Battery fuse blowing

[susieo]

Hi
I recently purchased a Claud Butler Glide 1 ebike for £150 with some 'problems' to see if I could get it working. First problem was the battery wouldn't hold a charge so had that recelled for £250. However when I connected the new battery it immediately blew the battery fuse. I'm trying to figure out how to identify what might be blowing the fuse. The motor (see pics) is a Shizilou Bafang 25OW with a 3 wire connector and the controller type is shown in the pic.
I discovered another problem in that the wires to both brake lever micro switches are broken away from the switch. I see I can buy new brake levers with integrated switch and cable but not sure how to thread the cable through the bike frame.
This is my first ebike and I'm a basic diy'er. Question is 1) what tests can I do to find what's blowing the battery fuse.? 2) How to replace the brake levers and re feed two cables. ?
Am I just throwing good money after bad here ie should I persevere or just buy a new bike.
Thanks.

 

[Nealh]

Important double check the battery and bikes polarity contacts are correct and match up, check the battery polarity by using a meter. If polarity is at all reversed the fuse will instantly blow. + must go to + & - must go to -.

Make sure the battery is switched off before connecting.
What size is the fuse that keeps blowing it needs to be at least 15a ( though rating a bit low) and more likely a 20a one as the controller is 15a +1, the fuse needs to be a bit more then the rated controller max current.
If the fuse still blows then contact the re-celler, possibility of an internal wire short may be a cause.

As for brake cut outs you don't really need them if a throttle isn't fitted, if you still want one just fit only one. The front might be the easiest one to fit.
To thread the cable through the frame is quite easy. Before pulling the cable through, securely a fix a follower to it. Either strong string or the new cable to the old existing one ( use tape to bind the two together securely ) and then gently feed the old one out of the frame, don't just pull the cable but also gently push the cable from the other end as well. If you hit a snag then reverse the action to gently try and clear the snag.

As to throwing new money at an old bike, you have already done this by havig the cells replaced, the brake sensor/levers are relatively cheap.

 

[susieo]

Thanks Nealh. I can check the polarity on the battery pack but how I do I check the polarity on the controller side?Is that colour coded ?
Note the fuse that blew was a 30A and the only suitable replacement I had to hand is 40A.
And yes, there is a throttle.

 

[Andy-Mat]

Hi
I recently purchased a Claud Butler Glide 1 ebike for £150 with some 'problems' to see if I could get it working. First problem was the battery wouldn't hold a charge so had that recelled for £250. However when I connected the new battery it immediately blew the battery fuse. I'm trying to figure out how to identify what might be blowing the fuse. The motor (see pics) is a Shizilou Bafang 25OW with a 3 wire connector and the controller type is shown in the pic.
I discovered another problem in that the wires to both brake lever micro switches are broken away from the switch. I see I can buy new brake levers with integrated switch and cable but not sure how to thread the cable through the bike frame.
This is my first ebike and I'm a basic diy'er. Question is 1) what tests can I do to find what's blowing the battery fuse.? 2) How to replace the brake levers and re feed two cables. ?
Am I just throwing good money after bad here ie should I persevere or just buy a new bike.
Thanks.

IMHO you have probably made a reasonable purchase, and others here have given some good advice already that hopefully will get you eventually up and running.
Regarding the fuse, buy a new one (or two), but also buy some of lower ampage, say between 5 - 10 amps, if possible, just to use while fault finding, but do not forget to put the correct sized one back in before riding!
If you are not such a great electric and electronic DIYer, there are some testers on ebay, for very little money, that use an internal 9 volt block battery, and they test the outputs of the controller, looking for shorts, the brake sensors, the throttle, the motor field windings for shorts and breaks, and the motor hall effect sensors, so quite a lot!
Do get one with the circle of LEDs display, as this makes faultfinding on the motor easier and more obvious in my opinion. Some only have a "line of LEDs", very unclear when checking a circular motion. Do watch all the YouTube videos before buying.
Usually under 10 UK pounds on ebay!
See here:-

