Thank you! This video kept a lawnmower out of the landfill and saved me from buying a new one. If you enable the "Thanks" button, I would happily send you a few bucks to thank you.
Thank you,mice chewed thru the wiring. Not until you said this wire does nothing, I looked for months where that wire went,I didn't even try. Saw yuo're video,20 minutes later up and running
I have the exact same model however I took the controller out and put it in another ryobi cordless mower (different model which doesn’t have the lights or sensors ) anyway I hooked it up and nothing happens. Both mowers worked prior to me doing this . I can’t figure out why it isn’t working ! I’ve watched your video at least 10 times thinking I might have missed something . I need help! Thanks Update! I actually got it to work! Thank you so much! Your video was a lifesaver!
Glad it helped! From your description of the problem it sounded like what you were doing should have worked. Curious, what turned out to be the problem?
Big help. I had a bad controller, but when I was testing the new one it was not working either. Didn't realize there was a tilt sensor. I had not mounted the controller so it was just hanging from the wires. Went back out and lid it flat and it powered right up.
Glad I could help. I went through the same thing when I started building my electric tractor. Took me three days of messing with it to figure it out! I realized there needed to be a video about that.
Great stuff. I'm building a similar ride on lawnmower project and wanted to go down the swap out battery route for the blade motors but perhaps a different battery for the drive motor. Would love to know if you found the swap out batteries for the drive were ok or drained too quickly. I'm thinking of a direct drive transaxle motor set up either 750w or 1000w. Thus my thoughts on a larger motor battery.
On my setup I actually find that the blades motors run out of power before the drive motor battery does. I actually have a rather boring video of it being driven and you can see just how long it lasts as well as the kind of conditions of my yard. However, the transaxle in mine is a single speed manual transmission, and it has to have a large pulley on the transmission end and a small one on the motor. I tried a direct drive on a hydrostatic transaxle and it worked, but the motor got way too hot and was using a battery every 10 minutes! So I do not recommend that unless you want to use a larger motor and separate, larger drive batteries. If you are doing that I'd probably go with one of those 48v 1800w Vevor motors you can get online for like $100. That should have plenty of power.
The orange wire from he battery to the controller, is that the thermal OL? The won't motor wont run, the light comes on for a second and clicks and shuts down. New fully charged battery. Thanks Mel
I'll be honest, I'm not 100% sure what the orange wire is, but I believe you are correct. That wire should be a thermal overload. If you have it connected and it is shutting down immediately it sounds like you have a bad controller or motor. But that is only a slightly educated guess.
@@oddjobsandrandomprojects I cut the orange wire and still won't run. Blade spins freely, left the bag bar off, the light came on but didn't run. Replaced it and it shut down the same way. Leaning toward a bad control. Thanks for your reply.
Thanks, I also got a free broken Ryobi 36 volt. Replaced with a 36/48 volt 1000W e-bike controller (Amazon $40) and a pair of 18 volt Ryobi 5Ah batteries in 3D-printed holders. Seems to work!
I found my motors and speed controller on eBay. The video I did on the lawnmower conversion would probably be more relevant for your off road buggy. I use a variable speed control for that.
Any chance you have any idea how to force turbo mode? On older models, you could hold the start button, that doesn’t work anymore. Turbo mode fires automatically when you run into thick grass and speeds the blades up a good amount. I only have a small area, and want to force turbo all the time to get a better cleaner cut. Excellent video, I was hoping to see something obvious in the wiring diagram.
That’s what I’m thinking after watching the video. Clearly there’s something that triggers it based on torque maybe. I found an article today that was leaning toward installing a heavier blade can trigger the boost. More to study, but will be looking at going with the gator mulching blade and see what happens. Again, thanks for the video, it shows a lot of details that tells me I can’t just jump a wire and get my desired outcome.
Hi ...thank so much for this video....i just wan ask you about this motor ...is it powrful ..is it have a good torque to runing a small veihcul like a mini scooter ...thank you so much ...i hope that you help me about tha ...thank you again
It is reasonably powerful, depending on what you need from it. Geared low it moves my lawn mower just fine and can pull a load, just not fast. For a scooter it would probably work without ruining it as long as you geared it for a maximum of 20mph and kept the weight down below 100lbs plus a reasonable size rider. This is just an educated guess. I did a larger moped in another video using one of those motors, but with it geared to do 30mph it was overheating pretty bad. I went to a bigger motor so I could have more speed. Also, you will need a different controller so that you can adjust the speed. The factory controller only does one speed.
