Interfacing to ZS-X11A

Other Hardware Motors, Mechanics, Power and CNC
1

I have some BLDC (brushless direct current) motors with hall sensor feedback that I want to control. I have sourced chinese controller ZS-X11A, which looks good to fit between motor & arduino. Has anyone trod this path before me? A few issues that I'm hoping someone on the forum might know the answers.

  1. Controller, as delivered has 5 holes denoted CN2 for hall sensor connector. These are on a 2mm pitch, as is CN1, which provides +5V, SC, Z/F, VR & 0V. Does anyone know product codes &/or supplier for pcb mounted male connector and mating socket with or without pigtail lead set? I know I can solder flyng leads direct to board, but would like to find suitable connector.

  2. Has anyone used this to drive a motor with hall sensor feedback? I'm just a bit concerned that lack of board mounted connector means the capability is somehow disabled on the finished board.

  3. VR is variable voltage input to the controller to define speed setpoint. Does anyone know if this will accept ardiuno pwm output direct, without additional R/C filter? If it does, any recommendations for repetition frequency?

  4. Has anyone made use of the SC connection? I have seen contradictory information about it. I think it's either an output from the controller giving a square waveform synchronised output drive cycle, or it's an input to the controller of some sort of pwm signal. If pwm in, is it unfiltered alternative to VR; is it something like servo drive waveform; is it something else?

ZS-X11A.JPG

2

Update - this might help those that come after me. Due to error by supplier, I now have a mix of two different controllers. First to arrive was ZS-X11A, second was ZS-X11B.

As image with my original post, ZS-X11A comes with 2 off 5 way single in line rows of holes on a 2mm pitch, denoted CN2 and CN3. CN3 is fitted with a plug; CN2 is not fitted.

CN2 is for hall sensors. Pin1 = +5 volts out from controller, Pin2 = Hall sensor logic level input from motor for Phase A, Pin3 - ditto for Phase B, Pin4 - ditto for Phase C, Pin 5 - logic ground, short circuit to negative supply rail.

PhA - 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 etc
PhB - 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 etc
PhC - 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 etc

CN3 provides:- Pin 1 = +5 volts out from controller, Pin2 = speed output, Pin3 = direction logic input, Pin4 = speed input voltage 0 <= Spd <= +5V, Pin5 - logic ground, short circuit to negative supply rail.

The speed output (Pin2) is a 1:1 mark/space ratio logic voltage output from controller, where frequency is a function of speed demand, as defined by Pin4 input. This is not one pulse for each position increment of the motor. When motor is creeping frequency is about 50Hz. At full speed, frequency is about 250Hz.

The ZS-X11B is different. Whilst it has hall sensor connector provision that's much the same, it provides 3 headers for similar functionality to CN3 of ZS-X11A, except that it isn't quite. There's a 3 pin header on a 2.54mm pitch for direction control - equivalent to CN3 pins 1,3&5 on ZS-X11A.

There's a 3 pin connector on 2mm pitch that's equivalent to CN3, pins 1,4&5. for speed control input to the controller.

There's a 2 pin header on 2.54mm pitch. One pin is logic ground. The other seems to be much the same as CN3 pin 4, except that it seems to be an analogue output from the controller. It's not a short circuit between the middle pin of the speed control input connector and the variable voltage output of the 2 pin header.

One final point. I have sourced the 2mm SIL connectors. The standard seems to be JST, the PH range.

So, I haven't yet tested this with hall sensor feedback, but it seems to work with 350 watt 36 volt BLDC motor from hoverboard. This has 30 coil windings around the stator.

3

Hi, good to know info you've shared. Do you happen to know what the part number is for the controller IC, presumable U1 (the SOIC16 device)? I just received my ZS-X11A board to play around with, and the markings have been scratched off of U1! I'd like to be able to look over the datasheet.

4

Very useful information, I have one of these ZS-X11B version. Picture attached, this has CN3 for power and motor phase connections, CN2 unpopulated for hall sensors and then a 2 pin jumper between CN2 and the 3 pin connector (presumably CN1 which is for a supplied potentiometer for speed control). And above that is a 3 pin jumper which has the leftmost pair (in the picture) connected.

My assumptions, perhaps your experience can confirm, is that the 2 pin unconnected jumper, is used to
determine whether halls sensors are being used or not. And the 3 pin jumper is for direction control.

I am planning to use this for a golf trolley motor which has 40 magnet pairs. Ideally without hall sensors because that would mean removing the heatsink to solder connections to CN2.

Any advise would be appreciated.

