So hot that my controller stopped working

[cwah]

Hello,

I've only done a few miles that my controller already stopped because of the heat. So I have to wait a bit until it can work again...

In normal day, I can cycle over 10 miles without issues.. but now it's sooo hot. What's best to cool it down? I wet towel?

 

[awol]

All your black tape could be insulating it from the cool breeze. Maybe try a couple of cable ties instead to allow air to flow directly over the metal housing.

 

[cwah]

is there such a thing as heat conductor tape?

 

[jonathan75]

Could that explain my difficulties today too? My headlight was flashing for no clear reason,and at one point the motor gave full throttle with no input and I had to switch everything off.

 

[JohnCade]

is there such a thing as heat conductor tape?

White tape will not absorb as much heat as black tape. The effect of the sun on a black surface is surprisingly large.

 

[mike killay]

CWAH.
This cannot be right, if you are in the UK.
If you are in Marseilles, then maybe, but really, it was not that hot yesterday, just felt hot because we are not used to it.

 

[flecc]

CWAH.
This cannot be right, if you are in the UK.
If you are in Marseilles, then maybe, but really, it was not that hot yesterday, just felt hot because we are not used to it.

Yes, they have e-bikes in Australia, and some Australians here in London remarked to a reporter that it wasn't hot, just pleasant.

Any trouble of this sort is more likely to be shaky plug-in connections failing when they get hot.
.
.

 

[cwah]

I used my hand to touch the controller and it was burning hot. Usually it isn't that hot after few miles

 

[selrahc1992]

CWAH.
This cannot be right, if you are in the UK.
If you are in Marseilles, then maybe, but really, it was not that hot yesterday, just felt hot because we are not used to it.

having seen cwah's bikes I assumed he may be running a 48V controller at 58V and so within a very narrow margin of it maximum capacity, in which case it may be running hot normally? Other than removing the black tape and allowing the heat sink to work, you could fit a computer processor water cooler. their cheap, cheerful, and often asked to remove a lot of heat frpom a confined space

 

[JohnCade]

CWAH.
This cannot be right, if you are in the UK.
If you are in Marseilles, then maybe, but really, it was not that hot yesterday, just felt hot because we are not used to it.

I didn't say it was causing your problem. I was replying to your Question about heat conducting tape. Black absorbs much more heat than white.

 

[Fordulike]

and some Australians here in London remarked to a reporter that it wasn't hot, just pleasant.

.
.

Ha ha yes, when an Australian guy was asked at Wimbledon if it got as hot as this in Australia, he remarked that this would be only Spring over there lol

 

[JohnCade]

Ha ha yes, when an Australian guy was asked at Wimbledon if it got as hot as this in Australia, he remarked that this would be only Spring over there lol

Yeah right. Typical Australian BS. The hottest place I’ve ever been was the Punjab in a heatwave in June about thirty five years ago. It was over 45 degrees in the shade and many locals were dying of it. There was no air con where I was staying so the only option was to stay indoors with the sun blinds down while a hotel worker chucked water on them from outside. Walking was like walking in an oven and a hundred yards was enough.

I spent part of my childhood in the tropics too so heat was something I knew about. But that was something else.

 

[cwah]

having seen cwah's bikes I assumed he may be running a 48V controller at 58V and so within a very narrow margin of it maximum capacity, in which case it may be running hot normally? Other than removing the black tape and allowing the heat sink to work, you could fit a computer processor water cooler. their cheap, cheerful, and often asked to remove a lot of heat frpom a confined space

Are you talking about something like this?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B009VV56TY/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1435857131&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40&keywords=Water+heatsink&dpPl=1&dpID=41mu3fgt4FL&ref=plSrch

Yes I'm using it on 14s and 58V max... so yeah it runs warm most of the time.

It looks like an annoying configuration because I suppose I'd have to add a 12V dc-dc to run it? And it's not that small either

 

[Fordulike]

Are you talking about something like this?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B009VV56TY/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1435857131&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40&keywords=Water+heatsink&dpPl=1&dpID=41mu3fgt4FL&ref=plSrch

Yes I'm using it on 14s and 58V max... so yeah it runs warm most of the time.

It looks like an annoying configuration because I suppose I'd have to add a 12V dc-dc to run it? And it's not that small either

Probably don't need to buy anything that expensive, and if you get a 48v DC fan, you should have no problems running it straight from the battery:

MECHATRONICS DC 48V 0.15A 120X38MM COOLING FAN

I know this one is not liquid cooled, but I doubt if you need to go that route, just strap the cooling fan to the casing

 

[cwah]

I suppose I'd need to drill holes in the controller to have that working? otherwise air will not cool down and that's why watercooling was sort of solving the problem? or am i all wrong?

 

[Fordulike]

I suppose I'd need to drill holes in the controller to have that working? otherwise air will not cool down and that's why watercooling was sort of solving the problem? or am i all wrong?

I'm no expert, but I don't see why you would need to drill holes in the case, just fix the fan firmly to the largest surface area.

You're only looking to drop controller temp a few degrees.

I used to have a 48v 30A controller inside a black frame bag, which had a large 48v battery inside too.
The only ventilation it had, was where I cracked open the zip at the front about 2 inches.

That ran for a couple of Summers with no problem.

I know you like to experiment cwah, so give it a go

The gyro effect of the fan will give you better stability too

 

[selrahc1992]

Are you talking about something like this?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B009VV56TY/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1435857131&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40&keywords=Water+heatsink&dpPl=1&dpID=41mu3fgt4FL&ref=plSrch

Yes I'm using it on 14s and 58V max... so yeah it runs warm most of the time.

It looks like an annoying configuration because I suppose I'd have to add a 12V dc-dc to run it? And it's not that small either

you're right, it would complicate things, I think id remove the tape and only if that didn't do it add it - it depends which controller it is - I have an s12sh that sometimes gets hot, but its not an issue ito switching off. It's never really hot in the UK so I'm sure this is overthinking it, but I guess there isn't any reason why one couldn't fill a controller with oil if one can do that to a BPM to stop it from overheating.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Drilling holes won't help. The mosfets, which are what generate the heat, are fixed directly to the case, which is the heatsink. If you drill holes in it, you take away surface area that can radiate the heat, so it will run hotter.

Your problem is the insulating tape around it, which is doing exactly that: insulating it! Get rid of the tape and everything will be OK.

 

[cwah]

I want it stealthy as much as possible. Can I paint the controller black and it would still be ok?

The wires are also getting hot!

 

[Deleted member 4366]

As suggested, removing the tape will most likely solve your problem, but for anybody who has problems with a hot controller, I have the following thoughts.

I had my laptop open a couple of days ago. I was surprised how quickly the cpu got hot and how hot it became, so I studied the cooling system, which could very easily be adapted to cool a controller. They use a copper strip to conduct the heat away to a remote fan and heatsink. I don't know if the copper is solid. I guess not.

If you could screw that copper strip directly to the side of the controller using longer screws that fix the mosfets, you would have a turbo-charged cooling system.

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=151155128149&alt=web