Arizona heat vs controller

[James340]

I have my controller in a bag& wondering if that's bad since no air flow.I limit usage in 100+ degrees weather.It control's a 1000w 48v hub motor.Thanks for your time

 

[HumanPerson]

Hi and welcome to the forums mate!

 

[HumanPerson]

It gets hot in those bags so yeah, i always mount mine outside in the air for better cooling.

You'll find that if you live in hot climate areas your controller will get really hot and the performance of your ebike will be degraded a bit.

Depending where yur from it can be bad or not bad..

 

[ElHegpah]

When the controller overheats and fails, your performance will be degraded a LOT, until your replacement controller arrives.

 

[James340]

I am going to hang it out in the open to be air cooled.

 

[James340]

Is worth upgrading the controller? The controller that came with the kit seems really cheap and I was looking at better controller because I keep getting heavy on the throttle

 

[ElHegpah]

The question here is what do you expect a replacement controller to do that the current one does not?

 

[James340]

Better controller less chances for failure.I bet the current controller only has 6 MOSFET.I don't know that I need more but I don't want a failure 20+ miles from home.I live rural so no Uber

 

[ElHegpah]

By "better" you mean able to pass more amps to the motor?

IF repeat IF your current controller is amp-starving your motor, you may get better performance.

However, it may also pass too much wattage to the motor, scorching the coils and destroying the motor.

If you want less chance of failure, open the controller and examine the heatsinks on the fets. The more fets, the larger and better heat sinks you need. More amp capability, MANY more heat sinks required.

You could ALSO look into additional cooling for the motor, AND the controller, AND more fets, for more speed, but then accidents and other failures can cause more damage.

If your current number of fets supply the power you need, and do not overheat with airflow, then a different controller is not at all better. Actually, as you increase the number of fets, beyond what is needed, you INCREASE the chances of failure.

 

[James340]

You are correct.I just did a full throttle acceleration and according to the display the controller fed the motor 1150w up to top speed which is 30 mph without pedaling.Nothing got hot and it is 100+ degrees Fahrenheit.I looked online and this unbranded Alibaba controller is the same size as other 30a controller's.That is satisfactory performance for me.I thank you for your time and information

 

[Freddy1]

I have my controller in a bag& wondering if that's bad since no air flow.I limit usage in 100+ degrees weather.It control's a 1000w 48v hub motor.Thanks for your time

Simple answer, in a sealed bag the controller WILL overheat and the self protection mode will cause it to cut out. Go for a hard ride, and feel the temperature of the thing, it will be VERY hot. There must be airflow to remove that heat.
The way I solved my overheating problem, was to fit a mass of 'eyelets' (like the ones on the edges of a tarpaulin) in the sides and face of the bag that holds the controller. So basically LOTS of airflow through the bag. Used quality stainless steel eyelets from a marine shop. Put them in neat straight lines and it looks professional. The bag is mounted to the downtube.
No more overheating problems since I made this modification. Prior to doing this it would cut out every ride from overheating.

 

[James340]

Splendid idea.I like the tidy looks with the bag.Not having all the wires hanging out but was concerned about heat buildup.