I was looking at the Crystalyte 5303 racer motor (48v) as a possible fun project for one of my bikes. Also to use as commuting. HOwever, I am not impressed with the $230 price tag for the 48v motor controller. That is simply outrageous for a motor controller that one of the online sellers has admitted to stop selling for lack of a decent warranty, high price, and reports of quality issues.

My question is...

I found the Golden Motor website, and I like that he has some 48v controllers. Both reasonably priced, and with good rep. However, can I use either of these two controllers for the Crystalyte 5303?

I'm assuming I may need to do some rewiring of the leads, or pehaps not?

http://www.goldenmotor.com/BLDC%20Motor%20Controller%20-%2048V1000W.jpg

I like the idea of this one best, but it has less peak wattage rating (800w). The regen braking seems like a good idea for efficiency.

http://www.goldenmotor.com/Regen%20Controller.jpg

My plan would be to get ahold of some LiFePO4 48v/20ah batteries from the ping dude in China (~$800), when/if he ever gets his sight back up.

Any suggestions here?

they have a discussion about another good controller that would work for you over at ES, http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4282 I think they are pretty cheap and assuming you aren't afraid of a bit of wiring they are of great quality for a non geared motor like yours. You're right about the crystalyte controllers, they are of very poor quality and come with no warranty whatsoever. If you are ok with dropping that much on a controller but want to make sure you are getting something thats going to last, you might check out kelly ebike controllers, they come with a similar price tag but they are programmable and come with a 1 year warranty.

From the looks of it that golden motor controller has about the right number of wires coming out of it, but you would prtty much have to change out all of the connectors. Buy a stack of andersons and a 5pin connector for the hall effect sensors. Do you have crystalyte e-brakes? if so you will have to rewire those as well as the throttle connector.

No, I don't know how the e-brakes work. I assume they work when you crank the throttle in reverse while stopping with just about any DC motor? And, a regen controller would be needed for this?

I don't have anything yet.

I am just looking at what I am going to need to get the kind of e-bike I want. I want something that can get a good cruise up to 30mph for up to 25 miles, because my commute is 23 miles one way. Somedays, I'm just too tired to ride my roadie, and gas/bridge tolls are getting expensive. I can also recharge at work. I am in the country, and 6 miles from the nearest town. So, being able to zip into town, ride around for some shopping, then back home without a recharge is also desirable.

The Phoenix 5303 racer gives me the speed I want for those long country roads. I am also looking at a fairly nice hybrid bike for the conversion. So far, my preference in style is leaning towards a GT Nomad LTD. Performance has them for around $480, and are disc brake upgradable for the front and rear. I want to get the disc brake rear motor hub from www.ebikes.ca and the 6" rotor to go with. This all for a future project. I'm just mentally piecing everything together for now, and trying to learn as much about the setup before making my investment. Thus, my constant lurking here in the ebike forum. :)