Turnigy HXT Powered Custom Cruiser Worklog

[AussieJester]

Turnigy HXT Powered Custom Cruiser Worklog

Time has come to build myself another e-bike! a TWO WHEEL* e-bike even!!

Some may or may not have already seen the design i have entered into the Free single stage drive "Contest"

This will be the worklog for that build!

I see some members here idea of a "custom build" is to start with a pile of battery cells then
2-3 pages of assembling the packs and fitting the BMS etc etc etc then bolt on a hub motor:-S...
bout as interesting and exciting to me as watching paintdry...no offence intended SO...
You wont see that here i can guarantee you that! ill be using 5000mah 22v Lipo packs when
the bikes done...that it for battery info until i purchase batteries in a month or twos time..<--YES Deecanio I WILLZ finally be "GangSta"

The e-bike i have in mind is a low slung stretched cruiser design with linear actuators raising
and lowering a set of stabiliser wheels too keep the bike upright whilst transferring to
and from the bike from my wheelchair. The bike will have operational pedals
as such my feet will need to be strapped to the pedals and the stabiliser wheels used
when starting and stopping...

I will be fabricating the frame from scratch & if all goes well it will vaguely resemble this--->



The motor (i have) is the Turnigy HXT 130-->


(additional glue will be applied to magnets and bearings replaced)

I picked this up Friday from a fella (Joe) that spotted my trike video on YouTube and got interested in building an e-bike...he has since decided
a motorcycle (bobber) is the direction he is going to take, the HXT was bought for $AU150 NEVER USED..

So i have the motor...i still require to purchase ESC, servo driver and a BEC...I am leaning towards
the Sentilons ESC i'm not as insane as Liveforphysics (any more anywayz) so i'm hoping i wont have the 8in flames shooting out the unit as
in Luke's case haha... BEC...no idea haven't seen one capable of running on 44v yet worse comes to worse
i guess a battery hooked directly to the ESC will suffice, no biggy will work that out when the time comes.

i think the servo tester i'll go with what Mr Recumpence SIR sells...waiting to hear back from Matt on this and
a single stage drive...If you have a suitable BEC also Matt i would be interested in price/avaiability/freight charges ...

Today I picked up the tubing and mild steel plate I will use for constructing the custom frame-->



Larger OD tube is 35mm the smaller is 21mm



Large OD tube has 2mm wall thickness...Smaller OD tube is 3mm<--smaller to be used for the rear half of frame.
Total cost for tubing $AU45

I also went out to Bills Machinery AWESOME place
officially now my fav establishment I could spend days there browsing, if they ever need a
place for an Aussie version of Junkyard Wars (Scrapheap Challenge for the English members)
Bills is the place!! I picked up a 10in 'V' pulley that will require machining to suit 5mm pitch flat belt,
I have spoken to a good mate of mine and he said he will take it too his work and turn it
down on the lathe for me--->



I shall then add teeth to it in the same manner Matt (1000watt) has done on his pulley for the cruiser. Using spare belt, release
agent and epoxy. Matt also picked up a 21tooth pulley for me online (see pic of motor)
when he ordered a spare for himself...I'm hoping to swap this for the sprocket Matt (Recumpence) puts
on the reduction drive unit...

I plan to start the fabrication of the frame tomorrow. First things first a frame jig will be knocked up
to 'hold' the head tube, the two bottom brackets and rear axle drop-outs.
This will likely take best part of the day, i shall return with the pics of the days activities...

As always i hope all that view this thread get something from it, if anyone
has any questions OR ideas please feel free to chip in.

KiM

* indicates 2 wheels PLUS 2 additional retracting stabilising wheels

[gwhy!]

Hi KiM,
You may want to try and mount Halls into or around the motor and use one of the sensored controllers that are kicking about, it is a lot less bother than messing with the rc controllers ( a lot cheaper too ). After much playing around with rc controllers they are still lacking something for use on bikes ( they not always startup 100% of the time from a standing start which I'm guessing you will need )

[AussieJester]

Yeah cheers for that gwhy, i will however be sticking with the RC components as im familiar with them from my electric RC heli days.
Anywayz...Is it even possibly to mount hall sensors on an outrunner? want to get them spaced evenly be some wicked vibration there other wise wouldnt there?

I been out in my workshop cleaning clearing re-organising
things today now im knackered hahaa...Moving my half finished CNC machine on my own nearly killed me I want to hug its heavy, of course getting it down the ramp to undercover veranda the stand i had it on collapsed half way down the ramp trapping me, effectively blocking my way back into workshop lol comedy of errors it was, anywayz....Now i have a nice tidy shop ready to mess up first thing in the morning. I simply HATE starting anything new when crap is lying everywhere from other projects, organisation is the key to success!

