Back in the Saddle: Going to California: 2011

Kingfish said:

Actually, I came off a project for HTC just a couple of months ago and have the Android SDK and JDK loaded in case they wanted to put me to task. So – you ain’t gonna hurt my feelings none friend

OK – so it looks like there are a lot of Android devices. May I presume we are discussing cell phones and not tablets? (I’ll still need photo editing and I already own Photoshop, hence some type of laptop/notebook.)

Which Android device do you prefer?

Thanks, KF

Click to expand...

I have an HTC G1, an HTC Nexus2, an HTC Evo4G, and a gtablet (which I seldom ever use). (all hacked firmware and OS obviously, because stock android is pretty awful these days with the crap sprint/verizion/t-mobile load it up with.)

If I were buying a phone today, I would go with the Samsung galaxy S II (or S2). (not the galaxy s)

Towards Christmas, I will definitely be buying the HTC Nexus3 powered by the Tegra3 1.2Ghz quad-core processor with an HD gaming capable GPU setup. My EVO 4g all ready is as powerful as my atom netbook, and the Nexus3 is more powerful than the average persons desktop. I also think the desktop computer concept as we know it will be dead soon, replaced with just terminals that we plug our phone into to work if/when we want a larger screen and full sized keyboard.

Kingfish said:

Green Machine said:

Hey Kingfish,

If you go android you can buy this $100 device instead of cycle analyst:

http://www.speedict.com/

If you think you might buy this speedict device in the future you should buy an bluetooth enabled phone now....the speedict connects wirelessly to your android phone.

Also if you have cell phone coverage the speedict will actually map your routes for you with gps so you can post your routes here....also record battery usage data in cool graphs.

Really nifty device....i got one and can vouch for it. Way cool. Worth buying an android just for it (does not work with iphone or windows 7)

Click to expand...

Oh man! I want! 8)
Gosh, it's got it all and more! Who's using one? Does it come with temp sensors?? Most exciting toy I've seen since ... well since! :lol:
Best, KF

Click to expand...

It does have temperature sensors....

Really cool looking...looks like rc technology...as opposed to dorky ebike tech

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=22919&hilit=+speedict

Drop shipped straight from hong kong...got mine in like a week.

Only problem is now i got to ditch my iphone for an android....which i guess is a good thing.

Green Machine said:

Kingfish said:

Green Machine said:

Hey Kingfish,

If you go android you can buy this $100 device instead of cycle analyst:

http://www.speedict.com/

If you think you might buy this speedict device in the future you should buy an bluetooth enabled phone now....the speedict connects wirelessly to your android phone.

Also if you have cell phone coverage the speedict will actually map your routes for you with gps so you can post your routes here....also record battery usage data in cool graphs.

Really nifty device....i got one and can vouch for it. Way cool. Worth buying an android just for it (does not work with iphone or windows 7)

Click to expand...

Oh man! I want! 8)
Gosh, it's got it all and more! Who's using one? Does it come with temp sensors?? Most exciting toy I've seen since ... well since! :lol:
Best, KF

Click to expand...

It does have temperature sensors....

Really cool looking...looks like rc technology...as opposed to dorky ebike tech

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=22919&hilit=+speedict

Drop shipped straight from hong kong...got mine in like a week.

Only problem is now i got to ditch my iphone for an android....which i guess is a good thing.

Click to expand...

OK, so I can see one question is that the 80V limit might be a problem with regen, particularly if I have mine set pretty high. Have you experienced issues with that?
The second question is that I presume this needs to be inline and inbetween the controller and battery. Might not be an issue though I'll be running dual-controllers.

The battery monitor feature is completely trick! KF

Cell Phones & Data

liveforphysics said:

Kingfish said:

Actually, I came off a project for HTC just a couple of months ago and have the Android SDK and JDK loaded in case they wanted to put me to task. So – you ain’t gonna hurt my feelings none friend

OK – so it looks like there are a lot of Android devices. May I presume we are discussing cell phones and not tablets? (I’ll still need photo editing and I already own Photoshop, hence some type of laptop/notebook.)

Which Android device do you prefer?

Thanks, KF

Click to expand...

