Replacement electronic controller required

I have a Freego Hawk purchased mid-2012, The controller on this went bust about 3 days after Freego followed suit!

The controller Model No is: YK223 - 2 1 : 1, and the bar code is 1206AI 15500.

I wondered whether anyone out there could supply me with a replacement?

My Ph No is: 01470 572231/e-mail: anthony.emerson@btinternet.com

Try https://www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk/brands/freego/ they have supposedly taken over all Freego spares.

Thanks for the e-mail!

Have already approached them. They could not assist, but were very helpful re other possible suppliers, plus suggesting that I should contact Pedelec.

Any other suggestions/offers appreciated

Regards,

Tony Emerson

All controllers work the same, so, in principle, you can use any controller that fits in the compartment. Modern ones are a lot better than what was available in 2012. About £75 will get you a really nice one with an LCD and 5 levels of assist and it will make your motor much smoother and quieter.

 

There's one problem, though. When you use a different controller, you always have to change some connectors and so some minor wiring.

Thank you vfr400

I live on the Isle of Skye, and unfortunately there are no electric bike retailers here. .......... Consequently on the face of it, seems I have two basic options :

One: Given the new controller, and comprehensive instructions for matching it to my 2012 electrics could D-I-Y the job. The question then is: are such instructions available? Also does it have to be a variety of Freego controller, or will any make do, providing it fits into the controller housing? vfr400 would you be prepared to assist with the hook up info?

Two: identify a suitably equipped (and not too distant !) electric bike retailer, and get them to supply and fit the controller. Will investigate this one further.

Regards and thanks,

Tony Emerson

controllers are not difficult to replace. There are plenty on amazon.

post some pictures. of the controller's label, connectors and LCD.

Thank you vfr400

I live on the Isle of Skye, and unfortunately there are no electric bike retailers here. .......... Consequently on the face of it, seems I have two basic options :

One: Given the new controller, and comprehensive instructions for matching it to my 2012 electrics could D-I-Y the job. The question then is: are such instructions available? Also does it have to be a variety of Freego controller, or will any make do, providing it fits into the controller housing? vfr400 would you be prepared to assist with the hook up info?

Two: identify a suitably equipped (and not too distant !) electric bike retailer, and get them to supply and fit the controller. Will investigate this one further.

Regards and thanks,

Tony Emerson

We can walk you through the process. If you can solder (or have a friend that can do it), you'll be fine. Before we can recommend the right replacement, you need to show us what you have. please take one or more photos of the controller you have that shows each connector and the wires on it, like this. You don't need to label the wires. It's important that we can see the colours.

http://www.uumotor.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/nEO_IMG_normal-controller.jpg

Thanks for the offers of help - will take some photos and get back to you.

In the meantime, and in case it's significant, not sure my bike's display counts as an LCD. It has: a front light on/off switch; a "+" and a "-" power level selection switch; three power level selected indicators (red pin head lights), and four similar red indicators showing battery power status.

Thanks for the offers of help - will take some photos and get back to you.

In the meantime, and in case it's significant, not sure my bike's display counts as an LCD. It has: a front light on/off switch; a "+" and a "-" power level selection switch; three power level selected indicators (red pin head lights), and four similar red indicators showing battery power status.

That's what we call an LED control panel. That information is quite helpful in identifying which version you have. The later ones have LCDs.

 

Your version is a bit rudimentary by modern standards. You have a choice now. You can use the opportunity to upgrade your bike to a much better control system for about £75 or you can replace it with similar to what you have now for about £25.

 

When you pull your controller out, can you try and get some photos of all the wires while it's still connected. I seem to remember that your bike has something abnormal in the wiring. I can remember having a long discussion with the guy from Freego when he was telling me to do something that wasn't logical. I need to remind myself what it was.

 

I have to ask. Why do you believe that your controller is faulty?

Pictures in hand but on hold for now - house selling complications prevailing.

V. Good question! Bike in operation and suddenly lost power. Display lights all working,, but no response to peddling or to throttle application. Controller removed from housing and jiggled etc (low velocity ballistics!). Controller replaced and fully charged battery installed all to no benefit. Motor wiring intact. Motor phase resistances around 1.0 ohm. This left me with the controller at fault..................Any other checks I should/can do?

