Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - View Single Post - Paul and Sabrina's Cheap 3 Phase Inverter (AC Controller) with Field Oriented Control

cajunfj40 · 02-15-2019, 11:14 AM

Hello MPaulHolmes,

I've been following the development of your drop-in "brain boards" for the Leaf and Volt controllers with much interest. The Leaf board basically turns a wrecked Leaf into an EV Conversion Kit in a fairly straightforward fashion, which is *very* nice. Having a controller for the Volt board means having a heftier controller to pair with a GM Two-Mode Hybrid 2ML70 transmission, too, also quite nice. This means that I have a reasonable path forward to use either system, though on the 2ML70 I'd still need to figure out how to shift it as it is computer controlled. It can't be *that* different than a 4L80E, considering it has the same number of clutches, only lacking the lockup torque converter.

That said, I have a few questions that I can't seem to dig up the info for.

What voltage and current can your brain boards safely control through the Leaf and Volt controllers? I know the Leaf was rated at 80kW, and ORNL testing showed that to be essentially a continuous rating - Temperature leveled off without getting too high to be a problem when running at speed/full power. I know from following other developments that the Leaf motor is capable of quite a bit more intermittent power/torque, but I am not familiar with the limits of the components in the OEM controller.

The 2ML70 has two motors rated at 60kW each with the voltage and current limits placed on them by the OEM controller. They are basically HVH 250 Remy cores. I've posted somewhere else on here a few times about it. The Volt controller already is specified to a higher voltage, so that's a boost to about 80 or 90 kw peak from each motor right there, though probably still thermally limited to about 60kw each, maybe a bit less. How much can the Volt controller reliably control?

Can you (or other's who have played around with the boards) shed some light on this? If it won't cause you problems with potential customers, it might be a worthwhile addition to the product descriptions on your webstore to dangle how much power they can reasonably expect to control when using your brain boards to harness these OEM controllers. There are always time limits based on how well the OEM cooling systems can dissipate heat, so users must be cautious of that, but it would be very useful to me to be able to figure out how much "launch" power I can get. I've already figured out that 80kW continuous is "enough" for my needs, now I'm trying to figure out how much "I want more torque ***now***!" instant fun I can command.

Thanks for all your hard work, and to everyone else who's helped along the way.

This is starting to get to the point where I can conceivably actually put a real budget together to maybe do a conversion! (Yes, buying a used OEM hybrid or BEV would be far easier and likely less expensive - but they don't make what I want at a price point I find reasonable yet.)

02-15-2019, 11:14 AM	#3338 (permalink)
cajunfj40 Lurking Eco-wall-o-texter Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: MPLS, MN area Posts: 128 Thanks: 0 Thanked 65 Times in 45 Posts	How much power can the P&S brain boards harness from these OEM controllers? Hello MPaulHolmes, I've been following the development of your drop-in "brain boards" for the Leaf and Volt controllers with much interest. The Leaf board basically turns a wrecked Leaf into an EV Conversion Kit in a fairly straightforward fashion, which is very nice. Having a controller for the Volt board means having a heftier controller to pair with a GM Two-Mode Hybrid 2ML70 transmission, too, also quite nice. This means that I have a reasonable path forward to use either system, though on the 2ML70 I'd still need to figure out how to shift it as it is computer controlled. It can't be that different than a 4L80E, considering it has the same number of clutches, only lacking the lockup torque converter. That said, I have a few questions that I can't seem to dig up the info for. What voltage and current can your brain boards safely control through the Leaf and Volt controllers? I know the Leaf was rated at 80kW, and ORNL testing showed that to be essentially a continuous rating - Temperature leveled off without getting too high to be a problem when running at speed/full power. I know from following other developments that the Leaf motor is capable of quite a bit more intermittent power/torque, but I am not familiar with the limits of the components in the OEM controller. The 2ML70 has two motors rated at 60kW each with the voltage and current limits placed on them by the OEM controller. They are basically HVH 250 Remy cores. I've posted somewhere else on here a few times about it. The Volt controller already is specified to a higher voltage, so that's a boost to about 80 or 90 kw peak from each motor right there, though probably still thermally limited to about 60kw each, maybe a bit less. How much can the Volt controller reliably control? Can you (or other's who have played around with the boards) shed some light on this? If it won't cause you problems with potential customers, it might be a worthwhile addition to the product descriptions on your webstore to dangle how much power they can reasonably expect to control when using your brain boards to harness these OEM controllers. There are always time limits based on how well the OEM cooling systems can dissipate heat, so users must be cautious of that, but it would be very useful to me to be able to figure out how much "launch" power I can get. I've already figured out that 80kW continuous is "enough" for my needs, now I'm trying to figure out how much "I want more torque *now*!" instant fun I can command. Thanks for all your hard work, and to everyone else who's helped along the way. This is starting to get to the point where I can conceivably actually put a real budget together to maybe do a conversion! (Yes, buying a used OEM hybrid or BEV would be far easier and likely less expensive - but they don't make what I want at a price point I find reasonable yet.)