[mtraven]

After sifting through page after page, I decided to turn to the experts...

I am in the planning / prototyping stage of converting a Mazda tribute into a ev. Two factor's have led me down the path im on, cost and what I get a kick out of and thats building from scratch. So I plan to design and construct my own BLDC motor and controller. I have the expertise in metal working and programmable micro processes to, i think, make this happen.

A few years back I constructed a much smaller BLDC motor (single stator pancake style, 6 coils, 8 neo perm. mags). The thing worked great for its purpose and I would like to modify this design to run this EV project, but having some problems finding information on adapting to the much larger design so here are some questions I have for experts out there:

I realize most of my questions are dependent on what I am looking to get out of this vehicle...and in all honesty its very simply knowledge, its a fun project for me to use to learn, but thats not gonna help you all answer my questions so here is about what I am thinking (subject to change):
-start with a 72V system and have room to go to 144V in the future
-not a race car, just handle my commute to work
-aprox 50-100 mile range (more would be nice, but I have to perspective on what that means battery-wise)
-budget: im doing it all myself and would like to see the motor and controller built for 2k or less


What gauge (or range there of) wire have others used in to make windings for EV motors? (i dont care whether its BLDC, AC, DC) just looking for some perspective here.

Where is the best place to order bulk magnet wire?

What type of insulation should I get getting on that magnet wire? (looking for what chemical coating and/or max tempuature ratings)

I have considered adding a 2nd stator to the other side of the rotor, any thoughts on doing that? (i know how to do it, but is it worth it? are there inherent problems I am not considering, ect....)

What is the best way(s) to cool the motor (the small scale I built didn't need anything more than a little turbo fan which might be a little awkward driving my EV down the road with a box fan zip tied to my undercarriage )


Sorry for the length of the post, and I appreciate any suggestions, thoughts or anything other information related to my questions or just the project in general.

[simey_binker]

wow, you're ambitious. if you're in Toronto, I'd be willing to help. your location would be handy for recommending PM suppliers as well. I know some around me - just search a little.

I think the only thing I can help you on is cooling. it all depends on how you build it. how tight the motor is, and where it will be located. if it's a loose winding, and near the bottom of the vehicle, you may only need natural convection. if it's more tightly packed, look to using bendable copper tubing (used in plumbing) to potentially wrap the system for a water-jacket. all depends on how ambitious you are.

(watch out; electricity + water + fail = epic fail)

Sim

[blank_rv-6a]

I'm brand new to this group but your post intrigues me. I too wish to make a BLDC motor that is powerful (at least 10HP 40HP prefered) and cheap. I have seen some magnet wire places out there that have everything pretty well covered including litz wire. I was thinking if you come up with a good design using standard copper then maybe you could go way off the deep end and gold plate some wire to truly give it that extra edge and have it worth the thousands of dollars the other guys are getting for their regular motors. As far as cooling I figure it doesn't need to be water in the copper pipe but more like transformer oil. That way if you spring a leak the motor/batt/controller is fine it's just the EPA looking at you. The RC guys are doing great things they just need to go a bit bigger. Let me know if you have a cool design and want to share. There's a TechShop in Portland that's got the CNC and rapid proto stuff for hackers like me.

[simey_binker]

wow - its been a while since I've seen this thread. since I posted, I too have gotten into researching the potential of building a BLDC motor from scratch - one step at a time. there's another thread that discusses this further.

for those who have links to handy DIY BLDC motor stuff (ie: the RC plane world), could they send them along?

I'd be interested in how far the OP has gotten in his endeavors since he last posted. I think it would be neat to build one, and keep on improving it until it's decently competitive in price/performance.

another thought is using the rare earth magnets in a Halbach Array configuration. not sure if this is commonly used, but it'd be neat to try it.

Sim

Sim

[samborambo]

A more scientific approach to BLDC LRK design. http://myownhybrid.wordpress.com/

Might be useful.

Sam.

[blank_rv-6a]

I think I found that thread so I will read it and see what happens. Here is one nice DIY motor for RC planes http://www.flyelectric.ukgateway.net/croc.htm always good to see some Halbach stuff out there. I found some for that aurora solar car with a cisro wheel motor. Whats the next step for magnets? The Batts are finaly going lead to lith to ???

[the1cyrus]

Originally Posted by blank_rv-6a

I think I found that thread so I will read it and see what happens. Here is one nice DIY motor for RC planes http://www.flyelectric.ukgateway.net/croc.htm always good to see some Halbach stuff out there. I found some for that aurora solar car with a cisro wheel motor. Whats the next step for magnets? The Batts are finaly going lead to lith to ???

Yea this is a nice site. Looks like these motors have the stator in the middle and the outside is spinning. the designs ive seen had magnets in the middle and stators outside for the brushless design. guess it can be made different ways.

don't you need some kind of special driver/controller for brushless dc motors? wish there was more info on that.

mtraven have you had any progress on making ur motor?

[Amberwolf]

Originally Posted by the1cyrus

don't you need some kind of special driver/controller for brushless dc motors? wish there was more info on that.

Google for OSMC, the open-source motor controller, should have a lot of info on theirs, which is for RC planes and the like. Scale it up for bigger motors.
________
Kaydence live

[axbor22]

Hi all!
Im working with the development of a 10kW motor intended for a Yamaha TZR 125 motorcycle conversion.
The motor is a: brushless double sided axial flux permanent magnet 3-phase AC aircore air cooled hall sensored delta conected motor with split stator option. Short and simple..... Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TC57GCt37w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy6jZEW9uxc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0I0Tg8sxYw

Does the metal shell of an electric motor ad anything to the magnetic feild in the windings? I mean if some one building an electric motor was to use aluminum or a mysterious but strong none conductive material to hold the motor together would it effect the out put of that motor?