Robot MarketPlace - Sidewinder Brushed Dual Speed Controller

The Robot Power Sidewinder is a compact high-performance dual channel brushed motor speed controller. Each of its drive channels is capable of handling motors up to about 2kW (80A) at 24V. It is designed for combat, military, police, research and hobby ground vehicles and robots.

The Sidewinder is designed to pack the highest power handling capability in the smallest package. The Sidewinder's tough extruded Aluminum case make it suitable for many "vigorous" industrial or outdoor applications.

Features
- Size: 108mm x 82mm x 28mm (without optional mounting brackets)
- Weight: 365 grams (13 oz.) without brackets
- Voltage: 14V to 48V Supply voltage (50V absolute max, down to 6V with external 12V supply)
- Current: 80A continuous each channel (150A peak 5 seconds)
- Current Limiting: Adjustable from 10A to 130A (sets the limit for both channels)
- Over Temp Limiting: fixed at 200F or 93C each channel independently sensed
- Four quadrant operation with regenerative braking
- Thermal Control: MOSFETs mounted to 0.5" Aluminum bars bolted to case. No fans required.
- Indicator LEDs: Speed and direction of each motor channel and general signal status
- Receiver battery eliminator circuit (BEC) standard – may be disabled. This can provide up to 100 mA of current at 5V to the RC receiver and other attached electronic circuits
- Command Format: R/C pulse standard, TTL serial optional
- Calibrate button to match Sidewinder to radio or other R/C signal source
- R/C Inputs: Left/Steer, Right/Throttle, Flip (inverts steering response when activated)
- Drive Modes selected via jumpers:
    • Left/Right Mix (default - right input acts as steering and left as throttle)
    • Mixed Mirror Left (left mixed output command sent to both output channels)
    • Mixed Mirror Right
    • Left/Right independent (Tank),
    • Mirror (both outputs mirror a single input)
- Failsafe shuts off motor if R/C signal is lost
- Six high-current wires (2 battery, 2 each motor) may be soldered or attached via #8 bolt and ring terminals
- Expansion header for planned on-board radio tranceiver and single axis gyro (future). May be used for other special add-ons
- FLASH-based microcontroller with upgradeable software via in-circuit programming header. Software may be customized for unique applications. Contact us if you have special needs for your application.

The Sidewinder is constructed on a 4-layer circuit board with thick copper to handle high current. Extensive use of surface mount components insures reliability and long life in high-vibration situations. The power MOSFETs are secured to the large heatsink bars for both structural integrity and efficient heat dissipation.

Solder pad locations are provided for a remote on/off switch which allows the Sidewinder to be switched on or off while the main battery wires are connected. This can either be a physical switch or electronic switch allowing for easy integration of the Sidewinder as an intelligent subsystem in a complex vehicle under the control of a master computer.

Additional solder pads allow direct connection to the 12V supply of the Sidewinder. This may be used when the battery voltage is lower than 14V by directly supplying 12V to the Sidewinder bypassing the internal regulator. Other uses of the 12V supply are for a power indicator light or to switch on a control solenoid. Current from this output is limited to 100mA.

Both of these solder pads are spaced to allow the installation of a standard 3.5mm screw terminal block at these locations.

Power wire connections are provided by large wire pads with holes sized to allow #8 bolts. Thus up to 10 AWG wires may be soldered to the pads or ring terminals may be used or a combination of both.

Mirror Mode is a special mode where both output channels are locked together. This allows the Sidewinder to control a slaved pair of motors or single large motor with twice the capacity of each individual output. Also, motors with four leads can make use of mirror mode to connect each brush lead to a solder pad on the Sidewinder. On-board mixing is supported by using one of the mixed mirror modes. This requires "Y" R/C cables on each of the Left and Right receiver channels. Two Sidewinders can thus be used to control 2 large or 4 smaller motors with on-board channel mixing - no external mixer unit required.

The Sidewinder enclosure features slots in the rear to allow the power leads to exit the case. Production units include rubber grommets around the slots to protect the power lead insulation from chafing. Shown here are 10 AWG leads for the two motors and 8 AWG for the battery leads.

Optional mounting brackets may be ordered that slide into slots in the sides of the case. They may be permanently attached to the case via #4 sheet metal screws or they may be left loose to allow the Sidewinder to be removed from its mounting if needed. Solid mounting of the Sidewinder to the vehicle frame is not recommended for high shock or vibration applications. The recommended mounting method is to enclose the Sidewinder in foam rubber on all sides and secure that to the vehicle frame as needed. Since the Sidewinder does not normally need cooling air flow this works well to protect it from shock and vibration.