dirtdad
1 kW
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2008
- Messages
- 309
Just got in a load of Infineons, see a sample of them below. 72V 65A 18 4310 Mostfets top. The middle houses either the 72V 45A or 48V 30A, and the cute little bug at the bottom is a 36V 20A model:
I had them all made with CA direct connect plugs and with a pile of mating shielded pins. I could only get the complete connector for the hall sensor harness. But it works this way.
I am interested in both extremes. I am claiming one of the 36V 20A for myself for a later project, I see it as being good for highly pedal assist/long range/stealth projects, and its cheap. But the beast at the top is what I am excited about. Infineon decided on 18 4310 Mosfets instead of 12 4110s for a few reasons. They claim 18 4310s will have as much current capacity as 12 4110s. I don't know enough about the ratings of Mosfets to evaluate that claim. They also claim that more smaller fets will result in better heat management by distributing the same current over more Fets and more PCB real estate. And 18 4310s are cheaper than 12 4110s.
I promptly installed it on my eChopper / test mule that is constantly being rearranged with new stuff. Just a quick update on the bike. I have the Crystalyte 5304 back on it. There is no way I am going to try 65A with my BMC 600W. The Boa 4.25" tire fits in back with no problem, and looks...well, big:
View attachment 1
But the controller is another matter. I am going to have to figure out a better place to install it. For now it is just strapped down. I still have my stand alone CA I will have to switch over to a direct connect.
As for performance. Well, its 72V 65A, waddaya expect, it screams! The new Infineon boards feature soft start, which allows you to modulate the throttle better at low speeds. I used to have to hit the throttle and coast if I wanted to do under 10mph but no more, I can apply a steady low throttle and operate much smoother. It is also possible to program the LVC on the chip through an RS232 interface, I plan on getting that as soon as I can. The 48V 30A can handle 36V, so dialing it back to a 36V LVC setting will result in a much beefier 36V controller than the little 10A runt. The 48V can handle 60V too, etc.
The performance bottleneck always moves around as you upgrade, and this is no exception. Turns out my Yesa BMS are set up to sustain 40A max. They can deliver 8 second bursts of 60A. The Cycle Analyst confirms this. Max current is 40A most of the time, but when I look at my MaxAmps at the end of a ride it is always 60A.
So while I cannot report on what it is like to pull 65A constantly, I can say that 40A with 60A bursts is extremely powerful. It has not increased my top speed like current increases have in the past. Looks like 40mph top speed is it. Acceleration and hill climbing are excellent however. I out-accelerate cars at traffic lights all the time. I have a benchmark hill by my house I call "popcorn hill" for how climbing it has blown fets like popcorn in the past. My previous best was about 13mph at the top with a 45A Infineon (which only ever managed about 30A for some reason, then it finally blew). The 18FET beast blows over the hill at over 20mph, which is significant on a grade that peaks at around 14%.
On one hand part of me wants to upgrade to higher output batteries. Yesa is working on them. But on the other hand, this makes a pretty well balanced team - batteries, controller and motor - and the power is all I need, really. Infineons have proven reliable, and the new changes to the board should make them even more so. The 18FET will be my full time controller mated to the 5304 so I will be doing durability testing. The BMC durability testing will be moved to another bike that is not done yet. I want to put the BMC on a pedal electric bike.
I had them all made with CA direct connect plugs and with a pile of mating shielded pins. I could only get the complete connector for the hall sensor harness. But it works this way.
I am interested in both extremes. I am claiming one of the 36V 20A for myself for a later project, I see it as being good for highly pedal assist/long range/stealth projects, and its cheap. But the beast at the top is what I am excited about. Infineon decided on 18 4310 Mosfets instead of 12 4110s for a few reasons. They claim 18 4310s will have as much current capacity as 12 4110s. I don't know enough about the ratings of Mosfets to evaluate that claim. They also claim that more smaller fets will result in better heat management by distributing the same current over more Fets and more PCB real estate. And 18 4310s are cheaper than 12 4110s.
I promptly installed it on my eChopper / test mule that is constantly being rearranged with new stuff. Just a quick update on the bike. I have the Crystalyte 5304 back on it. There is no way I am going to try 65A with my BMC 600W. The Boa 4.25" tire fits in back with no problem, and looks...well, big:
View attachment 1
But the controller is another matter. I am going to have to figure out a better place to install it. For now it is just strapped down. I still have my stand alone CA I will have to switch over to a direct connect.
As for performance. Well, its 72V 65A, waddaya expect, it screams! The new Infineon boards feature soft start, which allows you to modulate the throttle better at low speeds. I used to have to hit the throttle and coast if I wanted to do under 10mph but no more, I can apply a steady low throttle and operate much smoother. It is also possible to program the LVC on the chip through an RS232 interface, I plan on getting that as soon as I can. The 48V 30A can handle 36V, so dialing it back to a 36V LVC setting will result in a much beefier 36V controller than the little 10A runt. The 48V can handle 60V too, etc.
The performance bottleneck always moves around as you upgrade, and this is no exception. Turns out my Yesa BMS are set up to sustain 40A max. They can deliver 8 second bursts of 60A. The Cycle Analyst confirms this. Max current is 40A most of the time, but when I look at my MaxAmps at the end of a ride it is always 60A.
So while I cannot report on what it is like to pull 65A constantly, I can say that 40A with 60A bursts is extremely powerful. It has not increased my top speed like current increases have in the past. Looks like 40mph top speed is it. Acceleration and hill climbing are excellent however. I out-accelerate cars at traffic lights all the time. I have a benchmark hill by my house I call "popcorn hill" for how climbing it has blown fets like popcorn in the past. My previous best was about 13mph at the top with a 45A Infineon (which only ever managed about 30A for some reason, then it finally blew). The 18FET beast blows over the hill at over 20mph, which is significant on a grade that peaks at around 14%.
On one hand part of me wants to upgrade to higher output batteries. Yesa is working on them. But on the other hand, this makes a pretty well balanced team - batteries, controller and motor - and the power is all I need, really. Infineons have proven reliable, and the new changes to the board should make them even more so. The 18FET will be my full time controller mated to the 5304 so I will be doing durability testing. The BMC durability testing will be moved to another bike that is not done yet. I want to put the BMC on a pedal electric bike.
Just a thought though, if you would change out the feeders for 8 AWG @ 65a, maybe it would be worth getting the next batch from the factory like that ? Sooner or later one of your customers is going to push your controllers hard up against their limmits and better to slightly over engineer if it does not affect your unit pricing too much. 
