Little Walmart Scooter

[David Hayden]

Okay, these are 24 volt scooters with a 450 watt electric motor. Last night I wired up my own jimmy rigged switch to by pass the normal (gas) which is a three pronged switch which i guess gives different resistance reading to the computer. I put two of the wires on the switch and it worked fine last night. When i rode it this morning I made it down the street and it would not switch off. I guess the computer is fried because no it wont stop unless I unhook the batteries.

My question... how can I build my own resistance switch using just the battery and the motor, bypassing the computer all together? I could just throw it on a light switch, on/off but am i going to fry something this way? I am very beginning electronics... so if you have the time to teach me the basics it would be appreciated!

 

[(*steve*)]

No, resistance is futile.

You need a proper controller like the one you believe you have fried. A simple switch that just connects the motor to the battery will give you very little control, and may burn out the motor.

 

[David Hayden]

I have to have a proper controller?

I guess i don't understand the fine points of electronics. Can i build a simple controller? I suppose i can google it. Thanks. I don't understand how it will burn out the motor since the motor is rated for 24 volts.

 

[(*steve*)]

Look for places selling these motors, they often also sell controllers. You may be able to get on that will work.

The controller *may* limit maximum current or power, and without it the motor may be over-driven. Of course, it's possible that it may not. It is a possibility.

The issue of control is the larger one I would suggest.

Here is an example (although they're out of stock).

 

[David Hayden]

250 watt motors

I was looking at different watt controllers. My motor is 250 but connected two scooters side by side... and i was wanting to run both motors off the same controller will that be ok? Is it still 250 watts I assume? Or do i need a higher rated wattage?

 

[(*steve*)]

Two 250 watt motors is 500 watts.

As to whether you can run two of them in parallel, I can't say.

 

[David Hayden]

use only 12 volts?

If i just run the motors off of 12 volt each instead of 24 volt will I be safe from burning them up even if i just run it off the switch? I am not really trying to win races I just want to show off what I built... and of course everyone want's to try it, so slower is probably better. I just don't want to screw anything up. I ran all the way to the store last night with both motors on 24... i was flying... but they died sooner so I had to walk a ways home. I went ahead and ordered on controller rated at 350 watts. I hope i don't screw it up playing around. My last controller got zapped because i bypassed the throttle and tried to make it a switch (but my wrist was getting tired from holding the throttle down.) What kind of project am i looking at to make a switch throttle instead of a twist throttle?

 

[(*steve*)]

What sort of vehicle is this? (just curious)

maybe you can figure out how to reduce the resistance of the spring on the throttle control. You realise that the spring return is a safety feature. If you fall off it will stop, not keep powering on until it collides with something.

Running 24V motors at 12V will give you a fraction of the speed and power (closer to 1/4 than 1/2)

 

[David Hayden]

scooter

It is a chinese brand scooter, basically a kids scooter, and i have been playing with them for a few years. It's been a fun hobby. I know the 12 volt will run slower and less power, but since it is half of the normal voltage i was hoping I would be safe from motor burn out. I took the spring out of one before but it un throttles by itself. These scooters fall over if you wreck and they wont go anywhere even if the motor was stuck running... the wheel just spins around. They go about 20, i try to keep it on the sidewalk most of the time.