Thank you for responding Prashant- I am pretty new to motors. I will work harder on my filtering and linear interpolation. It seems plausible that small inconsistencies could cause big problems at higher speeds.
Let me clarify my ignorance about the difference between sensored and sensorless mode. So here is the same motor running approximately the same speed in sensored and sensorless mode. From the sensorless mode capture, it looks like the sensors are triggering on the BEMF zero (or power supply 50%) crossing. In sensored mode, the current is switching when the sensor switches!
I think that means in sensored mode the coils are switching 30 degrees late, during which time it is slowing down the motor. Sensorless operation is qualitatively quieter and uses a little less current, indicating it is more efficient. Is it common to create a 'phase-shift' for sensored motors to try and get them to switch closer to the right time?
Sensorless:
Sensored:
