Building a Custom ESC from Scratch (VESC Based)

Join me as I take you through my journey of building a custom Electronic Speed Controller (ESC) based on the VESC platform. This video documents my personal experience, highlighting the challenges, successes, and key learnings along the way. Whether you're a DIY enthusiast or simply curious about the process, I hope you find this project both informative and inspiring.
Resources:
➡️ vesc-project.com/
➡️ • Motor KV 100% Explaine...
➡️ epc-co.com/epc...
➡️ epc-co.com/epc...

[@tbrun1000]

please do a video about the power supply

[@AmateurInventor]

Wow, this video is truly a gem

[@UkTechGuy]

Like a lot of VESC enthusiasts and EV builders with VESC, looking this. More please

[@benny-fo7bd]

Man, this video is such a gem, i startrd some time ago triying to desingn or find a affordable esc for 120v dc opperation around 100 to 200a continuous, but frankly i just have no idea what i am doing electroniks wise i tried to get an 3 phase mosfetdriver to communicate with an arduino and some mosfets for testing blew that 40 eur driver right up and man as a student i just dont have that kinda monney germany is so expensive. I woukd love to get back someday to my projects. And man u kida give me hope Love this video its so great ! Sorry for my bad englisch, its not my primary language

[@Nakipzhan]

Hello! Your video released just in right time, cause i'm design my own version of ESC, but not finally consider on what schematic it could be realized: VESC, ODrive or maybe some other. I am delighted with the work you have done! Good luck completing the project!

[@Brian-S]

Even though you said you didn't do this for a commercial purpose I would strongly suggest getting this out there dude. It's a great design and it fills a great gap. I hope you truly consider this!

[@Brian-S]

Also props for using a Chris rosser clip. He is quite intelligent when it comes to escs or just fpv stuff in general lol. He maybe goes a little to far on paper and it doesn't always translate to the quad in the air BUT it's still great information to introduce to fpv where for the last couple years it's always been "so and so is the best hardware because it feels the best" Feels aren't valid science haha

[@KaminarisTech]

I am not sure if you know how much of a pain is it to prepare electronic device for sell. I did consider it but i just CBA to deal with all that plus customers and rma.

[@chargedup6565]

@@Brian-SChris’s videos are the only reason I was brave enough to try Vesc years ago, figured if I can tune a drone I can do a Vesc 😂

[@vmiguel1988]

Awesome! Deep dives are appreciated!

[@TheLeetfrog]

Such a nice design, really well thought out and executed.

[@t1d100]

Awesome project, indeed! I like to use a solid state relay, when the output amp draw is high and a MCU is the controller. A Crydom SSR is easily driven directly from MCU pin, as it only requires 7mA of current to trigger it. SSRs come in a wide variety of Input/Output Voltages and DC/AC Input/Output Combinations. I built a DIY reflow oven with one. Stay away from the Fostek (spelling?) brand, as they are known to be under-designed and their specifications to be overstated. Cheers.

[@i_am_terom4810]

Awesome project dude ! I wish i had the knowledge and confidence to do all of that :)

[@LatutaEV]

Loved the video great would love to see videos about power supply etc

[@harrylenon9594]

Nice! I used epc2014c in my thesis for a buck converter, its rediculous how small the pads are, soldering by hand it a nightmare. I want to design my own motor controller at some point, but the BOM gets pretty high pretty quick 😂 might get to it after i finish my synchronous buck-boost MPPT solar controller

[@KaminarisTech]

Pads being small isn't that big of an issue, needs a little more practice than usual, high voltage plus small pads was the biggest issue for me :D

[@harrylenon9594]

@@KaminarisTech the buck converter IC I used relied on the resistance of the low side fet to calculate current, I found I had wildly different resistances. I really needed solder paste at a minimum to solder the fets correctly, I only had solder wire. I might try soldering them again and seeing if I can get them a bit more consistent

[@KaminarisTech]

