EV Digest 5270
Topics covered in this issue include:
1) Re: Parts for VW Rabbits
by James Massey <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
2) Re: Parts for VW Rabbits
by "Dave" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
3) Re: Parts for VW Rabbits
by "Lawrence Rhodes" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
4) Re: Parts for VW Rabbits
by "Evan Tuer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
5) Re: LED Headlights
by Bruce Weisenberger <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
6) Re: Parts for VW Rabbits
by Dave Cover <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
7) Looking to build a badder-boy charger
by Christopher Zach <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
8) Re: Looking to build a badder-boy charger
by John Wayland <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
9) Re: Angle Iron to Chassis
by Andrew Letton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
10) VW Jetta - parts needed
by Juergen Weichert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
11) RE: Parts for VW Rabbits
by "Sweeney, John P" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
12) Re: Looking to build a badder-boy charger
by "Roland Wiench" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
13) Re: Looking to build a badder-boy charger
by "Peter VanDerWal" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
14) Re: Bizarre Amphour Meter Idea
by Eric Poulsen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
15) Motor woes - centrifugal switches? (link to pics)
by Jim Coate <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
16) Re: Looking to build a badder-boy charger
by Lee Hart <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
17) Early Hawker deaths (was Re: help choose best AGM battery for lawnmower)
by "Mike Phillips" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
18) Re: OT: Wind or Solar - Was: EV cheaper than gas per mile
by "Peter VanDerWal" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
19) Re: Bizarre Amphour Meter Idea
by Lee Hart <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
20) Re: help choose best AGM battery for lawnmower
by "Mike Phillips" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
--- Begin Message ---
At 10:53 PM 22/03/06 -0700, Bill Dube wrote:
Does anyone have a favorite place to get parts for VW Rabbits?
I need a genuine German door handle, wiper arms (not just blades) and trim
clips for my 85 Cabriolet (The Wabbit.) The places I used to get parts are
no longer selling water-cooled VW parts.
Thanks in advance,
Hi Bill - and all
Here in Aussie, land of average car age something like 8 to 10 years old,
the older ones don't vanish from the wreckers so quick - 1980s stuff should
be easy to find. Try a search on the Australian yellow pages (advertising
telephone book, colour varies by country). http://www.yellowpages.com.au/
Auto parts recyclers turns up 900-odd in NSW, 1300 more in VIC, 700 in QLD.
So that is nearly 3000 wreckers in the eastern part of Australia. Don't
forget that Rabbit = Golf in most of the world, including here. I'm pretty
sure that the ones here were all German made.
Best of luck
James
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Just a note. I once had the dubious pleasure of keeping a diseasle powered
Quantum alive for several years. Of course, this entailed replacing the
external door handles on a regular basis. I found that the same handles
could be found on almost any water-cooled VW or Audi.
David C. Wilker Jr.
United States Air Force, Retired
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Rice" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 22, 2006 10:41 PM
Subject: Re: Parts for VW Rabbits
Hi Bill and other Rabbitiers;
Parts? forgetabout it, I stopped off at a few junkyards coming back from
DC looking for Tail lite assemblies, like the wide ones for the 82's and
up.
You would think I was asking for Skoda , Trabant,or Red Flag parts!I don't
think I have EVer seen a car just disapear from the roads so fast, at
least
here in Rust-o-Matic land! I might have a few wiper arms? How to ya tell
if
they are German? Same for door handles, but I think all the Wabbits I have
junked are the Wastemorland PA built ones.
This sounds like a Left Coast thing?Phoenix, where it rarely rains?Along
the same thread, anybody got any clean, left side, drivers' , tailites
assembly?For an 82 Bunny?
Seeya
Bob
----- Original Message -----
From: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2006 12:53 AM
Subject: Parts for VW Rabbits
Does anyone have a favorite place to get parts for VW Rabbits?
I need a genuine German door handle, wiper arms (not just blades) and
trim clips for my 85 Cabriolet (The Wabbit.) The places I used to get
parts are no longer selling water-cooled VW parts.
Thanks in advance,
Bill Dube
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
This ebay seller seems to have a few things. I'd contact him directly.
LR........
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/volkswagen-jetta-golf-window-handle-A2-brown_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ40018QQitemZ7962520924QQtcZphoto
----- Original Message -----
From: "mike young" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 22, 2006 10:46 PM
Subject: Re: Parts for VW Rabbits
I go to www.car-parts.com for used body parts from salvage yards across the
country shipped to me quick with a credit card. works good ck it out mike
y
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Rice" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2006 1:41 AM
Subject: Re: Parts for VW Rabbits
Hi Bill and other Rabbitiers;
Parts? forgetabout it, I stopped off at a few junkyards coming back
from
DC looking for Tail lite assemblies, like the wide ones for the 82's and
up.
