# chennic controller



## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

OK so lots of people want to know about the chennic controllers. well I ordered the 72v 500 amp model JCECX7250, now it hasent come in yet though it will be delivered on the 9th. One thing I have gotten from chennic is the data sheet for the controller. i cant seem to upload it because it is in pdf, but here are some basics
first from the dimensions given and from what sharon at chennic told me it has a curtis 1205 footprint, it does have over volt, temp, and current cut back built in. Thats 1 up from logisystems. it uses mosfets not igbts. it sounds like the same fetures as a curtis 1205. though I have not recieved the controller yet I will install it on the 9th when it is delivered and give an update, but I wanted to get the ball rolling with this thread.


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## favguy (May 2, 2008)

I'll be very interested in how your controller performs. I've got my eye on a 144V 500A controller from Chennic, significantly cheaper even than the Revolt open source kit! and you have to build that yourself!

Can't wait to see how they perform, but they do seem a little bit to cheap to be true, lets hope they prove to be a good buy...


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## honn1002 (Nov 26, 2008)

Curtis is coming out with the 1204M and 1205M programmable controllers. The 72V version 1205M-6B402 has a current limit 400A 1 min and 500A boost for 5 secs. Pretty soon the 1209M and 1221M are coming as well. http://curtisinstruments.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=cProducts.dspProductCategory&catID=11

I hope that Chennic 72V 500A is not rated as a peak current for a few seconds.


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

they say that it is 500 amp @ 1 munite, and 200 @ 1 hour, but the only way to know is to use it. 500 anps is great for mycar it gives me plenty of power for take off and that was what i was looking for from my curtis, I have a 1221 48-72 that is 500 with just about the same ratings as the chennic.


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## honn1002 (Nov 26, 2008)

billhac said:


> they say that it is 500 amp @ 1 munite, and 200 @ 1 hour, but the only way to know is to use it. 500 anps is great for mycar it gives me plenty of power for take off and that was what i was looking for from my curtis, I have a 1221 48-72 that is 500 with just about the same ratings as the chennic.


I can't wait to see the performance results on the chennic controller campared to a curtis 1221B. The 1221B is rated a minute more at 500A then the chennic. It doesn't seem that much of a difference, but until you test it you're going to find out...


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

yep, i know what you mean, about 2 minuites @ 500, but I try(some times hard to do) to keep acceleration amps to around 300 amps unless im going up hill. but the 200 amp 1 hour rating should be the same, Iv been using the 1221, for a while so when I install the chenic i will know if there is a difference in drive ability.


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

ok the 72v 500 amp Chennic controller arrived today, to me it looks like a remanufactured curtis 1205, it is about the same dimensions. all that is left is to get it on the car and drive it to see if it works or blows up.


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## honn1002 (Nov 26, 2008)

billhac said:


> ok the 72v 500 amp Chennic controller arrived today, to me it looks like a remanufactured curtis 1205, it is about the same dimensions. all that is left is to get it on the car and drive it to see if it works or blows up.



The bus bars look like raw copper, no tin to prevent oxidation or corrosion.


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

you are right but most of the curtis's that iv used were the same way, and even about the same size.


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

well here is my up date of the new Chennic 72500 controller, Here are a couple of pics of the installation so you know that i used it.


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

I took the car down the street, it is about 20% discharged, so I thought wow it performs nicely, but I felt that i needed to adjust the throttle a bit. so pulled it in the garage and did the adjustment, then i thought well its starting to get dark but Ill take it down the street and see if that fixed the throttle, so I pulled it out in the street and took off, it felt good it had good power, so I was feeling good about the controller. WAS is the key word in that sentence, On my way down the street back to the house, you guessed it, there was jerk then there was nothing, and i coasted back into my garage.

So my rating of the brand new chennic controller
2 thumbs down, 2 trips totaling 1/2 a mile and it blew up. 
so now we know, the LS controller that i had lasted longer than it.


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

hopfully my charger that I ordered will be better.


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## honn1002 (Nov 26, 2008)

Billhac, sorry to hear bad news about your chennic 72500. 



billhac said:


> I took the car down the street, it is about 20% discharged, so I thought wow it performs nicely, but I felt that i needed to adjust the throttle a bit. so pulled it in the garage and did the adjustment, then i thought well its starting to get dark but Ill take it down the street and see if that fixed the throttle, so I pulled it out in the street and took off, it felt good it had good power, so I was feeling good about the controller. WAS is the key word in that sentence, On my way down the street back to the house, you guessed it, there was jerk then there was nothing, and i coasted back into my garage.
> 
> So my rating of the brand new chennic controller
> 2 thumbs down, 2 trips totaling 1/2 a mile and it blew up.
> so now we know, the LS controller that i had lasted longer than it.


