VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Discussion about components from Ampera/Bolt and the PSA group which owns Opel these days
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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by Isaac96 »

kiwifiat wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 10:01 pm A huge thanks to Tom for his ground breaking work on the Ampera/Volt inverter back in 2018:

https://github.com/tomdebree/Volt-Inverter

Current sensors are 2.85mV/A so good for at least 700A.
Great, thank you! Added to wiki.
-Isaac

EDIT What about using the oil pump inverter in the Volt to generate 120vac? Just a random thought.... It would need an isolation transformer for sure.
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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by mdrobnak »

Arber is using that with a Prius compressor. Not sure what the best option there is, but I'm keeping my A/C LOL.
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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by arber333 »

mdrobnak wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 11:13 pm Arber is using that with a Prius compressor. Not sure what the best option there is, but I'm keeping my A/C LOL.
I choose Prius Gen2 compressor solely because i know it has 3 phase wires that i can fit connector to them with no internal inverter.
I am using the Aux power section under the main cap. While it consimed max 5A with my tests i imagine i tested it and it withstood 10A without cooling mechanism. Granted i tested it with load connected through reverse diode, but still...
I am using Aux inverter with small Lebowski brain that works in sensorless. On my desk it works great. It can start Prius compressor under load gradually with only a signal from the original AC clutch.
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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by Jack Bauer »

Just arrived:)
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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by mdrobnak »

Nice!
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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by arber333 »

Woho! Really nice.

I see you use transistors to invert PWM signals. I thought to use SMD inverter chip myself.
Did you account for the encoder/resolver interface? I dont see it there?
Also i would advise to use bigger pins for the output signals. Well unless you intend to use the Ampseal header on separate board maybe?

We need to get Lebowski working with Wifi passthrough. That should be priority. Everything else should work as is...
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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by Jack Bauer »

yeah I used the transistors to good effect with the prius design. It does indeed have resolver exciter and interface.

Board is a perfect fit and I managed to harvest the connectors from the oem card.
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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by arber333 »

Do show us some RPM please!

Do you intend to use 30way AMP seal connector for I/Os?

A
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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by Jack Bauer »

Good news is the Ampera V1 board seems to work. Bad news is there are a few Damien screwups.

1) Polarity is incorrect on analog Vdd and Vss pins on the Lebowski chip. Pin 16 should be +5v and pin 17 GND. See pictures. Modification required : Remove L1, Short out C4. Lift pin 17 leg and wire to +5v.

2)I assumed the fault lines to be active low on the main power stages. This is incorrect. They seem to be active high. Modification required :remove R38 and TR6. Short R38. Link R38 to TR6 collector as in picture.

with these mods done the Main power stages seem to work fine. Not tested Lebowski aux inverter as yet.

Arber you mentioned a serial pass through wifi? Where can I get this?

I'll pop the boards up on the webshop later nice and cheap due to the above. New rev will fix the problems once current stock is exhausted.
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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by arber333 »

Jack Bauer wrote: Fri Jun 05, 2020 11:17 am 2)I assumed the fault lines to be active low on the main power stages. This is incorrect. They seem to be active high. Modification required :remove R38 and TR6. Short R38. Link R38 to TR6 collector as in picture.

with these mods done the Main power stages seem to work fine. Not tested Lebowski aux inverter as yet.

Arber you mentioned a serial pass through wifi? Where can I get this?
Well there is a transistor on driver board which pulls on the fault line towards GND when everything is normal. If you connect this line to one NPN transistor with 4K7 pullup and connect it to OClimit line on inverter then its brain thinks everything is normal.

I will test your Lebowski inverter with Prius AC compressor soon.

Yes, Dima made a simple x-term interface for our Wifi gizmo, but untill now i wasnt able to get it running.
https://github.com/dimecho/ESP8266-XTerm

EMW charger interface now works in my Mazda beautifully for 5 months now. I really want the same for Lebowski brain, because my Pug can now drive up to its full range with 25% field weakening etc... I want to test it with both sides of inverter and to do that WiFi would be really essential. Now i have two cables drawn from inverter. One for the AC brain and one for drive brain. Just waiting for bearing retaining plate...

BTW: How did you get the wifi to work. Did you need to reset the chip to get serial data through maybe?
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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by Jack Bauer »

So installed the Dima interface on an olimex wifi module. Good news! it works. Bad news from my side I swapped the tx and rx on the pcb header of course and also looks like we have a formatting problem on teh interface side. Tested it on the Johannes brain and it works fine so must be something unique to the big L menu formatting....
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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by Martin1775 »

Thanks to Damien I got an Ampera board that I want to install in a chevy spark inverter.The inverter is except of the missing part for the second motor the same as the Ampera/Volt, and the board fits perfectly. They are also the right plugs wired for the connector.

