I’m considering using the T200 thruster in concert with an e-bike kit. Specifically, I’d like to be able to disconnect the bicycle’s motor and connect the thruster to the ebike’s controller, then proceed on my way. This would allow me to re-use my e-bike battery, controller and computer to drive a small dinghy.
How many magnetic poles are in the T200 thruster? I’ll need to check if my e-bike controller is capable of driving the thruster at an appropriate electrical RPM.
Are there any electronics inside the thruster housing, or is it just windings and magnets? What would be the harm running this thruster off of a 48V e-bike kit if the output current is limited to, say, 4A @ 48V nominal?
I assume there are no hall sensors and it’s a 3 wire connection that normally goes to the ESC.
I realize 48V is well outside the intended operating range based on the product specifications, but with a current-limited controller, would there be anything preventing me from using a higher voltage?
Normally when we have questions about pushing the voltage limits of the T200, people have 22V or 25V in mind. In this case, you are correct current is the real killer, not voltage, and as long as overall power is limited to about 600W it can be possible to run at higher voltages with a number of caveats. You can read more about this here.
However, 48V is so far beyond the design voltage of the T200, that I doubt it would run well at all even if aggressively current limited. With that said, we have not tested this, and I have no idea what would happen in practical terms. Overall, I cannot recommend doing so.
This point is somewhat moot however, as the T200 has 14 poles and runs at about 3800RPM at full throttle. Electrical RPM is thus 3800*7=22600, almost double the 13000 your controller can top out at in sensorless mode. Our thrusters are based on sensorless brushless motors and do not have any hall effect sensors.
I’m just starting myself thinking of building a packraft assistance… And using E-Bike battery seems appealing to me. (Having a BMS to protect from heavy discharge for example)