Awesome man thank you !!! I was wiring on two dewalt 20v in series and thought it was the orange temp sense wire..... that tilt sensor got me haha. Ive got a forrest Gump style snapper riding mower with a 33" single blade deck. I'm running two of these motors on the deck with a belt drive. A ebike 24v brushed motor for the drive, a power wheels drive motor with chain and sprockets for steering. My plans other than stopping and charging, a hybrid set up with a 7.5hp running some old car alternators. And to top it off FPV cameras and with some antennas set it up to mow from my couch. haha. Laziness is great motivation for ingenuity :) what are you using for ur videos a go pro setup?
For this video I just used my cell phone. Some of my others I've used a cheap go pro clone from Akaso. Just depends on where I need it to fit and how much I'll be moving around.
Unfortunately I don't have any of the 60v equipment to experiment on. On dinner of the units the controller is programmed to only have an automatic mode. You could replace the controller with an ebike controller which would give you full speed control like the old gas ones had.
Great video. What about the grass catcher sensor? What's the right way to bypass that? It's only two wires, so I cut the wires and joined them. I'm not an electrical genius like you so I need help. :)
I must say I'm far from an electrical genius. I used trial and error along with some help from others to figure this out. On my mower there were 3 wires for the bag sensor. Only the green and black ones connected to each other. The grey one needed to be capped off. Alternatively, during testing I found that the grass catcher sensor simply detects metal. If you put a piece of steel, such as an old bolt, into the channel in the sensor it will think there is a grass catcher present and run. That was how I tested my motors until I figured out the wiring, but it could be used permanently as long as it is secured solidly. However, if your model is slightly different you may find that my advice doesn't work.
Came across your vid while looking at my 40v weed eater. The wire you have going to nothing looks exactly like the throttle control on my weed eater. I'm assuming it wasn't needed on your set-up so there's just nothing to plug it into. They probably use the same controller for other items that have throttle control.
I'm sure they use that controller for lots of things. If you mean the flat plug, I was told that actually it is for motors with a Hall sensor. My unit didn't have one, so it goes to nothing. But that's just what I was told.
How well does the motors for the blades cut grass? What speeds do you get while cutting the grass? Can the batteries be hooked in parallel to have more output to cut a bigger lawn?
They work quite well for mowing. They turn at about 2900 rpm, so they are only slightly slower than a gas mower at maximum. It is possible to connect them in parallel, but I don't know what the long term consequences to the battery might be. I did that on my scooter, but that was because the amp draw was to high for one battery. You could also use a battery selector switch to have 2 batteries, but only connect one at a time. That would give you the range without the worry.
My RYOBI zero turn has joystick for control. It seems like wiring could be connected to RC receiver for RC control. Do you know how the RYOBI joystick is wired and how to “tap into it”?
Unfortunately I don't have any experience with it. I'm sure there is a way. You might also have an easier time developing a mechanism that fits over the joystick and moves it using servos. That is what I ended up going on my RC mower because I wasn't smart enough to get a RC relay to turn the blades off. After 3 different ones wouldn't do what I wanted I just bought some cheap servos and used a switch I had in the garage and 3d printed a bracket to hold the servo. If it were me, that's what I'd be looking at doing.
Can these parts be used to convert a manual reel mower into an electric one? I have an extra non working unit and was thinking about doing a conversion.
I've seen a video somewhere on UA-cam that someone did that conversation with a different motor. No reason this one wouldn't work, but you would have to figure out the correct gearing and find a sprocket or belt pulley to use.
The unused connector is for a motor with hall sensors. Some motor controllers use these sensors to determine rotor position and therefore which stator coils to energize. Other controls use the back EMF in the non-energized coils to determine rotor position and therefore do not need a motor with hall sensors, as in your case. My original Yardworks mower had a motor with hall sensors (3 sensors and therefore 5 wires as one is ground and the other is 5 V) but the board died and I substituted a controller (for an e-bike) that said it worked with hall and hall-less sensor motors.
What is the small red wire coming from the battery for?? I've got mine running off my 48v ebike battery for about a year now with just the red and black power wires connected . It still does the under load bump in power as you can hear it speed up . The internet doesn't have the answer, Im stumped .
That is interesting. I wasn't sure if you could run it without that connected, and hadn't taken time to test it. I believe the wire was for a battery temperature sensor to protect it from overload. The terminal on the battery has a "T" written where it connects, and temperature is the only thing I can think of that makes sense.
This video is amazing! thanks a ton! Rats ate my mower, make sure yo plug that hole where the wiring runs from handle to motor, or rats will eat everything ( including the literal plastic mower itself.)
