Mark Farver wrote:
> Masterflux has decided to concentrate on the large OEM market and is
> not accepting new distributors.
First time I talked to them was around 2005 and this wasn't the case.
Anyhow, while Masterflux is good choice for EV A/C I (as company)
don't miss it as it's outside of electronic hardware I want to
concentrate on.
REVOLT Custom Electric will continue
> to sell the units in small quantities for the hobbyist, professional
> conversion and EV parts market. The lead times are still high, though
> we are working to reduce them.
>
> REVOLT has the full line Sierra compressors. The Sierra05 and 06
> models are most useful for automotive work.
>
http://www.masterflux.com/products/sierra/This is what I have (and also sold to other 2 people).
For the Masterflux a non-conductive PVE type oil is
> used. I believe the Gen 2 Prius also requires a special oil for its
> electric compressor.
I don't know much details, but heard from Sanden Engineers
non-favorable comments about this requirement and choice of Masterflux.
May be non-issue (they do work in cars), but the comments must
have had some basis to make them. They wouldn't without good reasons
Masterflux of course isn't going to advertise.
Personally, I like the way unit looks (not the controller).
Run from simple VFD it should be fine if reliable over time.
> REVOLT and Masterflux recommend flushing the system clean and
> replacing the accumulator/dryer before charging the system.
Are you saying every time you take A/C apart you better replace
the dryer?
> This is
> good idea anytime you have the system open to the air for an extended
> length of time, no matter the compressor choice. The compressor comes
> precharged with its oil, but the installer will need to add a small
> amount of oil (typically 2-3 ounces) to account for the oil that will
> get trapped in the condensor, evaporator and dryer.
Where do you normally get PVE oil?
>> I have no first hand experience with it (will install one in ACRX
>> for trial), other that I inspected their inverter and I think this
>> is overkill complexity for just an A/C control.
> The motor is a 156V BLDC design.
This really limits its use for HV systems. The inverter sure can put out
150V
average, but near 400V peaks of PWM still applied to the stator windings
and insulation is not meant to handle it.
So this is OK for ~150VDC traction systems. An option is to step down
the output voltage with 3 phase transformer installed between inverter
and the motor, but his is not very optimal.
> My personal experience is this: Before the Masterflux units were
> available I purchased a 2HP AC motor and inverter to run the AC in my
> MR2. I've spent more than the cost of the Masterflux trying to get it
> working, and it still doesn't. In the meantime I've installed
> Masterflux systems on two customer cars and they are working without
> incident.
That doesn't tell anything about Masterflux, this just tells about
your problems making inverter to get 2hp motor running off DC bus.
You didn't use any stock inverter, did you? If not, why not?
In my Audi conversion I'm considering just that - to run stock
compressor with BLDC motor and don't see fundamental problem with this.
Dedicated unit may be still preferred choice, but before battery config
gets finalized, I cannot decide on this.
> Hope that helps, if you have any questions about the Masterflux unit
> or automotive AC questions in general we may be able to help. Feel
> free to send us an email. It gets hot in Texas.
Not as bad as in Texas, but here in Portland we get some hot days too.
> Mark Farver
> REVOLT Custom Electric Vehicles
> Austin, TX
_______________________________________________
General EVDL support:
http://evdl.org/help/Usage guidelines:
http://evdl.org/help/index.html#convArchives:
http://evdl.org/archive/Subscription options:
http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/ev
