Hello from Yorkshire.. Broke it already

[Old skool]

Hello there
I am a new convert to electric bikes.. Been riding through lock down every day and I love it.
Sadly coming home from work on Wednesday my bike died after tackling a prolonged hill in the rain.
Gutted as it was perfect for the 13 mile commute.

My bike looks like a cheap import as there is no branding at all so not sure where to start looking for parts. Pretty sure I have fried the controller as the bike is fine when it is disconected.
Controllers look cheap but do I have to replace everything? Will the throttle and lcd screen work on a new controller even if it is slightly different?
My bike has pas and a thumb throttle to get going. It is big heavy beach cruiser with fat tyres.
Any help would be appreciated.
This is my controller.

Thanks jane
Queen of Yorkshire

 

[Benjahmin]

Hi Jane,
First thing is, as they say in Hitch Hikers Guide, DON'T PANIC !
Parts are probably all generic so, if needed, they can be found.
Lets get the story first.
You were going up hill and it cut out. Anything else? Any problems prior to that? Has anything worked since (display, led's)? Was there any magic blue smoke evident? Is there any smell of burning?
Have you got a digital voltmeter? Let's get all Sherlock on it before you go laying out for parts on a hunch.

 

[Old skool]

Well it was raining... First time out in the wet. I have taken the controller off and water came dripping out of it so I think I found the problem.
Drying it out overnight hoping that I can salvage it... If not I am struggling to find a direct replacement with x9 fets.

I will refit it in the morning and see if it works.
Fingers crossed
Thanks for your reply.. I will keep you posted.

Jane

 

[Nealh]

If the controller got wet inside then it is most likely it has blown, the controller is a Lishui model so all you need to do is replace it with another 48v Lishui model.
Problem is you won't find a 48v Lishui they are like hens teeth.
You can get 36v ones but that is no good if you have 48v.

If you have to replace the controller with a 9fet KT modle you will have to buy a KT lcd for it to be 100% compatible.

 

[Old skool]

If the controller got wet inside then it is most likely it has blown, the controller is a Lishui model so all you need to do is replace it with another 48v Lishui model.
Problem is you won't find a 48v Lishui they are like hens teeth.
You can get 36v ones but that is no good if you have 48v.

If you have to replace the controller with a 9fet KT modle you will have to buy a KT lcd for it to be 100% compatible.
[/QUOTE

Ok thanks for the info. I will give it a try in the morning then search for the KT model and display if I have to.

Are there any other upgrade options i could do if i have to replace the controller?
I am limited on space for the controller housing 5 inches max

At least I know my bike inside and out now

Jane

 

[Fat Rat]

Hi welcome
Hope you get your issues sorted soon

 

[Benjahmin]

Could be worth a try, put the controller into a bag of rice for around 24hrs.
If you have to change to KT you may have to get the soldering iron out for power, brake switch and pas connectors. but the new controller and display will be plug and play. And at the end you'll know your bike even better.

 

[Nealh]

I doubt drying out the controller as one might with an lcd will work, the controller has many more parts like diodes, resistors, capacitors and fets. Moisture tracking between esp 5v /Gnd tracks will cause shorting somewhere, it doesn't take long for any copper oxidisation tracks to appear as well and another cause of shorting.

Water dripping out of the controller doesn't bode very well.

 

[Old skool]

Could be worth a try, put the controller into a bag of rice for around 24hrs.
If you have to change to KT you may have to get the soldering iron out for power, brake switch and pas connectors. but the new controller and display will be plug and play. And at the end you'll know your bike even better.

Rice may be an option but I did some continuity tests with a multimeter and it looks like x2 of the mosfets are shorted.
I am terrible at soldering so gonna try a real repair man. If its repairable it will save loads of changes.
Gutted and missing it so much. I went on my normal bike yesterday it was hell in the headwind!!

Jane

 

[Tarka]

Some kits are well known for failure if the throttle gets water inside. Once you have the controller replaced it might be best to remove the throttle completely.

 

[Old skool]

Some kits are well known for failure if the throttle gets water inside. Once you have the controller replaced it might be best to remove the throttle completely.

The throttle was fine it was the box the controller is housed in that was full of water. No gasket and open holes.
Never thought about it as I was only riding in the dry... But then I started commuting and got caught out.

Lesson learned.. Horse bolted etc

I like the throttle for getting away at junctions as it is a big heavy bike.

 

[Old skool]

The throttle was not the problem and i really like it. The water got into the controller housing and the controller itself. Low down and not very well protected.