VESC Maxim+ 150V

The regeneration (or braking) current can reach the same continuous and burst current ratings as the controller. However, the actual limit depends on your BMS and, more specifically, your battery cells, which determine how much current can safely flow back into the battery.

Additionally, the values for motor current, motor brake current, battery current, and battery regeneration current can all be individually configured using VESC Tool to suit your specific application, hardware or performance requirements.

The controller current rating is for the phase current and the input current will always be lower than the phase current. You can read about that in our article here:

Choosing a Motor Controller

However, if you are driving a low inductance motor close to full duty cycle it is possible that the input current will exceed the rating of the fuse and blow it, especially if you are using liquid cooling. In that case you have to use an external fuse and bypass the fuse on the controller with a bus bar. Unfortunately we have not found fuses in this size rated for more than 350A.

The shutdown behavior can be configured using the shutdown-mode in the app settings. By default it is set to ALWAYS ON, which makes the controller stay on until power is removed. Changing the shutdown mode to ALWAYS OFF means that it will turn off after disconnecting the EN-pin.

On the Maxim and Pronto controllers the motor sensors and UART share the same pins, so the UART app must be disabled when using sensors. This will affect the Hall 2 input as that is where UART TX is. In Firmware 7+ this should be done automatically, but on older firmware the UART-app must be disabled manually.

The Maxim and Pronto controllers have the UART-pins shared with the hall sensor pins, so when using sensors the reverse and cruise control functions in the ADC app cannot be used at the same time as hall sensors or encoders. It is possible to use a simple lisp-script to simulate these functions with other pins depending on which pins you have available. The following example activates the reverse-button when the ACD2-input goes above 1V.

(app-adc-detach 2 1)
(loopwhile t {
(app-adc-override 2 (if (> (get-adc 1) 1.0) 1.0 0.0))
(sleep 0.01)
})

You can read more about those extensions here:

https://github.com/vedderb/bldc/blob/master/lispBM/README.md#app-adc-detach
https://github.com/vedderb/bldc/blob/master/lispBM/README.md#app-adc-override

1. Profiles and Power Modes

If you’re not using a display, profiles can be configured and switched most easily through the VESC Tool mobile application.

You can create as many profiles as you want and configure each profile independently. For each profile you can set:

• Forward speed limit
• Reverse speed limit
• Motor current scaling (acceleration)
• Brake current scaling

The current scaling is applied as a percentage of the controller’s configured motor current. For example, if the controller is configured for 200A motor current and a profile uses a 50% current scale, the controller will allow up to 100A motor current while that profile is active.

This allows you to create profiles with different acceleration characteristics, power delivery and top speeds.

A typical setup could be:

• Legal road mode: 25 km/h speed limit with reduced current scaling
• Daily riding mode: moderate speed limit and moderate current scaling
• Performance mode: full speed and 100% current scaling

When a profile is selected, the new settings are applied immediately.

2. Speed Limiting and Legal Mode

Switching between a legal mode and an unrestricted mode is very straightforward.

The simplest approach is to create separate profiles with different speed limits and current scales. Selecting a profile instantly applies the corresponding limits.

For example:

• Legal Mode: 25 km/h, reduced acceleration
• Daily Mode: moderate speed and acceleration
• Performance Mode: unrestricted speed and full acceleration

Profiles can be selected directly from the VESC Tool mobile application while connected to the scooter.

To access the profiles menu in the mobile application, simply swipe across from the real-time data screen. Once a profile has been selected, you can swipe back to return to the live telemetry page.

For a faster and more convenient method, I would recommend the VESC Dash35B display.

The Dash35B includes dedicated “+” and “-” buttons which can be used to instantly switch between drive modes without needing to open the mobile application.

The display also provides clear visual confirmation of which mode is currently active.

3. Mobile Application Connectivity

The VESC Tool mobile application can remain connected to the scooter via Bluetooth while riding.

While connected you can monitor real-time information including:

• Vehicle speed
• Battery voltage
• Battery current
• Motor current
• Power output
• Controller temperature
• Motor temperature
• Energy consumption and other telemetry data

Profile changes can also be made through the app while connected, with changes taking effect immediately.

Bluetooth connectivity is generally stable during normal riding provided the phone remains within normal Bluetooth range.

It is also worth noting that all of the profile settings and controller configuration options available in the VESC Tool mobile application are also available in the VESC Tool desktop application. The desktop version is generally preferred during initial setup, tuning and advanced configuration due to the larger screen and easier access to all settings. However, for convenience while out riding, the mobile application is recommended as it provides the same functionality over Bluetooth while allowing live monitoring and profile changes directly from your phone.

