tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48988635196789226692024-03-13T03:50:13.644-07:00Volvo S80 EV ConversionThe conversion of a 2008 Volvo S80 2.5T into an electric vehicleMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037584852299845137noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4898863519678922669.post-23728764747686120852018-01-21T02:27:00.001-08:002018-01-21T02:27:21.658-08:00Why did we do this again?<h3>
</h3>
I joined the Wave Trophy 2016 for an evening in Biel and got the chance to attend the speech of Dr. phil. Daniele Ganser. He's a Swiss historian who worked at several universities until he founded <a href="https://www.siper.ch/en/">SIPER - the Swiss Institute for Peace and Energy Research</a>. In his speech he pointed out very convincingly how, where and why wars are fought for resource allocation (oil and gas) - from a historian's point of view. As I doubted the official version of 9/11 from the very beginning and was accused to believe in conspiracy theories, the first part did not surprise me much - until he explained the backgrounds of the war in Syria. I was dumbfounded and it actually made me feel sick in my stomach that me too was completely unaware of what is really going on. The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsfROmgVN5U">english version</a> is a bit short unfortunately and the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmGzQhaiJ9I">german version</a> has bad audio. But anyway it's still highly recommendable to watch!<br />
After loosing a bit track of the main reason in the past 2-3 years, I realized again why I did this conversion. It's environment protection too, sure. But the main reason is: Electric cars are the only way to get out of this mess we're currently in. I think there's a lot of merit to Mr. Ganser's explanations in his <a href="http://www.orellfuessli.ch/shop/home/suchartikel/europa_im_erdoelrausch/daniele_ganser/EAN9783280054741/ID32069276.html">book</a> that since World War I (not II !!) all wars where "western" countries are directly involved are mainly not to free people(s) from dictators, they're not about introducing democracy in the middle east, they're not to fight terrorism - on the opposite, they are providing the nutrient medium for it and benefit from the fear it causes! The only two reasons western countries are involved in or causing wars are: obtain access to oil and gas reserves.<br />
And the only way to stop this is to become self-sufficient, to use a renewable energy for transportation which can be produced locally. There's no need to invade or destabilize other countries if all you need is electricity and heat from your roof-top.<br />
Well, the next reasons for wars are then clean water and once the oil crisis hits of course it becomes pretty basic: food to fight the famine. But let's be positive here.<br />
<br />
BTW: Youtube has a new stupid policy where you're only eligible to monetize your videos if you get enough watching hours per years. I'm not depending on it so there's no need to beg but if you like the videos and want to support my crazy endeavor, just open the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toLDhb3j3Jw&list=PL6gDw5uk6H18Is2Mu-tWj5l2bsTh_E8Ku&index=2">video playlist</a> in a background tab/window and mute the audio so we get the required 4000hrs - if you're bored, you can also click some of the ads :) . If we don't make it, I'll take the videos down on youtube and move them to vimeo.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037584852299845137noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4898863519678922669.post-50991215678433229142017-10-05T12:31:00.002-07:002017-10-05T12:47:02.363-07:00More CAN filtering and next ideas...In the last post I mentioned some warnings and errors appearing in the dashboard due to my hacking of message <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">0x167</span>. Because the CEM now thinks that the engine is running, it validates some other messages coming from the ECM. Today I found some time to tackle the issue - and it took only 2 hours to not only fix the problem but enhance the situation even more :)<br />
I found out that the status of the alternator and probably even some information about the cooling system (not the temperature itself) is sent via message <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">0x3d3</span>. I replace the content of this message with values from the other S80: <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">0x24, 0x42, 0x00, 0x04, 0x75, 0x78, 0x76, 0x08</span> and after clearing the DTC's, the Dashboard is happy - as will be the experts conducting the regular checks for street worthiness. I didn't bother yet to find out exactly which bytes are relevant.<br />
As I was already at it, I thought somewhere the RPM must be hidden too. In my previous hacks, I only focused on the climate controls and error messages in the dash. I never checked the tachometer. So I checked the logs in Excel again to find messages from the ECM which differ between "ignition on" and "engine idle". In "engine idle" they case must fluctuate a bit because the engine speed is never 100% constant. As Murphy's law requires, I started on the wrong side with the high numbered message id's until I hit message <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">0x12a</span> and saw the needle jump up to 700rpm. Bingo! The engine speed is encoded in the last two bytes - well, actually only the last 13 bits. As byte 7 already had the value <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">0xe0</span> with ignition on (in my car), I simply add the two values. So that's what it looks like now (mind that the array starts at [0] - hence [7] is byte 8:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">bytes[6] = 0xe0 | (rpm & 0xff00) >> 8;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">bytes[7] = rpm & 0xff;</span><br />
<br />
To transport the rpm of the electric motor over to the CAN filter, I use GEVCU's CAN bus which is connected to the car's high-speed bus and send the value in a new message id <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">0x129</span>. The filter picks up the value when message<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> 0x129</span> is received. Then, when message <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">0x12a </span>is received, it injects the value. Works perfectly fine and now I have a working tachometer - well, except that the instrument doesn't display rpm's between 0 and 500 - it stays at 0 and then jumps to 500 - but what the heck, I can live with that.<br />
The code for the filter can be found on <a href="https://github.com/neuweiler/CANFilter/blob/master/CANFilter.ino">github</a>:<br />
<h3>
Next ideas</h3>
As I don't have a clutch anymore, shifting has become a bit tricky. Gears can only be shifted with zero torque and the synchros are used to adjust the motor speed. This shortens the life of the synchros and is also difficult for drivers unfamiliar with the procedure. Even I get into trouble now and then when the GEVCU dash isn't working and I don't find the spot where I'm coasting (zero torque). So the next step is to grab the vehicle's speed from the CAN bus (not via OBD2, too slow) and from the ratio of engine vs. vehicle speed find out in which gear I'm driving. Then I'll add a capacitive switch to the gear shifter and change the code of GEVCU like follows:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>When the switch is activated (gear knob touched), the torque is reduced to 0 for 1 sec (or less).</li>
<li>With 0 torque, the driver can switch the gear to "neutral".</li>
<li>Depending on wether the throttle is in "acceleration" or "deceleration" mode, GEVCU will adjust the motor speed within 0.2-0.5sec so it fits the next lower or higher gear.</li>
<li>Torque is again reduced to 0 (or almost 0) so the gear can be inserted.</li>
<li>When the knob/switch is released, normal operation is resumed.</li>
</ol>
<br />
I just made up the timing as I have no experience yet on how long the steps will take. I'll have to experiment with the timing as well as the torque applied to adjust the speed quickly enough but without unnecessarily stressing the hardware.<br />
And of course I won't be entering the speed ratios for the different gears.. the GEVCU has to be able to find the different ratios automatically.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037584852299845137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4898863519678922669.post-53118454227209538592017-10-01T13:25:00.000-07:002017-10-01T13:25:10.987-07:000x167, byte 5, bit 6A couple of months ago I found the CAN message on the low-speed CAN bus which would be sent from the CEM (Central Electronic Module) to the CCM (Climate Control Module) if the engine was running. It would enable all the high-power consumers like seat heater, seat ventilator, rear window de-mist. The only caveat was that while I injected the message, the CEM sent the same one about 2-5 per second to switch things off again. I thought about cutting the CAN wires and inserting a filter. But as the SRS (airbag) is also on that bus, I was hesitant - luckily. Because one week ago, I came up with the idea, why not do the same thing between the ECM (Engine Control Module) and the CEM. Instead of faking input signals to make the ECM believe that an engine is running, I could do it at a later stage: "adjust" the CAN signal from the ECM.<div>
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2VhPTqscGNU/WdFO4-hUCKI/AAAAAAAAAuk/qerofHKPjcMFNbnSWaDmml_Oy31H3UtvQCLcBGAs/s1600/can_filter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1111" data-original-width="1600" height="138" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2VhPTqscGNU/WdFO4-hUCKI/AAAAAAAAAuk/qerofHKPjcMFNbnSWaDmml_Oy31H3UtvQCLcBGAs/s200/can_filter.jpg" width="200" /></a>So yesterday I dared and started looking for the high-speed CAN wires. I was lucky. I cut the umbilical of the cable tree open - close to the coolant expansion tank. The twisted blue-black (CAN-High) and green-black (CAN-Lo) wires were right on the top - no digging through 30-40 wires. A courageous cut and a Arduino-Due based CAN shield soldered in and I had a filter ready. ECM on bus 1, rest on bus 0. This way it was a piece of cake to find out which messages are coming from the ECM (0x30, 0x125, 0x12a, 0x143, 0x157, 0x167, 0x315, 0x385, 0x392, 0x3d3, 0x4ca) and which are coming from the other devices (at least 23 other messages). This reduced the reverse-engineering efforts dramatically by about 70%. First I suspected it'd be message id 0x30. Usually these low-end numbers are used for basic status information. Wrong! It seems to be the device's ID - which changes when the engine is running - but yet it wasn't the one yet. So, what did I do?</div>
<div>
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ffeqLfP-EJ4/WdFJKxRdcpI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/CbUbraW_B9wFYq9Unvma2o63rY3fRdg6gCLcBGAs/s1600/devices_running.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="1024" height="135" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ffeqLfP-EJ4/WdFJKxRdcpI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/CbUbraW_B9wFYq9Unvma2o63rY3fRdg6gCLcBGAs/s200/devices_running.jpg" width="200" /></a>Another friendly S80 MY08 owner, allowed me to grab some logs from his car with ignition on and with engine idling. With these logs, Excel and Collin Kidders SavyCan, I identified which messages contain different data between the two states. Still a lot! So I started replacing the content of messages one message id at a time, first I used the other car's data for 0x30 --> de-mobilizer got activated. Then 0x125 --> DSTC system failure, then 0x12a --> DSTC error and de-mobilizer, and so on and so on. Most of the other messages had no visible effect.</div>
<div>
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-92tkfnQxN2o/WdFJKyH8KuI/AAAAAAAAAuU/3R8dhkO1PNguw53AxA76eoIagRUyLOSfQCLcBGAs/s1600/de-mist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="1024" height="126" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-92tkfnQxN2o/WdFJKyH8KuI/AAAAAAAAAuU/3R8dhkO1PNguw53AxA76eoIagRUyLOSfQCLcBGAs/s200/de-mist.jpg" width="200" /></a>Then once I uploaded a new firmware change to the Arduino, I got partially lucky: I forgot to switch off ignition and during the upload, the CEM obviously lost communication with the ECM and the whole christmas tree lit up: all seat heaters, fans, BLIS (Blind Spot Indicator System) were enabled for a short time. So today, I just pulled the plug of the Arduino - meaning no messages get forwarded anymore. And although many errors appeared on the dashboard, all the desired devices were available to me. Geeee! This looked promising. So assiduously I started filtering out entire messages - again starting with 0x30 and working my way up. With the sixth attempt, I got lucky: 0x167 must be it! Then I added it again but with the contents from the other S80 and the devices still worked. Next step: only replace the contents of the last 4 bytes and leave the first 4 as they come from the ECM: still ok. Then leave the content of byte 5 and 6 unchanged: not working anymore. With the reference data from the other S80 for byte 5 being 0x22 with ignition on and 0x62 with running engine it became clear quickly that it must be bit 6. So now I just do a <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">bytes[4] |= 0x40</span> to set the bit and Vida now tells me that the ECM's "power state" is no longer "ignition on" but "running". And now instead of just the working seat heater (most important!) and ventilator and de-mist, I also got a running BLIS and the head-lamps swivel again in the direction I steer. Fantastic! :)</div>
<div>
There are only 3 issues which need to be resolved now as the engine appears to be running, more signals are verified:</div>
<div>
<ol><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0ohyMD-3xBY/WdFJK1_bFwI/AAAAAAAAAuM/-iqrfCOfcOEsYxfPpCpMhAIS2TNKB1oFgCLcBGAs/s1600/dash_error.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="1024" height="120" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0ohyMD-3xBY/WdFJK1_bFwI/AAAAAAAAAuM/-iqrfCOfcOEsYxfPpCpMhAIS2TNKB1oFgCLcBGAs/s200/dash_error.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<li>The red "alert" and the battery warning sings light up in the dashboard together with the message that the alternator system has a serious malfunction. The DTC tells me there's a missing message. </li>
<li>Because I didn't attach a coolant temperature sensor or fake the signal, I get a yellow "warning" sing and a message about an issue in the engine coolant system</li>
<li>The auxiliary brake pressure pump still doesn't come on when braking abruptly. For a real emergency stop, I have to push the brake very hard until ABS kicks in.</li>
<li>Still don't get a RPM reading on the dashboard.</li>
</ol>
In a daily drive 1. is the most annoying thing. But as the DTC says a message is missing, maybe the ECM just sends one more message containing data from the alternator. Once I find it and inject it, it should go away. Point 2 should be easy to remedy - and even if I can't I could live with it. </div>
<div>
Point 3 is not annoying while driving but it's the most critical in an emergency - especially if other people are driving the car. I don't know what needs to be done to make the BCM (Brake Control Module) switch on the auxiliary pump. Maybe I'll just use the brake pressure which is read in by GEVCU anyway and then send the CAN bus command to turn on/off the auxiliary pump (can grab this from the Vida log as it can be switched on/off from the tool).</div>
<div>
Point 4 just needs a bit more fumbling around with the remaining CAN messages. I'm convinced the RPM of the engine is in one of the 11 messages sent from the ECM.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If anyone has information or a good idea on how to resolve these 4 points, I'd appreciate it!<br />
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037584852299845137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4898863519678922669.post-8559403927622803332017-03-19T05:26:00.000-07:002017-03-19T05:30:26.370-07:00Months of HellThis post is not in chronological order as I delayed writing it for several months now. As the title suggests, it wasn't the most pleasurable time of my conversion and I "evaded" recapturing the events for a while. But now it's about time to write about these events - and with some distance it's even funny to recap what had occurred (see point 3). Maybe it helps you if you're also stuck in apparently unsolvable problems or if you're not able to track down the source.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UhmE5IbYbL0/WM5vPbUaFbI/AAAAAAAAAr0/BD_tuT454E4ny7Tr6ndQVKaqSxFI4it2ACLcB/s1600/IMG_2403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UhmE5IbYbL0/WM5vPbUaFbI/AAAAAAAAAr0/BD_tuT454E4ny7Tr6ndQVKaqSxFI4it2ACLcB/s200/IMG_2403.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sXoWZyMZ8vs/WM5vPAfytmI/AAAAAAAAArw/5hV9Y9xzgb4n-2EtfadtCvL3STY5C3K8wCLcB/s1600/IMG_2402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sXoWZyMZ8vs/WM5vPAfytmI/AAAAAAAAArw/5hV9Y9xzgb4n-2EtfadtCvL3STY5C3K8wCLcB/s200/IMG_2402.JPG" width="200" /></a>
As in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0709015/">Voyager's Year of Hell</a> the S80 got some serious problems and just wouldn't want to make its way to the certification agency for 2-3 minor checks. Maybe you remember, in May 2016 I've received a provisional allowance to drive the car. I had to move some weight from the front to the back, correct the wheel angles and get rid of some rust on the brake disks. Nothing serious you might think. Not at all.. everything was taken care of and fixed pretty easily. But in the meantime this has occurred:<br />
<ol>
<li>The bearing of the motor shaft gave in. While driving the motor started vibrating pretty strong. It was quickly identified because the vibrations were related to the motor speed and not the car's speed. So back on the lift, disassemble the motor from the gearbox and confirm that the motor was vibrating. As I already pointed out to Brusa a strange heat build-up at the bearing before I mounted the motor the first time, they were 100% co-operative and handed me a replacement motor.</li>
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Vhx9qQXgBs/WM5vQ1MQk5I/AAAAAAAAAs0/Jx82cFMi2RM-Pf9WqHkhs3NdURsXla0IQCEw/s1600/krater%2Bund%2Bgreten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Vhx9qQXgBs/WM5vQ1MQk5I/AAAAAAAAAs0/Jx82cFMi2RM-Pf9WqHkhs3NdURsXla0IQCEw/s200/krater%2Bund%2Bgreten.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lTxomazBUUU/WM5vRK0D76I/AAAAAAAAAs0/aRDEJ1hac2odggiJdwTvIiq5pz6Th4SlgCEw/s1600/krater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iTeW_q8XMxw/WM5vSCm9ICI/AAAAAAAAAs0/U0P3AJzmgFIxAT1ozTWtpHALHwFRySLegCEw/s1600/verbranntes%2Bfett.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iTeW_q8XMxw/WM5vSCm9ICI/AAAAAAAAAs0/U0P3AJzmgFIxAT1ozTWtpHALHwFRySLegCEw/s200/verbranntes%2Bfett.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lTxomazBUUU/WM5vRK0D76I/AAAAAAAAAs0/aRDEJ1hac2odggiJdwTvIiq5pz6Th4SlgCEw/s1600/krater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lTxomazBUUU/WM5vRK0D76I/AAAAAAAAAs0/aRDEJ1hac2odggiJdwTvIiq5pz6Th4SlgCEw/s200/krater.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4xAUkAqX0z4/WM5vQM8okLI/AAAAAAAAAs0/f1tPLP9Am70CG1yKqxvQfbni3LVe7MDMgCEw/s1600/abrieb%2Bende.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4xAUkAqX0z4/WM5vQM8okLI/AAAAAAAAAs0/f1tPLP9Am70CG1yKqxvQfbni3LVe7MDMgCEw/s200/abrieb%2Bende.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<li>Thanks to the replacement of the motor, I also discovered a couple of other things (see pics on the right):</li>
