• Project:Bike|Batteries

    Neal • 05/08/2016 at 01:34 • 0 comments

    UPDATE: 05/30/2016- I'll have to scrap the 18650 battery pack idea. The best way to build battery packs is to find a battery supplier in which you can customize packaging and chemistry of the cells. This is too specific for my DIY system and I'm getting lost in the details. Building a battery pack has taken more time and energy (get it?) than converting the motorcycle. I'm stepping back from the custom pack idea and designing the rest of the system to be more versatile and battery agnostic.

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  • Project:Bike|Backlog, backlog, backlog

    Neal • 05/02/2016 at 19:34 • 0 comments

    Bright and Sunny

    ...was not the weather forecast today.

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  • Project:Bike|Hardware updates

    Neal • 05/02/2016 at 16:41 • 0 comments

    Update

    Current development work has begun on the EVBox and the code is progressing along. It has been cold and raining all week so code developement indoors was the best move. The electric motorcycle still needs the following items complete:

    • Construct upper battery cage
    • insulate battery terminals
    • Battery cablling
    • Circuit protection (no fuses are installed anywhere, yikes!)
    • Install DisplayBox mounts

    DangerZone

    I have accidentally shorted the battery terminals twice now. The second time if boiled the solder in the 2AWG copper lug and sprayed it. This was only 24v and it was highly dangerous so circuit protection and insulation is my FIRST priority.

    Battery Upgrade

    There is a chance I am in the market to upgrade to Lithium chemistry for my battery pack. Not to count my eggs before they hatch, I'll just say that Nissan Leaf cells or a custom Tesla 18650 battery pack is currently in the works.

    Next Action?

    Next, there are three things to be tackled this week:

    • Update bike wiring
    • Update battery vendors for chemistry upgrade
    • Complete TestBox
    • Complete DashBox