The basics of it should work, but there should be another switch to activate the self propelled drive motor. I'm not sure which colors the wires would be on that, but you might be able to figure it out by comparing my diagram to the one on Ryobi's website for your model.
Is there a way to bypass the control box and directly connect the brown/yellow combo wire and the black wire to the yellow, green and blue wire going to the motor? Control box has input power but no output power going to the motor itself.
If you are referring to eliminating the control box entirely and connecting the battery direct to the motor, that won't work on a brushless motor. You could only to that with a brushed motor.
Hello, my current Ryobi RY401011VNM lawnmower is down, I suspect that was caused by the controller, model# PM177-20B-1. The only replacement I can find online is PM177-20C-1. Wondering the 20C-1 can be compatible? Thanks.
I would imagine it would work well, but I'm not going to say I'm an expert on that. I've always bought my motors and controllers together so I never checked to see which one matched what. However I have mixed around what I bought without issue. I will say though that controller issues are rare. It usually is the wiring.
So mine runs, but as soon as the blades touch any grass, the motor stops. I've tried another battery and it's the same. I also bypassed the safety switch at the base of the handle, no change. It was working fine 3 weeks ago. Does that sound like a bad controller?
I don't think so. Check the bearings in the motor. That sounds more likely, but I won't claim to be an expert. I have a video that shows what is inside. Typically they say that controllers either work or they don't. A malfunction like that would be unusual. Wiring or bearing is common. If it has been pushed too hard the wiring in the motor can go out. If that is the case when you open the motor it will smell burned, like burned varnish.
@@oddjobsandrandomprojects I finally got around to checking it again. The bearings seem fine. I clamped an ammeter on the motor leads and the current on each is the same, so I believe the driver FETs and windings are good. I found some hair wrapped around the shaft, less hair than you you would find in a vacuum cleaner. After I cleaned that out, it works great again. I got the mower free in a dumpster dive, happy to get more use out of it.
@@user.A9 That's great you got it working! You'd think a little hair wouldn't be the problem, but I guess it could be if it's causing resistance in the right place.
I have about 20 Ryobi 40v electric push mowers and am looking for some projects to do with them. Would it be possible to use them to generate electricity? Perhaps as a wind mill or water wheel application. Otherwise what kind of cool projects would anyone suggest with that many at your disposal?
They probably could be used as a generator, but that is outside of my depth. I've used them for a riding mower conversion, and an rc mower. I've seen them used for ebike conversions, and though of using them for a garden tiller, a trailer mover, electric wheel barrow. Those are just some thoughts I've had.
I read that there is a load sensor to increase power when needed. Can it be faulty? Sometime I mow with no problem with power cycling up and down as needed. But most times it will bog down and I have to stop and lift it to regain power. I have 3 batteries 4 amps and 5 amp. It occurs with all the batterie. Help.
I know that there is a load sensor of some sort. It should be part of the controller itself. But I've never taken one apart, so I'm afraid I'm of no help with that. How do the bearings feel on the motor?
@@michaelduchnycz4053 I'm afraid I don't have much to offer. I know you could find the controller cheap, but I don't know if that will help. But that has all the sensors. I do have a video about replacing bearings on the motor too, but that could be a waste too. Wish I had more to offer you.
Technically the factory controller doesn't allow for that. However, if you want to permanently reverse the direction I've seen that you can transpose the blue and green motor wires to get it to do that. But if you need to have a forward and reverse switch just get an aftermarket controller for about $30.
@@Sean-tc7jm As I recall you can make a reasonable copy out of brass with a little work with a Dremel tool. But also check the Ryobi website as they have a good parts diagram and a selection of spare parts.
Good afternoon I'm having an issue with when I start my lawn mower it will only stay started for a second and then it will turn off and then I have to play with the battery in order to get it to turn back on but if I put the battery in my weed wacker it turns on just fine so I know it's not the battery you have any suggestions?
I'd check my connections at the battery terminals and that red "key" which is just a jumper. After that I'd check the wiring at the handle position switch before moving into the other switches. Not likely to be a motor or controller, so those would be the last thing I would check. Loose wire or bad switch is most likely.
Not likely unless you either have a converter to get them to 40 volts, or possibly with four 12v batteries. But the later might be too much voltage. But a single 12v won't get the controller to activate.
@@oddjobsandrandomprojects thank you for the insight; i tried 24v as well.. must not have been enough either. I will try the 4 batteries this afternoon
The three wires that go to the motor don't have a positive or negative. If you get them wrong the motor will just turn the wrong direction. I just match the colors since that is easy.
