Mate, this is brilliant and prefect for me to try. Im in New Zealand so I might have trouble getting some of the supplies but either way FANTASTIC. Thanks heaps and i look forward to viewing further vids from your channel. Cheers Deano from NZ
Thanks mate you should totally do it :) it's a very easy mod and will improve your battery life while also enabling you to fine tune your exact speeds to suit your conditions.
@@tonyallen1953 I think it's the same for both. You could remove the blue wire but I leave it inside the housing in case you ever decide to reverse the install you'll still have everything there to reconnect it to the original switches if you wanted to.
A point of clarification for some, the volt meter is primarily useful only on Lead Acid batteries because their voltage declines on a sloping curve. Lithium batteries provide voltage in almost a straight line until they almost reach the end (10%) of their usability. By the time you start seeing any meaningful decline on a volt meter with a Lithium battery, you're almost out of juice. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
Yeah that's a good point. I used Sealed Lead Acid (Maintenance free battery) in which case it's very handy to know how much power you have left because running lead acid dead flat reduces the lifespan of them (they shouldn't go below 50% DoD) with lithium batteries you can run them dead flat without worries (I've not tested them on a lithium battery setup but I would imagine it would still give an accurate readout but open to hearing other peoples experience on it). Also I forgot to mention that the voltmeter I had also expresses % of power left and also volts as optional display outputs.
Great video! I'm setting mine up like you did but have a question. The two-speed switch is unused, so how did you hook the negative (black) wire from motor since it originally was connected to the two speed switch? To the center left terminal (blue) on the larger switch? Thanks!
I have the pwm with reverse, do you think i can just use the red and black straight from the pwm to motor and it will control everything or what do you mean eliminate blue
It depends on how your PWM is wired up but I would imagine so. The switch that comes with the PWM should automatically engage reverse when you activate it. The blue wires are typically not needed if you connect a PWM controller (they're only needed if you use the standard switches that the watersnake comes with).
Hey Micheal. I decided install a PWM in my watersnake, and after watching various hacks, to also shorten the shaft and attach to a Hobie plug for my outback fish. Some guys replace the top cover with a waterproof box however your method looks like the best so far. I will try to retain the original cover if I can. There may be a problem with overheating during long runs, yet to be determined. I have seen mention of the method the manufacturers use to vary speed - a "coil" that seems to be really functioning as a resistor that wastes power at low settings. As an electrical engineer I think that is retarded. They probably persist in that design as it is simpler and less expensive to produce with less risk of failure. anyhow yet to start on mine but was wondering: If the blue wire to the speed reduction coil is redundant then so is the speed switch. So why not mount the potentiometer where the speed switch was, on a small flat panel? I also like the volt, wattmeter you chose for its mutifunctionality, saw a waterproof one the same on ebay so will target that. Also thanks for posting the circuit diagram, making it easy to understand before I even took off the top. I have also tested the original watersnake in a binful of water for exactly one hour at low speed, with an Ammeter in circuit. Starting with a fully charged battery, Yep, 6.8 Amps for one hour very close to manufacturer spec, recharged battery 6.8 A/H. I will undertake the same test once the watersnake is modified, and determine A/H for various speed settings. Enjoy the trolling. David, Canberra.
Hi Chris :) I'm glad you have decided to do the mod yourself on your watersnake. With my PWM controller it didn't come with an additional switch so by doing this mod using this PWM controller I bought off ebay I actually lost the use of Reverse (however I don't even use reverse; if it's important to you though I'd recommend getting a PWM controller that also comes with the additional switch for reverse functionality) There is a benefit to having a waterproof box and I understand why others do use it however I like the almost factory look of the watersnake's head so that's why I persevered with using the original. Depending on which controller you pick up, it may or may not fit into the original housing. The voltmeter is a nifty add-on and I loved having put it in there in retrospect. I'm not 100% sure why they've wired the blue wire for the "coil" and you can totally bypass it altogether with the PWM controller as it's not required at all. Regarding the PWM controller it makes a huge difference in battery life and consumption and I'd recommend people undertake the mod as it enhances efficiency and allows much more range without a big need for heavier/larger batteries. Totally worth the effort. Good luck and let me know how you go with the mod Chris :)
I don't see why you couldn't do that :) that's a fairly good idea if you manage to find a knob that's almost the same size as the diameter of the tiller handle.
hi mate if you wish to keep reverse you'll need to get a PWM with a reverse switch. Just search up on ebay and you'll find one :) Search term: DC Motor Controller 20A PWM Speed Regulator for Brushed DC Motor with Forward and Reverse Switch
Pro job well done thanks for sharing
Mate, this is brilliant and prefect for me to try. Im in New Zealand so I might have trouble getting some of the supplies but either way FANTASTIC. Thanks heaps and i look forward to viewing further vids from your channel. Cheers Deano from NZ
Thanks mate did you end up getting around to giving it a go?
Thats a great upgrade Micheal .Got me thinking to do mine thanks for posting.
Thanks mate you should totally do it :) it's a very easy mod and will improve your battery life while also enabling you to fine tune your exact speeds to suit your conditions.
