My solar-assisted custom tricycle FOLLIES

[ddk]

Donno why, but I experienced extreme satisfaction as I passed police, busy arresting the person I suspected of attempted trike borrowing.

Whales are migrating north in force today...

 

[ddk]

these are the 'headlights' I chose for my trikes.
30 degree spotlight and runs on voltages between 12V-80V i.e no dc-dc converters needed. 4 each for $20 seems like an ok price. These are made for overhead light bars as used on off-the-road vehicles... I intend to mount deflectors to prevent blinding other drivers because these things are BRIGHT and spot, duh... light.
So far I only use them on the darkest areas with no traffic (there's a few blocks with no streetlight coverage in town and of course, out of town) Then again, I don't have to ride at night... basically only do so for special events, meteor showers and other celestial stuff.

Moved one of my offspring out to the BEST coast... during the transition I came across a really good deal for a 34' motorhome. I bought it and gave it to him to live in (cheaper than an apartment) Doesn't even resemble the picture but I wished it did.

 

[docnjoj]

That is a great idea. I have a disabled older son and if one of those stupid new Congresses cut off disability like they claim they will, I may do the same thing. I do wish I could get the one in the picture, but I suspect it is a "Collector Item" now.
otherDoc

 

[ddk]

That is a great idea. I have a disabled older son and if one of those stupid new Congresses cut off disability like they claim they will, I may do the same thing. I do wish I could get the one in the picture, but I suspect it is a "Collector Item" now.
otherDoc

RVs are very inexpensive to live in... as long as you don't actually go anywhere otherwise with the current cost of hotels and fuel they are about the same cost per distance as traveling via credit card and air (expensive @ around $300-$400 per travel day)
Locally, with moderate climate, no mosquitoes or other biting insects (other than the rare assassin bug) no cockroaches, not much traffic and the very rare jet or prop airplane flyover makes living in a RV paradise. + they're usually simple to keep clean,
I gave 1/3 NADA BB for the MH that looks almost exactly like (because it is) this thing: But I really, really like the looks of the various 'experiments' that preceded these monsters.


...of course that has nothing to do with electric bikes LOL but the tires I just acquired to replace 20" hookworms on MPDPM don't fit (as I expected they're 20"x2.4") so they'll go on the MT trike instead. MT sports no fenders.
I recently replaced the front tire with a 1.9" x16" Marathon+ for the MPDPM but compared to a Hookworm (also 1.9") it's awfully skinny and MPDPM carries too much cargo for skinny rear tires (IMO) so back to hookworms or equivalent.

 

[docnjoj]

Thanks DDK for the rundown on motorhomes. It would not go anywhere.
We went back to Walmart Kevlar belt tires after the European ones like Schwalbe failed and punctured quite a lot.

Our version of Paradise has bugs. Alabama gulf coast.
otherDoc

 

[ddk]

Thanks DDK for the rundown on motorhomes. It would not go anywhere.
We went back to Walmart Kevlar belt tires after the European ones like Schwalbe failed and punctured quite a lot.

Don't know why, but I've always had better performance using less-expensive tires! (except wear) I've had rotten experiences with Hookworms in 16" rims for whatever reasons. Used wallyworld Bell tires but thought I'd try a Marathon+ because blackberry

Our version of Paradise has bugs. Alabama gulf coast.
otherDoc

Familiar with the wildlife along the Gulf, having lived in the Biloxi area for a few years... next to a river (creek) close to the bay featuring armadillos, geckos, alligators, snakes, bugs... lotsa bugs... weird languages spoken (French Creole) hardly understood anyone and that was back when shrimp/fish/crab boats still worked the waters (long long time ago)
Last time I was in the area it was all casinos and stuff. No shrimp boats.

 

[docnjoj]

Yeah that is the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Casinos and level stretches of beach where hurricanes blew away anything that was there.
Alabama coast in the area of Baldwin County is all rich people. Needless to say we live not on the direct coast
otherDoc

 

[ddk]

Yeah that is the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Casinos and level stretches of beach where hurricanes blew away anything that was there.
Alabama coast in the area of Baldwin County is all rich people. Needless to say we live not on the direct coast
otherDoc

spent a couple of years mere meters from surf. I moved a couple of kilometers further after the tsunami of 2011 destroyed the local harbor (one of two harbors in the usa damaged by this event)
**********************************************************

Spent the day re-evaluating my battery needs; I've reduced my packs to:
2 of 7S @ 30Ah each
2 of 12S @ 32Ah each
2 of 15S @ 15Ah each
and one 4S pack for lights/razzle dazzle.
Starting the process today by tearing down 3 cases to repackage the battery packs.
Tomorrow I will be building new wiring harness to accommodate recharging separate series sections from the same power source because I want to simplify my solar stuff.

