Sabertooth 60A dual controller

[watkykjy]

Hi Guys,

I couldn't find anything on the controller below, and whether it can be used for our simulators?
http://www.robotmarketplace.com/product ... H2X60.html

I currently have the dual 30A h-bridge from pololu, and it has quite a number of different pins from the AMC that connects to it, and while it does work, it can only do 30A max and it gets very hot during operation with my big motors, so I am considering this 60A controller.... If you check on that link you will see the documentation for this controller as well, and you will see that it has very few input pins, so I guess at the end of the day my question is whether this can be made to work with Tonic's AMC, or if there would be any modifications required (and if yes, what they are)?

Alternatively, can you maybe recommend another controller that we know works 100% at 50A nominal with Tonic's AMC, seeing that my power supply can easily supply up to 63A per motor at 12V and the motors can handle it as well...

Thanks guys!

[sirnoname]

That price is a nogo.

Simple use eBay:
http://www.ebay.de/itm/43A-DC-Motor-Dri ... 460a2fc2fb

http://www.ebay.de/itm/60A-Dual-Motor-D ... 460a395a73

[watkykjy]

lol, I agree that it's hellishly expensive, but here's the thing.... I can get one for just about $25 from someone who bought the wrong h-bridge by mistake (the sabertooth 60A), and now it's too big to fit his enclosure of the project he's working on, so at $25, if I can verify that it will work with Tonic's AMC, I'll be all over it as quick as a horny bull in mating season!

So, do you think it will work, given that the pinouts differ from the pololu's?

[motiondave]

$43 US is expensive?
Ha! You lot should live in Australia and see what we pay for things!

[watkykjy]

lol, that sabertooth is $189 new... That's a lot of money to us mere mortals .

But seeing as I can get it from my buddy for $25, I just need to confirm whether it will work with the AMC or not? Seeing that AMC has a lot more pins going to my current pololu, I am not sure whether the sabertooth will work? Can you confirm if I am right or wrong?

Thanks!

[watkykjy]

Thanks Bob,

That puts things in a lot better perspective . Yes, even though my sim is quite close to begin balanced (depending on the weight of the person in the seat), I made the mistake of building the entire sim out of 3.5mm - 4.0mm thick steel tubing, so from the outset my sim weights in at just about 120kg without anyone sitting in it!!

After adding the screen, pedals, etc etc, I literally had to bolt on a container filled with rocks to get it to balance properly, hence the big amp draw. And the huge consumption isn't so much moving in one direction, but when moving full speed in one direction and then changing to the other direction with that big mass of momentum is causing the massive amp draws.

The thing is, I compensated for the heavy construction by getting big powerful motors, but of course, I now also need a lot of power delivered to those motors in order to move the sim properly. I already have a power supply that can deliver 70A nominal to the motors, with 140A peaks at 12V, so from that side I am covered. I have upgraded all the wires from the power supply to the H-brdige and to the motors to 8mm thick, so that is covered. The last thing I now need to get there is a nice big chunky h-bridge that will handle all of that, and for that, my 30A pololu is just not cutting it. It overheats even with a HUGE heatsink and speed controlled fan. The pololu has overheat protection built in, so I'll be busy testing, and the next moment it will just cut out, and that's what's prompting this whole discussion on the sabertooth.

Again, I recognize the fact that as my first sim project there are quite a few lessons to be learned here and that construction, movable joints, material, etc plays a VITAL role in all of this, and trying to compensate for my mistakes with big motors and a lot of power is not the best thing to do, but that is unfortunately all that I can do to get it going at this point. With my next sim I will pay A LOT more attention to all those details upfront and do my homework before the time to ensure I don't have to go through this mission again.

PS, when checking online, all those other 60A controllers are rated at like 15A nominal and 60A peaks, whereas I need something that will work with Tonic's AMC, as well as being able to handle 60A nominal with 100A or whatever peaks. If anyone has any other suggestions (or links to sites where I can buy one of those) please feel free to share those with me, so I can FINALLY get my sim going properly before my soon to be fiance leaves me ... lol!