As a precaution, I have some material removed from the aluminum carrier plate in the area of ​​conn2 so that the connections below have enough space.

I swapped pins 16 and 17 on the dsPIC to correct the polarity. After supplying the board with 12V, a green LED next to the STM32 and a red LED next to the dsPIC light up. Fine, no smoke, power supply OK.

To program the STM32, I use the STM32 ST-Link utility with an STM demo board (STM32L053) and the SWPROG01 port. As with the Prius Board, this was possible without problems.
After programming, one green LED next to the STM lights up and the second flashes.

I ordered a PicKit2 programmer for the dsPIC to program via the DSPIC PROG PORT. I use the PICkit2 programmer as software.
When read the dsPIC, the message "No device detected" appears, and the red LED flashes briefly once. OK, try to program, LED flashes twice, message "No device detected" nothing else. :(

After ordering a replacement dsPIC I search again all connections in the circuit diagram and also compared it with the version by BobC. When tracking the leads in the Schematic.PDF from Damien I came across SJ7 and SJ8.
Oops, the lines on the programming port hang in the air.
After bridging the jumper SJ7 and SJ8 the next attempt and what a surprise, it works. The dsPIC is found by software and after programming, all 4 LEDs next to the dsPIC also flash. :)

Now it is time to connect the further connections and testing.


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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by Martin1775 »

The next step is done.

I can communicate with both inverters on the board via the FTDI port / WIFI connector.

Unfortunately, the settings for the terminal program are slightly different.
For the communication I use PuTTY.

The settings for the COM port are the same: 115200,8,1, N, N
edit: Johannes says 115200,8,2,N,N for his board, it worked for me with 1 stopbit, but 2 stopbit are safer and do not interfere with Lebowski.
In the terminal setting for the Lebowski Inverter "CR for every LF" must be activated, for Johannes Inverter not.

Without a complete setup, two pairs of LEDs for the Lebowski flash alternately.

The Lebowski Inverter only responds on the COM port after a setup signal.

To do this, pin 38 must be set to low while reset or switch on and all LEDs are then dark.
There is still a jumper missing on the circuit board, I solderd a pin directly to R87. The setup manual says Pin 19, but this only applies to the DIL version of the ds30F4011.

If you then press enter in the terminal program, the setup menu appears.

RX and TX are interchanged on the WIFI connection of the Lebowski inverter, this has to be taken into account when using.
So far I have only tested the direct connection without WIFI.
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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by e^2 »

Hey Martin, was this a trivial task if you don't use Wifi? I'm gathering data and I think this is the way to go for my build. I already have a SparkEV inverter in my car (configured for DC) and a Leaf motor on the shop floor.

Where is the software located?
:edit
Found the github, but where do I go from here? It doesn't appear to have the software, just the board build data.
https://github.com/damienmaguire/Ampera-Volt-Inverter
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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by jap »

https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewt ... 5#p1533223

That should get you started, search Lebowskis posts for manual & other threads.
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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by arber333 »

Martin1775 wrote: Sun Jul 19, 2020 7:51 pm Without a complete setup, two pairs of LEDs for the Lebowski flash alternately.
You can just install my settings for Prius AC compressor through serial cable interface:
https://github.com/arber333/Ampera-Lebowski-interface

Look for a txt file with hex values inside.
Also if you read Lebowski instructions you will find out that signal polarity !does not transfer with settings! You need to change it manually to signal LOW for Volt inverter. Otherwise you may have a nasty surprise.
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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by Martin1775 »

The last weeks I don't do much with the board, so there are no news.

It took some time to realise that the pin in the discription I had to hold on GND was different from the text.
So I tried a lot of different seriell communication with and without transistor as inverter between the rx and tx lines as in the original design, crossed rx tx lines, RS232 kabel, different TTL kabel, different terminal settings, etc.

Now that I have found the right settings, there is no problem with the communication. I use a 5V TTL adapter for the Lebowski part and a second one with 3.3V for the Johannes part.
After starting the setup when the led are off, pressing enter brings up the menu on the screen.

In the meantime I found that Johannes suggest 2 stopbit for the communication, for me it worked with 1 stopbit and 2 stopbit, but 2 stopbit is much save, because the difference is the time for the stopbit, and it will have a minimum lenght.

So far I haven't connected HV yet to the inverter.