5

Here is the photo mentioned above, it was too large to post before.

ZS-X11B.jpg
ZS-X11B.jpg943×668 261 KB

6

brandonlwhite@gmail.com - sorry I didn't get back to you promptly. I clearly need to fix my notification setup.

16 pin chip looks like B729U002003, although the first character is partially covered in both of the units I'm playing with, and the end bit ould be 2Q03. I haven't done a document search to run it to earth yet.

itretail - yes, mine came with no header fitted to CN2. Out with the solder sucker & iron, I'm afraid. I found it straightforward to source JST PH connectors - socket with 150mm wire tail, plug to fit board. I removed the heatsink - it's got spongey silicone rubber mat to provide the thermal coupling, so straightforward to remove & re-install.

Jumper is to select direction. Short to +5 for one way, GND for other.

Experimentally I have found mine runs significantly smoother open loop (without connecting the hall sensors to ZS-X11). That was a bit of a surprise. It was a bit of a fiddle to connect up for best operation - there are 6 ways to join them up. I connected to 12v supply with 1R in series to provide some measure of protection from overcurrent / blowout.

However, I did connect hall sensors back to an arduino to give me positive feedback for speed & direction. Much better than the speed feedback signal that the ZS-X11 provides, and there's no calibration to do.

I have used microchip MCP4231 SPI driven potentiometer to provide speed setpoint input for ZS-X11. Default PRF of analogWrite is pretty slow, & by the time I've installed filter to smooth the signal out I thought this one chip solution was a better fix.

itretail:
Very useful information, I have one of these ZS-X11B version. Picture attached, this has CN3 for power and motor phase connections, CN2 unpopulated for hall sensors and then a 2 pin jumper between CN2 and the 3 pin connector (presumably CN1 which is for a supplied potentiometer for speed control). And above that is a 3 pin jumper which has the leftmost pair (in the picture) connected.

My assumptions, perhaps your experience can confirm, is that the 2 pin unconnected jumper, is used to
determine whether halls sensors are being used or not. And the 3 pin jumper is for direction control.

I am planning to use this for a golf trolley motor which has 40 magnet pairs. Ideally without hall sensors because that would mean removing the heatsink to solder connections to CN2.

Any advise would be appreciated.

7

Hi, sorry to disturb you again, but i'm having some troubles using this controller (ZS-X11B).

I'll explain what I've done and what are the problems that occurred.

So first of all, without datasheet about the ZS-X11 controllers, I've looked for informations on the internet (your topic was really helpful), and i figured out how to use the Clockwise/CounterCW pins with an arduino uno (using +5V for one dir / 0V for the other).
Then I used the 2 pin header (between CN2 and CN1 i guess) to control the speed of brushless motors (fom a hoverboard) with the arduino PWM (connecting ground with arduino's ground on a breadboard).

Supplying the controllers with a 36V battery, it works but here's my problem:

Using the PWM makes motors' power hardly adjustable (I would need a high engine torque while maneuvering at low speed) because only the duty cycle is adjustable when modifying the PWM.

So I'd like to know how to use the VR pin from the CN1 3 pins header (you said that you used the microchip MCP4231 SPI driven potentiometer, is it necessary? does it work well?), or if there's a solution to get more engine torque using PWM.

I already thank you for the interest you'll put in my request.

PS1: I did not create a new topic because thought my problem fitted well with this one.
PS2: Sorry for my english, not my first language, but I'll accept any comment :wink:

8

Hi,
I've been trying to use https://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-12V-36V-15A-500W-Brushless-Motor-Controller-Hall-BLDC-Driver-Board-LJ/253198619120?hash=item3af3d051f0:g:0NMAAOSw7aFa8~9S this motor controller. which I think is similar to the ZS-11XA controller.

But the problem is that when I try to reverse the direction, it takes like 4 seconds to stop and the it reverses the direction. Have you also faced this problem?

If so have any of you found a way to remove this smoothing thing?

9

Zapster:
But the problem is that when I try to reverse the direction, it takes like 4 seconds to stop and the it reverses the direction. Have you also faced this problem?

If so have any of you found a way to remove this smoothing thing?

Hi Zapster,

No, I have not experienced this problem. I assume the 4 second slow down time isn't simply because you have a lot of inertia. Just as with the power from the motor limits its acceleration for a given load, that will also limit slow down rate. I do know there are two ways of driving commercially available H bridges. In one mode the circuit freewheels (open circuit connection to load), and in the other it brakes (short circuit connection to load).

