tried putting the elock straight to 48v, still no 5v to the throttle wire...
Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Rayhaque on May 27, 2016, 11:36:26 AM
Too bad these controllers don't come with some sort of  instructions or documentation!
I am fighting that myself. I am having trouble with my 5Kw/72v motor and controller from GM. And I can't help but think it's a matter of getting the settings right on the controller. But it's not like they have technical support ... or even a manual. Just some broken English to explain about a third of the settings when you hover over them with the programming software.

Speaking of programming software - what model controller do you have?  Is it the VEC200? I have the VEC300 myself and although I bought it as a 72v, it can actually do 48v and 60v (but defaults to 72v out of the box). I would think that the one you have is defaulted to 48v since you bought it that way. But there really isn't any way of telling that I know of.

These controllers need some sort of diagnostics!!! A flashing light. A bleeping siren. Some sort of output!
Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Mechanic on May 27, 2016, 09:28:12 PM
Its the vec200. I used the wiring diagram they provide on the website. The controller looks different but the wire colors are the same.
Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Mechanic on May 27, 2016, 09:29:47 PM
I thought maybe I was supposed to buy the flash connecter and set it up to make it work but according to the seller it should work out of the box...
Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Mechanic on May 30, 2016, 11:42:33 PM
So I realized that when I hooked that red e-lock wire up I was hooking it to nothing, I hooked the pink to 48v and now the 5v reference appears but still no motor operation. I checked the output wire from the throttle and its 0.0v. This is a twist throttle from golden motor. I just matched the colors up, maybe that's not right? I tried running a resistor from 5v to the green signal and there's a red light on the controller that flashes 12 times then repeats, anybody know what that means?
Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: GM Canada on June 01, 2016, 02:18:54 PM
Hi Mechanic, I finally found my way here. Whew have I been down wit the flu!

If you now have 5 volts going into the throttle and nothing coming out its either wired wrong or failed. Can you upload a picture of the wiring connection?

Gary

Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Mechanic on June 02, 2016, 01:48:30 PM
Throttle
Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Mechanic on June 02, 2016, 02:01:40 PM
Maybe this one is better
Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Mechanic on June 02, 2016, 02:04:27 PM
The white is going to 48v
Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Bikemad on June 02, 2016, 04:02:08 PM
It is very unlikely that the colour codes used on all throttle will be the same and you don't mention which throttle you are using.

The last GM thumb throttle that I took apart was wired differently to yours:

White: +5V
Black:  Battery -ve (Ground)
Green: Throttle Signal
Orange:     Battery +ve feed for LED battery gauge and lighting switch
Brown:  Switched Lighting feed (battery voltage)

(http://www.arhservices.co.uk/GoldenMotor/Thumbthrottle_zps774f14c4.JPG)

On the thumb throttle below, the green wire is used to supply battery voltage to the LED battery gauge:

(http://www.arhservices.co.uk/GoldenMotor/Misc/Thumb%20Throttle_zpss4iqjxkr.JPG)

The red wire connected to the battery gauge PCB in the above picture is actually battery -ve!  ???
(It simply connects the Ground connection on the PCB to the black ground wire going to the Hall sensor)

Earlier twist throttles were also wired differently as follows:
Red:   +5V
Black:  Battery -ve (Ground)
White: Throttle Signal
Green: Battery +ve feed For LED battery gauge
Brown: Lighting or reverse switch
Yellow: Lighting or reverse switch

(http://www.arhservices.co.uk/GoldenMotor/Misc/Connectors%202_zpshubovkl9.JPG)

(http://www.arhservices.co.uk/GoldenMotor/Misc/connectors_zpsjn4frmw6.JPG)

Did your throttle come with the correct connections for your controller already fitted?

If the throttle was not pre-wired to match the controller and you don't know what each colour wire on the throttle is for, it would be very unwise to simply connect them to together by colour alone, as this could result in a damaged throttle unit or even a damaged controller.  :o

Can you visually check the connections inside the throttle to be able to determine the function of each wire?

Alan
 
EDIT: Additional photos added
Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Mechanic on June 03, 2016, 08:58:22 PM
Oh I see, I assumed the throttle from golden motor would match their controller. It sounds like mine is the earlier version you talk about. I did verify the yellow and brown was the switch. If this is the case then I guess i'd have the green and white reversed...
Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Bikemad on June 04, 2016, 11:18:29 AM
I have added a few more pictures to my previous post showing the wiring connections on two different GM throttles, both of them use the white wire for the Hall sensor output signal.

The white is going to 48v

If you have fed 48V+ to the throttle Hall sensor signal connection, there's a good chance that the Hall sensor may have been damaged by the high voltage.  :(

(http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj276/Spekkie01/Sensor.jpg)
                   Click image to view the original thread.                     (http://goldenmotor.com/SMF/index.php?topic=1718.0)

As the +5V feed on the controller is still working OK, I suspect the controller will still be OK.   :)
Although I'm not so optimistic about the Hall sensor inside the throttle.  :-\

(http://www.arhservices.co.uk/GoldenMotor/emoticons/fingerscrossed.GIF)

Alan
 
Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Mechanic on June 14, 2016, 09:56:00 PM
Alright so it is indeed wired like the "earlier" version and my throttle is not working. So I tried jumping a few different voltages between 0-5v to the white wire. As soon as I jump voltage the little red led on the controller starts flashing but the motor does nothing.
Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Bikemad on June 14, 2016, 10:53:31 PM
If you have the brake levers connected, make sure they are fully released and not stuck partially on. You can try temporarily unplugging the brake switch wire connection to see if it makes any difference.

