Alan B said:
You have a good memory Amber. Or you have been re-reading threads. Perhaps both.
Actually I was searching for posts about bidirectional throttles (one way for regen, other for accel) to help another member, and ran across the throttle manager post by accident in the results...since it was by you I read it anyway even though it didn't have anything to do with what I was after, since it was pretty sure to be interesting one way or another.
Then I searched and skimmed the rest of the thread for further info on it.
As to whether the Throttle Manager would do what you are wanting, perhaps. The software I was planning would not, but the hardware might. But as I recall software wasn't something you really wanted to delve into, so you might want to find a more hardware oriented solution.
ATM I'm probably just going to do a bunch of op-amps to mix the signals together and isolate them from each other (so a failure in one can't take the system down from a cabling short, etc). Adjustments can be made by making some of the input or feedback resistors potentiometers instead. (so for instance, the "range" of a throttle input scaling could be altered to match a second different throttle, or whatever).
An MCU solution would be more flexible, in that it could be reprogrammed to alter behavior whenever desired, but is more complex to design to start with (especialy since I'm not much of a programmer, and I know no one that can help with that, or at least no one that is willing to, especially since they'd have to do almost all the work of that part, and I don't know anyone else that wants the same kind of system either).
It is interesting how our interests shape our solutions. Lately I'm more interested in 3D printing and CAD design than PCB design, I haven't designed a board in several years. Software I do whenever I have a reason to. I have a backlog of CNC and kit projects, and the wife has a long list of house upgrades we need to do.
I'm more of a hack than anything else, more of some sort of "sculptor" than designer, etc. I know enough of many disciplines to get by in making or fixing stuff I need, but most of it is hacking other things to do what I want. I don't really know enough to do most things "from scratch" that I want or need to do. Some of it I've figured out over the years...but my mind doesn't work like most people's, so I have quite a bit of trouble learning certain kinds of things, while others come perfectly naturally to me without "learning" them in any normal sort of way.
But still, you're right, our interests do shape our solutions (as do our capabilities).... Most of my interests I can't do much to accomodate, as there just isn't enough time (or money...if there was more money there would be more time as I could work less and/or pay others to do things I don't really want to be doing).
Taking a KISS (keep it simple...) approach is often best. For example, a normally closed pushbutton on each handlebar that drops out the throttle signal to the motor on that side to aid in turning.
Or perhaps put both buttons on the left thumb and throttle with the right hand/thumb. Rather than make grand plans, try something simple (maybe you already have) that gives you ability to instantly drop power on the inside wheel.
For either of those, I'd rather just keep the present one-throttle-per-motor system; it's even simpler.
But I would still prefer an automated solution, whcih is why I want to put something on the steerer to sense steering position, and control power to the motors based on that. (with an override switch to disable it for the situations in which it might be unhelpful, if one should arise).
And I want to have a both-on-1 / both-on-2 system available, because my hands randomly go numb, not usually at the same time, so I can't feel what I doing with them very well when it happens, and it's difficult to control the throttle correctly then. If the system will take either input to control both motors, then I simply use the other hand to control it instead, until feeling returns (which usually happens in a minute or two; or less).
I can also use TorquePAS to control both motors this way, via the CA3, but first I have to find out why the CA is sometimes allowing a touch on the pedals with no actual rotation, while trike is just sitting there, to gun the motor to full power, and why the CA forces a delay in throttle response if PAS is enabled/connected, and why it forces motor speed to drop so far below the set speed limit before reengaging it, etc...for now, PAS is disabled in the CA and the sensor is disconnected (and none of these happen if PAS is disabled / not connected).
A simple switch dropping the CA throttle limiting signal would allow overriding that.
ATM I have presets for the CA so it will limit (or not limit) to various speeds. Unfortunately ther'es only three presets, so for now it's 5, 10, and 20MPH, and it only applies to the right side motor system. If I had the system setup for "both on 1" / "both on 2" (aircraft terminology) rather than independent throttles, I might instead have a 5MPH and 20MPH preset, and the third would be unlimited. I don't need the unlimited often, only when a traffic issue presents itself that makes it safer to accelerate out of the way rather than braking, to avoid the problem. Once every few months, perhaps.
So perhaps as you suggest a switch on the throttle, or even better a detent at the top of the throttle that if pushed beyond that point clicks the switch automatically, which would be even more "natural" to use, with no thougth needed so much better reaction time, especially since it happens so infrequently.
I did that here with the PhaseRunners, and they just work fine with one throttle signal sent to both. No fighting, none of the issues commonly experienced with PWM based throttle controllers. The only real question is should I bother with some kind of front/rear/both switching, mostly for fun as it really isn't needed. Between the PhaseRunner and the CA3 programming things are already very well "managed".
I don't really experience any particular problem using just one throttle for both, just that with the trike configuration with both rear wheels powered, I can force turns to be sharper by powering one wheel harder than the other.
I could do even sharper turns by forcing (proportional) regen on the inside wheel while having full power on the outside wheel, but that's a more complex system I woudl have to work out carefully.
Sharp turns are sometimes very important, because I sometimes can't slow as much as I would like, becuase of traffic behind me that isn't slowing down becuase they're going straight thru in the same lane I have to turn in. (rarely, these types of drivers do clip or fully hit from behind cars that slow for turns, and I don't want that to happen to me). But becuase of road conditions (slickness and/or wavy bumps up to several inches high and several yards or more in extent) at intersections, I don't always have enough grip on the front to steer the trike via the front wheel, without slowing to a few MPH. Using the rear wheels (at the heavy end of the trike) I have plenty of grip, and can force a much sharper turn with power to just the outside wheel, and if I had braking setup as independent (dont' right now) it could be even sharper.
It would also help turning around in narrow spaces, but most of that only needs to happen at speeds where I can do it with my feet on the ground, like a parking space.
