EGO 56V LM2100 Mower Cheap Controller Retrofit
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- In this video we install a cheap replacement Controller on the EGO LM2100 Mower. It was a fun project and I share a quick preliminary wiring schematic of this as well. Many ways to do it and I shared the way I decided to do it. You could still use the OEM Start switch for load and not use the relay if you wanted. With the 40A and the 60A Controllers you have the On/Off feature of the potentiometer to tie in to the LVCO protection module if desired and still use the Switch for braking as well. Any attempt to modify equipment is done at your own risk so please take all safety precautions. Hope you found this video helpful and thanks for watching! So Pros vs. Cons of doing the retrofit instead of buying OEM replacement....
Pros to this modification:
- Cheaper, Voltage read out, Less load on Start Switch, Keep safeties as needed, variable speed if desired, fun to do, make it your own, can even make your own battery pack!
Cons to this Modification:
- Takes time, consider safety, maybe some trial and error, head lights non-working unless re wired, lose low battery led indicator.
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Amazon Link to 30A 7-70V Brushed DC Motor Controller if needed:
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Amazon Link to 40A 48V Brushed DC Motor Controller if needed:
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![EGO 56V Commercial 800 CFM Backpack Blower [LBPX8000]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zEgknZpGALQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Wow this is literally epic! Great job seriously very impressed... I have an ego with a failed control unit... I just ordered the OEM but this is fantastic! 😊🤙🏾🙏🏾
Thanks so much for your kind comment!
I have the exact same issue with my LM2100SP. Thank you for these videos. This is one of the best I have found. If I would make a suggestion, it would be to have a checklist on isolating if the controller (i.e., electrical assembly per the EGO replacement parts diagrams) is the issue. I will second the motion that aftermarket "electrical assembly" replacements priced well less than $100 would be a big winner.
I agree the list would be excellent. My first time troubleshooting one and I could not tell the controller was the main issue without using another mower controller to finally prove it. My list is very short at this point. Lol...
My lights don't come on. I think that's a key indicator.
need all this info . you should make a plug and go kit. i would purchase one
I would too. I think if he makes a bunch he would sell a bunch.
Brilliant work I always had trouble with the surge when I built lithium batteries for replacement of old lead acid. finding bms was usually the problem that would take the surge of the 24 volt motor. I never tried a potentiometer to keep down the surge but I see it would work.
Nice work. EGO can learn from this video.... you have added so many bells and whistles.
Thanks for your kind comment! I really appreciate it.
Good job. After you change the motor, there won't be any "Ego" left and you can put your own name on it.
Haha, I hope that motor will last a while I always loved the older brushed DC motors. They are heavy per HP, but such workhorses. Thanks for your comment!
@@ThriftyToolShed Once again, a real winner on this project. Love those wire connects you're using in place of wire nuts. Thanks for the look!
Thank you John for your comment! I appreciate you!
I liked the idea of using the hot glue to secure the capacitors to the board…..smart thinking!
I love your videos, my EGO mower got damp and then the lights would turn on full time and the speed went to full power. Luckily it was still under warranty, it's been in the shop for three months waiting for a part from China.
Thanks for your comment! Thanks for sharing.
@@ThriftyToolShed I need some advice if you dont mind me asking a question?
Ego service replaced my motor and then latter they had to replace the control board and all the wiring. It all took over six months and now after using it twice the headlights come on and will not turn off. So this is the second time this has happened. Meanwhile the warranty ran out a month ago and I am waiting to hear from them to see if they will help. The second control board was bad as the one they replaced. The shop told me they have to replace new control modules all the time.
My question is, can I safely cut the wires to the headlights so I dont drain the battery since I cant turn them off?
As far as I know you should be able to. The ribbon cable connector from the controller to the LED board is easy to unplug if I remember correctly. This will also disconnect the LED for battery status indication so it may be best to cut LED wires as you mentioned. May want to make sure you cut them inside the side cover with some room to re-connect if you want to one day. Simply caps the ends of individual wires with WAGO, wire nuts or tape to insulate.
@@ThriftyToolShed OK ty for your help, I will cut at the lights and leave enough for reconnect.
God bless you and your patient, clear teaching style
Thanks so much for your kind comment!
Thank you! I’m doing this! My biggest problem was this machine does not have enough power! I can’t thank you enough for all of the detail and schematics. I can’t wait to hack this mother!