I'm gonna have a few more packs to recycle after this

 

[ddk]

funni moments:
I realized I'm doing a technique I used as a not-quite-teenager to splice multiple wires (more than 2) because being a kid I lacked money, proper tooling, bla bla bla...
Instead I made do.
Much more than 50 years later I don't lack for tools etc. but I lack in hand strength and I don't care to invest what's basically a large chunk of change to acquire power-assisted crimpers.
...so back to the past!
I recently bought a roll of 20 gauge tinned uninsulated copper wire. My third and probably last roll.
I never completely used up the other two rolls. They just abandoned me I guess.
But 18 gauge wire was a bit too clumsy for the same purpose of wrapping wire around wire.
Anyways, end result is a splice almost as strong as a properly swagged barrel crimp. Although I don't really need to solder these, I do so to prevent vibration unraveling. + I haz tools and stuff to do so... which I lacked at 12.View attachment 1


NOTE TO SELF: your 25+ year-old side cutters have finally dulled so replace'em.
(see what happens when you buy the really expensive tools. They still wear out... eventually)

 

[craneplaneguy]

I stumbled upon a way to join 10 gauge stranded wires that I have used for some years now. I use an aircraft cable (as in wire rope cable, not intended or designed for electrical use) crimper and all copper 3/32" swedges. The crimper looks like a bolt cutter but has pre determined spaced holes for whatever cable you are working with, it occurred to me one day while needing to splice some wires on the back of a solar panel, that 10 gauge wire stripped is about 3/32". I did an experimental swedge, and then tried to pull it apart, couldn't do it. The copper swedges are cheap, a few cents each, the swedger is expensive but I already had it, and it's design allows for absolutely consistent swedges. I used it last a couple days ago making up an extension cord to go up into a backpack battery.

Having said all that, I like your system, looks good.

 

[ddk]

I stumbled upon a way to join 10 gauge stranded wires that I have used for some years now. I use an aircraft cable (as in wire rope cable, not intended or designed for electrical use) crimper and all copper 3/32" swedges. The crimper looks like a bolt cutter but has pre determined spaced holes for whatever cable you are working with, it occurred to me one day while needing to splice some wires on the back of a solar panel, that 10 gauge wire stripped is about 3/32". I did an experimental swedge, and then tried to pull it apart, couldn't do it. The copper swedges are cheap, a few cents each, the swedger is expensive but I already had it, and it's design allows for absolutely consistent swedges. I used it last a couple days ago making up an extension cord to go up into a backpack battery.

Having said all that, I like your system, looks good.

thanks!
If my hands didn't hurt/shake/ I'd be using my hand crimpers and (cheap) barrels.
Alas, I require a power-assisted crimp tool with multiple dies and they tend to cost about 3 bills. i.e for the few more crimps I'll likely make in my lifetime, I'll use the time-consuming method in loo.

About batteries:
It's been a Bad Day for my electronic gadgets.
My Thunder Charger fails to complete a charge... it quits charging after climbing to 1A and says "end"... real helpful self diagnostics, eh?View attachment 4
Luckily I have other smart (and not so smart) chargers laying about.View attachment 3

My Least Reliable smart charger, the 1010B+, still works, but has seen many hours of repair at many different events.

Even my celllog started acting up, giving me erroneous "over" warnings.View attachment 1

I'm now able to safely bulk charge my 12S 32Ah packs. Let me just say, this helps immensely.

 

[ddk]

oh ya...
I know I mentioned it before, so I'll be redundant.
For awhile now I've been re-packaging my battery cases and adding volt-amp meters and I didn't supply a diagram of what I'm doing, because I h8 making diagrams (drew diagrams and other stuffs for as long as I remember; since '85 on computers)... but I'm simply simplifying the case switching which simplifies my charge routine so I don't have to use isolated power sources. Because simpleton.

 

[ddk]

being old, time passes fast
I bought some flooded self-hydrolyzing lead-acid batteries on recommendation from a salesguy whom shall be unnamed. He insisted they would do as well as AGM batteries.
2 years later those flooded batteries are dead yet the four year-old AGMs live on.
I probably should have checked the water levels in the flooded cells but time flows faster than my memory.

Speaking of slow, I'm almost finished wiring one battery case.
Only 5 more to go.
That meter installed was designed for solar arrays and it includes accumulating Ah and Wh readings along with measuring V&A (kinda like S&M only different) I find it more useful than my previously-used V&A-only meters. Amazingly (no,not really) the new meters, discussed one page earlier in this thread cost a few dollars less than those other meters.

Ah... switches. I bought some advertised as 30A switches that looked about the same as switches I bought at the local bimart. Unfortunately they only looked about the same. Definitely NOT 30A switches as the contacts immediately welded themselves together when switching under load. But I only paid 10 for 10 and figure I can use them to power up those case-installed meters
Because I likes different switches for different porpoises I'm changing the battery off/on switch to these because the old versions look too much like these

 

[ddk]

road hazards day
the rare 70F day locally and I'm outside, doing outside stuffs like riding trikes, checking brakes etc.

