Tesla Setup FAQ

The following are FAQ's for setting up the Tesla boards. More information is available on the support threads of the forum. If you ask a question and get an answer, please add to this page.

If I bought a fully built board from EVBMW, do I need to do initial programming? All fully built boards from EVBMW are programmed and ready for testing and use. Firmware updates may be accomplished over the web interface and may be downloaded here : https://github.com/jsphuebner/stm32-sine/releases

Do I need to do any testing or change any settings before I get started?

It is recommended to perform initial tests at a low DC bus voltage in order to confirm correct operation of the drive unit and logic board. The voltage should be between around 40 and 100v dc. Some parameters need to be set to enable operation at these voltages. UDCSW set to 0. UDCMIN set to 0. You will need to perform a manual precharge or set UDCSW to about 10v less than your test voltage and use drive unit contactor control. Don't forget to reset these parameters to their original values when finished testing.

Also, some parameters need to be adjusted for your application. See the parameter descriptions. If you don't know where to start, take a look at the Parameters thread here: https://openinverter.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=195

Can I power up the board and make changes without the high voltage?

Yes, Once 12v power is applied to the board or drive unit the wifi interface becomes available. Simply connect with any wifi enabled device (laptop,phone,tablet etc) to the wifi access point called inverter. The passphrase is inverter123. Once connected point any web browser to 192.168.4.1 to bring up the interface. Note some devices may complain about not being connected to the internet but just ignore.

How is the pre-charge setup?

The precharge system behaves as follows :

Upon application of 12v power, energise precharge contactor.

If after 5 seconds the measured voltage at the drive unit (UDC) does not exceed the UDCSW parameter we shutoff the precharge contactor as it is assumed the precharge has failed in some way.

If during those 5 seconds UDC exceeds UDCSW we leave the precharge contactor energised and wait for a start signal. Once start signal is received we close the main and open the precharge contactor.