[mora]

If you end up removing the cover of your controller install a panel mountable serial port to the plastic endplate at the same time. Shouldn't cost much (<2$). Makes connecting controller to a computer easier.

I had fine acceleration even at 96V. 500 motor amps should be available immediately (depending on controller settings of course). So it must be the controller settings that ramp your motor current up too slowly.

[omonoid]

Mora:
is the program pretty easy to figure out? Did you use a seriel to usb port to connect it. An further advice on using RTD Explorer would be great.

Thanks

[adeyo]

:thumbup: thumbs up on all the advice for omonoid. It's been really helpful for me to read and just learn, as I plan my first conversion. Thanks everyone for chipping in....very insightful!

[mora]

Originally Posted by omonoid

Mora:
is the program pretty easy to figure out? Did you use a seriel to usb port to connect it. An further advice on using RTD Explorer would be great.

Yes, program itself is easy to read and understand. You can download it from http://www.evvette.com/EVVette.com/RTD_Explorer.html and try running it on your computer. It won't display any graphs or values but you'll get the idea. See Command list under Help-menu for list of possible commands.

I used serial to usb adapter. It was some cheap one found from local computer store. Works fine, though my eeePC doesn't seem to like it. Sometimes it just refuses to work or hangs if I leave it on for a drive (to get some data). Any other laptop works completely fine without hang ups.

Regarding RTD explorer: note default values before editing them. All the programmed parameters will show up when you type config and hit enter. There is no button to revert back to "factory" defaults. You must also save all the changes you've made. Otherwise they will revert back to what they were upon controller restart. Command save will do the trick. Before adjusting any throttle endpoint values set current limit to 5 amps (bat-amps-lim 5) or something like that. This prevents complete motor runaway in case you misconfigure your throttle values. 5 battery amps shouldn't spin motor too fast. Ask me how I know, heheh. Command bat-amps-lim 0 will remove battery amp limit

You'll see your raw throttle values on top right corner. Note the number when foot is off the pedal and when flooring the pedal. Set max throttle value few points off the actual reading so you'll always get full throttle when needed. Same goes for low throttle value. Leave a little play there.

You'll want to make test drive after these adjustments. If it doesn't make any difference you can set t-pos-gain 8 and t-pwm-gain 0 for linear throttle response. After this try experimenting with ki value. kp should default to zero. ki 150 is what I use. The more the quicker controller tries to match output with pedal position. Too much and it will feel jerky. More info on these can be found at http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ers-15909.html

[omonoid]

Thanks! i really appreciate the mini guide. I would not have figured that out easily.

I wanted to test the car the way it is and upload some data before i mess with the config. Ill make sure to be careful about writing down the default values when i do change stuuf.

I went ahead and panel mounted the serial jack and got RTD Explorer up and running easily. I took the car for a 10 min drive and captured the graph data on my pc during the drive. Its as sweet program!! has some potential to possibly make a in dash display using that data.

I tested a few things like starting from 0 mph and accelerating up to speed in both first and second gears.

I went through the captured video and took some screen shots of the tests. If needed i can do this again and be more accurate about the tests. I didn't really log how fast i was going, which next time i will do since it would be good to get a 0 - 40 mph time in different gears.

Here are some snippets from the test:


Seems sluggish to me. This is how it usually preforms in 2nd during stop and go driving. Makes it hard to get across an intersection in time







Not positive that i started at 0 mph. Also i don't know for sure if this was 1st gear or 3rd. I tried both at one point. I wasn't actually looking at the computer when this happened so i didn't really know much about it. It just jumped out at me when i went the the screen capture later.




is it a big deal seeing that overtemp warning? It is really hot today (currently 88), and it was the end of the testing, which is probably more rough on the controller than normal driving. Should i think about getting a little pc fan.

[Ziggythewiz]

Nice data capture! I'll let the expert chime in on reading it properly. To me it looks like in 1st gear you get the RPMs up quick (which drives up the battery current), similar to what I see in 2nd, but your numbers in 2nd closer resemble what I'd expect from 3rd or 4th.

How heavy is the car, and do you know what your gear ratios are?

What units is the temp reading? 88 deg? Sounds like it's toasty there if that's your night-time low You could certainly benefit from a PC fan or two on the heatsink, since it seems to rise and hold well above ambient.

[mora]

Current feedback tells you are getting 500 motor amps. Battery amps will rise as soon as you gain more rpm and pwm goes up at the same time. Max calculated throttle value is something like 510 and you are pretty close to it. I'd say controller works as it should. Though user MPaulHolmes is the only person to give you right answer to your question, hehe. You could try increasing c-rr value (current ramp rate). I can't see/feel any difference no matter what number I set that value to.

What brand/model motor you have there?

Controller will cut back power if overtemp point is reached. I've never reached that point even after ~28 miles of highway driving or 30min of stop'n'go traffic. Ambient temp was 95F (35C) during stop'n'go test and heatsink temp was 122F (50C) afterwards. I have no fans but large finned heatsink.

Dash display for that controller is already made. See http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ler-16132.html

[omonoid]

Ziggythewiz :

How heavy is the car, and do you know what your gear ratios are?

I'd guess 2100, but i dont know. I used 10 Optima yellow tops which weigh only 43 lbs, and i used an 8" ADC motor which is 107 lbs. according to wikipedia, my car's curb weight is 2200ish, so total is maybe 2300 - 2400.

What units is the temp reading?

donno. mora, do you know?
I live in Spokane, Wa and it was noonish when i ran the tests. It usually doesn't get hotter than 80 here, but i may look into some heatsink

Mora:

I emailed Paul about it, and i'm still awaiting a response. Ill just leave it for now. It sounds like it's working as it should for the most part.

What brand/model motor you have there?

8" ADC

I have no fans but large finned heatsink.

got any info on that, i may look into getting or making one.

Dash display for that controller is already made.

That's awesome. I might build one. Is there any sort of BMS?

[jyanof]

Yep, the controller is pegged at 500A and the vehicle is still accelerating slowly. Obviously, nothing is wrong with the controller or batteries.

You may benefit a little from better heatsinking - the controller with reduce current output if it overtemps, so if it feels sluggish after a while, that could be a problem.

However, you really shouldn't be approaching overtemp conditions, especially with your ambient temps. For example, my controller (same one, with over 10k miles) will peak at 500A during accelerations, briefly, but will cruise at around 200-250A. Typically, the controller will run about 20F above ambient for me, maybe 25F in stop and go traffic. So, even in the hot AZ summers, I'm still 20-30F away from the overtemp condition. And, I'm running at higher voltage (144V) which causes the controller to run hotter.

at this point, stay with the lower gears and keep the rpms high to keep the motor amps down. It sounds like your shunt is in the battery loop - you can move it to the motor loop to measure motor amps.

Also, your motor may be too small. That might be tough to swallow, but it seems like it isn't producing enough torque at for the amount of amps being thrown at it.

[jyanof]

For controller temp in RTD explorer, it's displayed in the bottom right corner. The raw units in the graph are the actual ADC measurements. RTD converts that to an actual temp (both C and F) and displays it at the bottom right.