@@FishingWithMichaelTruong I have a 18 and a 24 watersnake do you think its the same for both also is it easier just removing the blue wire.
@@tonyallen1953 I think it's the same for both. You could remove the blue wire but I leave it inside the housing in case you ever decide to reverse the install you'll still have everything there to reconnect it to the original switches if you wanted to.
A point of clarification for some, the volt meter is primarily useful only on Lead Acid batteries because their voltage declines on a sloping curve. Lithium batteries provide voltage in almost a straight line until they almost reach the end (10%) of their usability. By the time you start seeing any meaningful decline on a volt meter with a Lithium battery, you're almost out of juice. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
Yeah that's a good point. I used Sealed Lead Acid (Maintenance free battery) in which case it's very handy to know how much power you have left because running lead acid dead flat reduces the lifespan of them (they shouldn't go below 50% DoD) with lithium batteries you can run them dead flat without worries (I've not tested them on a lithium battery setup but I would imagine it would still give an accurate readout but open to hearing other peoples experience on it). Also I forgot to mention that the voltmeter I had also expresses % of power left and also volts as optional display outputs.
You don’t want to run lithium batteries dead flat, that will ruin them or make them unsafe.
Great video! I'm setting mine up like you did but have a question. The two-speed switch is unused, so how did you hook the negative (black) wire from motor since it originally was connected to the two speed switch? To the center left terminal (blue) on the larger switch? Thanks!
Did this end uo working ok, did the PWM controller last with it being by water etc?
Yes it was all good man :)
I have the pwm with reverse, do you think i can just use the red and black straight from the pwm to motor and it will control everything or what do you mean eliminate blue
It depends on how your PWM is wired up but I would imagine so. The switch that comes with the PWM should automatically engage reverse when you activate it. The blue wires are typically not needed if you connect a PWM controller (they're only needed if you use the standard switches that the watersnake comes with).
@@FishingWithMichaelTruong yeah, I might just try black and red only straight to pwm. should be gtg. thanks
@@TheSargeOnTheWater sounds good mate let me know how it goes :)
Hey Micheal. I decided install a PWM in my watersnake, and after watching various hacks, to also shorten the shaft and attach to a Hobie plug for my outback fish. Some guys replace the top cover with a waterproof box however your method looks like the best so far. I will try to retain the original cover if I can. There may be a problem with overheating during long runs, yet to be determined. I have seen mention of the method the manufacturers use to vary speed - a "coil" that seems to be really functioning as a resistor that wastes power at low settings. As an electrical engineer I think that is retarded. They probably persist in that design as it is simpler and less expensive to produce with less risk of failure. anyhow yet to start on mine but was wondering: If the blue wire to the speed reduction coil is redundant then so is the speed switch. So why not mount the potentiometer where the speed switch was, on a small flat panel? I also like the volt, wattmeter you chose for its mutifunctionality, saw a waterproof one the same on ebay so will target that. Also thanks for posting the circuit diagram, making it easy to understand before I even took off the top. I have also tested the original watersnake in a binful of water for exactly one hour at low speed, with an Ammeter in circuit. Starting with a fully charged battery, Yep, 6.8 Amps for one hour very close to manufacturer spec, recharged battery 6.8 A/H. I will undertake the same test once the watersnake is modified, and determine A/H for various speed settings. Enjoy the trolling. David, Canberra.
Hi Chris :) I'm glad you have decided to do the mod yourself on your watersnake. With my PWM controller it didn't come with an additional switch so by doing this mod using this PWM controller I bought off ebay I actually lost the use of Reverse (however I don't even use reverse; if it's important to you though I'd recommend getting a PWM controller that also comes with the additional switch for reverse functionality)
There is a benefit to having a waterproof box and I understand why others do use it however I like the almost factory look of the watersnake's head so that's why I persevered with using the original. Depending on which controller you pick up, it may or may not fit into the original housing. The voltmeter is a nifty add-on and I loved having put it in there in retrospect.
I'm not 100% sure why they've wired the blue wire for the "coil" and you can totally bypass it altogether with the PWM controller as it's not required at all. Regarding the PWM controller it makes a huge difference in battery life and consumption and I'd recommend people undertake the mod as it enhances efficiency and allows much more range without a big need for heavier/larger batteries. Totally worth the effort. Good luck and let me know how you go with the mod Chris :)
could you have ran the wires through the handle to attach the knob to the end of the handle ?
I don't see why you couldn't do that :) that's a fairly good idea if you manage to find a knob that's almost the same size as the diameter of the tiller handle.
Mate, do you mind giving me the link for the PWM, Ive got the same motor as yours and would like to keep the reverse? Cheers, Deano
hi mate if you wish to keep reverse you'll need to get a PWM with a reverse switch. Just search up on ebay and you'll find one :)
Search term:
DC Motor Controller 20A PWM Speed Regulator for Brushed DC Motor with Forward and Reverse Switch
what PWM controller did you use?
Just one I found on eBay. But you can also source them from Amazon or other places if you like.
How is the noise once in the water?
Very quiet. A slight hum if that.