Swytch gen 1 and gen 2 controllers

Cam1968

Just Joined
Sep 2, 2024
1
0
Hi We've got 3 Swytch kits (gen 2) - 2 of which work faultlessly and are great to use. One did work but is now an endless cycle of intermittent on/off working....TBH I think it's the handlebar connector as we have swapped out everything else and have 4 working battery packs. I also have a gen 1 non working Pro battery pack (the massive ones) which I forgot to top up charge and it seems to have died - it's not to hand at the moment and is buried somewhere in my storage unit. I also have a spare gen 2 battery pack which holds charge but I think has a dead controller. Does anyone know if the gen 1 and gen 2 controllers are interchangeable (either a straight swap or a swap with some minor tweaking)? I was thinking about trying to cobble something together from both old kits and using the gen 2 Pro battery cell pack maybe rear or frame mounted. I use the Swytch kit on an old Giant Bowery single speed which as it's really light so it works a treat and the range is very good too so any advice to get it going would be great. I contacted Swytch but they don't seem to have any info on Gen 1 these days. Thanks.
 

radiatewishbone540

Just Joined
Sep 7, 2024
2
0
Hi We've got 3 Swytch kits (gen 2) - 2 of which work faultlessly and are great to use. One did work but is now an endless cycle of intermittent on/off working....TBH I think it's the handlebar connector as we have swapped out everything else and have 4 working battery packs.
My Gen 2 Eco battery just died. Do you have any links for replacement batteries I should buy?
 

peterjd

Pedelecer
Sep 18, 2019
213
52
The picture of the generation 1 unit is in fact a picture of the Battery unit. In my generation 1 pack the controller was separate. When the battery died I just replaced with an external generic 36V Yose battery directly powering the controller by twin thick gauge wire (was in fact hifi speaker cable). The bike continues to work ok using a variety of 36V batteries (eg the Yose and Bosch lawnmower types of varying capacities).
 

saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
6,078
2,871
Telford
The picture of the generation 1 unit is in fact a picture of the Battery unit. In my generation 1 pack the controller was separate. When the battery died I just replaced with an external generic 36V Yose battery directly powering the controller by twin thick gauge wire (was in fact hifi speaker cable). The bike continues to work ok using a variety of 36V batteries (eg the Yose and Bosch lawnmower types of varying capacities).
For those who want to copy this idea, you should use 14g wire.

That's to put a put a number on it because "thick" has different meanings to different people.
 

dtmods

Finding my (electric) wheels
Aug 10, 2021
6
0
I also want to change out the battery, I have a large capacity 36V. I'm not sure what gen my system is, but only a year old or so (pics attached). I have the handlebar mount, the battery has 4 spade connectors (female), and the 2 charging ports. I was going to solder female spade connectors to my own 36V battery, but I'm not 100% sure of the orientation of the connectors, and why 4? Sure there are just two connections from the battery? Thanks
 

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dtmods

Finding my (electric) wheels
Aug 10, 2021
6
0
Just tried measuring voltages on the four pins, either getting zero volts or fluctuating voltages across the pins. Makes me think there's a BMS to contend with, may not be possible to use own battery...

also discussed here:
 

saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
6,078
2,871
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Just tried measuring voltages on the four pins, either getting zero volts or fluctuating voltages across the pins. Makes me think there's a BMS to contend with, may not be possible to use own battery...

also discussed here:
Every battery has its own BMS. If you can't measure voltage on the Swytch battery, it's because it's switched off. Don't they have a power button somewhere? Most batteries only use the outer two blades as the connectors for power. Some manufacturers use the middle ones for whatever they want, like a remote power switch, lights, data, etc. You must look to see which blades have wires soldered to them on the controller side. By convention, the one with the thick red is the positive, and the thick black is the negative. Once you know which is which, you can connect your battery with spade connectors you will probably get a big spark and zap noise when you connect. It's a bit scary, but nothing to worry about. If your battery has its own switch, you won't get the spark if you connect when it's switched off.
 

dtmods

Finding my (electric) wheels
Aug 10, 2021
6
0
Theres a power button on the display. I've taken the mount apart. There are just two wires red and black from the controller. Annoyingly the wires aren't exposed on the controller side to directly see how they are connected to the battery terminals. The inner terminals are shorted - common ground? Not sure about the outers. I can connect the battery via some leads and take a spur off each for testing with the system on? Seems like the best way to get the polarity correct.
 

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saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
6,078
2,871
Telford
Theres a power button on the display. I've taken the mount apart. There are just two wires red and black from the controller. Annoyingly the wires aren't exposed on the controller side to directly see how they are connected to the battery terminals. The inner terminals are shorted - common ground? Not sure about the outers. I can connect the battery via some leads and take a spur off each for testing with the system on? Seems like the best way to get the polarity correct.
Isn't there a hidden power button in the bag somewhere, like near the charge socket?
 
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dtmods

Finding my (electric) wheels
Aug 10, 2021
6
0
There's a battery test button - that wakes the battery. Looks like the centre pins are positive and one other is ground and one unused?
 

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saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
6,078
2,871
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There's a battery test button - that wakes the battery. Looks like the centre pins are positive and one other is ground and one unused?
This thread is about gen 1 and 2 systems. Sorry, I forgot that yours is the new one. There's a separate thread that describes everything about that connector:


If you want to run a separate battery, it would be better to splice a connector into the two battery wires going in to the controller.