I appreciate the dead-man safety switch for the blade motor. But I don't see the point of the handle folding safeties. I only fold up the mower to stow it at the end of the season, and the battery isn't in the mower when I do that. Can't get safer than not having the battery in. Thanks for showing us the aftermarket controller, I never would have thought of that.
I am truly trying out a small controller right now that is holding up well even though I am pushing it hard. It is only $30 and even has built in soft start and low voltage cut off so if it holds up a few more cuts I may share a video on it. Super simple really I just wish it had a higher than 500W rating. I ask the manufacturer about a higher wattage model and they are looking into it, but it would take time. I would love to see a 750W or 1000W model of it. Thanks for your kind comment!
Wow, awesome stuff, not that I would try this type of indebt repair. But here's something I'd like to ask for a basic opinion, I posted this in other places just to see if I get similar complaints such as mine, which I have not as of this posting: (LM2130SP, purchased Feb2021): No issues in 2021...in 2022 it simply cuts off while cutting. It appears to run for approx. 20 minutes then it shuts off and won't restart (Battery goes through 1 to 2 led indicator lights). But it will restart after some rest time: 15 minute rest, it will run for about 2 min. 45 minute rest, it will run for 10 minutes or so. Mind you I only took note of these types of times just once before taking it in. Though resting seems to be the only thing that will let it start back up. And I'm not cutting through overgrown grass here, I'm bagging very little clippings, probably even shorter than the 1/3 rule this time of year. The underdeck is clean, nothing there. Did this to me on 3 separate consecutive occasions this season (Mar/Apr 2022). It's not the battery, as I have swapped batteries and both work fine in the second piece of equipment (string trimmer). Also, nothing appears to be hot as for as I can tell and nothing out of the ordinary happens before or after, it just shuts off. I called EGO and they referred to me to their authorized warranty center (an hour away, Its under warranty at just over year old). I turned it in on 20 Apr and explained what it was doing to me. I called them (27Apr, a week later) and they can't seem to replicate my issue, which I was afraid of. The associate I spoke with said they went through several batteries and been going back and forth with EGO regarding my issue. But if they can't replicate what's happening with me not sure what else can be done. I guess, they are talking with EGO to see if any other customers are having similar issues this this lawnmower. My guess was the rotary motor/control board is heating up too much and shutting itself off or something of the sort, those parts being faulty. But, if they can't replicate...anywho, really looking for others that may have had this very specific problem.
Interesting. Hopefully someone on here has had a similar issue to share better information. I can only speculate you are correct that it must either be a motor or controller overheating or a thermistor thinking it's an overheating issue. I would first check the controller if it's shutting down with no flashing lights or warning on it. I hope they listen to you and test it really well under load for a duration. Those are the hard problems to find sometimes for sure. You have done well and eliminated the battery being the issue. Hope they get it straightened out!
This is awesome! You don't even have the high lift blade on and it's performing better than stock already!
Come on EGO, sort your machines out. If you had a bigger brushless motor with your setup, this would then be a "plausible" contractors mower!
Or just a better mower in general.
Which model(s) do you have? I would think the 2156 might be powerful enough for commercial use.
@@JimzAuto not available in NZ. I have the lm2135, but the blade tip speed isn't fast enough. Comparable to gas means it can maintain a 3200rpm blade tip speed for 45mins. EGO is at 2800 with a flatter blade 🤔
I wish you could make a video on retrofitting a ryobi p1121 mower 16”. I’m pretty sure it’s a controller problem too. I’ve been looking for videos like this on the internet u r the first. I feel like I need to go back to school and b an electrical engineer in order to have the experience u have in order to do work like this. Amazing work!
It looks like this Ryobi model has the Hybrid power so it is designed to work with 120VAC or 18V packs. It would most likely be easy to replace the motor controller, the 120v input would be an extra step most likely. If I ever come across one I surely will consider doing it.
Thanks so much for your kind comment!
@@ThriftyToolShed the controller is easy to replace but not cheap. 125$ versus your 60amp controller which is 18-25$ huge savings and yours seems like it will last much longer. My motor has 3 wires coming out of it. So i think its a 3 phase motor. How would u connect that to a single phase 60a controller like yours? If u started a business i would gladly bring my mower to you.
I was kinda wondering if the motor was in fact brushless, I did not see brushless as a feature when googling the model number, but if it has 3 wires, indeed it is. That does complicate things a little bit since many brushless controllers over 400W have the hall sensor feedback. I use some some hall less or sensorless 3 phase brushless controllers, but it is very hard to find a cheap one that is over 400W.
