[DDDvvv]

HI FELLAS AND LADIES

for the last 3 months, i've been searching for a ac induction motor controller for my planned ev conversion, but those things cost a fortune.

i gave up on dc because of cost and very few regenerative options. ( $1500 for a new/used dc motor as compared to $250 average for ac induction )

there are a few open source ac controller building from scratch.. more power to them, and we respect them for the effort.

i present to you a better idea; convert a tried/ proven commercial vfd for our ev's. some ev converters have successfully done this, but they are keeping their ideas and plans to themselves, for future commercial exploits.

we can do this here. we dont need to reinvent the wheel. all we need to do is get the wheel and modify it to our needs.

[subcooledheatpump]

You might want to read through my thread

http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums...ted-70662.html

and Etischer's thread

http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums...ad.php?t=15363


Also, keep in mind each VFD is a little different than the rest.

They all come with different gate drivers and different switching frequencies, this makes it difficult to take any VFD and convert it. You really need to get lucky and get one with the right gate drivers.

I'm one of those few people who have converted a VFD and I'd be glad to help

[Ziggythewiz]

Where are these $250 new AC induction motors?

[subcooledheatpump]

Believe it or not at some surplus stores they sell pratically new induction motors really cheap.

The motor I have in my van actually did cost me $250, but to this day I can't figure out why it was even at the surplus store I got it from. It looked brand new, no scratches, no chipped paint, nothing.

Still even if you can't find a new motor you can find a good used one for cheap, much less than any "designed for EV" DC motor. Many people say "AC is too expensive" but they are only talking about "designed for EV" AC motors. Scrap yard industrial motors that still work are a good alternative, if you can spare the room and weight.

[DDDvvv]

thanks Subcooled. great conversions.
ill need your help.

i've been looking at the allen bradley 1336 drive. it looks promising because it:
supports sensorless vector control
is readily available (ebay)
is very affordable
accepts a dc input
230v ac available (300 dc)
changeable logic input boards, to even support motor encoders.
manuals and app notes readily available.

im open for ideas about any other vfd drives suitable for this project.

[subcooledheatpump]

DDDvvv, you might want to get a 1336 drive from between 2 to 10 HP and take it apart and take some pictures. If you can show me what you're working with I can try to help you understand the insides of it.

Also how is your knowledge of IGBTs and power electronics in general? You'll have to make an IGBT inverter assembly, the drive will be generating the signals, but you'll have to provide the correct hardware and hardware setup.

One last thing, the Toshiba VF-S11 7 to 10 HP drives are perfect for conversion, except for no encoder input. The VF-AS1 would have that though

[DDDvvv]

electronics, no problem. power electronic projects are my second passion, next to programming 8 bit pic microcontrollers. i went with the 1336 because of the many input options available.

i just bought two 1336s hp drives @ $30 each. ebay item #330378811150. the guy has like 27 available. i could not pass on that. since it does not come with a controller, i also purchased a ha2 programming controller.


i also checked out your toshiba vf drive, but i 've invested alot of research time on the 1336 drive. thanks for the advice.

what did you replace the current sensors with?

[subcooledheatpump]

The current sensors I replaced with HAS 100-S hall effect current sensors

They don't seem to have any left on ebay where I got mine, but these will also work

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LEM-HAL-100-...485#vi-content


I've tested both HAS 100-S and HAL 200 current sensors and they both work with the drive. I just stuck with the HAS 100-S because it works well with the drives' current limiting stall protection feature with respect to the motors abilities.

[DDDvvv]

thanks for the reply. for days, ive been scratching my head about current sensing, and you just gave me a solution. i think my mistake was searching for one at mouser.com where they cost upwards of $260 each.

here's my plan;
*the 2 vfd's arrive sometimes this week
get them running on 240v ac
*familiarize myself with tuning/programming the vfd#1 while concurrently dismantling and planning with vfd#2 (i ordered 2)
*construct the igbt power module
*install / run modified power module
*move from 230v ac to dc
*buy a more powerful induction motor (im using a 5hp induction motor currently)
*buy donor car
*install.

my main plan is to save money on controller and motor. this savings will go towards a better (newer?) donor car or lithium battery system.

enough of daydreaming!!!
i wish i knew the model number of the igbt module in a 1336 drive. i have a bulletin 1333 drive .75hp and im wondering if its the same. this way, i can start shopping for modules with same characteristics.

[subcooledheatpump]

Yeah you save alot by going with a DIY VFD conversion

Can't wait to see your work with these drives. I wish more people would get into this, we need all information we can get.