Hi @SolGato,
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Do you know what the voltage max will be on the new motors?
The maximum operating voltage has not yet been determined, but it is designed to run with an optimum balance of thrust and efficiency at 24 V. The maximum acceptable operating voltage will likely be around 30 V.
Asking because I’d like to build a battery to use for now that will also work with the bigger motors when they become available.
The larger thruster will have the aforementioned optimum balance of thrust and efficiency with a 6S lipo/li-ion battery (25.2 V max, 22.2 V nominal). A 7S or 8S battery will likely be fine on the high end as well, with down to 3S also fine with lower thrust and higher efficiency.
And on that note, does the Thruster Commander limit the voltage to the basic ESC’s or do the ESC’s provide any kind of limiting?
The thruster commander is a simple PWM signal generating device with some optional channel mixing to operate ESCs, servos, lights, or any other device that accepts RC style PWM signals. It does not do any power regulation and is unrelated to the ESC supply voltage.
From what I’ve read it’s best to limit the 200 thrusters to 22V Max.
As noted on the product page, the T200 is rated for operation at up to 20 V. Exceeding this with a 22 V supply is not recommended. You can read more about this limitation and what to expect if you choose to ignore this recommendation here. Another topic that is relevant to this discussion and goes into more detail can be found here.
If the Thruster Commander doesn’t limit/protect the motors, then why is it rated up to 28V?
The Thruster Commander is a generic PWM signal generating device that can be used for applications beyond just our thrusters, there is no reason to artificially limit the supply voltage. The voltage regulator on board was chosen for its wide input voltage range and low cost, and resulting in the 7-28 V input voltage.
Was this integrated with future larger motor development in mind?
Not specifically, but yes, this does mean a battery used to supply the ESC powering the larger thruster will also be able to power the Thruster Commander just fine.
-Adam
