EVO AFM-01-Alpha

Before designing custom high-voltage inverters and VESC-based motor controllers for larger EV powertrains, it was critical to step back and physically validate how magnetic circuits operate at a fundamental level.

This project is a raw, scrappy, hands-on proof of concept. The goal wasn't to build a production-ready motor, but to understand the realities of phase wiring, magnetic flux, and the sheer mechanical forces involved in an axial flux geometry. I wanted to see the physics working in front of me.

The rotor consists of two halves that sandwich the stator. Each half houses 20 powerful N42 neodymium magnets arrayed in alternating polarities, resulting in a 40-magnet system total. Getting all these magnets seated in an alternating N-S-N-S pattern without them snapping together requires extreme care.

The central stator utilizes a 30-slot, 3-phase triangular winding layout. This specific pattern ensures that each phase coil efficiently interacts with the passing magnetic fields of both rotor halves simultaneously, maximizing torque for the footprint.

Despite the structural limitations of the printed parts—which ultimately required securing the outer shells with clear tape for the final test—the motor successfully spun up. It proved the underlying phase architecture and provided exactly the foundational knowledge needed to move forward with complex control systems.