Attached are the controller photos plus some explanatory notes.

Hope this meets your requirements; any clarifications please let me know.

Re the choice of controller: Have no significant complaints with what we have now, so on the "KISS" principle would like to go with the 25 pounder (the Desert Rats favorite artillery piece).

 

Notes for Freego Controller Photo’s

 

Photo No

1935 – controller partially in housing and still fully connected

1936 – ditto but further out of the housing.

1937 – housing mid-line length and controller fully out of housing but still connected.

1938 – housing mid-line height and controller fully out of housing but still connected.

1947 – label on controller box. (Model No is; YK223-2 1:1)

 

1940 – cables and connectors laid out as follows:

 

Basically there are two groups of wires exiting one end of the controller box via white plastic bosses about 20mm apart

 

Going clockwise around the wires

 

@12 O/C: Blue wire at very top of picture still connected to bike (was loathe co cut it!)

This goes down to a connector with red + black wires leading to the upper boss (UB)

 

@1 O/C: Ex the UB - red wire with male bullet connector

@2 O/C: Ex the UB - black wire with female bullet connector

@3 O/C: Ex the UB - connector with red & black wires.

@4 O/C: Connector with green, blue, yellow, black, & red wires to lower boss (LB).

@5 O/C: Ex the LB - blue wire with female bullet connector

@6 O/C: Ex the LB - green wire with female bullet connector.

@7 O/C: Ex the LB - red and blue wires to a connector with additional red and blue wires extending to a further connector.

@9 O/C: Ex the LB – yellow wire with female bullet connector.

@11 O/C: Ex the UB –red, white, and black wires to a connector with an additional green wire extending to a further connector.

Thanks. I can see the non-standard things. It's that blue wire that's permanently connected to the wiring harness and the green wire attached to the throttle.

 

I think I understand most of it, but I need some more info to get the whole story.

 

Can you follow the cable from the pedal sensor and confirm what wires it has on both sides of the connector? Do the wires go straight into the harness and not connected to the controller? T think that's it at the top of your photo with red, blue and back wires, but I can only see a single red wire coming out of the connector, so where do the blue and black go? Also, there's an unconnected connector with red and blue wires sitting bottom right of the compartment. was that connected to anything?

 

None of these are a problem that will stop you from substituting the controller. I just want the full story before making recommendations.

Thanks for that.

Will get back to you when house selling complications resolved......................

Hope this cct diagram provides the answers to your questions. NB to keep it readable, have left out the battery connections .

Any clarifications/errors please let me know

I think I've got it now. Your LED display provides a throttle signal. Can you confirm that the green wire is joined to the white one in the red, white, black connector? Most LED displays don't work like that. I haven't sen one of those for about 7 years. They're really good for controllers that don't have a separate pedal sensor connector, like the brushed motor controllers.

 

I think what I'd do is chuck it all and make your bike a million times better by ordering one of these. With the throttle, LCD3, speed sensor and 10 magnet pedal sensor, it's about £60. You don't normally have to pay duty on them. There are cheaper solutions, but not as good. For the difference between £40 for a cheap one and this £60 the extra £20 is well worth it. You might be able to use your existing throttle and pedal sensor with adjustments to the wiring, but you should buy the replacements just in case, as they don't cost much and spares are always useful. Your brakes are compatible, but you might have to change the connectors or hard wire them, or you can leave them disconnected. They're not really needed with this controller.

http://www.pswpower.com/ven.php?cargo.2016-3f-3f7c

Edited May 7, 20196 yr by vfr400

Thanks for the ideas on the way ahead; I'll give them some thought...................

PS the green wire is sealed into the Blk/W/R connector with a tenacious plastic filler, so not directly visible. Checked it electrically via the connector pins and, as far as I can tell, the green and white wires are are connected to each other in the connector.

Thanks, that's logical.

 

You said you'd tried a replacement controller. Was it exactly the same type?

 

What's worrying me is that the cause of your problem might be in the motor or its wiring.

