Newbie Scratch Build - D575A Dozer

[frizzen]

Great looking machine!

I've got to say, coding your own dual esc is really impressive! i would have totally wimped out and just run 2 seperate esc and setup a channel mix through the radio

[9W Monighan]

Very Nice work Rob.
That coding definitely sounds complicated to me.
You may have to build planetary reductions in your final drives to slow her down thus having full power to the motors. That would take a lot of the stress off of your bevel gearing that you said you're already having trouble with.
I'm not up to date on all of the RC electronics but; Don't the brushless motor speed controllers act like an AC Inverter?
I have some of my machinery and mills in my shop equipped with 208VAC 3phase inverters to control the motor RPM. It seems I get full torque using them at low speeds.

I get a chance, I have a picture I'll post taken 29yrs ago of the first D575A built with my son and I standing next to it.

[Originalrob]

Hi !
Really appreciate the kind comments
Ideally I would to have liked to rotate each motor 90 degrees so that the motor shaft connected straight onto the sprocket but the space inside didn’t really allow it, well not for the motor/gearbox I chose. That would get rid of the need for a right angle transfer. When I first started at this I couldn’t really find any information on how much torque is required to make a 100lb model move itself and then somehow still have enough power to push a blade full of dirt so I just opted to get the highest torque motors that I could fit inside the frame. There are a few D10 builds on the forum that have used wiper motors out of cars etc but none really mention the motor specs In terms of rated torque. The ones I have chosen do have planetary gears already and are rated at 10nm continuous and can do shorter periods of up to 25 mm. Is it enough ? I don’t really know ! But I will post some results when it’s all put together so that the next person may benefit from all this.
I’m not really knowledgeable about inverters etc to comment but from a crude physical test ( hands holding sprocket) between the sabertooth @20% stick and then the PWM setup at 20%, I couldn’t slow the PWM at all , whilst the sabertooth I could make the motors slow/labour. Again I’m not expert at all and it’s just trial and error.
Please post the picture, I would be really interested in seeing it !!

Rob