I have recently purchased four hub motors from the Segway Ninebot Minipro, which I will be using to build a large 4WD rover.
I will not be using the Segway motherboard or other components, so I need four brushless ESCs that can handle the ~60v 400w power requirement of each motor without bursting into flames. For now the rover will not be self-balancing, but I need the ESCs to be reversible because the rover will use differential steering.
I’m hoping for an affordable solution because I am funding this project out of pocket. No grant money, etc., just a robot nerd building something in my garage. 
I’m open to suggestions from the smart folks on this forum.
What are you using for power? Does in need to be r/c controlled?
I think the main controller will be an APM or Pix4, which will communicate via R/C + 915MHz Telemetry + Wifi.
Power will be provided through Lipo battery packs with a BMS.
I’m hoping to send speed & rotation signals via PWM, UART, I2C or another protocol that allows me to have accurate and immediate control over each motor. I also want to read the HALL sensor data.
I’ve seen a few cheapo BLDC controllers that seem about right, except that they have torque issues at low speed.
Of course there are plenty of Ebike controllers available, but I’m not sure that they will be viable for use in a rover because of how the controls are wired.
I have found a couple of programmable controllers which look pretty good, but they are $80+ dollars each and shipped from China, so if they don’t work I’m out $400 or so.
Link: https://www.uumotor.com/sine-wave-programming-200w-1000w-bldc-motor-controller.html
I have also considered RC ESCs, but the ones that handle 14S are also fairly pricey.
Any tips would be appreciated.
Cheers!
