# Controller help/advise!?!?!?!?



## Dcnxero (Apr 23, 2021)

Hello forum, I'm new to this EV building thing, but not new to building cars or automotive electrical systems/components, so I been saving for a while to complete a bucket list I made back when I was 16. 
The idea was to save and buy a brand new car off the lot with cash, but as I aged and 22years passed by, I came to my senses, and grew up.
So I got bout 38k stashed away.
I will be buying the AM Racing AMR 250-90 Single AC Motor and was looking for controller(s) that would be a good fit. 
As of now I'm looking at the
Cascadia Rinehart PM150DX/DZ 150KW AC Motor Controller
or the
Evnetics Soliton 1
Now other than the huge price difference and only based off of the spec sheets I was able to find the Evnetics Soliton 1 is the better choice, price and power.
Since I'm a newbie on this subject of controller purchases, *what's the better way of judging controllers?*
I did try calling EVWest since they advertise all three components. I did get some info from the guy. He was very reluctant to give me any info but only offered me the answer "Go buy a Tesla."
Yes that would be a scratch on the ol' bucket list but ultimately not benefiting me. Now building/converting over my ICE project to an EV of the same power and range would be an accomplishment. Giving me the satisfaction of building something and keeping the forever project going.

Just looking for some help/advise.
Thanx for any help ahead of time.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

Dcnxero said:


> I will be buying the AM Racing AMR 250-90 Single AC Motor and was looking for controller(s) that would be a good fit.
> As of now I'm looking at the
> Cascadia Rinehart PM150DX/DZ 150KW AC Motor Controller
> or the
> ...


At the most fundamental level, you at least need to buy a controller which produces the kind of power needed by the motor. You have chosen an AC motor, so you need an AC controller (also called an inverter); the Soliton is (as the listing says) a DC controller.

By the way, I believe that Evnetics shut down long ago - that Soliton listing is either obsolete, or they're still selling some old stock of controllers from a company which no longer exists to offer support.



Dcnxero said:


> I did try calling EVWest since they advertise all three components. I did get some info from the guy. He was very reluctant to give me any info but only offered me the answer "Go buy a Tesla."


Given recent experience of other forum members with EV West, I think they should be treated as an online source of some component specifications, but no should buy from them or expect support from them. On the other hand, if you don't understand the difference between AC and DC yet, the person you reached on the phone may have been understandably frustrated.

By the way, all of the custom colour choices in the original post make it hard to read. I use the dark-background mode for this site, so the black text is black-on-dark-grey; if you just use the default colours text shows white-on-dark-grey for me.


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## Dcnxero (Apr 23, 2021)

@brian_ Thank you! thank you! thank you! 
You have shed some light on some of my questions.
I do see now why the Soliton is so cheap compared to the Rinehart of a lesser and different power. Plus since you said they went under does give good explanation for this price drop.
As for the Ac Dc thing, that was a stupid oversight on my part "MUH BAD". If im correct "AC" stands for "Alternating Current" and "DC" means "Direct Current" or an easier way I like to remember it, "The house needs AC" and " that Damn Car takes DC batteries"
But thank you for the info on Evnetics and Evwest. Aslo glad you pointed the diff in power output/type going to make sure to watch out for that.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

Dcnxero said:


> I do see now why the Soliton is so cheap compared to the Rinehart of a lesser and different power.
> ...
> As for the Ac Dc thing, that was a stupid oversight on my part "MUH BAD". If im correct "AC" stands for "Alternating Current" and "DC" means "Direct Current" or an easier way I like to remember it, "The house needs AC" and " that Damn Car takes DC batteries"


Right... and there's even more difference than that. The power from a household outlet is single-phase AC: two wires, with the voltage between them varying up and down, from positive to negative (thus "alternating") 60 times per second (60 hertz). The power used by the AC motors used in EV (and all but the smallest industrial motors) is three-phase AC: three wires, the voltage on all three varying in turn. That means that the AC controller is basically three times as complex as a DC controller or a single-phase AC controller.


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## Dcnxero (Apr 23, 2021)

Thanx for the refresher course of the currents. But I would like to know more bout the EV workings. When I made my EvW call we never got pass the battery question.
Since you mentioned inveverters\converters I started reading up on them. I have a very small convert in the car already (not something for an EV project) for my laptop so when I go to the track I can play with the tune and not have to worry bout my laptop dyeing. So I do know what they are and kind of how they work (the basics) just could be better educated on the EV types.
I'm going to be using the Tesla 5.2Kw battery packs unless I find a better and lighter battery with cooling line or some type of liquid cooling system. 
I do expect to add 1000lb+ to the car but I will be removing some where aroun 800-900lb out of the car so it will probably weigh after conversion 3200lb maybe a lil less.
Over all I'm not looking to make the next biggest top fuel drag car killer but I just want to stay relatively close to what the car is already doing. This car has been dub by my wife as the car that won't die and has proven its self to get me through the toughest times and even tho I have put in 5 motors over the 10 years I've own it and broke a trans, all because I was pushing it to its limits(except the NC time) but it got me home safely and back running in 2 days.


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## lj516 (Mar 11, 2020)

Dcnxero said:


> Thanx for the refresher course of the currents. But I would like to know more bout the EV workings.


Motors are AC now, batteries are DC, you need an AC to DC charger for the batteries, a DC to DC for 12V. The reason you have been told to buy a tesla is because you are going to get yourself killed skipping the ABSOLUTE essentials of current EV conversions.


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