Making a STAMP powered Go-Kart

A.C. fishing

·how could a stamp power some 20 horsepower motors? (For a Go-Kart)
Can anyone suggest any motors for the project?
thanks

Jon Williams

Have you seen the HB25 motor controller?· You'll have to compare your motor specs against what it will handle, but it might just be the ticket.

http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=29144

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Jon Williams
Applications Engineer, Parallax

A.C. fishing

YES! will I need one for each motor?

Jon Williams

That would deliver the most power, yes; it might even help with turning if you changed motor speed in turns -- but that adds overhead to the software and requires feedback from the steering wheel. If your go-kart (I used to race Yamaha clutch class) has a solid rear axle, you could use one motor connected to the axle with a chain or belt.

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Jon Williams
Applications Engineer, Parallax

A.C. fishing

Can you suggest any motors?

A.C. fishing

Another bit off-topic question that I don't want to make another post for:
I'm using this schematic. The path splits, and goes to the two switchs. until the switchs are turned on, the path continues through the LEDs and to the end. When the switchs are on the path goes the alternate route and to the end. I want each switch toONLY affect one of the LEDs, but when one switch is pressed, both LEDs go off.
How can I solve this problem??

Paul Baker

Your going to have an extremely hard time to find a DC motor to fit your specs. Lets assume you want a top speed of 10 mph, that is 15 ft/s. Assuming you use wheels that are 6" in diameter, each rotation of the wheel will cover 1.5 ft, so to reach the 15 ft/s the motors have to spin at 10 rps or 600 rpm. To find the associated torque of a 20 hp motor spinning at 600 rpm we use:



or 175 ft-lbs of torque.

To get anywhere close to those figures you have to look for specially made motors for electric vehicles. The closest I could find easily is the Briggs and Straton Etek motor with a max 20 hp (8 hp continuous) which runs on 12-48 V (8 hp @ 48V), with no load current of 6A and 160 ft-in (13 ft-lbs) load current of 160A, for the low low price of $695 apeice. Needless to say you couldnt use the HB25 controller on it.

Jon has much more experience with go karts (Ive never owned one), but trying to make an electric go kart seems like a very expensive proposition. But perhaps someone with more experience in this type of thing would be able to point you in a cheaper and more viable direction.

<edit> Looking at some golf cart motors, I found an 11.4 hp motor when run at 48V for $479 and requires a 400+ amp controller here: http://www.cartszone.com/clubcarmotors.html·</edit>

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·1+1=10

Post Edited (Paul Baker) : 3/28/2006 9:18:40 PM GMT

Jon Williams

The biggest issue is carrying around the fuel -- it seems to me the batteries required to power a kart that could move a human would outweigh everything else. If one looks at a golf cart, for exaple, the entire compartment under the seat is filled with 12 batteries.

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Jon Williams
Applications Engineer, Parallax

A.C. fishing

Thanks Guys!

Jon Williams said...
The biggest issue is carrying around the fuel

I was thinking about·a solar panels plus some batteries.
and I won't need it to go far.
Now for the answer to the second question

pjv

Hi AC

Can you define "not far"?

I suspect 20 horsepower on batteries (forget the solar panels; in a short run they'll be more hindrance than help) is about 20 feet, unless the batteries are large.

Really, you need to rethink the physics of your proposal....... it's just not practical without spending a LOT of money on exotic battery and controller technologies. Sorry to disappoint you, but truly not realistic.

Cheers,

Peter (pjv)

Washer Medic

Hi check out what my neighbor is doing with this very subject they are a blast but don’t last long on a charge thoe
http://www.arnoldsgokarts.com/
Brian

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There's nothing a good wack with a hammer won't fix

Darn I let the white smoke out again

LoopyByteloose

You could have electric go-cart drag races.
After all, that would really challenge people to look at the balance between battery, controller, and motor.

In order to level the playing field, entries could be by a weight class and/or a motor size.

In a weight class, every one except the heaviest of contestants would add on-board weight to equalize the actual body weight to the heaviest person. Cars would not actually weigh the same, but the drivers would be effectively the same weight.

Isn't that what they do in horse racing with the jockey and saddle?

Motor classes would take a bit more figuring.

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"When all think alike, no one is thinking very much.' - Walter Lippmann (1889-1974)

······································································ Warm regards,····· G. Herzog [noparse][[/noparse]·黃鶴 ]·in Taiwan

A.C. fishing

Thanks! I will reconsider and go a bit more in-depth