VESC V4.12 to BLDC mower motor.

I found one here though:

HURRAY , I now have Fw: v6.02, Hw: 410.
That github FW via the stlink was a bit old but allowed me to update to newer FW via the vesc tool.
Now I need to figure out how to connect, program and operate this 3 wire BLDC motor with the flipsky.
Getting there slowly, just as well I have a petrol mower as well or I’d be living in a jungle by now. :evergreen_tree: :honeybee: :deciduous_tree: :ant: :palm_tree: :cricket: :ear_of_rice: :mosquito: :wilted_flower: :herb: :snail: :shamrock: :spider: :maple_leaf: :beetle: :four_leaf_clover:

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I think the above mentioned Bosch battery pack consists of 20 times 3.6V 2.0Ah high quality Li-ion cells 10 in series and 2 in parallel, total voltage 36 V, total capacity 4.0Ah4000mAh if anyone can confirm that?

This means nothing. You need a make and model.

If this was a car, this is the same as:

For sale: high quality car
200 km/h top speed
50 liter fuel tank
internal combustion

How comfortable would someone be purchasing that? You’ve got no idea what car it is.

at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter. Vesc tool uses capacity to infer a range, and show a semi accurate gauge. As long as you tell the vesc that it’s dealing with a 10S Li-ion battery, it will use the right voltage cutoffs to prevent over discharge and damage. Put some conservative values for your battery max current, like 15A, which most half decent 10S2P should be able to supply. Most likely low capacity power tools cells can do 10C discharge, so you could pull 40A out of that pack, but start slow and conservative first.
You’d also need to run some of the detection tests for your motor params in in BLDC sensorless mode, but it might be a bit skewed if there is a spinning blade attached. Tests are usually best done without any load, but it should still do the job.

pick the right ADC mode where there is no brake, and no reverse as this doesn’t apply to a lawnmower! There’s an option to invert the spin in case your blade doesn’t cut anything!

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No experiments I have ever done have showed a difference between a loaded and unloaded motor on the detection results.

I don’t have any reason to believe the blade has to be removed for motor detection, but I can’t promise that it doesn’t need to be, either.

I was regurgitating something I remember reading somewhere. But the load wouldn’t be massive in any case, as long as the blade can spin freely and safely (where’s the fun in that???)

It’s a Bosch battery - as per link - and they usually use Samsung cells but I’m not sure in this case but what I wanted the confirmation on was the 10s2p as that’s what the vesc tool asks for. I do appreciate your efforts but do you have an actual helpful answer?

Yeah.

If it’s ten cells in series, it’s extremely unlikely that it’s 36V. But I think I already mentioned that.

Thanx alexnz.
The motor detection tool came up with Motor current Max: 46.72A
Motor max current 70A
Battery Current Max 40A
Battery Current Regen -10A
I thought these values were a bit high since it’s a 4Ah battery but that must be the cell voltage since 10s x 4 = 40A?
Sorry if I’m wrong. I’m not exactly sure how to go about this as you might be able to tell, which is why I try to add as many details as I can so if I miss something someone might be able to help rather than tell me how uncomfortable my car is???
Either way it’s working great now and I can mow my front and back lawn in 1 charge and the FET’s hardly even get warm.

I totally agree. I don’t want to be standing near a deadly spinning blade just to test the controller.

Now that I know it was the driver at fault I want to put that motor into a remote control setup.
I have an old GoChair mobility scooter that has 2 individual motors (24v 1300w) so I was looking for an R.C. receiver that can work with my old DX6I (or a new TxR and RxR) that can do both motors (skid steer) and an auxiliary output that can turn on a circuit to drive the motor and turn it off if it looses radio communications.
I also need to build a simple FET circuit to run this motor as I think using the vesc to just turn it on full speed and off again is a waste.
I can tap the 36v to get the 24v for the driving motor side and leave 36v for the cutting motor.
However I think I will need to start a new forum entry for all that unless you can point me towards existing ones?
Thanx for your help, and to b264 - sorry but I just found your answer more nagging than helpful but still appreciate the effort :slightly_smiling_face:

I got voltage and amps mixed up, too tired :cry:

I am curious, and cautious about regen, when using powertool batteries.

My 18v Makitas and Ridgids have 4 terminals.

Feed charging voltage to the main + & -, with the other two terminals unconnected to anything, and they will not accept any current.

My ‘20’ volt dewalt battery has 5 terminals

If the vesc is expecting to have a Regen Receptacle, and said receptacle refuses, I imagine magic smoke escaping from expensive electronics whether Battery bms or vesc.

But i know nothing.

Varies heavily based on how the battery is built, which is the main thing that’s turned me off of doing a power tool battery board. The BMS in these batteries does limit charge and discharge. Exceeding the values will cause power loss and/or magic smoke.

Also, some of the batteries may only accept a charge on the charger. Those extra pins are for communication between the charger and the battery to determine current and battery health. Plus probably balance.

Yes, especially this.

The HART batteries will take a charge (which means your brakes work). But on a lawnmower, this doesn’t matter.

VESC will also drive a DC motor if you need it to. Either BLDC (3 wire) or DC (2 wire) but not both simultaneously. Each VESC will control 1 motor.

This will destroy your battery.

You were ungrateful LOL but I’m trying to overlook that. :slight_smile: I hope you’re having an awesome day.

Controlling the motors sounds like a bigger challenge than turning them on and off. A cheap VESC has FETs that will do that. What will you use for the skid steer control? I don’t think anyone has added this to VESC yet.

I know that which is why I asked: I was looking for an R.C. receiver that can work with my old DX6I (or a new TxR and RxR) that can do both brushed motors (skid steer) and an auxiliary output that can turn on a circuit to drive the motor and turn it off if it looses radio communications.
It DOESN’T have to be a vesc. Do you have an actual example?

Is this a vesc only forum? “What will you use for the skid steer control?:” That’s what I was asking… It doesn’t need to be a 'V’esc. I was using that to test the motor.

Well, I am now. If esk8 is only for 'V’esc’s then I am sorry and I’ll go elsewhere, otherwise please post usable answers or none at all…

(Expand comments) I should delete all this, but someone else may be searching and land here, and they deserve to see it.

It sounds like you will need a custom solution for this, I haven’t seen any such thing. You can get a ESP32-DEVKIT-V1 and write the code yourself to do this if you really are determined to make it happen. There are a lot of folks here who could help if you got stuck.

ABSOLUTELY NOT

I didn’t see any prebuilt solutions presented in this older thread

How to use dual VESC for Robot Control

I’m sorry? Great, fuck right off then. I’m done here.

Why u say this and I’ve come across 5v for adc a couple times and using it now.

This controller has a 3.3v but says 5v for the throttle

Many controllers, and especially the older models of VESC that OP mentions, are not rated to handle that. While it may work, who knows for how long. Some newer controller designs are totally fine with that. But you have to check for the specific make and model of controller that you have. You didn’t mention a make and model, either.

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