SD540 Motor Controller

[BBray_T1296]

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?

[Joe Ross]

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

[wilsonmw04]

Originally Posted by BBray_T1296

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?

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.

[Scott Kozutsky]

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.

[wmarshall11]

Originally Posted by BBray_T1296

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?

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04

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.

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.

[DaveL]

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

[topgun]

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?

[notmattlythgoe]

Originally Posted by topgun

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?

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

Cough cough.

[marshall]

Originally Posted by topgun

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?

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

Originally Posted by K8 P-lot

…we’ve also approved the following devices:

SD540 Motor Controller (Part #: SD540x1)

So yeah, it's legal.

[mindsensors.com]

Originally Posted by marshall

I'd like to know how the upgradable firmware works. Can you shed any light on that?

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.

[mindsensors.com]

Originally Posted by AllenGregoryIV

Not to be a buzz kill but did you guys just copy the data complied by REV for the Spark? Even the disclaimer is the same.

Credit has now been given below the chart.

[mindsensors.com]

Originally Posted by Scott Kozutsky

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.

What motor rating are you worried about?

[marshall]

Originally Posted by mindsensors.com

Since this controller is currently only a PWM device

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

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by mindsensors.com

What motor rating are you worried about?

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.

[Scott Kozutsky]

Originally Posted by mindsensors.com

What motor rating are you worried about?

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.