4. Display Functionality

The Dash35B display has been specifically developed to provide a better riding experience than using a phone while travelling. While the VESC Tool mobile application is excellent for monitoring data, diagnostics and changing settings, the display provides a safer and more convenient interface for everyday riding.

Benefits include:

• Always-visible speed display
• Battery information
• Active drive mode indication
• Instant drive mode switching via dedicated buttons
• No need to remove your phone while riding
• Easier operation while wearing gloves

The Dash35B currently includes the following preconfigured drive modes:

Reverse:

• Maximum speed: 10 km/h (backwards)
• Current scale: 0.4 (40% of configured current)

Neutral:

• Throttle disabled

Mode 1:

• Maximum speed: 26 km/h
• Current scale: 0.5 (50% of configured current)

Mode 2:

• Maximum speed: 46 km/h
• Current scale: 0.6 (60% of configured current)

Mode 3:

• Maximum speed: 200 km/h (This value is intentionally set much higher than the vehicle is capable of achieving, effectively removing the speed limit. The actual top speed will still be physical limitations of the vehicle)
• Current scale: 1.0 (100% of configured current)

These modes can be changed instantly using the display’s buttons.

The display profiles are currently part of the display package installed on the VESC controller. If you wish to customise them, this can be done by connecting to the VESC controller using VESC Tool and navigating to:

App Settings → LispBM Scripting

From there:

1. Press Read
2. Navigate to approximately line 94
3. Modify the values for:
4. l-current-max-scale
5. l-min-speed

Press Upload to save the updated configuration to the controller

This allows the drive modes to be fully customised to suit your application.

In the next release of the Dash35B display packages, the drive modes will be configurable directly from the display itself, eliminating the need to edit the LispBM script manually.

If your controller has a AUX 12V output, go to Motor Settings > General > Advanced Tab > Auxiliary Output Mode.
Change this setting from off to “On after 2 Seconds”

You can find CAN-bus documentation here:
https://github.com/vedderb/bldc/blob/master/documentation/comm_can.md

Further documentation for LispBM scripting can be found here:
https://github.com/vedderb/bldc/blob/master/lispBM/README.md

The documentation for LispBM scripting can be found here:
https://github.com/vedderb/bldc/blob/master/lispBM/README.md

When changing CAN-mode to UAVCAN (DroneCAN) the VESC CAN protocol will be disabled. This means that VESC Tool can’t be used to configure and monitor ESCs or other VESC devices on the CAN-bus at the same time as UAVCAN is enabled. This is especially a problem on the Maxim, Pronto and Duet controllers as they access the STM32 using the ESP32 using VESC CAN. The later firmwares will therefore switch back to VESC CAN on reboot.

Earlier firmwares will not switch back on reboot, meaning that it is possible to lock yourself out from them (Maxim, Pronto and Duet) when changing to UAVCAN. If you have locked yourself out you can either try connecting using the UART-port with an USB-to-UART adapter and 115200 baudrate or you can use USB to reflash the STM32.

So, how do I use UAVCAN on Maxim, Pronto or Duet? Unfortunately we don’t have a good solution for that now. As it is now UAVCAN is not widely used among our customers (and VESC-users in general), but if it becomes more popular we will look into improving UAVCAN-support in the firmware. Pull-requests on github are always welcome of course!

From Firmware 7.00 our controllers can be factory reset by connecting the SWCLK and Hall 2 together and booting the controller. This will restore the motor configuration, app configuration and erase all scripts. This can be useful if you have locked yourself out by e.g. setting an invalid CAN configuration or if you have a script that causes a crash or boot loop.

Note that controllers that are accessed using an VESC Express device (such as the Duet, Maxim and Maxim+) also need the ESP configuration to be restored. This can be done on the VESC Express tab in VESC Tool.

1. Press “Read Default”
2. Press “Write”

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Once your account has been approved for wholesale, go to wholesale products which will show show the updated prices and lead times.

Yes, we do. Please contact us at info@vesclabs.com with your project requirements and specifications, and our team will assist you with tailored OEM or custom solutions.

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Our partner Oliver, also known as Electricfox, offers paid consulting services for BMS and motor controller integration, setup, tuning and load testing. His website is

https://electricfox.de

At the bottom of the page you can find different options to contact Oliver