The configuration of the signal polarity that arber suggest should done before power up the HV on the inverter.
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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by e^2 »

Thanks guys. I didn't realize that it uses a Lebowski controller. I'm only familiar with Arduino stuff so I might have some learning to do. I assume that the Damien version does not come pre-loaded? Thanks guys. If I can use my SparkEV inverter instead of the Leaf stuff I totally will.

@Arber, yup, when I did my DC controller I used a 120VAC light bulb for my 120VDC rail to see if the throttle was responding correctly. Found that it was inverted in the code that way! Then I used a 4kW 240V drier element to pull about 2kW through the controller to make sure nothing blew up and I could see the current.
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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by Martin1775 »

It uses the Lebowski controller for the auxiliary inverter, for the main inverter the Johannes controller. For programming you need two different tools, one for the STM32 and one for the dsPIC.

My board from Damien was not pre-loaded.
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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by e^2 »

Thanks guys. Since I don't need the aux inverter I can ignore that part.

So the STM32 is for the main inverter with Johannes code? I'll need to find that next. Sorry for the questions, trying to make sure I can get all the bits sorted before I order something.
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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by arber333 »

jap wrote: Tue Aug 04, 2020 6:51 pm https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewt ... 5#p1533223

That should get you started, search Lebowskis posts for manual & other threads.
Also see here Lebowski user manual.
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewt ... 30&t=36602
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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by arber333 »

Good news folks!
I have managed to clean my A/C systema of PAG oil and fill it up with hybrid oil. I am running Prius gen2 compressor with 130ml of Denso ND-OIL 11.
I had to fill gas to cca 5bar.
To run compressor i am using Lebowski brain on DsPic30F the same one Damien shows here only DIL version. I have setup throttle request with 12V A/C clutch signal. It goes in to voltage divider to drop to 5V rating with capacitor from signal to GND. Capacitor slowly charges when AC is active to start the motor and when AC is off resistor in divider drains the cap to stop the motor. Simple but effective analog control 8-).

I still need to fine tune A/C motor control but at least it starts and provides cold air.
I had to setup control to 30Arms for sensorless start. Also i had to blanket quite some throttle travel. Due to RC link behaviour first 1/3 of signal rises very quickly so i had to calibrate throttle to use only signal from 2/3s of throttle travel. And even then i set up throttle to start with exponential progression.
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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by js1tr3 »

After zapping two Tesla SDU inverters using a V4 Damien board, I'm gonna try something different here. Just ordered from JLCPCB Damien's volt logic board to try running the Tesla small motor.

Wanted to check if anyone knows what frequency this inverter/IGBTs can operate at.
1988 Porsche 911 targa with warp11 motor. Soon to be Tesla SDU.
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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by arber333 »

js1tr3 wrote: Thu May 05, 2022 10:32 am After zapping two Tesla SDU inverters using a V4 Damien board, I'm gonna try something different here. Just ordered from JLCPCB Damien's volt logic board to try running the Tesla small motor.

Wanted to check if anyone knows what frequency this inverter/IGBTs can operate at.
Tesla motor is medium ACIM. No large pole count there.
I would advise to use less than 8khz PWM, maybe 5khz. I use the latter with Nissan Leaf motor and although i can hear it transistors are not heating up much. I noticed with different PWM function deadtime value also changes dramaticaly.
Also DO NOT ALLOW DC contactor to open in case of any fault. With motor at speed this can kill the inverter! Must keep it closed untill motor stops.

Volt inverter i took as high as 18khz with Emrax motor for testing only. Its performance/noise really improves since this 20pole motor requires at least 800Hz to run good PWM. I mean this as minimum figure for motor excitation.
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Re: VOLT/AMPERA inverter single controler dual IGBT drive

Post by js1tr3 »

Any advice for troubleshooting the 5V regulator?
I couldn't source the MP2359 so I hand soldered a XRP7659.
sometimes the chip appears to go into shutdown mode and sometimes it comes up just fine.
If I remove everything from the board, current sensor and WemosD1( wifi) then the 5V power supply comes up fine when powered from 12V on the LV connector.

I can backfeed the 5V directly (with 12V disconnected of course) from the LV connector, and my benchtop power supply indicates the draw is only 300mA, so the XRP7659 should be happy.
I stuck with the 10uH inductor, but based on this load level 20uH might be more appropriate, also it looks like the output capacitance Is way bigger than needed.. the design sheet calls for 22uF.
1988 Porsche 911 targa with warp11 motor. Soon to be Tesla SDU.
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