Paul and Sabrina's Cheap 3 Phase Inverter (AC Controller) with Field Oriented Control

[ale0502]

Originally Posted by MPaulHolmes

It doesn't use the battery voltage for anything at this time.

Thanks Paul!
I think I'm missing something to connect, because when I run the run-pi-test routine nothing happens, the engine does not turn at all.
I have the two current sensors (LEM HASS 300), and an encoder of 512 steps working by the tests I could do.
What can I have wrong? I have a code written by me with which I throw a frequency without any kind of control and the motor turns, so I have all the power stage running.

thanks

[59Morris]

Hope to start testing on an HPEVS motor tomorrow.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ub14H7pDYxSPZ9r16

[59Morris]

Originally Posted by 59Morris

Hope to start testing on an HPEVS motor tomorrow.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ub14H7pDYxSPZ9r16

It looks like I'm in the same position as the previous two posters. I believe everything is hooked up correctly. Using the "stream" command I have verified the throttle, temperature sensor and encoder are working as expected. When I "run-pi-test2" it does not drop to zero but stays very close to 512. Nothing I have tried so for has made the motor turn. No error messages on startup except the one that says its not really an error. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I might have missed??
(I'm testing with a 50 volt battery pack)

[Piotrsko]

Some mention you need to calibrate the throttle before it runs.

[thingstodo]

Originally Posted by 59Morris

It looks like I'm in the same position as the previous two posters. I believe everything is hooked up correctly. Using the "stream" command I have verified the throttle, temperature sensor and encoder are working as expected. When I "run-pi-test2" it does not drop to zero but stays very close to 512. Nothing I have tried so for has made the motor turn. No error messages on startup except the one that says its not really an error. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I might have missed??
(I'm testing with a 50 volt battery pack)

Check out @jackbauer's post here

https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthre...tml#post590417

If the vector output is not being called, there should be no output.

Besides that, a while ago you needed to have your throttle between min-regen and min-throttle (I didn't look up the actual variable names - sorry). Not sure if that is a requirement any more.

I can look tonight and find a config that worked OK for my motor. It won't likely work well for yours, but it should output *SOMETHING*

My bet is on the vector output still commented out. Do you have MPLab X installed so you can compile? If not, perhaps send @MPaulholmes or @Jackbauer a PM. They can send you a new file to load into your controller.

I've never gotten this darned compiler to spit out an actual file without errors .. so I can't help with that.

PS - I'm running a rev 2 board and I think you are all at rev 3 or 4

[59Morris]

Originally Posted by thingstodo

Check out @jackbauer's post here

https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthre...tml#post590417

If the vector output is not being called, there should be no output.

Besides that, a while ago you needed to have your throttle between min-regen and min-throttle (I didn't look up the actual variable names - sorry). Not sure if that is a requirement any more.

I can look tonight and find a config that worked OK for my motor. It won't likely work well for yours, but it should output *SOMETHING*

My bet is on the vector output still commented out. Do you have MPLab X installed so you can compile? If not, perhaps send @MPaulholmes or @Jackbauer a PM. They can send you a new file to load into your controller.

I've never gotten this darned compiler to spit out an actual file without errors .. so I can't help with that.

PS - I'm running a rev 2 board and I think you are all at rev 3 or 4

Thanks thingstodo. I have been in contact with Paul and he sent me a new .hex file that fixed the problem.... after I also fixed a wiring problem of my own. I had crossed up the V and W phase current sensors. Tomorrow I can work on fine tuning the config.

[esali1987]

Originally Posted by MPaulHolmes

I don't really understand what T, S, and R are. Do you have any waveforms?

So this is what I am getting out of the T and S outputs from the encoder. The R is similar waveform but peaks at different angle of motor shaft.

[Quattro64]

Hello, I just stumbled onto this thread as I am doing some pre-planning for an experimental airplane build. I found Paul's instructable for this also. Just wondering if a custom inverter/controller could be built following this thread that would work for the EMRAX 348. The low voltage version of this motor with a battery pack in the 200-300v range should be able to directly drive a propeller at the required 2500 rpm range. The Emsiso EmDrive 500 that is recommended is only capable of around 110v.


Not sure how much $$ the Emsiso drive goes for, I might be able to run two in series? Seems building my own could be a cost saver? Thanks for anyones' thoughts on this.

[thingstodo]

Originally Posted by Quattro64

Hello, I just stumbled onto this thread as I am doing some pre-planning for an experimental airplane build. I found Paul's instructable for this also. Just wondering if a custom inverter/controller could be built following this thread that would work for the EMRAX 348. The low voltage version of this motor with a battery pack in the 200-300v range should be able to directly drive a propeller at the required 2500 rpm range. The Emsiso EmDrive 500 that is recommended is only capable of around 110v.


Not sure how much $$ the Emsiso drive goes for, I might be able to run two in series? Seems building my own could be a cost saver? Thanks for anyones' thoughts on this.

I have not heard of an Emsiso drive - I looked it up and it is rated 800A peak and 500A continous. That's not too powerful. I don't think 2 in parallel will work unless you can synchronize the transistors firing.

The Emrax low voltage looks like it will take 1100A for 30 sec. That's quite a beast of a controller to buy or to build!

Paul's control board is .. not for sale right now? It seems that Paul is moving?

Anyway, it was somewhere around $400 for a pre-built and tested board.
Less if you buy the bare board and build it yourself. Then you need $$$ for the IGBTs at whatever current you want to build (for a 300V pack, I'd use 600V or higher rated IGBTs). 600A IGBTs are a decent price on ebay (under $1000). New they are a bit higher.

If you want to go to 1000A it's about double the price.

The big ring capacitor was expensive too. I don't know where Paul gets them. But it was $200+. Low equiovalent series resistance. Very high peak currents are possible.

Current sensors are not too expensive (maybe $200 for 3).

The heat sink, fans, etc are heavy so you will likely have some trade-offs to decide on. What is 'enough' cooling. How fast do you need to be moving to get the heat away. How fast (and how many amps) do you want to max out at? Do you need a fan at all for low speed taxing?

The heat sink for the controller would have to be in the air stream.

... that it for the high priced parts. The rest is work, testing, making an enclosure, and tuning the controller parameters to your motor.

I built a controller for my car. I'm not sure I'd build a controller for a plane. Having to stop on the side of the road because I didn't do something right is one thing. Falling out of the sky is .. another!

[Quattro64]

Hi,

Yeah, thanks I agree, I wont be putting any plane into the air without a lot of taxying, testing, redundancy etc. I'm new to this EV stuff and trying to wrap my head around it before deciding on a final engine. It seems that the EMRAX 348, which is rated at ~400hp is a capable engine to lift a small plane. I likely wouldn't have to get much over half of its capability. So even though it has a peak of 1100 amps I may only shoot for 600-700 max, and then it's continuous is just over 500 amps. I like that I can build a reasonably low voltage battery pack(s) and still drive the propeller, directly, at its target 2500 rpm. I like that these PM motors are very durable and safe for this type of application. The thing is though AC motor controllers/inverters are very expensive, for a plane I'd want two for redundancy. If I could build my own controllers and get the RPM, torque, CCAs to drive the motor that would be a start. Then what would I need for range? An ICE? Some sort of other tech like Free Piston? How exactly do I connect a range extender or serially driven motor? Hmm, interesting ideas, need to do more research, I found the thread over at endless sphere, will be looking there also.