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

it was expected, im going to ask them for the 650 amp model in replacment, because, they said the controller was a 500 amp for one minuite, well it never made it to 300 amps and went out, so just like all china controllers, there ratings are theratical, and not real life ratings, but maybe the 650 will be better, but i will not give them a dime more for it.


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## honn1002 (Nov 26, 2008)

Make sure the physical size of the 650A model is bigger, atleast the size of a Curtis 1221. If not, you know it's just the label says 650A.


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

good advice, I will.


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## favguy (May 2, 2008)

Billhac,
Well thats bad news , but as you said, not entirely surprizing. Make sure they understand that if the next one fails, you will want a full refund, I find it hard to believe even the chinese would sell something so badly made as to fail at just over half its rating after less than a mile!!


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

kelly was like that for a while, selling thier controllers with theoretical ratings, they soon changed. my curtis works fine so this one needs to do the same as to be worth buying, right now not so much.


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

well, also as expected, sharon at chennic is giving me the run around about this controller. I really dont care about getting a refund, I wanted to compare the controller with a curtis or alltrax, so here is one comparison fact:
if you called alltrax you would get someone to the phone, not communicate by email(like chennic), then if you told the person that the controller went out, they would simply say "send it back" we would pay to ship to them and they would pay to send it back. all with no talk about wheather or not you hooked, the A2 terminal, whick in most of our applications is not. 
curtis might be a problem but if you bought it through a 3rd party they would honner the warrentee the same way

so my rating of Chennic.com so far
if this was a baseball game they would have 2 strikes.


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## favguy (May 2, 2008)

Billhac,
If you continue to get messed around by Sharon, bring to her attention that almost everyone involved in DIY EV building globally is aware of and uses this website regularly, and that her responce to your valid issue is bieng noted here, so her actions now can either do chennic's business a lot of good or huge damage, it's her call...


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## JRP3 (Mar 7, 2008)

Yes, we are all watching closely what happens here. Send her a link to this thread. If they don't make this right we won't be doing business with them, and we will spread the word.


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## alvin (Jul 26, 2008)

Sorry about your problem.
If you don't mind me asking, how much did it cost to your door?
alvin


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

alvin said:


> Sorry about your problem.
> If you don't mind me asking, how much did it cost to your door?
> alvin


Sorry about your problem.
If you don't mind me asking, how much did it cost to your door?
alvin 

it was 377, to my door, bit the price with regular shipping was 286, I paid for expedited shipping.


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

well guys i did let her know about this site, but they want me to do all these tests, first here is a part of the email that i got from her:



fron sharon at chennic
Is your system useing gear box ? If it is please find series controlelr diagram in attachment without Direction contactor. It is the diagram for the controller we sent to you. The original diagram is for PM motor. Sorry for mistake we made. Please try connect the controller as the new diagram shown.


what she is talking about is the diagram they sent in the box with the controller.


Hello Bill,

Sorry for mistake i made. Just checked the pictures you sent, the wiring i sent to you is for PM motor, for series motor A2 have to connected with Motor A2 and S1. I will send you wiring diagram later.


so here she is saying that they sent the rong diagram, I have all of the wiring diagrams, but i dont know how to upload them to this site, but if ay one wants them just let me know. now on to the point of the diagram email, all of the diagrams that she sent have one thing in common, the controller is wire the same in each, one shows using the a2 terminal, but that is the only difference.


Hello Bill,

Is your system useing gear box ? If it is please find series controlelr diagram in attachment without Direction contactor. It is the diagram for the controller we sent to you. The original diagram is for PM motor. Sorry for mistake we made. Please try connect the controller as the new diagram shown.


same thing, I under stand that some one is telling her to make sure she checks this, but it is wired the same way, I even sent pics of it whill it was still on my car



Hello Bill,

Please notice for Series wound controller there is A2 and it should connect with motor as well.

Regards,

Sharon


i told her that I was not using the a2 terminal in my car, and that it wasent needed for my application.



Hello Bill,

Have you got my last email ?

How many terminals is there on your motor ? Could you please tell us your motor brand and model please ?



Awaiting for your early reply.

Sincerely yours,


Sharon Chen

Sales Executive



i gave her a discription of my motor and the terminals.easy right?




Hello Bill,

For the controller diagram we sent before is for motor have 4 termianls motor. Please check new diagram for 2 terminals motor, and please check if the controller work. If the controller was wired according to diagram i sent before , then our controller can not work. Please check and tell us your testing results, thanks.

For the charger, we will arrange shipment next week. We will send it by DHL and you should get it before 28th June.

Regards,

Sharon




now in all of these diagrams the controller is wired the same, this was the most recent emailto me today, so I will put it back on just to humor her and when it dont work, they need to be willing to, send me a new one, or a refund. i think i have went far past what i should have done for them, but I wanted the controller to work good, we will see what the next step is from them.


