🔥 Freefly Arc200

#1

I want to discuss the Freefly Arc200.
(https://freeflyrobotics.com/products/arc200)

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I’m surprised more people aren’t using these. The price is $299.00 retail so they are definitely competitive. They have higher a amp tolerance than any other ESC available today.

While they won’t achieve speeds as high as some VESC derivatives that are in pre-production, they WILL hit 40mph while staying within safe current and voltage limits. That is at a minimum competitive with the best VESC’s in the market, likely better.

They seem like the perfect speed controller for eMTBs.

I haven’t ask the Freefly guys, but I bet we could get a good price on a group but. If you’re interested, sound off, and I’ll give them a call.

For those that haven’t used them, here is some basic info

  1. It’s more reliable than any other ESC on the market because the limits are so high and the construction is so elegant, I’ve yet to hear iof anyone killing the retail version in an esk8. A couple of the betas had issues, but that was in 2018 before the retail release.
  2. The aluminum precision milled and powder coated housing is top quality, it’s also a heatt sink.
  3. It’s more configurable than any VESC or R/C ESC. That’s also it’s one major flaw, configuration is in depth.
  4. They are available for shipping on checkout.
  5. The body is water resistant and splash proof, the connectors are water proof.
  6. It’s an enclosed system. As long as you have it secured I doubt vibrations could harm it.

Specs

  • Input Voltage: 4S (13.6v) - 12S (50.4v)*

  • Max peak phase current: 200A

    • Continuous current with little to no heatsinking (hot-side facing upwards and unobstructed): 60A
    • Continuous current when bolted to a typical EV aluminum chassis: 100-150A
    • Continuous current with infinite aluminum heatsink or water cooling, and forced air cooling on phase wires: 200A

  • Control Inputs: PWM, Analog (1x combined throttle/brake or independent throttle and brake), UART/CAN (for advanced users to interface through the Freefly API’s QX protocol)

  • DC-Input: XT90

  • Phase-Output: 8mm Female Bullet

  • High flex, high strand count wiring

  • Capable of 50v input voltage and 200A

  • Enclosed in a machined aluminum case with excellent thermal transfer

  • Supports a variety of inputs including CAN, Analog, PWM, UART

  • Multiple mounting points for easy installation

  • Weighs just 265 grams

  • Sensor support: Fully sensorless, digital hall sensors, PWM

  • Operating modes: Torque mode (EV), speed mode (Multirotor, requires advanced user tuning), angle/servo mode (experimental, requires advanced user tuning and high-resolution motor encoder)

  • 23.4kHz switching frequency for zero audible PWM noise

  • Integrated 5A 5V BEC (Recommended continuous-current draw to be kept less than 3A)

  • Water resistant and splash proof - integrate into your application to avoid continuous water exposure

LINKS

Freefly Arc200: https://freeflyrobotics.com/products/arc200
Arc200 Wiki: https://freeflysystems.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FRP/pages/269287436/Arc200
Arc200 Forum > esk8 build: https://forum.freeflysystems.com/index.php?threads/arc200-skateboard-build.12763/

31 Likes
ESC - Electric Speed Controllers
#2

I was under the impression that they were hard to program. Is that true?

3 Likes
#3

See point 3

5 Likes
#4

What’s limiting this?
I just barely get how these things work. I just plug stuff in and hope for the best lol

9 Likes
#5

Honestly, it ain’t easy. It took me about an hour the first time. Now it’s it takes me 30 minutes tops from factory defaults. That being said. The configuration software has come a long way since beta.

5 Likes
#6

Sorry I worded it wrong, I ment how much harder is it to program than a VESC. I remember LHB saying it was really hard.

2 Likes
#7

They are limited to 200a and 50.4v. My understanding, and this is NOT fact, is that some of the new hardware coming out will support up to 100v.

5 Likes
#8

Fixed that for you. :grinning:

It is nit as easy as configuring a VESC, but it is much more configurable. Does that make sense?

2 Likes
#9

He’s from Florida give him a break

12 Likes
#10

I mean if a guy from Alabama can figure it out :joy:

7 Likes
#11

ROFL, coming from a guy from Oregon FFS :grinning:.

7 Likes
#12

But how does it compare to a sinusoidal kelly controller? :P.

What kind of settings/tuning needs to be done with the configuration? What makes it so time consuming?

I would think they would have a default trapezoidal control algorithm that will work out of the box with any motor, in case the user wants to get up and running quickly.
If not, it’s time for some one-upping…

Also, a half-decent trapezoidal control algorithm will work reasonably well with anything that isn’t a hub motor, with higher current capability than in FOC.

#13

I refuse to comment on Kelly’s sinuses, I imagine it’s not a pretty picture :grinning:

8 Likes
#14

Oh I’ve put so many things up my nose in my youth…

3 Likes
#15

Initially you had to do a bunch of different detections and then combine them all into a config and upload that config… To vastly simplify the process. Now it is a step by step process, almost an interview, with defaults for everything in case you want an example.

You can also now skip steps, like if your not running can and are running split ppm (which is fully supported) it your not using sensors, as an example.

1 Like
#16

Looks great. 8mm phase connectors are a bit huge though aren’t they?

1 Like
#17

Here’s a link to the GUI if your interested.

https://freeflysystems.atlassian.net/wiki/x/JgAKE

1 Like
#18

Dang, sounds like if they had something similar to VESC tool, but more intuitive (than VESC tool), they’d have a real VESC 6 killer right there.

That GUI looks scary.

1 Like
#19

They are pretty big, but considering how many amps you can pass through them I think overkill is acceptable. You can always put 5.5mm bullets or whatever on there.

2 Likes
#20

It’s really not that bad, a bit of a learning curve. There are YouTube tutorials that walk you through everything.

1 Like