Paul & Sabrina's cheap DIY 144v motor controller

[ga2500ev]

Paul,

Is there any possibility of getting a completely assembled power board without any control electronics?

ga2500ev

[jyanof]

Originally Posted by LouMan

BETA TESTERS???

I was wondering why the beta testing isn't getting posted?

not much to report...

Everyone beta testing should be posting how the controller is doing,
How it is performing,

Very well, working on the latchup problem. No thermal cutback mode problems, even in the hot AZ temps.

How many mile a day they are getting,

This is mostly a function of the number of batteries you have, but my commute to work is 15 mi round trip. I'll also drive it out for errands and stuff, the most I've put on so far in a day is 45 mi. This week I'll start driving out to the school where I coach track twice a week - that's a 52 mi round trip, so I'll be rackin up the miles.

Total miles since install,

about 1000

How the temp's are doing,

This has been previously addressed in this thread, or maybe the one in my sig. Nothing has changed. Keep in mind that others may not have the necessary equipment to get temp readings.

How the boards are holding up,

I haven't taken it apart, so I don't know. I'll be adding the over/under voltage diodes soon, so I'll check that out. It would be good to check on the mechanical integrity of everything after some real world driving.

Is there any brown spots on the power board to show if mosfet's are getting to hot,

I don't think a hot mosfet would affect the board, but i'll take a look - see above.

What kind of setup they have and what kind of performance they are getting,

See the thread in my sig for my setup

What kind of cooling & temp with that kind of cooling,

The controller is bolted to an aluminum heatsink with 3 high CFM computer fans whizzing away underneath it.

What they like and don't like,

My only comparison is the Curtis 1231c.
No more whine.
No more thermal cutback.
no more whine due to thermal cutback.
Customized throttle response.
small size
I suspect the increased capacitance reduces the ripple current on the batteries. This has to be good.

Once the latchup fix is tested, there won't be any problems...

What they did to make it more efficient.

The user doesn't have much control of this. Guess you could change the gate resistors at the risk of blowing some mosfets, but your only gain, really, is in less heat to dissipate. Right now, the controller is calculated to be 98.8% efficient at a cruising current of 200A.

Beta testers should be posting regular updates on the controller, they should be taking notes everyday on all of these perimeters & posting.

Well, speakin for myself, I'll do what I can. Performance parameters have been consistent, so I see little value in posting updates. Something new would be worth posting about.

I dont want this project to end with a thought of I got mine working you figure yours out!!!!

Ask and you shall receive

I've noticed everyone on here has been very helpful - the global communal aspect of this thread might be the most amazing part of it!

[MPaulHolmes]

Hi Reggie, we took a bunch of pictures, and the pdf needs to be updated to take into account the changes for the assembly directions.

ga2500ev, anything is possible, except for eating the whole world in 1 second. hahaha. I'm buying some more heat spreaders and base plates today, and will start drilling them later once the 3 controllers are done. Right no wmy stupid eyes are dilated from the eye appointment, so I can't see! Maybe later today I can mostly finish them. I have to trust that i'm typing the right stuff.

Hey Joe! That was a lot of quotes!

[jds2100]

I cant believe I read the whole thing.....Almost. I figured I better back away from my computer before the kids call childrens service on me. Who needs dinner anyway. phh.

Anyway, Im Joe. I have wanted to build an EV for a long time, but the high prices of everything kinda put a kink in the plans. I am hoping this is the answer to the kinks.

As with all the rest, I have to commend everyone. You are all doing a great job. As for Paul, I dont know how you do it. Job, project, family, forums, etc. I would have lost my mind long ago.

A little about me..... I am an industrial electro-mechanic. Most of what I do is building maintenance. I have some basic knowledge of many different areas, but I dont have a lot of any specific area. Its because of this that I want to play around a little before I try to convert a car. I was thinking a gocart would be a good start.

Thanks for all the hard work. Im looking forward to meeting all and helping out anyway I can.

[MPaulHolmes]

Hey Lou! The communist dictatorship shipped them a few days ago. haha. Last time, it took about a week and a half for shipping.

[MPaulHolmes]

Hey Lou! You'll have to talk to mcudogs. I think he ordered some.

[apowers]

I got all the rest of my parts today. Now I am ready to start the assembly.All except the cables that connect the current transducer to the PCB and thermister to PCB.and the connectors that plug them in. These parts are not spec on the BOM. I'll figure it out.
But there will be dumb questions to follow. Wish me luck.

[esoneson]

Good luck apowers.
Let us know how it goes......good, bad and ugly.
My non-soldering-fingers want to know.

Eric

[MPaulHolmes]

Hey Alvin! I've been soldering the wires directly through the control board holes. It works well. You also need little crimp pins. You get them at digikey:

Part number: WM1114-ND

Then you need the 4 pin housing that the pins go into so it can plug into the LEM. I can't find that stupid part number anywhere.

[apowers]

Thanks Paul
I looked on the data sheet molex 5045-04a.
Is the cable from LEM shielded?
Also is the contactor control programed?
Thanks
Alvin