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## JRP3 (Mar 7, 2008)

I had a similar experience with a faulty Kelly throttle. They kept wanting me to wire it with the wiper and low wired together and the high wired to wiper input on the controller. I kept asking them why and what they thought that would do for me, they just kept saying to do it. I finally did it, the motor immediately went to full throttle when turned on, which is what I expected. Only after that were they willing to have me send it back. I get the impression that some of the people we are dealing with don't really understand the workings of the products.


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## alvin (Jul 26, 2008)

billhac said:


> it was 377, to my door, bit the price with regular shipping was 286, I paid for expedited shipping.


That is not much money. If they don't take it back. Open it and post pictures.
alvin


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

alvin said:


> That is not much money. If they don't take it back. Open it and post pictures.
> alvin


 
yea i know, the price was right, but not if the controller wont hold up.


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

JRP3 said:


> I had a similar experience with a faulty Kelly throttle. They kept wanting me to wire it with the wiper and low wired together and the high wired to wiper input on the controller. I kept asking them why and what they thought that would do for me, they just kept saying to do it. I finally did it, the motor immediately went to full throttle when turned on, which is what I expected. Only after that were they willing to have me send it back. I get the impression that some of the people we are dealing with don't really understand the workings of the products.


that is my feeling as well, but it is not as easy for me to do, I bought this controller to test, i did that, it failed. I put my curtis back on to run the car, now they want me to keep putting it on and wire it this way or that way, I just dont want to do it, Iv gotten real good at taking off my controller assembly, better that i wanted to be, the controller did ent work deal with it, send me the money back or an upgraded controller.
I told sharon that i was going to be very firm if this controller failed, I said i was looking for realiability, and affordability, and a good RETURN POLICY so far i havent seen either of them. but some one here on DIY says it best:
you can have it fast, you can have long range, you can have cheap
pick 2.


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

JRP3 said:


> I had a similar experience with a faulty Kelly throttle.


at least with kelly you can call them up and talk to them, with chennic, its only email.


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

ok sharon from chennic said for me to send it back and they would repair it. but here is the thing, I dont want the thing repaired with the same components, because it will just die again. I will send it back and let them fix it. but when it fails, I wont send it back. but im not very happy with their return policy. they want to know all of the specs for my motor, the batteries, dc converter, everything, they dont need that, it sounds to me like they are looking for a reason not to repair or refund me anything.
I dont like being screwed 

fool me once shame on you, but fool me twice shame on me, It wont happen twice.


chennic rating so far 
still 2 thumbs down.
i will have no further dealings with them.


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

well after talking to sharon about shipping, I decided to try and fix it my self. so I took it apart, it was suprisingly easy to get open, after openingi noticed the driver board was soldered to the power board with jumpers. removed the jumpers. the first thing that I noticed was there are 16 mosfets on the power board. Now Iv never built one of these controllers before, but I have built some lower power motor controllers in the past. so I looked up the part number of the mosfets, it is 55n10 by fairchild, rated for 100v and 55 amps, that conserned me alittle, because I thought that you build at 1 1/2 times rated voltage and double the amps and use current limiting, for safety, well these fets are rated @ 55amps, so that would make sixteen of them paralled 880 amps, however and i could be rong but I thought there was a safety margin of half. which means that the controller would have been to me rated at 440amps total. well i thought i would share the inards of the Chennic controller with everyone and maybe get some ideas on what mosfets to use to make it 500 amps, i thought about this one, http://search.digikey.com/scripts/D...8-5-ND&itemSeq=87115995&uq=634119117537996290 i will upload the pics in the morning.


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## Amberwolf (May 29, 2009)

http://www.fairchildsemi.com/ds/FQ/FQP55N10.pdf
Note also that the 55n10 is 0.026Ω RDSon, at 25C temperature 10V gate, at only 27.5A. That goes up to about 0.039Ω at 70-80C, 27.5A. Let's say 72V being switched, at oh, 300A. 300A thru that higher RDSon is going to be 0.73V across that set of 16 MOSFETs, which equates to only 219W of heat to dissipate, so not all that bad, if they have them all properly heatsinked. What were your actual working voltages and currents before it died? (sorry if I just missed those in your posts)

Also, that 55A spec is for 25C, which it won't be at for more than a few seconds when you first start driving, and here in Phoenix right now it won't be that *at all*. It's actaully only *38.9A* at 100C; I'd guess it'll get to maybe 3/4 of that temp after a pretty short time, and so maybe 45A continuous there?

I'd guess it'll get over 100C in there quickly, too, as if it's like a Curtis there are *at least* two thermal barriers to overcome, and probably three: 
--TO220 to mounting bar
--mounting bar to base plate
--base plate to controller case
--*anything else you are using to heatsink it away*
Lots of thermal barriers. 