<ul>
<li>The bolts of the gearbox and adapter plate started to loosen - although I applied Loctite to all of them and torqued them according to specs. When reassembling, I switched to Nordlock washers - I strongly suggest you'd do the same. </li>
<li>Burnt grease and pitting of the metal on the adapter shaft: According to experts this points to very high temperatures occurring locally due to quick torque shifts (which in itself is normal). We try to prevent this now by using very high temperature resistant graphit grease.</li>
<li>Wear and tear at the beginning and the end of the part that's inserted into the motor. This points to a slight misalignment - maybe due to the loosened bolts or due to the construction. But two experts told me that it should be fine now and I don't have to expect the situation to worsen.</li>
<li>Chipping at the edge of the splines. Probably also due to wear and tear but I had to file it off before reassembly.</li>
</ul>
<li>Once I got everything running vibration free again, I arranged a date with the certification agency. Of course I visited the car wash just before the appointment to make a good impression. And because the car was to be weighted again and I needed every kg, I wanted to get rid of some excess washing water (which equals to about 5kg when full). So I applied the windshield washer thoroughly while driving to the agency on the high-way. Then things happened quickly: I got a warning bell, several unrelated alerts on the dash (like "brake, urgent maintenance required", "ABS inactive", "low voltage", "power saving mode") and a couple of seconds later: No response on the throttle and the car started to slow down. <b>WHAAAT</b> <b>!?!</b> <b>Not now!</b> I moved to the emergency line and came to a stop. The lights in the dash and radio display flickered when I tried to re-start the car. Lights were dim and the dash didn't even indicate that the emergency lights were operating. After working 30min under the hood with my MacBook (ever seen this ?) and cars rushing by at 100kmh, I came up with two theories: Either some water from the car wash must have made its way where it caused a short or the DC-DC converter stopped working. Also the police paid me a visit which at first made me even more nervous but they were really forthcoming. Long story made short, I needed a tow. But again, to save weight, I left the tow hook at home (it weighs another 2kg) and the tow truck didn't have one for Volvo's with him. Of course after spending 1h on the emergency line, I had to cancel the appointment and my phone's battery was almost empty too. How much worse could it get ?!? Remembering my theories, I gambled on one and asked the guy from the emergency service if he had a 12V emergency starter pack with him. Luckily he had, we attached it to my tiny motorcycle lead acid battery and tadaaah, the car came back to life. Another quick look at GEVCU's (the EV control unit) log confirmed it: The DC-DC converter reported an high-voltage under-voltage error and was inoperative. As this couldn't be fixed quickly, we agreed to get off the high-way first, closed the hood as much as possible and drove to the next exit. There we located the next DIY store where I wanted to buy a 12V battery or emergency starter pack. As the motorcycle batteries were much more expensive and probably not fully charged, I decided to buy a starter pack. Hooked up, the car was driving again. To save power, I disconnected the electric power steering pump, switched off all possible consumers and dared to drive back on the high-way. Several km's later, the car started reporting low voltage and various system problem again. I skipped one more exit and took the next one to get as close to home as possible. I used the emergency foot brake to brake to prevent the vacuum pump come to live and rob another couple of mAh on the 12V rail. In a city about 10km from home I had to enter a round-about. Calculated the speed and trajectory of all cars to make it in without braking. But one of the "suckers" didn't leave it as I expected and I had to brake sharp. Hearing the vacuum pump come to life weakly churned at my heart. A quick push on the throttle confirmed: I needed to push differently to get out of the round-about. So I got out of the car and pushed it to the next exit. There was a construction site and they were removing the scaffolding. Luckily I wasn't getting in their way and there was also mains power so I was able to re-charge the starter pack. After an hour, I thought the charge should suffice for the remaining 10min drive and got on the way again. But guess what, not even half way through, the bells came on again and I knew, I was about to become an obstacle to traffic a third time in a row. Another round-about in a small town. A pedestrian on the way to the zebra crossing. You have to know that in Switzerland pedestrians have way right at zebra crossings - cars and trucks have to stop if there's the slightest chance that people want to cross or risk a several hundred CHF fine. So I was under quite some pressure and realising the bad timing, I was going "no no no!", frantically waving at the pedestrian to stay put on the sidewalk and in the end passed by her in a still save but let's say "probably not entirely legal" fashion as she returned the waving arms gesture when I looked in the mirror. I felt sorry as normally I'd never do that. But thanks to this manoeuvre, the car was working until the last incline. There it gave out but I had enough momentum to make it to the "down-hill" part where I made it home without motor support. Another visit to the lift and I found out that the 10A HV fuse for the DC-DC converter was blown. I replaced it with a 8A I had lying around but it blew up again immediately. There was a short on the HV side of the converter and it had to be repaired.</li>
<li>To be able to drive without DC-DC converter, I used the car's old 100Ah lead acid battery. Fully charged, it gave me about a 2h drive. These drives were not relaxed ones as the voltage sagged to 11.5V quickly too and the alerts popped up again. But I was able to drive much longer with them in place. But while driving I felt another vibration getting worse and worse around 3300rpm and I thought I'd have to replace the motor another time and maybe something with my construction was completely wrong and destroying bearings. As it turned out much later, the vibrations subsided again once I disabled "oscillation dampening". In low speed situations this mode resulted in heavy fluctuations in torque and maybe wasn't good for the drive-train. But this part caused me a whole lot of head-ache and frustration. So much that together with the DC-DC converter problem, I decided to stow the car away for a couple of weeks. Mentally this was the absolute low point of my conversion. Ev1en the thought of re-inserting the gas engine had crossed my mind. In these situations it's good to have a family to rely on and put things into perspective again. My 9-year old son realised that I was feeling really sad and made me the drawing which says "Dear dad, I'm so proud of you. Kind regards, Philipp" and on the right he adapted the Volvo sign with "1.P" for first place. How much sweeter can you be? No need to tell you that it did wet up more than one eye :)
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xlvzoMTldYY/WM5wT9X6xoI/AAAAAAAAAs8/06i3u_k5npkFMHrNxsAdhObh7Nz2IK_4gCEw/s1600/PhilippZeichnung.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xlvzoMTldYY/WM5wT9X6xoI/AAAAAAAAAs8/06i3u_k5npkFMHrNxsAdhObh7Nz2IK_4gCEw/s320/PhilippZeichnung.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<br />
<li>And once I thought things were running again, one morning the car would move. This time the motor controller gave me an error: "Temperature Sensor" - although the reported motor temperature was perfectly fine. Checking with Brusa it became evident that there are several sensors and if the ones used to report the temp over CAN appear to be fine, there must be something wrong with the others whose purpose is to shut-down the system in case the motor overheats. As they are redundant for safety and the system also shuts-down if the others report high temperatures, we decided to disable the second safety feature. Luckily previous versions of the motor didn't have this set of sensors and the software is flexible enough so we were able to disable the check through parametrisation. But the whole process also stretched over several weeks.</li>
<li>As it took much longer than expected, the re-check at the certification agency was more than over-due. This also put a lot of pressure. I can count myself really lucky that they were so lenient and showed a lot of understanding for my situation.</li>
</ol>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In December we finally made it to the agency and the car passed final inspection. Since then the only troubles I had were related to heating. Otherwise the car is driving well now (as long as I don't screw up the software by adding new features). So I'm happy again in this area.. and also in others as I find much more time and energy to spend with my family again.</div>
Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037584852299845137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4898863519678922669.post-4733121129534099902017-01-06T08:34:00.001-08:002017-01-06T08:44:37.868-08:00GEVCU Dashboard redesign<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UuJJo0cMYHE/WG_DiOMXCuI/AAAAAAAAArI/-eFUV86Jt94OXi2RJF672Sl3D1YORoydQCLcB/s1600/dashboard.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="108" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UuJJo0cMYHE/WG_DiOMXCuI/AAAAAAAAArI/-eFUV86Jt94OXi2RJF672Sl3D1YORoydQCLcB/s200/dashboard.png" width="200" /></a>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r_fKVSK4Ovo/WG_DWmVab8I/AAAAAAAAArA/VVw__P-607Q6Q6DuK9YXJ_iqbZ4jfrEvgCLcB/s1600/oldDashCharge.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r_fKVSK4Ovo/WG_DWmVab8I/AAAAAAAAArA/VVw__P-607Q6Q6DuK9YXJ_iqbZ4jfrEvgCLcB/s200/oldDashCharge.png" width="200" /></a>
The old version of the web based GEVCU dashboard is a bit overloaded with gauges and its look&feel is not of the most modern types. So after seeing some nice gauges in a mobile app presented on evtv, I decided ours needs an overhaul. These were the requirements:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>support dual dials on one gauge (or more)</li>
<li>support arcs from a start point to the tip of the dial</li>
<li>improved performance</li>
</ul>
The original gauge library was created by Mykhailo Stadnyk and it served us well. But we had to switch off animations (interpolations from one value to the next) in order to run it on tablets. This made the dials jump around a bit. One of the main reasons for this was that for every refresh the entire gauge was re-drawn from scratch. So a first change was to introduce layers. The gauge background (circle, numbers, ticks) are now only drawn once and the dials are each drawn on their own layer (canvas stacked above each other). Also the LCD like value displays are drawn onto a separate layer.<br />
<div>
But still performance was pretty bad.. on a Macbook Pro, Firefox put the CPU load to 80-90% in a test set-up where all values were redrawn every 10ms. Increasing the interval to 35ms still gives decent animations and dropped to CPU load to about 60%. Better but still not good enough for my Samsung Note 10.1" 2014 tablet. The problem was that JavaScript runs single-threaded. So although the tablet uses a multi-core processor, it only used one to do everything. The solution was to introduce web-workers. They allow to perform background tasks in separate threads. By moving the web-socket communication and calculations to a separate worker and let the main thread do the drawing, we got a huge performance jump. The CPU load dropped to about 45% and the animations started to look better on the tablet. But I wasn't happy yet. Since the specs of web-workers say that a worker can spawn sub-workers, I wanted to go further and not just distribute the work between 2 threads (2 cores). So I decided to spawn a "handler" worker which acts as a coordinator. This handler then spawns a web-socket worker which processes the incoming data into a JSON object. And it also spawns a worker for each dial to be displayed in all the gauges. Each key/value pair received from the web-socket is then forwarded via the handler to the corresponding dial-worker. The result of the dial-worker is forwarded through the handler back to the main thread where the canvas is drawn with the pre-calculated values. This approach would take away the maximum amount of load from the main thread which is responsible for the DOM and drawing the canvas.</div>
<div>
But it didn't work out that well. Well, it worked - but only in Firefox. As it turns out, Firefox and MS Edge are the only browsers at that time to implement the full specification of workers. The others (like Opera, Chrome, Android Browser) do only support workers to be created by the main thread. So in order not to loose the work, I decided to put the handler into a PseudoWorker wrapper. It will still run in the main thread but can be accessed almost like a worker. So in case the other browser implementations catch-up, it's easy to switch.</div>
<div>
The arcs was another thing.. to find out how to place the start points correctly was not so easy. Especially as I wanted to be able to have the gauges display one, two, three or more dials. And also be able to "turn around" a dial and not display the values clock-wise but counter-clock-wise with a switch. And of course the arcs also needed to support freely definable gradients. </div>
<div>
All in all, it worked out and now the performance on the tables is good. The dashboard even runs sufficiently well on a raspberry Pi3 with all values changing with every update (which is not realistic). But you'll have to use Android as OS and either Chrome or Opera. Firefox is too slow as are all browsers available on Raspbian. </div>
<div>
Here's a demo video (with faked values) of the new dashboard in action. You might notice the instpirations from Tesla and Volvo gauges but still, they're something different. Oh yes and the charging screen also received an overhaul. So although future versions of GEVU (6.x) will no longer support the ConnectOne ichip wifi, there are still a lot of us out there who got older versions.</div>
<div>
Also notice the switches at the top. With them you can temporarely switch on/off regen, creep, EHPS and the heater. Especially on snowy roads it's nice to switch off regen without having to change the configuration of the throttle.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nKlved2jGTA/WG_DYeML32I/AAAAAAAAArE/aKNExKPguuAszdpcpMg3PyLuVA-BJvNXwCLcB/s1600/newDashCharge.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="85" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nKlved2jGTA/WG_DYeML32I/AAAAAAAAArE/aKNExKPguuAszdpcpMg3PyLuVA-BJvNXwCLcB/s200/newDashCharge.png" width="200" /></a><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i9.ytimg.com/vi/H_SuOdmYQ2w/default.jpg?sqp=CLSOv8MF&rs=AOn4CLAdkFsMtdtAUYPhOOlE4h3tr9opsA" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H_SuOdmYQ2w?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div>
<br />
And here's a demo which displays all the possibilities of the new gauges (4 dials in one gauge and also display the highlights as in the old version):<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wU_SLDt2J7Q/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wU_SLDt2J7Q?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br /></div>
Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037584852299845137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4898863519678922669.post-25074021821362427042016-12-17T14:11:00.001-08:002016-12-19T07:03:38.866-08:00The Heat is on!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UY-xvhUxZUE/VrBoYSkwKwI/AAAAAAAAAiM/UUaFMVa7lBMecdRE4hXAG_KriPTikOJ2ACPcB/s1600/HeatCool.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CapSIHF6qWo/WFWrxjKO1jI/AAAAAAAAAqc/bO_Jqwe8rEwO8Pm7ot_oiiSvMEpMzXiRACLcB/s1600/ebenspacher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CapSIHF6qWo/WFWrxjKO1jI/AAAAAAAAAqc/bO_Jqwe8rEwO8Pm7ot_oiiSvMEpMzXiRACLcB/s200/ebenspacher.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tAgMAbu3-Ic/V1HXzuuFDuI/AAAAAAAAAlY/1qYewrGEERgIziIj8O8VIbzfgiDeYy3dQCPcB/s1600/flow1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-osB952BjJFM/V1HAdFRBpfI/AAAAAAAAAlE/3OND1f6nJLMi1ZS8arpRwGWIKpLRF65GwCPcB/s1600/gevcu_ext_layout.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-osB952BjJFM/V1HAdFRBpfI/AAAAAAAAAlE/3OND1f6nJLMi1ZS8arpRwGWIKpLRF65GwCPcB/s200/gevcu_ext_layout.gif" width="200" /></a>
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UY-xvhUxZUE/VrBoYSkwKwI/AAAAAAAAAiM/UUaFMVa7lBMecdRE4hXAG_KriPTikOJ2ACPcB/s1600/HeatCool.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UY-xvhUxZUE/VrBoYSkwKwI/AAAAAAAAAiM/UUaFMVa7lBMecdRE4hXAG_KriPTikOJ2ACPcB/s200/HeatCool.gif" width="200" /></a>
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tAgMAbu3-Ic/V1HXzuuFDuI/AAAAAAAAAlY/1qYewrGEERgIziIj8O8VIbzfgiDeYy3dQCPcB/s1600/flow1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tAgMAbu3-Ic/V1HXzuuFDuI/AAAAAAAAAlY/1qYewrGEERgIziIj8O8VIbzfgiDeYy3dQCPcB/s200/flow1.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<h2>
The Heater</h2>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Finally, I got the Eberspächer 6kW electric heater installed and up and running! It sure is a beast that needs to be tamed :) With my current water flow rate it starts boiling the water with anything higher than 2.5kW. When the blower of the car is off, bubbles even start circulating the system with 1.5kW. I equipped my GEVCU-Extension with a SW-CAN transceiver. It communicates via single wire CAN bus with the heater and controls its power output from 0 to 6000 Watts. The module of course can be configured to a desired maximum power output. It also measures the temperature of the water via a NTC resistor built-in the heater (via A0 of GEVCU transmitted via CAN to GEVCU Extension).</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
With the current settings, it heats with 1.5kW until the water reaches 40°C. Then it de-rates the power to 0 Watt at 70°C. This reduces the bubbling to a minimum.</div>
<br />
<br />
