I tried searching for this question and only found ones related to overvolting the motor. So here it goes. What should I expect if I hook up five 12 volt batteries (60 volt total) to a 48 volt controller. I have the MARS motor and it can handle 72 volts easy, so I am not worried about the motor, but what will the controller do? Will I just be wasting volts or will I fry the controller?
Why do I want to do such a thing? Well there is a significant price difference between the 48 volt golf cart type controllers and the higher end 72 volt ones. So I hope to get the cheaper one and just throw more juice at it. But honestly I don't have a clue as to what I am doing.
Again apologies if this has been covered already.
Do you know about magic smoke? All electrical components actually work on magic. When the magic comes out of the component, it stops working. We see that magic as smoke.
If you look at electrical components, they will have a voltage rating. These are pretty much actual maximums; putting 75V to a 50V capacitor will let the magic smoke out.
SO: If your controller is built with components that are rated to the voltage you will be sending, you can anticipate a good service life; however, most China electronics are built to just barely exceed planned load. Remember also that a 60V nominal pack will be charged to 5 X 14.7 = 73V maximum voltage.
Mark
You risk frying controller. mThe motor can take alot more or less, but that's irrelevant. You have to determine the minimum and maximum voltage for that particular controller model. Remember that 60 volts SLA is actually about 65 to 70 volts hot off the charger.