GCinDC's Giant DH Comp

[Hyena]

Ah yes I forgot about certain footage on there.

the first big wave took me off my feet and I let go of the camera!

Heh, it goes without saying!
In addition to the obvious need for a floaty in these situations I've added a few pieces of fluro paper inside my camera housing now for when the camera and I... errr, become seperated.
Makes it easy to spot when it goes flying in the grass or underwater too (not that I've been swimming lately)
But the one time I did take it swimming I promptly dropped it as well! I'd made up a somewhat elaborate mount too, but decided to take it hand held for a bit, and of course dropped it )

[GCinDC]

seriously, no comments about the llama? that is one highly unusual animal...

we did salvage on a rib that flipped dumping about 3 grands worth of kit

hey knoxie, what's a rib and what's kit? i'm guessing the former's a boat wreck, but kit stumps me... olympic gold perhaps?

i think you're right about the dredge. what i really need is an enthusiastic partner. care to join me next summer?

ps. i did see that vid, and it was actually the inspiration for the mission!

the ball of string looks so innocent. careful how you mount/tether your gopro, folks. you don't want to lose more than your gopro!

Nice video! I've always wondered if the sand gets into the hub through the vent holes... (it might rune the motor)

thanks. 'ruin' is a relative word i seem to have ruined a lot. but i do think there's sand in the motor now. i can't wait to pop it open and take juicy closeups for you. i take that back. i can wait. the garage is still broiling... nice to be back tho.

i've got a ton of house work to do, some big projects, so that means i need to procrastinate with smaller ebike projects. i wasn't getting anywhere when searching quando easy lock disc hub but finally got some tips using 'centerlock' and what do you know, my damn freewheel removal tool works!

i gotta get that hookworm back on there for street traffic. the nobby's got me spooked a bit, i have to say.

[Hyena]

seriously, no comments about the llama? that is one highly unusual animal...

I LOL'd but wasn't sure if it was actually a llama or something else that was distorted up close with the gopro's fisheye lens.

hey knoxie, what's a rib and what's kit? i'm guessing the former's a boat wreck, but kit stumps me... olympic gold perhaps?

If knoxie is talking about what I think he is, RIB = Rigid Inflatable Boat - a zodiac type thing.
Kit = gear/equipment. It can also refer to clothes (as in "get your kit off!")
geez, get a handle on the Queen's english son

[knoxie]

Yep Rib was a boat

Kit was about 3 grands worth of diving equipment, computers, tanks, weights, stab jackets etc etc, 1 dumb ass newbie boat pilot who told everyone he had skippered boats in the past took the thing head on in to the first big wave and it flipped the rib dumping all out to sea, total dumbass didnt even help on the salvage operation either.

Glad you had a nice time Greg, you need a Dredge assistant! ha ha that did look murky and horrible, when my free time frees up next week I will have a bit of fun with that clip I was careful with the Gopro tether, like you say you don't want it ripping anything else off do you.

Glad you all got back of your hols OK too, I know about jobs too as I have loads to do as well, I last renovated my house 12 years ago and things are starting to be needed to be done again, time to sell it I reckon! ha ha.

My balance charger that I got off Jay is working awesome (thanks Jay) so simple to use and bloomin accurate too, it does my pack super fast, my Lipo packs are over 2 years old and still working well, there is a lot to be said for charging to 4.1V and not dropping below 3.3V that's for certain, the balance charger will help these stay in shape for at least another year I reckon..maybe more?

You back at work this week then? I was but it wasnt so bad and my bike is flying at the moment maybe thanks to the nicely balanced cells

[GCinDC]

:lol: Yep Rib was a boat

speaking of boats, you gotta watch this.

[GCinDC]

weird commute week. still got the nobby in front. still a bit spooked by it.

i just haven't got my 'spidey sense' back, so going slow.

nice rain this morning, so rode in w/ shorts to shower at work. just drizzle by the time i went out so i gave the handlebar mount another go:

i recorded in 4:3 but forgot it goes up way low res, so converted to widescreen. i took a bit of a risk wearing flip flops there, but didn't want to have to deal w/ another pair of shoes...

[GCinDC]

decided to get a new rotor for the new rim, one w/ more surface area and strength. just came in.

[Trackman417]

weird commute week. still got the nobby in front. still a bit spooked by it.

i just haven't got my 'spidey sense' back, so going slow.

nice rain this morning, so rode in w/ shorts to shower at work. just drizzle by the time i went out so i gave the handlebar mount another go:

i recorded in 4:3 but forgot it goes up way low res, so converted to widescreen. i took a bit of a risk wearing flip flops there, but didn't want to have to deal w/ another pair of shoes...

Just adds to the humor that you are casually chewing gum, blowing bubbles, and such . Love that video!
Great town to commute in it looks like. I should see start testing the water where I live see how many lights I can blow by before getting pulled over.

[GCinDC]

new front wheel & rotor. felt like time to lose the bomber decals too. i like.

i need a rear fender like no tomorrow.

[GCinDC]

always happy to find no puffies!


by golly i can fit a controller up there. don't think it's worth the risk of overheating tho.


little one's naptime coming up so hoping to make some progress on this...

[Hyena]

by golly i can fit a controller up there. don't think it's worth the risk of overheating tho

Negative! seal up box your and bolt the controller heatsink directly to that. The whole case will become the heatsink and it's one neat and integrated unit
If you wanted to get really neat you could fit a neat DB/serial type plug and have all your contorller wiring on that (throttle, brakes, 3 speed etc) I did this on one of my bikes and it was nice and neat but a bit of a pain when I broke a throttle and couldn't just plug a new one in.

[Trackman417]

by golly i can fit a controller up there. don't think it's worth the risk of overheating tho

Negative! seal up box your and bolt the controller heatsink directly to that. The whole case will become the heatsink and it's one neat and integrated unit
If you wanted to get really neat you could fit a neat DB/serial type plug and have all your contorller wiring on that (throttle, brakes, 3 speed etc) I did this on one of my bikes and it was nice and neat but a bit of a pain when I broke a throttle and couldn't just plug a new one in.

You could've just plugged a new one in, if you put the DB connector in between the controller and those connectors right out of the controller. Thus would give you a choice between unplugging all of them at once. Or each of them individually.
Sounds like a good idea Hyena! I might just give it a go sometime soon.

[Hyena]

You could've just plugged a new one in, if you put the DB connector in between the controller and those connectors right out of the controller. Thus would give you a choice between unplugging all of them at once. Or each of them individually.

I actually make a new controller end plate and flush mounted the DB plug in that (with andersons for the power and phase wires) so there were actually no external wires protruding from the controller. With teh other cabling cut to length, wrapped in mesh and terminated on a DB plug it was all very neat - until as I said something needed replacing.

Sounds like a good idea Hyena! I might just give it a go sometime soon.

While I'll take the glorious credit (jokes with Greg ) for using DB plugs to simplify lipo balance taps early on I actually got the idea of using them on the controller from others I've seen like the kellys
It does make things neat and simple though.

[GCinDC]

so just thinking w/ tin snips here...

i'm relocating the connections to the open space at top rear, and planned to tear up a velcro flap and access either the batt leads from controller to hook up to bulk charger OR 8x plug to balance charge at 5s. the flap i had in front near the handle never worked well. and it was too exposed. the flap i had for the GT worked great. the wires were the perfect length. they need a bit of dangle to be able to access and plug in, but too much dangle is no good either as they need to be stuffed in all the time.

i was also determined to use velcro instead of the bungee, which sucked because A) it wouldn't hold batt in during crash, B) and it put pressure on controller connections, C) and was hard to get around to reconnect to chargers.

but what i realized too late that a loose flap on one side meant i couldn't use a velcro strap there...

