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<div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"> <span><p class="ydpc6d87822MsoNormal">Rick, these Minn Kota trolling motors are simple brushed DC
motors. Let’s assume you are using a 36V trolling motor and a Minn- Kota
motor controller. If you completely disconnect the motor
controller from the motor, then if you connected the motor to a 36V bank, then
the motor will run full speed in one direction. If you reverse the
polarity to the motor , it will run full speed in the opposite direction.
Because you note that when you energize the potentiometer, the motor
comes on full speed in one direction, this means that motor controller is
supplying either a 5V signal or 0V signal to the motor. These Minn-Kota
motor controllers have two connections for the battery bank and two connections
for the motor. They also have three conductors for the potentiometer.
One of the connections is a regulated 5V power supply, one is the ground and
the third goes to the swiper leg of the potentiometer. This swiper leg is
an input to the motor controller. If you supply 5V to this swiper leg,
then the motor will run full speed in one direction, if you supply 0V to this
swiper connection, then the motor will run full speed in the opposite direction
and if you supply 2.5V to this swiper connection to the motor controller, then
the motor will be off. So, either the motor controller is faulty or the potentiometer
is faulty assuming you have connected the potentiometer correctly to the motor
controller. Since your motor is coming on when you energize the potentiometer,
you know the 5V power supply from the motor controller is working.
You can trouble shoot the potentiometer by connecting the multimeter probes to
the outer legs of the three leg potentiometer and energizing the potentiometer.
The motor will come on and the multimeter will either read 5V or -5V.
>From this, you can deduce which is ground and which is the 5V power
supply. Next connect the ground probe of multimeter to the ground leg of
the potentiometer and connect the multimeter positive probe to the swiper or
middle leg of the potentiometer. Energize the potentiometer and rotate
the potentiometer. If the potentiometer is working, the voltage will
range from 0-5V and the motor will go from full one direction to full the other
direction and stop when the multimeter is near 2.5V. If from this test
you do not see the variation of voltage from 0-5V, then the potentiometer is
bad. If you do see the swiper leg voltage move from 0-5V when you
turn it and the motor is not changing, then you have a bad motor
controller. I have had these motor controller go bad in the
past. Hope this helps.</p></span>Cliff</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div><br></div>
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On Monday, October 6, 2025 at 08:14:24 PM CDT, Rick Patton via Personal_Submersibles <personal_submersibles@psubs.org> wrote:
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<div><div id="ydp707aa7a4yiv6674287981"><div><div dir="ltr">Hi Alan, couple of questions,, I don't understand what you mean by "Changing the red and black? when you say "put the probe on the side one and middle one and should get 5V, what position should the potentiometer be in? neutral or full ahead or astearn? <div>also, when I energise the potentiometer, the motor just goes full tilt in one direction </div><div>so I assume it has to be energised to look for that reading?</div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>Rick</div><div><br clear="none"></div><div><br clear="none"></div></div><br clear="none"><div class="ydp707aa7a4yiv6674287981gmail_quote ydp707aa7a4yiv6674287981gmail_quote_container"><div id="ydp707aa7a4yiv6674287981yqtfd45166" class="ydp707aa7a4yiv6674287981yqt8995440012"><div dir="ltr" class="ydp707aa7a4yiv6674287981gmail_attr">On Mon, Sep 29, 2025 at 12:35 PM Alan James via Personal_Submersibles <<a shape="rect" href="mailto:personal_submersibles@psubs.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">personal_submersibles@psubs.org</a>> wrote:<br clear="none"></div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex;" class="ydp707aa7a4yiv6674287981gmail_quote">Rick, you can just try out the wires in different positions, you won't do any damage.<div>Normally you have a black & a red wire & they go on the far left & far right pin, and a coloured wire goes on the middle pin. </div><div>Start with the coloured wire in the middle first & change the red and black.</div><div>If that fails you can check that the potentiometer is working with a multi meter.</div><div>If you put the probe of the meter on one of the outside pins & the other probe on the middle pin, you should see the voltage vary from 0 to 5V. Or sometimes 0-3.5V.</div><div>You could look inside the black box & see if the wires have come off in there.</div><div>All the best.</div><div>Alan<br clear="none"><br clear="none"><div id="ydp707aa7a4yiv6674287981m_-249086529062191320ymail_android_signature"><a shape="rect" id="ydp707aa7a4yiv6674287981m_-249086529062191320ymail_android_signature_link" href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&c=US_Acquisition_YMktg_315_SearchOrgConquer_EmailSignature&af_sub1=Acquisition&af_sub2=US_YMktg&af_sub3=&af_sub4=100002039&af_sub5=C01_Email_Static_&af_ios_store_cpp=0c38e4b0-a27e-40f9-a211-f4e2de32ab91&af_android_url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yahoo.mobile.client.android.mail&listing=search_organize_conquer" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Yahoo Mail: Search, organise, conquer</a></div> <br clear="none"> <blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 20px;"> <div style="font-family:Roboto, sans-serif;color:rgb(109,0,246);"> <div>On Tue, 30 Sept 2025 at 11:23 am, Rick Patton via Personal_Submersibles</div><div><<a shape="rect" href="mailto:personal_submersibles@psubs.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">personal_submersibles@psubs.org</a>> wrote:</div> </div> <div style="padding:10px 0px 0px 20px;margin:10px 0px 0px;border-left:1px solid rgb(109,0,246);"> _______________________________________________<br clear="none">Personal_Submersibles mailing list<br clear="none"><a shape="rect" href="mailto:Personal_Submersibles@psubs.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Personal_Submersibles@psubs.org</a><br clear="none"><a shape="rect" href="http://www.psubs.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/personal_submersibles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.psubs.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/personal_submersibles</a><br clear="none"> </div> </blockquote></div>_______________________________________________<br clear="none">
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