E-bikes are one of the most important innovations in the past two decades. They allow you to get from one place to another while ensuring you don’t use fossil fuels. However, any electric bike has several components that work harmoniously to take you on a journey.

One such component is the E-bike controller, which manages the speed of the e-bike. You can test this controller and whether it’s working by directly isolating and connecting it with the battery. If you find the controller works well, the problem may not be due to the controller but due to some other part of your e-bike.

In the article below, we provide a comprehensive guide on how to test if your e-bike controller is working.

What is an E-bike Controller?

An e-bike controller is similar to the brain of the e-bike. It is responsible for the movement of the e-bike and has complete control over the other components of the bike. It can control the motor speed, and the start and stop functions within the e-bike.

The controller is connected to every bike component, including the throttle, speed sensor, battery, and display. It has the major electronic chips that allow it to maintain control over the batteries and peripheral components.

Inside the ebike controller, you would find signal processing and power device circuits that help it manage the bike’s movement overall.

How to Test if my E-Bike Controller is Functional?

Now that we know what an ebike controller is, we can look into how to test if it’s working. The good thing about the e-bike controller is that troubleshooting it is fairly simple. You may use the following steps to test an ebike controller.

Apply a Multimeter

When you’re using a multimeter, you’ll check all the electrical components in your bike. It’s a simple operation of checking out all the aspects of your ebike overall. You may follow the necessary steps:

Connect Your Controller to the Battery

You must take the controller and connect it to the battery. Look at the controller activation wire and try to find its connection to the battery. You may then check if the current is passing through here or not.

Use the Multimeter to Set the Reading

The reading that most people opt for is generally 200 V DC. Using the multimeter, you may calculate the voltage in the negative and positive wires for the controller. You must make sure that it’s near the battery supply.

Check the Hall Sensor Pin Group

The Hall sensor is one of the most important pin groups in the e-bike as it maintains the speed and distance at which the e-bike can interact with the rest of the environment.

To check the hall sensor, you must connect the negative wire of the controller (black) with the black wire of the multimeter (grounded). You could connect the other multimeter wire to the sensor wire’s positive supply hall. It shows up at the voltage of 4.9-5 VDC.

If the voltages are not showing up in this order, you can apply the other wires and see how the voltages track at blue, green, and yellow. These groups should be 4.5-5 VDC.

If you can’t measure these voltages, there may be some problem with the controller, which may require replacement or repair. You can then check if the hall sensors for the motors are working.

Check the Working of MOSFETs

If you want to check the MOSFETs in the controller, you would have to set the multimeter at the pace of continuity. You can then connect the positive terminal for the multimeter to the negative wire. Then take another terminal phase wire of the controller so that you can see that the connection is met.

Then, you can check each wire of the MOSFET and see how the resistance range shows up per ohm. If the range doesn’t stay anywhere between 415 and 490 ohms, then there’s something wrong with the MOSFETs, and it’s time for you to replace the controller.

Use an Ebike Tester

If you’re still unsure about how to test through your multimeter, you can always check the bike using the electric bike tester. You can purchase this tester in the ebike store.

Many people opt for this tester because it doesn’t just test the controller. You can also test the other parts of the bike in one go, to know which part is creating issues for you.

There are a lot of different e-bike testers in the market for you to choose from, which is why it may be helpful for you to work using this method.

An ebike tester lets you test the hall wire signal of the controller, as well as the main wire and all the other wires attached to the controller. You can also check the throttle and the motor coil.

Here are steps for using an Ebike tester:

Take the Controller Out From the Ebike

The most important thing is to ensure you take the controller out of the ebike when testing it.

Check the Throttle Connection

You can then take the throttle connection out of the ebike and connect it to the controller. You want to conduct this action to test if you can manage the connections of the throttle. Once you do that, you can carry out the signals from the throttle.

Attach the Tester Controller to the Regular Controller

Once everything is in order, you can attach the tester controller wires to your ebike controller.

Turn the Tester On

The tester then needs to be active so that you can check the controller.

Turn on the Throttle

The throttle is part of the bike that lets you increase the speed of the ebike. To test the controller, you must turn on the throttle. If the tester’s lights are blinking, then the controller is working. However, if only the middle light is working, you will find that the controller will have an issue.

All in all, there are two major tools that you may use to test your controller. These tools are the multimeter and the ebike tester. The ebike tester is much quicker since that is its intended purpose, but you can also figure out the problem using a multimeter.

When you’re using a multimeter, there are two major tests that you would follow, i.e., the continuity test or the resistance test.

Why Are E-bike Controllers Important?

You know how to test your e-bike controller now, but why are these components important? We have listed the major reasons below:

They Provide Motor Control

If you want to go anywhere with an ebike, you must learn to control the directions and the battery. The controller helps you decide where to proceed with the motor control and how to regulate the power output. You can determine the bike’s speed and acceleration with a functional controller.

They Increase Range

There are newer versions of ebikes that have a system that recharges the battery when brakes are applied. Here, a motor acts as a generator to recharge the battery when the rider applies the breaks. It means that if you apply the breaks enough, you will find that you’re also extending the battery life of your bike.

They Offer Better Battery Management

If you’re looking for better battery management, the controller is one of the most useful components.

You can monitor the voltage and the current of the battery so that you don’t use up your charge too quickly. You must also ensure the battery doesn’t get overcharged or discharged overall. If that happens, you may damage the battery or dim the lifetime.

They Amplify User Control

The controller is also necessary for the user to impact the ebike. It allows the rider to control the speed at which the ebike generally travels through a mounted e-bike display, which helps elevate the user experience.

They Enhance Safety Features

Ebike controllers are also necessary to maintain the overall safety of the bike and the person riding the bike. Controllers can also have features that protect bikes against overcurrent and shut down the major motors if they draw too much power.

These actions will keep the bike safe and stop it from burning any major components. You would also spend less money on the features overall.

Final Thoughts

Testing your e-bike controller is necessary to understand the issues regarding your e-bike. Nothing is more useless than a bike that has a malfunctioning controller. E-bikes can get you to all of the places that you need to be, but to do so, they must be working to their maximum capacity, and they must also be safe to ride.

Controllers will ensure you have all the capabilities to easily ride your bike. You must keep your controller in the proper condition to get the most out of your purchase and remain safe when cruising downtown.

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