I have an HTC G1, an HTC Nexus2, an HTC Evo4G, and a gtablet (which I seldom ever use). (all hacked firmware and OS obviously, because stock android is pretty awful these days with the crap sprint/verizion/t-mobile load it up with.)

If I were buying a phone today, I would go with the Samsung galaxy S II (or S2). (not the galaxy s)

Towards Christmas, I will definitely be buying the HTC Nexus3 powered by the Tegra3 1.2Ghz quad-core processor with an HD gaming capable GPU setup. My EVO 4g all ready is as powerful as my atom netbook, and the Nexus3 is more powerful than the average persons desktop. I also think the desktop computer concept as we know it will be dead soon, replaced with just terminals that we plug our phone into to work if/when we want a larger screen and full sized keyboard.

Click to expand...

Did some research and it looks like Verizon has the better coverage in my local. Nation-wide, it’s a toss – though I’m rarely on that path. In northern California folks say AT&T beats out Verizon, yet I have to consider where I live.

Spelunking through the various choices, I am now in the Android camp thanks in part by your wisdom friend. :wink: Although I am struggling a little bit with the latest-greatest phones; where to get them…

Verizon says that jail-broken (did I get that right?) phones do not work on their network as they would with AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. Thus I’m not sure that if I did acquire a hottie phone how it could be joined to the Borg, er… Network.

The best Android phone I could find in Redmond at Verizon is the Samsung Droid Charge. At Verizon they want $299. This morning I found an article that says Amazon beats their pricing by $100. It’s actually $150, and I can get the same plan offered through Amazon Wireless – seems like the best deal so far.

Anyway – I haven’t committed yet; there’s still time to evaluate the options. I beg to hear your thoughts.

The Plan considered: Cell Phone w/ 450 minutes Talk, unlimited data, no text.

If I sound like a noob, it's cos I yam, KF

Brief Status

• Custom Parts: I have been busy as bees trying to get the latest revisions out to the machinist. It’s got me a bit nervous and eyeballing the clock.
  
• Cell Phone: Haven’t bought one yet. Discovered Amazon has the best deal going. Awaiting feedback from ES-friendlies on the previous cell phone discussion. There’s a bit of time to choose. Coincidentally – there’s a Father’s Day sale at the Microsoft Store; the HTC Trophy is discounted heavily to $0.01, although a review of the monthly charges is warranted as I’m not sure if the fees include Data and Phone service.
  
• Laptop: I may forgo this altogether; it’s weight and convenience. I will have access to computers twice on my trip and the need is really only for image processing and uploading. I don’t need to spend the money right now: Drop.
  
• Exercise: When I’m not drawing and scheming, I’m riding or walking. The Cascade Bike Club (largest in the country I believe) is hosting the Flying Wheels Century this weekend. I’d like to go however I don’t have the proper torque arms, and I’d hate to run without them. It would be a good warm-up though. Last year I made incredible time, though I had problems with cramping and so forth. Well, I have one more day to consider it.
  
• Batteries: Forgot to mention that these arrived last week. They are still in the box and I haven’t had time to inspect yet.
  
• Food: This week I have begun to ponder my diet for the trip. Last year I brought along a load of Cliff Bars, however they are sort of falling out of favor for more traditional whole foods such as apples, bananas, oranges, bagels, Gorp, jerked beef or even tinned fish. Mainly I just want something where I can stop and eat every hour without a lot of hassle.
  
• Camping: Given the friendly invites it could be that I might be able to motel the rest when not at relatives, thus reducing my load significantly: My two longest days may not be so long after all. My hope is that we’ll have fair to good weather heading south from the Pacific Northwest. I’ve been caught twice this week in the rain when the Weather Channel predicted clear afternoons; no fun becoming soaked and cold to the bone. Actually I can take rain just fine so long as I am wearing rain gear. But every now and then we get those “sun breaks” around here and you just want to quite the day job and go for a hike!

Three weeks to go.
~KF

Very cool project Kingfish!

Kudos to you for taking this on, quite the modern adventure. Let me know if I can help with anything.

