[Yukon_Shane]

I thought this deserved it's on thread...

Originally Posted by Tesseract

I finally caved on this and am designing a DC/DC converter. To keep costs down it is not going to have any programmable frills - not even adjustable output voltage - but it will be water-resistant, if not water-proof, accommodate a very wide input voltage range (probably 90-425V), be naturally capable of paralleling, short-circuit protected, reverse-input voltage protected (no way to protect against connecting pack voltage to the 14V output, though) and somewhere around 40-50A max output current - depends more on the thermal stuff than anything else.

Should have a prototype done in a month or so. Estimated cost of the production unit will be pricey - probably in the $400 range because, sorry, we make kick-ass stuff in tiny quantities and don't use slave labor, so... definitely a "get what you pay for" kind of thing.

I don't know about the rest of you but I'm pretty excited to have a purposed built EV DC/DC convert that's available to the DIY community. My IOTA is probably the weakest component in my current conversion and I'll be happy to replace it with something that's design to handle up to 425 VDC.


Shane

[Yukon_Shane]

Any updates on the progress of this project from the Evnetics guys?

I got $400 burning a hole in my pocket

[Tesseract]

Originally Posted by Yukon_Shane

Any updates on the progress of this project from the Evnetics guys?

I got $400 burning a hole in my pocket

Not much since that post, I'm afraid. I've designed most of it in my head, along with a few calculations here and there to nail down some of the particulars, but it might be another month or so until I make a prototype.

[etischer]

IOTA is the weak link in my conversion too, I've already had one fail. The voltage boost input (boosts output voltage from 13.8 to 14.3) has stopped working on my second one. The voltage boost is a great feature, saves the 12v battery from boiling when the ignition is off, and keeps the headlights bright when the ignition is on.

It would be great to have a fanless DC-DC, is it possible? IOTA is not designed to take the heat of being trapped in a hot car in the summer, the fan is always going 100%.

[ruckus]

Originally Posted by etischer

IOTA is the weak link in my conversion too, I've already had one fail.

Get a Chinnoz, Chennic, elcon, or whatever it is they call them this week. Use 4 headways as a 12v stabilizer. You will have no problems.

Of course, once it comes out, a 'made in U.S.A.' dc-dc would be a nice premium option.

p.s. can you up the voltage to about 800?

[TheSGC]

After a few dead DC/DCs I ended up getting a Zivan DC/DC for $550, so in the $400 range is a bargain in my books.

[onegreenev]

Using a MegaPack for my DC DC. Works great. UP to 300 plus volts. Not usable below like 120 volts. Best if you are at least that or above. Fan runs all the time but I am setting up a thermal fan switch.

[etischer]

Originally Posted by ruckus

Get a Chinnoz, Chennic, elcon, or whatever it is they call them this week. Use 4 headways as a 12v stabilizer. You will have no problems.

Of course, once it comes out, a 'made in U.S.A.' dc-dc would be a nice premium option.

p.s. can you up the voltage to about 800?

I'm running 340v currently, and need 60A output. It doesn't look like Chennic/elcon has anything, I'd have to run two in parallel.

[skooler]

Jeffrey,

Put me down for one as soon as its ready!

Are you taking deposits!? (seriously!)

Cheers,

Mike

[adeyo]

Sorry, newb question, but what exactly does a dc/dc converter do? ...& where does it fit in the EV system?