Castle LINK programming kit - is it necessary/worthwhile with CA V3?

20-20

10 mW
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Dec 16, 2017
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22
Putting together a recumbent ebike with RC motor, Neugart planetary gearbox, 44.4v Li-po battery and Cycle Analyst. The CA will handle delivery of throttle signal to the controller. I haven't purchased a controller yet. I think I've settled on the Castle Creations HV-80. I don't know if I need the Castle Link programming gizmo to alter the HV-80's settings, because the CA can be programmed to do just about everything anyway?

It's not a penny-pinching issue - if there are advantages to be had it's got to be worth the extra $20 or so - I can't figure out if it'd be a redundant piece of kit in this application?
 
Does the controller come preset to exactly the settings you know you want to use?

Or: Do you know exactly what settings you want the controller to have?

If not, you would want the link to be able to change them, to experiment with different settings as you tune the bike to the way you want it to work.

Alternately, have Castle simply set everything up for the max capability you know you will use, and use the CA to monitor current and voltage and speed and apply appropriate throttle limiting based on whatever settings you use in the CA.


That said, there have been incidents that explain why some poeple call them Castle Cremations controllers. ;) Mostly these controllers don't have phase current/etc monitoring, so it's possible to have a stalled rotor condition long enough to cook FETs in the controller, and blow them up. Happened to a few people trying to run RC motors (etc) to run various types of drives on bikes for races a few years ago, if you dig around you may find more details. I think Thud used a few.

Generally the RC controllers are designed for low load startup conditions, that don't last very long (starting up a prop, or getting a relatively lightweight scale-model's wheels moving, etc.

On a bike or other heavier vehicle, the startup conditions are the highest load, and depending on size, weight, terrain, wind, etc., the conditions can last long enough to blow the controllers.


They *can* work, as they have been used successfully in various drives, like the Kepler friction drives for at least one version, so yours may work fine too.
 
Thanks amberwolf. I've read posts where tangentdave has used the HV80 with CA, apparently with great success i.e. using the programmabilty of the CA to help prevent cremations :D

I'll add the Castle LINK to my shopping list and report back when I'm up and running.
 
You'll get a coupon for a free castle link usb dongle with the new HV80. It will work fine out of the box with a CA. Turn up the settings inside the HV80 and let the CA do the limiting (assuming you're going to use a shunt and current control mode, otherwise the HV80 may eat your gearbox and drivetrain).

-dave
 
www.recumbents.com said:
Yes!

Here are the CC HV160 settings that worked well for me.
http://recumbents.com/wisil/e-bent/rc_drive/castle_esc_settings.htm

Here are the CA3 settings that worked well for me.
http://recumbents.com/wisil/e-bent/rc_drive/rc_cycle_analyst.htm

Warren

Thank you Warren! I've visited your site several times, especially the RC Drive Calculator, which has helped a lot with motor choice and reduction ratios etc. I didn't notice the links you posted above. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.
 
tangentdave said:
You'll get a coupon for a free castle link usb dongle with the new HV80. It will work fine out of the box with a CA. Turn up the settings inside the HV80 and let the CA do the limiting (assuming you're going to use a shunt and current control mode, otherwise the HV80 may eat your gearbox and drivetrain).

-dave

Thanks for chipping in Dave - I was hoping you would! I've read through a ton of pages about your builds - that's where I first saw mention of using the CA with Castle HV80. I'm already familiar with the CA - I've got one on a Cyclone 3000w build with 52v Li-ion battery, PAS w/torque sensing BB. Without a doubt it's the tune-ability of the CA that's allowed me to get that bike performing the way it does. So when I read you were using the CA to fine tune your Tangent systems it confirmed this was the right way to go with the new bike too.

For the new RC project I don't need much more than 1000w - it'll be another PAS/torque sensing BB, driving through the rear sprockets. That power requirement is based on what I've observed while riding around on the Cyclone powered bike, monitoring the CA's display. I want to keep weight down, so the RC route with Lipos appears to be a good option. But the RC/ESC combo is new to me. I really like how the CA has allowed me to dial in the performance of the other bike so another CA got factored into the new setup from the outset. My thinking is the modest power requirement should be well within the abilities of the HV-80... if I dial the correct settings into the CA!

TBH, if I wasn't committed to building this thing myself, a Tangent drive would be top of the list!
 
tangentdave said:
You'll get a coupon for a free castle link usb dongle with the new HV80. It will work fine out of the box with a CA. Turn up the settings inside the HV80 and let the CA do the limiting (assuming you're going to use a shunt and current control mode, otherwise the HV80 may eat your gearbox and drivetrain).

-dave

Searching further through the ES archives... found a post re using the Grin Phaserunner controller with your Tangent/Astro drive. My RC motor has hall sensors fitted, so I'm guessing it'd make sense to hook them up for improved low speed performance. Setting aside the extra cost (compared to HV80), would you recommend the Phaserunner for an RC motor application?
 
I haven't been able to get the BAC800 (phaserunner) working with an Astro 3210, it throws phase current errors constantly. Speaking with the ASi tech support, they're not surprised as they didn't design the BAC800 for RC motors. No, I wouldn't recommend the Phaserunner for RC engines (but maybe you'd be able to tune it better than me).

VESC however does work with RC motors, and it works well.
 
tangentdave said:
I haven't been able to get the BAC800 (phaserunner) working with an Astro 3210, it throws phase current errors constantly. Speaking with the ASi tech support, they're not surprised as they didn't design the BAC800 for RC motors. No, I wouldn't recommend the Phaserunner for RC engines (but maybe you'd be able to tune it better than me).

VESC however does work with RC motors, and it works well.

Purchased a Phaserunner before seeing your reply. On paper it should be a good match for my setup. I'll report back when it's up and running.
 
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