@@ThriftyToolShedsorry to keep bothering you but I am going to attempt this on on my ryobi but I know that my 18v battery’s have a low voltage cutoff internally with each battery. So I don’t need a low voltage cutoff protection module. How would you then wire this without the low voltage module?
One of the main risks is I believe the Battery does not have the ability to cut power when the voltage is too low, it relies on the lawn mower to protect the battery. So with this setup you don't have anything protecting the battery. Even looking at the total voltage is not sufficient since one cell may have lower capacity than the others and could drop below 2.5V while the others are still above 3V
This is true and absolutely best to monitor all cells of course and I talk about that in many battery repair videos on the channel. I also have enough experience to know that if one cell is below 2.5V before the others and the pack is reading high enough in overall voltage then that cell is already bad....
@@ThriftyToolShed If you know your batteries and are diligent with monitoring them than no problem. I just know I'm not the most observent, so I've just gone ahead and put a BMS in series in some of my batteries for this exact reason. I have some applications that don't have the undervoltage protection built into the tool.
Nothing wrong with that at all. I was only making it clear that there was an imbalance of over .5V on one cell group then that cell(s) is already bad really.
@@ThriftyToolShed it's not as bad as it sounds because the voltages drop pretty quickly at the bottom of the discharge curve. It would happen if one cell has something like 5% less capacity than the rest and the pack is top balanced.
@@AlexWaardenburg
It's an indicator I go by to catch bad cells quicker. The curve does drop off fast for sure, but 2.5V instead of 3V is showing a great capacity delta forming.
This is pretty neat. Nice to know how to repair electric mowers. Thank you for sharing.
Absolutely great work, thanks for sharing. I am going to give this a go as I have the same issue. Same model but mine came with a brush less motor to my surprise. Hope it makes no difference to me doing this. Any updates after several in the field full throttle mowing? Cheers mate.
They do sell BLDC contollers for sure. You may already know, but make sure you get one without Hall feedback or hall less. Many scooter controllers etc. So have hall sensor feedback. Thanks for your kind comment and best of luck to ya!
You have a 2142sp maybe?
Fantastic!
If only running wide open could it have just a switch/relay without any controller?
Thanks, No it is very high inrush current on start up straight across the battery (Blade inertia mainly). I actually shared this with an amp clamp in the previous video to this one I believe about troubleshooting the mower.
Hi there, love ya work! I have the same problem with my Ego mower, been trying to find a schematic with no luck. The motor in my mower is a three phase brushless type, just need to find a suitable brushless controller.
Thanks for your comment. I have had a difficult time finding hall-less or sensor-less controllers rated as high as this would be. 72V and with hall is easier to find for sure. Let us know what you find. Best of luck to ya!
@@ThriftyToolShed I've been looking at the speed controllers they use for e-bikes, thinking one of those may work...
since they have designed obsolecense ON PURPOSE [failure] on the products [failing a certain time] this is what corporations are afraid of....THE RIGHT TO REPAIR..the powerful lobby will eventually take this "right" away from us
We gone do our best to fix all we can!
Hello, love your videos, and knowledge,
would it be a bad for the battery, to just connect the motor through a decent switch to the motor, without a controller,
Is the controller helping with a softer start,
Hi,
The controller does in fact have soft start. Even if the aftermarket controllers do not have a true soft start you can at least turn up the potentiometer to control the current instead of direct start up from switch or relay. In the video before this one while showing the troubleshooting on it, I did take time to show the current on the inrush of this motor straight across the 56V battery. I had to bypass the 40A fuse on the mower and go straight to the motor with a pack that had a temporary bypassed fuse on it as well as neither would have allowed the start up. I believe it was over 200A on start up! Some viewer commented that it's no way it pulled that much current with the 10 gauge wire. It's all about how long. It was a short inrush and the wire did get hot, but it would not last more than a few seconds at that inrush current level. Hope it helps some.
Thanks for your kind comment!
Really interesting two videos on this mower. Didn't understand a lot but definitely did some learning. My Ego single-stage snowblower completely died the other day for no apparent reason. No flashing indicator lights, no headlights, no noises, no lights on the batteries when installed. Does this sound like a new controller would fix or could it be any number of things? The only relay I'm aware of in the snowblower is at the safety button/power switch and it has a solid positive click. I'm out of warranty and nowhere near a repair center so I'm looking at a real expensive lawn ornament unless I can fix this thing.
