Newbie Question Alert!

[naynay]

ok, actually i have 2 questions- the first Super Newb Queston Is- is it safe/ok to ride electric scooters/go karts in the rain?

and 2- I am recycling the motors off of 3 partially assembled electric scooters to use for various projects- one being to have, in the end an electric scooter (electra). I know the motor is good on the "best" one, cuz i ran the power directly to it, and -zoom zoom- but there are Way more wires than I can shake a stick at, and they all go into this "gizmo" that is like a little metal box, and Then the motor wires come out. So, what Is the Gizmo, what does it Do, and do I assume it is working properly since you can't open it up to get inside and fiddle with it?

Bonus Question! any idea where i could find a wiring diagram for one of these electric scooters? the electra is 24V, and the other 2 are very similar, but are 36V.

Thanks, NayNay

 

[K2Kart]

ok, actually i have 2 questions- the first Super Newb Queston Is- is it safe/ok to ride electric scooters/go karts in the rain?

and 2- I am recycling the motors off of 3 partially assembled electric scooters to use for various projects- one being to have, in the end an electric scooter (electra). I know the motor is good on the "best" one, cuz i ran the power directly to it, and -zoom zoom- but there are Way more wires than I can shake a stick at, and they all go into this "gizmo" that is like a little metal box, and Then the motor wires come out. So, what Is the Gizmo, what does it Do, and do I assume it is working properly since you can't open it up to get inside and fiddle with it?

Bonus Question! any idea where i could find a wiring diagram for one of these electric scooters? the electra is 24V, and the other 2 are very similar, but are 36V.

Thanks, NayNay

Great questions and I wish someone would help him out! I have been considering building an electric kart as well as an eco-friendly type of kart. Anyone schooled in the electric kart realm?

 

[jr dragster T]

Hey, Technically you could run it in the rain if it was all sealed up. However I dont suggest running any mechanical kart in the rain. The box you are talking about is called a speed controller. Its there to give you a whole bunch of speeds instead of just one. There not too hard to figure it out, 2 power wires in and a few wires out.

 

[kibble]

Yes, that metal box is the speed controller for the motor. If you take a pic with all the wires spread out, clearly visible, I can try to help you figure out what they are. Most that I've seen use a similar combination of wires, especially the cheaper of the scooters. You can't just assume that it's working properly just by looking at it.

Unfortunately, without knowing what controller you have or who makes it, it would be hard to find a good diagram.

About riding in the rain, as long as you don't get excessive water in the motor or get the controller and other electronics wet, you should be fine.