f' it. i could just tape the pack to the bike and wrap cordura around it all... i'm not crazy about how that looks tho. so anyway, no rain today, and here's how i rode in:

woops, how'd the controller get all black like that?

seal up box your and bolt the controller heatsink directly to that. The whole case will become the heatsink and it's one neat and integrated unit

it shall be noted that this was my idea from a while back... not that i was the first ever to have the idea, but.. while i dispensed with at this time, considering how frigging hot it gets, it might stand some reconsideration.

i'd have to lengthen all the motor wires, again. and the steel frame is far too flimsy to provide any cooling benefit, esp if wrapped in black cordura, but it might be worth spending a minute to find another suitable heat sink. having all the wires inside there would be SUCH a benefit. i've never been a clean freak, but wow that would be soooo nice.

maybe if i bolt the frame to the triangle, cut an access slot for the BATTS...

are we thinking about removing the enclosure here?

[GCinDC]

hmm. nah...

this was good for a day...


hmm


nah


hmm?


hmm. unfold the old one, mark the corners on the new one - the size was good so...


snip, bend, snip







hmm


uh huh


BRRRINNNGG. quitting time. stop what you're doing. get it ready to tape up for the morning commute. ok...


gotta remember to get a temp sensor on that controller in the am.

i actually got longer m3's and some steel for a heat sink, but it'll have to wait.

so much for those house projects...

my bday is thurs, so it's my week.

[Hyena]

it shall be noted that this was my idea from a while back...

Lies
Considering how much you rely on this I'd be going with a sealed until - big Al plate bolted to the inside of your box and even a fan in there if you like the blow some air around. Even under the fabric I think it'd cool pretty well. And if it's all sealed (even get it pro welded) you wouldn't have to worry som much about the fabric (aside from stealthy looks) and you could leave the forward facing surface exposed to catch more passing air. (you could paint it black to blend in it you wanted)

Oh and happy bday, mine is next week and I'm spoiling myself on behalf of the missus

[GCinDC]

Lies

should i ignore this and let this fester or should we fight in front of the kids? about what? whose idea it was first? seriously?

alright... fine. first off - just to clear the air - let me state that as far as i knew, i was the first on on ES to use a DB25 to balance a 20s pack.

i just went digging through PM's and emails for proof.

imagine my shock and horror when i found:

... i showed my diag to hyena. he said it's exactly what he's got set up! (except that he can rig his pack for 10s3p, and for that has 4 pairs of powerpoles coming off the batts). anyway, he suggested using a 25 pin d-sub for the balance lines off the batts. plug in one cable w/ 3 bm6s off it, plug in another to put them back in parallel to charge.

of course it is possible i first proposed the idea to hyena and then he suggested the idea was good...

to hell with it, allow me to officially apologize to hyena!

i've always valued hyena's opinion extremely, except when i thought it was my idea...

as for the more recent disputed idea, i first posted here:

maybe the controller could be removed from its enclosure, so the board and heatsink is bolted up tight to the frame somewhere to help dissipation, and then some kind of cover that allowed for airflow, and maybe a fan...

i am 100% that i'm not the first one to have this idea and i am sure it's probably been implemented countless times, some of which must have penetrated my unconscious, but i can say with utmost honesty that it sure felt like my idea at the time....

nevertheless, my big lesson out of this is that if i think i'm right, i'm more than likely wrong.

[veloman]

In this 100 degree weather, I tend to think I might be better off putting the controller in a lunch bag filled with ice packs.

I drilled a 3/4" hole in the sideplate of my controller, but probably really need to do another on the other end for flow-through circulation. I do have a rubber stopper to insert if it rains.

