WANTED: Controller for Msuper V3S+ 83v

[Freewheeler]

I'm hoping to find a working board to repair a wheel. 

Thanks!

Edited April 4, 2020 by Freewheeler

[Arbolest]

Do you need a board for a "QJ" motor or an "HB" motor?

Just check your motor code. The two motors are distinct and require a different firmware to operate correctly.

[Freewheeler]

On 4/4/2020 at 2:25 AM, Arbolest said:

Do you need a board for a "QJ" motor or an "HB" motor?

Just check your motor code. The two motors are distinct and require a different firmware to operate correctly.

Thank you. I will do it and reply back. In the meantime, does this photo help at all? 

[Arbolest]

6 hours ago, Freewheeler said:

Thank you. I will do it and reply back. In the meantime, does this photo help at all? 

Indeed it does! The HB suffix at the end of the motor code is what I was looking for. So now we just need to find you a Control board for either an 84v MSuper V3S+ or an MSX. And yes, an MSX board will actually work just fine in a V3S+ body and is a fantastic upgrade for the wheel! I've done it myself with my old V3S+, and if you are willing to drill some screw holes to get the new heatsink plate attached properly it is absolutely worth the time and effort!

This is what mine looks like now with the MSX board!

Edited April 6, 2020 by Arbolest
Added a picture

[Freewheeler]

That's great news. Thank you, Arbolest. 

This will be a new adventure for me. I still haven't even replaced a tire 😁

I see that Jason at eWheels.com has one that looks correct. 

Would you agree this is what I'm looking for?

Thanks for your help. 

 

Edited April 6, 2020 by Freewheeler

[Arbolest]

2 hours ago, Freewheeler said:

That's great news. Thank you, Arbolest. 

This will be a new adventure for me. I still haven't even replaced a tire 😁

I see that Jason at eWheels.com has one that looks correct. 

Would you agree this is what I'm looking for?

Thanks for your help. 

 

 

That's the one   

I also bought my board from eWheels and couldn't be happier with it!

One thing I will say though, the upgrade to the MSX board involves several unforeseen modifications that not everyone will be up for carrying out. So if you're more interested in a drop-in replacement board just to get it up and running smoothly with no muss or fuss, then I would actually suggest buying one of the original V3S+ boards from @Nevin@Tec-toyz.com

https://tec-toyz.com/products/gotway-msuper-v3s-pcb-board

Make sure you select the HB Motor option from the drop-down menu just above the "Add to cart" button!

 

Now, if you are still interested in the MSX board upgrade I can open up my V3S+ tonight to take a bunch of pictures and go over the process in detail so you can see what you might be in for.

Anyway, I hope this helps!

 

[Freewheeler]

Wow. Thank you. That's very generous of you. I doubt I'll want to get into the weeds on this one but, would you mind telling me the benefits of going with the MSX upgrade? 

Thanks again.

[Arbolest]

Absolutely!   

*puts on salesman face and slaps the board a couple times*

This baby has:

1) MUCH more robust hardware: Gotway's transition to using the larger, beefier MOSFETs and new board design are nothing short of miraculous when compared to the older boards! The reliability has shot through the roof and now you basically don't ever have to worry about blowing a MOSFET - the motor wiring is more likely to fail before these new boards (not that you need to worry about that either of course).

2) Better power-handling: Thanks to the new MOSFETS and reinforced power delivery traces on the board, the wheel is able to send power to the motor in a more aggressive fashion for longer bursts, which means that it is able to deal with sudden spikes in power demand MUCH more easily. This leads to increased ability to cope with running over small obstacles, dealing with getting over/through pot holes, sudden accelerations and decelerations, and even hill climbing!

3) Newer, more refined firmware: Gotway is able to leverage the new hardware to it's maximum potential, leading to a much better ride experience in comparison to the old board (taken from personal experience). The "Gotway Glide" is more pronounced, and movement is absolutely effortless! Acceleration is extremely responsive and the wheel feels much more confident when you ask it for power. Absolutely ZERO pedal dip in turns once it is calibrated correctly. I used to think that my original V3S+ board had no real pedal dip, but oh man were my eyes opened once I tried the MSX board... The pedal stiffness is cranked up to 11 - in hard mode it feels like you're standing on a granite slab, and that same solid feeling is present in both medium and soft mode as well, but they are or course more yielding at the same time (I actually prefer soft mode myself as it is closest to the original board's Medium setting). All of the control aspects are brought up to an art form with the new board.

Now, one thing to note about the new board and its much-improved firmware is that the... "personality"... of the wheel will change in some subtle ways that can be a bit off-putting at first, but that I'm sure you would grow to love if you decided to go this route. I know I did!

 

 

Edited April 7, 2020 by Arbolest

[Freewheeler]

That is an amazing amount of improvement over the old board. Thanks for the details and testimonial. 

On a scale of one to ten, where would you rank this upgrade in terms of difficulty? 