Thanks for your comment. I live in Georgia so I honestly know nothing about the snow blowers, but I do think they are really neat. I would assume they have a similar controller, but I have no idea honestly. I hope maybe they have a fuse also like the mower has the 40A Fuse? One question, have you tried more than one battery? Just asking since they also have fuses internally. I wish I knew more on these, best of luck to ya!
You think you could make some controllers to sell? I think you would sell alot. Because this is the most common issue on these mowers.
Did this fix. Worked great three times, till I finally ran the battery down and the LVCO kicked in. For amusement, I left it on and watched it power cycle as the no load battery was above the cutoff, maybe 4-5 times as I had not seen that. When I recharged the battery and placed it back in the mower, the motor controller (60A) was dead. I guess the surges were too much for it?
I assume you are talking about the Low voltage cutoff cycling. You can change settings and increase the difference before allowing it to start as all packs will bounce back a good bit after a load cuts off. A latching circuit could also be used as mentioned in a video on the LVCO board latching circuit. I simply use mine as shown in the video to let me know when it has gotten low so it not a big deal since I know what is going on when it cuts out, but you might have to adjust that some. I made sure to use mine for months before I posted the video and this is the 3rd season on it and no issues.
@@ThriftyToolShed understood. This was just a warning to others that the motor controller does not deal well with back EMF.
Would love to add a speed control for motor rpm when cutting tall or wet grass to my EGO LM2130SP any help or ideas? Great video!
That is a brushless model and I have not worked on that one to say. More than likely the controller would have to be replaced to add a speed control. The Brushless controller that I use on the EGO blowers is under sized for this load unfortunately. The only reason it holds up in the blower honestly is the forced air flow. I would most likely look into some of the 14S ebike or scooter BLDC controllers if I ever come across one that needs a controller. Thanks for your kind comment!
What brand of terminal block is in 2:57? The tan 6 position... Link these and I'll order them so you can benefit. Thanks for all of the work put fourth. I read your bio and my background is similar... you take it to another level!
Thanks for your comment. I simply enjoy fixing things and learning about them. We are the same in that it seems! I actually had these terminals from an older project. I have a similar type below that may work as well. Thanks.
amzn.to/443IMHq
These may also work fine if you wanted to use wire end terminals...
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Like a Shinny Penny....Or perhaps a Bucket Full of Them?
I’m looking at generic ego batteries and trying to decide if they are ok. Do you recommend the one that you have and if so, could you tell me the brand? Thank you.
Hi,
I did a couple of reviews on these packs. One was early on and I bought the 5Ah version and it tested quite good. The cells obviously were not the same quality. The BMS board really surprised me how well it copied the original. The second one was 6Ah and was sent in for me to review from a different manufacturer. It also tested well and I still use both of these today. They mainly run the 21" mower and run it quite well. I did get a rash of comments from anything from your house will burn down, they suck, and some even excellent for the price. I have not dealt with any except these 2 and I would think the market maybe so flooded now it may be hard to even recommend any available in particular. I even see these on AliExpress etc. which I did not see back then. I can only offer you the older look inside those older packs. Best of luck to ya!
ua-cam.com/video/qtdeChmWXZE/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/Fz8h05Gmxro/v-deo.html
Hsve you worked on any other ego tools ?
I got ahold of 2 mowers, a blower , chsinsaw , weed whacker which all attempt to start the motor, then stop after a tiny bit of movement.
I am going to try your controller idea on the mower first, then the rest of the tools.
I have around 50 videos on EGO related repairs. I have older teardown of the weed trimmer, but have not had to work on one of my 2 yet. They are over 7 years old. I started off trying to learn more about the battery packs because no videos or information was available over 7 years ago on these. I have since made videos repairing blowers, mower and a chainsaw. The TTS Facebook group we now have called On The Bench has many pictures and comments about repairs many of these are EGO. If you want to have some fun get a BLDC controller and play around with then blower motor. I have shown the below controller running these, and I will also share a newer one I am currently testing that will need a heatsink or be in direct air flow to cool, but it is working well. Best of luck to ya!
amzn.to/4dBzXZa
amzn.to/3WGxiqb
I am also working on a newer style brushed mower controller to test. It is almost undersized but is great for quick to get you going and testing. It has built in softstart and has built in low voltage protection. I wish it could handle about 5 more amps without stalling. I can use mulching blade, and it does well. The highlift blades are too much. It is super easy to connect and test, and I plan to share a little about it in a video when I find the time. I have contacted the manufacturer about the development of a higher current version, but it takes much time and resources. We will see.
amzn.to/3Aika37
I am using a EGO motor and controller along with the other functions for a aircraft tug but what I would like to do is install a potentiometer to the controller to allow for speed control is this possible
I do not believe there is a way to do it with the factory controller. The cheap controller I added to this one, yes if it's the same model as this one with a brushed DC motor. EGO also has some brushless models and that would be different.
