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

[MPaulHolmes]

Hi Steiner! I have a couple boards left. I got 3 of them at the time, and only built one. It's 4 ounce copper on each side. It worked, but I didn't test it really in any sort of hard core way. I can send you one if you want it. If you could just cover shipping I'll send it to you. I could even cover that, but I just had $970 ripped out of our account by Authorize.net and "Power Pay", since someone made 2100 failed attempts to order something on our site, and we evidently get charged even for failed transactions. Man, that would have been go to know about. I would have just used paypal. haha, it's amazing how often that has been brought up in conversation today by me.

[steiner]

Paul,

I'm sorry to hear about your misfortune with the $970 expense.

I sent you a PM. Just let me know.

Thanks......

[sawickm]

Originally Posted by CollinK

I started compiling wiki pages which detail the trials and tribulations of making your own controller.

It would be cool if any knowledgeable people could either sign up to be a member of the project and add to the wiki themselves or post what info they think should be included. As I can I'll edit the wiki to include more and more formulas and information. If, Heaven forbid, I got some detail wrong, then please tell me that too!

revolt-ac-controller - Open ReVolt AC Motor Controller Firmware - Google Project Hosting

Collin,

I added a link to your Project here on the Ecomodder ReVolt wiki:

Open ReVolt/PCB Schematics - EcoModder

-Mark

[XmodAlloy]

Ugh, I know the feeling Paul, on Thursday I got into a car accident (Not with my EV, luckily, only the best gas car my family owns...), Bloody oblivious person in a Ford F350 pulled out in front of my mother and I. She put on the brakes but even 75 feet of rubber being laid doesn't stop a two thousand pound automobile going 60 MPH. Slammed into his front bumper at about 35-40 MPH. it totaled the poor little red car but hardly mangled the truck's bumper.
He had insurance, but we still are out a vehicle for now.
I just wish I knew how someone could try to order something 2100 times, I presume it was some sort of Bot, right?
-Donovan

[MPaulHolmes]

Geeze!!! Are you guys OK?!

It probably was a bot. The name was "asdasda, asdasda", and the credit card numbers incremented by 1 each attempt.

[XmodAlloy]

We are fine, the car is smashed, you're bank account is slightly more empty and life goes on...
On the plus side... Wait, there is no plus side... Things are slightly worse than they were a week ago, oh well.
I suppose it did make me re-evaluate vehicle safety and the physics behind vehicular construction, but apart from that, not a whole lot changed. I hope you can find a way to make a deal with your financial partner to block attempts like what happened to you in the future, and I hope to get enough money from the insurance company to buy a new car. Hopefully both those things come true, and that way next week will look slightly brighter for all of us.
-Donovan Gibson

[CollinK]

It's kind of a funny twist of fate but the Tumanako people got interested in the code for this motor controller since we've already got some FOC related code in there. I just signed up for their mailing list and posted a message explaining that the FOC code is pretty much untested. But still, it might be cool if the two projects sort of helped each other out. If you haven't heard of them then check out their site (referenced below). They're up to some pretty cool stuff too.

Here is their site:
SourceForge.net: tumanako

[CollinK]

So... I'd like input on this:

I'm thinking of switching to dsPIC33 chips before I finalize a PCB design. This chip is newer than the dsPIC30 chips and programming wise uses the same instructions and everything. dsPIC30 chips are not recommended for new designs anymore. However, there are some points to consider:

1. Every dsPIC33 chip is 3.3v. There are no exceptions. So this would require a 3.3v regulator on top of the 5v regulator already in use. And I can't just get rid of the 5v regulator because other things need it. This is easy, though, I can just use a 3.3v regulator off of the 5V source.
2. dsPIC33 chips can only sink or source very low currents (4ma) as opposed to the 25ma possible with dsPIC30 chips. This means one would need a bunch of transistors. Granted, I probably should plan on that anyway.
3. dsPIC33 chips do not come in DIP40 packages (which is what the current layouts all use). You must do 28 pin if you hope for it to be through hole. Otherwise it jumps up to 44 pin QFN.
4. dsPIC33 chips have no EEPROM
5. They do, however, add other nice stuff like ECAN, programmable PLL, more interrupts, more timers, 12 bit ADC, DMA.

I'm really strongly looking at using 44 pin QFN for the dsPIC chip. It could be the only surface mount chip required. I don't think it will be too terrible to solder and boards could be sold with the dsPIC already soldered on for those who don't feel adventurous. I could use dip28 chips but I would almost certainly end up needing two of them.

[adamj12b]

Originally Posted by CollinK

So... I'd like input on this:

I'm thinking of switching to dsPIC33 chips before I finalize a PCB design. This chip is newer than the dsPIC30 chips and programming wise uses the same instructions and everything. dsPIC30 chips are not recommended for new designs anymore. However, there are some points to consider:

1. Every dsPIC33 chip is 3.3v. There are no exceptions. So this would require a 3.3v regulator on top of the 5v regulator already in use. And I can't just get rid of the 5v regulator because other things need it. This is easy, though, I can just use a 3.3v regulator off of the 5V source.
2. dsPIC33 chips can only sink or source very low currents (4ma) as opposed to the 25ma possible with dsPIC30 chips. This means one would need a bunch of transistors. Granted, I probably should plan on that anyway.
3. dsPIC33 chips do not come in DIP40 packages (which is what the current layouts all use). You must do 28 pin if you hope for it to be through hole. Otherwise it jumps up to 44 pin QFN.
4. dsPIC33 chips have no EEPROM
5. They do, however, add other nice stuff like ECAN, programmable PLL, more interrupts, more timers, 12 bit ADC, DMA.

I'm really strongly looking at using 44 pin QFN for the dsPIC chip. It could be the only surface mount chip required. I don't think it will be too terrible to solder and boards could be sold with the dsPIC already soldered on for those who don't feel adventurous. I could use dip28 chips but I would almost certainly end up needing two of them.

I would have to vote to stay with the dsPIC 30 and stay away from the 33.

While I think the 33 would be more suited towards a comercial product, I think 3.3v logic is more often then not out of the expertise of the hobbiest.

I would not mind 3.3v logic, But my vote is if your going with 3.3V micro, change as much as you can to use 3.3v logic directly instead of shifting signals all over.

-Adam

[MPaulHolmes]

The main problem seems to be the lack of availability in the future of the dsPIC30F. I think all the current sensors out there also have 2.5v as zero amps, and then +/- x volts for positive and negative current. Everything would have to be in 0-3.3v. I guess it's not the end of the world though.

When they say "not recommended for new designs", how serious are they about that? They are going to stop making them in a few years?