I want to provide an update on the Power Switch issue I had with my Torqeedo last week. To recap, the Torqeedo was hard to turn on. The Power Switch would not work on the first press, but after repeated tries it would finally come on. Once on, the system appeared to work normally.

On Friday I was able to test my Torqeedo system with the tiller from another member’s Torqeedo. My system started and worked perfectly, confirming that the issue was with the controls in the tiller assembly.  

On Friday I also contacted Torqeedo tech support. The tech suggested I may have gotten water in the tiller controls, which may have corroded the switch. He told me I could by a new tiller assembly for $179.12, or just the control board for $61.55. Considering that auto companies charge over $100 for a plastic headlamp lens, these seemed to be reasonable prices.

On Saturday I removed the plastic cover for the control board in my tiller and then removed the control board. This required the use of three different sized Torx screwdrivers, and also required me to disconnect two PC board connectors, but was otherwise straight forward. 

I’ve attached a photo of the top of the tiller showing the control panel, and another showing the bottom of the tiller showing the black plastic box that covers and protects the control box from water. The tiler control rod that the user turns to control the speed and direction of the motor comes in from the left. Notice that it does not penetrate the plastic box. There is a magnet at the end of the thin black rod, and a magnetic sensor in the box uses that to sense the rotational position of the tiller control rod. Very elegant. 

A photo of the control board in the tiller, after the removal of the cover, is attached. In this photo you will see a metal disk to the left of the control board, and a small integrated circuit (IC) on the control board right over the metal disk. The IC is a second magnetic sensor, and the metal disk is under that part of the tiller where the magnetic safety cutoff fob is placed to operate the motor. The metal disk transmits the magnetic field from the safety fob to the sensor, allowing this second magnetic sensor to determine if the safety fob has been removed.

I’ve also attached photos of the top and bottom of the control board, and a close-up photo of the second magnetic sensor IC. (The bottom side photo is, unfortunately, not in proper focus.) 

In the top-side photo, the Power Switch is the one at the bottom of the image; on the right, if the image is rotated to its proper orientation in the tiller assembly. 

Based on the top-side view of the Torqeedo tiller, I had assumed that the switches were “membrane switches,” which are often low quality and prone to failure. However, once I removed the control board, I saw that the three switches were standard quality PC board switches. I determined each of the three are single-pole, single-throw, normally open switches. (A pair of pins are connected to each terminal of the switch.)  

The plastic cover with the three raised buttons on the surface of the tiller is there only as a water barrier. When a user presses the raised dimple on the tiller control panel, that force is transmitted to the post of the corresponding switch on the control board. 

The board was in pristine condition. It looked new with no signs of corrosion. I inspected the solder contacts with a magnifying glass, and they looked OK. I also pressed the switch a number of times to confirm the tactile feedback was OK. It was. 

I then reconnected the board back to leads in the control box and tested the board with the battery but without the motor assembly. It worked fine. The Power switch turned the system on with the first press. 

I am always wary when I seem to “fix” something without doing anything that could have removed the problem. Perhaps there was some dirt or corrosion in the switch that I was able to clear by manually pressing the actuating post. When the control board is installed in the tiller, the dimple can provide only a downward force on the switch post. When I had the control board out of the tiller, I could move the post around a bit and perhaps then cleaned up the switch. 

I cannot be sure that what I did will produce a lasting fix, but since the Power Switch is now working I had no option other than to reassemble the tiller and test out the full system, which is what I did, and it works!

Vic Roberts

Journey, #2032