Back in the Saddle: Going to California: 2011

[amberwolf]

While we know all too well that coincidental failures do happen I would guess the dead hall throttle, presumably previously on the now-dead controller, might've been killed by a regulator problem on that controller. (which could've also possibly taken out the MCU and/or anything else powered by 5V)

[Kingfish]

While we know all too well that coincidental failures do happen I would guess the dead hall throttle, presumably previously on the now-dead controller, might've been killed by a regulator problem on that controller. (which could've also possibly taken out the MCU and/or anything else powered by 5V)

I am just grateful that the other controller came back to life! The two do not share +12V or +5V; just VCC, VCC-L, and GND.

Quick Status

• Replacement 12-FET is ready to test; completely modified and ready for bear. It has been flashed for 24A Battery/60A Phase which I discovered is what my old 6FET was set to last year when I made the 101 Club and succeeding Road Trip. (The Front Hub controller is set to 18A/45A; the only caveat I have about that is if the rear controller fails - the front hub is too weak to carry the weight up the steep hill alone unless I get off).
• Battery Harness progressing; I’ve reworked existing efforts to create the forward harness which will service Saddle Bags and Triangle batteries. The Trailer Batt-Box harnesses have been split so as to reuse ½ of the pigtails for the Ortlieb bags. I just need to add extensions to the length and they will be finished.
• Magura Throttle mounted, though it needs the cable shortened (it’s like 8 feet long!). It would be nice to have a switch to cut out the Secondary controller for cruising/economy – but there’s no time left to experiment.

Tomorrow (now today) I’ll put this all back together, hook up all the batteries, charge, and make another test drive with everything loaded sans the faring; it must pass the abusive local hill climb at least twice without ANY issues. In fact I really want to run it about four times; climb 2000 feet in 24 miles; about an hour stress test. <whew>

Well – that’s all I have for tonight; pooped out.
Until tomorrow then, KF

[dnmun]

you know they even did some test flights on the shuttle before they added the rockets. you need to put miles on it over time and keep inspecting the butt weld for signs of metal fatigue. that is what i worry about with a long excursion before the burn in cycle has finished. i think rassy went through several revisions over 6-8 months on his trailer. my project has gone viral.

while keeping the plaster intact on the bedroom walls, i ripped all the windows out of the upper floors, pulled down the sheetrock in the closets off the bedrooms, in preparation for adding a layer of foamboard, and now i am rewiring the upper floors to get two separate 25A 240V circuits up there so the heaters won't overload the old single 20A circuit.

have to do that before the attic is permanently sealed with 14" of insulation blown in side to side, and every nook and cranny.

work, what is it good for anyway? man is born to suffer, work is suffering, but in the end you have changed your world, just a little. being able to run the 6 gauge cable out to the porch from the service panel is big, very close to having the neighborhood EV charging spot now too.

i expect to cut heating btus in half with the new windows and all the insulation and the real kicker is enclosing the ends of the house to stop the drafts through the framing. but of course that is the hardest. the new windows are like big view, without all the woodwork around the windows, it is all view downtown now. where there was a 30" wide 48" high DH window on the end of the dormer will now be 6 feet wide 4 1/2 foot tall slider. about 8 times the light. that helps a lot in here because of the long dark days here all winter. flooding the stairwell and downstairs.

[Kingfish]

Midnight Status:
I bark at the moon... <ARrrooooo!>

I was thinking I might leave today but then by 10 AM it became wishful thinking; too many little details to complete. Here’s what’s been done since 6:30 AM…

1. Finish Trailer cable mod; termination
2. Finish Ortlieb cable mod; extension & wye
3. Sort out Controller-side power bus connector
4. Shorten Throttle Cable
5. Shorten Rear Hub cable if possible
6. Tried configuring Speedict one more time: Got it to recognize the device on XP but wouldn't take latest firmware upgrade (might already be installed). Android couldn't connect to device. Tried both apps; no joy. Taking the unit with to resolve on the road. Maybe with a 2nd set of eyes this too shall be overcome.