The STP120NF10 is only 0.0105Ω max (0.009 typical) @25C and 60A, so it starts out at less than half (nearly 1/3!) the resistance (and thus heating) that the other did, at a more useful current level. 

It's 100C current rating is 77A.

Gate charge is higher, so the drivers in the controller might take longer to charge these, keeping them in the linear region a bit longer (more heating).

Both of them being TO220 have thermal resistance of case to ambient of 62.5°C/W


I'd venture the STP would be a fair replacement for the 55n10, unless the controller is built around some spec of the latter.


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

good info, thanks, ill look in to that, now here are the pics that i talked about. after removing the driver board, I started checking the mosfets, none looked burned, but when checking them with my multimeter about have were shorted, seemed like every other one (if i was testing the mosfets correctly) does that seem typical of this type of controller?


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## Snakub (Sep 8, 2008)

Could A2 be a built in shunt for current sensing?


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## Guest (Jun 12, 2010)

Looks like my Curtis. I mean Exactly. How can this be a chennic?


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## alvin (Jul 26, 2008)

If you have one shorted mosfet and it is still installed they all should test short . shouldn't they?
alvin


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

I would think so, one has some black stuff comming out of it, but the others look ok but they tested short. I think it is a curtis, they just modified it a bit and called it there own.


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## Electric Civic (Jun 4, 2010)

billhac said:


> I would think so, one has some black stuff comming out of it, but the others look ok but they tested short. I think it is a curtis, they just modified it a bit and called it there own.


It looks like a prototype controller with the wires soldered to the components like that. May be they tried to copy Curtis.


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## Russco (Dec 23, 2008)

Electric Civic said:


> It looks like a prototype controller with the wires soldered to the components like that. May be they tried to copy Curtis.


Curtis patents have long expired. The Chinese are very good at copying others' products, including the mistakes. 

Unplated copper busbars? Looks like a real POS. Just my opinion. 

High quality EV controllers are manufactured in Europe and the USA, not China. 

You get what you pay for. 


Russ Kaufmann, RUSSCO Engineering.

Designing and manufacturing EV controllerrs for 28 years.


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

Russco said:


> Curtis patents have long expired. The Chinese are very good at copying others' products, including the mistakes.
> 
> Unplated copper busbars? Looks like a real POS. Just my opinion.
> 
> ...


well it was no suprise to me that it blew, but it would have been nice to have an affordable no frilles controller, that was reliable, but you are right, you do get what you pay for.


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## JRP3 (Mar 7, 2008)

Russco said:


> Designing and manufacturing EV controllerrs for 28 years.


So why don't I see any for sale on your website? Just wondering.


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## JRP3 (Mar 7, 2008)

billhac said:


> but you are right, you do get what you pay for.


I must say that after about 2 months I'm still very happy with my $99 Chennic DC/DC.


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

JRP3 said:


> I must say that after about 2 months I'm still very happy with my $99 Chennic DC/DC.


 well I bought a charger, from them, it hasent gotten here yet, but Im hoping it works well, then I will feel better, and use them again, but maybe not the controllers.


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

Amberwolf said:


> The STP120NF10 is only 0.0105Ω max (0.009 typical) @25C and 60A, so it starts out at less than half (nearly 1/3!) the resistance (and thus heating) that the other did, at a more useful current level.
> 
> It's 100C current rating is 77A.
> 
> ...


 
yepi agree, that was the one i looked at from digi key


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## Russco (Dec 23, 2008)

JRP3 said:


> So why don't I see any for sale on your website? Just wondering.


You mean like this Russco 600 amp IGBT torque control controller: 

http://russcoev.com/images/controller.jpg


Russ Kaufmann, RUSSCO Engineering


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## JRP3 (Mar 7, 2008)

Russco said:


> You mean like this Russco 600 amp IGBT torque control controller:
> 
> http://russcoev.com/images/controller.jpg
> 
> ...


Exactly. I don't see it for sale anywhere on your website.


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## Russco (Dec 23, 2008)

JRP3 said:


> Exactly. I don't see it for sale anywhere on your website.


The Russco controller website has not been released 'cause I do chargers now. Currently designing the new Russco fifth generation chargers, the GreenLine series, which includes a lithium version which can be stand alone or use cell level LV/HV BMS from Russco or other manufacturers. Introduction in a couple of weeks. 

The new GreenLine chargers _will _be on the website when introduced. 


