Trolling motor PWM - part 1

[@Buckeyefl69]

Love it. Your the first to use a pwm without dismantling the trolling motor. I finally see a mod in my future that I agree with 100%.

[@joaovictorf.carvalho458]

I might be wrong but its possible that connecting the pwm unit directly to the wire of the motor(reason why people dismantle) you will bypass the original electronic used to control the motor speed, that way you might have a better efficienty, but to be sure, current draw needed to be measured and it also depends on how which motor is built.

[@ToTheGillsFishing]

Great video brotha. To the point and explained very well. I will be doing this exact setup!

[@markgrady6891]

Would of like to see how you connected the wires in the head of the trollingmotor

[@Intimidator82]

My trolling motor had 2 leads coming out of the head, one positive and one negative. I just soldered and heat shrunk the connection.

[@piratadasmoitas]

Good afternoon, how did you connect the fan and the switch to the fan, where do you connect to the battery? Thanks in advance

[@Intimidator82]

The fan I soldered into the bottom side of the battery power posts on the PWM. I then interrupted one of the fan leads, doesn't matter which one, with the switch wired in series. Hope this answers your questions, if not, comment again. Thanks for watching.

[@Algorythmfpv]

400th like. after 3 years that's criminal this was a great video. Although those air holes and fan opening scare me lol

[@robertcarr5190]

I use the same one , even carry a spare because I had to paddle my 'tank ' 3 miles when mine went out. They do make the same one that comes with the fan but it didn't last very long...

[@Intimidator82]

It's a slick little unit really. For what it does they are well worth the price. I left my fan off for a bit and the heat sink was warm to the touch, can't imagine how hot the board was. Well worth the 8 bucks or whatever it was for the fan. My whole setup with motor and battery likely weighs in the ball park of 170-180lbs, I wouldn't want to paddle it either

[@destineeone]

Can you please let me know how you connected the Fan and Fan Switch to the PWM? Did you just connected the neg and pos from the battery to the switch then to the Fan?

[@Intimidator82]

Yes, that's all I did. I actually soldered the leads underneath the board on the solder bulbs from the positive and negative inputs

[@Juan-hy5cl]

Question, did you have to disconnect any wires inside the motor head? Specifically, the white and yellow. I've seen many videos where they say that you have to disconnect all wires in the head and only connect the red and black wire in the head that go to the motor straight to the PWM output. It seems to me that you just placed the PWM inline between the battery and the motor without modifying the head, which is what I want to do. Is that what you did? Thanks.

[@Intimidator82]

Yes, that is correct, I just essentially wired this PWM to interrupt the current flow from the battery before it gets to the motor. In my case, my motor only had 2 wires, one red and one black. Some of these older motors had wires for either a 2 battery 12v setup, or a 12/24v setup. You'll need to look up which setup is correct for your model of motor.

[@royyakovchuk1096]

Can you hook the fan to the leads that go to the motor so it only runs when the motor runs?

[@Intimidator82]

I tried that on my setup and it didn't work. The pulse from the PWM want enough to get the fan turning until about 50%. When I'm trolling for walleye and other species I'm set about 25 to 28% in my canoe. Now this is just a cheap fan, not sure what would happen if you put a better quality fan in there. Thanks for the question

[@kalapede1]

I am going to try same system but with 36V batteries. I got few STIHL pro saw batteries, i just have to keep in mind not to go over like 35% witch is about 12 volts. Those batteries are pretty light and have lot of power in them (280 wh per battery)

[@FRIGIDBAND]

Where did you hookup the fan & switch to the PWM?

[@Intimidator82]

I soldered the power and ground wires for the fan on the bottom of the circuit board where the power from the battery comes in. Then the switch was just added to the fan power wire to interrupt current flow.

[@GD-xj3jd]

Great video and just what I've been looking for. I'm sorry but I missed how you hooked up the on off switch, is it wired to the forward reverse wires or what?

[@Intimidator82]

Thank you. The on off switch for the fan is attached to the leads coming from the battery to the PWM. The on off for the PWM is incorporated into the dial.

[@MarkoAbo]

Great video! Thanks from Oregon. Columbia River Chinook country.

[@Scubastevetampabay]

Does it get hot with no air flow?

[@Intimidator82]

Yes, I don't know exactly how hot but it's warm enough you don't want to leave your fingers on it for very long. I put it in the container to keep splashed water and light rain off of it and just figured it needed a fan for air movement. The fan doesn't draw hardly anything so I normally just leave it running. I have left the fan off and ran a whole day with no overheating issues, those heat sinks inside are designed well enough I guess.

[@33sosa85]

Where did you hook up the fan and the fan switch to?

