GoldenMotor controller issue. (V2)..

[Sangesf]

Well, I dusted off an old version 2 magic controller and hooked it up..

When I hook up everything and supply power..  No beeps..
Turn throttle and nothing...
After turning the throttle a few times, I hear 4 beeps...
I look it up and it says that if there is a "brake lever error" it will beep 4 times and you can hit cruise control button and run at half speed which works for me..

How do I get this error to stop? 

I've checked the brake lever and it works on the lever side (with a continuity tester), but on the controller side, it doesn't cut power..  Any ideas?
Or is this another case of a shot controller?

[Bikemad]

Frank, try unplugging the brake wires and see if the throttle then works correctly. If it does, you will have to check your wiring carefully to locate a short circuit on the brake wire harness (or a faulty switch). Use an ohmmeter to do a continuity test across the two brake switch wires. The circuit should be open until one of the brake levers is operated and closes it.

If you still get four beeps with the brake wires disconnected, it could be a fault within the controller itself.

Let us know what you find.

Alan
 

[Sangesf]

It gave me that error before I even hooked up the brake lines..
I only have power / throttle / phase / hall and Cruise control connected.
I notice that the brake line and ground wire are next to each other on the controller...
I guess it's possible that internally they may be shorted? How would I determine that externally? (i.e. without having to take the controller apart)

[MonkeyMagic]

How would I determine that externally?

Hmmm you could use your continuity tester you have there

[Sangesf]

How would I determine that externally?

Hmmm you could use your continuity tester you have there

Well..  I opened up the controller and all looks fine..  I guess it's just messed up (I'm guessing that there is a short somewhere between the gnd and brake pin but it's not obvious, so I'm scrapping it..  The 1/2 speed cruise function doesn't even get me to 14mph.)  
P.S.  I did check the continuity and it's definitely shorted on the controller side, I just have no clue WHERE internally it's shorted..  If anyone knows the schematics well enough to point out the areas that the pathway between ground and the brake line is physically close, maybe I can clear the short.

[MonkeyMagic]

Well..  I opened up the controller and all looks fine..  I guess it's just messed up

Hmmm well why on earth you opened the controller without really knowing what you are doing is completely beyond me! Sorry if that sounds harsh, but really from what you are saying a controller would not be put away 'fine' and then when trying it again its failed somehow.....

P.S.  I did check the continuity and it's definitely shorted on the controller side, I just have no clue WHERE internally it's shorted..  If anyone knows the schematics well enough to point out the areas that the pathway between ground and the brake line is physically close, maybe I can clear the short.

Not sure if it has anything to do with This Post

But if per say; you connected >5v+ to the low brake line then you have unfortunately damaged the microcontroller.

If you are reading continuity between eBrake and GND, and the eBrake lever is not even connected. Then the internal pull down resistor of the microcontroller has been damaged. This could have occured by connecting a voltage higher than 5v+ from the same battery - saying this, generally it would latch up (+) reading high so narrowing it down, if using 2 different batteries and you did not connect the ground between them, and used the first battery GND to enable the second controller regen then this will also damage the internal pull down resistor. So I would say it was the latter here.

Regen should be floating (0v) and pulled to GND. If there is no physical short on the PCB, and you do not have the levers connected, and your controller still works - but you have the ebrake lever error then unfortunately the microcontroller is damaged. At least you have 6 good mosfets spare !



Here are the controllers:


And the reference to the GND / eBrake signal as you mentioned are although in vicinity of eachother, are quite far away for a PCB build. See here if it helps: my awesome spray paint skills showing where ground is (follow the trace) and the other dot is the ebrake connection (lbr)



I know that small pic is an internal controller, but the external just have the socket directly soldered here with the silicon gasket. If anything, the short has occured with the external wiring...

Cheers

[Sangesf]

Here are some images...







When I opened it up, there was some white powderish stuff all over the place, I blew it all off with one of those air cans..  What was that stuff?  You can see a light powdering of it all over the PCB.

Anything in those pics give anyone pause?

P.S. It was not "put away fine", it had this problem prior to "dusting it off"..
Actually..  It wasn't working at all..
Well at one point it was working fine and then in the middle of using it, it just beeped a few times and had resistance in the wheel as if phase wires were touching (they weren't touching on either side (controller/motor)..  It would continue that resistance until I removed power, so I put it away.  The second I put it under power and hooked up everything up recently, it did what I told you.