Update On 3rd Version of ADS?

[Johnny]

Actually we have a gorgeous 3D rendering of the chassis as well with a lot of other fantastic steps forward... but I'm not posting anything until I'm holding a near finished prototype in my hands

How about posting what features the new motor controller will have over the standard offering?

[Phoenix Engineering]

Working with AC sync motors is a dry hole IME. Even running them in dual phase is fairly limited in what you can accomplish. Beside the fact that these motors are cheaply built and have a number of mechanical issues, there is only so much you can do by controlling frequency, phase and voltage in a quadrature drive. Compared to 3 phase AC synch motors, it's like taking a shower with your clothes on. I've been running a 3 phase motor and controller for ~2 years and there is no comparison, it is night and day: No vibration, no belt squeal, 100:1 speed range with loads of available torque (even at 78 RPM), 33/45/78 RPM with a single pulley spindle, and speed easily controlled with frequency to 0.0005 Hz resolution with tachometer feedback.

Ask HW; the DD uses a 3 phase motor, although it is servo controlled which is similar to the hunting algorithms of the 70's direct drive tables (albeit with a heavy platter). This is totally unnecessary and can be handled so much more elegantly with the right controller. Others in this industry have discovered what a proper belt drive system is capable of. In time, the rest of the field will follow or get left behind.

[Packgrog]

I've been running a 3 phase motor and controller for ~2 years and there is no comparison, it is night and day: No vibration, no belt squeal, 100:1 speed range with loads of available torque (even at 78 RPM), 33/45/78 RPM with a single pulley spindle, and speed easily controlled with frequency to 0.0005 Hz resolution with tachometer feedback. ... Others in this industry have discovered what a proper belt drive system is capable of. In time, the rest of the field will follow or get left behind.

Or hopefully some 3rd party industrious soul can provide plug & play 3 phase motors with controllers at the same scale to fill that gap, like you all-too-briefly did with the Falcon/Eagle/Roadrunner, for those of us that lack the ability to build such things themselves. And that's not meant as snark, either: I'd *LOVE* to try something like your DIY motor setup, but I simply lack the skill (and necessary equipment/available training) to build it. I suspect that VPI's motor choices may be limited to providers that can meet their scale & cost demands (pure conjecture on my part), and their R&D focus seems to be elsewhere. But they're hardly against 3rd-party mods/upgrades, and I imagine they'd praise someone that provided a nice alternative for their user base.