I have heard back from Mr R on the status of drive units, unfortunately my eagerness to pick up the pulley yesterday has left me few dollars short, what funds i have now have been transferred to PayPal account remainder shall be paid in ~12 days which means the drive unit is going to be a little delayed, Matt advised it takes around 2 weeks get the drive ready for shipping, i have advised Matt i will also be requiring BEC and servo tester so those to components are now sorted also! in future i will also grab a quality ESC from Matt for now though i shall make do with the Turnigy ESC..... shall press on with what we can do now, that is frame fab..ghetto "one off" frame jig pics coming soon ...

Back soon chaps

KiM

p.s Spoke to my good mate again last night RE: turning down the V Pulley to suit flat 5mm pitched belt, he is picking me up Saturday or Sunday and heading off to his work so i can use the lathe there BIG THANKS to Noeeeeeel for his time already helping me workout the gearing Also spoke with Matt (1000watt) regarding adding 'epoxy teeth' to the pulley, he still has the spare (cut) belt from when he epoxied teeth to his pulley, so he's loaning me the belt (and my release agent i gave him) to complete the job on my pulley. We are also planing another verge collection very soon as collection is on up in my area Matt already scoring a HIGH end mid 1980s road racing frame/fork last week when we went out, he told me last night he has now also found brakes and hubs online to complete the restoration hes very pleased!

[gwhy!]

Yeah cheers for that gwhy, i will however be sticking with the RC components as im familiar with them from my electric RC heli days.
Anywayz...Is it even possibly to mount hall sensors on an outrunner? want to get them spaced evenly be some wicked vibration there other wise wouldnt there?

It was very easy to mount halls onto the motor, I went for the mounting them around the out side of the motor, others have put them in the slots inside the motor. As regards vibration the motors runs so much smoother with halls fitted and also starts up better. When you come to mount your motor it may pay to leave a 1/4 inch clearance around the motor this way it will give you all the options should you want to fit halls. just a thought

[AussieJester]

Well im glad its worked out for you but im happy to use RC components never had issues in the past with RC ESC don't foresee i will now, what RC ESC have you tried before changing to brushless speed controller and what controller did you buy? was it more than 100 bucks thats all im paying for RC ESC...

KiM

[gwhy!]

the sensored controller I bought cost £22ukp but needs some mods made to it ( better fets and maybe some other mods ), I have tried 4 different types of rc esc all cheapo 100A ones. 2 of the cheapo ones were the same on closer inspection ( except one was £9.00ukp ( but had 3 caps )and the other was £19.00ukp ( only 2 caps ) ) but had the same fets and brains and both worked well for general e-bike stuff ( with a few mods ) both keep sync well but the starting was a issue for me. I also tried a cheapo LV boat esc (90A 180A burst) £35.00ukp with mods and this was much better for startup but still not predictable. The last one I have been playing with was a 100A turnigy HV esc (with again a few mods) which is about the same on startup as the boat esc, dont get me wrong they all work and with some care they work really well, If I wanted a e-bike just for commuting ( with the option to get the bike rolling before applying the throttle )then the £9.00 will do the job ( shame its only a LV one ) . I still havent mounted the sensor converted motor onto a bike yet so still not totally sure how its gonna perform yet, but on the bench it is a very big improvment over all the sensorless controllers that I have. Once the RC ESC are running they are fine but the problem is getting the motor to spin up under a big load this maybe able to be got around by having some sort of clutch.

[AussieJester]

The last one I have been playing with was a 100A turnigy HV esc (with again a few mods) .

This shall be the first ESC i will buy(was yours the newer 10mhz model?) plan to add extra couple of caps and that shall be it for time being Hope your modded setup performs as you expect

KiM

[gwhy!]

The last one I have been playing with was a 100A turnigy HV esc (with again a few mods) .

This shall be the first ESC i will buy(was yours the newer 10mhz model?) plan to add extra couple of caps and that shall be it for time being Hope your modded setup performs as you expect

KiM

Hi KiM,
It is the 12mhz model, http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=4691 , On all the controllers that I have been playing with the mods that I have made is double up on input wires, Add caps and remove heatsink and fit a much larger one, I have given all 4 controllers some major,major abuse with not one has failed ( they dont even seem to get warm except when programming them). I hope the modded setup works well also but we will see.

[AussieJester]

Yup thats the puppy im talkin about 12mhz thought was 10mhz soz my bad...And yes you have done what i plan to do add caps and heatsink. Did you go for two or more caps?

