Hi Folks,
after a long time of testing and tweaking things to perfection, we are proud to introduce the a new family member in the VESC product family. We call it VESC HD.
HD stands for High Density, since our goal was the creation of a powerful twin VESC in the smallest footprint possible, with a maximum thickness of a 18650cell. The benchmark was a standard credit card footprint.
Back in October 2018, the Trampa crew, Benjamin and I met in London for an e-skate event at the Redbridge Cycling Centre. It was the last warm day of the year and we e-skated back into town, riding through the totally overcrowded inner city districts. When we arrived at our down-town flat, I told Benjamin about my idea for a very compact new VESC motorcontroller layout and we sketched it up on a piece of cardboard. Unfortunately both of us found little time to push the design process forward as fast as we wanted. In December we managed to draw a first 3D sketch, which we managed to improve over the next month. Early Feb 2019 we finally started to design the PCBs, followed by an intense design session in Sweden. Mid of April Benjamin made the final tweaks and we ordered the first 10 prototypes, single and twin units. We took our time to fine tune the design without any pressure to bring it to the market sooner than we wanted.
In all our tests, the HD exceeded our expectations. After 15 months of testing and tweaking we think it is time to release our new baby into the wild.
So what are the most important aspects of the HD?
Certainly the size to power to price tag ratio is the key feature of the TWIN VESC HD.
As you can see in the size comparison picture, the TWIN HD is just a fraction bigger than a standard credit card. The power it can output on each channel is very impressive. At 325£ + Tax the HD comes with an astonishingly attractive price tag. That alone is a big bonus for many users.
How does it compare to a VESC 6?
VESC 6 to HD compares like full frame to APS-C sensors on DSLRs. While the VESC 6 is still king of control, featuring three high side shunts, the HD delivers a very good performance at a more affordable price tag. Both have their place in the market and therefore the HD is not replacing the VESC 6. The HD is an addition in our VESC product portfolio.
A big advantage in the twin ESC market is the modular concept. The TWIN HD consists of three PCBs , each available separately. Two power stages and one logic board form a complete unit. If you blow something up, you should be able to fix the unit at little cost. We will do our best to provide very affordable replacement PCBs . We want you to profit from this aspect and we want to minimize the waste footprint. The assembly is super simple, no special skills needed! On top of that, the HD is very redundant, each part and port exists twice. Even if you kill a port, there is a second one you can use. Two COMM ports, two CAN ports, two SWD ports, two PPM ports, two USB ports. The entire logic basically exists twice. If one side goes down, the other side would still work just fine. A TWIN HD performs like two totally separated units but with the convenience of a twin ESC setup.
What else?
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Wireless, super fast and stable NRF52840 connection as standard,
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Hibernation (power switch without MOSFETs),
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Roll to start, auto power off,
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Self balance IMU,
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Built in XT60 power connectors.
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Different voltage ratings will become available (60, 75V an possibly 100V).
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Twin and single units will be available.
Last but not Least:
A.S.S Ready = Advanced Sensorless Startup = Full Torque from 0 RPM
A.S.S is a future SW/HW feature, not to be confused with HFI.
Spec sheet TWIN HD 60:
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Power per channel: 100A, up to 75A continuos, 150A absolute max
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60V rated including any voltage spikes (12S LiIon)
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3 shunt design
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Ports: 2x SWD, 2xUSB, 2xCOMM, 2xCAN, 2xPPM, 2xSENSOR
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Super stable and fast NRF 52840 wireless connection
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2x XT60 power connectors (can be coupled with an adaptor PCB, feeding both inputs into one XT90)
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5V and 3.3V supply for external devices
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Supports ABI, HALL, AS5047, TS5700N8501
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A.S.S Ready ( Advanced Sensorless Startup = Full Torque from 0 RPM)
Dimensions TWIN HD: 101 x 55 x 18mm
Weight: 220 grams
Made in the UK
Status: Final assembly in progress, shipping in 4 weeks from today.
Keep an eye on our website. The HD is live already.