You would think I was asking for Skoda , Trabant,or Red Flag parts!I
don't
think I have EVer seen a car just disapear from the roads so fast, at
least
here in Rust-o-Matic land! I might have a few wiper arms? How to ya tell
if
they are German? Same for door handles, but I think all the Wabbits I
have
junked are the Wastemorland PA built ones.
This sounds like a Left Coast thing?Phoenix, where it rarely
rains?Along
the same thread, anybody got any clean, left side, drivers' , tailites
assembly?For an 82 Bunny?
Seeya
Bob
----- Original Message -----
From: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2006 12:53 AM
Subject: Parts for VW Rabbits
> Does anyone have a favorite place to get parts for VW Rabbits?
>
> I need a genuine German door handle, wiper arms (not just blades) and
> trim clips for my 85 Cabriolet (The Wabbit.) The places I used to get
> parts are no longer selling water-cooled VW parts.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Bill Dube
>
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
In the UK, I think your Rabbit is known as a Mk1 or Mk2? Golf.
There are dozens of parts including light covers and door handles on
UK ebay - try this link.
http://tinyurl.com/j22ev
Postage to the states for something like that won't be much.
good luck!
On 3/23/06, Lawrence Rhodes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> This ebay seller seems to have a few things. I'd contact him directly.
> LR........
>
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/volkswagen-jetta-golf-window-handle-A2-brown_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ40018QQitemZ7962520924QQtcZphoto
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "mike young" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: <[email protected]>
> Sent: Wednesday, March 22, 2006 10:46 PM
> Subject: Re: Parts for VW Rabbits
>
>
> >I go to www.car-parts.com for used body parts from salvage yards across the
> > country shipped to me quick with a credit card. works good ck it out mike
> > y
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Bob Rice" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > To: <[email protected]>
> > Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2006 1:41 AM
> > Subject: Re: Parts for VW Rabbits
> >
> >
> >> Hi Bill and other Rabbitiers;
> >>
> >> Parts? forgetabout it, I stopped off at a few junkyards coming back
> > from
> >> DC looking for Tail lite assemblies, like the wide ones for the 82's and
> > up.
> >> You would think I was asking for Skoda , Trabant,or Red Flag parts!I
> >> don't
> >> think I have EVer seen a car just disapear from the roads so fast, at
> > least
> >> here in Rust-o-Matic land! I might have a few wiper arms? How to ya tell
> > if
> >> they are German? Same for door handles, but I think all the Wabbits I
> >> have
> >> junked are the Wastemorland PA built ones.
> >>
> >> This sounds like a Left Coast thing?Phoenix, where it rarely
> > rains?Along
> >> the same thread, anybody got any clean, left side, drivers' , tailites
> >> assembly?For an 82 Bunny?
> >>
> >> Seeya
> >>
> >> Bob
> >> ----- Original Message -----
> >> From: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> >> To: <[email protected]>
> >> Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2006 12:53 AM
> >> Subject: Parts for VW Rabbits
> >>
> >>
> >> > Does anyone have a favorite place to get parts for VW Rabbits?
> >> >
> >> > I need a genuine German door handle, wiper arms (not just blades) and
> >> > trim clips for my 85 Cabriolet (The Wabbit.) The places I used to get
> >> > parts are no longer selling water-cooled VW parts.
> >> >
> >> > Thanks in advance,
> >> >
> >> > Bill Dube
> >> >
> >
>
>
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
I hate to burst the bubble of this exciting topic but unless D.O.T. approved
you will not be able to use any of these ideas. If caught you could loose your
registration if not your license. When HID first came out in Europe it was not
approve for U.S.. And all the European Autos had to have headlight changed
before they could be driven in the U.S.. So please do not change your
headlights with experiemental one's you created. I am talking licenced Road
Driven EV's of the Highway variety. NEV, Peddle Powered bike are not included.
LED Taillight and Turn signals are presently available in D.O.T. approved form
so creating your own is not at issue. Only the /Headlights.
mike golub <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Has there been any improvements in
"pulsing" the LEDs?
You could run a higher voltage through them as well?
Also what about florescent bulbs? Any way to use them
as headlights?
--- Danny Miller wrote:
> To rehash a previous discussion:
> 1. LEDs are only much more efficient than halogens
> in small devices,
> because halogen (or any incandescent) efficiency
> does not scale to small
> devices. For 55w halogen headlights, we're talking
> 700-1300 lumens for
> low beam and the 55w high beam is like 1200-1820.
> For example, the Cree part mentioned from
> AllElectronics (their price is
> actually a ripoff IIRC) is 60 lumens @ 1.19W. So
> we'd need 36W against
> the higher end 55W halogen bulb.
