Heavyweight Drive System

[Ocracoke]

Not to my knowledge, no. I use a HW controller in my MW for its axe, a VEX Victor BB (ref: https://www.ampflow.com/controllers/vex/) which is a little fiddly but works for my needs.

[ChrisTX108]

Regarding the 4QD, i have used them in the past but they are bulky and in the case of the PRO 360, expensive. As for the Vex BB controllers, they are again expensive ($499 each) and are not easily bought in the UK anymore.

Your best bet would be to look at the Roboteq controllers, there are plenty of builders who use them so plenty of people who can help with them, they are also available as dual channel and single channel controllers so you can choose if you want 1 controller or have 1 per motor.
Another option would be the Robot Power Vyper: https://www.robotshop.com/uk/vyper-1...ontroller.html
you would need 2 for drive and you would be limited to 36V but then you would need 2 4QD controllers as well or 2 Vex BBs.

[terry]

lol.... just because something is new will not guarantee it lasts longer in this sport !

[pikaprince1345]

The robotek ones on robot shop are quite expensive too. Like £500+ minimum

[Ocracoke]

HW components are expensive across the board usually. They don't have to be, the Vex BB controller I mentioned was a second hand affair (as Chris mentioned, they aren't readily available in the UK and are expensive new) and the pair of Ampflow A28-400 motors for my upcoming HW were definitely second hand as well.

I like to think of buying second hand as them having been tested in the sport in some capacity, even if it was only for testing purposes by the seller. As Terry mentions, buying brand new doesn't ensure they'll last any longer than used and as you might imagine, this sport is unforgiving. I've blown up at least one Cytron dual controller which I bought new.

[pikaprince1345]

I get that. What I was saying is they are the same price of not mroe expensive than the pro360s.
One silly question. The motors Ive got have an upper limit for current of about 290 amps. Is it then wose to get a esc which has a limit continuous current of 300 amps? Or could I get by with something lower?

[Ocracoke]

The amperage rating is the peak that the motor can draw at any one time (usually when stalled). If the motors can pull 290 and the ESC handle 300, then in theory you are OK. The other way around is a bit more complicated.

For example, the ESC I use in my Middleweight now (a RageBridge v2) can handle 40 amps a side continuously with a peak of 75A for 30 seconds. The CIM motors I use (from RobotShop) states a peak of 133 amps. However, this is at 12v, I run these motors at 26.4v (8S LiFe). Therefore, to get the same wattage from the motor, you need, in very rough terms, half the amperage. 133 / 2 = 66.5amps at peak. It is entirely possible that the motor could still draw 133 amps but at that point, my 80A fuse would blow and prevent the motor from exploding.

It is also worth noting that the gearing on your drive will make a difference to how much amperage is needed at any one point since all of the above is based on a 1:1 gearing as I understand it (i.e. direct drive). The Middleweight uses a quite high 6:1 (ish) single stage gearbox.

So in answer to your question, you could theoretically get by with something lower, yes but it needs to be calculated.

[pikaprince1345]

Has anyone tried the roboclaw solo 300?

[Ocracoke]

Not the Solo 300 but I know a MW (Audacious) that I think used a Roboclaw in their drive for a while. It ended up randomly cutting out on them a lot.