It doesn’t sound like much, and that was my thinking when I got up out of bed. But these little jobs are tedious. For instance, signal wires solder quickly – actually they go pretty dang fast now as I’ve developed better technique. Battery cabling though takes time because I tie off each connection with a lineman-hitch (I forget the proper name but it was something I learned when I was in the Navy): Take two big wires, overlap them, then take a single piece of strand (I use silver-plated copper because it’s ready to wick), and then I tie the two wires together. Finish by soldering. Works well for holding large joins together. Not long ago my Uncle said “Screw that – I use Butt Splices”. That made me laugh; I am such a fool.

Once I relinquished spending another afternoon in Redmond I added more nice-to-haves tasks. The eBike bus was originally redesigned around the Speedict device; there are two sides: Battery and Charger, and the Controllers and DC-DC converter on the other with Speedict in the middle. It’s the other side that was funky and ghetto, cobbled together from past efforts. This I remanufactured and it made the whole assembly fit better. I also had to take into account how to create extensions to that bus for the Road Trip which could be reverted or removed after said adventure.

The replacement Magura Throttle had an 8-foot long cord which I reduced to a reasonable length; too many wires means clutter means probability something will catch, tear, fail.

The same was done to the rear hub as the original wire length was designed for the trailer and not the bike. With these last three items the rats nest developing post-trailer mods was greatly reduced.

Replacement Controller
Oh I wanted to share some pictures of this other controller. It’s essentially the same layout as the Lyen 12x4110 except it has older-style power regulation. I think I bought this April last year and began to modify it – boosting the traces with this mombo 10-AWG solid copper wire. I shouldn’t laugh cos the 6FET controller that I’ve been using all along up till most recently had the exact same modification – and THAT controller took me to Californy. So I hope the magic rubs off. I never got around to trace-beefing the Lyen boards cos I didn’t think they needed it for what I am trying to do, I mean come on: two 12x4110 controllers pulling two hub motors = plenty of horsepower.

• Battery and phase wires are Mil-Spec silver-plated 10-AWG.
• Halls connector is the USB-2 Micro-B Female.
• CA connector
• Programming Connector
• Slave Cable: 6-pin Molex carries signals, Blue APP = VCC-L from the key switch, and spare green wire is for future use, likely +12V from the DC-DC converter when I get around to it – but not today…
• Two big Caps are the lowest ESR rated I could find.
• It’s been flashed to provide 24A Battery and 60 Phase and drives the rear hub.

In the afternoon I began putting the bike back together. The saddle bag wiring was problematic and took a while to sort out. The bike faring and saddle bags are now good to go, although I might add another safety belt just in case. All batteries are unified onto the same bus, both controllers check out, both wheels turn: We are ready for another test drive. This time however I am going to load up the trailer as if I am going to leave – mainly cos I really want to.

The things that are left are sundry items. Will tomorrow never come?
Waiting for the Sun… KF

[deVries]

This time however I am going to load up the trailer as if I am going to leave – mainly cos I really want to.

The things that are left are sundry items. Will tomorrow never come?

Waiting for the Sun…

Good to know the foam worked to get the trailer back in the game of your adventure in leaving "again"...

...for another shakedown...

May you finally succeed to be... on the road again...

[thewmatusmoloki]

Good luck . Sounds like it'll be fun.

[dbaker]

We are pullin' for ya, KF

[Kingfish]

Monday July 25, 2011

I got up this morning thinking I am ready to leave. Started down the ticker of things that needed doing which included repacking to drop weight. About the time I was thinking that I’m ready for a test drive – it started chucking down rain; great. Decided to mount the faring on the trailer to keep it dry for the test. That took 2.5 hours. After going at it since 6:30 AM my back was starting to fatigue and at Noon I had to lay off and take a nap from all the bending over. That’s the day shot. Got up and worked through nice-to-haves and Fit & Finish.

