NEED help on paul/sabrina controller not working - Page 3 - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

MPaulHolmes · 06-01-2013, 05:40 PM

So, if you are seeing around 3v out, that is a major problem. The 12v low voltage lockout would be happening, which would stop the pwm from making it out to the motor. There could be a solder bridge, or the cincon could have just failed for some reason. I'd check for solder bridges, when solder crosses over the isolation gap and touches what it shouldn't touch. If you have a solder sucker, you could suck the solder out of the output holes, and then give it power to see if you can get 12v out of it.

pbmartin14 · 06-01-2013, 06:48 PM

yep 3.49 about 10-11v in. so ill do my best to carefully remove the solder, and retest. if it stays around that voltage start with replacing the cincon?

pbmartin14 · 06-01-2013, 06:56 PM

just got the price its 16$ ouch, but still very cheap!!

MPaulHolmes · 06-01-2013, 07:03 PM

Yep, $16. But they NEVER break... haha, so it's worth it. But seriously I think there was something causing it to fail. They really are reliable. Maybe the output got shorted with the power on somehow.

pbmartin14 · 06-01-2013, 07:13 PM

yea mouser i know is a good company, is it possible to remove it from the board and test it seperately to make sure its bad

MPaulHolmes · 06-01-2013, 07:25 PM

I use a solder sucker:
Brand New Desoldering Pump Solder Sucker Solder Removal Tool Tools Bule | eBay

They work OK. Basically, you try to heat the pad with the solder sucker right over it at the same time. It's got a weird white material on it that doesn't melt from the soldering iron. Then when it's liquid, you push the button, and the solder gets sucked out. it's sort of an annoying process.

pbmartin14 · 06-01-2013, 07:54 PM

i see seems handy! but i dont have time to wait for this fix, i guess ill remove it (or try atleast) and test it with 12v and see what happens

OMT · 06-02-2013, 05:58 PM

solder sucker worked better than i thought it would... so i desoldered the output of the cincon no luck voltage is still at 3.53 so im going to try and remove it from the board, and maybe try it again when seperated.

OMT · 06-03-2013, 12:13 AM

BIG find!! as i was trying to remoce the cincon, i noticed that the capacitor on the motor side connection at the very corner has one side loose! you could even wiggle the one pin in and out. is there any test to make sure a capacitor has failed? also do you have any tips for removing the cincon, i got asmuch solder out as i could and the holes seemmostly empty from what i can tell, but it still is tight in there. i was thinking since i was doing it witht he board upside down is there a chance that the solder melted deeper into the hole?

MPaulHolmes · 06-03-2013, 01:36 AM

Paul: What I do is grab a leg with needle nose pliers after the solder has been sucked out, and wiggle the leg around to try to break it free from the last tiny bit.

Sven: So, as I was saying... I wiggle the leg around. LOL.

One way to see if the capacitor is bad is to just attach it to 12v, and then remove the 12v. If it keeps the voltage (the voltage will fall slowly), then it's probably good.