 

If you want to take a step back and test your way to the root of the problem, we can help you with that, but you have to give us details of what went wrong and what you already tested.

Firstly, to clarify re my tests so far: the controller I took out and replaced is the one currently fitted, and not an alternative. What I did change was the battery. Apologies for not making that clear.

Thank you for the offer to look at other possible causes of the failure. Before doing so I should explain that I have another Freego Hawk which is a year older than the failed machine. I would have exchanged its working controller for the faulty unit, but my first encounter with the controller in its housing didn't exactly instill a feeling of confidence as to what went where, and via what wires/connections! (typical mechanical engineer..............). I also have to cut (and rejoin) the connector less pedal sensor blue cables, which I was loathe to do. Anyway, having now delved into the controller set up, can look again at a controller swop, as it should establish whether the controller faulty or not.

If however your tests are less invasive, within my limited electrical test gear (a multi-meter) and will produce the same result, maybe stick with them?

In the end my decision, but your comments welcomed.

Installed the faulty controller in place of the working unit in the “good” bike, as latter was known to have no controller damaging faults .

The two controllers have identical model numbers.

The outcome of a trial run of this set up was as follows:

All “the battery is charged” LEDs lit up

The power selection switch worked – i.e. it was possible to switch between the LO, MID & HI power settings, and the requisite LEDs lit up

 

And most importantly: The motor did not respond to pedaling or application of the throttle.

 

This confirmed that the controller is faulty, but did not establish whether the cause is wholly internal to the unit, or external leading to an internal failure.

 

In light of this are there any tests I can do that would establish such an external fault? (Have checked between the three motor supply cables and all measure about 1ohm.)

 

In any case I need to purchase a new controller. In order to simplify the changeover process suggest need one that is as close to the existing unit as is feasible. Also cheap, so that if I ruin it the loss is bearable!

Grateful if you could advise links to candidate units

I can't understand any of that. The replacement controller was replaced, the controller you wanted to put in is out, and the one you took out is in. Is that it? Not that it matters because you still haven't explained what the problem is. Did something catch fire? Was your motor going too fast? Did the motor run by itself? What inspired you to come to the conclusion that the controller that you may or may not have replaced with one that might or might not be faulty is faulty?

Many apologies for the confusion

 

To clarify:

My wife and I both have a Freego Hawk bike and these have identical controllers.

Whilst in use her machine stopped working – i.e. would not respond to pedaling or to rotation of the hand throttle. There was no obvious reason – e.g. smoke, fire, motor run away, etc. etc. - for this failure. All the LEDs on the control panel remained illuminated.

 

From this I concluded that the controller on her bike was at fault.

 

As my bike was still working, I took out its controller and replaced it with the faulty unit from her bike.

After this change over my machine also stopped working – i.e. would not respond to pedaling or to rotation of the hand throttle.

 

This confirmed that the controller on my wife’s bike is faulty.

 

What caused it to fail is not so clear. It could be: (1) break down of an internal component alone, or (2) possibly in combination with a failure in the connected electrical equipment (motor, wiring etc.)

I think it is most likely to be (1). Are there any tests I can do to establish whether it is (2)?

 

In the meantime I am going to need a new controller. To simplify the change over, I would prefer this to be as close to the existing unit as possible. Also cheap, as if I get it wrong, can live with the loss!

Grateful if you could help with Internet links to a suitable controller for me.

fault finding on bikes with LED panel:

 

1. unplug pedal assist sensor and brake switches

2. test the motor with just the throttle

 

If test passes, connect the brake switches then retest

if test passes, connect the pedal sensor then retest

 

Fault finding on bikes with LCD:

1. unplug pedal assist sensor, throttle and brake switches

2. press and hold the - button to test the motor in walk mode

 

If test passes, connect the brake switches then retest

if test passes, connect the throttle then retest

if test passes, connect the pedal sensor then retest

Many apologies for the confusion

 

To clarify:

My wife and I both have a Freego Hawk bike and these have identical controllers.

Whilst in use her machine stopped working – i.e. would not respond to pedaling or to rotation of the hand throttle. There was no obvious reason – e.g. smoke, fire, motor run away, etc. etc. - for this failure. All the LEDs on the control panel remained illuminated.

