zombiess
10 MW
I wanted to do a demo video of how this motor climbed a steep hill and also test for myself how well it did as I haven't tried until today due to Las Vegas being mostly flat. I even stopped right before one of the steepest sections which has a 30% grade to let my controller cool off and then had to start up it from a dead stop from a slightly less steep section. Figured it would be a good demonstration of how much torque this motor produces ( and it's capable of much much more). I was running 30S2P LiPo at a mere 105A phase current, 60A controller current. Controller case was just a little warm, but the FETs got to 88C which is the highest I had ever seen before so I stopped for a few mins. Running a hill climb with the throttle limited to 40% is probably not the most optimal for heat management in the FETs but I didn't want to reconfigure the pack to a lower voltage so I could run 100%, now I know it's limitations and everything is fine. It was quite surprising how fast it shed the heat from the FET cases as you can see in the video. I stopped at 88C. The internal temp of the controller held steady around 56C for a little longer but then it too started to drop. I started the climb again when both FET and case temp were back in the 40C range which only took a few mins.
At one point I think I might have heard the motor laugh and say "is that all you got wimp?" during the hill climb but I'm not quite sure, the road was quite rough and I couldn't go any faster because I didn't feel safe. One observation I made is that on these controller settings (105A phase, 60A battery) the whole setup is much more controllable and way smoother compared to 115A phase 85A battery. It's a night and day difference in how the bike rides and the throttle responds. I don't have to worry about the crazy power wheelies while riding at low speed if I accidentally hit throttle wrong and I'm not leaned over the bars. The downside to running these currents is I never reach the BEMF point in 100% mode so the amps never drop and the controller is always in PWM, but my high speed riding at 38-50mph in the 2nd video didn't have any problems with controller heating to worry about even though I was doing this for quite some time and the controller was always in PWM vs when I was playing around with high 100% mode. Amps were pegged at 60-62A in 100% mode and never dropped off that I noticed. When I run 85A they drop to around 75A once I get to 60mph at 105% throttle. I thought this might cause heating in the controller but I was wrong, FETs and internal temp stayed in the high 40C range for almost the entire ride.
I'm building up a EB236-AS-1 36 FET IRFB4115 controller next (using the same construction method as my 18 FET) in addition to working on my IRFP4568 power stage stuff that etard helped me with by making the water blocks. Got everything I need now but more free time. Now that I'm no longer sick I'm finally getting back to work on my projects. Went through and miller plateau matched my over 100 IRFB4115 FETs and 62 IRFP4568s so that I can hopefully improve controller reliability. I will say that without a doubt in my mind, this Lyen 18 FET controller I modded following markcycles mod of connecting the tabs for each phase and power feed is an absolutely amazing mod (time consuming but if you are handy with a soldering iron, DO IT!). I don't think an unmodified IRFB4115 18 FET controller would take anywhere near the abuse (and what I'm doing is bordering on abuse at over 10kW) that this controller does. I also wanted to report that the last time I checked on my 6-32 nylon screws I'm using to hold the FETs to the spreader bar with a bronze lock washer, brass washer + the connecting tab to each banks buss bar and they are working great, haven't come loose at all. I just ordered a bag of 100 more from DigiKey for $10. Manufacturers spec gives properties of the following, melting point 500F, Continuous use temp, 185F (my brief FET temp of 88C was 190F so still OK), 6-32 tensile torque before break = 69lbs. Max torque before deformation, 18-20 in oz. Most seemed to be worried about the temps in the controllers but these appear to be fine now for over 100 miles of use, but I'll continue to check on them every time I open up the controller for one reason or another.
So the ride info was that I went 14.8 miles with an average power consumption of 59.5 Wh/Mi, I did take it slow on the way to the mountain especially since it was all mild up hill and I kept my speeds under 25mph to conserve battery to make sure I had enough to get there and back with power to spare. My 30S2P 12AH NanoTech pack did not fail to deliver with plenty of room left for another few miles of high speed 35-40mph riding.
Here is the hill climbing video
[youtube]MXejC1bt6EU[/youtube]
And here is the ride home after the climb, I cut out the slow dirt riding which was pretty boring and also sketchy on road tires in loose dirt.
[youtube]TNOsuYaOPOs[/youtube]
At one point I think I might have heard the motor laugh and say "is that all you got wimp?" during the hill climb but I'm not quite sure, the road was quite rough and I couldn't go any faster because I didn't feel safe. One observation I made is that on these controller settings (105A phase, 60A battery) the whole setup is much more controllable and way smoother compared to 115A phase 85A battery. It's a night and day difference in how the bike rides and the throttle responds. I don't have to worry about the crazy power wheelies while riding at low speed if I accidentally hit throttle wrong and I'm not leaned over the bars. The downside to running these currents is I never reach the BEMF point in 100% mode so the amps never drop and the controller is always in PWM, but my high speed riding at 38-50mph in the 2nd video didn't have any problems with controller heating to worry about even though I was doing this for quite some time and the controller was always in PWM vs when I was playing around with high 100% mode. Amps were pegged at 60-62A in 100% mode and never dropped off that I noticed. When I run 85A they drop to around 75A once I get to 60mph at 105% throttle. I thought this might cause heating in the controller but I was wrong, FETs and internal temp stayed in the high 40C range for almost the entire ride.
I'm building up a EB236-AS-1 36 FET IRFB4115 controller next (using the same construction method as my 18 FET) in addition to working on my IRFP4568 power stage stuff that etard helped me with by making the water blocks. Got everything I need now but more free time. Now that I'm no longer sick I'm finally getting back to work on my projects. Went through and miller plateau matched my over 100 IRFB4115 FETs and 62 IRFP4568s so that I can hopefully improve controller reliability. I will say that without a doubt in my mind, this Lyen 18 FET controller I modded following markcycles mod of connecting the tabs for each phase and power feed is an absolutely amazing mod (time consuming but if you are handy with a soldering iron, DO IT!). I don't think an unmodified IRFB4115 18 FET controller would take anywhere near the abuse (and what I'm doing is bordering on abuse at over 10kW) that this controller does. I also wanted to report that the last time I checked on my 6-32 nylon screws I'm using to hold the FETs to the spreader bar with a bronze lock washer, brass washer + the connecting tab to each banks buss bar and they are working great, haven't come loose at all. I just ordered a bag of 100 more from DigiKey for $10. Manufacturers spec gives properties of the following, melting point 500F, Continuous use temp, 185F (my brief FET temp of 88C was 190F so still OK), 6-32 tensile torque before break = 69lbs. Max torque before deformation, 18-20 in oz. Most seemed to be worried about the temps in the controllers but these appear to be fine now for over 100 miles of use, but I'll continue to check on them every time I open up the controller for one reason or another.
So the ride info was that I went 14.8 miles with an average power consumption of 59.5 Wh/Mi, I did take it slow on the way to the mountain especially since it was all mild up hill and I kept my speeds under 25mph to conserve battery to make sure I had enough to get there and back with power to spare. My 30S2P 12AH NanoTech pack did not fail to deliver with plenty of room left for another few miles of high speed 35-40mph riding.
Here is the hill climbing video
[youtube]MXejC1bt6EU[/youtube]
And here is the ride home after the climb, I cut out the slow dirt riding which was pretty boring and also sketchy on road tires in loose dirt.
[youtube]TNOsuYaOPOs[/youtube]