My Craftsman 60v 21" cut no longer speeds up when im cutting thick or tall grass so it tends to bog down quite a bit. Does that sound like a failed soeed controller or would a failed speed controller keep it from functioning at all? Thanks!
If you have checked your blade sharpness, that is spinning free and still having this issue it is possible that the speed control is not sensing the load properly which could show a possible issue with the speed controller. Usually though they will fail in a manner where they stop working all together. I am not familiar enough with the craftsman to say much about it for sure.
Would it be worth upgrading this model with a brushless motor and a brushless motor controller if in situation where controller is bad? I'm not sure what the difference in wattage between new models and this model but I remember being the same but I know brushless has more power and efficiency. I think they're both around 1000 W
This model was 700W I believe. The cost of the brushless retrofit would be pretty high, most likely close to the price of buying a new mower tool only. That said, some people enjoy doing things like this so it may be better for them if they have their very own design with easy to replace parts. Depends on how much you enjoy it to me I guess.
@@ThriftyToolShed Thanks for the reply, you have inspired me to do work on ego tools, mine and my neighbors. I've now repaired a battery, my 2100SP mower (neighbor threw there's out and I got free parts car!) a trimmer's planetary gears and one of their blowers that was my neighbors, they were getting ready to toss it and found that a screw came out off the motor mount and was getting caught in the motor housing. I think they're well engineered tools, hope they keep improving the designs! Thanks again and I admire that you're getting people to fix things that most throw out, it's a real shame because most of the time its some cheap part that has failed like one electronic component!
Awesome job! Thanks so much for your kind comment!
Awesome vid! My LM2100SP is still working great, but I’d love to disable the load sensing and run max RPM at all times. Is there any easy way to trick or delete that feature with the OEM board?
Not that I am aware of. The controller is completely epoxy coated. Thanks for your kind comment!
Having the orange light issue. I’m a novice at wiring. What’s the simplest way to replace the controller?
Buying the OEM replacement is the simple fix. It's just much more expensive.
I have 2 ego mowers LM 2110 which attempt to start the motor and thrn flash orange.
The hsrness in the handle has been replaced.
Can i bypass the switches and control circuitry to verify the motor does run before i go to the trouble of adding a controller as you did ?
Thank you
Eg
Hi,
So you actually have the brushless model and it is doing that? Wow! It sounds so similar to what I showed on this one in the previous video troubleshooting the brushed mower. While troubleshooting I actually did remove the blade and the motor would spin up fine without the flashing orange so it seemed to be a load issue or the controller at least thinking it was too much load on start up. I had already made sure the blade was free and rotated smoothly before that. The last thing I did on video was to run the motor with the controller of another tested good mower and proved that the motor was fine and the other mower would start up and turn the blade just fine. This allowed me to verify myself and also show the viewers that it is confirmed. I have seen many of the brushed mowers fail this way. I am surprised the Brushless is also failing similarly.
As far as the bypassing, what are you talking about bypassing? You will need a controller of some kind to run the brushless motor (BLDC). You can't put 58V straight to it to test. It's more like a 3 phase motor. As far as the older one like mine. I shared in the previous video that you don't want to run then Brushed one without a soft start either since start up current is very high due to inertia.
Great videos. Could use some advice. I have a 5 year old Ego lm2100sp. The self propel unit will not come on. Everything else works fine. I cannot find any broken wires around the handle area. Would like to test the two switches in the handle for voltage, the green start lever and the variable speed control . Any thoughts?
I have not worked on the SP version yet to say for sure. I was wanting to get my hands on one last year. The last mower I bought used and non-working was advertised as self propelled, but it actually was not the self propelled model when I went to pick it up. I have only seen the issues with bad wires at the hinge of the bottom of the handle. It is a common issue, but I haven't seen any other known issues at this time.
I wish I could help you more! Best of luck to you with yours and thanks for your kind comment!
