Brushless Makita Mod (unsupported)

So at this point the devs think that there might be a load issue on the ODrive Microcontroller that is causing me issues. 5.2 should have considerably lower load so I will try that when they release it.

Any chance they will provide a simple interface for speed/torque control on it?

That is actually pretty much in the GUI. You just have to add the controls you want.

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No direct analog or digital interface?

There are GPIO pins on the ODrive that can be configured to as ADCs and can control various settings. There is also a serial interface that my arduino is using. Not sure if that is what you are referring to though.

Was wondering if the arduino was still necessary.

For precise RPM control yes. If close is good enough the ADC method will work.

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So I bought a brushless dewalt to test out. Having a hell of a time taking it apart though. Anyone know how to take apart the corded model completely apart. They look similar.

Got it mostly apart. They did not make it easy. Pretty sure they used a hydraulic press to force the plastic inner housing into the metal exterior. Need to get it the rest of the way out to inspect the motor, but I do not have a strong pokey thing long enough to whack it out.

So far though it looks very promising. The connectors they used are all pretty standard. Only problem there is that they epoxied some of them together. If I can get that off though it will be easy to connect to.

#EDIT: I am actually going to start a new thread for this motor. This thread has gotten way too long and this is a different motor.

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Lucky you! The only connectors in Milwaukee’s are for the lights (smart IMO)! Are the windings thermally insulated from the housing like the Makita?

The Makita has connectors multiple connectors. It has weird Japanese connectors for the hall sensors and the on/off switch that are impossible to source. It also uses the thinnest wires I have ever seen in a connector. I want to say they are like 32 gauge or smaller.

The motor is in a plastic coffin as well.

You, @LiamN, and others might find this info about “hobbyist” (in-runner and out-runner) motors useful - I did! :slightly_smiling_face:

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So the Makita is still unhappy with the latest development firmware. I even tried adding a magnetic encoder instead of the hall sensors, but that did not do much good. The Dewalt however is much happier now that the devs played with it. Like it is going faster than theoretically possible with an ODrive which has the dev stumped a bit. LOL. More on that in the Dewalt thread (if I can get it reopened). Will probably ship the Makita to the devs in the new year to see if they can work their magic like with the Dewalt.

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#done

Looking forward to hearing how things went!

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I want to do a side by side comparison of the Makita and the Dewalt at some point. Basically machine identical features in two pieces of 6061 using the same cutter(or two identical cutters) and same feeds/speeds. Problem is that switching from the Dewalt to the Makita currently requires major changes to my wiring, ODrive firmware, and ODrive config. Once the Makita is running better on the latest ODrive firmware that wont be as hard.

@Vince.Fab I was wondering if you would like to possibly help with this? I know it would not be a true side by side comparison as the machines and controllers would be different, but if you kept your speeds and feeds on the conservative side it would give us some useful data.

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Somewhat OT, but interesting info on the Tesla Model 3 (and Toyota Prius) motors.

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I’m game. The Makita is still working great over here but desperately needs that shutoff-feedhold safety. Ive stalled it a few times, a couple unknown reasons and a couple abusive cuts. Its really not good that the machine keeps running.

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I am close to getting the Dewalt where I want it to be. Besides the fact that it cannot use 3/8ths shank tools and how much of a bitch it is to take apart I am really liking it more than the Makita. Partially because it has a published wattage so I know its safe limit unlike the Makita. This let me order a 1000W PS without fear.

I have given up on some of the things I was trying to do which should make the project much easier. For instance I just ordered a PWM to analog voltage converter and will have the ODrive read the voltage to determine the speed. Assuming that works properly, I am then going to use the ODrive GUI to monitor and save the data over USB. Trying to get super precise RPM adjustments was making this project eat too much time.

As for the feed hold, I have asked the ODrive guys to add the ability to make a GPIO pin act as a fault pin. Pretty sure they are working on that.

Oh as for the side by side, I got an Amana 51377-Z end mill and ordered some of this:

that I was planning on using for the test.

I have a few sf Amanas. Wasn’t actually a fan of the 51377-Z’s geometry and price/performance in 6061. A 2L Inc diamond SF is about half the cost and runs nice, both don’t like more than 20krpm though.

Maybe we can share the file that way its a good representation. I’m moving in two weeks so anytime before that lol