FWIW (for others who may find this problem), in the end the issue seems to have been that this motor, 1.5kw 8 pole (4 pair) 48v has such a large cogging issue, that the 10A calibration current/ 2v voltage, did not fully allow a correct calibration, as apparently the rotor was “vibrating/bouncing” back and forth between poles as it tried calibration.. it finished the calibration, and didn’t give any error, but internally apparently was “confused” (for lack of a better word) about the encoder data and motor data being “inconsistent”..?
Raising the calib current to 20A and 4v has made the calibration process much more “rigid”, and now the setup does respond correctly to both position and speed commands appropriately… torque have yet to test, as until now all tests have been with the motor unloaded…