Zapster:
I've been trying to use https://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-12V-36V-15A-500W-Brushless-Motor-Controller-Hall-BLDC-Driver-Board-LJ/253198619120?hash=item3af3d051f0:g:0NMAAOSw7aFa8~9S this motor controller. which I think is similar to the ZS-11XA controller.

Thanks for link to controller. I haven't followed that yet, but it looks interesting.

10

Hello to all,

I have same controller (ZS-X11B) and trying to get more torque in lower speed for aproximately 350 watt BLDC motor. Will connecting hall logic (CN2) in this controller to motor add higher torque moment in lower speed ? Greg, if you already try connect CN2 to motor, is it working ? Thank you for any advice.

Martin

11

Chip is JY01 only procurable from Chinese manufacturer

12

brandonlwhite@gmail.com:
Hi, good to know info you've shared. Do you happen to know what the part number is for the controller IC, presumable U1 (the SOIC16 device)? I just received my ZS-X11A board to play around with, and the markings have been scratched off of U1! I'd like to be able to look over the datasheet.

JY01 from OWO trading
(Chinese manufacturer)

http://www.brushless-dcmotor.com/sale-10808286-jy01-brushless-dc-motor-control-ic-for-hall-sensor-or-sensorless-bldc-motor.html

I have the ZS-X11B which doesn't have the speed signal so I tried using the Ha hall sensor output but the problem is that there is so much noise from the pulse width modulated drive that trying to count the hall signal ends up with counting the PWM signal at 20khz
anyone any ideas?
I am using pwm control from a pic16f1707 and trying to count the hall signal but as I said the signal (including the speed signal from the zs-x11 on pin 6) is too noisy from the pwm drive

13

Zapster:
Hi,
I've been trying to use https://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-12V-36V-15A-500W-Brushless-Motor-Controller-Hall-BLDC-Driver-Board-LJ/253198619120?hash=item3af3d051f0:g:0NMAAOSw7aFa8~9S this motor controller. which I think is similar to the ZS-11XA controller.

But the problem is that when I try to reverse the direction, it takes like 4 seconds to stop and the it reverses the direction. Have you also faced this problem?

If so have any of you found a way to remove this smoothing thing?

The JY01(the chip used in the zs-x11) has soft brake and startup built in but for me it doesn't take anything like 4 seconds to reverse direction. more like 1.5 seconds (max 2 seconds). hope this helps

14

Hi.

That's the first thread I've found on this board (zs-x11 A and B) and I would like to ask your help to find solutions to my problems.

First of all I have for sure tell you what was my project to fully understand the problems. One of my relatives has a health problem who doesn't allow to walk for a long time. To help her to reach the city center or any place that a normal person can reach by foot, I was developing a "moving board" ( just like wheelchair but without chair, only with a board). Two driving motors in the front and caster wheelsss in the rear part. Steering can be done varying the speed of each motor.

I've seen a lot of hoverboards (self balancing boards) around during last years and since the price is becoming more cheap now, I decided to buy one of this to take the brushless motors (like this https://goo.gl/images/hBZfJU) and many other components to built my board. Next step was to find a good ESC for this sensored motors and I found zs-x11b. I thought it could be simple to control it with arduino because it had also the pwm input but I never arrived to control it.

I've bought two zs-x11b to control the two different motors through arduino + joystick. I've tried both controllers and one of them seems faulty. The second one after several try about connections (I've tried the 36 possible connections) being careful to no burn motor or controller (using a bench power supply with a current limiter) I found that many connection ccconfigurationsss work but with similar problems.

1st really small torque
2nd strange noise come out from motor after it reach maximum speed. it has a soft start, good acceleration, but once it reach a certain speed but once it reach a certain speed sound suggest it has been connected wrong ( such as a vibration sound)

I've tested the hall sensors. They works and I also have the confirmation that hall are in 120 degree configuration ( on amazon description, it's written that the zs-x11B can control only motor with hall with 120 degree configuration).

I don't know how proceed. Can i connect this controller without using the hall sensors? How can I achieve this? Should I use another controller? Any reliable controller that can also handle the braking and can be controlled with arduino?

I hope to have explained well my problems

Many thanks

15

Hi,

I was trying to use zs-x11a with hover board motor, but it does not give enough torque with low speed.
Attaching the hall sensors dint help, but the effect was, when you stop the motor with a hand at low speed it recovers in the right direction, without hall sensors just humming.

So my question is does anyone found a good way to have better torque with low speed?

Thanks!

16

What's your motor's torque specification, what was the torque you measured at low speed / stationary?