> 2. To run a maximum power, LEDs need a very big
> heatsink. Now as
> things go 36W is not an enormous heatsink for a
> transistor, but a
> transistor can tolerate far more heat. An LED
> cannot be allowed to get
> nearly as hot. Heat slowly (or quickly) degrades
> the emitter's
> performance. And the warmer it is the less
> efficienct it operates in
> the immediate. So the sink needs to keep the device
> very cool at high
> rates of heat transfer which means an enormous sink.
> For example, the rated 60 lumen output is when the
> junction is at 25C.
> This isn't going to happen under power unless you're
> in the arctic. The
> device itself will drop 20C between junction and tab
> under 1.19W load.
> If the heatsink cools the device case to 175F- which
> is a pretty
> reasonable situation- the device loses about 12% of
> its output from
> 25C. Our required device number and wattage to get
> 1820 lumens then
> goes up to 41W, 35 devices.
> 3. The Cree device, like many high power devices,
> emits over a wide
> area, 100 deg in this case. Now we have a problem
> because this is
> completely unacceptable for headlights. We can't
> point them backwards
> and hit a reflector like most headlights because the
> size of the device
> array on its heatsink obscures too much of the
> reflection. A lens would
> have to be huge since the device array's going to be
> like 2"x2" if you
> really packed it in (which might be impossible for
> thermal reasons).
> The practical approach might be an array of 35
> emitters, each with its
> own plastic lens, per side. A lot of the LED mfgs
> make plastic lenses
> for their devices. Aiming 70 devices is also a
> trick here.
>
> So this is astronomically expensive when you factor
> in the heatsinks,
> and basically the same power is required (we haven't
> figured in the
> driving electronics yet). But all is not lost.
> There is a HUGE "wow"
> factor here. Since many have a goal of promoting
> EVs, rather than
> simply saying "I want to save money for myself,
> remove my share of
> hydrocarbon emissions, and that's the bottom line",
> this is quite a
> valuable aspect.
>
> I can make very efficient, very effective current
> regulated step-down
> drivers for any LED btw.
>
> Danny
>
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>
> ><<< I was also wondering if anyone is making
> headlamps with those high power
> >Luxeon Star K2 5 watt LED's? Seen some bicyclers
> with some pretty blinding
> >headlamps.
>
>http://www.luxeonstar.com/item.php?id=1811&link_str=330&partno=LXK2-PW14-U00
> >>>
> >
> >I was *just* looking into these! How about this one
> -- less than half the total
> >output, but higher efficiency (I like how this site
> even posts end-users'
> >reviews of the products) at $11.50 a piece:
>
>http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/item/LED-110/340500/
> - at the lower level
> >of 0.35A, this one gives 60 lumens vs luxor's 130
> from 1.5A. How many lumens to
> >equal an "average" headlight (semi-halogen, not
> HID)?
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
__________________________________________________
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--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
I've done extrememly well with eBay. Lot's of German parts on there. New and
used. Just the usual
cautions, caveat emptor and all that stuff.
Dave Cover
PS I've also gotten a number of parts for my EV project.
--- "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Does anyone have a favorite place to get parts for VW Rabbits?
>
> I need a genuine German door handle, wiper arms (not just blades) and
> trim clips for my 85 Cabriolet (The Wabbit.) The places I used to get
> parts are no longer selling water-cooled VW parts.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Bill Dube
>
>
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Ok, I have a problem. I am putting 250 of the flodded BB600 NiCD cells
into the truck and I need a way to do an initial charge of them. I don't
have to get them to 375 volts, but it would be nice. I do need to get
them to just enough to get them to about 325-350 volts so the Dolphin
can see them and take it from there. Or I could march up to 375 volts.
Is it possible to build a 240 volt based "really bad boy" charger with
some form of basic current limiting? Like a rectifier with a pair of
light bulbs in series with the output?
This is *not* going to be anything more than a one-shot to comission
charge these batteries. But I need a good sized current (10a or so
@300). I could charge the batteries in smaller batches, but the best way
it seems is to comission them in one big shot.
As bad-boys are really not safe, manual safety protocols will include
not being near the truck while this is plugged in, and not letting
anyone near said truck while this is plugged in (I will have a bat and a
book to keep people away).
Thoughts?
Chris
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Hello to All,
Christopher Zach wrote:
Ok, I have a problem. I am putting 250 of the flodded BB600 NiCD cells
into the truck and I need a way to do an initial charge of them. I
don't have to get them to 375 volts, but it would be nice. I do need
to get them to just enough to get them to about 325-350 volts so the
Dolphin can see them and take it from there. Or I could march up to
375 volts.