Is the low battery monitor really needed? I thought the battery has it's own battery management inside and will disable the output when the voltage drops too low.
I just bought one of these mowers and can't wait to use it! I may wait a little bit before adding speed control as I do want to slow it down sometimes.
Thanks for posting!
Some manufacturers packs do have Mosfets on board that will cut off the packs power output. Some of the examples of these are Ryobi, Kobalt and Ridgid (AEG) packs. Most packs do not add all that high current control into the board. These packs still have a BMS board with microcontroller and monitor every cell bank, but the difference is they use communication between the pack and tool to shutdown and cutoff power drain to the pack. This is a great way of doing it since the tool that easily controls the tool current can simply cut off without having the problematic current cut off being built into the packs like Ryobi 40V packs. Some example packs that have the power terminals coming straight off the cells itself include EGO, Makita, Milwaukee, DeWalt and more. It is very nice to have access to the power of the cells straight off these packs, but we do have to be very mindful of low voltage cut off level since we are bypassing the BMS while using it this way.
Nice response!
There's a reason the oem ego controller is potted. I don't feel these cheap controllers are robust enough to handle the vibration.
I know it's a reason for the potting as mentioned in many of my other electronics videos. I personally dislike the epoxy type that is non-removable since I like being able to repair things not if, but when they do fail. I remove the silicone type often like shown in the EGO BMS repairs. I can add the silicone potting if needed. So far it has outlasted the OEM controller on this mower. It may be an anomaly since the other EGO mower still has the original OEM controller with no issues yet.
I'm pretty sure I've got a failing controller on my EGO LM21OO. Question: Did you add your own LVCO board because you think you lost an EGO built-in LVCO capability when you removed the EGO controller?
Yes. So the issue with using the battery terminals to run any device connected to the + & - terminals is that it comes straight off the cells and can easily be pulled too low if there is no monitoring. The original controller communicates with the packs to shutdown at the proper cut off voltage. I added the LVCO module to my retrofit for that reason. I am now looking into a newer style controller that has soft start built in and the newer B version even claims to have low voltage detection. I will test it out soon for some applications at least. This is a link if interested, but I have not tested one yet myself.
amzn.to/3XjWqCY
what about a governor speed up and slow down automatically ?
I set mine at around 75% and run it. I love the fact that the speed stays constant while mulching or bagging. If you need the up and down constantly I would recommend buying the EGO controller as a replacement.
What can you say about the proper location of the thermistor?
The original controller thermistor was simply ty-rapped down beside the motor and out of the way.
I had a question about the controller you use and ego's oem controller. Does the oem have any kind of throttle logic when dealing with added load? So that the motor will speed up when under strain? if so is that what your pot is doing for you? I'm asking cause im looking for a controller that can be controlled a servo control interface or have that auto throttle handled on board. Thank you so much for your amazing content
Thanks for your kind comment. I believe the OEM controller Ramps up based on load. The one I used here has a speed control only. I do run the speed lower if cutting shorter grass and I cut it up almost full speed on the taller and heavier grass. I have experience with servo control, but not exactly sure what you are asking. I have only used the pot for speed reference, but maybe possible to give a 0-10v signal for example?
@@ThriftyToolShed lol im really sorry I got a bit excited and should have explained. I'm using the ego mower as a platform for an rc autonomous rover mower. What I'm trying do is have a controller that has the speed control (the grass gets crazy) while also being able to use a servo to have the software turn the blade on and off (so its not spinning over gravel and also for safety)
Hello Mister! Thank you for this very helpful video and instruction set. I have this same mower with same issue. I'm about to embark on these mods. If I may ask a quick question, if i only purchase the replacement controller (MELIFE 60A) , can I make it work on the quick? then, at a later time install the other components? I'm looking for the minimum at the moment, quick and cheap, and simple. possible? thanks again , great channel!
Glad it was helpful. Yes you can basically do that and just use the handle safety switch to turn on power to the controller if it is rated for high current like the one in this video and you don't want to include the telescoping and hinge switch. Reuse the 40A fuse. Also the lights are just an added thing if you want it. Don't have to have them of course. Hope it helps.
@@ThriftyToolShed thank you!!! just one more quick question- ** is the oem handle ss rated for high current? the reason i ask is i'm placing orders today but don't have the time to take the handle apart, atm. i really appreciate the info and assistance kind Sir! i also really like everything else you did to this mower, and will be fix'n mine up very soon - but i gotta get some grass cut down like yesterday : ) thx again!