Not using the controller it comes with. The motor is capable of reversing, but the controller is not programmed to. I use an e-bike controller (rated for 36-48v input and 1000 watts) for things that I want to control the speed of and have a reverse function. They cost about $35 or so on eBay or Amazon.
@@oddjobsandrandomprojects ok I am use the same stuff you are but I need the rotation to go the other way. Could I change the wire to see if soin the other way ?
@@captin959 I will be posting another video relatively soon to show how I get them to reverse and to control the speed. I plan on having it posted by next weekend.
The factory controller is not designed for variable speed. I used an e-bike controller on some of my projects to make them variable speed, but the wiring depends on the controller used. Mine all came with a wiring diagram, so that made it easy.
No. The motor will support speed control and reverse, but the controller is not designed to. However an inexpensive e-bike controller will give you speed control. I have another video showing how to wire one of those.
That's correct. Since that control is for the blades they figured you didn't need a speed control. However you can use an e-bike brushless motor controller instead if you need speed control.
I have this mower. the controller regulates the blade speed based on the load. It automatically throttles up if you hit a patch of thick grass and throttles back down with thinner grass. So you can't vary the speed, but the controller does to save battery power.
Here's something that I can't find in anyone's video: How do I lock in high speed? The mower has two speeds, a slow speed to maximize battery life and high speed when the mower is met with resistance as in tall grass. I want the suction power that is had with high speed. I keep my grass tall and It can lay down resulting in the mower not cutting it. I will forsake battery life for suction!
That's an interesting point. I don't think that Ryobi designed it with a way to choose which mode you are in. However, you could just use their motor with an aftermarket controller and then have full control over the speed.
my brother bought a Ryobi 20" 40V for $20 it had no battery no bag, owner said it wasn't working "take it or leave it" *we fixed it* plus i already had a Ryobi Leaf Blower that took care of battery and charger. very bad design. we eliminated all safety switches kept the big red key / fuse looking thing Ryobi won't fix nothing take it from *Louis Rossmann Right To Repair* final fix was this video that made me double check his work. he connected green/gray wires, correct it to your green/black wires *slaps subscribe button* *Cerveza For You* 🍺
Thanks for this video. My ryobi 40v mower died earlier today presumably from a faulty sensor but this has it up a running perfectly.
Glad to help
Thank you! This video kept a lawnmower out of the landfill and saved me from buying a new one. If you enable the "Thanks" button, I would happily send you a few bucks to thank you.
Glad it helped! I appreciate the thought, but if you subscribe that is thanks enough.
Thank you,mice chewed thru the wiring. Not until you said this wire does nothing, I looked for months where that wire went,I didn't even try. Saw yuo're video,20 minutes later up and running
So glad to hear it! Love to know people are getting good use out of that info.
I have the exact same model however I took the controller out and put it in another ryobi cordless mower (different model which doesn’t have the lights or sensors ) anyway I hooked it up and nothing happens. Both mowers worked prior to me doing this . I can’t figure out why it isn’t working ! I’ve watched your video at least 10 times thinking I might have missed something . I need help! Thanks
Update! I actually got it to work! Thank you so much! Your video was a lifesaver!
Glad it helped! From your description of the problem it sounded like what you were doing should have worked. Curious, what turned out to be the problem?
Big help. I had a bad controller, but when I was testing the new one it was not working either. Didn't realize there was a tilt sensor. I had not mounted the controller so it was just hanging from the wires. Went back out and lid it flat and it powered right up.
Glad I could help. I went through the same thing when I started building my electric tractor. Took me three days of messing with it to figure it out! I realized there needed to be a video about that.
Thank you. Exactly what I was looking for. Was able to use existing power on button on the mower as well.
Glad I could help.
Perfect explanation. Got me right back up and running.. thank you
You're welcome! Glad I could help.
Ah! You are fantastic! Thank you. So many videos, so little info. . . Until this. Great job!!
Glad I could help
Great stuff. I'm building a similar ride on lawnmower project and wanted to go down the swap out battery route for the blade motors but perhaps a different battery for the drive motor. Would love to know if you found the swap out batteries for the drive were ok or drained too quickly. I'm thinking of a direct drive transaxle motor set up either 750w or 1000w. Thus my thoughts on a larger motor battery.