[@Intimidator82]

I soldered the wires for the fan on the bottom side of the battery lugs where they are attached to the circuit board. As for the switch I just interrupted the positive wire. You can put the switch in either the positive or negative, doesn't matter.

[@willbill2209]

Excellent setup you have there. Question that I have is I have the Endura Max and would like to just keep the head in the side of my track and the motor in the back side. Which cable and gauge can I use to connect the cables from the head to the motor? They are too short so I need something in between to connect the two and just don't have an idea which cable type and gauge is needed. I know the battery can be used just a regular electrical cable but not too sure of the other one! Thanks

[@Intimidator82]

I'd use the same size wire that you use for the PWM controller cables. I used multistrand power cable for a car stereo. I am pretty sure my wires on the trolling motor are 10ga, but my PWM wires are 8ga. You can get these cables on eBay or Amazon is various lengths. They might even have butt connectors to attach them too. Just make sure you keep the connections water tight to keep them from corroding

[@ruthdoyle9085]

You can also use 24V...as long as the motor is in water it can easily handle the 24v...36v might be a little much...

[@Intimidator82]

I have never heard of that before, but I would be very interested on how much it improves the performance of the motor. To achieve the same amount of 'work' you could run approximately half the amperage with a 24 volt system over the 12v system.

[@brett2070]

Hi Josh,,,fantastic idea,just what iv been lookn for...Josh would you be able to just draw a little wiring diagram on how to wire up pcm to troll motor,,iv got a watersnake 18lb motor,,,,,,love the video Josh

[@Intimidator82]

Sorry about the last video, must have put a filter on it. Here is the one I wanted. kzbin.info/www/bejne/el7bXp2bhpaHeqM

[@captain_fishaun5061]

Have you ran your PWM with a fish finder as well? I recently just added the PWM (which I love) and have a Garmin fishfinder on the way. I've read a lot of people are having issues with interference on the fish finder while running the PWM

[@Intimidator82]

I run the same setup you are about to have and haven't had any issues. It's a striker plus 4 sonar and it works great for the price. The PWM, transducer and fish finder screen are all within 3 feet of each other.

[@captain_fishaun5061]

@@Intimidator82 That's great news! I actually bought the striker four as well. A lot of people are saying the biggest thing to combat the interference (If I get it) is to run the fish finder on its own battery. Another $20 and three more pounds isn't too big of a deal

[@Intimidator82]

@@captain_fishaun5061 I run my fish finder for ice fishing on 2-6 volt emergency light batteries in series to get 12 volts. It runs all day in -10°C weather and only uses .1 volt, they are very energy efficient and you wouldn't need a huge battery. What are those Dakota lithium batteries like for weight? I know they are pricey

[@captain_fishaun5061]

@@Intimidator82 I can't answer your question about the battery. I am running a 55 amp hour AGM mighty Max. If I do get interference I'm going to buy the 7 amp hour mighty Max. It only weighs 3 lb and cost less than 20 bucks

[@juanseminario7287]

Where did you connect the fun?

[@Intimidator82]

@@juanseminario7287 the fan is connected to the power and ground on the battery side of the PWM controller so it has constant, unregulated power. Interrupted only by the switch on the lid of the box

[@chrisgate200]

Nice clear explanation thank you

[@Intimidator82]

Thank you!

[@Marcus10mil]

Hi Josh. Thanks for this tutorial. I will be applying it to my new Minn Kota Endura, 30lb. thrust, Max. Amp draw of 30Amps.. Can the PWM be a 50Amp or does it have to be 30Amp? Manual says to use a 50Amp circuit breaker @12V. I'm obviously not an electrical guy so I'm not sure. Cheers from BC!

[@Intimidator82]

Me personally I would run the 50amp. I think it's better to run the PWM at 75% capacity rather than at 100. I might be wrong but I think it would last longer and create less heat. So I would go with the 50amp PWM just in case there is a spike in the current flow.

[@Marcus10mil]

@@Intimidator82 Thanks for getting back to me. Appreciate it. Tight Lines! Cheers

[@micahjameson7555]

I dont mean to be offtopic but does anybody know of a trick to get back into an Instagram account? I stupidly forgot the password. I love any tips you can give me.

[@harleyflinchum1221]

So do I have to keep the motor head to the trolling motor?

[@overbuiltautomotive1299]

allways get a biger unit /and china has its own rating system it it has a burst of say 100 amps well they may write 1000 on the box lol but you get the point truth is relative in many cases but 100 amp unit is the one ill get

[@dannymutton7616]

Do you only run the power cables to the pwm or do you have to the the head of the trolling motor apart and mess with any of the wires in it?