The throttle signal output voltage should range from around 1V to 4.5V. If it goes too high or too low it may trigger safety features within the controller which might require the power to be switched off and back on again to reset it.

If the throttle Hall sensor has been damaged and is not supplying the correct output voltage, it will need to be replaced.

If the throttle signal voltage output is working correctly (and varies between 0.8~1V when released to 3.5~4.5V at full throttle), then I would suggest testing the Hall sensors in the motor to make sure they have not been damaged.

If the throttle and motor Hall sensors are all working correctly but the motor still fails to run, I think you may need to return the controller and wiring harness for further testing.

Alan
 
Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Mechanic on June 16, 2016, 08:11:03 PM
The throttle is definitely not working, I was just using different resistors to apply voltage to the signal wire, last one I tried was 4.11v, the led was flashing but no action on the motor. There are no brakes on this unit as it is not a bike its actually a walk behind unit for pushing dead cars around the lot, it is geared for a maximum of 6mph so no brakes needed. How would I go about testing the hall sensors?
Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Bikemad on June 17, 2016, 10:09:10 AM
The brake switches are not just for regenerative braking, they also cut the power to the motor (and disengage the cruise function) to ensure it stops pulling when you want to slow down. If your throttle was to be knocked and damaged, you could end up with the motor stuck at half power (or even full power) and no quick way of stopping it apart from disconnecting the battery power.

You might want to consider using the on/off switch on the throttle to operate the brake function on the controller in place of the brake levers. You could then use the horn or cruise button to momentarily operate the reverse function when needed.

Take a look at this post (http://goldenmotor.com/SMF/index.php?topic=2409.msg14247#msg14247) and this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m8DA6mmo84) for more details on testing the operation of the hall sensors.

The reason why I suggest checking the Hall sensors in the motor is because they all share the same +5V supply as the throttle Hall sensor.
If the +5V supply wire was momentarily subjected to high voltage feedback from the throttle Hall sensor when it failed, then the high voltage may have damaged one (or more) of the three Hall sensors within the motor.

As the 5V voltage regulator in the controller appears to still be working, it seems to have survived the short burst of high voltage (if it was subjected to a momentary high voltage when the Hall sensor failed).

If all three of the motor's Hall sensors are still working correctly, it will hopefully be just the failed throttle (or perhaps one of the programmable settings) that is preventing your motor from running.

(http://www.arhservices.co.uk/GoldenMotor/emoticons/fingerscrossed.GIF)

Alan
 
Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Mechanic on June 27, 2016, 11:03:22 PM
Ran the hall tests. Putting my meter ground on the black wire I had nothing on any wires. Put the meter ground on the battery negative then I got some readings.
-red is 9v
-black is 0v
-white is .19v at all times
-yellow blue green all toggle between 0.00v and 3.0v, nice square wave

sensors seem to be working but not sure why the voltages aren't 5v?
Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Bikemad on June 28, 2016, 04:08:32 PM
It's good to see that the Hall sensors are still working, but I'm puzzled by the 9V reading, as the documentation for the VEC-200 clearly states +5V for pin 14 and pin 28. ::)

I just measured the Hall sensors on a GM hubmotor and they all switch between 0 and ~3.25V, so your 3V is probably correct.

I'm pretty sure that the white wire is connected to a thermistor which shares the common ground connection, therefore the voltage across it should only change with the motor's temperature.

Alan
 




Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Mechanic on June 30, 2016, 01:36:55 PM
ok what about the black wire? I don't have a ground on that one
Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Morgen 3Eman on June 30, 2016, 05:26:24 PM
Hi Folks,

Hey, I admit I have not carefully read all the entries, but you comment that when meter ground is connected to the black wire you get no voltage readings on any of the other wires, but when you connect meter ground to battery ground you get readings on wires other than black. 

That indicates the black wire is an open circuit. 

TTFN,
Dennis
Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Bikemad on June 30, 2016, 09:48:17 PM
I think the Black wire is connected to ground or the Hall sensors would not "toggle between 0.00v and 3.0v".
Without that common ground connection, the Hall sensors would not operate and their signal voltages would remain constantly high.  ;)

I suspect you probably didn't have a decent physical connection between the black ground wire and your black meter probe.
However, this still doesn't explain the 9V reading on the +5V feed wire.

You should be able to confirm that the ground connection is OK by performing a simple continuity check (measuring the resistance) between the Black wire coming from the Hall sensors and the battery's negative connection.

Alan
 
Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Mechanic on June 30, 2016, 10:33:01 PM
Rechecked all the wires, the ground actually is there - sorry about that! The rest of the wires are all the same readings though...
Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Mechanic on July 18, 2016, 04:06:25 PM
Installed a new throttle and it works perfect, thanks everyone for your help!
Title: Re: 3kw bldc motor and controller issue
Post by: Bikemad on July 18, 2016, 04:37:09 PM
Good to hear you've finally got it sorted.

(http://www.arhservices.co.uk/GoldenMotor/emoticons/6_small.GIF)

Now you just need to fit a suitable hook and chain so you can use it to pull the cars as well as pushing them.  ;)

Alan