On my setup I actually find that the blades motors run out of power before the drive motor battery does. I actually have a rather boring video of it being driven and you can see just how long it lasts as well as the kind of conditions of my yard. However, the transaxle in mine is a single speed manual transmission, and it has to have a large pulley on the transmission end and a small one on the motor. I tried a direct drive on a hydrostatic transaxle and it worked, but the motor got way too hot and was using a battery every 10 minutes! So I do not recommend that unless you want to use a larger motor and separate, larger drive batteries. If you are doing that I'd probably go with one of those 48v 1800w Vevor motors you can get online for like $100. That should have plenty of power.
The orange wire from he battery to the controller, is that the thermal OL? The won't motor wont run, the light comes on for a second and clicks and shuts down. New fully charged battery.
Thanks Mel
I'll be honest, I'm not 100% sure what the orange wire is, but I believe you are correct. That wire should be a thermal overload. If you have it connected and it is shutting down immediately it sounds like you have a bad controller or motor. But that is only a slightly educated guess.
@@oddjobsandrandomprojects I cut the orange wire and still won't run. Blade spins freely, left the bag bar off, the light came on but didn't run. Replaced it and it shut down the same way. Leaning toward a bad control. Thanks for your reply.
Thanks, I also got a free broken Ryobi 36 volt. Replaced with a 36/48 volt 1000W e-bike controller (Amazon $40) and a pair of 18 volt Ryobi 5Ah batteries in 3D-printed holders. Seems to work!
Nice work!
Cool video. Was browsing for ideas to make a kid's off-road buggy. Not sure where to get the motor and speed control.
I found my motors and speed controller on eBay. The video I did on the lawnmower conversion would probably be more relevant for your off road buggy. I use a variable speed control for that.
Any chance you have any idea how to force turbo mode? On older models, you could hold the start button, that doesn’t work anymore.
Turbo mode fires automatically when you run into thick grass and speeds the blades up a good amount. I only have a small area, and want to force turbo all the time to get a better cleaner cut. Excellent video, I was hoping to see something obvious in the wiring diagram.
Unfortunately I don't. It is probably in the software since it used to use the same button.
That’s what I’m thinking after watching the video. Clearly there’s something that triggers it based on torque maybe. I found an article today that was leaning toward installing a heavier blade can trigger the boost. More to study, but will be looking at going with the gator mulching blade and see what happens.
Again, thanks for the video, it shows a lot of details that tells me I can’t just jump a wire and get my desired outcome.
@@theDunn05 Glad to help
Hi ...thank so much for this video....i just wan ask you about this motor ...is it powrful ..is it have a good torque to runing a small veihcul like a mini scooter ...thank you so much ...i hope that you help me about tha ...thank you again
It is reasonably powerful, depending on what you need from it. Geared low it moves my lawn mower just fine and can pull a load, just not fast. For a scooter it would probably work without ruining it as long as you geared it for a maximum of 20mph and kept the weight down below 100lbs plus a reasonable size rider. This is just an educated guess. I did a larger moped in another video using one of those motors, but with it geared to do 30mph it was overheating pretty bad. I went to a bigger motor so I could have more speed. Also, you will need a different controller so that you can adjust the speed. The factory controller only does one speed.
@@oddjobsandrandomprojects thank you so much for your answer ..♥️♥️
Awesome man thank you !!! I was wiring on two dewalt 20v in series and thought it was the orange temp sense wire..... that tilt sensor got me haha. Ive got a forrest Gump style snapper riding mower with a 33" single blade deck. I'm running two of these motors on the deck with a belt drive. A ebike 24v brushed motor for the drive, a power wheels drive motor with chain and sprockets for steering. My plans other than stopping and charging, a hybrid set up with a 7.5hp running some old car alternators. And to top it off FPV cameras and with some antennas set it up to mow from my couch. haha. Laziness is great motivation for ingenuity :) what are you using for ur videos a go pro setup?
For this video I just used my cell phone. Some of my others I've used a cheap go pro clone from Akaso. Just depends on where I need it to fit and how much I'll be moving around.
Great info! Can you show us how to make a Toro 60V recycler mower run at high speed all the time instead of the "auto mode"?
Unfortunately I don't have any of the 60v equipment to experiment on. On dinner of the units the controller is programmed to only have an automatic mode. You could replace the controller with an ebike controller which would give you full speed control like the old gas ones had.