[@Intimidator82]

I ran wires from the battery to the PWM battery terminals. I used 8ga wires for this. Then from the PWM motor terminals I used 8ga wires and tied them into the existing trolling motor leads coming out of the head. I just soldered and heat shrinked the connections. Hopefully this helps answer the question. If not, fire another question back.

[@KANZROOSTER]

Hi josh i was wondering just new at this. can you tell me how much time where u getting running time out of your motor before you installed the pwm and now that you have it installed is their much a difference?? Thanks vinny.

[@Intimidator82]

I didn't keep track of the run time before I switched to a PWM. The main reason I switched was so I could dial my speed down to where I needed to be. Speed 1 on my motor was pushing my canoe at 3.5 kph which is too fast for what I'm fishing. I can tell you that I can troll at 20-25% almost all day (about 9 hours) then make the run back to the dock wide open on one charge. I am impressed with how much you can find tune the speed, right down to the tenth of a kph.

[@KANZROOSTER]

@@Intimidator82 thank you josh for your reply great to know what to expect I'll definitely fit one to mine now, thank you 👍

[@greengiant5189]

Very good tutorial video. THANK YOU ✌💪

[@Rcfishingagadir]

Can i connect this controller to receiver so i can use a remote control .thanks

[@Intimidator82]

I wouldn't know. I would think that if you have a receiver and a remote control, your motor would be digitally controlled. But like I said, I don't know

[@krishogan9709]

How big is the fan and what should I look for

[@Intimidator82]

My fan measures 1.5" x 1.5". It's a 12 volt .7 amp. It's not very big at all, but I do believe it helps keep the controller cool since I have it in a container out of the rain and splashes. The name brand is Ya Koo from China. Pretty sure these are available on Amazon or eBay somewhere

[@krishogan9709]

@@Intimidator82 What is the name of it and where can I find one I like the way you have your rig set up And I think I'm gonna do something similar

[@Intimidator82]

@@krishogan9709 first off I lied about the amperage, it's .07 amps NOT .7 amps. Here is a link to a similar fan of the same dimensions. www.amazon.com/ANVISION-Bearing-Brushless-Cooling-YDM4010B12/dp/B0711FVD48/ref=mp_s_a_1_17?crid=2497I678J2E42&keywords=40mm+12v.7a+cooling+fan&qid=1636683671&qsid=131-6117949-1239232&sprefix=40mm+12v.7a+cooling+fan%2Caps%2C102&sr=8-17&sres=B07CH6YC32%2CB009NQMESS%2CB071W93333%2CB07CNJ4DYX%2CB07CG2PGY6%2CB00N1Y50QQ%2CB00G059G86%2CB072FW3DDQ%2CB07V4GGPW3%2CB00IJ2J2K0%2CB07VVGHTSR%2CB071FNHVXN%2CB00VXTANZ4%2CB0711FVD48&srpt=ELECTRONIC_COMPONENT_FAN

[@krishogan9709]

@@Intimidator82 It's all good I kinda thought that's what you meant for that size 👍thanks for the link I'll see what I can find

[@andthesunsets]

I have a minn kota c2 40 and I observed that F1 does 6.6A draw, and F2 does 8.3A directly from the battery monitor with a shunt. I don't believe all motors are built like yours where it does the max draw from the battery and outputs 80% as heat at F1 speed. I've heard this statement 20% mechanical 80% heat being reiterated many times and can't seem to find any other evidence to support it. Would you mind doing a measurement directly from your battery or via a clamp meter to dispel the uncertainty?

[@Intimidator82]

I could, and never thought of this. The hard part will be remembering my amp clamp the next time I have it out

[@yeslawrence]

@@Intimidator82​​⁠​⁠hey the thing u said about resistance coils doesn’t sound right. Every modern trolling motor I’ve ever used uses less power in the lower power setting and more as you turn it up (according to my clamp meter) Maybe old ones work the way u say, but certainly doesn’t seem like newer ones work like that.

[@lngbmb]

Just bought my unit, but how do you remove ( separate ) the speed dial to install it

[@Intimidator82]

Mine was a plastic knob that just slides off the shaft. The shaft has a flat side on it to index the knob and keeps it from spinning on the steel shaft.

[@davidcaswell3535]

hi i have installed a pwm on my kayak motor but it has slowed it right down, is there any way of speeding it up. i did remove the control on top of motor, i would send video of what i done but dont know how to

[@dustinmsellers]

But which wires from the motor do u hook to the controller

[@luisartache]

Where are the fan cables connected? Good setup

[@Intimidator82]

Thank you. I connected them to the main power studs coming from the battery. I soldered them on underneath out of the way.

[@pdsfpv1495]

what's the Evian label for near the motor?