 

[ddk]

welk, I may have solved the crimp issue but now I FAIL to be able to slide a qc connector on a qc terminal. But Unfortunately for ya'll I can still take pics...

That power meter looks good in a bat case and is currently (sic) selling for ~17.00$ but it's the last thing Ima gonna build.

 

[Rassy]

Hey ddk, sorry to hear your hard living is catching up with you. I'm going to have to try to work in a trip down the coast while you (and I) can still go for a nice ride, or at least out to lunch!

 

[ddk]

Looking forward to your (future) visit

 

[ddk]

OK
I admit I has a terrible sense of humor in that I always put obvious errors in any schematic I might post because I doubt anyone reads/uses them but since I'm feeling magnanimous (secret word of the day) I'll post an actual correct drawing of my battery packages. I use 2 to 3 sections consisting of 3s up to 6s LiCo battery cells (those HK R/C thingies people expect to blow up any minute now)(perhaps, even by the end of this paragraph).
While I mainly bulk charge (that is: apply a voltage equal to or slightly higher than the total battery package volts i.e 50.1V applied to a 12S package) I do so with confidence because I measure each paralleled battery cell before charging, verifying no cells are too "out of balance". My tolerancee for "out of balance is about 0.02V.
A 0.03V difference finds me balancing that section, usually by first measuring the individual cells (after un-paralleling them of course) than charging said individual cells, noting which cells were low or took a bit more time to etc.
Silly enough I can charge faster using individual sections which is why I have each section connectored (connectored = not a real word but now it IS). the switches allow me to isolate each section so I can use non-isolated chargers.

 

[ddk]

it's kinda nice...
having an actual "fuel gauge" plus I get to learn about stuff I've never been curious about such as: MPDPM rear motor/controller uses 15Wh just being "on" as it powers running lights and controller cooling fan. I rarely use the actual motor.
I've left the meter running since I installed it a few days ago when the battery pack was previously discharged to 28.0V.
I leave the meters' backlight turned off and it then consumes minuscule amounts of current.

 

[ddk]

...how small is the power consumption of the meter
hilarious results show the battery increasing its' voltage over the previous day :lol:

(meaning the battery hadn't quite recovered to a fully rested state from it's use that afternoon.

 

[ddk]

Seems like only yesterday I sewed a temporary fix on my mesh seat cover because it was unraveling at the seams. Back then it was close to impossible, yet not improbable to thread a needle and success was achieved in that regards.
Since every thing is temporary*, I expected failure of the repaired seat back sooner or later; in fact, much sooner than later. But amazingly, the repair lasted a year almost, but not quite. (repaired around May 15, 2015) On the same page of that thread I offered a link to a solution for those who aspire to never threading a needle, and wut I have to use today.

*including stone but a stone bike would be interdasting for longevity's' purposes, its' weight literally measured in "stones" uncomfortable, heavy, possibly lumpy, what's not to like?

 

[ddk]

~after a few more days of meter testing under real conditions:
The Wh reading is a stored function allowing you to turn the meter "off" without losing said reading. Otherwise (although seriously I don't consider this an issue as I ride the trikes most every day) the meter "powered on" causes the 7S battery to discharge about 0.02V daily (including battery's "self-discharge")

I haven't done the whole math thing to figure out how much power that actually is, but it's a bit larger number than I expected, meaning the meter probably uses an inefficient method of dc-dc conversion for powering its' electronics stuff.

 

[ddk]

~after a few more days of meter testing under real conditions:
The Wh reading is a stored function allowing you to turn the meter "off" without losing said reading. Otherwise (although seriously I don't consider this an issue as I ride the trikes most every day) the meter "powered on" causes the 7S battery to discharge about 0.02V daily (including battery's "self-discharge")

I haven't done the whole math thing to figure out how much power that actually is, but it's a bit larger number than I expected, meaning the meter probably uses an inefficient method of dc-dc conversion for powering its' electronics stuff.

The above statement is, well, completely (almost) false because I didn't realize the battery's resting voltage varies as much as it does due to temperature differences.

I've decided a 7S 15Ah battery for MPDPM rear motor would likely match the 12S 32Ah battery for MPDPM front motor, for recharge porpoises (at about the same ...level bla bla bla).

 

[ddk]

I lied (mainly, to myself)
-can't stop the making stuff

Never NEVER use soldered connections for high current stuff (he said)
except.... but what if that's just about the only connection I CAN make? so...


Remember that nice clean(ish) schematic I drew recently?
This when that turns into reality, plus, I'm really clumsy these days.
...otherwise some 18-19 5S 5Ah batteries would just be sitting on the shelf, waiting to die.

 

[ddk]

Whilst a 14S battery runs a majic pie controller ok, a 15S battery don't.
I fail to remember if the "over voltage" parameter is programmable.
Guess I actually have to have my son fix the old XP to find out (needs a new power supply)

However... I built the 15S battery (s) (and building one more) for MPDPM and 61V runs the (whatever) controller just fine!