Cheers,
David
ProgressiveRC

Status

• The Trailer is coming along; I’ve settled on a battery box which forces the structural design to conclusion; I should have the final parts detailed today.
• Ordered the Speedict device.
• The Cell Phone is slated to be ordered tomorrow; June 14th sticks in my brain as a release-date of hardware for some odd reason. I did look at tablets but I think a phone will suffice. At present, it is looking like Verizon with the Samsung Droid Charge; best that can be had today for all I know.
• Aero Bars: Last year I had wrist strain and hand fatigue; it would have been nice to stretch out and give them a rest periodically. The aero bars would allow for that. There are no electrical controls for them unfortunately although I have some ideas and may introduce a new thread on the subject.
• Mirrors: Need to find a better set; what I have now is marginal. The motorcycle mirrors are too heavy for a bicycle handlebar. A nice 4” diameter wing-out might do. The alternative is to dump the carbon-fiber handlebar and go back to an alloy or aluminum and use the end-bar mirrors.
• Route-Reworked: Mainly I generated alternative routes in case of severe weather/headwind, and to accommodate potential invites. I also worked up two alternate routes back to Redmond: One adds an extra day to include the Olympic Peninsula with an overnight stay at Neah Bay (the Lands-End of the PNW and I’ve never been there), and the second takes a shorter route also via the Olympic Peninsula though on the east side – which I have never inspected. Lastly, I discovered a quicker way to the top of Medicine Lake that is paved by all accounts, although very steep; that’s what the 2WD is for! :wink:

Two weeks to go, KF

Cell phone acquired.
SEnt from a cell phone. KF 8)

Kingfish said:

Cell phone acquired.
SEnt from a cell phone. KF 8)

Click to expand...

Android? Galaxy S2?

Verizon Samsung Droid Charge...gawd this is really slow way to talk.

Hunt and peck city. Can a guy get a keyboard for this thing? Baby-stepping... gotta walk before i can run.Learning fast. No worries. And all good.

android for the win. I'm looking forward to getting htc thunderbolt. Currently loathing my eris but I was sure in love with it when it was new. I think that's how tech works. Verizon has the best overall coverage in my area.

I bet you could find a couch every night of your trip if you would like. I'm not California but I have plenty of friends and family that could hook you up.

dumbluck said:

android for the win. I'm looking forward to getting htc thunderbolt. Currently loathing my eris but I was sure in love with it when it was new. I think that's how tech works. Verizon has the best overall coverage in my area.

I bet you could find a couch every night of your trip if you would like. I'm not California but I have plenty of friends and family that could hook you up.

Click to expand...

Couch: Thank you kindly - I am honored! I hope to have all the ducks in a row as we get closer to the launch date

Smartphone: I found this quite humorous link this AM; seems most appropriate given the last 24 hours:
Why I love and hate having a smartphone :lol:

I will post status later today.
Making headway on important issues, KF

Busy as Bees!

No other way to say it. I’m bushed – but happy.

• Trailer: Going great guns to get this wrapped up. All the designs are at the Machinist and we are cutting steel this evening. There is a lot to do still.
• Ordered up the Cell Phone yesterday. Still a babe in the woods with the device, though learning quickly. The Cell Phone charges through the USB-2 port from my PC to the USB Micro-B connector. Coincidence? I am now on the hunt for a 12V to USB-2 adapter for the ebike.
• Rear Suspension Shock serviced: I did this today by taking my ebike over to Gregg’s Cycle in Bellevue. They are the designated Fox Shock repair center. Only took an hour and the shock was in pretty good condition. Insurance for piece of mind; it had developed a slow leak – though I think the Seal Kit will fix all the issues.
• Mirrors: Determined late last night that I can fit my old Mirrycle MtB Bar-End Mirror into the carbon-fiber fork; it’s difficult though I can get it in and out. This resolved the initial problem. While at Gregg’s I snagged a second mirror for the other side for < $15; good deal!
• Gloves: Bought summer-time gloves as my old ones were quite worn.
• Fenders for Trailer: Still looking, although the Townie Balloon is the leading candidate.
• Rain Wraps: Still on the hunt for rain-proof covering for my summer shoes; saves me from carrying my winter boots.
• Aerobars: While the ebike was getting serviced I was able to test out a few of these as well. Narrowing the field.

