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Examining the Lexus inverter

A project log for DIY Electric Vehicle from Recycled Parts

Converting a car to electric drive using recycled and salvaged EV and hybrid components.

mauswerkzmauswerkz 03/11/2015 at 05:520 Comments

Tore in to the Lexus inverter. It has two main sections. There's the inverter section, which has the power electronics for driving the motors (and a really big capacitor encased in aluminum). There's also a "converter" section, which is what boosts the voltage from the original battery (288v) to the high voltage needed to drive the motors (650v). This converter can also step the voltage generated by the motors during braking down to the correct voltage to charge the battery.

For my project, I'll have to figure out how to control the power electronics using my own hardware. This will involve determining the pinouts of all the connectors, where the sensors connect and how to read them, and generally how it all goes together.

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