I'll need to hook-up the already installed flow meter to get an idea of how many liters per minute travel through the system.<br />
<br />
If you're interested in the code, you'll find it at <a href="https://github.com/neuweiler/GEVCUExtension/blob/develop/EberspaecherHeater.cpp">GitHub</a>. (Note that not all Eberspächer heater use SW-CAN. Many operate PWM controlled).<br />
<br />
After 4 weeks driving at freezing temperatures (inside the car), windshields that fog up and even start to freeze over while driving, feet that won't warm up again and catching one cold after another, I'm almost looking forward to the Monday morning commute where I can hop in a pre-heated and de-iced car.<br />
<br />
PS: Of course I didn't drive with iced/fogged windows.. I stopped and used a 12V 120 Watt heater and wasted a lot of time pointing the cheesy air flow at the windshield to get clear vision.<br />
<h2>
Unwanted Heat</h2>
Before getting the heater running I had to fight some other heat - caused by a still missing radiator for the coolant loop of the motor and controllers. I had to get to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arosa">Arosa</a> this week. It's a mountain village in the canton Graubünden, Switzerland at 1775 meter over sea level. The town at the base of the mountain (Chur) lies at 593 meters. So the task was to climb 1182 meters (3877 feet) over a distance of 35km (21 miles) with most of the height gain concentrated in the first 4km. After 120km on the high-way I had about an hour to charge with 3.7kW at Chur until I had 30Ahrs in my batteries. Then I had to take off to get to Arosa in time - or not at all. The car climbed like a champ at first. Until I hit a temperature of 133°C in the motor and the de-rating set in. Fortunately the terrain leveled off and it cooled down quickly. Just when I finished contemplating about finally installing that radiator for the coolant, I got another blow when I looked at the Amp-hours meter: 15Ah left.. for about 32km remaining. That's gonna be extremely tight - especially if we have to climb even higher. I used my "super-energy-saving" driving style and got really nervous when the Ah meter went from positive numbers to negative ones and the street just went on upwards - pretty steep. But the voltage didn't sag as I expected and it finally dawned on me that I aligned the meter to 20% SOC. So theoretically there should be another 20% reserve in the batteries to complete the trip to Arosa and not turn around with a tucked tail. Constantly checking the voltage I drove the remaining 5km and ended up with minus 3.5 Ah but still a sufficiently high voltage in the cells. Phew.. that was "interesting". But I was proud we made it - barely but we made it :)<br />
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<br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037584852299845137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4898863519678922669.post-24277863784183216172016-12-06T07:52:00.001-08:002016-12-07T01:53:50.783-08:00Freezing over<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sN3Ls6FdMxg/WEfaJayDFiI/AAAAAAAAAqA/2xbErOpRzT4pCglZxLTdzBinc7Ouhv_ZwCEw/s1600/freezing1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sN3Ls6FdMxg/WEfaJayDFiI/AAAAAAAAAqA/2xbErOpRzT4pCglZxLTdzBinc7Ouhv_ZwCEw/s200/freezing1.jpg" width="200" /></a>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JItVFHHCi28/WEfaJhiiNaI/AAAAAAAAAqA/Mg-4DCc6KsQdxWx0rtkGiHR58G36-FAPACEw/s1600/heating3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JItVFHHCi28/WEfaJhiiNaI/AAAAAAAAAqA/Mg-4DCc6KsQdxWx0rtkGiHR58G36-FAPACEw/s200/heating3.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<h2>December...</h2>
<div>
It's getting cold and although the car is running and I finally passed the re-examination of the car, the heating from the coolant of the motor and inverter is not only insufficient - it's inexistent. The coolant temperature rises to about 21°C after a 40min drive which doesn't heat the cabin at all. (So folks, it really doesn't work to heat the car with the heat of an electric drive system!) And with an outside <i>and</i> inside temperature of -3° to 2°C - which is not the lowest yet - my feet are cold and won't recover for 2-3 hours after these drives.<br />
</div>
<div>
So a heating strategy must be implemented urgently. Although the approaches depicted on the right might work, I think I'll try a different approach. (note the funny coincidence: a BP logo on a battery)<br />
</div><div>
I wasn't able to activate the already installed PTC heating element of the Volvo until now. The signal specs and wiring diagram pointed to a wire which regulates the power of the PTC element. I thought it was an analog or PWM signal which I tried to fake. But it didn't work. Most likely the PTC controller communicates via LIN bus messages. So it's not easy to fake it without a reference.<br />
</div><div>
So maybe the best idea would be to get the already mounted but not connected Eberspächer 6kW heater working. I only have to connect hoses, a pump and an expansion tank (which I don't have yet) and find a way to read the temperature from the heater's sensor (analog signal) with GEVCU or GEVCU-Extension.<br />
</div>
Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037584852299845137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4898863519678922669.post-49115253603045754422016-11-26T09:52:00.000-08:002016-12-07T01:55:07.660-08:00In the MediaWe caught some fame... another fellow EV enthusiast organised an interview with our local newspaper. Inspired by it, I thought "Why not try others?". So I informed all major Swiss newspapers and TV stations about the completion of the conversion. Zurich's local TV station (Tele Züri) reacted extremely quick - after 5min I got a call. The reporter showed a lot of interest at first but then the redaction was not convinced that 5 to 10min of interesting material could be cut together. Well.. although I could have talked for hours, it's not a major problem because after that, the biggest newspaper in Switzerland jumped in for a half-page interview and they even posted a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/blick/videos/10154291051948919/">video on Facebook</a> (in swiss-german though).<br />
For those interested, here's a translation:<br />
<i><b>Intro</b>: "This Volvo in not only driven electrically but also home made. Michael Neuweiler fulfilled his dream with this car."</i><br />
<i><b>Michael</b>: "Driving for the first time out of the garage and only hearing the crunching gravel under the tires and nothing else, this was fantastic - a really good feeling. Especially because I invested a lot of time and it worked in the end."</i><br />
<i><b>Reporter</b>: "Why did you want such an electric car? Why didn't you just buy a Tesla?"</i><br />
<i><b>Michael</b>: "When I started, the Tesla S was all but a rumor and it looked like it takes longer. Other electric cars were only small cars which I didn't like that much. So I thought, let's try it ourselves with the car I like."</i><br />
<i><b>Reporter</b>: "When did this start and what was the catalyst for you to start the construction?"</i><br />
<i><b>Michael</b>: "In 2013 I saw the film 'Who killed the electric car' and there it was explained how GM had a good car, the EV1, which was very well accepted be the customers but as soon as they were able to kill the law in California that 1% of the imported cars had to be emission free, they stopped everything, fired the employees, recalled the leased cars and scrapped them. So they scrapped 1-2 year old cars. At that time this stirred up a lot in me and in the end led to the point where I wanted to build such an electric car."</i><br />
<i><b>Outro</b>: "The Volvo accelerates in approx 7 seconds from 0-100kmh. Not as quick as a Tesla Model S but sure not a lame duck."</i><br />
(small correction: it's more about 10 seconds but I didn't know better at that time..)<br />
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All in all an interesting experience. Some folks address you after that. Recently my wife rented a music instrument for our son and the salesman asked her: "We do tune your piano, right?" - "Yes." - "And your husband did this electric car conversion?".<br />
But now the thing is mostly over.. except for my father who's extremely proud of my achievement and shows the news articles to all his visitors :) But my biggest fan is still my son. In a more troubled episode with the car (more on that in another post) he surprised me with so much heartwarming compassion, it brought more than a tear to my eye :)<br />
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<a href="https://issuu.com/az-anzeiger/docs/044_2016/11?e=3184579/36825746">Article</a> in "<a href="http://www.affolteranzeiger.ch/">Affoltener Anzeiger</a>" on 3rd of June 2016:</div>
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Half-Page article in "<a href="http://www.blick.ch/news/schweiz/zuercher-baut-sein-eigenes-elektroauto-michael-faehrt-auf-strom-ab-id5574482.html">Blick</a>" on 11th of June 2016:</div>
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Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037584852299845137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4898863519678922669.post-30897612660038207062016-08-31T13:02:00.001-07:002016-08-31T13:02:12.509-07:00Enjoying the first 4000kmThe car is really nice to drive. It delights all kind of drivers: from family members, friends, our local pastor and media folks. Usually guests enjoy to ride along but when taking over the drive, that's when they really get hooked up and show their teeth in a nice EV grin.<br />
The funniest incident was when I was driving with 30kmh through a town. Two guys sitting on their Subaru Impreza were looking at me with no particular interest while I was driving towards them. When I passed them, I could see in the rear view mirror how both bent over, eyes almost falling out and a "WTF?!?" expression on their face. Yeah, that was a silent electric car :)<br />
<br />
But you know, there's a real downside when you convert your own car: you get <i>hyper-sensitive</i> to vibrations, rattles and squeaks. I always go "Whaah! What's wrong with the car?!? Is something coming apart?" until I find out that it was only irregularities in the pavement or something else rather trivial. One day I burst out in laughing about myself: I was driving in the rain and with my feet I could feel a strange rattle through the accelerator pedal - mind you, the pedal, not the floor! It stopped each time I was driving through tunnels and it resumed once I was outside. Of course again, I went "What the heck is wrong now?".. It took a while until I found out what it really was: it was the wipers blades!! I could feel the vibration of the freaking wiper rubber when it reversed - with my feet. And due to the rain sensor it was intermittent in tunnels. You'd never imagine that when you start a conversion...<br />
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But there's something that really went wrong with the car and lead to a grounding - but more about that in a later post.<br />
<h3>
Let them know</h3>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OHJs1sZpnlQ/V8cRqA9gB3I/AAAAAAAAAnQ/0cesb5w2FVojtB9fmtsk7xVmfnBrWmVLwCEw/s1600/100electric.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OHJs1sZpnlQ/V8cRqA9gB3I/AAAAAAAAAnQ/0cesb5w2FVojtB9fmtsk7xVmfnBrWmVLwCEw/s200/100electric.jpg" width="200" /></a>Another thing I realized: In normal traffic nobody really notices that it's an electric car. So another sticker has to go to the rear end (although I don't like stickers on cars). A friend who works at a labelling company and already made the Brusa stickers, quickly cut out various sizes of the emblem I thought would represent the idea best. I like it.<br />
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Oh yes, I owe you some technical facts:<br />
The estimated range is around 250km (20% SOC).<br />
Top-speed: Don't know exactly yet.. but my (not too wild) guess would be around 190-200kmh<br />
I was planning the car to reach Kreuzlingen (100km) on one charge. When I did it the first time, I was surprised that when I arrived from the initial 90Ah still 48Ah were in the batteries. So I could drive back and even have a couple of Ah reserve. What a pleasant surprise :)<br />
<h3>
Thermal Imaging</h3>
A friend of mine got a FLIR camera and of course we took some pictures of the engine bay after an extended drive. The batteries to which we had access to, all showed a uniform heat pattern (no heat at all).<br />
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<td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZqXI38_GVJs/V8cQiT_au4I/AAAAAAAAAm0/8n3vjPi-wk4ILSt9LOwx0O4IRhG1x_D1wCLcB/s1600/flir1.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZqXI38_GVJs/V8cQiT_au4I/AAAAAAAAAm0/8n3vjPi-wk4ILSt9LOwx0O4IRhG1x_D1wCLcB/s200/flir1.JPG" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B7WMy-u1Plg/V8cQiVQEznI/AAAAAAAAAmw/EABJYb3SgbEcqUw4r93wGRiT1dRmIyVcwCLcB/s1600/flir2.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B7WMy-u1Plg/V8cQiVQEznI/AAAAAAAAAmw/EABJYb3SgbEcqUw4r93wGRiT1dRmIyVcwCLcB/s200/flir2.JPG" width="200" /></a></td>
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<h3>
Another round of CAN bus hacking</h3>
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KuT4LKGrff0/V8cQiyv8tuI/AAAAAAAAAnA/lZedYWiyULQ_0mB6qx9dnCRRF9CLhUlSACLcB/s1600/intermediateCan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KuT4LKGrff0/V8cQiyv8tuI/AAAAAAAAAnA/lZedYWiyULQ_0mB6qx9dnCRRF9CLhUlSACLcB/s200/intermediateCan.jpg" width="200" /></a>I still want to get seat heating/cooling, the additional heater element and de-mist operative. At last, I found another S80 owner who was willing to let me record high-speed and mid-speed bus messages at ignition, idle and revving at 1500rpm. With Collin Kidder's fantastic tool <a href="http://www.savvycan.com/">Savvycan</a>. I was able to replay a group or single selected messages into my car's bus. Within 60min I got lucky and identified the message and bits which tell the Climate Control Module (CCM) to turn on high-power equipment. I got all the features working but unfortunately only intermittent. The Central Electronic Module (CEM) sends the "turned off" message every 100ms. So the systems switch on and off a couple of times per second. What to do? Well, I could cut the CAN wires right after the CEM and insert a filter. But as the SRS is also connected to the same bus, it might not be the best idea. If the rare event occurs that I make an error, the airbags might not deploy when needed - or they might go off at the wrong time. Better try to locate the connection points 73/4001 and 73/4002 and only cut the line before the CCM, DIM (dash) and OBDII connector. Then I could also inject rpm information for the dash.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JoIlA3wVIWU/V8cQiv0pdyI/AAAAAAAAAm8/QKFTQ3GIDMAhtfc2OWgSDKxz5ST1SZP5gCLcB/s1600/highCan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JoIlA3wVIWU/V8cQiv0pdyI/AAAAAAAAAm8/QKFTQ3GIDMAhtfc2OWgSDKxz5ST1SZP5gCLcB/s200/highCan.jpg" width="200" /></a>Maybe an even better idea is to try my luck on the high speed can bus. Right after the Engine Control Module (ECM), I could inject the rpm and operation state of the alternator. The ECU communicates over LIN bus with the alternator. Once it's ready to deliver power, the ECM tells the CEM that everything's running and which again tells the CCM that it's ok to activate high-power equipment (still with me ? :) ). Another advantage of this approach might be that the Brake Control Module thinks the motor is running and enables the supplementary power braking pump when performing an emergency brakes Although the power assisted braking works fine, rolling on asphalt you still have to push down the pedal pretty hard to get the tires skidding and ABS jumping in. I'd like this Volvo feature to be operative in my car even though it sometimes causes you and especially your passengers to be suddenly restrained by the safety belts - just because you pushed the brake pedal down a bit quicker then normal.<br />
<h3>
Media Center</h3>
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-chuhxpX1_sQ/V8cqX0pUwLI/AAAAAAAAAng/zBQyaGM6fs4cSbFuUKerwFveXSg70v-7gCLcB/s1600/rti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-chuhxpX1_sQ/V8cqX0pUwLI/AAAAAAAAAng/zBQyaGM6fs4cSbFuUKerwFveXSg70v-7gCLcB/s200/rti.jpg" width="200" /></a>Yep, Volvo no longer supports the Road Traffic Information system (RTI) I have in my 2008 car. The<br />
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--6SYoNHPthk/V8ctwONlTRI/AAAAAAAAAns/1dNcIrOe7N4ujzf6UXYd79EpOTP-sylWwCLcB/s1600/eGalax.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--6SYoNHPthk/V8ctwONlTRI/AAAAAAAAAns/1dNcIrOe7N4ujzf6UXYd79EpOTP-sylWwCLcB/s200/eGalax.jpg" width="200" /></a>latest maps are from 2013 and there won't be any newer ones. Wow, only 5 years of support.. Because of that and because there's now an almost useless 7-inch screen now in the dashboard and because I don't particularly like the approach of using a tablet just to see the car's main parameters, I bought myself a 7-inch 1024x600 touchscreen with HDMI, VGA/RGB and even composite inputs together with a Raspberry PI. My plan is to replace the built-in screen with one of higher resolution and touch capabilities to use it<br />
as modern navi, mediacenter and display for a selection of GEVCU gauges. Raspberry is the ideal choice as in the edition 3B it offers bluetooth, wifi, ehternet and 4 USB connectors. You connect it to a display via internal connector or HDMI. The screen is a bit too wide though.. the RTI screen casing might need some "adjustments".<br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aWkyRI6LuKo/V8czldrFWlI/AAAAAAAAAn8/ONy9JRT7Eg8_UtF3I8OarC8P8r73HzkTQCLcB/s1600/media.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aWkyRI6LuKo/V8czldrFWlI/AAAAAAAAAn8/ONy9JRT7Eg8_UtF3I8OarC8P8r73HzkTQCLcB/s200/media.jpg" width="200" /></a>At first I installed Android Marshmallow to get my favourite navigation app "<a href="https://www.waze.com/">Waze</a>" running. It worked pretty much right away (without GPS signal yet). But after hours and hours I could not get the touchscreen running. I think I'd have to build a custom Android kernel with some special parameters so the eGalax Touchscreen driver can be loaded. Maybe at another time. I think the next thing to try is Raspbian and <a href="http://www.navit-project.org/">Navit</a>. It doesn't look as cool as Waze but it might do its job as well. Another cool app might be <a href="http://www.geniusmaps.com/en">Genius Maps</a>.<br />
The display I chose might be a tad too dark for car environments. Maybe the backlight can be tweaked somehow. So two things to do on this front: get touchscreen running on Android or find a decent Navi for Raspian and increase the brightness of the screen... oh and also squeeze it into the old display frame.<br />
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Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037584852299845137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4898863519678922669.post-53882087298557116502016-06-03T22:25:00.000-07:002016-06-03T22:25:29.952-07:00YEEHA !<h2>
