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Post by carlnelson on May 20, 2012 0:10:15 GMT -3
I certainly hope so!! lol Germany sounds fun!! Deutsch lernte ich in der high school!!! :-)
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Post by vmrod on May 23, 2012 17:18:22 GMT -3
Waiting on the Hairball/Zilla. Should be in on Friday.
I may be able to go around the block before I leave. My bigger concern is how I can preserve my lifepo4 cells for 6 months. I seem to get a low-cell voltage alarm on the pack, if it gets left alone for a few weeks. Hopefully, I won't lose any cells. When I return, a BMS is the highest priority!
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Post by carlnelson on May 24, 2012 19:12:03 GMT -3
Could you just put it on a timer to charge once a day for a bit?
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Post by vmrod on May 28, 2012 23:23:22 GMT -3
The timer idea sounds good, but the cell balancers really don't work well. It wouldn't take long for an unattended cell to overcharge. On the plus side, I got the Zilla back and it works great! The Opel has taken me around the neighborhood 3 times so far. Nice. Another good thing, the Redpark cable and 'get console' app works great. I can use my iPhone or iPad to program the Zilla. Won't need that old micro computer anymore. Attached is a pic of the action. I've achieved as much as I can with the car for now. I'm leaving for my long vacation in 2 days, so it's doubtful I drive it anymore (at least till mid December). I'll keep ya posted. Attachments:
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Post by vmrod on May 30, 2012 10:44:47 GMT -3
The cells were topped off and I went for a nice ride. I probably went 3 miles and was able to take the Opel out on a highway.
I got up to 55mph (maybe 60). With a proper battery pack, higher speeds will be easy to reach. (70?) The acceleration was good, the speedometer is working again, as well as the tach. The tranny sounds loud at low speeds (go figure no engine noise to drown it out). At medium to higher speeds it is unnoticeable, since there is wind and tire noise. Nice ride!!!
When I returned, my packs were complaining of low-cell voltage, even though only 25% of my capacity was actually used. No doubt, without a BMS, these cells cannot keep up with each other.
As I left to run final errands today, the packs were indicating low cell voltage (even though they were charged last night). I'm guessing some cells are shot. Oh well. A new lifepo4 pack will be purchased when I return.
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Post by carlnelson on Jun 15, 2012 17:52:48 GMT -3
Man, Sounds great, tho ya gotta get on that batt management syst... these things are not cheap!! lol
Have a wonderful Vacation, nice summer! TTYL!
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Post by vmrod on Jan 8, 2013 13:41:54 GMT -3
Good news! Our German vacationis coming closer to an end. It was supposed to last until mid December, but we extended it until April 2013. I loved being off of work, but I have dearly missed my electric car hobby. The pln is to order a new and complete battery pack, BMS, charger, and DC-DC convertor. Once these get installed, the car should be a dependable, daily driver. Nice! Once the Opel is driving daily, then the XR3 body can get started...again!
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Post by carlnelson on Jan 16, 2013 13:53:50 GMT -3
Hey Vmrod, Good to hear you are comming back! I admit to also being envious of a year off in Germany, and so is my wife!!! But it will be nice to see that Opel running! I am close to purchasing a S10 truck that was converted to electric in the 1990's, it is currently lead acid, but have plans to convert it to Lifepo. Also been reading about running without a BMS, Robert over at EVTV has some interesting youtube videos on that subject! Enjoy your remaining time in Germany!!!
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Post by vmrod on Jan 16, 2013 16:02:26 GMT -3
If you are running prismatic cells (Calib or Sinopoly) then I see the point. You could check the voltages on all the cells periodically until you gain trust in them.
I used cylinder type cells before. The "balancing" system did not work as I was led to believe, which led to some cells failing. This was not a full-fledged BMS, but was supposed to keep the cells balanced during charging. (didn't) It was way too much trouble to individually charge 112 cells, then see them go out of balance with a single use.
An Elithium Lite BMS is 1k or less. Think of it as a good insurance policy. I purchased one a few days ago. It will be used in the Opel for sure. I also plan to install a wiring harness so that each cell can be remotely tested (and more importantly) adjusted independantly if needed (such as extra charging). The Lithiumate Lite BMS is supposed to be able to display all the cell voltages on a PC. I plan to review them from time to time until I gain trust in the system.
In the end, I don't want to worry about batteries anymore. I'm sick of that. I just want to monitor a fuel gauge, that's it.
Although I already drove my Opel on electric power, I will be yanking out most of the wiring and redoing it. It will be a little simpler, as I will have a DC to DC convertor that can handle a HV traction pack. (I had some complex circuits to isolate my Iota when traction pack voltage went over 190V)
I also ordered a Manzanita Micro charger (30amp). It is great, because you can adjust the output voltage to whatever you want. (So you can change the size of your traction pack without buying another charger.) You can also regulate the amount of current it draws, so that you can charge from a regular 120V 20amp receptacle, or plug into a 240V 40 amp outlet.
I am so excited and can't wait to start (again)!!!
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Post by vmrod on Mar 30, 2013 23:55:26 GMT -3
I am back in the USA and have already started on the Opel again.
The first task was to rebuild the circus tent again. This time, I used a very heavy duty canvas tarp for the roof. I doubt that I will have problems with branches tearing it again.
I yanked out the test battery pack, charger, and 12V aux. battery. These will all be replaced and those items relocated.
With any luck, I'll start removing the unneeded 12V control wiring very soon, as well as the 1/0 power cable that the test pack used.
I also need to firm up exactly where I want to put the new Calb batteries. The idea will be to hide 40 batts in the rear of the car, and place the remaining 20 in the front. Need to leave room for a potential A/C system.
If I wanted, I could jam all of the batts in the rear compartment, but that would mean no spare tire, and also the rear end would be much heaview than the front. I want to keep the vehicle balanced as much as possible.
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Post by carlnelson on Apr 8, 2013 15:54:16 GMT -3
Hey Vmrod,
Glad to have you back, long time no cool build!!! lol Glad you had a great time in Germany! I am close to starting some sort of electric build... should be finished with my home remodle by the end of this month, then I can focus on that, which will be great as I'm spending $1500 a month on gasoline.... comuting.... grrr! Im going to do a similar build as you in the since of using a good condition existing car, such as the Fiero I already own... or my Karmann Ghia... once again welcome back!
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Post by vmrod on May 20, 2013 8:26:09 GMT -3
After much non-posting, and little EV work, I finally made some notable progress. The front battery box has been completed and installed! 16 Calb-100aH cells are in there. It was a tight fit, and seemed to be made just for the cells. (side to side spacing was the limiting factor) I had to pretty much build it in place, as the space was so tight. I'll start on the largest battery box next. It will be a little easier than the front box, as most can be welded together prior to installation. Maybe I can start measuring (again) and maybe even preparing materials during the week. Would be nice to see progress after the weekend.
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Post by sawdust on May 20, 2013 21:20:18 GMT -3
Are you still working on the Opel? I have a 71 GT w/manual trans and thinking about going EV. Just wondering if you have any documents that show what is needed and list of suppliers.
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Post by vmrod on May 28, 2013 23:09:30 GMT -3
I don't have much written down, except what is on this site.
I'll be happy to share as much info as I have.
I'd recomend a 9" motor if going DC, and a beefy controller. It really depends on your budget.
Very rough pricing;
Motor: 1800 Controller: 2000+ Charger: 600+ adapter plate and coupler: 800+ Lifepo4 batteries: 6.5k+ BMS: 1k Dc convertor: 200+ cables, contactors,fuses, metal....etc.: 600+ Instruments: 300+
I spent more on some items, but this will get you in the ballpark. If you are an ev scavenger, then you can do it for less, of course.
If it looks doable, then ditch the engine, and clean out the engine bay. Next remove the rear decking and get rid of the gas tank. You could go the easy route and leave it in, but you will have lots of time. Believe me.
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Post by vmrod on May 29, 2013 8:12:07 GMT -3
This past weekend, I was able to get the lower frame of the rear battery box completed. Seems like no matter how much I measured, I still got it wrong. Fortunately it's pretty easy to weld up a little extra piece of metal here or there. The next step will require final grinding of the hole cutout on the car, and a little "adjusting" of the rear frame rails. I need between 1/16" and 1/8" more room. Looks like only the rear-most area of the frame rails need that special attention. It will probably take an hour of so to tackle that.
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