Controller Wiring
If you want to upgrade or perhaps building your first ebike or electric project, knowing how to wire a controller is crucial to getting it on the road! This guide is for you, whether you have some experience or you're just starting out. It'll show you, step by step, how to get your controller hooked up right.
Why It's Important to Wire Your Controller Correctly
The controller is like the brain of your electric vehicle. It manages the motor, battery, and throttle inputs. To get your EV to work its best, the controller needs to be wired correctly.
Wiring it wrong can cause problems such as no power, low power, bad speed control, or even break your equipment. By wiring it right, you'll save a lot of time and headaches.
What You'll Need
If you dont already have a complete set of plug and play connectors already done for connecting your controller to your screen, throttle, motor ect then before you start, make sure you have:
- A Controller: The right one for your build.
- Wire Strippers: To take off wire insulation.
- Soldering Iron and Solder: To make connections that won’t come loose.
- Heat Shrink Tubing: To cover and protect the connections.
- Wire Connectors: You might need different kinds, like bullet connectors or XT60 connectors.
- Multimeter: To check your work and make sure the voltage's are correct.
- Wiring Diagram: This should come with your controller, if not leave a comment on this post below and well help out.
- Match Connectors: These make connecting easier later on.
Step-by-Step Wiring Guide
Safety First
Always disconnect your battery first. This stops any accidental shocks.
Follow the Wiring Diagram
This diagram is like a map for your wiring. Look at it closely to know which wires go where and what colours they are. Here is a generic diagram that might be similar to what your working with:
Prepare the Wires
If any wires you need to connect don't have any pre attached connectors on them, you will need to cut and strip accordingly in preparation for soldering. If you have any male and female connectors lying around they could come in handy.
Secure Everything
Use the right connectors and heat shrink tubing to make all your connections safe and reliable.
Throttle and Brake Levers
Connect these to the controller as the diagram shows. Pay attention to the wire colours.
Hall Sensor Wires (If Your Motor Has Them)
Most newer motors have Hall sensors in them. Connect these wires according to your diagram or you might be able to refer to the diagram at the top of this article.
Display
Time to wire up the display, for most ebike controllers your display connection will be a 5 pin connector. Colours can vary but the red and black wires are usually the same.
Add any other applicable features
Features such as your e-brake, off and on road line, and 12/24 line(if you have one) can all be wired up to a switch to make things more accessible.
Connect Your Battery
Last but not least, hook up the battery wires to the controller. You'll usually have red for positive and black for negative wires. If you are soldering new XT type connectors such as the XT60 or XT90, or any other connectors, make sure you insulate the connections between each solder and make sure the connections are solid. You don't want to short circuit your battery or have connections come loose whilst out on a ride!
Following these steps will help you wire your controller correctly. Try to check your work with a multimeter to avoid any issues. If your still having issues feel free to leave a comment on this post below and we will do our very best to help out, or point you in the right direction. Happy riding!