We've made it <span style="color: #cccccc;">(almost) </span>! </h2>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cVVYG9knvVA/V1HrIrdykaI/AAAAAAAAAlw/-QEaEHkmzZoaS-K6wRHDw1EoMrfX4lWEwCLcB/s1600/finished1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cVVYG9knvVA/V1HrIrdykaI/AAAAAAAAAlw/-QEaEHkmzZoaS-K6wRHDw1EoMrfX4lWEwCLcB/s200/finished1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KI2O_yozoGA/V1HrIhYqTZI/AAAAAAAAAl0/8GejhnooEuUebOYLmYKJxnYCYbJJq6lMgCLcB/s1600/finished2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KI2O_yozoGA/V1HrIhYqTZI/AAAAAAAAAl0/8GejhnooEuUebOYLmYKJxnYCYbJJq6lMgCLcB/s200/finished2.jpg" width="200" /></a>On May 20th at 14:30 the 2 hour long road worthiness test was conducted at the "Strassenverkehrsamt Zürich" (road traffic licensing department). Oh boy, I dreaded this moment. That's where all my efforts could have gone to waste. I feared that they'd find so many problems that I'd have to start over or give up. That's also why I involved the experts from the beginning, discussed my design and finally got a remark that if I'd follow the design, would not increase the power of the motor, not change anything in the chassis and keep all the security relevant systems running, I could get along with my conversion. But still I had so much doubt because the standards of road worthiness are extremely high in Switzerland (you folks in the US or AUS probably can't imagine). It was the sword of Damocles hanging over me during the last 3 years. But apparently all the worries were for nothing. I got a pass on all points except these three:</div>
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<li>With nobody in the car, the front weight is already at the current limit of 1180kg. With two persons in the car, it's 70kg over-weight. Darn, the conversion got 100kg heavier than I calculated.</li>
<li>The brake disks - especially the rear ones - were rusty after 3 years not using them.</li>
<li>The wheel alignment of the front wheels is off by 20mm on 1m - too much.</li>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CkHfGW955ig/V1HrI24RQcI/AAAAAAAAAl4/Nqb67DiWMO0rBVq2dopmHCJRvvG2ANX4gCLcB/s1600/finished4.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CkHfGW955ig/V1HrI24RQcI/AAAAAAAAAl4/Nqb67DiWMO0rBVq2dopmHCJRvvG2ANX4gCLcB/s200/finished4.jpg" width="200" /></a>Nr. 2 and 3 are a piece of cake: Switch of regen for a while and have the alignment adjusted in a shop once the weight distribution is clear. But Nr. 1 is a bit a challenge. Either I have to move 50kg of batteries from front to back ("why only 50kg, you said 70kg ?"- yes, but mind the law of the lever) or I have to get a warranty from Volvo or a testing center that it's ok to go with a bit a higher load on the front axle.</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BlnrokOD0es/V1HrI0mpv0I/AAAAAAAAAmA/ieqAJ5-n6wcEwgMaV42Dt0hqoe-dL9rWQCLcB/s1600/finished6.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BlnrokOD0es/V1HrI0mpv0I/AAAAAAAAAmA/ieqAJ5-n6wcEwgMaV42Dt0hqoe-dL9rWQCLcB/s200/finished6.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UihCMfXKZeQ/V1HrI6j3JUI/AAAAAAAAAl8/yKmbGQRn1Rc9iBBKZu_n7gnVnqxLCL96QCLcB/s1600/finished5.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UihCMfXKZeQ/V1HrI6j3JUI/AAAAAAAAAl8/yKmbGQRn1Rc9iBBKZu_n7gnVnqxLCL96QCLcB/s200/finished5.jpg" width="200" /></a>Well, moving the batteries would be my last option because it'd mean a couple of days work again and giving up space in the trunk (which I was able to prevent until now). But there are other S80 models out there with higher load limits. One is the one with a V8 engine. It's got 120kg more on the front axle than my modell.. but except from maybe stronger springs, all the same parts are used. A confirmation from one of our two testing centers in Switzerland is just crazy costly: one charges fees <i>starting</i> at CHF 650.- and the other 3000.- for looking up their files and talking to the licensing department. Not an option! My hope now lies with Volvo. The homology provider of Volvo Switzerland contacted Volvo for a warranty confirmation that it'd be ok to go with 70-120kg more on the front axle. <b>So please, please Volvo Europe/Worldwide/Sweden/Switzerland, provide me this 1-pager and your stamp on it !!!</b></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wSGc7eXJLwQ/V1HrJF9LikI/AAAAAAAAAmE/3pt_rdRC61IqAfdc8KCOObFVVJAElis6wCLcB/s1600/finished7.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wSGc7eXJLwQ/V1HrJF9LikI/AAAAAAAAAmE/3pt_rdRC61IqAfdc8KCOObFVVJAElis6wCLcB/s200/finished7.jpg" width="200" /></a>I have to mention that the experts at the licensing department were really very friendly and supportive. I even got high praise that this was the most beautiful conversion of an electric car they've seen until now. I was dumbstruck by such a huge compliment from those who take the most detailed and professional look at the car. But albeit these issues exist, I was allowed to drive the car. I just have to fix them within a certain timeframe. </div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vwMtafYaNFU/V1HrJFZpX8I/AAAAAAAAAmI/GNqBWjKWBfs1uftNRDClU3Ixjfz3LmeFwCLcB/s1600/finished8.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vwMtafYaNFU/V1HrJFZpX8I/AAAAAAAAAmI/GNqBWjKWBfs1uftNRDClU3Ixjfz3LmeFwCLcB/s200/finished8.jpg" width="200" /></a>My family accompanied me. My son (8 years) even got the afternoon off from school to be part of it. When we we were through with the test I was churning the fact of the overweight. But then suddenly it dawned on me:<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><b>I'm allowed to drive the car now!! I finally can drive the car (legally) !! I can use it for my daily commute - as of NOW !!</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-size: x-large;">YEEEEEHA !! :)</span></b></div>
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Oh, we had a big family party on the way home - with monster ice-cream servings until everybody was full.. even the 4 year old gal :) When we passed a gas station I told them "Look folks, we don't have to stop there anymore." and after the next turn there was a barn with a huge photo-voltaic installation on the roof and I said "From now on, <i>that's</i> our gas station !".<br />
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The most touching thing about this whole story is how proud my son is of me. He keeps telling everybody, explains at school what I've done - and you see it in his eyes when he looks at me. I most likely don't get the full grasp of the impact it has on him. I'm not the type who's terribly proud of what I achieved with the conversion but what I'm really, really proud of is that I was able to show him that it's worth to stick to something. Even if it takes 3 years, you can reach a goal and change the world a bit. I have a feeling that this might be one of the biggest lessons I was able to teach him.</div>
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Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037584852299845137noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4898863519678922669.post-47472656955228088882016-06-03T12:49:00.003-07:002016-06-03T12:58:18.202-07:00Wrap Up !<br />
<h2>
Let's wrap-up things, shall we?</h2>
Since the last post, I've invested a lot of time to get the car street worthy - honestly, I've had enough of tinkering and toying around. I wanted it on the street, I wanted to use it in my daily commute. In this post I'll collect all loose ends which I did not report about yet up to a stage where I dared to address the testing center and book a date for a (first) inspection.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Batteries again</h3>
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-89AvJEe6wq4/V1HAdToV9oI/AAAAAAAAAkc/sUdMvh4VQGshUnUR94oZVr8b-Uk3E2r7QCLcB/s1600/lower_bats2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-89AvJEe6wq4/V1HAdToV9oI/AAAAAAAAAkc/sUdMvh4VQGshUnUR94oZVr8b-Uk3E2r7QCLcB/s200/lower_bats2.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EUN3d7RKw6o/V1HAdCDb5yI/AAAAAAAAAkY/TrX9Cmu7tFc5HDNe2WErcfmju7_4V8XtACLcB/s1600/lower_bats1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EUN3d7RKw6o/V1HAdCDb5yI/AAAAAAAAAkY/TrX9Cmu7tFc5HDNe2WErcfmju7_4V8XtACLcB/s200/lower_bats1.jpg" width="200" /></a>Well, the front battery box was installed, the carriage for the batteries under the car as well and I even installed a crate for the batteries in the trunk. All well. But what about water, dirt, debris and salt spraying up from the street? How to protect these poor cell terminals from corrosion? Well, I had a plan from the beginning but with the help from Matthias from www.fahrzeugausbau.ch it got even better: I wanted to add a PE (Poly Ethylene) plate as main shield and just fill all gaps with construction foam - you know, this yellow sticky mass which extends by a factor of 3 or more. Matthias suggested to also use PE foam. He provided me with a load of cut-offs from his construction work and man, did it come in handy! Not only was I able to easily secure the cells in the construction, but I also filled up the major holes. So I had to use less construction foam instead . Well, I still used 4 bottles - but mainly due to my unprofessional handling.<br />
The PE plate was also fabricated by Matthias and together we created an attachment system to hold the plate in place. The plate is 6mm thick and is able to hold of 9mm bullets. So we have enough protection from stones and debris. I wonder if Tesla's shield would hold up against a 9mm bullet :)<br />
I know the yellow construction foam looks scary and ugly at first. But once you cut it down with a knife to the right proportions and paint it black with bitumen spray, it just vanishes. And together with the PE foam I was very cautious not to miss any spot and get all gaps filled water-tight. Well, at least spray water-tight :) (see last three pictures)<br />
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<td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y0aDUgrkg_E/V1HAcGzDVVI/AAAAAAAAAjs/utcXsi2seecMMzIKSbjZs6jnB_SJEPG3gCLcB/s1600/foam2.jpg"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y0aDUgrkg_E/V1HAcGzDVVI/AAAAAAAAAjs/utcXsi2seecMMzIKSbjZs6jnB_SJEPG3gCLcB/s200/foam2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qXhgFZSXpes/V1HAcNsQKhI/AAAAAAAAAjw/Z9zmqO0GPxgyUaCWCTYOGbaRtaK06NILACLcB/s1600/foam3.jpg"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qXhgFZSXpes/V1HAcNsQKhI/AAAAAAAAAjw/Z9zmqO0GPxgyUaCWCTYOGbaRtaK06NILACLcB/s200/foam3.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KCVac_uD1Uc/V1HAdjfKEFI/AAAAAAAAAks/AwL3pP_QVAkwCycVaAjdOFDf6KXre75BQCLcB/s1600/rear_bats.jpg"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KCVac_uD1Uc/V1HAdjfKEFI/AAAAAAAAAks/AwL3pP_QVAkwCycVaAjdOFDf6KXre75BQCLcB/s200/rear_bats.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
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<td><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x5BwvUmRFIg/V1HAbtDBaOI/AAAAAAAAAjc/eNmNG24v0CIpofISZFIv-n6IZjhoEG-8QCLcB/s1600/foam1.jpg"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x5BwvUmRFIg/V1HAbtDBaOI/AAAAAAAAAjc/eNmNG24v0CIpofISZFIv-n6IZjhoEG-8QCLcB/s200/foam1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PcUeG_T0OuA/V1HAcj3tufI/AAAAAAAAAkA/f3a7oeUmuXIZimUH60a-QbTXqPkxj42dwCLcB/s1600/foam7.jpg"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PcUeG_T0OuA/V1HAcj3tufI/AAAAAAAAAkA/f3a7oeUmuXIZimUH60a-QbTXqPkxj42dwCLcB/s200/foam7.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Y-_UL0btY8/V1HAcfb1jqI/AAAAAAAAAj4/VMY-taMvbDI15hLhd3MTWIRdhuxSTYMcwCLcB/s1600/foam5.jpg"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Y-_UL0btY8/V1HAcfb1jqI/AAAAAAAAAj4/VMY-taMvbDI15hLhd3MTWIRdhuxSTYMcwCLcB/s200/foam5.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
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<td><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i0cKYm6kfWI/V1HAcYasrWI/AAAAAAAAAj0/GmD9ZGyVgHkJpeOWTJHkZUlHDjuk5e8QwCLcB/s1600/foam4.jpg"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i0cKYm6kfWI/V1HAcYasrWI/AAAAAAAAAj0/GmD9ZGyVgHkJpeOWTJHkZUlHDjuk5e8QwCLcB/s200/foam4.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YeD889ewTb4/V1HAbcgk6VI/AAAAAAAAAjU/5D_qE84lY0USXBz1oLAtyI6YjPOPUFhfQCLcB/s1600/floor_plate.jpg"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YeD889ewTb4/V1HAbcgk6VI/AAAAAAAAAjU/5D_qE84lY0USXBz1oLAtyI6YjPOPUFhfQCLcB/s200/floor_plate.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cr6NeOCE1mw/V1HAcm41yFI/AAAAAAAAAkE/hcSwIbSDjvMFYX1ZyDJCuK-nMlvX8zyywCLcB/s1600/foam7_plate.jpg"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cr6NeOCE1mw/V1HAcm41yFI/AAAAAAAAAkE/hcSwIbSDjvMFYX1ZyDJCuK-nMlvX8zyywCLcB/s200/foam7_plate.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
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<td><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1UeDi-vlxcM/V1HAcnYemFI/AAAAAAAAAkI/VwjDh4QSjYg2McUvJ6lDl_l62y5q9opkgCLcB/s1600/foam9.jpg"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1UeDi-vlxcM/V1HAcnYemFI/AAAAAAAAAkI/VwjDh4QSjYg2McUvJ6lDl_l62y5q9opkgCLcB/s200/foam9.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9xSEqLBBjZs/V1HAb4ru2sI/AAAAAAAAAjo/nDhRcDK_eKc-lVNPReyf-7SBUwcz0uLggCLcB/s1600/foam12.jpg"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9xSEqLBBjZs/V1HAb4ru2sI/AAAAAAAAAjo/nDhRcDK_eKc-lVNPReyf-7SBUwcz0uLggCLcB/s200/foam12.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5gpIWt4LQng/V1HAb9xUZeI/AAAAAAAAAjg/32APpXSPt_ED39dddao2rZ4weni-3GyDACLcB/s1600/foam11.jpg"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5gpIWt4LQng/V1HAb9xUZeI/AAAAAAAAAjg/32APpXSPt_ED39dddao2rZ4weni-3GyDACLcB/s200/foam11.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
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</table>
<br />
<h3>
Cabling</h3>
Some impressions from my HV cabling. The first picture is probably the most noteworthy and it's also provided in a higher resolution so you get a glimpse on how the HV distribution was created. On the left side you see the red distribution bars for HV+ and on the right the black copper bars for HV-. Between the red ones you see two contactors. The left one's the secondary HV contactor. It closes after the HV contactor in the trunk did engage and the pre-charge cycle is completed. The right one will be used for fast charging via Chademo in the future. In the middle you see an HV relay which connects the green resistor for pre-charging. And on the lower right you see the shunt for coulomb metering (AH). The HV box is mapped pretty much 1:1 in the control diagram.<br />
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<td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S5El8EJg2kM/V1HAbHLyNqI/AAAAAAAAAjk/r4DzpIxq4VccvhfRtjTDNLurXAPEw2ajgCLcB/s1600/cabling4.jpg"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S5El8EJg2kM/V1HAbHLyNqI/AAAAAAAAAjk/r4DzpIxq4VccvhfRtjTDNLurXAPEw2ajgCLcB/s200/cabling4.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-on7PBeMbiyA/V1HAaqmdgVI/AAAAAAAAAi4/GDdIKoRUOfs3qPYzXPFIh_0EHbSgqo87ACLcB/s1600/cabling.jpg"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-on7PBeMbiyA/V1HAaqmdgVI/AAAAAAAAAi4/GDdIKoRUOfs3qPYzXPFIh_0EHbSgqo87ACLcB/s200/cabling.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mxe62soJm0E/V1HAadl-BGI/AAAAAAAAAi0/PmSoji0gqX0SVZ1sf4WuZYKc6gtreuv1ACLcB/s1600/Electronics.gif"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mxe62soJm0E/V1HAadl-BGI/AAAAAAAAAi0/PmSoji0gqX0SVZ1sf4WuZYKc6gtreuv1ACLcB/s200/Electronics.gif" width="200" /></a></td>
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<td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y0PoUP65r3Q/V1HAa5jox1I/AAAAAAAAAjA/fVo8Jy0s0LY0-94Ex6XX9_Ll7Cvkcu9bgCLcB/s1600/cabling3.jpg"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y0PoUP65r3Q/V1HAa5jox1I/AAAAAAAAAjA/fVo8Jy0s0LY0-94Ex6XX9_Ll7Cvkcu9bgCLcB/s200/cabling3.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sxNvU24_NRA/V1HAavRKAbI/AAAAAAAAAi8/-XCfqFHt_rQsDVebUeHWBQw-246B7iUcQCLcB/s1600/cabling1.jpg"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sxNvU24_NRA/V1HAavRKAbI/AAAAAAAAAi8/-XCfqFHt_rQsDVebUeHWBQw-246B7iUcQCLcB/s200/cabling1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dco4ZVup2aA/V1HAbG4UBzI/AAAAAAAAAjI/yU163FQ27R4y0psW8kbn_gblKkMkdf5UACLcB/s1600/cabling5.jpg"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dco4ZVup2aA/V1HAbG4UBzI/AAAAAAAAAjI/yU163FQ27R4y0psW8kbn_gblKkMkdf5UACLcB/s200/cabling5.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
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<h3>
EHPAS Pump</h3>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uL3mPorhztI/V1HAbGGJgbI/AAAAAAAAAjM/odd_6N3O9gMoIQ8P-pHO1sGaS5clfqfbACLcB/s1600/ehpas1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uL3mPorhztI/V1HAbGGJgbI/AAAAAAAAAjM/odd_6N3O9gMoIQ8P-pHO1sGaS5clfqfbACLcB/s200/ehpas1.jpg" width="150" /></a>This beast is a bit the bad boy in the car. In emergency mode (no CAN control messages) it's power is barely enough to keep the electro hydraulic power assisted steering running for my heavy S80 - but more annoying is the humming noise it creates. Even packed into foam rubber and covered by the front bumper, it creates too much noise for my taste. I started thinking about using the emergency brake switch connected to GEVCU to switch off the pump - so it'd be more quiet in a traffic jam. But with some music it's ok. (I'm oversensitive, I know.. it's just that the pump destroyed my fantasy of an absolutely quiet car).<br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WYFUuyCPFtk/V1HAbWg-iAI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/DixIKNXPq244Y44AQd75ZxHDqxjHFHLDwCLcB/s1600/ehpas2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WYFUuyCPFtk/V1HAbWg-iAI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/DixIKNXPq244Y44AQd75ZxHDqxjHFHLDwCLcB/s200/ehpas2.jpg" width="150" /></a>But the worst thing is that although I bought this pump via an official retailer, I get absolutely no support. Not even a CAN matrix or guide.. or just even a CAN ID. Same old song from the manufacturer TRW : no support for non-OEM's... #@&##@ !!!<br />
I could live with the first two draw-backs but the third one brings me to the point where I'd definitely not recommend this pump. Shame on you TRW - you're actually the <b>only</b> player in the whole game who gave absolutely no support for your 600.- pump.<br />
<br />
<h3>
GEVCU Extension
</h3>
<div>
The <a href="http://www.gevcu.org/">GEVCU</a> is a great piece of hard- and software. Especially with the WiFi chip and the web-interface Charles Galpin and I created for configuration and monitoring.. I just love it and people freak out when they see it displaying 10 values with gauges in real-time. But it has some drawbacks:</div>
<div>
<ol><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tAgMAbu3-Ic/V1HXzuuFDuI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/_xmx7KBARrsYe8QZRjeh7H2vy4LHSwbnwCLcB/s1600/flow1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tAgMAbu3-Ic/V1HXzuuFDuI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/_xmx7KBARrsYe8QZRjeh7H2vy4LHSwbnwCLcB/s200/flow1.jpg" width="132" /></a>
