Quote:
Originally Posted by The Toecutter
They should be! The idea behind the open source controller is its affordability, right? Of course, reliability is also a factor... that being said, there probably are cheaper substitutes that will last the life of the controller, however long that may be(at least 2,000 miles so far in some examples).
When I build it, the control board will definitely see what happens when it is abused in a racing environment with 500A at the power board for ~3 minutes straight(that's all the PbA battery will last!). You'll get another data point there. Later on will be an upgrade to 160AH LiFePO4, to test it further...
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I wouldnt say open source is just to be afordable. It is a big factor, but this controller is also just as advanced as the big guys. The rest of the controller are built with some of the best parts avaiable, International Rectifier MOSFETS, Panasonic Caps, and the LEM HASS-300 current sensor.
Another solution would be to use a current shunt. The cost of the shunt is very cheep some times as cheep as $10. BUT, you will need a high accuracry AD converter to read the shunt as well as isolation circuitry, including another small. At this point you will have more into the cost of this circuitry then the LEM.
-Adam