However, the really big news that I have is actually quite exciting:

• This morning I woke up to some delightful email from Speedict. Effective this AM, Speedict is now officially my first sponsor
  I am really quite honored to be their guinea pig testing out the new hardware and firmware on this trip!

Now if I can just figure out a way for you guys to see my progress in real time.

More news when it happens; 13 days to go.
~KF

This is shaping up nicely. Congrats on pulling sponsorship from an android developer 24 hrs after becoming an android user! What phone mount are you gonna use?

I think there's a ton of apps for realtime gps location mapping

edit: oh i see the speedict has control of the gps, but doesn't do realtime......didn't realise it had gps as well.....

jonathanm said:

This is shaping up nicely. Congrats on pulling sponsorship from an android developer 24 hrs after becoming an android user! What phone mount are you gonna use?

I think there's a ton of apps for realtime gps location mapping

edit: oh i see the speedict has control of the gps, but doesn't do realtime......didn't realise it had gps as well.....

Click to expand...

Thanks jonathanm
Mounting: Don't know just yet; I will need to wait and see how the handlebar re-org goes.

Realtime: I was speaking about public tracking; how someone could see my progress of the journey in real time. :wink:

BTW - here's the link to Gregg's Cycles. They have a really nice shop there in Bellevue - very impressive, and quite helpful. The gent that wrenched on my shock though my ebike was the "most dialed" he'd ever seen hehe
Cheers, KF

Actually, according to this:

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4386252/multiple-subscriptions-on-the-gps-device

Android lets you run multiple GPS apps at once....so you could run another app simultaneously doing the realtime updating.

There are a few around, including free ones, dunno which are the better ones though...here's a couple :

http://www.greenalp.com/

http://spysat.eu/

http://web.appstorm.net/how-to/real-time-phone-gps-tracking-with-instamapper/

There is also google latitude, dunno if you can make your location public on there though....

Saturday June 18th

There are two Status lists that I am keeping; be sure to check out the Pusher Trailer thread to see status of the rest of my bike.

I have been slammed every day, and it’s been like a blur.

UBS 12V -> 5V DC-DC Converter: Sourced a cigarette lighter-style on Amazon and will tie this into my 12V supply. Supplies power for two USB-2 ports. My new cell phone came with a USB-2 to Micro-B cable, so I am set for continuous power.



Fenders: Bought an SKS Grand D.A.D. (Dual Adjust Dirtboard) for the front tire; try something a little different to see if it works.



Aerobars: Went back to Gregg’s Cycles yesterday after visiting the Machinist and picked up the Profile Design Aero Bar T2+ DL. It was a little more than Amazon, however these guys spent some time educating me and I appreciated their service with a sale.



Torque Arms – Front: Late Friday afternoon, having made a circuitous loop around Bellevue, I was just two blocks away from the Machinist and decided pop back end to see if there were any pending issues. They had just finished my front torque arms! I brought them home but realized that I didn’t have the fasteners for them. Spent the morning sorting out the list and decided to buy in bulk most all the fasteners that’ll need from McMaster-Carr and forwarded the delivery to the Machinist.


Fresh parts! 8)

Rain-Proof Club Shoe Covering: Settled on the Showers Pass product from REI. The large size was required to get over my summer shoes. The weight was in ounces, and packs up very tight; eliminates the need for me to carry my Lake Winter Booties for the rarely expected inclement weather. The bottoms will likely tear out, but I have some really tough vinyl left over from making the battery bags so I shall sew in a reinforced sole where the foot meets the pedal.



Mapping: I reorganized my projected routes into PLAN-C. The distance of each leg, down and back is roughly equal – within 60 miles, and the grand total length is now 2444 miles, climbing 118,210 feet. No single leg exceeds 200 miles now, however there are some very steep climbs involved. To ensure that I can reach these goals I worked up a test ride using a local mountain pass from my first 101 Club. There are two alternatives – each taking more than 100 miles. My plan is to prep the bike and trailer sans all my clothing and tools; just bike and batteries and some food. Take it up to the Pass and back, then do it again the next day (so I don’t wear myself out). The two loops should be doable; 15 months ago I did it with 20 5Ah LiPo bricks at 10S10P, and this year I have 72 bricks at 15S24P. I shall not charge in-between the loops; the total distance is about 210 miles with a total elevation climb of 12600 feet. My hope is that this effort will find all the quirky bugs, and sort them out before leaving. :wink:

And now for something completely different...