Russ Kaufmann, RUSSCO Engineering


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## stou0220 (Jun 15, 2010)

Bill, I'm a long time observer of this forum but never had anything worthy to create an account and post until I found this thread. I too am dealing with the frustration of Sharon and Chennic. I have been unable to get responses from them for weeks now regarding the controller I bought. I simply can't get it to work. Sharon has provided no help or offer to return, and now he (I think Sharon is a 'he') won't return any emails. I also bought a charger and DC/DC converter, and I think those things work well, but this charger is junk, and buying the computer to program it feels like insult to injury. I hope you get resolution as I have not despite my continuous efforts to reach out to him. I think I will be getting a 1221C and will be letting everyone I know in the EV market about my experiences.

Good Luck,

Jim



billhac said:


> well I bought a charger, from them, it hasent gotten here yet, but Im hoping it works well, then I will feel better, and use them again, but maybe not the controllers.


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

well its good to here Im not alone with chennic, but I did get them to say that they would take it back, but im not going to worry with that, Ill repair it myself, from what i can tell its mosfets that are bad, I can handle that, I checked it today. i hope that the charger is better, but it is well known that we get what we pay for. lesson learned! (again)


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## favguy (May 2, 2008)

Oh well Bill,

A bit disapointing for you, but all's well that ends well! Looks like you will be able to rebuild and improve the controller into something usefull, still within a low budget, and the rest of us know not to waste any time and money dealing with chennic for budget controllers.

I'm sure I speak for everyone else when I say, thankyou for taking the trouble to try the product out and report your findings on here  

This type of feedback is exactly why I love this forum so much, we all grow in our knowledge by helping each other in the EV community, group hug anyone 

Paul


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## stou0220 (Jun 15, 2010)

The more frustrating part of all this for me is that I am not sure if the controller is malfunctioning, if I have incompatible components, or if I just failed to follow his 'extensive' documentation (note sarcasm). Whatever the deal is I am sure it is something to do with the throttle, I just haven't determined what. I don't have the knowledge to take it apart to fix, but maybe I can find someone who does. I don't know what I am going to do with it, but I don't think I want to rely on this controller for my daily driving needs.

Later,

Jim




billhac said:


> well its good to here Im not alone with chennic, but I did get them to say that they would take it back, but im not going to worry with that, Ill repair it myself, from what i can tell its mosfets that are bad, I can handle that, I checked it today. i hope that the charger is better, but it is well known that we get what we pay for. lesson learned! (again)


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

stou0220 said:


> The more frustrating part of all this for me is that I am not sure if the controller is malfunctioning, if I have incompatible components, or if I just failed to follow his 'extensive' documentation (note sarcasm). Whatever the deal is I am sure it is something to do with the throttle, I just haven't determined what. I don't have the knowledge to take it apart to fix, but maybe I can find someone who does. I don't know what I am going to do with it, but I don't think I want to rely on this controller for my daily driving needs.
> 
> Later,
> 
> Jim


well if you are using a 0-5kohm pot box it is easy to fix, I could walk you through it, but basically if you are using a 0-5k pot box and the controller is 0-5k ohms there should notbe any problems, as long as your pot box is working, it is easy to check with a multimeter, just put the multimeter leads io the pot box leads, red to one and black to the other, then move the lever, if it varies resistence, its fine. then the problem gos back to the controller.


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## stou0220 (Jun 15, 2010)

Hi Bill, thanks for the reply. The latest potbox is fine, as I've tested it several times. My first throttle blew after I followed some instructions from Sharon. It appears this action also damaged the controller, and as a result the controller isn't receiving the throttle instructions from the potbox, and in turn isn't providing power to the motor. Since Sharon won't respond to my emails I am on my own to figure out a way to fix. Do you guys know of a place I can send this to to get it fixed at a reasonable price? My brain says the smart thing to do is get a Curtis, but in my mind is admitting defeat, and that is hard to swallow!

thanks,

Jim


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## stou0220 (Jun 15, 2010)

I just sent Sharon another email reminding him of the warranty he promised (I insisted on the warranty status before I purchased), and the fact that I am posting my customer service experience with Chennic. I'll post whether he responds or not, and if so, how he is will to handle this situation.


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

dont get your hopes up on that, but IF they will take it back, then great, but if not, a place called nusource,will repair it for under 100.00 bucks, but try chennic first.


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## stou0220 (Jun 15, 2010)

Thanks for the source, Bill. When I told Sharon I would be posting my experience with Chennic, it triggered an email response asking how he can help, and apologizing for not responding as it has been a holiday there (over 2 weeks worth of holidays apparently). I told Sharon I want the controller fixed or replaced, I will let the board know his response. I'm not confident this will end with me being satisfied, but I have to keep trying. BTW, have you received your charger yet?


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

no, but they were not on vaction, I was talking to them last friday, they said I should get the charger by the 28th.


