AEVA Forums

Hello All,
I hope I can clear up a few things going on here.
The IGBT's that are being gotten on eBay, The Powerex CM400DU-12F are a trench gate design. You have to be very carefull that all 4 modules are as close together as possible. It is important to make sure that they are very close to the same temp across the group. You should also match these modules together to get them all with the closest voltage drop. This will keep them all running closer to the same temp to begin with.

As for controlling them withthe stock control board. One manor thing is they are run at lower frequency, 8kHz insted of 16kHz. This helps with the ringing caused by the low turnon voltage and the non negative turn off voltage. Also, some of the older modules just arnt capable of the higher frequencies no matter how you drive them, but the powerex modules are rated up to 20kHz IIRC.

I have been working on a design I mentioned on another thread, but cannot find it. I have created a small driver board that mounts right to the CM400DU-12F gate terminals. This boards requires 24V and uses a resistor/zener setup to create +16.3V and -7.6V for driving the IGBT.





I am currently (this week) testing them out. I have already found some small layout things that just bug me, lol, but nothing major. When I get these all tested, I will be taking orders for rev 2. (which will include all the layout changes.)

As for the contactors.... I think you guys are forgetting that the batteries will not see 1000A. The 1000A controller is talking about 1000A of motor current. The battery current is much lower, And, If your running 288V, you will never be able to pull that much at that voltage....You will have to be at 100% duty cycle which is full voltage, and current directly from the batteries...its also 288Kw or 386Hp e.

If your using lithium batteries, you will have a max current. For me, the TS cells are limited to 3C, so my 90 - 100Ah batteries are only good for 300A. I plan to use the Kilovac EV200 contactors. 2 of them, 1 on positive and 1 on negative. Negative will turn on with ignition, and positive will turn on with the controllers contactor control. This way I can disconnect the back entirely when the car is off, and can pre-charge around the positive contactor after the negative one is closed.


Well I think thats its.

-Adam

I'm considering SkyEnergy 180ah cells Adam. They are rated as supporting 4C, so can potentially provide upto 720a without much fuss.

With 720a passing through them, I am quite confident that the contacts in an EV200 would weld shut in no time. The only option that makes sense to me is either of the two contactors I mentioned earlier (Tyco Kilovac EV500-4A and Gigavac GX16). The Tyco is rated at a genuine 750a, while the Gigavac is rated at 600a.


Do you have a full schematic of the opensource controller to suit IGBTs?

To my knowledge there are three Evs driving with the Australian version of the Cougar open source controller, follow this link for a video of my test drive. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfjcS08NHQU
I owe thanks to the following.

Paul and Sabrina for starting the forum and to everyone all over the world who contributed and helped.
Don Saxby in Qld. for his electronic engineering skills in developing the Australian version and organising the circuit board and the power board.
Ian Bartie for his mechanical engineering expertise in developing and making available his power board kit, his machined alloy case and his pot box assembly, these have made a novice project truly professional.
My anonymous friend who came to my rescue when my electronics and soldering skills let me down.
And lastly my genetic make-up that will not let me give up.

My first attempt at making the controller failed when I connected the positive and negative the wrong way around from J5 to the power board, this caused the Pre Charge Resistor to blow, on my second attempt I wired J5 in the wrong order and blew all of the mosfets, I then had to wait almost four months to get more mosfets from International Rectifiers. After that I was not willing to trust my electronic knowledge or skills so I sent my controller to a friend to have it checked before I powered it up, he found that my soldering was not good partly due to a very poor quality solder that I was using, he rectified the faults and installed it in one of Ian Bartie's cases and sent it back to me for testing. Due to the fact that I was using a Curtis potbox assembly with a Crown pot I was not able to get the required range which for the Cougar is less than 2ohms at rest and 5000 ohms at full throttle, I could drive but only up to a reading of 1700 ohms (in my car winding up to 85 kmh at 150 amps, therefore I purchased one of Ian Barties potbox assemblys and now have the perfect EV.

I have now driven my EV with a Curtis controller for three years until it blew up due to a fault from new that progressed until it blew up after the warranty had run out. A Logisystems controller that always had a nasty jerk and after six months it blew due to my lack of maintenance causing a short which blew the controller.
The Australian version of the Cougar controller is far superior to the Curtis or Logisystems due to the fact that it is Digital whereas the Curtis and Logisystems are Analogue, this makes for a very smooth drive and of course allows you to program the controller.

I have the RTD working and have just been for a test run, about 15km driving at a bit over 90kmh, Up to 100+ on the straight and 80 on the curves, I tried to drive aggressively and near the end I pushed the throttle to the floor at less than 60kmh and printed the screen, the result was 65degC.
I have tried a amp hour test today, I drove normally ( not aggressively) at a little over 80kmh on country roads, then repeated the test on the same road driving conservatively up to 60kmh, for the 80 kmh the result was 1.495AH per Km and for the 60 kmh test it was 0.98AH per Km. So allowing for my 90AH pack being 18 months old and a new pack of 40AH, if I aim to use no more than 110 AH so as not to run the batteries down to far driving at highway acceptable speeds (80 to 85 kmh) I could travel 73.58KM and driving carefully (up to 60 KMH) I could travel 112.26KM. I love the fact that with the Cougar you can read real time temp and AHs.
John

Hello Everyone,

I'm trying to find details on the Australian version of the Cougar controller but (understandably) all the links are long dead. Even Google and the Wayback Machine are being unhelpful.

Would anyone happen to still have the schematics/gerbers/anything that they could send to me?

Damn and the police keep telling me the naked pictures of myself will be on the internet forever
LIARS

https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread. ... -6404.html
https://www.instructables.com/id/Homema ... lectric-C/
You're right - links are dead.

Is the Zeva controller not suitable or you're just interested in DIY?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/adambrunette/6328045330/

some seem to be there...
https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread. ... post269463
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adambrunette/6328045330/

>Is the Zeva controller not suitable or you're just interested in DIY?

I've just looked it up, that Zeva is a lot of controller for your money! But yep, I'm interested in DIY.

I've done my own 30A (1kW) DC motor drive before, so I know the basics...just hoping to use someone else's expensive R&D for the hard bits, like the exact power-stage layout.

Thanks for the flickr links, those pictures are great. I think the Uprising is just a bit too big for me though, I'm targeting 600A peak and low voltage. Those IGBT bricks are also a bit expensive compared to discrete FETs and diodes.

The Instructables link is a bit of a goldmine, that shows most of the important layout details. I'm not sure exactly where those film caps are going though, looks like they are source-drain snubbers I think.

Thanks for the help

JonStarr wrote: ↑

Fri, 14 Jun 2019, 16:25

I'm not sure exactly where those film caps are going though, looks like they are source-drain snubbers I think.

Yep that is correct - across the DC Bus.
Normally they go as close to the FET's +/- as possible.

On IGBT's they have matched spacing to bolt straight on.

JonStarr wrote: ↑

Fri, 14 Jun 2019, 16:25

Those IGBT bricks are also a bit expensive compared to discrete FETs and diodes.

The "cost" to engineer/design matched paralleled devices to work properly is usually more than just buying IGBT's.
If it's not right then you end up with cascade popping

And SiC Modules are even more expensive.
But you end up with the convenience of a FET but the robustness of an IGBT.
Soon...