OT: Whilst at the Machinist I had the opportunity to photograph his electric Chevy Luv. This truck runs on QTY-10 12V Deep Cycle batteries; he gets about 20 miles per charge. He is not interested in upgrading to LiPo at this time; he claims it’s perfect for commuting to work.


Wot’s under the hood?


Oh my!


A closer peek... nice!


I think he said there are three batteries forward in the engine compartment, and the rest are here in the back right behind the cab. Pretty neat, huh! 8)

Nine days to go. KF

Thursday June 23rd

• Ordered the Magura 3.0mm/M5 6-bolt disc rotor spacer from Universal Cycles. This will move the disc rotor out 3mm farther from the 9C 2806 FH cover. The hub is designed for 100mm wide forks and mine is 110mm wide so there is room to offset the hub enough to fit a standard disc brake unit with the spacer. :wink:
• Procured 25 feet of Teflon Wire-12 AWG, stranded 19/25, 600v, 200°C, 0.014" wall, Style UL1332 from Surplus Sales of Nebraska. I’ll use this to upgrade the hub phase wires. The thin wall should allow the wire to pass through the stock axle without the need to drill.
  
  
  
  
  
• Ordered more batteries. Actually – I blinked. Yesterday I had to make a run up to Mukilteo to drop my parts off for plating; from Redmond it’s about 50 miles round-trip. Um, the reality is that I tried to do this on Tuesday from Bellevue after picking the parts up from the Machinist however a mile into the journey I had a rapid flat on the rear tire. Unbelievable as it sounds, my Hookworm on the rear had the flat; I couldn’t find a puncture anywhere on the tire. Unfortunately I did not bring tools to do a field repair, and so I ended up pushing my bike about 7 miles back to Redmond REI where I knew I could get it fixed pretty cheaply. Turns out that the Specialized Plastic Rim Tape had slipped, exposing a lug and this slit the Maxxis balloon tire right at the seam. I resolved to purchase some fatty Velox tape and redo my Mavic rims, and I might do the Kris Holm 24” rim too just for good measure.
  
  So where wuz I? Oh yea, Mukilteo. I get up the next morning and head out; it’s a good long hill climb and there was crosswind as well. Between the urban traffic and the wind and hills I nearly expended the pack and limbed the bike home at a poverty-pedal rate of 21 mph. Got home and opened up a spreadsheet and remitted the miles and total elevation – using this as a baseline for projection. With regards to the California Road Trip, most of my days are pretty good for miles and elevation, however I have two that will push the limits, and based upon the Mukilteo trip I wasn’t going to make it without some poverty-pedaling.
  
  I thought about this and decided that I would likely not enjoy pulling that trailer loaded down with 100 pounds of batteries and gear without some sort of power assist/hyper-mile technique. And so, I blinked. Decided to order up another 12 Zippy 5S1P from good ‘ol HK yesterday. I put a rush on it; the box was picked up by USPS in Tacoma this afternoon, so I should have it tomorrow or Saturday… and for that matter Monday would be fine too. Call it “peace of mind”.
  
• Today I decided I really wanted to throw on the extra pack (Booster Bag) that I use when I want to go 100 miles. But for some reason I couldn’t fish out the connector from the triangle area. I decided to disassemble it and sort it out. Turns out that I used both pigtails. Well, I need to inspect the batteries anyways, so I pulled out the 18 Lipos and checked the cells. One brick had a dead cell, and two had a voltage of 4.5 within the same unit; this I pulled and put the Battery Medic on DISCHARGE. Two other bricks were also way over voltage so I put them on Blinkies to discharge & balance them out. With my copious supply of brand new bricks, I selected 18 and did the passive balance using the balancing wires and got all the cells within 0.03V. Then I repacked the triangle, and added the extension wire for the Booster Bag. Now I could go WOT without fear; Mukilteo or Bust!
  