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## stou0220 (Jun 15, 2010)

Lol, it was obvious my emails were just being avoided until I threatened to expose him. I think Chennic may be a one-man team who buys, brands and resales these parts. There are probably several other brands that sell the same equipment with a different label. Whatever, Sharon has an opportunity to make things right, and if he does I will post it. If he delays and throws more BS I will post that too. Good luck with the charger. I bought one and charged my pack once with it. It seemed to work. I haven't had a chance to use it more because I haven't been able to discharge my pack because my controller isn't working....


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

stou0220 said:


> Lol, it was obvious my emails were just being avoided until I threatened to expose him. I think Chennic may be a one-man team who buys, brands and resales these parts. There are probably several other brands that sell the same equipment with a different label. Whatever, Sharon has an opportunity to make things right, and if he does I will post it. If he delays and throws more BS I will post that too. Good luck with the charger. I bought one and charged my pack once with it. It seemed to work. I haven't had a chance to use it more because I haven't been able to discharge my pack because my controller isn't working....


 
I think he sells on ebay too. under the name rcfurther, i bought a 96v gauge from them (rcfurther) and when I got the reply to my question back the signer was sharon. the gauge looks like the same one that chennic sells on the website, HUMMMM.. I wonder?


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## dela (Oct 24, 2009)

Hi,

I just wanted to say that I bought a charger 144v and a dc-dc converter from ebay, rcfurther (chennic) I had it for a month I made 4-5 cycle on my batteries and recharge it seems to work fine, I am no expert in batteries charging I am just wondering if its normal that at the end of the charging the batteries gases a lot and the voltage reach 186v out of the charger.


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## alvin (Jul 26, 2008)

That works out to 15.5 volts. That would be the voltage for cell balancing. I don't think it is good for the batteries to do that every charge. If you check each battery voltage near the end of charge some may be alot higher than others.
Alvin


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## EV-propulsion.com (Jun 1, 2009)

I hope you are not using AGM lead acid, they should *never* go over 15 volts-and they should never be gassing. If you are using flooded LA it is still high and you will be adding water often....
Mike
www.EV-propulsion.com


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## dela (Oct 24, 2009)

I am using flooded batteries with oil additive on top which helps a lot to minimize evaporation, the voltage rises only near the end of the charging cycle (maybe for the last hour), I will check the next time if voltage on each batteries varies. Thanks for the comments.


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## stou0220 (Jun 15, 2010)

I sent my controller back to Chennic to get repaired. I was able to send it via USPS for about $43. Sharon has apologized repeatedly for the inconvenience and is promising to send me a functional controller. Even if he does, I am leaning towards using a Curtis. I have my hands on a 1231C right now (a friends). It is complete over-kill for my project, but I may use it for a while, and may sell the Chennic and programming computer and buy a 1221C. I only have one EV, and I want to drive it daily, not work on it daily. I will let you all know if Chennic makes this right.

On a different note, I use AGM batteries and also bought a Chennic charger. It seems to work, but it does cell-balance at the end of the charging cycle. I may ask if this can be adjusted as I am worried about over charging these batteries.


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## Qer (May 7, 2008)

stou0220 said:


> On a different note, I use AGM batteries and also bought a Chennic charger. It seems to work, but it does cell-balance at the end of the charging cycle. I may ask if this can be adjusted as I am worried about over charging these batteries.


If they vent, you're screwed since you can't top them off as with regular lead acid batteries. And from what Mike already wrote I wouldn't be surprised if at least some of the cells has already vented and thus have lost capacity.

What's why bargains don't necessarily save you money in the long run...


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## dexion (Aug 22, 2009)

Howdy, did you ever get your chennic controller back and working?


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## rtwelder (Aug 11, 2010)

I actually made a phone call to Chennic and a woman answered the call. So does this make Sharon a SHE rather than a HE?

It's not too easy to talk to the Chinese though.

They know basic English but still not easy to understand.

I asked for a user manual and she told me she's going to send it sometime later.

Yes it's too late for me, I already ordered from them before even seeing this forum and I hope I do not get "lemons"

but in case I do, are their controllers possible to repair?
I'm not electrician or electronics specialist but maybe those electronics engineers one of the universities here can repair. Just in case I experience the same thing. Good luck to you and me.


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

stou0220 said:


> I sent my controller back to Chennic to get repaired. I was able to send it via USPS for about $43. Sharon has apologized repeatedly for the inconvenience and is promising to send me a functional controller. Even if he does, I am leaning towards using a Curtis. I have my hands on a 1231C right now (a friends). It is complete over-kill for my project, but I may use it for a while, and may sell the Chennic and programming computer and buy a 1221C. I only have one EV, and I want to drive it daily, not work on it daily. I will let you all know if Chennic makes this right.
> 
> On a different note, I use AGM batteries and also bought a Chennic charger. It seems to work, but it does cell-balance at the end of the charging cycle. I may ask if this can be adjusted as I am worried about over charging these batteries.


which controller did you get from chennic, call me a glutton for punishment but Im thinking of giving them one more try with the 120v controller that they have.