<li>Not enough digital output ports (8 are not enough for my conversion)</li>
<li>The MOSFET's are not intended to handle the big inrush current when closing a HV contactor</li>
<li>It lacks some inputs e.g. for single wire temperature sensors or pulsed flow meters. </li>
<li>It has no SW-CAN (single wire) bus to communicate with the Eberspächer heater</li>
</ol>
</div>
To resolve this issue, I created a <a href="https://github.com/neuweiler/GEVCUExtension/tree/develop">GEVCU Extension</a> board and software based on GEVCU's code. It's based on a 16-channel 220V relay board you can order for under $20.- on ebay, an Arduino Due and a self-made shield which holds a CAN tranciever, a SW-CAN transceiver and an EEPROM to store config values like GEVCU.<br />
GEVCU communicates via CAN bus with the extension board and tells it to engage the pre-charge relay, the contactors, start the heater or coolant pump and fan. And in return for that, the GEVCU extension board reads temperature and water flow measurements and reports them back to GEVCU via CAN also. There are also some safety features built in so should the two boards get out-of-synch, the HV contactors will be released or not closed at all (state machine on both boards).<br />
I also created one last video before hitting the road from some old dusty recordings.<br />
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<td><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8DLP1Nl1Cq0/V1HAc2d9K-I/AAAAAAAAAkM/kXlLnmKAbfoQsQlA4o64lx5ryfGwJDiZACLcB/s1600/gevcu_ext1.jpg"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8DLP1Nl1Cq0/V1HAc2d9K-I/AAAAAAAAAkM/kXlLnmKAbfoQsQlA4o64lx5ryfGwJDiZACLcB/s200/gevcu_ext1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nCYmWMd7cPA/V1HZO5UQ6-I/AAAAAAAAAlc/o3suSlW780gHomFrMGeWN-_PWaClLWjMgCLcB/s1600/gevcu_ext4.JPG"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nCYmWMd7cPA/V1HZO5UQ6-I/AAAAAAAAAlc/o3suSlW780gHomFrMGeWN-_PWaClLWjMgCLcB/s200/gevcu_ext4.JPG" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-osB952BjJFM/V1HAdFRBpfI/AAAAAAAAAkg/NvNQIvPDaJktnxv_WGyQasyMRbdToGB1gCLcB/s1600/gevcu_ext_layout.gif"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-osB952BjJFM/V1HAdFRBpfI/AAAAAAAAAkg/NvNQIvPDaJktnxv_WGyQasyMRbdToGB1gCLcB/s200/gevcu_ext_layout.gif" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ivvb-2CXSNY/V1HAcwBtziI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/gN-fvvgKHEEejUNHShF7ejK5k7gRWD-NACLcB/s1600/gevcu_ext3.JPG"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ivvb-2CXSNY/V1HAcwBtziI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/gN-fvvgKHEEejUNHShF7ejK5k7gRWD-NACLcB/s200/gevcu_ext3.JPG" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-31V0tdeuzKw/V1HAc6dqgPI/AAAAAAAAAkU/GZv7bQkiBjQszpQyd9Bo5e2DIL_PdShngCLcB/s1600/gevcu_ext2.JPG"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-31V0tdeuzKw/V1HAc6dqgPI/AAAAAAAAAkU/GZv7bQkiBjQszpQyd9Bo5e2DIL_PdShngCLcB/s200/gevcu_ext2.JPG" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/toLDhb3j3Jw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="150" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/toLDhb3j3Jw?feature=player_embedded" width="200"></iframe></td>
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</tbody></table>
<br />
<h3>
Charger connector</h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DCRB8ptfK4g/V1HAdpgZ7NI/AAAAAAAAAko/nHqu4VP4rj46p4MY12CbvWu70KYmxXPBgCLcB/s1600/plug2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DCRB8ptfK4g/V1HAdpgZ7NI/AAAAAAAAAko/nHqu4VP4rj46p4MY12CbvWu70KYmxXPBgCLcB/s200/plug2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YV-QCDse8AQ/V1HAdb6MnUI/AAAAAAAAAkk/FHDapJP8Y0kVRrIhlIBqVNpea0vTiiZbACLcB/s1600/plug1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YV-QCDse8AQ/V1HAdb6MnUI/AAAAAAAAAkk/FHDapJP8Y0kVRrIhlIBqVNpea0vTiiZbACLcB/s200/plug1.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
The only place the connector for charging should go is of course where you used to hook up the gas nozzle. A friendly fellow by the name of Andre Te Sla (no joke !) runs the company www.electroscout.ch. He was able to provide me with a receptacle which fit in perfectly and also a 1-phase charging cable that I can hook up to the car and a red CEE-16 plug. I created myself some adapters for CEE-32 and Swiss household sockets. Works like a charm. All that's missing, is the 880 Ohm resistor between ground and a 12V PWM signal provided by official charging stations so the signal goes down to 6V and the charging process starts. But until now I was happy with dumb 230V sockets.<br />
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<br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037584852299845137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4898863519678922669.post-78523754015090270852016-02-02T03:41:00.000-08:002016-02-02T03:41:08.018-08:00Device Plate - and a lot more<h3>
Battery Box - Black Box</h3>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-agVfQy6isLY/VrBoYRFUEqI/AAAAAAAAAgI/IgxSd0px6AE/s1600/battery1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-agVfQy6isLY/VrBoYRFUEqI/AAAAAAAAAgI/IgxSd0px6AE/s200/battery1.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qJoZFkr3fTo/VrBoYe6bYQI/AAAAAAAAAgM/JQrtqkF2uek/s1600/battery2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qJoZFkr3fTo/VrBoYe6bYQI/AAAAAAAAAgM/JQrtqkF2uek/s200/battery2.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a3f3oktidBM/VrBoYhK3mcI/AAAAAAAAAgU/adO3GRt9nRA/s1600/battery3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a3f3oktidBM/VrBoYhK3mcI/AAAAAAAAAgU/adO3GRt9nRA/s200/battery3.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ikav1KOcOk0/VrBoYn-aySI/AAAAAAAAAgc/JOsFAlHy-R8/s1600/battery4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ikav1KOcOk0/VrBoYn-aySI/AAAAAAAAAgc/JOsFAlHy-R8/s200/battery4.jpg" width="150" /></a>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MxTWkcm_6NE/VrBoY1cYU6I/AAAAAAAAAgY/mrYwQBLCHzs/s1600/battery5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MxTWkcm_6NE/VrBoY1cYU6I/AAAAAAAAAgY/mrYwQBLCHzs/s200/battery5.jpg" width="150" /></a>
After mounting the battery box it was time to fill it up. As mentioned in the latest post, it was filled with two levels of batteries. Yeah, I know, it's going to be hell to maintain the batteries and check for problems. But heck, that's a consistent design flaw in my conversion. Also the batteries on the bottom of the car are only reachable if I remove them starting from the rear end. Talking of these batteries on the bottom: to give them extra protection against moisture and salt water, I intend to spray the terminals with PlastiDip. This should help to prevent corrosion and is easily removable should the need arise.<br />
Aside from loading the battery box, I also mounted an external box (grey) to hold another HV fuse. Not knowing what exactly happens when such a fuse blows, I think it's a good idea to keep them well separated from the batteries - outside of the box (still some lingering impressions from the short circuit).<br />
The black wire you see attached with hot glue in the battery box is the wire from a temperature sensor. The sensor was glued inbetween 4 cells. It's used to ensure that the batteries are not charged below freezing point and to detect a run-away situation during use or charge. I know it's crude - but I don't like too many wires dangling around the cells and calling for other trouble.<br />
The top level of cells had to be added row by row and pushed under the already welded on cover. The cover had to be welded on because it will go under the front cover and can't be removed anyway. The grey block you see on some pictures is a sanding block for PCB's - to get polished copper which easily accepts soldering tin. I got it from www.conrad.ch. In my opinion it's perfect to create a clean and shiny surface on the battery poles and straps. It creates some dust which can be easily removed with a handheld vacuum cleaner - no issue.<br />
The battery box in the back is currently made out of wood aas a prototype. Here we need to bend some metal so the batteries will fit in to the spare tire compartment and use up no space at all in the trunk. I'm pretty proud that until now the only change to the structure of the car was made in the spare tire compartment. There I had to drill the only holes. Otherwise no change on the car structure was made - no hole drilled, nothing. I mounted all parts on the vanilla structure, used only existing mounting points and through holes. Cool, eh ? :)<br />
<h3>
Device Plate - Aluminum Sandwich</h3>
First I created a prototype out of an MDF plate. It was very useful because I drilled a lot of unnecessary holes and was able to experiment with the setup. It also helped getting all the details worked out at the rear of the plate, where the car - once again - shows no straight lines. Based on this template, www.fahrzeugsausbau.ch created a final plate out of an aluminum / PE sandwich plate very easily. It's very robust (unbreakable ?) and lighter than a pure aluminum plate - a good choice. The plate resides on 3 angles attached to the firewall (created out of an L-profile) and on the front on a lid which was welded earlier to the battery box. Even fully loaded with all the devices and thanks to routing the wires and cables at the back of the plate, I'm now able to lift the plate about 20cm at the front and get access to all the stuff below it. On the underside there was also enough space to mount the 6kW heater from a wrecked Chevy Volt.<br />
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<td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oF4150nvoG0/VrBoZ9QSAvI/AAAAAAAAAg4/qV4hNoFPbHI/s1600/plate1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oF4150nvoG0/VrBoZ9QSAvI/AAAAAAAAAg4/qV4hNoFPbHI/s200/plate1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4e9fM8ANYwI/VrBoZ9fXouI/AAAAAAAAAg8/L4c76wVnEgM/s1600/plate2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4e9fM8ANYwI/VrBoZ9fXouI/AAAAAAAAAg8/L4c76wVnEgM/s200/plate2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fgA-PxlXLRk/VrBoZ7EmC8I/AAAAAAAAAhA/HrEwybotm5o/s1600/plate3.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fgA-PxlXLRk/VrBoZ7EmC8I/AAAAAAAAAhA/HrEwybotm5o/s200/plate3.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
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<td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XCDNZOnX5wg/VrBoaBA3byI/AAAAAAAAAhE/WzkIBJUhYHk/s1600/plate4.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XCDNZOnX5wg/VrBoaBA3byI/AAAAAAAAAhE/WzkIBJUhYHk/s200/plate4.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6kcS-mOHAmo/VrBoajaiS3I/AAAAAAAAAhU/Z6JXUgU5u0U/s1600/plate8.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6kcS-mOHAmo/VrBoajaiS3I/AAAAAAAAAhU/Z6JXUgU5u0U/s200/plate8.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9GYmbcE-M2U/VrBoaW_SrjI/AAAAAAAAAhM/DLw4Wl94tLA/s1600/plate6.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9GYmbcE-M2U/VrBoaW_SrjI/AAAAAAAAAhM/DLw4Wl94tLA/s200/plate6.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
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<td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jf__iY048_M/VrBoaea92II/AAAAAAAAAhQ/DEX6gaSiU0s/s1600/plate7.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jf__iY048_M/VrBoaea92II/AAAAAAAAAhQ/DEX6gaSiU0s/s200/plate7.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oH0FbIWDLlY/VrBoaK3e4sI/AAAAAAAAAhI/L8El30fDSwY/s1600/plate5.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="121" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oH0FbIWDLlY/VrBoaK3e4sI/AAAAAAAAAhI/L8El30fDSwY/s200/plate5.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w6PB3pEcb9k/VrB0-49mS1I/AAAAAAAAAiU/zEjAAn-dfCo/s1600/heater1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="135" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w6PB3pEcb9k/VrB0-49mS1I/AAAAAAAAAiU/zEjAAn-dfCo/s200/heater1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
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<h3>
EHPS pump - Powerful but noisy</h3>
With the help of www.klaus-ag.ch we also got the electro hydraulic power steering pump hooked up to the original hydraulic system. It required three high pressure connections. With some makeshift (oh no, not again !) electric connections to a 12V battery, I got it running, lowered the car to the ground and kept steering happily from left to right for about 10 minutes - like a child. Don't worry, the tires are to be replaced anyway - but I left two black marks on the floor - whoops :)<br />
A quick visit to a junkyard revealed the necessary connectors for the pump so a professional installation can be made. It's interesting, the pump has an 80 Amps fuse but only 10sqmm cables (7 AWG) where all tables state for 80 Amps you'd require 16sqmm cables. Well, normal load on the pump is way below 40 Amps and I hope the guys at Volvo know that a short on a 10sqmm cable is able to blow a 80Amps fuse before melting down.<br />
Although I bought a new one, it's well worth looking for an electric power steering pump on the junkyard. Volvo V50's and V40's after 2008 tend to have one. Make sure you get them with mounting brackets and plugs. Two things I have to say about the pump: 1) It's a bit noisy.. I hope with some rubber foam, I'll be able to make it more quiet. Otherwise the "silent e-car" will not become reality. 2) The folks at TWR suck ! It took me about 10 calls to reach the technical responsible only to be told off quiet harshly that they don't provide support for car shops. Only car manufacturers. They won't even give out a CAN matrix - for their product which I bought through official channels. Shame on you TWR !<br />
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<h3>
Fuse Box - Finalization of 12V connections</h3>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pCESW1qO6IQ/VrBoZUFOVqI/AAAAAAAAAgo/sGDaokmDoa8/s1600/fuse1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pCESW1qO6IQ/VrBoZUFOVqI/AAAAAAAAAgo/sGDaokmDoa8/s200/fuse1.jpg" width="148" /></a>
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To finally clean up this mess of cables you see on the left side of the car (right on the picture), I also straightend the 12V system out. Cables were shortened and connected properly to the car's 12V supply line with 50sqmm butt connectors. To hook up the auxiliary 12V battery (remember ? a tiny 9Ah motor cycle lead acid battery), I spotted an empty space in the high-amp fuse area of the engine bay fuse box (red arrow). It's always on 12V - unswitched. I installed a 50amps fuse there. Also to get the constant 12V for the contactors and other EV stuff, I located an unused place for mini fuses which has 12V without ignition on. that's what I need to be able to activate the contactors when charging.<br />
There's another free place for a similar fuse which I'm going to use for the EHPS pump. I'll try a 70 Amps at first to be on the safe side.<br />
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<td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hnsus3Uebfc/VrBoZU8RVAI/AAAAAAAAAgs/GQqkQpRZkqQ/s1600/fuse2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hnsus3Uebfc/VrBoZU8RVAI/AAAAAAAAAgs/GQqkQpRZkqQ/s200/fuse2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L4_jT0TX-zs/VrBoZjTA94I/AAAAAAAAAgw/K44ZWJ6AB7I/s1600/fuse3.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L4_jT0TX-zs/VrBoZjTA94I/AAAAAAAAAgw/K44ZWJ6AB7I/s200/fuse3.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HOgmZaNtyOs/VrBoZh_YnAI/AAAAAAAAAg0/oKllBIbAKgE/s1600/fuse4.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HOgmZaNtyOs/VrBoZh_YnAI/AAAAAAAAAg0/oKllBIbAKgE/s200/fuse4.jpg" width="150" /></a></td>
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<h3>
Cooling Loop - Angles and Air</h3>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UY-xvhUxZUE/VrBoYSkwKwI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/JdHGN_ZUV2Y/s1600/HeatCool.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UY-xvhUxZUE/VrBoYSkwKwI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/JdHGN_ZUV2Y/s200/HeatCool.gif" width="200" /></a>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0bGMe6tlGEk/VrBoZBmMQSI/AAAAAAAAAgg/4tKXw-kDopk/s1600/cooling1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0bGMe6tlGEk/VrBoZBmMQSI/AAAAAAAAAgg/4tKXw-kDopk/s200/cooling1.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IjsZy1U5PG4/VrBoZGsrKFI/AAAAAAAAAgk/EjT6wQPbMMY/s1600/cooling2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IjsZy1U5PG4/VrBoZGsrKFI/AAAAAAAAAgk/EjT6wQPbMMY/s200/cooling2.jpg" width="200" /></a>
Another thing that had to be re-done was the cooling loop. Before I just forced the hoses and they got wrinkled reducing water flow. I used 90 degree angles to get the hoses straight and prevent damage. One important change to the system is the integration of the expansion tank. Before it was hooked up with one hose only so air bubble could travel up the hose and water flow down passively. This caused a lot of effort to vent all the hoses and I had to play with the Bosch water pump a lot - which doesn't like air at all. Now in the new setup I use the two small overflow return connectors to pump the water into the tank. Due to some walls, no air should get to the outlet on the bottom. The pump is attached right after the expansion tank so once it's filled with water, no more air should reach the pump and the system will rid itself from air automatically. The only thing missing here is the radiator - here I just can't make up my mind and at the beginning I'll just use the long hose to dissipate heat in the air flow. But this won't work in summer or when driving uphills.<br />
I use water flow sensors to monitor the flow of the coolant and especially of the water passing the heater. If not enough water passes the heater, it will be disabled immediately to prevent expanding steam destroy anything. The maximum flow rate I get at the moment is 5 liters/min. For a pump rated at 15 liters/min it's a bit low suggesting some resistance in the loop. I hope it's because of air which might still be present in some hoses with a steep angle. When driving over a couple of bumps and curves, I expect the air to vanish because from the shaking little bubbles should find their way out.<br />
<h3>
ABS - finally some snow !</h3>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GNStqK44bfQ/VrB8cTSuVjI/AAAAAAAAAik/-9huJmer0NA/s1600/ABS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="78" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GNStqK44bfQ/VrB8cTSuVjI/AAAAAAAAAik/-9huJmer0NA/s200/ABS.jpg" width="100" /></a>The day we had enough snow on the roads, I took the car out for a quick spin. I wanted to find out for a long time now if the anti-block-system works eventhough the ECU thinks the motor is not running (anymore). It's an absolute requirement to get the car street legal. So I was a bit anyious about it. Would I first have to fake engine signals to get the ECU running or would it work without? So I accelerated to 20kph and hit the brakes... and.. the familiar krrrrrchhchchch started - a clear sign that the ABS was working. Cool !!! :) Let's also test the anti-spin functionality by pushing down the throttle a bit harder and even here: the brake was automatically applied to the spinning wheel and the throttle was reduced. Very nice ! Well done Bosch and Volvo ! :) Me happy !<br />
