Need a replacement controller for the 2016 Voltbike Mariner

[straying]

Hey everyone, my Mariner shuts off if I use the throttle at all. I took it to a local bike shop and the guy suggested replacing the controller. I tested the battery and it's fine.

The controller is this:

https://imgur.com/a/pyNNixz

But I can't find the exact same model anywhere. Voltbike support hasn't responded to me yet. Does anybody know know where I can get a replacement controller from? Alibaba has similar models but not the same.

I'm new, and don't really want to tinker with stuff and electric designs and all that stuff. Really hoping there's a simple plug and replace way I can fix this controller.

 

[vincent]

hopefully voltbike gets back with you, my guess is they will be the only ones with a quick plug and play controller

others you may have to match wires etc

 

[AHicks]

I don't trust bike shops as a rule, so let me ask this. What happens when you run the bike in the highest available PAS level (PAS 5?)? Is it OK there? If that's OK, but there's issues when using the throttle, the shop may be right. If it poops out when used on PAS 5 as well, the problem is more likely elsewhere. More likley a bad connection somewhere from the battery to the motor, or maybe the battery itself. More troubleshooting required.

 

[straying]

hopefully voltbike gets back with you, my guess is they will be the only ones with a quick plug and play controller

others you may have to match wires etc

Thanks, I hope so too...

I don't trust bike shops as a rule, so let me ask this. What happens when you run the bike in the highest available PAS level (PAS 5?)? Is it OK there? If that's OK, but there's issues when using the throttle, the shop may be right. If it poops out when used on PAS 5 as well, the problem is more likely elsewhere. More likley a bad connection somewhere from the battery to the motor, or maybe the battery itself. More troubleshooting required.

It poops out while using any level of PAS; the higher the level the more likely the power will cut out. I'll try and double check the connections are firmly connected... any other simple things I could check?

 

[AHicks]

Do you have a digital volt meter? If so, please share what kind of a voltage reading you are getting on your battery.

Does your battery seem to be charging normally?

All connections from the battery to the controller and from the controller to the motor should be suspect. Take them apart and have a carefull well lighted inspection of them. Anything that's black, or burnt looking should be investigated further. Post pictures of anything you see that's suspicious.

When it poops out, what do you have to do to get it going again? -Al

 

[straying]

Do you have a digital volt meter? If so, please share what kind of a voltage reading you are getting on your battery.

Does your battery seem to be charging normally?

All connections from the battery to the controller and from the controller to the motor should be suspect. Take them apart and have a carefull well lighted inspection of them. Anything that's black, or burnt looking should be investigated further. Post pictures of anything you see that's suspicious.

When it poops out, what do you have to do to get it going again? -Al

No, I don't have a digital volt meter. I'm now thinking I should get one.
The battery does seem to be charging normally.
I've taken apart each controller connection (after taking photos) and re-attached them as firmly as possible. Nothing looked burnt or charred. However, the problem remains.
And finally, when it poops out I have to turn the ignition key to OFF and then turn back to ON.

I did some more riding around. I rarely have problems riding downhill but uphill is a shitshow. Any level of PAS or even the slightest throttle will cause the power cut off while going uphill. That happened 3 times on a hill, and when I turned the bike back on I noticed the battery had drained to 1 bar from full charge! That was just from a small hill and less than 10 minutes of riding.

So, after some searching on these forums I see that other people with similar power cutoff issues fixed theirs by replacing the battery. Mine is 4 years old now (time flies!). As a result I've shifted my suspicion from the controller to the battery.
You mentioned a digital volt meter - could you recommend one a dummy like me could use to confirm any problems with the battery?

 

[AHicks]

Harbor Freight, Amazon, Lowes, & Home Depot all offer inexpensive volt meters with a digital readout. 10-15 bucks should do it.

Don't be too quick to condemn the battery. If your charger is out to lunch, quitting prior to a full charge, that could do the same thing. Issues with the charge jack could cause it, OR, this certain dummy I know (me) learned that the outlet I was plugging a charger into would turn off when I turned the lights off to leave the garage/shop. Bottom line, while it could be a battery issue, at 4 years old, it could be other things as well. Only way to know for sure is with a voltmeter.

 

[straying]

Harbor Freight, Amazon, Lowes, & Home Depot all offer inexpensive volt meters with a digital readout. 10-15 bucks should do it.

Don't be too quick to condemn the battery. If your charger is out to lunch, quitting prior to a full charge, that could do the same thing. Issues with the charge jack could cause it, OR, this certain dummy I know (me) learned that the outlet I was plugging a charger into would turn off when I turned the lights off to leave the garage/shop. Bottom line, while it could be a battery issue, at 4 years old, it could be other things as well. Only way to know for sure is with a voltmeter.

I got a voltmeter and tested the battery. At rest and unplugged from the bike, it was 140mV.
I took the bike for a ride and then measured the battery after every power cutoff. The battery was always at 160mV. I tested 6 times, all going slightly uphill. The battery didn't seem to be losing charge... which is disappointing because now I'm even less sure how to fix this problem :/

I am charging it in the garage too though so the wiring could be bad or something. I've brought the bike inside and am letting it charge from a known good outlet and then I'll repeat my tests tomorrow.

 

[MartsEbike]

140mV? Something smells off here...That would be a dead battery.

 

[AHicks]

Switch the voltmeter so that it reads DC volts, in a range of 0 to 100 or so.