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Post by vmrod on Oct 13, 2008 8:31:57 GMT -3
Just cuz it's been quite here, does not mean that I am not busy. I've been getting ready for our local Rennaissance Festival, and I am in a club that does hand-to-hand fighting. I work on the weekends there from Nov.1st thru Dec. 7th. After a short break, I will resume my work on the XR3. We've been working on a tower, and need it completed by November 1st. (Note the tower is not leaning, but the photographer was.)  www.theordo.com |
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Post by vmrod on Dec 9, 2008 21:10:54 GMT -3
Well the RenFest season is over! ;D Had a great time and picked-up a few new members, I think.
I'll be quiet for just a couple weeks longer, then start back up on my XR3. The Cafe Electric Controller should be here within 3 months anyway.
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Post by vmrod on Jun 8, 2009 14:22:37 GMT -3
For those that are checking in on me, no I didn't die, and I didn't work on the RA this weekend either. (only 1 hour of work on it) I ended up working on armour, playing with a PS2 Rockband Drum set, doing some medieval fighting, then finishing the weekend with some fried frog legs. I did pickup the bolts I need to mount to RA, though. (wanna reweld a couple places, clean/grind, then paint it first)  |
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Post by vmrod on Jun 30, 2009 8:27:33 GMT -3
How terrible! I'm still around, just not doing much on the XR3.
I had every intention to start on the air-tank structure yesterday, but the oven-like temperature outside made me stay in the cool indoors.
Anyway..just a short post.
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Post by vmrod on Jul 8, 2009 8:33:20 GMT -3
Another short update. Friday has been set aside to cut that metal for the airtank. I had strained my back recently, but it's getting better.
I really wanted to get on with the vehicle, but time has been short. Anyway....a couple more days...
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Post by vmrod on Dec 8, 2009 9:53:34 GMT -3
...just to let everyone know that I have not died in combat, nor given up on the car project.
There is 1 more weekend of the local Rennaissance festival going on, and I do a little fighting there. The final weekend is our feast/campout, so I'm pretty jazzed about that.
I figured that the XR3 progress will be slow for the next couple weeks, but will pickup again early next year. If I get some time, I'll order some waterjet cut parts from Marzee for the steering system.
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Post by vmrod on Sept 14, 2010 7:08:26 GMT -3
If you were wondering why things are so quiet here, fret not.
I've been driving Xso around the neighborhood, usually every other day or so. It has racked up close to 40 EV miles so far, and I've learned so much how the batteries function.
In the next few days, the ecsotec website will open a little EV store. Nothing too fancy, but just a few basic but important items that I feel are pretty good components. A lot of the store is complete, it's just not live yet.
I played with the batteries enough to feel confident in ordering the rest of what I need, plus some extra. They are truly expensive, but are cheaper than a new lead-acid pack every year for 10 years. Plus you get the weight savings and the high discharge rate.
The Voltage Management System on the cells is delicate at times, but not too bad. It is the weak link on the battery and it would be nice to have high and low voltage contacts based upon the highest or lowest cell voltage.
Currently, I charge my battery pack up and note my emeter tick the Ah backwards. Once it get below 2Ah, I start waiting for the battery to beep, letting me know it has enough charge. Would be nice if I could leave it unattended.
Undervoltage is fatal for a cell. What I do now is watch the total amps used on the emeter. I do not expend more than 12Ah between charges. Every 2 or 3 charges, I check the individual cell voltages for abnormalities. So far, this is working out well and builds faith in the system.
Once the other 3 sets are in the car, I'll perform a few more performance tests, then start on the body. The goal will be to start on the body in January or sooner.
A tree was just cut down in my backyard to make way for a body-construction-garage. I hope to get this done before year's end.
As a final note, I'm looking into converting my 1996 Celica into an EV. Just about got that all figured out. The power steering issue is the only hurdle left. If I can handle this conversion, then I'll do them for the public.
Well, I need to run to the ole day job, while I still have stuff to do. It's getting slow again, so I might be at the house again in mid-November, building EVs.
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Post by vmrod on Oct 25, 2010 7:26:52 GMT -3
Had a very busy weekend and was not able to do any car work.
I'm still waiting for the batteries to ship, which should happen in the next couple days.
The last round of testing will not take very long, and might be completed in a couple weekends.
I'm a little disappointed that the tranny has some issues with it, but feel good that it was not from me. Nevertheless, it will still need to be repaired.
It still looks like January is the body start date. Unfortunately, I haven't put down the metal building yet, but that task should go quickly. That will get started after testing.
Although I'm busy, it's nice not feeling like you HAVE to do something. This means that I've been working too much on my car. I think I will not build 5 more chassis as planned. The endeavor is tough, and time consuming. The next thing will be to complete the XR3 project, then play with my violin some more. I've forgotten how to play even those easy childrens' songs.
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Post by vmrod on Nov 16, 2010 8:33:16 GMT -3
Things are starting to heat up here.
After some time waiting, my second set of batteries have shipped! This means I should be able to perform more testing during Thanksgiving. I'll also make another video or 2.
After my battery testing and analysis, I'll be taking a trip to Washington state to test start a 3,000hp generator with a couple of specialized Lifetech batteries. This will be very nice to see and a great replacement for lead-acid batteries!
I'm turning into the USA Lifetech representative. I'll be doing some demos and (if ever needed) performing repairs.
Well back to work!
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Post by vmrod on Jan 11, 2011 10:03:28 GMT -3
Been in a kind of lazy mood lately. Rather than question it, I'm just gonna lay back and 'keep it real'.  On the to-do list, is to start removing all of the temporary items on the XSO, and start prepping for the body work. Since I am not in the mood to build a garage (for the fiberglass work), I can only take the XSO so far, before I have to wait on the new building. |
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Post by vmrod on Feb 24, 2011 10:32:24 GMT -3
All of the temporary stuff is gone. The chassis has been taken down to the bare bones. The steering rack, tranny and axles are still there though.
I'm afraid it will be awhile before it is up and running again.
As I await to drive in it, I have begun work on my EV conversion. I just got an Opel GT delivered to the house yesterday. I'll convert this little guy to electric and have some fun with it, while I build the XR3.
I am guessing that the conversion will take 2-3 months. Most of that time will be waiting for parts to get machined, or waiting for batteries to arrive.
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Post by vmrod on Jun 16, 2011 14:35:17 GMT -3
As anticipated, the machined parts are taking a long time to get done. Fortunately, they should be done tomorrow. Unfortunately, it is now hot as an oven outside, so I may not work much on the car. I didn't order anymore batteries either. In one of the last batteries I got, one group of cells has a higher voltage than the other cell groups. Apparently, the cells within a group balance pretty well. However, each group does not balance with each other. Despite a stated warranty on the product, I have not been offered a refund or exchange.  Because of this, I am very sceptical of purchasing an additional 10k worth of this equipment. I'm looking into a couple other BMS systems right now, as well as another possible battery. |
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Because of this, I am very sceptical of purchasing an additional 10k worth of this equipment.