Is it possible to build a 240 volt based "really bad boy" charger with
some form of basic current limiting? Like a rectifier with a pair of
light bulbs in series with the output?
Yes, very doable. A standard Bad Boy can take a 144V pack up to around
177 volts, fully charged, so a 240V Bad-ass Boy should get your pack up
to 352 volts or so depending on your area's line voltage. Using series
limiting lights and or heater elements, is a very good idea :-)
This is *not* going to be anything more than a one-shot to comission
charge these batteries. But I need a good sized current (10a or so
@300). I could charge the batteries in smaller batches, but the best
way it seems is to comission them in one big shot.
If the series resistor is a 240V rated heater element, you should be
able to deliver 10-20 amps, depending on the wattage rating of the
elements. Two 1600-1800 watt 120vac hair dryers wired in series should
do the trick. You can get el cheapos at K Mart for $9.95 on sale sometimes.
As bad-boys are really not safe, manual safety protocols will include
not being near the truck while this is plugged in, and not letting
anyone near said truck while this is plugged in (I will have a bat and
a book to keep people away).
Good idea!
See Ya.......John Wayland
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
I would utilize the three bolts that hold the tops of the struts in
place if I were attaching there. That's the standard way to attach a
"strut tower brace" and should work well for supporting part of a
battery rack/box as well.
On the lower crossmember, I would probably weld. It is a closed
rectangular tube, so bolting through it will just tend to crush the
tube. This crossmember is thicker material than most of the unibody so
there's more material to weld to. Do use some sort of plate or bar to
spread the load out over as large an area as possible, rather than just
butt welding the end of a piece of angle to the crossmember. When I
attached tow bar tabs to this crossmember on a Metro, I first welded an
approx. 2" x 4" x 3/16" piece of flat bar flat against the crossmember,
then welded the tabs to this thicker flat bar.
cheers,
Andrew
------------------------------------------
mike golub wrote:
weld or bolt?
--- Andrew Letton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
There are no bumper shocks on a '93 Metro. Shock
absorption is by
styrofoam "crush zones" in the bumper covers, as in
many (most?) modern
cars.
Attaching to the tops of the strut towers would be
good on a Metro, as
the car has McPherson struts and essentially the
whole front end of the
car is supported by the tops of the strut towers.
Another stout place to attach things in a
Metro/Swift is the crossmember
that runs laterally under the radiator.
HTH...cheers,
Andrew (Suzuki nut)
Chuck Hursch wrote:
Can you attach to the bumper shock bolts, as is
done on the
VoltsRabbit?
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Dennis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, March 20, 2006 10:00 AM
Subject: Angle Iron to Chassis
I'm converting a 1993 Geo Metro, which is a
uni-body car. To
support the
batteries under the hood, my plan is to run
lengths of angle
iron across the
engine bay, attaching to the wheel wells on each
side. When I
talk to a
welder about this today, however, he was hesitant
to weld the
angle iron to
the car. He said that there might be too much
racking, which
would cause
the car's sheet metal to tear. He says that I
should bolt the
angle iron in
place instead.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Has anyone
welded this
way, and if
so, have there been any problems?
Thanks.
Bill Dennis
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--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Hi Folks
I am about to get started on the "safety check" items for my "new" 1992
VW Jetta (low cost, low speed, low range) conversion project. (first EV car)
I will need to replace a few items to get it through the safety check,
specifically:
- upper strut support (the part, not the tower)
- tires
- CV boot
- some brake parts (rear cylinders?)
If anybody has some of these items in their "old spare parts I might use
some time but really should get rid of" pile then please let me know.
The work will likely be done by the local high school shop class.
Funny story - other items presented to me with a "BAD NEWS - this will
cost a lot" face by the mechanic/shop teacher included a head gasket
leak in the engine and a complete exhaust system that needs to be
replaced $$$. Of course I smiled and said "no problem, we will be
ripping those parts right out - won't need them at all!". I think he
forgot that this will be an electric conversion!
Other thoughts:
I am pretty new to VWs. I have all sorts of sources for Volvo parts but
haven't really "plugged in" to the VW scene yet. Any tips and/or
pointers on good parts sources would be appreciated.
Thanks
Juergen
Juergen Weichert
613-746-7685
Acclivity Solutions
www.acclivity.ca
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Bill,
I have had great luck getting Rabbit parts from a local repair
facility.
NW Foreign car parts in Olympia WA (360) 491-3352
Prices have been very reasonable & most stuff is in stock.
Pat Sweeney
EV Fiero & Grease powered Rabbit.
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Wednesday, March 22, 2006 9:54 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Parts for VW Rabbits
Does anyone have a favorite place to get parts for VW Rabbits?
