Hi everyone,
I’m working on a 1-ton AGV and planning to use four 1800W BLDC motors, one for each wheel. I’m considering using two ODrive v3.6 boards, one to control the front pair and the other for the rear pair of wheels. For control, I plan to use UART, as it seems to be the most straightforward option for my setup.
That said, I’m a bit skeptical about how well this configuration will handle the load and respond in real-world conditions. I’d really appreciate any expert insights or recommendations—especially from those who have worked with similar high-power, multi-motor setups using ODrive.
Thanks in advance!
Hi there!
I’d strongly recommend against the v3.6 – it’s an older product, with some reliability and usability issues. The ODrive S1 will likely be a much better solution. We also recommend CAN over UART when possible, as it’s a higher bandwidth and more electrically robust signal protocol; note especially the v3.6 does not have isolated UART, so ground loops are an issue, you’d have to use something like this. The S1’s UART is isolated, so this wouldn’t be an issue there.
Generally the ODrive will be able to respond to load with a bandwidth and speed proportional to the encoder resolution; what motors and/or encoders are you considering?
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Thank you @solomondg, I have a Vevor 48V 1800W BLDC motor(3000rpm) —would a standard quadrature encoder work well with it, or do you recommend a specific type?
That should have hall sensors in it, which you can use for motor control alone, however it’ll definitely not be as good as a higher resolution encoder. S1/Pro/Micro can combine hall and quadrature readings for higher resolution, so I’d say adding an external quadrature encoder would definitely be a good idea – even something really cheap like this.