This one is showing a tester without the circular LED display, which works too, but less easier for a beginner to understand I feel:-

List of videos:-

YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

A volt meter is a must in my view, for checking polarity and voltage levels, conductivity in cables with damage and connectors. A small cheap multi meter are usually adequate, but make sure that the voltage display is "close enough for government work!" at least!
My compliments on the pictures you posted, clear and very obvious what they represent, that is not always the case here on pedelec, that will speed up possible help....
Don't lose faith, many here are willing to help you get all the bugs fixed.
regards
Andy

 

[Andy-Mat]

Thanks Nealh. I can check the polarity on the battery pack but how I do I check the polarity on the controller side?Is that colour coded ?
Note the fuse that blew was a 30A and the only suitable replacement I had to hand is 40A.
And yes, there is a throttle.

Using a fuse so large can turn the wiring into the next fuse! You do not want to burn the harness.....
Andy

 

[Nealh]

The controller wiring should be Red/+ & Black/- .
Fuse wise 20a/25a should be the most you need for a 15/+1a current draw. most ebike battery/controller wiring should be capable of 30a current.

 

[susieo]

IMHO you have probably made a reasonable purchase, and others here have given some good advice already that hopefully will get you eventually up and running.
Regarding the fuse, buy a new one (or two), but also buy some of lower ampage, say between 5 - 10 amps, if possible, just to use while fault finding, but do not forget to put the correct sized one back in before riding!
If you are not such a great electric and electronic DIYer, there are some testers on ebay, for very little money, that use an internal 9 volt block battery, and they test the outputs of the controller, looking for shorts, the brake sensors, the throttle, the motor field windings for shorts and breaks, and the motor hall effect sensors, so quite a lot!
Do get one with the circle of LEDs display, as this makes faultfinding on the motor easier and more obvious in my opinion. Some only have a "line of LEDs", very unclear when checking a circular motion. Do watch all the YouTube videos before buying.
Usually under 10 UK pounds on ebay!
See here:-

This one is showing a tester without the circular LED display, which works too, but less easier for a beginner to understand I feel:-

List of videos:-

YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

A volt meter is a must in my view, for checking polarity and voltage levels, conductivity in cables with damage and connectors. A small cheap multi meter are usually adequate, but make sure that the voltage display is "close enough for government work!" at least!
My compliments on the pictures you posted, clear and very obvious what they represent, that is not always the case here on pedelec, that will speed up possible help....
Don't lose faith, many here are willing to help you get all the bugs fixed.
regards
Andy

Thanks Andy. Very helpful. That Romai tester looks like the job alright. Looks like I need adapter cables for the the motor in order to connect to the tester Do you where I can source an adapter for the connector type shown in the photo I posted?
Is there any UK supplier of this tester or a similar one?

 

[Andy-Mat]

Thanks Andy. Very helpful. That Romai tester looks like the job alright. Looks like I need adapter cables for the the motor in order to connect to the tester Do you where I can source an adapter for the connector type shown in the photo I posted?
Is there any UK supplier of this tester or a similar one?

Look here on ebay UK:-

E-Bike Tester for sale | eBay

Find great deals on eBay for E-Bike Tester. Shop with confidence.

www.ebay.co.uk

Changing an incompatible connector on the tester may need some extra knowledge, and there are several ways to do it:-
0) Make photos first, clear ones of everything!
1) Buy the correct plug/socket on ebay and replace the wrong one.
2) Same as above, but make an adaptor cable so if in the future you have a different e-bike, you can still connect. Also, in the case that the tester breaks in the guarantee time, no changes have been made to it.
3) Make an adapter cable, but with crocodile clips, insulated ones, so you can clip to any cable, plug or socket.
There may even be other ideas that I have not thought about from other members.
If you are not a good DIYer, maybe you have one who is a friend or colleague, who is willing to help.....
regards
Andy