<h3>
Summary - All good things come to an end</h3>
After installing some more cable protectors and the 6 temperature sensors in the battery bay/boxes, I'm re-adding the car body parts and it's really really coming to a point where I can think about getting the car street legal again. Some covers on the floor to protect the batteries from salt water, some construction foam to seal off the more complicated areas and to hold the batteries in place.. and we're good to go. Even if I'm required to have a working heater, I could get that up and running in a breeze: the code is ready, the heater installed, the pump is available... only a couple of hoses, a connector for the pump and an expansion tank are missing... compared to the rest: peanuts ! :)<br />
It's funny, you might think "finally" - me too of course - but in the recent weeks, I was just in a mode "get into it and work late on the car during the week". It hit me once late at night that it's coming to an end while I was looking for things to work on. From rear to front, it was hard to make out anything. All cables are securely attached, everything is getting nice and tidy.. it's really surprising when you're in some kind of routine to realize it's about to change. :)<br />
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<br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037584852299845137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4898863519678922669.post-1564280486562785602015-11-17T21:52:00.001-08:002015-11-17T21:52:59.477-08:00Battery Box Progress<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SQZmr0QOvv0/VkwEroyjYQI/AAAAAAAAAb4/5OINOtYsXbM/s1600/HV-BatteryLayout.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SQZmr0QOvv0/VkwEroyjYQI/AAAAAAAAAb4/5OINOtYsXbM/s200/HV-BatteryLayout.gif" width="138" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wpr5WCAmOzE/VkwErUIn89I/AAAAAAAAAdY/mXEQ9Xzb6Pw/s1600/box0.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wpr5WCAmOzE/VkwErUIn89I/AAAAAAAAAdY/mXEQ9Xzb6Pw/s200/box0.gif" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HpONZQuTpcI/VkwEswcDUVI/AAAAAAAAAcY/ZOc543f_JH0/s1600/box8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HpONZQuTpcI/VkwEswcDUVI/AAAAAAAAAcY/ZOc543f_JH0/s200/box8.jpg" width="168" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VZ6auRcMGMk/VkwEsxVW7lI/AAAAAAAAAcg/btDkBvoEC8E/s1600/box9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VZ6auRcMGMk/VkwEsxVW7lI/AAAAAAAAAcg/btDkBvoEC8E/s200/box9.jpg" width="146" /></a>Based on input from <a href="http://www.hinter-musegg.ch/#!umwelt-energie/csv5">Walter Fassbind</a> I contacted <a href="http://www.fahrzeugausbau.ch/">www.fahrzeugausbau.ch</a>. Within a couple of weeks, they created a wonderful battery box made of black PE (poly ehtylene). The 1cm thick walls are perfect electric insulators and so strong, they hold up 9mm bullets. Once the walls are welded together, the connection is almost unbreakable. In a test with two pieces, the size of a hand, welded in a 90 degree angle, they drove over it with a car. The plates almost flatted out but didn't break and returned back to the original form almost immediately. In my opinion this is the best and safest material for battery boxes - although it doesn't stay 100% inherently stable when hot and is also inflammable, the stability is good enough and you'll have to use a bunsen burner for about 1 minute to get it burning. Plus, the box can be made 100% water proof! You can treat the material with the same tools as wood (fad, drill, knife, rasp, ...). The only down-side is that you can't glue any other material to it - but bolts for wood work very well. (sorry, it's a bit dirty on the pictures to the right)<br />
In my original design I wanted to add two internal walls to support the floor of the second level. But after consideration, we decided to let the 2nd floor just rest on the bolts of the batteries on the 1st floor. This means one cell will rest its weight on top of another. That's not much load and shouldn't cause any problem - I hope. But it safes space which is critically low - especially in the vertical. The box with cover has to fit under the front end. And there it really is a matter of millimetres. I had to file off some edges to make the box fit under the front.<br />
The box rests on a U-shaped aluminium bar (35mm x 80mm x 4mm, length 108cm) and is bolted down with 3 M8 countersunk bolts. The bar is mounted on the original mounting brackets of the radiator (cyan marked part in diagram). Another two countersunk M6 bolts attach the box to two latches of the bumper (just below the horns) for additional lateral stabilisation. Aside from the aluminium bar the box also rests on the thinner bar of the sub-frame (black arrows in second diagram). So the weight is distributed between the two bars.<br />
The guy creating the box also came up with many other great ideas. E.g. we've added a lid to the upper rear side of the box to support the device board. This solved another big issue on how to mount the board in an engine compartment with almost no straight lines. Now I only have to add a couple of angles to the firewall and the entire board is sufficiently supported. The white board template is currently being converted to an aluminium board by <a href="http://www.fahrzeugausbau.ch/">www.fahrzeugausbau.ch</a>. The Eberspächer heater will be mounted to the bottom side of the board, just above the motor.<br />
So aside from a small battery box in the rear (spare tire compartment) the HV distribution is getting finalized and ready for use. With a cover for the mid-section batteries and the power-steering connected I can start to plan a test for street readiness. :) *joy*<br />
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</div>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037584852299845137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4898863519678922669.post-48698595197249741402015-11-06T05:32:00.002-08:002015-11-06T05:33:42.546-08:00Short Circuit<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8ViXfm7QLKk/VjyrSrJpuII/AAAAAAAAAa0/C3xwSdw9NlI/s1600/short1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8ViXfm7QLKk/VjyrSrJpuII/AAAAAAAAAa0/C3xwSdw9NlI/s200/short1.jpg" width="200" /></a>Ever heard these well intended hints :<br />
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<ol>
<li>Wear eye protection when working with batteries!</li>
<li>Wear gloves when working with batteries!</li>
<li>Glasses with a metal frame dropped on battery terminals will turn into a ball of hot plasma flying in your direction.</li>
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How serious did you take these advices? Honestly? Well, I respected them partially. I've seen the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcuyfS7yybQ">spanner creating a short</a> over the poles of one single cell (at 24:30). After 10-20 seconds it was glowing white from the heat. So I was really really careful when installing the batteries. Also when I took them out of their provisional enclosure last weekend. I held on every strap I loosened so it couldn't turn and create a short. I reminded myself at least 5 times during the first ten minutes: "Be careful! Concentrate!". And yet, I made a serious error: I removed one bolt from a strap completely and only then started loosening the second bolt. The strap slipped out of my hand and created a short with a cell in the next row - over about 15-20 cells in series. Oh my! I won't forget that crackling sound and the feeling. It' possible that I imagined it but it felt like I could feel the magnetic field. I believe it took me less than half a second to grab the strap again and break the short. The result can be seen on the pictures and the video. Fortunately just 2-3 minutes before, I put on gloves to protect my hands from physical injury (scratching those bolts can tear your skin). The copper on the straps melted immediately and sprayed around the trunk in little liquid drops. On one picture you can see them and their burn marks in the carpet of the trunk. Imagine these drops landing on the skin or worse into an eye. I was wearing only my glasses which cover only about 70% of the area. Also discovering drops of copper below the emergency vent caps of some cells and looking at the black trails on the battery casing, I consider myself extremely lucky not to have gotten injured.<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uetPtSGul4Q/VjyrUF8JUKI/AAAAAAAAAbE/y-dMJhITHXs/s1600/short3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uetPtSGul4Q/VjyrUF8JUKI/AAAAAAAAAbE/y-dMJhITHXs/s200/short3.jpg" width="200" /></a>Once the smoke cleared from the trunk and I was sure nothing would happen any more, I had to take a walk outside - with weak knees. Next to the car stands a wagon filled with hay - imagine sparks flying over. I also remembered mounting the cells under the car. It was all done over-head, no hat, no eye protection. Believe me, I'd never do it that way again! At least a chap and full eye protection are a must - like it is for over-head welding.<br />
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Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037584852299845137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4898863519678922669.post-89937030154970300992015-09-09T10:45:00.001-07:002015-09-09T10:45:30.386-07:00Battery Box Depression<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8hJ5cfOFK7w/VfBvAk-8d6I/AAAAAAAAAaM/xvDIC8QNtis/s1600/box1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8hJ5cfOFK7w/VfBvAk-8d6I/AAAAAAAAAaM/xvDIC8QNtis/s200/box1.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kP7RwWiokQA/VfBvANPMpfI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/NpNnwBB7Els/s1600/box2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kP7RwWiokQA/VfBvANPMpfI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/NpNnwBB7Els/s200/box2.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wvVM4vXVaYQ/VfBvBKxUrZI/AAAAAAAAAaI/MHpOdFYs_AI/s1600/box3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wvVM4vXVaYQ/VfBvBKxUrZI/AAAAAAAAAaI/MHpOdFYs_AI/s200/box3.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gz3s0ZF3KKs/VfBvBh-N5nI/AAAAAAAAAaU/XD_F5hndstc/s1600/box4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gz3s0ZF3KKs/VfBvBh-N5nI/AAAAAAAAAaU/XD_F5hndstc/s200/box4.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0sLGycldMg0/VfBvCUrcFBI/AAAAAAAAAaY/LsuZbqtpxOk/s1600/box5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0sLGycldMg0/VfBvCUrcFBI/AAAAAAAAAaY/LsuZbqtpxOk/s200/box5.jpg" width="200" /></a> Huh ? What's that supposed to mean? A depression because of battery boxes? Well.. yes and no. The reason why I didn't post for so long albeit I was celebrating a big breakthrough is the following:<br />
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As noted in my last entry, the work wasn't done yet. After the "high" from the first ride it was hard to get back and get dirty. It was more fun to take the car out for a quick spin. Then summer came, it got really hot and who wants to work in a garage with sweat dripping from your forehead at 40°C? You'd rather go to the public bath with the kids, right? Yeah.. well, all nice excuses which of course also played their part. The truth is, I got mentally blocked. I found a nice solution for the front battery box. But when placing the cardboard prototype in the engine bay, I found out there's a crumple zone which I never thought of. The beams carrying the front bumper do have some clearly visible notches which are intended to allow an easy compression and energy absorption in case of an accident. My box would fill out this entire zone with 150kg of batteries.<br />
A friend recommended to check with the vehicle inspection first. They said that they see it as a critical topic, I should check with one of the certification agencies. They too said "It's critical" and sent me 60 pages of guidelines "<i>Regelung Nr. 100 der Wirtschaftskommission der Vereinten Nationen für Europa (UNECE) — Einheitliche Bedingungen für die Genehmigung der Fahrzeuge hinsichtlich der besonderen Anforderungen an den Elektroantrieb</i>", the so called <i>ECE 100</i>. On one page it says that either a crash test or a force equal to several tons has to be handled by the construction. Heck, how am I going to do that? I don't want to destroy my car nor any of the battery cells! I didn't get a official advice so I started thinking of alternatives. I'm not blaming any of the official agencies. Everybody was really supportive but as it's a special case probably nobody exaclty knows how to deal with such requests. All of my alternatives that came to my mind resulted in a complete re-design of the electric installation. A possibility would have been the placement of batteries behind and above the motor. But then I'd have had to move the HV-Box and all the Brusa devices to the front. A major redesign I wasn't looking forward to and which didn't promise much more success in the end.<br />
I was sitting in the garage for hours - under and in front of the car without actually doing anything than brood and loose motivation minute by minute, not seeing any way to pass certification.<br />
Then fortune sent me a favour: A friend gave me a nicely cut out article from a <a href="https://www.luzernerzeitung.ch/nachrichten/zentralschweiz/zg/abo/Ein-hochmoderner-Oldtimer;art9648,567686">newspaper</a>. It was about a guy in Lucerne who converted a '57 Chevy pick-up into an electric vehicle and even more: He created a professional system allowing him to use his car as source of electricity for his house, charge it with solar power and dynamically change the amount of electricity delivered from one system to the others - multidirectional. Probably the first<a href="http://www.hinter-musegg.ch/#!umwelt-energie/csv5"> system that works</a> in real life and is not just some power point presentation. He's located a 30min drive from my home and also was so kind to receive me last week to explain everything he did. Result: 4 hours of techie nerd-talk :) The system he created based on Siemens technology is a real piece of art. In his garage he controls the whole system over a 17" touch screen - ease of use, statistics, full control- it's all included. But to me personally the biggest revelation was how he successfully passed inspection and got his Chevy street legal. It was a mental break-trough which made me decide to go ahead with my original design. But no, it's not 3 months lost, I also got very good advice where and how to obtain good quality battery boxes. He had his boxes created in a company located in Baar (15min drive). They're made out of welded plastic plates. The plastic and the connections are extremely robust, fire retardant and of course not conductive. Much better than any metal based construction. He told me that they made a L shaped test object and drove over it with a car. The object flattened out but did not break and restored its original shape once the force was gone. It's lighter than aluminium and can take many colours. Once I know more about it, I'll post more details.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5rwQcurRH28/VfBu_iTDqBI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/LYNGLZXUehA/s1600/TRW%2Bpump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5rwQcurRH28/VfBu_iTDqBI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/LYNGLZXUehA/s200/TRW%2Bpump.jpg" width="135" /></a> I also bought myself a TWR JER 161 hydraulic pump used in Volvo V50. It should be possible to run it in uncotrolled mode but if you're able to send the right CAN messages, also make its power output speed dependant. It'll go into a compartment in front of the right front wheel - just like in a V50. Another device to be controlled by the GEVCU ? ;) More details can be found on <a href="http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/showthread.php/volvo-electro-hydraulic-power-steering-44828.html">DIY electric car forum</a>.<br />
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So all in all: I'm back in business! :)Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037584852299845137noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4898863519678922669.post-34067248502501714982015-09-07T06:44:00.000-07:002015-09-07T06:48:33.286-07:00Maiden Voyage<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I9vzWTYQcQ4/Ve2TI6FoHqI/AAAAAAAAAZU/JYofRZ0hUII/s1600/firstDrive1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I9vzWTYQcQ4/Ve2TI6FoHqI/AAAAAAAAAZU/JYofRZ0hUII/s200/firstDrive1.jpg" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dvAtky24yc8/Ve2TItQ3eFI/AAAAAAAAAZY/HvTzrq8J64I/s1600/firstDrive2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dvAtky24yc8/Ve2TItQ3eFI/AAAAAAAAAZY/HvTzrq8J64I/s200/firstDrive2.jpg" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D53M2aaYcDY/Ve2TIyU2OeI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/-l6Ed1z2sy8/s1600/firstDrive3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D53M2aaYcDY/Ve2TIyU2OeI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/-l6Ed1z2sy8/s200/firstDrive3.jpg" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nf-EBWlARfc/Ve2TJgPIzHI/AAAAAAAAAZc/a-h3RBorB8w/s1600/firstDrive4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nf-EBWlARfc/Ve2TJgPIzHI/AAAAAAAAAZc/a-h3RBorB8w/s200/firstDrive4.jpg" /></a>
On May, the 24th 2015 21:40 the worlds first Volvo S80 with full electric drive hit the streets. It was the maiden voyage for the car I was working on, in, above and under for the last 2 years. After a burst effort of 7days x 16hours of work, I was able to complete the tasks needed to get the car rolling. Many parts are still in a makeshift state (like the batteries in the trunk, control cables hanging loose, provisional mounting of devices, ...) but the drive unit is finished. Due to some misconfiguration on my part, the first couple of meters were accompanied with some surges and dead zones where the motor did not turn (as seen on the video where at the time I did not understand the problem). But once the car was moving, it was smooth like silk ! All you could hear is the gravel on the road and the soft hum of the coolant pump. It was perfect and the sense of delight accordingly high.<br />
In the meantime I was able to correctly set all parameters and the car drives as reliable and smooth as a Swiss watch. Turn on ignition and one second later you're able to drive off. And keep in mind, aside from being the first electric S80 it's probably also the first converted car whose power output is controlled by interpreting CAN messages from the stock ECU. The GEVCU queries the ECU for the current throttle position and gets a response which was pre-validated by comparing the signals of two potentiometers on the throttle unit and possibly the throttle pedal too.