I need a genuine German door handle, wiper arms (not just blades) and
trim clips for my 85 Cabriolet (The Wabbit.) The places I used to get
parts are no longer selling water-cooled VW parts.
Thanks in advance,
Bill Dube
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Hello Chris,
I built a simple SCR battery charger, that work so good, that I ran it for
30 years, before I replaced it with a PFC type.
Try to find a dry type transformer in the 5kw range that has four primary
taps of 240/480 volts in the primary. The secondary would be three or four
leads at 120/240 volts.
There is several ways to connected the input power to the transformer so you
can get 480 volts out. In my charger, I did not used the the secondary
leads at all, just the primary.
The primary leads are mark 1, 2, 3 and 4.
If you connect the leads 2 and 3 together, than 480 volts is connected to 1
and 4 while 2 and 3 are connected together, then you will get a 120/240
output in the secondary.
If you connect the leads 1 and 3 together, and 2 and 4 together, and
connected line 1 of the 240 volts to 1 & 3, and the other line 2 of the 240
volts to 2 & 4, you will still get 120/240 output in the secondary.
Now you can used this transformer as a step up, connecting 240 to the
secondary and get out 480 volt out of the primary.
I did not connect my transformer in any of these configuration, because the
secondary windings where only good for 30 amp, and I want to pull at least
50 amps. So I double up the primary windings by using No. Awg 6 square
magnet wire. I only did this on the winding No 3 to 4.
A transformer at 10 amps at 480 volts would have to be about 5kva size,
where you would not have to do any mods.
In using only the primary windings, I connected 240 volts to the primary
winding 1 and 2. Connected 2 and 3 together.
The output to the full wave bridge is from 1 and 4 of the primary, which now
480 volts.
In the full wave bridge, replace two of the diodes with SCR's.
One SCR trigger circuits consist of a simple voltage divider circuit that
consist of a 50 ohm, 100 ohm, 150 ohm variable resistors which are all 10
watts and a 10 amp diode all in series between the transformer lines 1 and
4.
If one SCR is connected to line 1, than the 50 ohm resistor is connected to
line 1 and then tapped off between the 50 ohm and 100 ohm resistors and
connect this tap to the gate of the SCR.
You than repeat this circuit again with a second voltage divider for the 2nd
SCR which is connected to line 4 of the transformer. Again if SCR 2 is
connected to line 4, than a 50 ohm resistor is connected to line 4 and the
tap off between the 50 and 100 ohm resistor is connected to the gate of SCR
2.
You will two variable resistors or pots that could work separated or be gang
together. You can control the current increase from 0 to full ampere.
If you do not used the SCR's in the bridge, you should use a reactor coil
between the DC plus out of the bridge and the batteries. All this will
consist of is wrapping about 400 feet of No. 10 square magnet wire around a
piece of soft steel square bar that is 2 inches square and 6 inches. This
will decrease the surge of the current when you first turn on the charge.
The ampere level is only control by the level of AC input voltage.
I find it was best to used a SCR bridge circuit.
Roland
----- Original Message -----
From: "Christopher Zach" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2006 8:25 AM
Subject: Looking to build a badder-boy charger
> Ok, I have a problem. I am putting 250 of the flodded BB600 NiCD cells
> into the truck and I need a way to do an initial charge of them. I don't
> have to get them to 375 volts, but it would be nice. I do need to get
> them to just enough to get them to about 325-350 volts so the Dolphin
> can see them and take it from there. Or I could march up to 375 volts.
>
> Is it possible to build a 240 volt based "really bad boy" charger with
> some form of basic current limiting? Like a rectifier with a pair of
> light bulbs in series with the output?
>
> This is *not* going to be anything more than a one-shot to comission
> charge these batteries. But I need a good sized current (10a or so
> @300). I could charge the batteries in smaller batches, but the best way
> it seems is to comission them in one big shot.
>
> As bad-boys are really not safe, manual safety protocols will include
> not being near the truck while this is plugged in, and not letting
> anyone near said truck while this is plugged in (I will have a bat and a
> book to keep people away).
>
> Thoughts?
>
> Chris
>
>
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Have you considered just wiring them up in strings of 10 and then just
using a standard 12V charger on them?
Aside from the fact that this should be safer (though slower) you could
also monitor individual cells during charge to insure they don't get
overcharged.
> Ok, I have a problem. I am putting 250 of the flodded BB600 NiCD cells
> into the truck and I need a way to do an initial charge of them. I don't
> have to get them to 375 volts, but it would be nice. I do need to get
> them to just enough to get them to about 325-350 volts so the Dolphin
> can see them and take it from there. Or I could march up to 375 volts.
>
> Is it possible to build a 240 volt based "really bad boy" charger with
> some form of basic current limiting? Like a rectifier with a pair of
> light bulbs in series with the output?
>
> This is *not* going to be anything more than a one-shot to comission
> charge these batteries. But I need a good sized current (10a or so
> @300). I could charge the batteries in smaller batches, but the best way
> it seems is to comission them in one big shot.
>
> As bad-boys are really not safe, manual safety protocols will include
> not being near the truck while this is plugged in, and not letting
> anyone near said truck while this is plugged in (I will have a bat and a
> book to keep people away).
>
> Thoughts?
>
> Chris
>
>
--
If you send email to me, or the EVDL, that has > 4 lines of legalistic
junk at the end; then you are specifically authorizing me to do whatever I
wish with the message. By posting the message you agree that your long
legalistic signature is void.
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Hmmm, looking at this more, it looks like this would work well.
Eric Poulsen wrote:
Lee Hart wrote:
Use a precision voltage-to-frequency converter chip, like the LM331 or
AD537. It converts the voltage across your shunt to frequency. This
frequency drives the crystal input of the divider chip in the clock
(it's normally a 32 KHz crystal). Pick your V-to-F chip's resistor and
capacitor for the desired countdown rate and you have it!
Wouldn't the input offset to these devices (3-10mV) be much too high
for a "normal" EV shunt?
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--- Begin Message ---
I have several PM drive motors from Wheelhorse/GE garden tractors that I
have taken apart after one failed.
Inside each one there is some sort of centrifugal switch with little
'knobs' on a disk (counter weights??) that seem to like to fall off. If
the motor is then run, the loose parts kick around and destroy
everything else inside. Pictures of 4 motors in different stages of life
and death are here:
http://www.coate.org/jim/lists/drive_motors.html
My questions to the motor experts:
- For the first two motors that are still intact, should I worry about
the 'knobs' breaking off soon if put back in service? Is there some way
to reinforce them?
- Are centrifugal switches a common thing in motors? As in can I find
replacement parts somewhere for the 3rd motor, and maybe the first two
as preventative care?
- What exactly is the purpose of the switch? Is the concern that the
drive train might get jammed somehow, which stalls out the motor and it
burns up? If so, would it work to remove the centrifugal switch from the
motor and reassemble and then either run completely without and tell the
driver to be "careful" or (better) add some sort of external fault
detection circuit? I don't recall ever seeing centrifugal switches on
on-road EVs so I wonder how big the problem is that it is trying to solve.
- Is there any hope for the 4th motor with all the dents and groves in
the armature, or is it toast?
TIA.
--
Jim Coate
1970's Elec-Trak's
1997 Solectria Force
1998 Chevy S-10 NiMH BEV
1997 Chevy S-10 NGV Bi-Fuel
http://www.eeevee.com
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--- Begin Message ---
Christopher Zach wrote:
> Ok, I have a problem. I am putting 250 of the flodded BB600 NiCD cells
> into the truck and I need a way to do an initial charge of them. I don't
> have to get them to 375 volts, but it would be nice. I do need to get
> them to... about 325-350 volts so the Dolphin can see them and take it
> from there... Is it possible to build a 240 volt based "really bad boy"
> charger with some form of basic current limiting? Like a rectifier with
> a pair of light bulbs in series with the output?
The classic "bad boy" would be a bridge rectifier on the 240vac line,
with enough cords, connectors, and whatever to limit the peak current to
something that won't blow a circuit breaker. It would get you up to
240vac x 1.4 = 336vdc (at zero current).
But if these nicads are dead now (essentially zero volts), connecting a
bad-boy would probably blow the bridge rectifier immediately. You could
put many light bulbs in parallel to limit the current to the 10 amps you
want, and start at 120vac. But 120v at 10a is 1200 watts worth of light
bulbs (twenty 60w bulbs in parallel).
I'd probably get a big variac, and use it to drive the bridge. Monitor
the charging current, and slowly turn up the variac to keep the current
at 10 amps (or whatever the variac can handle). It only needs to be a
120vac variac; start with 120vac in and it controls from 0-140vac
(0-196vdc). When this has "maxed out", reconnect the bridge between the
variac output and the opposite phase of a 240vac receptacle. This adds
120vac to the variac's output, so its 0-140vac gives you 120-260vac
(168-364vdc).
This gets you essentially where you want to go, and the
variac-rectifier-ammeter charger is a generally useful tool for other
uses.
Be aware that this is a "rude and crude" way to do it! No isolation, no
overheating protection, and nothing but your household breakers for
overcurrent protection!
