Paul & Sabrina's cheap DIY 144v motor controller

[HaroldinCR]

Haven't been able to log on here in quite a while. 2 nights ago, I sat and read this entire thread. I have to say, it is a funny read. Except for the Oprah Fan, it is VERY entertaining. Great job both writing and building, Paul. Thanks for the thread.

[bennelson]

I FINALLY got to play around with programming the controller!

Adam (over the phone) walked me through connecting up the Cougar to a laptop with the RTD software and graph the data from the controller.

He also showed me how to change a couple of the settings.
It's dark and cold out now, but I plan on playing around with "tweaking" the settings on the controller now that I know how.

My only complaints about the controller at all have had to do with the "character" of the controller, which is controlled through the software. Since I can now mess with the software, I will simply brainwash the controller like a Stepford Wife until it behaves just the way I want it to!

Thanks for your help Adam!

[MPaulHolmes]

Originally Posted by bennelson

Since I can now mess with the software, I will simply brainwash the controller like a Stepford Wife until it behaves just the way I want it to!

Oh my... There's a spicy meatball! hahahaha!

I'm working on a syncronous rectification version of the controller right now. I've been making all the components in PCB Artist the last few days, since I can never find anything. It will also have CAN bus communications, so that it will be able to talk to a charger, and a BMS. Can can (haha) communicate really fast, like 1 Mb/s and has lots of error correction and all sorts of stuff. Once the layout is done and I've had like 50 gaggiiliioon people check it since I'm an idiot, then I'll send away for the pcb to be made by the dictatorship in the far east, then I'll hawk the boards, so people can make kits with them or something. hahaha.

I also am going to try to make a power section that's not etched at my dang house. CNC is great and all, but... a few days ago, I left to go eat some cereal while it was doing its thing, and I heard terrible honking noises. Ya, I forgot to tighten the drill bit before turning on the machine. Drill bits don't drill when they don't spin. They just bang into stuff.

[jackbauer]

I'm working on a very simple power stage using two of these babies:
IGBT Modul FUJI 2MBI450U4E-120 on eBay (end time 06-Jan-10 15:24:30 GMT)
Won't even need bus bars or a pcb for the caps. Anyone with a hand drill and a hacksaw can build it.

[MPaulHolmes]

Oh heck ya Jack!!!!! But seriously, what are you doing up at 1:40am??!! Man, go to sleep. hehe. Jack, I think you are McGuyver.

My wife and son and brother in law went out to the store to get Lettuce... At 1:40am. It's true. So, I'm just here trying to finish this dang schematic, and then do my first layout in my whole life.

[jackbauer]

Nah thats Jack O'Neill and its actually 9:40am in Ireland

[Tweety]

Originally Posted by jackbauer

I'm working on a very simple power stage using two of these babies:
IGBT Modul FUJI 2MBI450U4E-120 on eBay (end time 06-Jan-10 15:24:30 GMT)
Won't even need bus bars or a pcb for the caps. Anyone with a hand drill and a hacksaw can build it.

Will that be compatible with synchronous rectification? (response and such of the IGBT's) I hate trying to dechiper stuff in german... Gives me a headache...

I like this as it's then possible to build a powerstage with different sized IGBT's and cap's for different power...

[jackbauer]

Yes they would work with sync rectification at 8khz. That guy on the German ebay is great i've bought quite a bit from him with no problems. I personally think igbts are more rugged than fets. Just my experience.

Hey paul am i right in thinking that the lems output 625mv over the full scale so say a 50amp lem would output 625mv at 50 amps but could actually read 150 amps at 1.875v?

[steiner]

Jack,

Your close. The Lems work off a zero current position of 2.5 volts. Therefore, the 50 amp Lem would read 2.5+.625 volts at 50 amps discharge or it would read 2.5-.625 at 50 amps discharge. They do produce a linear output all the way to their max current allowable so 150 amps discharge would be 4.375 volts. You do need to check them at their zero current voltage. They are usually off by a few mv.

Rick

[regmeister]

here is quite the little lcd package

BlueScreen

cannot say what it would take to use it with CAN bus. I ran across it while looking into I2C devices.