 

From this I concluded that the controller on her bike was at fault.

 

As my bike was still working, I took out its controller and replaced it with the faulty unit from her bike.

After this change over my machine also stopped working – i.e. would not respond to pedaling or to rotation of the hand throttle.

 

This confirmed that the controller on my wife’s bike is faulty.

 

What caused it to fail is not so clear. It could be: (1) break down of an internal component alone, or (2) possibly in combination with a failure in the connected electrical equipment (motor, wiring etc.)

I think it is most likely to be (1). Are there any tests I can do to establish whether it is (2)?

 

In the meantime I am going to need a new controller. To simplify the change over, I would prefer this to be as close to the existing unit as possible. Also cheap, as if I get it wrong, can live with the loss!

Grateful if you could help with Internet links to a suitable controller for me.

OK. That's understandable and makes sense. Controllers are pretty reliable. I think that I've only ever seen five faults in controllers in many years of testing and fixing electric bikes.

 

fault 1.

Battery connected the wrong way round. It often blows the shunt and main capacitor/s, and sometimes blows other components. If you didn't fit a new battery, this fault can't be possible. It's not worth attempting to repair this fault.

 

fault 2.

Short circuit on the 5v rail blows the 5v regulator. This is easy to repair by replacing the regulator. You can test it by measuring between the red and black wires on the throttle, pedal sensor or motor hall sensors with the controller powered on. You should see 5v. The problem is caused by water getting in the throttle or any of the connectors with 5v on them. Salty water of winter roads is the worst..

 

fault 3.

Software annihilated. This happens when you get water in a throttle that has battery indicators in it or in any connector that has battery voltage next to 5v. This fault is nearly impossible to test. You can only determine it by a process of elimination and inspection. If you had fault 2, you might have fault 3 as well because they have the same cause. You also get this fault when messing about with connectors when you don't know what your doing. People buy a new throttle with mismatching connectors and then try and get it working by experimentation, connecting each combination of wires. If you connect the battery wire to the 5v, it blows the main CPU and can blow any of the 5v devices on the 5v rail. This fault cannot be repaired.

 

fault 4.

Blown MOSFET/s. This happens when you draw too much current for too long, like riding your bike too slow with full power. Low speed and high power is very bad for a bike with a hub-motor. This fault is very easy to test. Disconnect the controller and measure the resistance between the battery positive wire and each of the three motor phase (power) wires, then again for the negative battery wire to get six results. Each set of three should be the same as each other and in the range 7K to 14K. This fault is not worth repairing.

 

fault 5.

Blown transistor that switches on the lights. Some controllers have a lights switch function and a connector that provides the battery voltage to connect the lights too. If you connect lights that draw too much current or get a short circuit in the cable to the lights, it blows the transistor and it can do other consequential damage. In the cases that the controller was still operational, the lights stayed on all the time. It's not easy to test, but you can normally see the burnt transistor on the controller's PCB. You follow the wires from the lights connector to where it's attached to the PCB , and the transistor will most likely be sitting nearby.

Edited May 15, 20196 yr by vfr400

Thanks for the comprehensive response

As it was (for me) the easiest to do, tested for fault 4 (blown MOSFETs) first, with the following results:

 

Motor phase Blue to battery +ve - resistance = 10.88kΏ

Motor phase Blue to battery -ve - resistance = 6.04kΏ

 

Motor phase Yellow to battery +ve - resistance = 10.88kΏ

Motor phase Yellow to battery -ve - resistance = 6.04kΏ

 

Motor phase Green to battery +ve - resistance = 1.6Ώ.

Motor phase Green to battery -ve - resistance = 3.73kΏ

 

From which it appears that the “Green” MOSFET has failed,

 

In light of this result and, as you have indicated that this failure is not worth repairing, did not attempt the other tests. But can do if necessary

 

On this basis seems my wife’s machine needs a new controller. So would be grateful if you could advise Internet links to a suitable replacement (if possible (necessary?) with matching connectors, and also sacrificially cheap!).