--
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget the perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in -- Leonard Cohen
--
Lee A. Hart, 814 8th Ave N, Sartell MN 56377, leeahart_at_earthlink.net
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Hi John,
I will somehow post the graph of my charger's CC/CV curve. I recorded
it one day to see what it looked like. Maybe you will see some magic
bullet in the numbers. But I don't see it. Other than maybe the fact
that the ah's are way too small. The other odd thing is you won't find
a USE truck with very many miles on it. So I think the problem is
universal. With such a small volume of amps flowing back and forth I
don't see why the water loss is so high.
Where can I post an Excel spread sheet?
Mike
--- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], Neon John <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> I've been using those 17ah Hawkers for years on scooter projects. I've
> found them to be bullet-proof with one exception and that is
> overcharging. You can very quickly kill one with too much voltage.
>
> You need to take a look at the charger's voltage. 1.6 amps is more
> than enough to kill a Hawker if there is sufficient voltage available
> to force that through a charged pack.
>
> Hawker is very explicit about charging voltage. If you follow their
> instructions exactly, the batteries will last a long time. I have two
> scooters using those 17ah Hawkers with over 4 years on them. I have
> several out in customers' hands.
>
> My GoBig scooter uses the 30 ah version and has over 3 years of daily
> use on them. Relatively severe duty, with >300 battery amps during
> acceleration being the norm and around 80 amps while cruising at full
> speed. This scooter has an E-meter and it shows that the pack still
> has its original capacity. I've never seen another battery that could
> come even close. Maybe the Optima, though I've not had a chance to
> use a set long-term.
>
> I killed a few Hawkers in the beginning while learning to take what
> they say about charging to heart. Once I started paying attention I
> never killed another one.
>
> John
> On Wed, 22 Mar 2006 20:44:08 -0000, "Mike Phillips"
> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> >Hi John,
> >
> >I have experience to the contrary with the 16ah Hawkers. I own just
> >over 100 of them. I inherited them with my truck. They only had 400
> >miles of driving cycles on them when I got the vehicle. After having
> >tested all of them 3 times with a 40 amp load, they have very little
> >life left after 5000 miles. The charger only puts out 6.5 amps into
> >the pack. So average would be 1.625 amps per string. Most of them were
> >severely low on water. I bought 8 new ones to compare the old ones to.
> >Most took 10ml of water per cell to come back to nominal weight. Many
> >took 20ml of water per cell to acheive nominal weight. What would
> >cause such a loss of water with such light loads and charging?
> >
> >Since there are 4 strings of 26, none of the strings are exposed to
> >much of a load. The truck is limited to 200 amps draw from the pack.
> >So 50 amps per string is not much stress for a Hawker.
> >
> >So I think to their longevity depends on the way they are used. In my
> >truck they suck. The poor guy who put them in paid $7k. There may be
> >better uses for them than EV street driving.
> >
> >Mike
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >--- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], John Wayland <ev@> wrote:
> >>
> >> Dmitri Hurik wrote:
> >>
> >> > Ok, not exactly EV, but if anybody could help that would be
cool. I
> >> > need an AGM battery for starting an ICE lawnmower that has low
> >> > self-discharge and long life. Probably around the 12-14ah range. I
> >> > looked at the Hawker Odyssey 13ah.
> >>
> >>
> >> You'd be hard-pressed to find a better quality battery.
> >>
> >> > They claim it's really tough....
> >>
> >>
> >> They are 'extremely' tough. Search the EV list archives for my many
> >> posts about 'the Amazing Hawkers', and many posts from others
reporting
> >> the same.
> >>
> >>
> >> >can sustain being left at 0% charge for weeks/months and still
> >recover
> >> ....
> >>
> >>
> >> Hmmm...that's a tall claim. I 'have' had this exact battery taken
down
> >> to zero volts and left there for three months, and upon a
recharge, it
> >> came back without any cell reversals. Now, did it still have the
same
> >> capacity? I doubt it. You can't get away from permanent sulfation.
> >> In general, it's never good for any lead acid battery to do this.
> >>
> >>
> >> >and sit for years...
> >>
> >>
> >> This is absolutely true with Hawkers. I have quite a few 8 year old
> >> Hawker 16 ahr versions that have been sitting for long lengths of
time
> >> that still work well. Again though, there is going to be some
permanent
> >> sulfation that will occur if you let a battery sit so long unused
and
> >> uncharged, so they really can't sit for years and power-up to 100%
> >capacity.
> >>
> >>
> >> > ....but for $80+ seems like a bit much for just a 13ah battery.