Great video. What about the grass catcher sensor? What's the right way to bypass that? It's only two wires, so I cut the wires and joined them. I'm not an electrical genius like you so I need help. :)
I must say I'm far from an electrical genius. I used trial and error along with some help from others to figure this out. On my mower there were 3 wires for the bag sensor. Only the green and black ones connected to each other. The grey one needed to be capped off. Alternatively, during testing I found that the grass catcher sensor simply detects metal. If you put a piece of steel, such as an old bolt, into the channel in the sensor it will think there is a grass catcher present and run. That was how I tested my motors until I figured out the wiring, but it could be used permanently as long as it is secured solidly. However, if your model is slightly different you may find that my advice doesn't work.
Came across your vid while looking at my 40v weed eater. The wire you have going to nothing looks exactly like the throttle control on my weed eater. I'm assuming it wasn't needed on your set-up so there's just nothing to plug it into. They probably use the same controller for other items that have throttle control.
I'm sure they use that controller for lots of things. If you mean the flat plug, I was told that actually it is for motors with a Hall sensor. My unit didn't have one, so it goes to nothing. But that's just what I was told.
How well does the motors for the blades cut grass? What speeds do you get while cutting the grass? Can the batteries be hooked in parallel to have more output to cut a bigger lawn?
They work quite well for mowing. They turn at about 2900 rpm, so they are only slightly slower than a gas mower at maximum. It is possible to connect them in parallel, but I don't know what the long term consequences to the battery might be. I did that on my scooter, but that was because the amp draw was to high for one battery. You could also use a battery selector switch to have 2 batteries, but only connect one at a time. That would give you the range without the worry.
Thanks. I knew there was a tilt sensor, but I could not find anything that showed me where it was.
Glad to help. I know I about drove myself crazy with that sensor.
My RYOBI zero turn has joystick for control. It seems like wiring could be connected to RC receiver for RC control. Do you know how the RYOBI joystick is wired and how to “tap into it”?
Unfortunately I don't have any experience with it. I'm sure there is a way. You might also have an easier time developing a mechanism that fits over the joystick and moves it using servos. That is what I ended up going on my RC mower because I wasn't smart enough to get a RC relay to turn the blades off. After 3 different ones wouldn't do what I wanted I just bought some cheap servos and used a switch I had in the garage and 3d printed a bracket to hold the servo. If it were me, that's what I'd be looking at doing.
Can these parts be used to convert a manual reel mower into an electric one? I have an extra non working unit and was thinking about doing a conversion.
I've seen a video somewhere on UA-cam that someone did that conversation with a different motor. No reason this one wouldn't work, but you would have to figure out the correct gearing and find a sprocket or belt pulley to use.
The small red wire that goes to the plug for the battery where does that go? Does it run back to the small grey box?
If you mean the tiny red wire, I believe it is a thermal overload sensor. It should connect to the controller.
The unused connector is for a motor with hall sensors. Some motor controllers use these sensors to determine rotor position and therefore which stator coils to energize. Other controls use the back EMF in the non-energized coils to determine rotor position and therefore do not need a motor with hall sensors, as in your case. My original Yardworks mower had a motor with hall sensors (3 sensors and therefore 5 wires as one is ground and the other is 5 V) but the board died and I substituted a controller (for an e-bike) that said it worked with hall and hall-less sensor motors.
That makes sense! I wasn't sure, but they probably use the same controllers to fit multiple different motors. Thanks for the info.
do you have anything that shows where the various sensors are located on an assembled mower?
There is actually a good diagram on the Ryobi website that shows what you need to see.
What is the small red wire coming from the battery for?? I've got mine running off my 48v ebike battery for about a year now with just the red and black power wires connected . It still does the under load bump in power as you can hear it speed up . The internet doesn't have the answer, Im stumped .
That is interesting. I wasn't sure if you could run it without that connected, and hadn't taken time to test it. I believe the wire was for a battery temperature sensor to protect it from overload. The terminal on the battery has a "T" written where it connects, and temperature is the only thing I can think of that makes sense.
This video is amazing! thanks a ton! Rats ate my mower, make sure yo plug that hole where the wiring runs from handle to motor, or rats will eat everything ( including the literal plastic mower itself.)
Glad it helped! Boy rats and mice seem drawn to wiring for some reason.
Aye same reason I’m here I only used mine 8 times out away for winter in the back shed bam lol found dam nest in there
Will this work on the self propelling 40v mower?
The basics of it should work, but there should be another switch to activate the self propelled drive motor. I'm not sure which colors the wires would be on that, but you might be able to figure it out by comparing my diagram to the one on Ryobi's website for your model.
Is there a way to bypass the control box and directly connect the brown/yellow combo wire and the black wire to the yellow, green and blue wire going to the motor? Control box has input power but no output power going to the motor itself.
