Unable to switch off Bearprint battery problem.

[bazwaldo]

I recently had to replace my controller, the general consensus was that water ingress had caused the failure. Its difficult not to get a soaking in current weather conditions. As such, I wonder if you have had any problems from water getting in the electrics.

Hello Eaglerider,

Yes , I have had 4 replacement controllers now I think in the 2 years and 3 months I have had the Bearprint. The main wiring Loom between the handlebars and Controller has also been replaced.
As you have done I have used a Silicon sealent to block up the entry hole arround the cables at the front of the little box area under the battery where the controller sits.
This is possibly a weak point for our more budget Chinese manufactured Ebikes, perhaps the more expensive German branded Ebikes have better designed and executed electrics.
I can't complain though my ongoing mileage total is up to 11,630 miles now so closing in on 12K!

The recent snowy weather has led to a lot of grit and salt being put on the roads and I am seeing more rust on the exposed metal parts now which is a concern.
I will need to give the bike a good clean soon.

The great thing is our Ebikes keep us active with non polluting travel which also helps to keep us fit, something I am increasingly aware of as I get older.
I am enjoying it so much I am thinking of spending a huge sum on purchasing an expensive non assisted Touring bike complete with Rohloff hub gears - 1 day I would like to attempt the LEJOG or Lands end to John O'Groats trip.
Camping touring in remote areas also seems very alluring.

Best wishes,
Barry.

 

[Eaglerider]

Hi Barry,

That's very interesting, and rather supports the suggestion that my controller just failed through normal wear and tear. It appears they have a life of around 2000 to 3000 miles. Perhaps an updated unit may become available that might be longer lasting.

Great to hear you are still enjoying your riding, I have found it life changing, it provides a similar enjoyment to one of my other lifelong hobbies, motorcycles, not to mention the considerable health benefits of weight loss and bad knee repair. Long may it continue, and may I wish you Godspeed, in all your cycling endeavours.

Cheers
ER

 

[Deleted member 4366]

There's nothing in a controller that can wear out with use; however, wires can break off or solder joints can fail if wires are unsupported and allowed to vibrate. Without seeing a controller, it's impossible to say why it failed, but it was probably something simple.

By all meand seal all the holes where the wires come into the compartment, but always leave something underneath open so that any water that does get in can get back out easily. Never attempt to seal the whole thing.

 

[shemozzle999]

Shemozzle999,
I assume the 'Conformal Coating' would not prejudice heat dissipation. For the moment I'll wait and see what happens, after all, the summer is coming soon!! If it fails again after a very wet ride then I'll have to give it a go. I would have thought this might be done at the point of manufacture, it shouldn't cost a great deal, but perhaps I'll get lucky with the new controller.

Hi Eaglerider,

The application of conformal coating is just to provide a thin barrier over the components and the pcb, it will not effect heat dissipation as long as you mask off the surface on the rear of the fets and maintain a good thermal joint with the case.

Your approach is correct, I would only do this if I was having problems of water ingress - many people don't have this problem with their controllers but there have been quite a few people having their led display units failing.

 

[shemozzle999]

There's nothing in a controller that can wear out with use; however, wires can break off or solder joints can fail if wires are unsupported and allowed to vibrate. Without seeing a controller, it's impossible to say why it failed, but it was probably something simple.

By all means seal all the holes where the wires come into the compartment, but always leave something underneath open so that any water that does get in can get back out easily. Never attempt to seal the whole thing.

Hi d8veh,

Maybe not applicable but something to take into account.

Conformal coating the board has another advantage, when using higher working voltages the possibility of the air breaking down is increased causing sparks between neighboring tracks and conductors especially in a humid environment i.e. condensation created when transferring a unit from the warm to the cold.

Coated PCB’s prevent this to a fair degree.

Link to a table/guideline used by PCB designers when designing boards - table at bottom of the page:

IPC-2221A PCB Trace Spacing / Clearance by Voltage