They're bigger than 1/4" but I don't recall the actual size. I used short 1/4" bolts/nuts/ lock washers on my controller connections. Depending on where your controller is located (access) you may have to compromise on that end. My controller does not heat up, it is a 300 amp Alltrax, and my wire is large gage fine stranded welding cable. You may want to solder the connections after they crimped. Coming from the electronics field a mechanical connection is primary and soldering ensures a 100% electrical connection, solder alone is not meant to be the connection means. You will need a soldering gun or very large iron to solder the size lugs we use on EVs. BTW: You can never go wrong by having too large a power wire. By going too small you increase the resistance and lose some of the power in the form of heat, you also can't deliver all the power of the batteries/controller to the motor you'd like. You also may create an (over) heating situation in your controller... it is trying to deliver 300+ amps but the cabling resistance is too high. The controller getting warm is normal, if your controller is getting too hot to touch it would seem to me the motor/cabling is providing too much resistance or you are trying to stuff 10 lb into 5 lb sack!! I see a lot of people with bikes go for the bigger is better, a 450 Amp controller, when a 300 will more than do > these motor we use can only take so much, and hearing that ETEKs have smoked tells me the motor was over-driven. For you newbies, remember if the motor is presented with too much current and the rolling resistance of the bike from improper gearing, or over-loaded with batteries and passenger weight, that extra current is turned into heat and the pancake motors (having less mass than the series-wound) tend to come apart without some serious cooling. Even with cooling they may come apart. My PMG has a shroud and 6 mini-fans that run from turn-on to minimize heat build up. Cheers, Jeff 84 Honda VF500 Franken'ceptor
Cheers Jeff On Jan 25, 2008 9:25 AM, SteveS <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Speaking of Alltrax - how do you connect to it? I assume you crimp lugs > to the cables and bolt through the holes in the terminals? Are they 1/4" > holes - I don't see it in the spec and my controller is in transit. > > Luckily we happen to have a Burndy MY29 crimper here so I should be able > to make up decent cables. > > If there are any other pearls of wisdom on wiring or connections, let me > know. > > I got a boatload (bikeload?) of stuff due in next week; let the fun begin! > > - SteveS > >
