This list of VESCs has always been grouped by shunt design, but now I’ve added that text under each section to make it clearer for those wondering about features like silent HFI that recommend phase shunts and phase filters.
Shunts are used to measure current flowing to the motor so the ESC can adjust the on/off time of the mosfets to deliver the correct amount of current requested by the remote.
Phase shunts are placed electrically between the high and low side mosfets, and the phase wires. These are typically found on VESC 6 and 75/300 based designs.
Low side shunts are placed between the low side of the mosfets the system ground. These are typically found on VESC 4, Unity, Stormcore, and 100/250 based designs.
Phase shunts provide a more accurate measuring of current flowing to the motor, but the design is limited by the available current sense amps on the market today. Generally these are used on designs under 70-80v.
Low side shunts can work on much higher voltage, but are less accurate in measuring current.
Phase filters can be added to any design. They allow you to measure the voltage while the VESC is driving the motor. Without filtering you would always measure either Vbus or 0V (since this is the output of the drive). The phase filters “average” this, which is actually the signal you want to measure. This helps more accurately measure motor resistance and the motor position especially at startup. To quote Vedder: “It is slow speed under load where phase filters make all the difference”