Paul & Sabrina's cheap DIY 144v motor controller

[MPaulHolmes]

I've actually never ordered from them before. There was a source that was super cheap that has since dried up. I guess it's not that much waste. One of the bars is 12 inches anyway, and the other 2 are about 10". I was hoping to find something cheaper, but maybe I should just try them.

[apowers]

I bought my stuff from them including the base plate. They are very nice to deal with.
Alvin

[watt-a-mezz]

Hi Alvin. Thanks for the tip on the baseplate. I found one that seems to fit the bill, and it isnt that expensive. Item 2471T71 is 12"+12" 1/8" thick for about 18.00 Maybe other people could use it. Watt.

[MPaulHolmes]

I'm using a baseplate that is 8"x11"x3/8". The baseplate is responsible for carrying the heat away from the heat spreader, and needs to be pretty beefy I think. I don't know what would happen with a 1/8" baseplate. It might be OK. hehe.

[watt-a-mezz]

Hi Paul. Thanks for the heads up on the thickness. Wasnt for sure how warm it got, but I guess more is better. I put in the dimensions you gave on their website, and they have one similar for 16.67. Jtem# 8975K371. not bad for aluminum plate. It is one inch longer, but the rest is the same. Watt.

[sawickm]

Originally Posted by ianbartie

Hi Mora
The Australian version is a little bit different. It has more outputs & can turn a pre-charge relay on automatically.

Hey, are you guy's using the revision "D" controller

If you are could you post the rev.D firmware in the wiki ??? the schematic and artwork is in there, but no firmware was posted.

The Rev.D controller has pre-charge and extra I/O on-board.

Thanks,

-Mark

[Renny_D]

Hi thanks for all your work on this. I am looking at going this route though it scares me. I think I will pick up some random circuit board kits to practice soldering. I'd be open to any suggestions on a good kit and soldering instructions. I am still somewhat unclear about the assembly instruction - I looked at the pdf but their seemed to be alot of presumed steps and understanding. One of my big fears is having things short out and it is not entirely clear what things insulate the various components but I guess things would make more sense once it comes together. I think I will still go this route despite my apprehension. I do have a few questions for the gurus out there:

On the capacitors the pdf shows foam tape to pad them against vibration but that also looks like they insulate the capacitors and prevent heat transfer. In the latest video on the site it looked like the capacitors produce a fair bit of heat that has kinda a long path to get out. Could something be done to transfer heat to the heat spreader?

On the heat spreader I assume thicker is better but has any body done a fined one? I thought of just getting a block and a carbide bit for my table saw and doing some machining of fins for better cooling?

Lastly I am looking to drop this into a zap pk. but the big issue is that there is no space in the cab. Would it be possible to waterproof the case or is a certain amount of air circulation necessary?

Any info would be helpful.

thanks alot

Renny

PS would love to see more videos and pics of completed units and completed units in cars.

[MPaulHolmes]

Hey Renny! The capacitors have more thermal mass. In Phoenix summer weather, they heat up to around 65 degC, and hold there, which works out to around a 7000 hour life. (1 hour per day for almost 20 years). They do sell thermal gap pad, but I didn't have any that was the proper thickness. There are other capacitors that are longer, that would leave about 1mm of space to the base plate, and I was going to order some thermal gap pad that is like 1.6mm thick, so the caps would push against it, but I don't think it's going to do much to remove the heat, as the bottoms of the capacitors are covered in plastic, and the people I have talked to think it's not a very good idea to remove the plastic.

[Oval_Overload]

Hey Renny, If you need any Xebra help, feel free to PM me. I'm currently getting trained in as a Xebra tech.

[apowers]

Hi Renny I put mine together. I used a 15 watt soldering iron on the contol board
250 watt on the power board. I let the 250 watt get completly hot before I heated
the components and board. To keep the time of heating to a minimum. I used sockets on everything I could get a socket for on the control board. On the schematic the "J"
connections are as if you are lookig at it from the bottom but the part is soldered to the top. So when you make the connections to the pot and battery they are reversed. You can check this with a multimeter. I did not use the pad under the caps (could not find it)
I don't know where you could put fins on the spreader. I had mine out of the truck
yesterday it still looks new only 200 miles so far.
Alvin