SiC Inverter

Introduction

FSAE vehicles like QUT Motorsport's use four hub motors enabling torque vectoring. Existing solutions—Bucher 60kW dual control, Sevcon HVLP 20, and VESC 100/250—fall short. The Bucher and Sevcon target auxiliary systems in buses/tractors, while the VESC suits skateboards lacking isolated safety features.

This project aimed to develop a robust, power-dense motor control solution that can fit into small vehicle spaces while maintaining working, validated hardware without unnecessary complexity.

Initial Design

(Refer to thesis)

Solution

The final assembly comprises a control board, interface breakout, gate drives, and power PCB, with aluminum heatsinking for initial testing.

Low Voltage (600V) Testing

Testing objectives included validating turn-on/off characteristics with gate resistor tuning, measuring digital/analog delays, calibrating deadzone and phase current shunts, and quantifying delta-sigma modulator phase current lag.

Test Setup

An enclosure provided physical isolation during hazardous voltage testing, with emergency shutdown and discharge capabilities.

Scope Connections

Testing used co-located control boards with MMCX ±50V probes for gate measurement and 0.200" differential probes for delta-sigma modulator output monitoring.