> >>
> >>
> >> Not when that same battery can deliver 500+ amps repeatedly
without any
> >> noticeable degradation of the battery! 28 of the slightly larger
16ahr
> >> version of this battery powered my race car at 750 amps for 13
seconds
> >> to a world record back in 2000. Hawker toughness and long life are
> >> legendary on this EVDL. The internal inter-cell straps are very
robust
> >> and can sustain high currents without melting. Small Hawker
batteries
> >> can deliver HUGE currents and are worlds away from ordinary
> >batteries of
> >> the same size and weight. All of these traits may not be
applicable for
> >> you though, for merely starting a lawnmower.
> >>
> >> > Speaking of Hawker, what are people's general opinion on Hawker
> >> > batteries?
> >>
> >>
> >> See my web page about White Zombie, for how I feel about Hawker
> >batteries:
> >>
> >> http://www.plasmaboyracing.com
> >>
> >> See Ya......John Wayland
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> ---
> John De Armond
> See my website for my current email address
> http://www.johngsbbq.com
> Cleveland, Occupied TN
> A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.-Ralph Waldo
Emerson
>
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--- Begin Message ---
Wind is definitely cheaper, if you live somewhere very windy.
Most turbines require winds of about 12 mph before they start producing
any useful power.
You need to measure the wind at your proposed site to determine whether or
not you get enough wind.
If your average windspeed isn't high enough, often enough, then you should
probably go solar.
>
> Hello Everybody:
>
> While competition is usually a good thing, deregulation of the electric
> energy markets has managed to achieve quite the opposite of what it was
> supposed to do. Anyway, with rates approaching 18c, we are now considering
> producing our own electricity. In this regard, it might be a blessing in
> disguise as higher rates will push a lot more people to conservation
> and/or alternative energy production.
>
> Question is: Solar or Wind? Both has advantages though it seems to me, a
> wind system might produce more bang for the buck. I know, a combination
> system (wind and solar) might be the ultimate, but hey, our money printing
> machine is currently broken ;)
>
> We have room enough for either system, a 120ft tower with a 10 Kw turbine
> or roof space for a medium size solar array. Zoning or permits wouldn't be
> a problem for us. The Solarmap shows we're living right on the edge of
> dark orange und light orange, wind map 3.
>
> The Federal Government would even pay for 25% of the installation (2002
> Farm Bill Initiative), though unbelievable amounts of paperwork :(
>
> Maybe you guys have some ideas to share that would give me additional
> information.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Michaela
>
>
--
If you send email to me, or the EVDL, that has > 4 lines of legalistic
junk at the end; then you are specifically authorizing me to do whatever I
wish with the message. By posting the message you agree that your long
legalistic signature is void.
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Lee Hart wrote:
>> Use a precision voltage-to-frequency converter chip, like the LM331
>> or AD537. It converts the voltage across your shunt to frequency.
>> This frequency drives the crystal input of the divider chip in the
>> clock (it's normally a 32 KHz crystal). Pick your V-to-F chip's
>> resistor and capacitor for the desired countdown rate and you have
>> it!
Eric Poulsen wrote:
> Hmmm, looking at this more, it looks like this would work well.
As long as you don't mind it counting only in one direction; these
"stepper" clock motors aren't reversible, and you can't have negative
frequency.
For instance, you could set the hands to 12:00 when fully charged, and
use it to count up the amphours extracted as you drive. Experience would
tell you that your pack was "dead" when the hands reach (say) 6:00.
--
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget the perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in -- Leonard Cohen
--
Lee A. Hart, 814 8th Ave N, Sartell MN 56377, leeahart_at_earthlink.net
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
The Rudman Regulators that I repaired for Lawrence inspired me to copy
the design, but using surface mount parts and also making it fit into
the small recess surrounding the negative terminal of the 16ah Hawker.
The PCB is about 60% smaller than the original at 35 mm x 40mm. The
regulators were only installed over the last couple hundred miles of
use. So they have not been in too long. They bypass anywhere from .6
to 3 amps depending on the resistor that have attached.
The motivation was also fueled by the fact that when I checked the
lower string of 18 batterys the voltage would often be 15+v per batt,
while the upper row of 8 in the same string would be at 13.5v. A few
times I saw a difference of 3.5 volts from the highest battery in the
pack to the lowest. The regulators have cured that. At least the ones
installed. There are still 54 that need to be built and installed. But
since the pack is almost gone I may not waste the time.
Heat rises, but in my packs case, the lower rows of batterys are so
insulated from the top rows with a 1/4" plastic sheet, and the way the
box is constructed, that they run at higher voltages due to being warmer.
Mike
> > Currently there are 50 bypass reg's installed.
>
> What sort of regs? PowerCheq? These shuttle only small amounts of
> charge around, and I don't believe they can keep up if a string is being
> finished at 1A or more. They may eventually bring the resting voltages
> into line without doing anything to protect the batteries against
> excessive gassing and venting during charge.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Roger.
>
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