Brushless motors use electronic controllers instead of brush systems to control the timing and distribution of power to the motor. To do this, some controller systems use hall-effect sensors inside the hub, which track the motor's position. This information permits the controller to alternate power with the right timing and in the right sequence and, voila, it spins.
That's obviously the short version and it is a complex compared to standard DC motors, but brushless motors are more efficient and that's the benefit. Better efficiency means you get more mechanical energy per unit of power, which is a good thing! The bad thing is, hall-effect sensors are relatively unreliable in the hot, high voltage, rock-and-roll insides of electric bike hub motors.
In my case, the villain was voltage. Although, I certainly didn't help the situation when I crashed the stupid thing.
When the bike fell, the sensor and power leads--8 wires altogether--were crushed and severed as the axle ground against the concrete. As a result, the current intended for the motor found its way to one of the sensors and killed it as the heat changed the internal composition from silcon to silcon dioxide. The controller, as I said before, depends on these sensors to distribute power, so the whole system fails with the loss of even one of them.
Efficient, yes. Robust, no.
Sure enough, after repairing the wiring, I found that the motor didn't turn smoothly anymore. Rotation was jerky and it didn't produce much torque. This is known as "sputtering." There were also dead spots, where, if at rest, the wheel could not begin to spin. Major major problems. After a little research and hanging around the Golden Motor owner's forum, I learned that my problem was a failed sensor and it needed to be replaced.
This Instructable documents the process I followed to replace this sensor and bring my bike back to life.
First, a thousand thank-you's go out to myelectricbike, who walked me through this step-by-step, provided much of the information you'll read here, and is singlehandedly forging a first-rate forum for Golden Motor product owners.
That's obviously the short version and it is a complex compared to standard DC motors, but brushless motors are more efficient and that's the benefit. Better efficiency means you get more mechanical energy per unit of power, which is a good thing! The bad thing is, hall-effect sensors are relatively unreliable in the hot, high voltage, rock-and-roll insides of electric bike hub motors.
In my case, the villain was voltage. Although, I certainly didn't help the situation when I crashed the stupid thing.
When the bike fell, the sensor and power leads--8 wires altogether--were crushed and severed as the axle ground against the concrete. As a result, the current intended for the motor found its way to one of the sensors and killed it as the heat changed the internal composition from silcon to silcon dioxide. The controller, as I said before, depends on these sensors to distribute power, so the whole system fails with the loss of even one of them.
Efficient, yes. Robust, no.
Sure enough, after repairing the wiring, I found that the motor didn't turn smoothly anymore. Rotation was jerky and it didn't produce much torque. This is known as "sputtering." There were also dead spots, where, if at rest, the wheel could not begin to spin. Major major problems. After a little research and hanging around the Golden Motor owner's forum, I learned that my problem was a failed sensor and it needed to be replaced.
This Instructable documents the process I followed to replace this sensor and bring my bike back to life.
First, a thousand thank-you's go out to myelectricbike, who walked me through this step-by-step, provided much of the information you'll read here, and is singlehandedly forging a first-rate forum for Golden Motor product owners.
Remove these ads by
Signing UpStep 1: Parts and Tools
Parts
- Replacement Hall-effect Sensors
- Small zip ties
- Felt-tipped pen
- Glue (Recommended, but optional)
- Masking tape
- Multimeter (Recommended, but optional)
- Needle nose pliers
- Oil
- Ratchet with 7mm Socket
- Small standard screwdriver
- Soldering iron, solder, and solder wick
- Wire cutters
Visit Our Store »
Go Pro Today »
The middle one was also fitted in upside down and I am not sure whether this was to make the little circuit board easier to manufacture or whether there was an electronic reason for this, as the magnets in the wheel are arranged "N" & "S" alternately.
I see that your TO92's are bipolar latching types and are all facing the same way but apart from that it seems to be almost identical to mine.
I look forward to getting my bike back on the road after about three months out of action
could it be better if just buy one electric bike from the market.
here is our link:
http://www.electric-bicycle.de/
Take a look at how my folding bicycle
http://www.folding-electric-bicycle.com/
-the orange wire is for controling input(+36V) for the controller.
-you have to connect + from the battery to orange through a 20A fuse. then it will run.
Some of the fans use an integrated Hall sensor and motor driver chip, which isn't typically adaptable as just a sensor, and they usually have 4 or more pins, instead of the typical 3 (as in this instructable's photos). If that's the only fans you have laying around, you'll have to order your sensors anyway. :-)
I know many people that either themselves have or know PC-repair friends that have old worn-out cooling fans laying around, so they are a reasonably practical alternative for these sensors. I'm using some myself in a motor I'm converting from an old cieling fan into an e-bike motor for various testing purposes (see http://opporknockitytunes.blogspot.com for the info I've posted about the e-bike project).