[@Intimidator82]

Lol that was my semi-failed attempt to prevent aeration at the prop and aid in turning. The air bubbles would run down the back side of the shaft and into the prop. It helped some, but not completely. I think it was a trim issue which was solved when I made my new mount. I think it does help as a rudder though. If I'm just drifting I can turn the motor and have some minor control. Thanks for the question and view

[@juanseminario7287]

I bought a 100 amp pwm but my 55 lbs trolling motor won’t go reverse just go forward, with my 36 lbs trolling is fine….what am I doung wrong??

[@tavomotors9814]

Hello good morning friend I have a 90v 1000watts 11A dc motor this pwm would be useful to install on my electric motorcycle

[@Intimidator82]

This particular PWM is only good to 55 volts. You would have to find a larger one that is capable of handling the larger voltage input

[@tavomotors9814]

@@Intimidator82 Thank you very kindly but the PWM amperage is 100A

[@kwikflikzyakadventures3795]

Cheers Josh great video, well explained. Thanks again mate from Aussie.

[@devinspaugh1922]

I bought two of these controllers and made a similar set up. I can not get it to work though. I have voltage going into the controller but nothing coming out. The number display shows up and works properly and so does the switch and knob. I’ve tested them with my volt meter. Current going in to the controller from my battery and zero current coming out. I bought two controllers and tested the other one and well and nothing. What am I missing? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

[@Intimidator82]

Sorry to hear about your bad luck. The one thing I can think of off the top of my head is the inputs and outputs are reversed. On my unit the input from the battery is closest to the digital readout, and the output going to the trolling motor is the two terminals furthest from the readout screen. Let me know if it works or it doesn't and I can do some trouble shooting with mine and maybe see what's going on with yours

[@sgtz113ang]

thanks ! is that a homemade rudder on the shaft ? i need that !

[@jimmae518]

do you have a link for the cooling fan purchase?

[@Intimidator82]

This isn't where I got my fan from, but this is the same thing I have. www.ebay.ca/itm/SUNON-KD1204PKS2-40-40-20MM-DC12V-0-9W-4CM-2Pin-Cooling-Fan/265077843576?hash=item3db7dee678:g:2roAAOSwgjVgQm50

[@jimmae518]

@@Intimidator82 ty

[@michaelflores369]

What if I don't used the head unit, just run blk/red wire to PWN . Will I get full power?

[@Intimidator82]

Yes. The head on max speed supplies 100% to the motor and doesn't use the resistor coils in the motor, this would be the same as running the power and ground directly to the PWM. This is actually the prefered method if you have other means of steering via a rudder

[@iloveacoustic3023]

Your the first one to explain (that I’ve seen) how the resister coils eat up unnecessary energy, thanks. Also the first time I’ve seen this done without taking the head off. Your explanation was excellent, thanks.

[@mansbfishing]

Mantap bossku 👍🏻 👍🏻 👍🏻

[@benpeel5589]

Great Video! Planning on a similar project in the next few weeks.

[@DirtyCoastYakFishing]

Where did you get the fan from?

[@Intimidator82]

I got it at a surplus store. I would think a place like Harbor Freight/Princess Auto. Might find one at a electronics store too, just make sure it's a 12v fan

[@DirtyCoastYakFishing]

@@Intimidator82 thanks Josh. I’ve had a couple fail bc of heat. Partly heat and part the capacity of the board. But I’ve added heat shrinks to a higher capacity pwm.. but the fan will be the extra measure I need

[@DirtyCoastYakFishing]

@@Intimidator82 thanks!

[@jimkeeling]

Finally..common video that makes since! Having issues finding waterprook box?

[@Intimidator82]

I went to a couple stores with measurements. Ended up finding it at a Canadian Tire. This one works pretty good, the lips on the locking lid act as a roof over the holes to keep the rain out

[@thomasmaruna312]

Excellent!

[@longBowHunterII]

thanks for explaining this, great video

[@huckfin1100]

Then how do you know it prolongs your battery life if you have not even tried it yet yourself ? ! Let us know later how much longer the battery lasted

[@BattleB3rry]

Not much sense using a water tight box the drilling a bunch of holes in it

[@Intimidator82]

The holes are in the side, top ones are sealed. It keeps the rain and splashes out. I never intended it to be water proof, just water resistant.

[@reel3156]

Only a Canadian would put holes in a waterproof box

[@Intimidator82]

Lol gotta do what you gotta do.

[@eltigre6446]

You don't need the holes. It doesn't overheat that bad.

[@jimkeeling]

That was rude.

[@davidcaswell3535]

if you have email address i can show you what i done and you can let me know if this is right

[@mudbutton2]

Excellent!