Retrofit Electric power coming to Outdoor Power Equipment

[8ntruck 6,999]

The robots that the high school robotics team are building are now using brushless outrunner motors that use a programable controller.  All kinds of programming options - ramps and limits for both current and voltage, built in position encoders and tachometer.

 

Last year's robot used one of these motors (palm sized) to vertically lift the 200 pound robot about 3 feet in 10 seconds.  There was a gearbox between the motor and the winch drum to let the motor work in its effective rpm range.  The robot was driven by 4 of these motors - got from a standing start to gee, that's quick in about 2 feet.

 

Use this known technology, scaled properly for garden tractor use.  As has been mentioned before, batteries are probably the limiting factor.  This system will probably have purpose built and programmed electronics.  Repair, maintenance, and possible modifications of a system like this will need different, more specialized knowledge than we are used to on our old Wheel Horses. 

[wh500special 2,179]

Little DC motors are freakishly strong. While that feat of lifting only translates to about 1/9 hp (82W) it’s still impressive.  To do that by hand would take some effort.   
 

Steve 

[ebinmaine 67,484]

55 minutes ago, wh500special said:

1/9 hp

If'n I were 1/9 the strength of an average Belgian Horse I'd be ok with that.  

[Handy Don 12,217]

 

17 hours ago, 8ntruck said:

Use this known technology, scaled properly for garden tractor use.  As has been mentioned before, batteries are probably the limiting factor.  This system will probably have purpose built and programmed electronics.  Repair, maintenance, and possible modifications of a system like this will need different, more specialized knowledge than we are used to on our old Wheel Horses. 

Italics added by me...

 

I believe manufacturers are on this path largely to make sure they continue to have a customer base to buy stuff. The cloud that'll rain on this parade, though, is definitely the tight grip they will try to keep on their products to develop an ongoing revenue stream.

 

Only recently has JD been forced to relinquish a small portion of the information that can permit owners to do more maintenance and repairs on their tractors (assuming they acquire that "specialized knowledge" and have the right diagnostic tools). This cuts both ways, of course. When Russia stole a bunch of Ukrainian-owned JD equipment, the company disabled it all remotely!

 

BMW, Tesla, GM, and others continue to experiment with subscriptions or extra fees to enable software-controlled options on their vehicles. Want heated seats during the winter? BMW has suggested they might choose to enable it via an "over the air" update and let you enjoy it for as long as you pay the monthly fee! Want "Full Self Driving" on you Tesla? No problem--a one time fee to lease the software and then an ongoing maintenance charge. And, by the way, if you sell the car, the new owner may need to purchase their own FSD lease.

 

Apple is unusual in that they distribute operating system updates for their products for free for several years (typically six or seven) after purchase. But if you want to install Microsoft Office, well, that'll be x dollars every year sent directly to Microsoft. Lots of us pay monthly or annually for apps on our phones--I sure do.

 

It remains to be seen, in each product area, the "owned" vs. "leased" feature set being delivered at what price points. 

 

Edited August 23, 2022 by Handy Don