Here's what I was thinking: Just have a 3 phase inverter with field oriented control that is around $350 with Ebay IGBTs. Make a kit out of it, with all the parts in it. I think there will be MUCH less milling and drilling and etching since you just bolt the dang igbts to the heatsink. The code for the inverter software has number of poles as a variable. Just make it user-configurable. No big deal. So, if you get a super fancy Tesla-like AC motor, then that's great! Run that sucker at 10,000-15,000 rpm! And if you get a pile of crap AC induction motor from Ebay, maybe the top RPM will be 4500 or so. Then, you would have all the torque control of a DC motor and similar rpm range, but with regenerative braking.
I think a kit, or at least a very detailed pdf of step by step assembly would help a lot in actually letting someone actually make something.
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