Hi, I believe mine was rated for 30A so it should handle enough power to power the DC speed controller. It would not last long directly across the motor starting and even the pack fuse might blow as well of course. Thanks for your kind comment!
Can you clarify how the brake resistor is wired into the switch and the (+) side of the new controller?
As shown in video at 20:05 the brake is across the Normally Closed relay contact. The (+) power of this controller is straight through the board to the motor so that is why it was easy to use the same relay instead of adding another relay to simply shunt the resistor across the motor (+). The (+) is going to the same place so it makes it easy and uses one less relay. If a different controller is used then it might need 2 relays depending on if the (+) goes straight through to the motor or not. Most do this because the controller uses N-channel Mosfets for the current control on the (-) side output. Your main goal is to put the brake across the motor when it's turned off and the relay makes that easy and it's close by. The Start switch NC contact can also do that but it's longer wiring up to the switch of course. Also, if you don't care if the mower takes a while for the blade to coast/stop spinning you can leave the brake off. It's a safety preference since the spinning blade could still turn with force obviously when turned off without the shunt resistor to brake it faster.
So do you have a recommendation for a controller on amazon?
I have several links to some of the ones I used in the video description. I am also using a small one right now and testing it out, but I am not sure it's quite powerful enough to run it long term. I like the idea of it since it has the built in battery protection. It is a 600W and even though it can handle up to 40A and has a sweet soft start I have to see how it will hold up to running over 10A at close to 60V. Heavy grass may be rough on it. This is the link to see what I am testing:
amzn.to/3ItIYWG
Hi there, mine wont start and the lights also don't turn on even with a good battery. I was thinking it was the fuze so I tried to bypass it. I tested both ends of the bypass and it had power. After connecting them to bypass the fuze it still didn't respond. Do you think it's possible the fuze/fuze board has something which is required to provide electricity? I hope that makes sense, thanks!
Also-with the fuse connected, I tested both ends of the fuse and it didn't have power, making me believe it was blown.
Well you should have voltage to one side of the fuse even if it's blown. If it is not blown then Voltage will be on both sides of the fuse. If the fuse is blown then Voltage will only be on one side. (I am talking about with the meter com probe on a good common or negative for all readings here not reading across the fuse).
@@ThriftyToolShed thank you, so it seems I at least know the fuse it blown as suspected. If that was the only issue, a test by bypassing it should have the mower temp functioning right?
@@kove yes
Could this work for other models? I have an atlas 80 volt with a bad power board. 175 bucks to replace it, a new mower is 200. I like the power but I feel like the board is the weak point in what is otherwise a powerful mower.
80V may be a little harder to find a replacement controller. It is getting hard to find over 60V sometimes. I will say some controllers go up to 72V and may work, it is also pushing it a little. If a controller is built for lead acid style 72V then truly 80V should be fine since lead acid will charge up to 80V on a 72V system.
@@ThriftyToolShed know of any good videos and guides to figuring out the wiring? I get the three phase power wires but I have more to figure out. Have a broach of 5 wires with one red in it, a two wire which I am pretty sure is the brake and three wires. So a set of five, a set of 3 and a set of two.
@@Deveak
I do not know of any video or information on the 80V. If it is a Brushless mower then it will be a pretty expensive fix typically since the 72V Hall less Brushless controllers are usually around $100-$150.
@@ThriftyToolShed I found a pretty good video on how to reverse engineer the hall sensors. I can find the ground and the positive 5 volt wire is marked red. 36 combinations. Would a 72 volt controller and a custom battery damage the motor by under volting?
It’s not the money that bothers me, I like the mower. It’s throwing money on an inferior part. The OEM controller is not large enough.
I don't think it would hurt it at all. I did not know yours had Hall sensors. It is actually much easier to find hall brushless controllers at 72V since many EBikes or scooters use a similar setup.
its unclear to me how to get the cover off, it is so annoying to work inside the battery/controller/motor area with the cover in the way
Yes, that lid is a pain. I will try to recall from memory, so bare with me. I believe on mine the phillips screw in the back holds on the push button panel and then the side panels are clipped/snapped in. I believe you pull up on the side panels to pop them off. ( I may be wrong on that, its been a while ). The lid itself has a rod through it that can only be slid out with the side panel removed and the e-clip remove somewhere in the middle of the rod. Then the rod should slide out releasing the lid.
I would of made the speed control either, mounted on the handle, or, a handle mount to it, even if mechanical operated.