The car's acceleration is also very satisfying. Taking off in 1st gear people (incl. myself) are astounded, in 2nd impressed and in 3rd satisfied with normal "sedan like" acceleration. No smoking wheels, but very close and much better than I expected. Actually the 70 cells in the trunk which are held together by a clamping set only, shifted 30cm from the back of the rear seat to the rear end of the trunk. I was unable to move these 250kg back by hand.
All that's left to do now, is get the rest of the installation to production quality and street legal. Doesn't sound like much but two battery boxes are still missing, as is proper cooling, power steering and heating. Several weeks of effort - with some luck finished this year.<br />
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Note : Why the heck did I not put this onto my blog earlier ? It was in May and now it's September! I'll try to explain that in my next post.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037584852299845137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4898863519678922669.post-1568389789529020192015-04-22T15:11:00.000-07:002015-04-22T15:11:06.485-07:00Hard Earned ProgressLong time no update - sorry, I've been quite busy.<br />
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Bus Bars</h2>
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As my design contained 4 bus bars with 5 connection points, I investigated alternatives to purchasing them - and spending about 400.-. Looking through the collection of left-over pieces in the metal shop, I quickly found a copper bar with a surface of 2.5 x 2.5 cm. The length was enough to be cut into 4 pieces. Costs: 40.- including 20 inox M8 screws and nuts. At <a href="https://www.blogger.com/www.swiss-composite.ch">www.swiss-composite.ch</a> I bought 1L of resin they use to cover electronic parts for another 40.-. It stays flexible. Good in environments with vibrations but as I found out today, if you want to tighten the screws down, they start to slip within the hardened resin. Probably a hard one would have been better.<br />
So, the costs were about a fifth of a retail product but the process was really fun and the "I'm proud" factor is quite significant. Check out the video how to do it.
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HV Box</h2>
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I'm also pretty proud of my HV distribution box. In the centre are of course the four bus bars and two contactors. On the upper/visible layer all HV connection points are made: from battery to contactors and then to motor controller and via fuses to JLD404, DC-DC converter, charger, heater. All 12V lines are immediately routed to the lower layer in order to separate the connections as good as possible (should one become loose). The main path is covered with copper bars. The low-power wires are short enough that they don't cause a short if one end comes loose. The end result is pretty heavy - about 7kg. With an aluminium L-profile on the top and bottom of the box, it was fairly easy to mount it in the car.<br />
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Motor Mount</h2>
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This is definitely the area where the most effort was invested in and where the most time was lost. After spot welding all parts and then welding them down, everything got twisted and the bracket which hold the drive shaft in place no longer fit. Cut it of, weld again and then it was ok. But while the motor was resting on a block of wood on one side, I could not lift the car anymore and work almost came to a stand-still for several weeks. But now it's finished, painted black and fitting perfectly. I got some fantastic support from Peter and Reto at <a href="www.klaus-ag.ch">www.klaus-ag.ch</a> - Thanks a lot !! Check out the video on the first spin of the wheels.<br />
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Battery Bay Construction</h2>
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As I could not lift the car, finishing the battery bay under the car also had to wait. But now the final mounting brackets in the rear are in, the whole construction is rock solid.<br />
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<h2>
Nordlock</h2>
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When I wanted to order the Nordlock washers for the batteries, I was kindly invited for a visit to the branch in Switzerland. The sales representative wanted to do some tests with different types of washers in their lab. Although it would be beneficial to have a zink coated washer to serve as a sacrificial anode, it is not recommended. The washers don't show the nordlock effect but slip on the copper/aluminium. Also bigger washers than the screw's head is not recommendable. One might think it was because it distributes the forces more evenly. But also there the washers slipped on the copper strap instead of biting into the metal. With my CALB CA100 and copper straps, the best results were achieved with 25Nm torque and simple M8 inox washers. Refer to the video.<br />
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<h2>
Battery Bottom Balancing</h2>
After having my batteries resting for 1 year with 50% SOC (from factory). most of them were in the same range with their voltage (see chart). The voltage of about 8 was considerably lower. So I suspected an internal soft short which slowly caused them to self-discharge. As I follow the philosophy of of bottom balancing and not using a battery management system (aka "battery murdering system") a internal soft short in some cells would become problematic because they would fall out of balance and be under-discharged at some point - causing damage to them and become dangerous when charging them again.<br />
After 5-8 cycles per cell I got them all discharged to 2.750 V (+/- 0.005V). With a Cellpro Powerlab 8 it took about 2 months. A most noteworthy effect is that the cells voltage climbs up for several weeks afer a discharge. Usually around 3-8mV per week. The 8 cells with a suspected soft-short drifted downwards after a discharge (whereas the others went up). They loose about 3-30mV per week after 4 weeks. As recommended by Jack Rickard, I charged them to 4V. My theory is that the so caused volumetric expansion might brake the dendrites which cause a soft-short. The cells were charged and now discharged to 2.75V. 7 of the 8 cells are still climbing in voltage which is a good sign. One is clearly gone. 3 days after the final discharge cycle, its voltage tumbles down. This one definitely won't go into the car. The others might in an easy accessible area (for monitoring and replacement).<br />
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Battery Installation</h2>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P3mZ7P1NsGY/VTgFqS3y1kI/AAAAAAAAAWw/lgRxx6iFCeo/s1600/battery%2Bmount%2B4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P3mZ7P1NsGY/VTgFqS3y1kI/AAAAAAAAAWw/lgRxx6iFCeo/s1600/battery%2Bmount%2B4.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ts2hB9i8Dx8/VTgFpZmSkII/AAAAAAAAAWg/Jhh2t0BSmPY/s1600/battery%2Bmount%2B3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ts2hB9i8Dx8/VTgFpZmSkII/AAAAAAAAAWg/Jhh2t0BSmPY/s1600/battery%2Bmount%2B3.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gp0bFFtiz5M/VTgFx6ifXAI/AAAAAAAAAX8/T18Jk_vtprg/s1600/schraubstock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gp0bFFtiz5M/VTgFx6ifXAI/AAAAAAAAAX8/T18Jk_vtprg/s1600/schraubstock.jpg" height="142" width="200" /></a>
I installed the batteries in my construction. I the exhaust pipe tunnel, I had to use a hammer to widen it a bit in order to be able to install 2 more cells. Groups of 2 or 3 cells are interconnected with cable bridges. There were a lot of space related problems in area where the gas tank was. The distance from one row of cells to the next was too small. I counted for the bolts but not the thick cable shoes and cables. As I was out of options and didn't want to give up, I had to flatten the cable-shoes. I used a parallel vise to squeeze them so they become more flat. In the process I destroyed one vise. Also about 40 of the bolt heads had to be grinded down to half of their thickness. All this caused a lot of unexpected delays. In some areas the top of the batteries/bolts/shoes/cables are in contact with the bottom of the next row of batteries. No problem regarding HV security but accessing the terminals to verify the voltage has become impossible. The batteries are fixed very well laterally. But they might jump up when driving over a bump. To prevent that, once I'm happy with the installation, I will cover the batteries with plastic and then fill the gap with expandable construction foam. Also the bottom of the construction has to be covered with plastic plates to protect the batteries from salt water and stones. I'll also have to re-route the drain of the AC system - otherwise it would drip happily on my batteries.<br />
I was able to fit 53 cells under car. For now I will put the remaining cells into trunk - only for a couple of test drives. Then they'll have to go into a battery box in the engine compartment.<br />
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<h2>
Controller Shelf</h2>
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In order to envision how to mount the motor controller, dc-dc converter, charger and GEVCU, I created a prototype board out of wood. One I'm happy, it will be replaces with an aluminium plate. If somehow possible, I'll attach hinges in order to be able to lift/tilt the entire construction and reach the motor and the HV box. It's a real challenge though, as in these modern cars, there are not 90 degree angles, no straigth lines.. everything is curved.<br />
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<h2>
Temperature and I/O extension for GEVCU</h2>
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The GEVCU offers 8 digital outputs. Although they use MOSFET's to drive them, it's not recommended to use them to drive a Kilovac/Gigavac contactor directly - because of the high inrush current. Because of that and because I'll need more than 8 output channels, I bought myself a 16-channel relay board for Arduino Due's. They're almost free on ebay (18-36.-). This board with it's own Arduino Due will talk to the GEVCU and listen to commands via CAN bus to switch the various relays. I'll also use 4-6 single-wire temperature sensors. They will measure the temperature of the batteries in various areas. The extension box reports the temperatures via CAN bus to the GEVCU, which in order will control the charge process and not charge below 5 deg C but heat the batteries first with a water heater.<br />
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<h2>
Eberspächer 6kW Water Heater</h2>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W32xemtaLiE/VTgFtVP8cBI/AAAAAAAAAXI/e9g1UoMOiYw/s1600/heater%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W32xemtaLiE/VTgFtVP8cBI/AAAAAAAAAXI/e9g1UoMOiYw/s1600/heater%2B1.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IqYVd7KuyBY/VTgFuFIwokI/AAAAAAAAAXY/5JAyw6gCVBc/s1600/heater%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IqYVd7KuyBY/VTgFuFIwokI/AAAAAAAAAXY/5JAyw6gCVBc/s1600/heater%2B2.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>
I obtained a used Eberspächer coolant water heater from a Chevy Volt with the help of Jack. It's a powerfull little box that heats with up to 6kW. It uses PTC elements where the water flows around. It's controlled via a single wire CAN. Mark Weisheimer got it running already with a play-back of recorded CAN messages from a Volt. He and others are trying to reverse-engineer the CAN messages.<br />
<br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037584852299845137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4898863519678922669.post-45961389489972588572015-01-11T16:14:00.000-08:002016-06-03T13:00:50.207-07:00Milestone: We've got motion !!<br />
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Hallelujah! After installing the motor, transmission and the torque bar, after fiddling with stuck brakes on the rear wheels, after sitting around for hours and hours thinking where and how to place the batteries in the engine compartment, I thought "What the heck, let's not wait any longer until all the batteries are installed and until all the cables and switches are ready, let's install the inverter with the mains rectifier and spin up some wheels!". A bit doubtful because of my last experience with the transmission, I hooked up everything, connected the mains and the laptop, let the motor spin in neutral first and then punched in 3rd gear. No explosions, no grinding, no blown mains fuse - only wheels spinning happily. It was so quiet that at first I thought "heck, why did the motor stop now?". :) But everything was all right. Only the wheels were spinning backwards. But that's not a problem with an AC induction motor anyway. Let it run "backwards" and the wheels were spinning like they should. Shifting from 1st to 2nd and to 3rd went pretty well with the wheels in the air. The other gears needed a bit more juice on the shift knob - too much for my taste - but I think that's only because the wheels slowed down significantly while shifting. Under real driving conditions, the wheels will still be spinning through the inertia of the car. So also 5th and 6th should be possible without a clutch. (yes, I'm going clutch-less).<br />
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<tr><td valign="top">Still, I need some Nord-Lock washers for the batteries: Why? There's a lot of vibration in a car and I don't want the battery connections to become loose.</td><td><br /></td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mQznTYhoOZI/VLLRmKXkLLI/AAAAAAAAAVY/fkTVT7VQiWc/s1600/dry%2Brot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mQznTYhoOZI/VLLRmKXkLLI/AAAAAAAAAVY/fkTVT7VQiWc/s200/dry%2Brot.jpg" /></a>Unfortunately the wood shed I used as my garage caught the dry rot - that's a really nasty mildew. The entire area where it becomes visible, plus at least 1 meter of the wood has to be removed and everything else desinfected. It grows 1-4 cm per day (!) and destroys the wood so it gets soft like carton within days. All the wood and also the wall visible on this picture had to be removed in a very costly purification procedure. So half of the floor in the shed is gone now. It was renewed 1.5 years ago for 6k so it could carry the load of the car and the lift.<br />
Bummer!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KcWhxYNGz7Y/VHn-wDpm4tI/AAAAAAAAAVA/D2BL0QLANKE/s1600/S80crankCamSignal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KcWhxYNGz7Y/VHn-wDpm4tI/AAAAAAAAAVA/D2BL0QLANKE/s1600/S80crankCamSignal.jpg" height="218" width="320" /></a>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i9esZHdqeMU/VHn-5Iw8NbI/AAAAAAAAAVI/uHtlYIti9kE/s1600/ArduinoCrankCamSim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i9esZHdqeMU/VHn-5Iw8NbI/AAAAAAAAAVI/uHtlYIti9kE/s1600/ArduinoCrankCamSim.jpg" height="244" width="320" /></a>I'm trying to fake the crankshaft and CAM signal with an arduino based system (<a href="http://www.gevcu.org/">www.gevcu.org</a>) according to Volvo's specification. The output of my signal generator (<a href="https://github.com/neuweiler/EngineSignalSimulator">https://github.com/neuweiler/EngineSignalSimulator</a>) is looking a lot like the one in Volvo's spec. But somehow the ECU is not happy with it yet. I get DTCs about alorhythm problems. On the right side you see the spec sheet and the output on the oscilloscope. In the spec the crankshaft signal is supposed to be a sinewave with voltage range from 0.1V to 100V according to the motor speed (the rpm sensor it's a magnetic inductor). But on other pages, it's said to be a sinewave from 0.1 to 5V. So I'm not sure if my timing is out of spec or if it's just the voltage which does not conform to the speed of the signal or if the ECU is not happy because it's a square wave and not a sine wave.<br />
I think I need a reference signal.. <br />
<br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037584852299845137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4898863519678922669.post-699610382737062762014-11-25T04:45:00.000-08:002014-11-25T04:45:00.697-08:00Construction Time, Part IIWith the transmission fixed, my spirits rose again and I spent more time in the shop, finishing the battery bay. No rocket science but an important step. Also the brackets mentioned in the video, which will mount the rear part of the bay to the car, are already done and ready to be mounted. After checking the distances of the batteries again, I found out that it should work within the tunnel and on the left side. But the ones on the right side of the car, exactly where I'm working on in the video, are most likely a bit too close and I have to re-do them - sacrifying a bit of the safety space towards the rear strut. With some insulating rubber or silicone it should still be allright though.<br />
To prevent the batteries from moving up in the construction, I first thought of velcro straps. But I think I'll be placing a plastic sheet on top of the batteries and then fill the space above with expanding construction foam. This should sufficiently hold the batteries in place vertically. The major forces will be picked up by the aluminum construction.<br />
