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How to build a variable speed controller for trolling motor? going high tech!

marine18

marine18

New member
How to build a variable speed controller for trolling motor? just want to share this cool PWM tech:cool:

Why? 2 reasons. (1) so i can increase my battery run time while i troll for fish (2) so i can sneak close or on top of a school of crappies without startling them.variable trolling motor speed.jpg

I bought a 4-in-1 digital LCD display multimeter, voltage, amperage, watts, and energy and a PWM (pulse width modulation) motor control. Wire them together for my minn kota endura c2 30 pound push trolling motor. It worked great.


In this video you will see how I control the trolling motor speed from zero to full speed with a dial button by setting my speed at F5. Instead of turning the knob on the trolling motor one gear at a time from 1-2-3-4-5, I just dial the button and my trolling motor will change from slow to fast and get to my desirable speed i need to be as quiet as possible so i can sneak next to the fish without startling them. This is particular useful for fishing for a big school of crappies. The most important reason to use PWM (pulse width modulation) is to increase my battery's run time. So, i get more juice out of my battery when I go out trolling on the water.


I will build one for my foot controlled motorguide 70 pound push trolling motor. It will be connected to two 12 volts (24 volts) marine deep cycle batteries. It will really make my big boat more efficient to go fishing.
 
papyson

papyson

Outstanding Contributor
PWM is going to make more noise in water than a steady dc current..and its tough on motors not designed for it...i would talk to minn-kota...
 
marine18

marine18

New member
papyson said:
PWM is going to make more noise in water than a steady dc current..and its tough on motors not designed for it...i would talk to minn-kota...
Click to expand...

Wow, thanks for the caveat. I guess I can see if one keeps varying the speed (or DC current) may be tough on TM. So, is that why TM was only designed to keep at 5 speeds instead of variable to ensure the TM don't breakdown? Why is the new TM all put emphasis on having the digital maximizer aka. variable speed?

Please elaborate, i will google on this topic and share with viewers when I find out more about your point.
 
papyson

papyson

Outstanding Contributor
PWM actually starts and stops current in the motor....it is actually starting and starting torgue applied to the motor and prop ..both will increase sound when in the water under load...you prob will not hear it running out of the water..
 
marine18

marine18

New member
I had my TM in the garbage filled with water and I didn't hear any noise from the PWM? I guess I will try to listen more carefully next time when I am out on the water for more testing and report back to you, Thanks for your point.
 
marine18

marine18

New member
papyson said:
PWM is going to make more noise in water than a steady dc current..and its tough on motors not designed for it...i would talk to minn-kota...
Click to expand...

Fried my TM when I tried to turn the PWM radio button from zero to max without a circuit breaker. - bummer. in process of troubleshooting or buy a new TM.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd6CYI_Inxs

BTW, i didn't hear any noise when I was water testing my setup for both minn kota endura c2 30 lbs trolling motor and my 70 lbs motorguide foot controlled trolling motor. A very nice digital maximizer to help me fish and troll the boat and maximize my battery run time on the water.
 
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