OT Should I terminate this input?

That's NOT a clutch sensor. It's a potentiometer that sets the maximum torque (or motor current).

Yep. A variable resistor is called a potentiometer or just pot.

You can tell with an ohmmeter. See below.

Ok, the pot is a 5Kohm pot (potentiometer). However, your other measurements appear to have been made when the pot was connected to the rest of the drill. Bad idea here. Unplug the connector, and measure just the pot. Move the clutch to the drill position (maximum torque) and measure the resistance between the arm (yellow) and ends of the pot (red and black). Remove the pot and replace it with two resistors that simulate what the pot at maximum torque position.

It might help to read the patent: Note that the flow chart (Fig-4) shows a test resulting in "normal clutch" and "abnormal clutch" conditions, which implies that this thing isn't going to work until you convince the motor controller that you haven't been screwing around with the clutch.

Jeff Liebermann wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

I was just trying to describe the sensor used for the clutch. I have no idea what a shop definition of "clutch sensor" is.

They were all made with the connector disconnected, the sensor disconnected from the controller.

Okay. Clearly the hammer-drill function is activated physically, not electronically, so I will use 100 K resistors to simulate the hammer-drill setting. When it's on the hammer-drill setting, the resistance increases to 100 K probably to tell the controller not to use the clutch function.

I used to think the clutch function would be cool for preventing stress. In practice, I don't want to lose power when I need it most, typically when I am stressing it. Talking about riding an electric bike among cars.

Cool, thanks.

It appears to work fine disconnected, I'm concerned about the un-terminated input thingy.

I can't tell from here what is happening mechanically in the clutch switch and pot. You'll have to work that out with an ohmmeter. It looks like you have the right approach. To play it safe, try to duplicate what the motor controller would see from the clutch control pot, including the 5K end to end resistance of the pot.

Ummm... I don't think your bicycle drive train will appreciate the pounding.

Well, I'm fairly sure you don't have to terminate the red and black wires. Those appear to be power and ground respectively. Only the pot arm (yellow) wire might be going to an active device that might complain. However, methinks that's unlikely. There's plenty of electrical noise and high currents floating around the drill. The designers would be nuts to use an unprotected input.

Terminating a connection is the same thing as murder. We must respect the sanctity of connections from conception to a natural death.

(sorry, couldn't resist)

With my current weaker drill powered bicycle, power is applied gently until the slack is taken up (until the sprocket catches up with the wheel speed). But it's doable, sort of like shifting gears in a manual transmission.

I need to put a spring in the drivetrain, someday.

I didn't look at the pictures. Sounds like a thing I'd wrap in electrical tape and then wire tie somewhere out of the way. (Wire tie, is that right? plastic zip ties.)

George H.

Turns out...

For some strange reason, using resistors to simulate the hammerdrill setting didn't work.

But using resistors to simulate the regular drill setting (that is, after the highest clutch setting) is working great, no stalling, just power.

Something unexpected that seems to be a huge improvement is no apparent banging/slapping against the freewheel pawls when the sprocket catches up to the wheel speed, like on takeoff or anytime throttle is applied when the drill is idle. I don't really know, but.... Maybe it has to do with the different chain tensioner, or maybe to do with the brushless motor. It's weird not hearing or feeling that banging, but whatever, hopefully It's not happening silently (somehow).

Dewalt DCD995 hammerdrill. Using resistors to bypass the clutch after removing the stock clutch.

V+ to ground is 5K. V+ to the input is 1K. Ground to the input is 5K.