@OR-Carl Thanks SO much for setting this thread up
A place for Tips, Tricks, Experiences .. Netgain Hyper9
(I'm still 'Newby' status or have somehow upset the gods, err mods
). .. I'm still pretty crap on forum etiquette - if so apologies to OP
@OR-Carl if the following experiences are not the correct format 🙏
Hyper9 are amazingly useful motors, controllers
and TAU software they are getting to be a 'go-to' by several top line EV conversion companies eg EV West, Electric Classic Cars as on 'Vintage Voltage' TV series, and Zero-EV. I chose it as it works on relatively low voltage ~100 to 130, or upto 170 for the HV version, and it is relatively light ~60Kg.
BUT .. do a google search and there are
not many tips, tricks and experiences.
SO .. as this forum is much more permanent, and easy to find stuff than facebook EV groups (and their 'random' newsfeeds
) etc.
I hope other Hyper9 users agree
and you'll add experiences (good and bad), tips, tricks and general open sharing of knowledge.
kick off, attempt 2:
I chose a Hyper9 because: it was lightish (60kg), and low voltage (125v) .. so would work with 5 Tesla Modules. I needed light as poss and approx 120bhp for a 1969 Lotus 'Elon' to match original weight (achieved with 20kg saving) and power. DC was an option but weight and lack of regen put me off .. the
conversion HAD to be super light to be worth doing.
The hyper9 is actually made in china for an Italian Co. (SME), now part of Dana TM4 automotive, Netgain are exclusive resellers and have added a standard end plate, (similar to their DC motors .. with imperial/US threads).
FWIW I discounted other even lighter setup as: a) costs too high: even if can find a light motor eg 20Kg / 150Kw+ b) they needed an expensive controller, and only 'code it yourself' software. c) mostly 400+ Volt systems (OK but need volt or string together own batteries. d) Many leading light and powerful OEM motor companies would not even talk to me as a DIYer (even tho' I design EV's .. OK bikes
) . I tried, several axial flux makers, YASA, TM4-MOTIVE, Phi, Emrax, Magnax, Equipmake, Swindon etc. but unless the volume was automotive scale 1000's the door was shut
Below was 'work in progress' - motor just fitted, last year, its now
a bit tidier
Problems:
1. Controller - blew (dead !! - now alive)
With system all off - a cheap chinese main battery voltage gauge shorted and sent a spike to earth, this back tracked and took out both the prius throttle pedal and several controller circuits. I checked wiring (for the nth time) and found there was a problem in the controller. I asked local supplier and Netgain about repairs, and bottom line the shipping investigation and fixes would probably cost as much as a new controller. Also, as its a DIY item unless parts are DOA, there would be no warrantee ;-( . So bit the bullet and bought another as rest of car was just working well (and frankly I was a bit impatient !) .. £2200 lighter and the new one slotted in - fixed .
BUT out of interest (I wish I'd tried this before) - I opened the old controller and found:
TIP: all low voltage connections are protected by tiny surface mount fuses. I know surface mount is a challenge but with a magnifying glass and a solder fuse wire the controller was brought back from the dead !! (now a spare .. or possibly for another project).
2. Wire colours
Maybe I got a bad loom, but I found some colours just did not match the manual - K1-21 was yellow )Not black/blue) and K1-32 was blue not white /green .
TIPS:
1. Calling netgain works better than emails... and Hunter is a gent, and real bundle of knowledge .. I just wish he'd add what he knows to the website/instructions 🙏
2. Use as many soldered joints as possible - more reliable than crimps (or for 'belt and braces' crimp AND solder)
3. Check wiring 3 x !!
4. Controller gets warm without cooling plate but stays cool with plate and even small water flow. Motor stays cooler than batteries when pressing on (now I've added more battery cooling)
5. Get the compact display - it adds easy control of 3 modes of regen (1 more thans a tesla !!)
AND if you set wheel diameter to 85mm, in the TAU software the speed shown is RPM, it can show all sorts of instant temperatures, Volts, amps, etc more accessible than driving with a PC on the seat .. or .. exporting canBUS
6. Beg Hunter for the
OEM /dealer version of the SME Tau software ..
Warning: you CAN kill yourself/system ... but at the very least it allows you to lower the frequency of the contactor to make it almost silent !!! (and adds many more useful options). I cant post the software, but
HERE are the help files which show capabilities.
Some screen shots:
Discussion / Questions / Requests
1. Voltage sag
Working with low voltage system eg 125v vs usual 400v There can be A LOT of voltage sag under full power ... as recorded on an early test drive below shows:
This means that although the full 800/850 Amps can be pulled, the voltage drops at ~70% SOC from ~118v to ~95v
So giving only 800a x 95v = 76kW, but without voltage sag, say at 125v / (~ 95% SOC) this would be up to 800a x 125v = 100Kw (130 BHP).
Future experiment ... use a higher pack voltage, say 144v (on the low voltage Hyper9)
but only charge to say 90% SOC (ie just under max ~132V) to get the full 100Kw more easily.
Thoughts ??
(The HV motor and controller has same max KW output but at a lower current , and more battery weight)
Below from netgain show that
IF the voltage can be prevented from sagging and kept at 132v , then the peak output can be as much as 112kW which is pretty damn good !!
2. Help:
Any canBUS gurus who have used Hyper9/ TAU and are willing to share experiences ? ie who can offer a drop in connection to the SME canbus output ? eg to say a bluetooth code reader ?? or other gauges / rpm temps etc. (I cheated and used the existing analogue dials
)
Sorry to go on but, overall v happy with the Hyper9 AND I'm....
looking forward to hearing other peoples Hyper9 experiences, tips and discussions.
Cheers,
Mark, Dorset, UK
www.diyelectriccar.com
