by JoeC » 03 Dec 2010, 21:41
Do you plan to follow behind it and operate this machine with the joystick? The DL50 is a powerchair controller (not a very strong one), so it will let you move very slowly for vacuuming if you don't push the stick very far. If you're looking to remote control this, one of the robot controllers might give you a much easier interface and would provide plenty of power- and might be a lot cheaper!
The rating of "8 amps continuous" is meaningless, since you are not doing something continuous with this unless you're only vacuuming in a straight line on a flat surface without starting or stopping. That's not how I vacuum, and I think a more conventional method would include a lot of steering, taking off from zero speed, and pushing against a resistance. All of these things are likely to use more than 8 amps per motor, unless you have the gearing set for a very slow speed. If you gear this thing to only move at 2 to 3 mph (maybe even less) at full throttle, you'll have an easier load for the motors and batteries, and won't have to worry about turning down the speed controller so much.
It would be interesting to hear more about your application and where you're coming from.