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Author Topic: Contactor Query, (help!)  (Read 1931 times)

ElectricCafe

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Contactor Query, (help!)
« on: October 10, 2010, 01:42:55 AM »

Need some tech wisdom bestowed on me:
I am planning on using an etek-r motor, an alltrax 650 amp controller, and an agm sla battery pack worth 48Volts at 50Amps. My question is what contactor to use? I want to use the albright 180-SL from Electric Motorsport, but it can only pull 200 continuous amps. Isn't this chump change compared to what my controller is capable of pulling from the pack? Will this contactor cause a bottleneck in my system between the pack and controller? (please be thorough) Thanks all-knowing EV guys!
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ElectricCafe

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Re: Contactor Query, (help!)
« Reply #1 on: October 10, 2010, 01:46:45 AM »

Correction: Albright SW-180
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Bogan

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Re: Contactor Query, (help!)
« Reply #2 on: October 11, 2010, 12:55:43 PM »

look up the specs for burst/contiunuous current on all three, think etek-r is good for 30 secs at 300A or 150A continuous, contactor may be similar? controller may be overkill?
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frodus

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Re: Contactor Query, (help!)
« Reply #3 on: October 18, 2010, 09:24:57 PM »

48V at 50A, thats not very much current, did you mean Ah? Make sure you're not confusing units. Ah is capacity.

Your controller will not do 650A continuous, thats peak.

But even more important, Battery current is never equal to motor current.

Power in is basically equal to power out + controller losses, but the voltage changes on the output, as does the current. You get high current and low voltage on the output for the same power, but on the input, its full voltage.

Also, that high current is at low RPM when you're pulling a large load and accelerating, but once you aren't pulling as much of a load (you've gotten to speed), your current drops. Motors also have a Torque curve, and Torque drops as RPM increases, and torque is directly proportional to input current, which drops as well. Volts is RPM, Current is Torque.

So consider it like this (ignoring controller loss for a second in order to simplify the explanation):

the controller is putting out low voltage (and low RPM), but high current (and high torque) and is giving essentially 25% of the full voltage of the pack, but 100% of the current from the controller.... lets say the pack is 72V. That means the motor is seeing about 18V @ 650A, which is 11.7kW.

On the input, at 72V, that 11.7kW is only 162.5A, nowhere near 650A.

I could go explain WHY but its been covered online quite a bit if you want to learn more about controllers, but essentially it involves the PWM of the FET's, the Capacitors and the freewheel diodes. The controller more of a power converter than a switch.


You should be fine, even if you do spike above 200A, it'l be very short. Its the continuous current rating that is important. The main thing with the contactor is continuous current, which will overheat if it is given continuous current above its limits.
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Travis

ElectricCafe

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Re: Contactor Query, (help!)
« Reply #4 on: October 22, 2010, 08:05:42 AM »

50 Ah  - exactly. Unfortunately I had to go with a 44 Ah pack due to the 50's being on back order until December. I bought a Bear unit that is quoted on the Trombetta site as being capable of 225-300 Amps continuous with a 600 Amp peak. Thanks so much for the detailed explanation! - I wasn't aware of the change in voltage from one side to the other. This explains my confusion after seeing bikes more powerful bikes than mine with similar contactors.
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