• Remount Mirror on Right side of Magura Throttle; lubed throttle/handlebar interface w/ silicone spray
• Ortlieb Strap to keep them from drifting backwards; modified bags and am using rope x2
• Safety strap for saddle bags; also stitched rubber to bottom of webbing to inhibit slip
• Blue stuff on the axles; check - all good.
• Mount trailer faring
• Reflash Primary; both now 24/60. Decided if either motor/controller goes TU I will still have a spare capable of climbing most hills.
• Repack

There wasn’t much left to do after that – except mount trailer blinkies, but that can wait. Decided to spend quality time with my new cell phone and figure out all that I can do with it. One item that I am going to do is leave my trusty camera behind since the phone has up to 8 mpix capacity; that’s two pounds of camera that will be off the bike.

I still haven’t figured out how to get the music player to just play the whole fricken album though. I think I’ll just set it on A and have it play through to Zed and be done with it.

I think that’s about it for me; I’m beat. It rained much of the day. Calling it an early one.
Z z z… KF

ADDENDUM: Forgot to add... The secondary CA is still reporting negative watts on idle. I noted this was odd because it doesn't matter which controller it is hooked to; it just reports negative watts... like -6 or -8W. The settings between the two CAs are identical except for Voltage Sense and Wheel perimeter. Very strange.

[deVries]

I think you mentioned using one throttle to control both controllers. Do you have to use any special wiring techniques to prevent any snafus, when throttling to two controllers w/one throttle?

Also, did you rig-up a switch to "idle" one motor on the fly for more efficiency? Any tricks in doing that also to prevent any snafus?

Hey, it's Tuesday, and you are on the road today

[Kingfish]

I think you mentioned using one throttle to control both controllers. Do you have to use any special wiring techniques to prevent any snafus, when throttling to two controllers w/one throttle?

Also, did you rig-up a switch to "idle" one motor on the fly for more efficiency? Any tricks in doing that also to prevent any snafus?

Hey, it's Tuesday, and you are on the road today

I just run the power, ground and signal to the throttle, and pass the signal back to the other controller. Both controllers share ground and +VCC – but beyond that they run their subsystems – except common signals which I share.

I never got around to disabling the throttle on the secondary; sadly there is just not enough Time in the day. The alternative was to hook up a spare 3-way switch and manage power that way – and I nearly did so except there isn’t room left on the handlebar without reorganization. The Magura takes up about ½ inch too much as it is. Though if I had Time, that would be a good way to create a hybrid electronic transmission if you get my drift: two separate 3-Way controls similar perhaps to how a bicycle has two derailleurs.

Speaking of Time, I need to go – literally.
~KF

[Kingfish]

Back in the Saddle: Going to California: 2011

Long arse 48 hours trying to repack and rehook it all back up and try it all down. But – I am out the door in 5 minutes. Spend the evening going through one more time to reduce weight. I don’t know if I mentioned this already or not but the Samsung Droid Charge has an 8 mpix camera built in, so I am leaving my nice camera behind and saving 2 lbs of weight and bulk. Not sure how I will edit the pics though.

Anyway – I shall post progress periodically – and when I get to a place where I can edit photos – then I will append or post anew.

Enjoy the music!



Cheers, KF
ADDENDUM: Time - 10:57 AM

[grindz145]

Woohoo! Keep it up! Perseverance FTW!

P.S. we need lots of pictures

[Kingfish]

I yam somewheres near Spanaway; 56 miles. Chow'd down @ Taco del Mar. Ebike is a-ok though still heavy over the tail. Headwind and cool up till now. I don't think I'll make PDX though as I am hitting almost every red light in the metro.

