Originally Posted by
Bry195
has anyone logged peak current before and after an upgrade in capacitors?
we dont appear to use enough capacitors to do anything but filtering. Im not suggesting anything im just curious. When developing very high speed motors that are continuously accelerating and decelerating capacitors (the size of the ESC) are designed into the system to capture the regenerated energy (braking) and then return most of it to the next acceleration cycle. I can calculate the amount of regen energy to determine the capacitor size but I’d like to see if anyone has a before and after current log? It couldnt be a log from the ESC it would have to be from something like the eagle tree placed before the capacitors on the battery side.
what it does is minimize the peak load on the battery and minimizes the peak regen to the battery. Looking at the log that first monster jump in current is very minimal. You would also not see the current spikes when transitioning quickly from one rate to another.
I dont think you would notice it in motor performance other than slightly more efficient transitions. The battery wouldnt be pushed into its continuous rating as often.
Done the calculations. Years ago.
Conundrum: Any capacitor with a low enough ESR to make a difference that fits in an RC car won't have enough capacity to make a difference.
Super capacitors have the capacity but such a high internal resistance they won't do anything.
Another point that many neglect to consider is that any current you get out of the capacitor had to come out of the battery, thereby reducing it's voltage to some degree. Plus you can't drain the capacitor any lower than the battery voltage so all the current used to initially fill up the capacitor is lost to the system. It's not much, but since there is essentially zero benefit, the cost/benefit ratio is not in your favor.
There are electric energy storage and release systems but they are more than just capacitors.