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

rtwelder said:


> I actually made a phone call to Chennic and a woman answered the call. So does this make Sharon a SHE rather than a HE?
> 
> It's not too easy to talk to the Chinese though.
> 
> ...


did you get your controller and did it work for you?


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## rtwelder (Aug 11, 2010)

I have not yet actually tested it since I do not have the batteries yet.

I did already get the controller. It is a JCPM-7240 PM Motor controller

I hope it works well for me. I just need batteries. None yet since I do not want to invest in a battery pack until I'm ready for the project car.

Is it okay to test the controller without using the contactor, precharge resistors, back EMF diode

Just the controller, the batteries and the motor (or maybe six 12volt light bulbs connected in series) all wired together


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

rtwelder said:


> I have not yet actually tested it since I do not have the batteries yet.
> 
> I did already get the controller. It is a JCPM-7240 PM Motor controller
> 
> ...


i wouldent, you can build everything on a piece of plywood to test it but it will only tell you if the controller will turn the motor, You wont get a real world test untill it is installed in the car and has a load on it.


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## rtwelder (Aug 11, 2010)

okay. thanks for the advice.

next time I'm sticking to a better brand just for ease of mind. maybe a Kelly would do.
I remember John Fiorenza told me Kelly controllers are good enough.

I just thought that Chennic was the one that makes the Mars Motors so I trusted them with the controllers. but it turns out they just outsourced them. but I did get a real ME0709 from them though


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

well im going to give them 1 more try, with a higher voltage controller, and see what that does.


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## rtwelder (Aug 11, 2010)

would be waiting for your feedback on it next time. good luck! go Chennic! lol!


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## Guest (Aug 23, 2010)

Bill,

Did they fully refund your original purchase price? Maybe they could offer you a higher voltage/amp model for the same price as the old one? Bites to have a controller that does not work but what bites worse is if you end up being a beta tester without knowing it. I am a beta tester but I went in knowing that. I did not get suckered. My controller works just fine. 

Pete


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

gottdi said:


> Bill,
> 
> Did they fully refund your original purchase price? Maybe they could offer you a higher voltage/amp model for the same price as the old one? Bites to have a controller that does not work but what bites worse is if you end up being a beta tester without knowing it. I am a beta tester but I went in knowing that. I did not get suckered. My controller works just fine.
> 
> Pete


no pete they did not but they wanted me to send the old one back so that they could fix it, I fixed it my self so I did not send it back, now I will buy the 120v 500 amp model from them and if it goes out I will take it to a place here locally to have it repaired or fixed correctly, and i can get that done for under 100 bucks, so I think that i have them licked this time. after all the controller is only 480 bucks, so to have it repaired would be 100 more, still a pretty good price if you ask me.


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## rtwelder (Aug 11, 2010)

Bill, how is it after you had it repaired?

Going strong, is it?
Better than when it was brand new from China?

I was thinking, maybe I'll just do the same and have it repaired by some electronics engineer in some University....JUST in case.


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

rtwelder said:


> Bill, how is it after you had it repaired?
> 
> Going strong, is it?
> Better than when it was brand new from China?
> ...


 
after i replaced the mosfets, it has been going good, but i use it for my golf cart not my car. it os still 48v and my car is 72v now.


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## rtwelder (Aug 11, 2010)

so how many volts can the controller handle?

i got a 72volt PM Motor controller . Will it work with a 48volt battery pack?


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

rtwelder said:


> so how many volts can the controller handle?
> 
> i got a 72volt PM Motor controller . Will it work with a 48volt battery pack?


if it is chennic, it will only work for the rated voltage. they just change the voltage regulator on the lower voltage ones, so they told me that it only works with the given voltage. most other controllers can do 24-whatever volts, I looked for a good voltage regulator to go up to 72v for it but i had no luck.


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## stou0220 (Jun 15, 2010)

billhac said:


> which controller did you get from chennic, call me a glutton for punishment but Im thinking of giving them one more try with the 120v controller that they have.


The controller I bought was the 96-volt controller, plus the computer to tweak it. I got my controller back from them but I am running with a Curtis now and don't need to change it, so I am just going to sell it and the computer. So if anyone wants to take the Chennic risk at 96V for a reduced cost, let me know.


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## rtwelder (Aug 11, 2010)

lol! i was also thinking of getting the programmable controller but suddenly just changed my mind and just got the non programmable one. Havent tested it though, I have not yet built the chassis/frame and I still need 6 batteries.

..............and I think the Kelly controllers might be better since you connect them to a PC not some handheld device made by Chennic. Well, John fiorenza of Mars motors told me they are quite good.


