Upgraded my 700xr with a new controller. :)

[Slaphappygamer]

Hi, all. I just recently upgraded my controller and display to this. On my 700XR, the existing controller and display function fine, I was just looking for a bit more power for the hills near me and to have a more reactive throttle when taking off from a stop. I've heard a lot about how flexible KT controllers are and they are very nice. I didn't want anything crazy, dangerous, or (street) illegal, so I went with this kit. This controller fits just fine in the same area, below the battery, where the existing controller was. The display is very nice and I have lots of options. After using this setup now, for about a week, I can tell that the throttle is more responsive than the old system I had. For now, I've set my C5 setting to 8, which gives me the same max amps (22) as the previous controller. Closer to 1000 watts. I know that many that upgrade their controller would max it out, but I don't want to harm my motor. I did see that video of the guy that upgraded his with a 40a controller and that tells me that i can probably open the controller up to use the 25 max amps from this CSC kit and my motor would still be ok.

If anyone is looking for a replacement for their 700 series, this is a great option. The reason I went with this kit was, the controller isn't (physically) much bigger than the stock one, so it fits neatly. Didn't have to externally mount it. It's only $80 USD. A nice perk was this LCD8H came with a usb port. I can run some lights or whatever usb thingy I'd like. The install was pretty easy, I just had to replace the 6pin connector for the hall sensors and flip/transpose the throttle negative and signal wires. Much to my shock, the phase wires and hall sensor wires all matched up by color. I've read that, usually, these need do be tested by trial and error to get the right combo for the motor to work properly.

 

[Blasst]

Nice, sounds like it was a worthwhile upgrade.

Do you have a newer 700 or one of the early ones from 2019?

 

[Blasst]

Do you have the links for those videos?

 

[Slaphappygamer]

Nice, sounds like it was a worthwhile upgrade.

Do you have a newer 700 or one of the early ones from 2019?

It was the video in this thread. I got my 700xr in July 2020. I think that was just after the models that had the cruise function. This new LCD8H does give me the cruise feature now.

 

[Blasst]

Thanks for responding slaphappy. Do you have a picture of what your original display looked like? I bought two 700's at the very end of Dec 2019, and would like to upgrade if possible.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

Thanks for responding slaphappy. Do you have a picture of what your original display looked like? I bought two 700's at the very end of Dec 2019, and would like to upgrade if possible.

The kd218.

 

[Blasst]

You have a different model than mine. I have the earlier version which I am going to guess cannot be upgraded.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

You have a different model than mine. I have the earlier version which I am going to guess cannot be upgraded.

As long as they have the same motor, it should work. My motor shows “SY2248700CUL3030PS1” printed on the side. It’s a Shengyi. Yours may be similar.

@Timpo this was the largest that would fit. What I did was, I cut packaging foam to the size of this 25a controller (in the kit I linked above) and it slid in nice. There was a 30a controller that I also cut packaging foam to, but it was too long.

This is the 30a controller that I was eyeing.

 

[Blasst]

My motor shows SY2248700CTH0117PS1. Not sure whether to give the different controller a try since I have one of the earliest versions.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

I’d say, if it’s working well for you, then it may be best to leave it. I like to take things apart and tinker, so this was like putting a puzzle together and was quite fun.

I’m fairly certain that our motors are similar and that the kit I got would work on your motor. Your motor will have a WP (9pin) plug on the chain stay and that will connect to the controller by a 6pin JST connector and the 3 “individually wrapped” phase wire connectors. Your controller should be a LSW11??.

Just know that, aside from rewiring the 6pin hall sensor and the throttle connections, I also had to add bullet connectors to the thicker phase wires from the controller. Also, this controller only has one headlight connection. So if you want both the headlight and tail light working, you’d have to split the single head light connection that comes from the controller. I’ve been working with wire for the last 30 years, so this was quite fun. I’m still working to simplify the wiring.

Fun fact: not sure if I got lucky, but the 6 pin hall sensor connector and the 3 thick phase wires matched up, color for color. Your mileage may vary.

Most likely, replacing just the controller won’t work as it may not be compatible with your existing display. That is why I went with the CSC kit. Id know, for certain, that they will indeed work.

 

[Blasst]

Well, I am looking for a bit more power when needed, as the 700 could use more torque for the hills. I will go for the kit then with the new display and see how that goes.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

On the bright side, if this kit doesn't work for you, you'd still be able to re-install the stock controller and display. The wiring changes only need to be done at the new controller. I weigh 160lbs and there is a nice amount of torque to carry me up this hill by my house at about 15mph. I believe the stock controller only brought me to about 6-8 mph.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

These are my settings.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

I’ve been playing with the settings and i believe this is most accurate. I’ll update if I notice anything that is off.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

Still riding on this same kit. These are my most current settings.

Finally, I think I’ve got it set up good.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

Chiming in again after 3 years. I’ve learned so much since then. I’ve learned that the motor is a Shengyi DGW22. The battery uses 35E cells in a Rhino IR-5 case. Requesting 30A from this pack is too much. Thats over 2C for each P group. 27 is the max amperage. Anything more and you will be killing your pack prematurely. I did try 30A, but the difference was negligible since the phase current is the same.

EM3EV sells a similar pack and they have this to say….

They have been around for a long time and are highly a respected battery builder. So I trust this.

I’m stuck with this battery size. So I may mount a new battery in the triangle, similar to how Rize bikes has their dual battery setups. Or just replace the current battery with an identical one. Dual batteries sounds intriguing, but I don’t ride more than 10 miles a day. So the extra weight would be an actual waste of space.

I’ve upgraded pretty much everything. I now have a Cycle Analyst with a BaseRunner. I’ve welded the clutch and now have regen braking. Much easier on the brake pads. I also added a V7 Grin torque arm to account for the torque in the opposite direction. My max battery current are still set to 25A and my phase current is set to 55A. 55A is the highest it’ll go. I’ve installed a temp sensor, in the motor, and never see temps higher than 80c. Thats with regen, so my motor is engaged and recovering energy, while braking. My controller will start to reduce power if 90c is reached, so no worry about it over heating.

There is more over here, if anyone is interested in more details about the growth of my bike.

The 2021 13s4p 18650 battery is still letting me go 25-30 miles, so it may be a while longer before a new battery is needed. I am looking now, so I can plan what to do when the time comes. I’d like a 13s4p with 50Es, but that may be too large. I’d be able to set my battery amps to 40, 2000W. Better for the 16-18% grade near my house. Also have longer range since the 21700 are more energy dense. It’d be a 20ah pack, an 35% increase in capacity. Again, given my commute, range is not a concern but it’s nice to have options.

I haven’t had any (mechanical) issues with any part of the bike. So the bike has been very good to me.

 

[Chazmo]

Love the Timex, @Slaphappygamer !

 

[Slaphappygamer]

Love the Timex, @Slaphappygamer !

Thanks! Gotta not be late! I’ve had that watch for over a decade now. Had to replace the strap once. I use a thick rubber ring around the bar, then strapped it down. It doesn’t budge.