[GCinDC]

bike is hosed...

to recap, it was all ready to go last night:


but it was raining this morning so i taped on a garbage bag, no time for cordura...:


and decided at very last minute to tape doc's meat thermometer probe to the outsdie of the controller, near the fet screws, just to make sure it didn't get too hot. i'd bought it a while ago:


i was looking for a place to temporarily tape it near the CA on the handlebars when bloody sparks started flying! the edge of it shorted against the exposed contacts of the HK temp monitor!

i couldn't believe my eyes. i've never had probs w/ jst-xh connectors... wow. And i was really surprised how much current it must have drawn to FRY the prob wire. It as burning like a fuse!

I yanked the prob off. The bike was still powered up. The HK monitor off, obviously. Then I tested the motor. I heard a snap and saw a spark FLY OUT OF A VENT HOLE IN THE MOTOR. Nice. Must have been a hall. The HK temp monitor was powered by the hall current... I then pried the fused connections off the hk monitor since it must still have been shorted. I lifted the wheel and gave it a tiny bit of juice and got more nice fireworks out of the motor.

It's s a damn shame it wasn't on film.

fortunately the GT was primed and ready for backup commute.

[dbaker]

Backups are great I got soaked this morning. Could not wait around for the rain to stop

[GCinDC]

hey dave! nice to hear from you! long time!

got home and took a closer peek at shorted bbq sensor wires:

i have to be able to repair this...

i bumped the hk monitor wires and they started zapping like crazy. bike was off but halls still powered?

[Hyena]

i just went digging through PM's and emails for proof.

haha dude I'm just playing with you! It's not like either of us invented the Cycle analyst
We both suck though, new comers will tell you it was Tench's innovation

As I've said a few times more recently I find centronics plugs are superior to DBs so they're what I'll be using on any future builds.

i've always valued hyena's opinion extremely, except when i thought it was my idea...

bike is hosed...

Damn man - bad break
Good think you have a backup! I think anyone that relies on an ebike for commuting so heavily needs a spare. That's my excuse for having a stable of ebikes anyway and I'm sticking to it

[GCinDC]

haha dude I'm just playing with you! It's not like either of us invented the Cycle analyst

yes. i can't imagine the anger of having your designs ripped off and mass produced, like justin's torque arms!

before i forget, so glad i changed front disc the other day. quiet after one day!:


back disc still hisses after months... terrible purchase. we finally get 8" rotors on ebikes and then use some wavy design that doesn't maximize surface area? will have to get another avid...


back to the motor. first peek:

sand and grit. i was curious about this. not so much between magnets and stator, but lots in the crevice, but not to harm performance..


halls look fine:


windings, not so good:


i forgot to even check w/ ebike tester beforehand, but am guessing this sucker's done.

and rather than leave loose parts around where they'll surely get lost, might as well toss the oiled stator into the mc wheel w/ the vented side covers...


anything's better than these upcoming house projects...

i might have it back on the street sooner than i'd thought. but since i've got the backup, i might want to take my time to finish it properly...

oh, and if someone can explain how shorted halls could cause windings to fry, i'd love to hear!

[Hyena]

and rather than leave loose parts around where they'll surely get lost, might as well toss the oiled stator into the mc wheel w/ the vented side covers...[/img]
Hehe, be sure and rear mount your camera nice and low for the first ride. We should see some nice clouds of smoke coming from the motor as the residual oil is cooked off

if someone can explain how shorted halls could cause windings to fry, i'd love to hear!

This is clearly a case of... errr.. ok I've got nothing
That is indeed a strange one but I guess the logical answer is that if the shorted wires got hot enough to melt the stainless steel braid off the temp probe then the hall wires down into the motor must have got stupidly hot too, melting through the insulation on the phase wires in the process and causing them to short ?? The way it's burnt looks like the winding shorted to the stator. Maybe it was already shorted to the stator without consequence until a second phase melted through and shorted to the axle/stator ? I dunno...

[Scruffoid]

Just buy some more copper wire and rewind the one that is shorted.

Surely it cant be that hard to do?

I dunno just thought id add my 0.02 worth in

Scruff