Terminals

It's rainy today, so I've replaced the ring-tongue terminals on the charging leads (DC side). They were 1/4" and now they're 5/8" to match the batteries.

I originally tried drilling out the 1/4" terminals, which worked alright at first, but turned out to be difficult and dangerous with my tools. After destroying one in the process, I decided to replace them altogether. The fuse holder on the positive lead is closer to the terminal now, but that shouldn't cause any problems.

Next step will be to re-install the batteries on the bike with these leads attached.

Happy New Year,
-Colby

Holiday

It's been a while since I posted any picture of the bike. Here is what it looks like at the moment:

The tail-light assembly and license plate bracket are missing from that picture. I got to looking at the rear section the other night and realized how big and ugly it was. Also, I often clipped the license plate bracket with my leg while getting on and off. I found a nifty DOT approved LED Stop/Turn/Tail (STT) light for the back. I'll be using it only for the brake-light and tail-light, though, so I'll need to order some more arrow-head turn signals to go in the back. Here is the new tail light next to the old assembly.

The tricky part will be making a little housing for mounting the new LED brake light and turn signals. I 'll probably try using plastic first. I'm sure fiber-glass would work too, but the weather may not allow it to cure in a timely fashion.

Here is the tank, powder-coated to match the wheels:

 To give you an idea of the final product, here's a picture of everything staged together:

I'll be off work until the new year so I'm hoping to make some progress during the break.
-Colby

More Labeling

This weekend, I touched up the new black paint and added labels to the batteries and their charging leads. I'm looking forward to how much easier assembly will be with clearly identified wires and plugs.

To do list:

• Shorten D.C. charging leads
• Combine A.C. changing leads
• Label chargers with a battery number
• Make the gas tank fit again

-Colby

Cable Labels

I've been meaning to label the main battery cables for a long time. I finally got around to it this evening. I found an acceptable font, printed out a sheet and used some Scotch heavy duty clear packing tape. It's nothing special, but it is simple, cheap, easy and functional.

The 1 inch rubber hose pieces at the ends of the cables are just temporary safety precautions used when installing or removing batteries and their connections. There is not a lot of space to maneuver the cables, tools and mounting hardware once the battery is in place on the chassis, so better safe than sorry.

I'm waiting for the weekend to take a shot at another coat on the chassis and/or re-assembly. I'll use the new charging leads when I put everything back. Then, I'll work on exactly how and where I'm going to mount the chargers. I'll also need to shorten all six charging leads to the battery by 3 feet and combine all six A/C plugs into the single 110 volt extension cord.

No big, I guess.
-Colby

2012 Summary

I haven't updated anyone about the bike in a very long time. I'd like to do so, briefly. The two main things I'd like to document are some recent aesthetic enhancements and a new charging system.

My motivation for some of these changes is related to an upcoming opportunity for displaying the bike. My employer will likely be hosting a grand opening for our new office in early 2013. This office has just been constructed and incorporates many energy efficient and environment friendly features. One such feature is the electric vehicle charging station. I think I'm the only employee with a battery-electric vehicle, so I'm hoping to make good use of the parking spot and convenient charging. I'd be proud to have the bike present at the grand opening and I'd like it to look its best.

Since I posted a picture of the bike last, I've had the wheels and gas tank powder-coated white. I've also touched up some of the chassis in black. Those are the new primary colors. The tank seems to have changed shape a bit due to the powder coating process (it has no bottom and I suspect the curing oven caused the change). I'll have to make some adjustments and do some re-assembly before posting an updated picture.

The charging system is being swapped out while the bike is partially torn down for painting. The two 36 volt chargers originally installed worked alright over the past few years. However, I feel I have learned part of the answer to a question I had when originally trying to understand and purchase chargers. That question was, "Does it matter whether I go for many individual chargers, one huge charger, or slice the battery-pack into multiple, smaller battery banks?" I eventually decided to slice my six battery pack into two banks of three and purchase two 36 volt chargers. In principle, it adds up just fine. In practice, the primary issues with that approach is how unbalanced the pack can become.

The pack becoming unbalanced over time seems unavoidable now. As an example, I think my PakTrakr taps the first battery alone, which I now consider poor design. I hope they have changed it since then or that I am somehow mistaken about it only drawing from the first battery. Even that tiny draw (in my situation) just further unbalanced the first battery from the rest of the pack. I installed a small on/off switch for my PakTrakr and the first battery was immediately more in-line with the others.

I'm moving to six individual chargers. I'm sure I could have gone the other way and moved toward a single charger as part of a battery management system, which may just be a fancy (and justified) version of using individual chargers. However, that seems like good territory for a second build given the expense and research required. In the mean time, using individual chargers is a pretty cost effective and simple solution for the bike and should give me optimal charging.

I'm hoping to use the bike for routine commuting in the new year, in line with its original purpose. Despite the winter season, I hope to have it looking and running well soon.
-Colby