If you are referring to eliminating the control box entirely and connecting the battery direct to the motor, that won't work on a brushless motor. You could only to that with a brushed motor.
Hello, my current Ryobi RY401011VNM lawnmower is down, I suspect that was caused by the controller, model# PM177-20B-1. The only replacement I can find online is PM177-20C-1. Wondering the 20C-1 can be compatible? Thanks.
I would imagine it would work well, but I'm not going to say I'm an expert on that. I've always bought my motors and controllers together so I never checked to see which one matched what. However I have mixed around what I bought without issue. I will say though that controller issues are rare. It usually is the wiring.
So mine runs, but as soon as the blades touch any grass, the motor stops. I've tried another battery and it's the same. I also bypassed the safety switch at the base of the handle, no change. It was working fine 3 weeks ago.
Does that sound like a bad controller?
I don't think so. Check the bearings in the motor. That sounds more likely, but I won't claim to be an expert. I have a video that shows what is inside. Typically they say that controllers either work or they don't. A malfunction like that would be unusual. Wiring or bearing is common. If it has been pushed too hard the wiring in the motor can go out. If that is the case when you open the motor it will smell burned, like burned varnish.
@@oddjobsandrandomprojects I finally got around to checking it again. The bearings seem fine. I clamped an ammeter on the motor leads and the current on each is the same, so I believe the driver FETs and windings are good. I found some hair wrapped around the shaft, less hair than you you would find in a vacuum cleaner. After I cleaned that out, it works great again. I got the mower free in a dumpster dive, happy to get more use out of it.
@@user.A9 That's great you got it working! You'd think a little hair wouldn't be the problem, but I guess it could be if it's causing resistance in the right place.
White connector used for firmware update or rework in produce stage
That makes sense.
I have about 20 Ryobi 40v electric push mowers and am looking for some projects to do with them. Would it be possible to use them to generate electricity? Perhaps as a wind mill or water wheel application. Otherwise what kind of cool projects would anyone suggest with that many at your disposal?
They probably could be used as a generator, but that is outside of my depth. I've used them for a riding mower conversion, and an rc mower. I've seen them used for ebike conversions, and though of using them for a garden tiller, a trailer mover, electric wheel barrow. Those are just some thoughts I've had.
@@oddjobsandrandomprojects Thanks for your time and response. I do like the garden tiller idea. That would definitely be useful for me.
I read that there is a load sensor to increase power when needed. Can it be faulty? Sometime I mow with no problem with power cycling up and down as needed. But most times it will bog down and I have to stop and lift it to regain power. I have 3 batteries 4 amps and 5 amp. It occurs with all the batterie. Help.
I know that there is a load sensor of some sort. It should be part of the controller itself. But I've never taken one apart, so I'm afraid I'm of no help with that. How do the bearings feel on the motor?
No odd sounds, shaking. It runs fine. So frustrating.
@@michaelduchnycz4053 I'm afraid I don't have much to offer. I know you could find the controller cheap, but I don't know if that will help. But that has all the sensors. I do have a video about replacing bearings on the motor too, but that could be a waste too. Wish I had more to offer you.
How do i make the motor spin in the opposite direction?
Technically the factory controller doesn't allow for that. However, if you want to permanently reverse the direction I've seen that you can transpose the blue and green motor wires to get it to do that. But if you need to have a forward and reverse switch just get an aftermarket controller for about $30.
if the 3rd wire (orange) is not connected will the motor run, what is that wire? thanks
I need to check to see if it will run without it. I believe it is a temperature sensor, but I haven't confirmed that.
While trying to repair my mower, the battery connector broke and I cannot find a replacement connector. Any tips/advice?
Which connector? The one where it plugs into the battery itself? The metal part, or the plastic?
The metal clips. I can’t identify what kind of connector they are and one of mine snapped off when I was trying to repair.
@@Sean-tc7jm As I recall you can make a reasonable copy out of brass with a little work with a Dremel tool. But also check the Ryobi website as they have a good parts diagram and a selection of spare parts.
Good afternoon I'm having an issue with when I start my lawn mower it will only stay started for a second and then it will turn off and then I have to play with the battery in order to get it to turn back on but if I put the battery in my weed wacker it turns on just fine so I know it's not the battery you have any suggestions?
I'd check my connections at the battery terminals and that red "key" which is just a jumper. After that I'd check the wiring at the handle position switch before moving into the other switches. Not likely to be a motor or controller, so those would be the last thing I would check. Loose wire or bad switch is most likely.
@@oddjobsandrandomprojects Thank You
Not sure what I am doing wrong… Will it work if I use a 12v car style battery?
