Any interest in a custom e-foil ESC?

nickw1881 · January 9, 2020, 7:40pm

Have to clarify something for health and safety: This is not a VESC, and not just because I dont want Frank Trampa to sue me. VESC has lots of parts that are barely suited to the application. I am only using a modified version of the software. The gate drive and switch circuits are all my design.

Wavebreaker parts are all well rated for this application, and the board has been specifically designed for thermal conduction cooling in an ip68 case. It is immune to the sort of switching spikes that kill VESC drv830x drivers.

I only say what I have tested so far. This board will do 72V, 16s, I just need another golf cart battery and some time to swap in some more capacitors.

samisin · January 9, 2020, 7:53pm

Even better iI didnt look vesc to see under what kind of license it has been released. It would be great to branch out the hw and fw to adopt it it completely for watersports

brycej · January 9, 2020, 10:54pm

Did you have a link to the enclosure?

Sliman_O · January 10, 2020, 1:46pm

(I got all the answers by reading the whole post)

nickw1881 · January 10, 2020, 6:24pm

It’s definitely a long thread, I wish there was a way to edit it down some.

My last post may be confusing, so TLDR:
Over on eskate builders, now forums.eskate.news, Trampa has been very vocal that if it’s not made by him or vedder, dont claim anything VESC. Dont use the name, dont provide links to compiled versions of VESC tool OR ELSE.

I am using modified version of the vesc project open source code. That means it’s basically just like a vesc in every way (except way more powerful) but I will not always be up to date with the latest vesc tool, and my code is not included with the vesc tool defaults. So slightly less user friendly until I for vesc tool as well and call it something else

SoEFoil · January 11, 2020, 12:18am

Would you name your fork “WESC” to avoid legal issues ?
W not only stands for your family name but also Water or can be seen as a double V meaning much better than the simple one (for our use)

CNCaddict · January 11, 2020, 1:09am

Should be able to add custom hardware here, you can see other custom builds like the “A200S” are already listed.

Not sure about getting it into VESCtool, but downloading the firmware and loading it separately isn’t that big of a hassle. If you call it WESC/Wdrive/etc I don’t think they would have issue, and might even help support your design if it works well. IMHO 90% of the value of VESC is in VESCtool; so if your drive doesn’t work with that It’ll be hard for it to catch on.

nickw1881 · January 11, 2020, 3:44am

IMHO 90% of the value of VESC is in VESCtool; so if your drive doesn’t work with that It’ll be hard for it to catch on.

Agree! Since all I am changing is the config files, the wavebreaker (or should i call it something else?) is compatible with VESC Tool. The binary just isn’t included and you have to load it separately like with the A200S and all the other custom builds.

nickw1881 · January 25, 2020, 6:00am

Here is my concept, which is an evolution of @pacificmeister concept. It needs a milled-out brick of aluminum for a housing, and some lathed penetrators to get the wires into the housing. This way, the whole thing is in the water when not foiling (0-200A motor current), and can conduct through the aluminum mast when foiling (20-80A motor current).

It’s a very different concept than what everyone else has done (except pacificmeister). I am wondering if anyone else is interested in mounting the ESC this way? One thing is that the wires need to be glued into the penetrators, so the wires need to be jacketed in a material that sticks to glue (not ptfe not silicone). I have been thinking about EPDM as a good jacket material for 8awg battery and motor wire.

g0gentle · January 25, 2020, 10:20am

Simple and without water cooling. Love it

Alexandre · January 25, 2020, 10:13pm

Very nice I was still trying figuring out how to put my vesc between the mast bolt …

nickw1881 · February 14, 2020, 4:59am

Ok so MY idea looks lot like this which just showed up on insta an hour ago. Whoever you are: I’m good at design, let me design it for you!

samisin · February 14, 2020, 5:15am

He is @Mantafoils I will build you guys the remote and bms

Jezza · February 14, 2020, 9:58am

Fliteboard is gonna be after them straight away. They have patented the ESC on mast…

nickw1881 · February 14, 2020, 10:26am

oh jesus. Now how is someone gonna patent “ESC on the mast”.

I’m about to buy some ESCs. I should have sell-able units in about 1 month, unless Wuhan flu gets worse. I’ll dyno test each one, so you can be assured that they have been tested to 7kW before you hook it up.

Jezza · February 14, 2020, 1:43pm

Here the patents are:

Alexandre · February 14, 2020, 2:15pm

http://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/ols/auspat/retrieveFromEDossier.do?applicationNo=2017268537&hiddenDocumentName=Drawing+as+Accepted&selectDocument=2017268537%3A20340772||Drawing+as+Accepted%3A755

Sliman_O · February 14, 2020, 5:28pm

Their patents does not even cover the EU ?
There are nearly no informations on this patent. What does it cover ? ESC above the mast ? In which position does the ESC need to be to be patented ? Because yes, you have to describe everything in the patent and even the orientation of the said esc / cables, otherwise I will just flip over the ESC or put my cable elsewhere and we are out of the jurisdiction, aren’t we ?
The best selling products in the world aren’t even patented, just think of the Coca cola…

Look how Pegasus foil got rid of their patent … How are they going to sue them ?

Mantafoils · February 15, 2020, 3:36am

Pwrfoil also have esc on mast… The flite patent covers esc on mast passively cooled by a special heat convection system… That’s what we can read in the patent and this is why other companies have already started to sell efoils with such features.

nickw1881 · March 21, 2020, 6:00am

Well, I ordered a batch of wavebreaker 2 for us. Was going to put them up for sale and give some away in trades. But the asian pcb manufacturer got held up due to the wuhan flu, so I just got the boards this week. Being a smart guy, I decided to on-shore the manufacturing at a assembly shop close to my house. But I am in CA, and now WE are on lockdown.

So if anyone wanted a wavebreaker 2, sorry about that. The universe has decided this project shall not happen this year.