Re: SD540 Motor Controller
 

For the 7 people who say they "do not like this product" could I ask why? Seems like a perfectly competitive option. What is there to not like?

Re: SD540 Motor Controller
 

Have you tested the higher switching frequency for interactions with the locking pins in the window motors?

Re: SD540 Motor Controller
 

It could be that it's new. It might also be kids who have no idea what they are talking about. I really think it's the fact that some folks just like to be snarky when a poll is anonymous.

Re: SD540 Motor Controller
 

I like both the sd540 and spark for the same reason-cost. The Spark currently wins this albeit only slightly. The size difference isn't enough for me to really care and the low weight scares me for use with higher power motors (whether that fear is justified has yet to be seen-if it doesn't matter then it's definitely a nice boon).

Of those two my favorite is the one that's more reliable, available and has better customer support.

Re: SD540 Motor Controller
 

There's also no "I'm ambivalent about these features" option. "I do not like it, Sam-I-Am" becomes the default option, since the others are super positive about the product.

From my chair, none of the features of the SD540 stand above my primary criteria for selection of a speed-controller, which is "Reliable, as verified by real FRC teams using real hardware on a real robot".

Not to imply that the product isn't reliable, just that being burned to the tune of a set of speed controllers during build/competition season is enough disincentive to keep me preferring more tried-and-true offerings.

Re: SD540 Motor Controller
 

I like the idea that the output has a higher signal frequency. Plus if it is more efficient at transferring power, it won't get as hot. Time will tell if these differences are significant.

Big plus in either case is now we have smaller, lighter and more chip resistant motor controllers! This is a big change from just a few years ago.

Dave

Re: SD540 Motor Controller
 

I haven't seen anything that states whether or not it is FRC legal for 2016. If it isn't, then why are we wasting time on it?

Re: SD540 Motor Controller
 

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...88&postcount=1

Cough cough.

Re: SD540 Motor Controller
 

http://archive.usfirst.org/roboticsp...or-controllers

So yeah, it's legal.

Re: SD540 Motor Controller
 

Since this controller is currently only a PWM device, we will release a device to perform the firmware upgrade. All you have to do is connect it and change it to bootloader mode with the dip switches. More information will be available once the device it released.

Re: SD540 Motor Controller Comparison
 

Credit has now been given below the chart.

Re: SD540 Motor Controller
 

What motor rating are you worried about?

Re: SD540 Motor Controller
 

Emphasis added... are there plans to enable other communication methods line CAN? Possibilities or plans to interface this with encoders in the future?

Re: SD540 Motor Controller
 

I think you'll find the rating most teams will care about is, "has been run by many other teams on many different robots without failure".

for 90% of FRC teams, all the other specs are meaningless. They just want something to make the motor spin without failure.

Re: SD540 Motor Controller
 

I was just worried about overheating problems in heavy duty applications like drivetrain. At around 60% the weight of other controllers there is substantially less thermal mass. I'm worried about it but it may be a non issue (especially if it's more efficient). I'll wait for teams to use them before I make final judgement.

Within reason, cost and reliability > all other factors for a speed controller IMHO.