Onward through the fog, KF

[dbaker]

On the road, through the fog.....Yeah

[deVries]

I yam somewheres near Spanaway; 56 miles. Chow'd down @ Taco del Mar. Ebike is a-ok though still heavy over the tail. Headwind and cool up till now. I don't think I'll make PDX though as I am hitting almost every red light in the metro.

Onward through the fog, KF

Do you have any planned camping sites along the way? If so, how many camping/outdoor locations & where?

Hey, if you make it out 300 miles, then that should be a decent break-in or shakedown to go further...

How is the trailer holding up & did the foam cure some more to improve the ride some more?

[Green Machine]

On the road...

[jonathanm]

On the road...

hahahaha! through the fog!

good luck with the trip. upload pics to picasa via your phone and google account. (search picasa in the marketplace).

basic editing via photoshop express on your phone.

edit online via picnik (from inside picasa) once you get to a PC

Godspeed!

[Kingfish]

I yam somewheres near Spanaway; 56 miles. Chow'd down @ Taco del Mar. Ebike is a-ok though still heavy over the tail. Headwind and cool up till now. I don't think I'll make PDX though as I am hitting almost every red light in the metro.

Onward through the fog, KF

Do you have any planned camping sites along the way? If so, how many camping/outdoor locations & where?

Hey, if you make it out 300 miles, then that should be a decent break-in or shakedown to go further...

How is the trailer holding up & did the foam cure some more to improve the ride some more?

Ye gentle people of the ES...
I yam at present in the town of Centralia and set for the nite. Metro took f o r e v e r to plow through - about 60 miles before I could open it up or set Cruise. It really sucked the pack hard with the start abd stops. About mile 78 brought me to Tinino and I began to hit the wall. Decided to blast the last 18 miles into town and get a room.

Stats:
Start V=63.3; End V=57.0
MaxS=39.9mph; AveS=24.5
Distance=108 miles in about 6 hours

Repacked trailer at lunch break/last post and moved about 10-15 lbs to trailer and this made a big difference/improved handling. I think there was enough left in the pack to go another 50 miles but I was beat.

Got a great price on the room: $49/night. Good enough.

I have considered camping but I like a soft bed, personal shower, and the ability to lock up my bike. That said I do know most RV sites are along the way just in case

Boy I am real tired and ready for my bed.
Until the end of the world, KF

[jonathanm]

First century down, no turning back now, haha.....as us brits would say.....go on son!

[SamTexas]

On the road, wooho! Enjoy.

About mile 78 brought me to Tinino and I began to hit the wall. Decided to blast the last 18 miles into town and get a room.

Stats:
Start V=63.3; End V=57.0
MaxS=39.9mph; AveS=24.5
Distance=108 miles in about 6 hours
...
I think there was enough left in the pack to go another 50 miles but I was beat.

I forgot, what is your battery capacity (wh)?

[Kingfish]

On the road, wooho! Enjoy.

About mile 78 brought me to Tinino and I began to hit the wall. Decided to blast the last 18 miles into town and get a room.

Stats:
Start V=63.3; End V=57.0
MaxS=39.9mph; AveS=24.5
Distance=108 miles in about 6 hours
...
I think there was enough left in the pack to go another 50 miles but I was beat.

I forgot, what is your battery capacity (wh)?

78 Batteries / 3 = 26 -> 26 * 5 Ah = 130 Ah

Repacking based on wot I learned. Pobably leave in 60-90 minutes.
Cheers from On the Road, KF

[Kingfish]

I have crossed the Columbia at Longview and am now in Oregon Country.

Brezzy, and now with a tailwind, KF

[jonathanm]

pics or it didn't happen

[deVries]

pics or it didn't happen

+1

Too bad you couldn't borrow Greg's GoPro HD while he's on vacation at least to catch some of yours.

Pics HD Video is where it's at now "going to California" or wherever...

[liveforphysics]

I have crossed the Columbia at Longview and am now in Oregon Country.

Brezzy, and now with a tailwind, KF

Woot!!! Good to hear it my friend!