Would you be interested in selling the ESC at all? I won't have the $$to spare for a few weeks give you time to test and decide if the modded setup is better for you? Keep it in mind anywayz bud i have to buy a ESC either way would prefer throwing dollars to a fellow member of ES than Hobby City.

KiM

[gwhy!]

Yup thats the puppy im talkin about 12mhz thought was 10mhz soz my bad...And yes you have done what i plan to do add caps and heatsink. Did you go for two or more caps?

Would you be interested in selling the ESC at all? I won't have the $$to spare for a few weeks give you time to test and decide if the modded setup is better for you? Keep it in mind anywayz bud i have to buy a ESC either way would prefer throwing dollars to a fellow member of ES than Hobby City.

KiM

Hi KiM,
Only used 2 caps, I would like to keep hold of the turnigy at the mo as its the only hv controller I have until I get the sensored controller up and running. but maybe in a couple of weeks I will be in a better position to decide what im gonna do , drop me a pm just before you go ordering yourself a esc and I will let you know.

[Paul.............D]

Hi Kim waiting for the picture's nice to see another build from you. From scratch again no bought frames handmade hopefully it will inspire others, From the drawings it will be some beast.

Paul

[AussieJester]

drop me a pm just before you go ordering yourself a esc and I will let you know.

Will do exactly that my friend :: crosses finger the halls woirk for you :: hehee...seriously though best of luck with it

Paul....D Yes it will be completely custom frame (aside of course from head tube and bottom brackets they will be cut from donor frames i have here) i just finished my breakfast and chatting with FrankG from here on ES...(checkout Franks site if your into custom projects he is the DIY KING...http://www.theworkshop.ca and am about to head out and start on the fab of it...

KiM

EDIT: **** Any owners of westcoast chopper or OCC chopper bicyles out there i'm chasing the measurement (width) of the bottom bracket it would make things hugely easier if i had the measurement as i am making my own from 'standard' size bottom brackets...cheers in advance ****

[AussieJester]

UPDATE

Well it took FOUR bloody hours to make ONE extra wide botttom bracket today DAMN! im out of
practise haha Turns out OCC and WestCoast Chopper bicycles have 120mm wide bottom brackets...the
mission is to make two of these for the frame, thankfully Matt (1000watt) has offered me his
extra wide bottom bracket shaft and threaded ends so only one shaft is needed to be made thankfully



Last pic you can see i have smeared some JB Weld around to fitt a few imperfections from the welding will
sand the majority of it off when its set...



( did this vid specially for Other Doc to show how accurate/true/straight the extended
shaft ended up, no beavers chewing metal in this workshop Other Doc hehehe...:: looks about ::: where is Other Doc )

Not very exciting stuff but obviously essential for the build, i will have two bottom brackets, one up
front for the cranks and one midway on the frame, I plan to have the crank sprocket on the front left side going
to mid bottom bracket where another sprocket will be mounted, on the right side ANOTHER freewheel
going to the back wheel...So we have the motor driving the left hand side of the rear wheel,
pedal power the right...Going to be rather cramped with frreewheels, pulley and rotor ALL
good though I have angle grinder WILL make it fit hahaaa

More tomorrow chaps...

KiM

[Paul.............D]

Hi Kim

I have followed Frank G for years he is one hell of a guy. But then again i have followed you from forum to forum. so i could follow you creations and have a good laugh. I have been thinking about your stabilizers you could use a car wiper motor or window motor as these are geared cheap and light and easy to conceal with a design feature just a thought.

Paul

[AussieJester]

Hi Kim

I have followed Frank G for years he is one hell of a guy. But then again i have followed you from forum to forum. so i could follow you creations and have a good laugh. I have been thinking about your stabilisers you could use a car wiper motor or window motor as these are geared cheap and light and easy to conceal with a design feature just a thought.

Paul

Yeah Frank is a hell of a fella very skilled and incredibly intelligent, when hes not out enjoying the summer at either his van on the lake or his shooting cabin i get to speak to him (via Skype) most evenings (his mornings) to catch up with days plans and previous days goings ons, its always entertaining to hear what he is upto i tell ya ...some of the shit he scores for next to nothing blows me away ... anyhoot...stabilisers ...i had thought of using electric car antennae or window winder motors BUT having looked about on the net i found this place $US130 bucks gets you a niiiiice actuator that will do the job beautifully, few bucks more for the switch and your in business, i decided IF i do go automated (as i also have a manual setup sketched out too) i will opt for the linear actuators thankyou though Paul for input and interest keep the ideas coming

KiM