@@harrylenon9594 I actually wrote a guide how to solder them, paste is needed: Use 60/40 solder from a reputable source. Trying to use lead-free solder by hand will be extremely difficult. Using poor-quality products will also result in failure, and this applies to flux as well. This board has 4 layers, so it can absorb a lot of heat. Using high-quality solder is essential because the board is very sensitive to cold joints. Having a good soldering iron is crucial and can make the difference between success and failure. To solder GaN mosfets i strongly recommend using soldering paste instead, everything else can be done with wire tin. Apply solder paste with flux on the footprint. Position the GaN mosfet in place. Use hot air until the solder melts and the GaN device is securely in place, applying gentle pressure to ensure proper contact. Remove any excess solder with a soldering iron. Allow the solder to cool down. [Repeat] Heat the solder joint again with hot air. Apply flux. Use tweezers to gently swirl the MOSFET, ensuring each pad has an equal amount of solder. Reposition the MOSFET properly. Allow the solder to cool down. [Repeat until the GaN mosfet self-aligns perfectly.]

[@t1d100]

"I want to design my own motor controller at some point, but the BOM gets pretty high pretty quick" With a desire to help you, I am wondering why you would think a great many parts would be needed. It does depend on your design goals, but I designed a 12V/1A PWM motor controller, using a PIC12F683 (same as a ATtiny85, but with the power pins inverted.) That only required about 12 discrete common parts. I would be glad to send you a complete kit for free, if you are in the USA/Lower48. I do not own the software, so you would have to write that. We would need to find a private way for you to provide me with your address. HTH. Cheers.

[@harrylenon9594]

@@t1d100 thanks for the offer, that's very generous. I have made an ESC on a breadboard and it works pretty well, but I'd want to make something that isn't just re-making what everyone else has already made. For example a Ganfet design, you'd probably want to order at least 10 fets and that could be up to 150 bucks for GaNfets alone. Not super expensive, but unfortunately more than I am in a position to spend

[@nin1ten1do]

absolut *dingdign* badassss

[@townjava6845]

The power supply part can use UC3842 flyback power supply. It has a simple structure and can be used for isolation. However, it is troublesome to wind the transformer.

[@KaminarisTech]

UC3842 is low voltage only so the only option is floaty ground which i tried and will explain why its a problem in upcoming video. Also transformers are problematic in general because they are hard to find/search and winding them manually is absolute no-go.

[@townjava6845]

This package is the size of a sesame seed and a small mos pulls a big cart. It is strongly recommended to use a top247 package with a huge heat sink to ensure high power and stable operation.

[@auden_builds]

Very awesome project!

[@LinusAmvall-l9e]

looks awesome!

[@Ray88G]

Please do a video on Power Stage

[@townjava6845]

Adding isolated gate drive and isolated current acquisition is necessary

[@rahulkushwaha9500]

power supply please.

[@phredka12]

It should be mas production, it should be a reliable, designed to by easy to fix!!!!! with good manual, and I would be happy to buy hundreds of them. There is plenty people who need it So what are you waiting for!!!

[@aaronruningen8315]

Would you be willing to open source your work? I'd love to build a controller like this. Thanks for your videos.

[@Ray88G]

What software are you using for designing

[@Lithium00001]

При таком напряжении питания следовало бы посмотреть в сторону интегральных преобразователей сетевых работающих в диапазоне 110-220В, например Viper. TOPswich или кучи аналогичных. Есть уже готовые китайские модули, а можно было вообще разобрать китайский сетевой адаптер .Лучше применять трансформатор, а не дроссель, ибо в случае пробоя мосфета преобразователя можно сжечь сигнальную часть контроллера, плавкий предохранитель не успеет отработать. Плохо, что в вашей схеме с TL494 нет токового шунта, это опасно.

[@KaminarisTech]

Yes I am aware that flyback with transformer would be better but again, not enough space. I did made version with OC protection with 10mOhm shunt and INA213

[@pingwinvonjelen6586]

i missed something or tl494 dont support half bridge? Adding mosfet would improve performance on these low voltages

[@KaminarisTech]

TL494 does not support it. I am simply using halfbridge driver because they are more common. Using only single part of it.

[@pingwinvonjelen6586]

@@KaminarisTech so whats wrong with all these schematics with half bridges controlled with tl494, and also why they claim it support deadtime control by pin DTC

[@raydonpubgm5233]

❤

[@sanjikaneki6226]

power supply video please