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<span id="goog_2116832179"><br /></span>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037584852299845137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4898863519678922669.post-23863944099688261722014-10-04T03:54:00.001-07:002014-10-04T03:54:38.665-07:00Construction TimeThe construction of the "underbelly battery support structure" is progressing well now. In the video below you'll get a look at how I attack the topic which might give you an idea for your conversion. In the meantime I also messed up with my transmission. When I got the adaptor plate, the transmission shaft and the motor back, of course I had to put everything together and spin up the thing. It was exhilarating to also see the output of the differential spin when selecting a gear. I knew from Volvo's service manual that I'd have to take care so the differential doesn't start to move the wrong direction. So I only selected a gear with 500rpm. All went well the first time. The second time during a demonstration to some friends, I was distracted and forgot to switch back to neutral. At 2500rpm: klong - krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrchchchch.. I immediately pushed the emergency stop button but due to inertia and no regen applied, it took about 10-15 very long seconds until everything came to a standstill. To say I was downhearted was an understatement. Looking inside the differential you could see loose gear wheels and a rod I didn't remember was there before. Comments from other car aficionados didn't lift my spirit either: "Looks like everything fell apart..", "This looks wasted..", etc.<br />So I went to the <a href="http://www.albinherzogag.ch/">Volvo dealer/shop</a> of my choice to ask if they could help with repairing the tranny. Apparently OEM's no longer fix transmissions. They just replace it with a new one. When the supportive mechanic looked up the price in the computer - keep in mind that Volvo's service part are not really cheap - his puzzled face and a "whoops!" didn't help my mood much either: 4200.- USD. !! :( That's not an option for my already strained budget. Then there's a transmission shop close to Lucerne: <a href="http://www.automaten-meyer.ch/">Automaten-Meyer</a>. Their initial estimate: 1200.- USD for the work only, no parts included. That's better but still, there has to be another way. The used trannies from wrecked Volvo's were also in the range of 1500.- USD - with 200'000km on them, that's just to much. In Germany I found a dealer which sells new tranmissions for 1700.- Euro. This after-market transmission would be my fall-back. I found some details about the inner life of such a manual transmission on the net: <a href="http://plsvolvoprojects.blogspot.ch/2011/09/240-m56-v70xc.html">here</a> and and <a href="http://forums.swedespeed.com/showthread.php?198929-Quaife-transmission-lsd-install">here</a>. But what really gave me the right kick, was the detailed report of a <a href="http://volvospeed.com/install_performance_parts_how_tos/performance_guides/quaife_lsd_m56h.html">diff replacement in an M56 transmission</a>. Mine is a M66 but it was close enough, the M56 is its predecessor and told to be quite simmilar. Thanks to this post, I thought: Well, I have nothing to loose, let's open the darn thing and see what's wrong with it, maybe with a huge bunch of luck, I'll be able to fix it. Bear in mind that if anybody told me that I'd have to open and try to repair the transmission during this conversion, I'd have never started it at all. Opening transmissions was a big taboo for me - for someone with no machanical education, a software developer. Yet, I opened it.. found out what happened.. and ? The conclusion will follow in the next video.<br />Now that I've got all major parts, there's only one but very important thing missing: <a href="http://www.nord-lock.com/">Nordlock washers</a>. Based on experience and reports from evtv.me, they are certainly a part I have to include in my conversion to secure the bolts in the batteries. As I have 120 cells with 2 poles and some other connection terminals, I will require about 260 pieces for M8 bolts. I will not do it otherwise. To my impression, these Nordlock washers are the only thing which ensure tight and reliable connection to the terminals. Non-secure power connections are cause of heat, increasing resistance, more heat and potentially fire. So no trade-off there. I just haven't got around to get my hands on them.<br />
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<br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037584852299845137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4898863519678922669.post-66149666805506593732014-06-29T12:17:00.000-07:002014-06-29T12:17:36.770-07:00High Voltage<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3RnLrmOl7O4/U7BhgETjHeI/AAAAAAAAASA/GgQ8pnIdkfU/s1600/1+mounting+frame.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3RnLrmOl7O4/U7BhgETjHeI/AAAAAAAAASA/GgQ8pnIdkfU/s1600/1+mounting+frame.JPG" height="112" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h8HHGCHALsM/U7BhfxdhW3I/AAAAAAAAAR8/lAeAHU6iBAs/s1600/2+mounting+frame.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h8HHGCHALsM/U7BhfxdhW3I/AAAAAAAAAR8/lAeAHU6iBAs/s1600/2+mounting+frame.JPG" height="112" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cSELOc2Zm_I/U7BhfsmiF_I/AAAAAAAAASE/CYa_QL0wBW0/s1600/3+frame+on+gas+tank+mounting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cSELOc2Zm_I/U7BhfsmiF_I/AAAAAAAAASE/CYa_QL0wBW0/s1600/3+frame+on+gas+tank+mounting.JPG" height="112" width="200" /></a>I'm mainly building a mounting rail below the car for the batteries at the moment. I must admit, it's the task which taxes me most in this conversion. I like designing, doing electronics and software - but metal construction is a bit foreign to me and I find it tedious. Yet, I'm a bit proud of my construction. In the pictures on the side you see the T-shape rails in the exhaust tunnel and the almost finished construction. The third picture shows how I used a hollow aluminum tube (square) as a spacer to attach a rail. Inside is a threaded rod which attaches the construction very firmly to the former gas tank mounting. The rails will be bolted together in the lower right side of the picture. In the fourth and fifth picture you see an example how the batteries will be placed in the construction. The L-shaped rails from left to right will be bolted down to the T-shaped rails on the side with gibs. The L-shaped rails are close to the poles of the batteries but I think it is still safe this way. The batteries will be strapped down with velcro bands. Klaus AG is also helping me to create a mounting structure for the motor to the original motor mount. More on these things later (incl. a video for evtv).<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4azTPk8Y27A/U7Bhg_7RltI/AAAAAAAAASQ/s4j9MJSTccw/s1600/4+batteries+in+frame.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4azTPk8Y27A/U7Bhg_7RltI/AAAAAAAAASQ/s4j9MJSTccw/s1600/4+batteries+in+frame.JPG" height="112" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_wec7fZtvnU/U7BhhdHM-HI/AAAAAAAAASo/DYgsJNunbuM/s1600/5+contact+distance.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_wec7fZtvnU/U7BhhdHM-HI/AAAAAAAAASo/DYgsJNunbuM/s1600/5+contact+distance.JPG" height="112" width="200" /></a>Aside from that, I'm prepping up my HV stuff. Buying some missing things like another contactor for the heating system (Gigavac GV200), a maintenance switch (Gigavac HBD41a), some high voltage - low current fuses from EV West, a Polycarbonate case for an HV distribution box (Hoffman Q403013PCICC). As I require 4 bus bars with 5 connections each, I decided to create them myself and save 400 CHF. In the <a href="http://www.metallladen.ch/">metal shop</a> of my choice, where I got all the rails, I also found an offcut copper bar which suited my needs: 2.5cm x 1cm, cut down into 4 pieces of 12cm length - all for 35.- CHF. I'm going to drill 8mm holes, insert screws with a copper washer and cast it into polyurethane resin - two blocks colored red and two colored black. They will be put into th HV distribution box together with 3 contactors, 1 pre-charge relay and some fuses (see overhauled wiring-diagram).<br />
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I'm itchy on getting my motor back with the adapter plate - I need to to get some wheels spinning to boost my motivation.. I'm getting closer, I know, but after one year, I must admit, I'm looking forward to put an end to crawling around under the car. I want to sit in it for once... :)<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jttlO12vJdo/U7BhhlQlogI/AAAAAAAAASY/hNfjtOr_8D8/s1600/HV+Low+Current+Fuses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jttlO12vJdo/U7BhhlQlogI/AAAAAAAAASY/hNfjtOr_8D8/s1600/HV+Low+Current+Fuses.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g_TEvu-LUh4/U7BhjbmPtgI/AAAAAAAAAS4/Os7Alyhb5xY/s1600/gigavac-hbd41aa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g_TEvu-LUh4/U7BhjbmPtgI/AAAAAAAAAS4/Os7Alyhb5xY/s1600/gigavac-hbd41aa.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a>
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<br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037584852299845137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4898863519678922669.post-18679547183172315012014-05-30T12:22:00.000-07:002014-05-30T12:25:18.277-07:00Shaft & Batteries<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NyUSosWTkGE/U4jX_Za9jOI/AAAAAAAAARg/zaLxUClhhh4/s1600/shaft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NyUSosWTkGE/U4jX_Za9jOI/AAAAAAAAARg/zaLxUClhhh4/s1600/shaft.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZjSg4zrElTc/U4jX9UY1plI/AAAAAAAAARU/ZteHP46NZUo/s1600/shaft+spline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZjSg4zrElTc/U4jX9UY1plI/AAAAAAAAARU/ZteHP46NZUo/s1600/shaft+spline.jpg" height="154" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PGjsMNGPIjQ/U4jX9pK1B6I/AAAAAAAAARM/2Fjj5UMQBzo/s1600/shaft+on+transmission.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PGjsMNGPIjQ/U4jX9pK1B6I/AAAAAAAAARM/2Fjj5UMQBzo/s1600/shaft+on+transmission.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NoFYzlkRBow/U4jX9ePmySI/AAAAAAAAARI/9-8asCNpWAA/s1600/shaft+on+motor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NoFYzlkRBow/U4jX9ePmySI/AAAAAAAAARI/9-8asCNpWAA/s1600/shaft+on+motor.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2yYbUfx9VFI/U4jaAoejtNI/AAAAAAAAARs/XifH_L4yVP8/s1600/S80+Design.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2yYbUfx9VFI/U4jaAoejtNI/AAAAAAAAARs/XifH_L4yVP8/s1600/S80+Design.gif" height="112" width="200" /></a>The shaft to connect the motor with the transmission is ready and looking very nice! I'm looking forward to get the setup spinning. But right now the motor and transmission are still at Klaus AG because the motor still needs to be mounted to the original mounting bracket. We have to find a good approach to replace the huge prototype made of wood with a construction made of aluminum. This is currently my biggest worry.<br />
The battery construction is making great progress and I'm confident to get a working approach. I started to replace parts of the wooden construction with T-shaped aluminum struts and now I'm able to determine where and how many batteries can be placed. In the exhaust pipe tunnel 17 cells find their place, in the gas tank area at least 45, in the area of the spare tire 22-24. This leaves only about 36 cells which have to placed in the engine compartment. The huge trunk will remain untouched - and this with 120 cells of CALB CA 100Ah. Most of the cells are placed at the lowest possible point in the car - resulting in a low center of gravity. I will create a movie to illustrate how I did it.<br />
Also the wiring diagram is 90% complete. My version of the GEVCU will support 1 relay to connect the pre-charge resistor with HV+, 1 contactor to connect HV-, one contactor for HV+ and only relay to switch the enable signal for the controller. The sequence is like listed before: first the pre-charge relay closes, no current is running yet and no sparks are created in the relay. Then the HV- contactor closes and the capacitors are pre-charged. The contactor is hermetically sealed and thus less prone to sparks. When the pre-charge cycle is completed, the HV+ contactor closes and then the pre-charge relay opens. The HV part is ready to operate and thus the "enable" relay is closed to signal the controller and DC-DC converter to start their operation.<br />
Next steps: Finish battery construction and boxes and the motor mounting. Then I'll be able to connect the cables and get it moving. Timeline? Hopefully within the next 1-2 months.<br />
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Oh yeah, almost forgot: I made another small video about the day of electromobility here in Zurich and about the EFORCE - a conversion of a truck:<br />
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Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037584852299845137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4898863519678922669.post-47954417040617703502014-03-30T07:32:00.000-07:002014-03-30T07:32:34.885-07:00Scotty, we need warp speed!From now on we're proceeding according to the Star Trek "miracle worker" principle:<br />
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"Scotty, how long do you need to fix the wrap drive?"<br />"The damage is extensive, captain. It will take 6 hours."<br />"Scotty, I'll give you 4!"<br />"Ok captain, for you I'll do it in 2!"</h4>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7_21IAOj31I/UzgmwFTxhPI/AAAAAAAAAPw/jACldfdGpk0/s1600/Adapter2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7_21IAOj31I/UzgmwFTxhPI/AAAAAAAAAPw/jACldfdGpk0/s1600/Adapter2.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OE___Wo52ro/UzgmvmqWwfI/AAAAAAAAAPs/3RKSKpik8fw/s1600/Adapter1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OE___Wo52ro/UzgmvmqWwfI/AAAAAAAAAPs/3RKSKpik8fw/s1600/Adapter1.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>According to the speed things were moving in the last 6 months, it would have taken me another 6 to get the car moving again. But with some luck one of the companies in the Swiss <a href="http://www.sag-ag.ch/en/home/">Automotive Group</a> (my new employer) was able to help me out of my biggest conversion misery: Some very friendly and supportive guys in <a href="http://klaus-ag.ch/">Klaus AG</a> provided the kind of help that Scotty usually does. Within 14 days, a great and robust looking adapter plate was fabricated out of a 32kg aluminium block. While neither Volvo nor Ford could provide me the dimensions of the transmission, the guys in <a href="http://klaus-ag.ch/">Klaus AG</a> found a great approach to make a custom fit. They also came up with a better idea for the coupler. As the<a href="http://www.brusa.biz/"> Brusa</a> motor has an involuted spline shaft, I was chasing an idea with a shaft, a taper lock and some adapter ring to mount part of the clutch disk to it (see previous post). The guys at <a href="http://klaus-ag.ch/">Klaus AG</a> had some doubts about a possible imbalance in the shaft and that the resulting wobble might have damaged the bearings of the motor or transmission in the long run. So with the help of the company <a href="http://okey.ch/">Okey</a>, we decided to create a custom shaft. One piece that fits perfectly in the motor and can be inserted right over the transmission shaft. Should be delivered in week 18. A bit more expensive, but if it might save my motor, I'm ok with it. At least I'll be able to finally spin some wheels in week 18 ! :)<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PQnzwR2oJs8/UzgmwLNO0oI/AAAAAAAAAQA/C9CnfRqQA-U/s1600/BatteryFrame1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PQnzwR2oJs8/UzgmwLNO0oI/AAAAAAAAAQA/C9CnfRqQA-U/s1600/BatteryFrame1.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TQNt_81ppss/UzgmwqY2HsI/AAAAAAAAAP8/2RHIrcbR2aA/s1600/BatteryFrame2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TQNt_81ppss/UzgmwqY2HsI/AAAAAAAAAP8/2RHIrcbR2aA/s1600/BatteryFrame2.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>So with this problem almost solved, I only have two challenges keeping me from a first drive: the motor mount and the battery mount.<br />Inspired by the good news on the adapter, I had to move on with the battery mount. To keep the center of weight as low as possible and to save as much room as possible, I plan to use the tunnel of the exhaust pipe, the area of the gas tank and the spare wheel box before placing any cell in the engine compartment or the trunk. This will result not in one or two battery boxes but some special fabrication. I started with the cardboard box approach first as suggested by others. But I quickly found that it's just too soft and not fitting my requirements. As my brother-in-law is a <a href="http://strebelgmbh.ch/">carpenter</a> and his shop is right next door, I started doing some template mountings out of unused wood. By using this wood, I found out how I can use stock mounting points in the car for a frame that holds about 40 cells under the car. In place of the wooden frame a metal construction out of L- or T-shaped bars will be used. They'll give the cells lateral and axial fixation. The cells will be lying on <br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4LqfSSBkMQc/Uzgo-43CIkI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/KgkTiUc9BtE/s1600/BatteryFrame3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4LqfSSBkMQc/Uzgo-43CIkI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/KgkTiUc9BtE/s1600/BatteryFrame3.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>the side and strapped down to the frame. E.g. in the tunnel, I'll be able to place 3 pieces of 100Ah CALB CA cells per location. Three sides of the "battery box" will be provided by the car, so I only need to fabricate a insulated cover to protect the cells from the elements. I could even run a pipe, to be able to heat the cells and charge them at outside temperatures below zero degrees Celsius. The cells will be accessible for maintenance by removing the bottom cover. There's a disadvantage for this approach though: Instead of connecting many cells with straps, I'll have to do a lot of cables running from one block of cells to the next.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w7WwCMYdGgY/UzgmxJ1to1I/AAAAAAAAAQE/Ara6RARbw-4/s1600/Motor1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w7WwCMYdGgY/UzgmxJ1to1I/AAAAAAAAAQE/Ara6RARbw-4/s1600/Motor1.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zd2qLatRUt8/UzgmygJHKoI/AAAAAAAAAQU/QxfMM6dH4f4/s1600/Motor3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zd2qLatRUt8/UzgmygJHKoI/AAAAAAAAAQU/QxfMM6dH4f4/s1600/Motor3.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R6lmWqFDkNM/UzgmyBVg-UI/AAAAAAAAAQY/bwhQYk2YKaw/s1600/Motor2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R6lmWqFDkNM/UzgmyBVg-UI/AAAAAAAAAQY/bwhQYk2YKaw/s1600/Motor2.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>When the adapter plate was ready, I had to stop my battery placement invention cycle. The parts were quickly assembled and the combination of transmission, motor and adapter plate was placed on a board with wheels (again, thanks to my <a href="http://strebelgmbh.ch/">brother-in-law</a>) and placed under the engine compartment. By lowering the car lift carefully, the parts slid right into place. After 2 hours adjusting the angle and height of the transmission, it was mounted in its original place. By adjusting the height of the lift again, I aligned the other end - the motor - level to the car frame. Instead of mounting the motor directly to the car frame, I want to re-use the three stock engine mounts to keep things flexible and able to absorb shocks. The one on the left used to carry the major part of the weight and gave also some stability on torsional forces. The one at the bottom of the frame carried a mounting bracket for the long wheel shaft and was also likely the main actor in picking up torsional forces. Sitting there and looking at the various strange angles, I tried for hours to figure out a way to mount the parts. Then I decided to continue with wood. After 8 hours I created a make-shift construction which I think could carry the weight and the torsion forces (when made out of metal of course).<br />
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So if all goes well, I might be able to stick with my original target and get the car moving this spring (although I originally planned for the beginning of spring, not the end).<br />
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Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15037584852299845137noreply@blogger.com1