Otherwise, sweet little build.
Well I made this comment before watching the end. U covered this lol.
Again great build
Do you have the link to buy the LVCO Prot? Thanks
I have a video about these and it's in that video description as well.
amzn.to/3y7x1RM
FYI, a lot of these boards now advertise as up to 36V and when I first bought these they stated up to 60V so it could be a model difference so I will share some alternatives below that still show as rated for up to 60V.
amzn.to/3SJUMas
amzn.to/3rooK8i
What is the voltage readout your using? Could you include link?
I used this type. This is the one I mentioned to make sure you get the 60V model. Many of these are rated for 36V.
amzn.to/3ApQU7f
I have also used this type and I like it as well.
amzn.to/43TpGDP
I should have a link to many items in the video description as well if it helps.
Great.. I read further on saw the video…Have you had any fuse issues? How is it cutting at full power? My complaint with his egos is the grass always gets clogged up in the shoot is it it is a poor design. Also, what blade do you suggest works the best?
@@jimsaake7876
I have not had any issues with the fuse on mine and I typically run the mower at around 75-80% with the mulching blade. Since it cuts fine and conserves some battery. I do not have the bagger for this broken used one I bought so I have not even tried the high lift blade on this one. I like my setup with this one having the mulching blade and the original mower I have with the high lift and bagger setup. I can simply grab whichever I need and cut.
How can I tell if I have a brushed or brushless motor ?
You can go by model number and the motor itself will have 3 power wires going to it if brushless and typically 2 wires if brushed.
@@ThriftyToolShed I have a busted bldc lawn mower, is there any way to test the motor without getting a new controller yet.
The best way to test is definitely with a controller. No other way to run it really. About all you can do is make sure the windings are not open and measures about the same between each phase with a DMM.
@@ThriftyToolShed Thannks Sir, which setting should I test in DMM.
@@ThriftyToolShedthank you .
I have 2 lm2100 mowers which I got off of marketplace. The motor tries to start and barely moves, then shuts down.
What ego product would you recommend to make a windmill generator out of?
I have not tested to say for sure. The power head (PH1400) or one of the chainsaws maybe?
@@ThriftyToolShed Have you ever considered building anything wind power? If so what would you use?
I have not. I don't have any experience with it. I know that thread mill PM DC motors are popular for diy windmills so I would think the older brushed EGO motors like the one shown in this video would work? I would think the brushless would have output also but would have to rectified? Just my thoughts...
@@ThriftyToolShed thanks for your input. You're videos are informative and fun to watch thanks
Thanks for your kind comment. Best of luck to ya!
what do you mean by brakes sir?
DC brake. Resistor for braking.
@@ThriftyToolShed Thanks, would this product "DC 12V-36V 500W Brushless Motor PWM Control Controller Balanced Driver Board" on ebay work?
@@navpap1029
It needs to be rated for up to 60V and at least 1000W. I don't know the exact wattage of the brushless motor as I have not owned one myself.
It will also need to be able to run sensor-less or hall less.
@@ThriftyToolShed Thanks, I could not find the rating for the motor I own. Also I tried to look up 1000W bldc controller, could not find either. So I went ahead and ordered that, so atleast I can learn. Fingers crossed.
I have a LM2130sp, would there be any way to increase RPMs??
That's one of the brushless models. I have not worked on one to say for sure. I would think that with Dual blade set up it would possibly keep blade speed up a little more for the extra load? Not sure though.
@@ThriftyToolShed no load speed on it is 2700rpms. It would definitely benefit for wet grass with a few more RPMs
Why can't we just have a simple motor, a battery and a switch? Lol.
Would be nice. Like I shared in video while troubleshooting, with the brushed motor we could temporarily run it across the battery for testing, but it could easily blow the fuse inside the battery pack if not careful. Alot of start up current for sure. Needs at the minimum a soft start for inrush limiting. So unfortunately the controller is the only cheap option.
brilliant. thank you!
Avoid the temptation to wire the battery straight to the switch then the motor. You will destroy your brand new battery by over heating it and over discharging it or both. Learn from my mistake
Thanks for sharing. I actually mention not to do that in the troubleshooting video right before this one also. I mentioned the need for a soft start due to inrush currents and I demonstrated it. Many viewers could not believe and maybe still don't that my amp clamp was reading correctly at over 200A inrush.
Hopefully it only popped the fuse. Most of these packs these have a trace fuse until they reach the 10Ah size.