Not likely unless you either have a converter to get them to 40 volts, or possibly with four 12v batteries. But the later might be too much voltage. But a single 12v won't get the controller to activate.
@@oddjobsandrandomprojects thank you for the insight; i tried 24v as well.. must not have been enough either. I will try the 4 batteries this afternoon
@@oddjobsandrandomprojects do you know if the small red to orange wire takes 40v as well?
@@oddjobsandrandomprojects that worked!! Thank you so mych
Can you show what the wires to the motor signify
The three wires that go to the motor don't have a positive or negative. If you get them wrong the motor will just turn the wrong direction. I just match the colors since that is easy.
Do you know if there is a way to reverse the rotation? And how would it be done. Thanks
Not using the controller it comes with. The motor is capable of reversing, but the controller is not programmed to. I use an e-bike controller (rated for 36-48v input and 1000 watts) for things that I want to control the speed of and have a reverse function. They cost about $35 or so on eBay or Amazon.
@@oddjobsandrandomprojects ok I am use the same stuff you are but I need the rotation to go the other way. Could I change the wire to see if soin the other way ?
@@captin959 I will be posting another video relatively soon to show how I get them to reverse and to control the speed. I plan on having it posted by next weekend.
So helpful!
Glad to help!
What gauge is the red and black wires that go to the led lights?
I can't find a marking, but it's small. Feels like maybe 26-28 gauge.
@@oddjobsandrandomprojects OK Thanks!
Can you show as how to wire variable speed controler pls.
The factory controller is not designed for variable speed. I used an e-bike controller on some of my projects to make them variable speed, but the wiring depends on the controller used. Mine all came with a wiring diagram, so that made it easy.
Sir I use Ryobi bratty in conword 12 w. Please make video.
If love to help, but I don't understand what you mean.
Anyone know how you can you bypass the small red wire going to the battery in order to use an alternate battery?
I'm afraid I don't have any clue.
Can Ryobi controller be hacked for a throttle ?
No. The motor will support speed control and reverse, but the controller is not designed to. However an inexpensive e-bike controller will give you speed control. I have another video showing how to wire one of those.
What is the shaft size on the motor. I want to put a pulley on it.
I used a 1/2" bore pulley, but I did have to enlarge the hole slightly to get it to fit. It was just a little to tight, so it must be a metric size.
It's 13mm
Mine doesn't turn the motor on, only the battery and self propel work for some reason
Do the headlights turn on when you try to start it?
The mowers controller isn’t able to use a progressive throttle correct? Just a basic on and off?
That's correct. Since that control is for the blades they figured you didn't need a speed control. However you can use an e-bike brushless motor controller instead if you need speed control.
I have this mower. the controller regulates the blade speed based on the load. It automatically throttles up if you hit a patch of thick grass and throttles back down with thinner grass. So you can't vary the speed, but the controller does to save battery power.
Here's something that I can't find in anyone's video:
How do I lock in high speed?
The mower has two speeds, a slow speed to maximize battery life and high speed when the mower is met with resistance as in tall grass.
I want the suction power that is had with high speed. I keep my grass tall and It can lay down resulting in the mower not cutting it.
I will forsake battery life for suction!
That's an interesting point. I don't think that Ryobi designed it with a way to choose which mode you are in. However, you could just use their motor with an aftermarket controller and then have full control over the speed.
@@oddjobsandrandomprojects I was hoping to find a hack. I don't have the drive to research/design a replacement controller.
Nearly all RYOBI mower can not adjust the speed by user,I just know one 46cm mower have use panel to select different performance
This is how to describe about electric mowers excellent way thank you 🙏 so much get full subscribe and like 10/10
Thanks! Glad it was helpful.
excellent job. would like to see a schematic.
Thank you for reminding me about that. I put a reminder in my calendar to do that so I can post it in the video as well.
I posted a few that should help. They are modified versions of the ones in the Ryobi manual.
Where can I find your schematics, please?@@oddjobsandrandomprojects
my brother bought a Ryobi 20" 40V for $20
it had no battery no bag, owner said it wasn't working "take it or leave it" *we fixed it* plus i already had a Ryobi Leaf Blower that took care of battery and charger. very bad design. we eliminated all safety switches kept the big red key / fuse looking thing
Ryobi won't fix nothing take it from *Louis Rossmann Right To Repair*
final fix was this video that made me double check his work. he connected green/gray wires, correct it to your green/black wires *slaps subscribe button*
*Cerveza For You* 🍺
Glad I could help.