EV Scooter Project Log Overview

So let's get back to electronics and all that other good stuff!

So I want to build a some kind of electric vehicle, so I thought it would be a good idea to learn how to build a brushless dc (BLDC) motor controller and how to control a brushless dc motor. Why brushless and not induction? Well, first of all, as of my background in RC, I can use one of my RC motors to test a controller prototype and I know where I can get bigger RC motor with more power if I need it. Plus BLDC motors are simpler to control than induction motors, so that was also a big factor why I decided to start from here. I'm scheduled to graduate spring 2016, so I hope I can you give you guys a nice project log on how this will be progressing from here.

I have planned my thesis work on these steps with the first step being the absolutely mandatory one and the hereafter being "stretch goals" to work on if there is time:

1. Design and build a simple, working sensored BLDC motor controller using hall-effect sensors
2. Learn how Battery Management Systems (BMSs) work and build one for the EV
3. Design and build a vector controlled BLDC motor controller for increased running efficiency
4. Build a simple switching mode power supply charger for the EV

Something CNC this way...

CNC router "Routy"

So I have decided to build a CNC router as my thesis work for my bachelor's degree in embedded systems at the university of applied sciences in Tampere, Finland. I will be making a full report on it and I will also be publishing a build log here in my blog.

REVIEW: Quanum DIY FPV Goggles

"provide a good entry point to FPV-flying with goggles"

Super Simple Portable FPV groundstation

Along with the new quadcopter designed for FPV-flying I needed to sort my complicated mess of a groundstation to be simple to setup and portable enough to carry around in a backpack, so I can go traveling with it and start flying anywhere with as small of a setup time as possible. So I pretty much simplified it to have no extras, but just the things needed to fly, which are a screen, video receiver and a battery.

Carbon Quad update 1

Cut almost all the frame pieces and did a test how they fit together.

Project: Carbon Quad

My new goal is to make a good frame for FPV-flying, so it has be laid out properly where everything goes on it. I intend on putting a GoPro 3 on it to capture some sweet aerial footage. SO with what I had learned from my earlier projects I decided to make a mock up first in 3d of the frame and I came up with something like this.

The idea with the weird shape of the center plates is to make it oblong shaped so I have actually some space where to put the flight controller, RX, VTX and the GoPro. The center area with the hole will be taken mostly with the flight controller. The center plate is not big, it's only 10 cm across on the thinnest part and 15 cm the long way.

Project: LedBlaster 8000

This is one of my active projects at the moment. I started it around december of 2013 after reading an awesome article on hackaday.com about a DIY light controller. I designed my own boards on the same month and ordered them from IteadStudio and made a parts list and ordered them from Digikey. We'll continue this story later in the post.

It's a lighting controller for RGB-leds to be used with DMX lights software like Freestyler or with christmas lighting software like Vixen 3. This project was based on Shelby Merrick's original project* for the same thing, but I did some changes here and there. For example, Shelby's original Floodbrain board was 18-channel controller, which you could use to control 6 RGB-leds, but mine has 24 channels, which is good for 8 RGB-leds.

(*Link to Shelby Merrick's original controller project)

First populated prototype version pcb