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## stou0220 (Jun 15, 2010)

I would agree the Kelly is a better controller, although at one time they were the Chennic of the EV parts world! Oh well, it could be worse. I know I could use my Chennic now, but the Curtis is working just fine, and I don't feel like doing this project again for no real reason. I guess I will just post it up here and eBay and see what if I can offload it to another adventurous soul!


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## rtwelder (Aug 11, 2010)

okay thanks. I need to start testing these EV components.

any feedback on their dc-dc converters and pulse battery chargers?


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## stou0220 (Jun 15, 2010)

Their battery chargers, at least the one I bought, works fine. I also have a DC/DC converter from them but I haven't used it. I don't think their products are bad, but there is just a communication/cultural gap that causes a rift in communication and expectations.


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## 9852 (Jan 17, 2010)

rtwelder, did you ever have any luck with your chennic controller?


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## NZero (Jan 30, 2010)

stou0220 said:


> The controller I bought was the 96-volt controller, plus the computer to tweak it. I got my controller back from them but I am running with a Curtis now and don't need to change it, so I am just going to sell it and the computer. So if anyone wants to take the Chennic risk at 96V for a reduced cost, let me know.


I'll take a small risk. What are we talking here?


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## stou0220 (Jun 15, 2010)

NZero said:


> I'll take a small risk. What are we talking here?


NZero, I sent you a PM with the info on price.


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## cruisin (Jun 3, 2009)

stou0220 said:


> NZero, I sent you a PM with the info on price.


Why not post for all to see?


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## NZero (Jan 30, 2010)

cruisin said:


> Why not post for all to see?


ssssssssh quiet you


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## stou0220 (Jun 15, 2010)

NZero said:


> ssssssssh quiet you


Ha. I didn't post pricing as I wasn't sure of the rules around such posts in this particular forum. I can tell you the price is good enough for NZero 

Maybe he can give you all a better summary as to the quality of this stuff, as I have no objectivity after my poor experience. I think it is cheap Chinese copies of other manufacturers items whose copyrights have ran out or aren't honored in China. The language barrier is bad and they have zero intention providing real support after you buy. If you threaten them enough they will respond but any warranty work requires you to ship back the product to China, _on your own dime_, and then wait for weeks without updates or communication for them to maybe fix it. Forget about returning stuff, all sales are 100% final.

I've never used this stuff, and am selling it way cheaper than I paid for it. Many of you guys probably have the experience and patience to use these products successfully. Personally I'll won't buy electronic equipment from Chennic again regardless of the price. All American stuff for me from now on! (or at least western hemisphere stuff)


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## ElectriCar (Jun 15, 2008)

Russco said:


> Russ Kaufmann, RUSSCO Engineering.
> 
> Designing and manufacturing EV controllerrs for 28 years.


OK RUSSCO, take your 28 years and make us an AC system that doesn't require amputation of a limb.


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## NZero (Jan 30, 2010)

stou0220 said:


> Ha. I didn't post pricing as I wasn't sure of the rules around such posts in this particular forum. I can tell you the price is good enough for NZero
> 
> Maybe he can give you all a better summary as to the quality of this stuff, as I have no objectivity after my poor experience. I think it is cheap Chinese copies of other manufacturers items whose copyrights have ran out or aren't honored in China. The language barrier is bad and they have zero intention providing real support after you buy. If you threaten them enough they will respond but any warranty work requires you to ship back the product to China, _on your own dime_, and then wait for weeks without updates or communication for them to maybe fix it. Forget about returning stuff, all sales are 100% final.
> 
> I've never used this stuff, and am selling it way cheaper than I paid for it. Many of you guys probably have the experience and patience to use these products successfully. Personally I'll won't buy electronic equipment from Chennic again regardless of the price. All American stuff for me from now on! (or at least western hemisphere stuff)


I will be using it short term to make another car mobile to get it around the show, then be selling it on cheaper again so as to give other a chance to get started.

I will let you know how it performs at various settings and if it ever lets the smoke out of the box.


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## NZero (Jan 30, 2010)

ElectriCar said:


> OK RUSSCO, take your 28 years and make us an AC system that doesn't require amputation of a limb.


Or first born child


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## dillond666 (Dec 27, 2010)

I bought the Chennic dc-dc converter on Ebay from RCfuther. I ordered the 144v version to use on my 156v pack because the datasheet said it could go up to 190v if my memory serves me correctly.
I got a couple of shocks on my arm when tightening the battery pack terminals whilst leaning on the wing (fender). I investigated and found a howler of a manufacturing defect so other buyers/owners beware. I have detailed the fault and the repair on my youtube channel. http://youtu.be/8sEOQfKpfUk

Derek


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## JRP3 (Mar 7, 2008)

Nice fix. To get the youtube tags to work only use the part after the v= in between the tags


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