[Arbolest]

Ummm... In terms of difficulty, it all depends on how comfortable with a few tools you are (soldering iron and heat gun). There are several big "if"s involved, but I'd say about an hour's worth of dedicated work if you know what you're doing and have all your stuff ready and at-hand. More than likely 2-3+ hours if you are taking your time or unsure of yourself. All in all, it's a good day project if you're stuck in quarantine!

I guess if I had to put a number to it though, I'd put the difficulty somewhere between a 5 and a 7 depending on how lucky you are (replacing/soldering new power connector, adding "connector domes" to side panel). You will at MINIMUM need to be willing to drill some new screw holes to accommodate the new board's heatsink, and you will most likely need to find some appropriate screws for the same thing.

I've written out the whole procedure as I remember it to give you an idea of how far "into the weeds" you'd be getting.

 

Required steps:

Remove pedal and open right side of wheel

Unplug primary power cable for control board and discharge capacitors (hold power button 10-20 seconds)

Unplug and label all cables from control board (diagrams available here on the forums)

Unscrew control board heat sink from pedal arm bracket and body shell, then remove from wheel

Clean up thermal grease/compound from pedal arm attachment point (rubbing alcohol will help but it can just be wiped up with a paper towel if you want)

Cover/plug hole left by V3S+ board's attachment point to the pedal arm. I used a piece of craft foam and superglue, but you can use gorilla/duct tape if you are comfortable with that. 

Check Primary power connector on new MSX board for compatibility with whatever your V3S+ body is using. The V3S+ body probably came with an XT-60 connector, but the MSX board can come with either an XT-60 or more likely an XT-90 if you get it from eWheels. If the connectors do not match up, I suggest buying a pair of anti-spark XT-90 connectors off of Amazon and upgrading whichever side is using the XT-60 connector.

Check MSX board placement in V3S+ body. Check to see if you lucked out and got a board/heatsink that matches up with the screw holes in the body (unlikely). If board holes and body holes are not aligned, then you are going to have to make some new screw holes in the body (easier than the heatsink). You may also need to go to a hardware store and grab some slightly longer screws so that they will reach properly. If you do, just be careful not to get ones so long that they poke through the body and contact/scrape the motor casing!

Install MSX control board into body.

Use a pair of pliers to make a 90 degree bend in each of the motor phase cables JUST ABOVE where they are soldered to the connectors. Make sure the bends are as close to the connectors as  you can get them! 

Insert motor phase cables into MSX board connectors and check that plastic side panel fits over them. The MSX body has slightly more clearance (about 1/4") in this area than the V3S+, so if it fits at all, it will likely be very tight. If it won't fit or you are uncomfortable with how tight it is, then you will need to carefully mark where the connectors are contacting the side panel and use a heat gun to soften the plastic until you can deform it a bit with something blunt like the butt-end of a sharpie. The goal is to make a small "bubble" or dome just over the connector so that you can close the side panel without it pressing against the connector. I had to make a dome for all 3 of mine, but it only takes a few minutes for each one. 

Connect all cables to the new board (aside from the main battery cable).

Connect primary battery cable to new board (careful of sparking if you are using an XT-60!)

Do a quick power-on test with the side panel still off to make sure everything is working as it should be (use one hand to hold battery in place while doing this!)

Assuming everything is functioning properly, turn off the wheel again and reinstall the side panel.

DONE!

 

 

 

[Freewheeler]

I'm blown away by your generosity. I really appreciate the time and effort you've spent to help me with this. 

I'm going to do it. The pros are too numerous to pass up. 

I wouldn't even have considered it were it not for your replies. 

I'll tool up and dig in. 

Thanks again! 

[Arbolest]

14 minutes ago, Freewheeler said:

I'm blown away by your generosity. I really appreciate the time and effort you've spent to help me with this. 

I'm going to do it. The pros are too numerous to pass up. 

I wouldn't even have considered it were it not for your replies. 

I'll tool up and dig in. 

Thanks again! 

Happy to hear I could help! I tend to get a bit more "into it" than many people when it comes to messing with my wheels, but in this case at least I had so much fun and learned so much about the wheel in the process of the upgrade that I will recommend it to anyone in a similar situation. 

Some tips:

1) Open up the right side of your wheel and check to see 2 things:

    A) What kind of connectors are on your motor phase wires. (Post pictures if you can!) Gotway used to use a smaller bullet connector (3.5mm I think) that had a solid black plastic cover of some sort, and that type is incompatible with the new boards. The new 4.5mm bullet connector is much more robust and can handle a lot more current. It is typically covered in a clear plastic heat shrink or will have a translucent white silicone covering over the connector itself.

    B) What kind of main power connector your wheel is using (XT-60 vs XT-90, it should be embossed on the connector itself)

2) Contact Jason directly before ordering the board and ask about which connector type will be on it! That can save you some time. Also, if you do need to swap out the main power connector, most XT-90s come with some little plastic caps that cover the solder joints so you don't need to use heat shrink. But if you can't find any that come with the caps, make sure you have some heat shrink tube!

 

Best of luck and definitely post here if you have any questions!