B-G431B-ESC1 - Port open and try to configure board error despite following UM2516

[hellouniverse]

Hi ST Team,

I'm trying to use this discovery kit at the moment to try control a brushless dc motor, so I would like to profile the motor performance but I'm stuck with trying to configure the board/setup despite following the instructions (UM2516 - with daughterboard not removed setup) already on the data sheet. So I am using  : 

• STM32 Motor Control Workbench 6.3.2
• Motor Pilot 6.3.2
• Motor Profiler 5.4.8
• STM32 Cube Programmer

Unfortunately, I faced an error of "Port Open and try to configure the board and I'm stuck here. It's a very similar problem with this discussion :

https://community.st.com/t5/stm32-mcus-motor-control/error-quot-port-open-and-try-to-configure-the-board-quot-for-b/td-p/79966

and also heavily influenced on setting up through this youtube video :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHFnd9NY0S0

What I have done :

-. Please find my wiring on the photo attached.

-. So I have already connected the V+ and V- (3S Voltage - I'm interested in) to a power supply and also the PWM and GND to an external microcontroller (an Arduino setup generating 490Hz PWM).

-. Micro USB connected to my PC, also have updated the FW on STLINK Utility.

-. Flash the B-G431B-ESC1 firmware through the STM32CubeProgrammer.

-. PORT can be successfully opened with 115200 baud rate

I'm assuming the ESC is as easy as setting them up like that and Motor Pilot will just start profiling my motor, but am I still missing something of configuring the board?

[GMA]

Hello @hellouniverse and welcome to ST community,

By default, on Motor Pilot 6.3.2, used baudrate is 1843200. 

[hellouniverse]

Hi GMA,

Thanks for your response.

I still face the same issue even after changing the baud rate, setup at +13V. I attached images of my setup. Could you tell what's wrong with it? I think I'm doing minimum setup just to get it working..

[GMA]

Hello @hellouniverse,

It seems that you have 2 boards connected to your PC, did you choose the correct Port COM on Motor Pilot?

Sound strange that in idle B-G431B-ESC1 consumption is equal to 1A, idle current should be 0.03A...

Once B-G431B-ESC1 firmware flashed through the STM32CubeProgrammer, did you push the reset button?
At this point, did you try, after disconnecting the other board, to launch Potor Pilot V1.2.12 and click on "Discover Board"?

[hellouniverse]

Hi GMA,

Happy new year and I managed to get it running! However, I am bumped into other issue similar to this post. 

https://community.st.com/t5/stm32-mcus-motor-control/b-g431b-esc1-motor-profiling-issue/m-p/755170#M11537

It seems like if I want to run the motor speed to ~17000RPM for example, I have to write 170000RPM instead on the Motor Profiler Version 5.

Also, I kept getting the prompt of the testing takes too long, and it doesn't seem to generate a profile because it's not finished. The profiler doesn't seem to be content regardless of the range of input I set.

FYI : Vsupply = 13V, Current Max = 5A, Max Speed = 17000.

I'm trying to run this motor  : 

T-Motor M1103 1103 8000KV FPV Drone Motor

https://phaserfpv.com.au/products/t-motor-m1103-1103-8000kv-fpv-drone-motor?srsltid=AfmBOop7LKBLjQsggI47dkLkBZw4O9lIZAQVVyautsHOQIDBO1pyzfkN

[STealthy_sneezer]

Hi @hellouniverse,

First of all, I see 1A on your power supply photo. Are you sure you are not hitting the Over Current Protection (OCP) value of your power supply?
Your problem seems to be firmware related. Can you tell which firmware you are using for your project? Was it generated form ST Motor Control?

I tried reproducing your set up using the same board but with a different motor (Bull Running BR2804-1700kv) and managed to run the profiler without any problem.
Please note that the choice of motor should not have an impact on the profiler, since the profiler is used to determine the motor's specs.

Here is how I did it:

In MC workbench:
-Create new project
-Generale info → Inverter
-Motor (any)
-Inverter ->B-G431B-ESC1

On the project screen (see screenshot):

-Change Power supply VDC to match the setup (13V)
-Change PWM generation to 16 kHz
-In Application configuration, enable Motor Profiler
-Save and generate the project
-Click on “RUN STM32CubeMX”

In CubeMX:

-Generate code
-Open project in your IDE (I used CubeIDE)

In IDE:

-Build project
-Run project

Note: If Build failed, re-generate the code using CubeMX

Open Motor Pilot Profiler:

-Select the right COM port and click on connect
-Enter the number of pole pair for your actual motor
-Enter Max RPM speed (i.e. 17000RPM)
-Enter Max current (i.e. 5A or less)

Best regards

[hellouniverse]

Hi @STealthy_sneezer ,

Thanks for your response!

So basically, I would like to run 3S battery system to run this motor with max speed around 25000RPM and max current 5A. Based on these propeller datasheet, I thought my attachment to the motor would be within the range.

My bench power supply could only reach 30V and 5A. This fpv motor could run up to 18.5A, but I don't think I would need that amount of current for my application..

Is my setup just physically impossible like not enough current? Sorry if it's confusing I don't have prior experience on motor development. It doesn't matter what input I gave to the profiler (max speed, max current), it profiling never gets to 100%.

Please find attached video.

[STealthy_sneezer]

Hi @hellouniverse,

I see. What parameters did you use on that video? It seems like you're limited to 0.5A. Do you have anything that would limit you to this value?
Also, could you give me the actual motor reference that you are using? In your screenshot there are 3 different models.
Did you try using a lower speed like around a few thousand RPM? You don't need to make your motor run at full speed to get your specs. Maybe a lower speed would be enough to run the profiler.

Best regards

[hellouniverse]

I set the parameters as following :

Pole Pair = 6

Max Speed = 16000 RPM (in the video)

Max Current = 4Apk (power supply set)

This is the motor I'm trying to run for test (i'm testing a custom propeller for my use case but the screenshots are references from mainstream propeller) :

https://phaserfpv.com.au/products/t-motor-m1103-1103-8000kv-fpv-drone-motor?srsltid=AfmBOop7LKBLjQsggI47dkLkBZw4O9lIZAQVVyautsHOQIDBO1pyzfkN

If I run on a low max speed (e.g. 5000RPM) to get the profiler working, will I be able to drive the motor above this speed (> 5000RPM to 25000RPM) eventually when I export the parameters to STM32Cube ?