  50 miles is a long ride when yer fighting urban traffic, wind, and rain. I left at 4 PM, got there at 6:30 PM (had to stop at Ace Hardware first), hit the Mongolian Grill (yum!) on the way back, got seriously dumped on just after St. Edwards Park and finally made it home at 9 PM; I didn’t know it was that late coz of the rain… dark clouds June 23rd – being near the longest day of the year and high latitude et al. I was soaked to the bone; at least it wasn’t a cold rain. It’s still chuckin’ it down outside; sounds like a river flowing. Makes one think of Noah and his Ark.
  
  
  
  
  
• Weirdness on the road: Not long after I began my 2nd trip to Mukilteo I noticed some really odd handling – like the front forks were wobbling, but I couldn’t replicate it when static; it only happens at certain speeds – like a resonate oscillation. Near as I can tell it may have something to do with the Booster Pack. The fact is I have never used the Booster Pack with this frame before. I’m betting that the weight of the pack plus the way that the full-suspension is articulated is generating instability at a particular speed. I took the pack off tonight; the next long distance ride will use the trailer, however I will try to see if the problem persists tomorrow – and pray that my forks are not the source.
  
• Speaking of Tomorrow, I’ll return the plated parts back to the Machinist so we can begin the final assembly – at least up to the point where I can bring the trailer home and finish it up here.
  
  I still have a mountain of things to do.
  Click here to see the latest Trailer Status.
  
  Beat, hungry again, maybe time for some Netflix, KF

Sunday June 26th

Spent Friday afternoon at the Machinist assembling the trailer to the point where I could bring it home. It began to rain (no surprise there) but I wanted to wait for the shower to pass because I didn’t have fenders on the trailer. Well, I ended up bringing it home in the rain and it was messy. Got that all wiped down and ready for working on it over the weekend.



Every time I stopped people on bikes or walking by remarked on the strange arrangement; they all thought it was pretty cool!

Saturday
The Machinist called to tell me that I forgot to pick up all my sample parts – the Phil Wood Bottom Bracket being the main item, therefore I spent the morning and afternoon fetching the rest of what needed doing before you do it: Glue, wrenches, foam padding, HDPE, wood sealer, zip ties, Velox rim tape, and oh yeah – the Phil wood Bottom Bracket.

When I was heading out to the Machinist – the traffic was light in downtown so I opened up the throttle and tore ass down the main drag. At the next light some guy pulls up next to me and asks me if that’s a bike I’m riding, and I say yeah it’s an electric; he was exasperated – saying “Did you know you were doing 35 mph back there?!?” And I kinda shrugged and said yeah. Then the light turned green so I hit it!

Got back home by 2 PM and the first thing I wanted to do was swap out from studded front hub with the new Disc Hub with the Hookworm tire. Decided this was a good time to upgrade the phase wiring in the hub. Took me what seemed like three hours to figure the best way to get ‘r done and sealed back up. I’m sure I worked on other things… I’m just too fatigued to recall right now.

Sunday (today)
This morning I was going to work on the trailer but the dang thing had a flat! WTF? :x Spent the morning sourcing replacement tubes; none of the online shops are open on Sunday so it will need to wait till the morning.

Took the Hookworm tire off the rim to inspect the tube; it was a Maxxis just like the one on the rear tire that gave me the flat last Tuesday. I pulled that off and then laid down a layer of the fatty Velox rim tape right over the skinny Specialized plastic rim tape. Then added a Kenda Boxed Downhill Tube 26 x 2.4/2.75 (I have two of them). This is a beefier tube all around. Put the Hookworm back on, and reseated the whole assembly twice like the guy at REI suggested to reduce chance of pinch-flats. Done.

Next I finished the phase wiring and attached the USB-2 Micro-B connector to the Hall Effect signals, then made an adapter to link between the old and new HE cabling; hooked it all up with the new torque arm and turned the throttle. Nuttin’ – not even smoke. Dang. Normally I’d have a beer and think about it but then it dawned on me that the ebrake has been flakey; checked that and hit the throttle: It spins! Yea!! <whew!> :lol:

The next migraine was the disc brake: What a bugger this was! I suspect that the machining on the hub is not perpendicular to the axle because it took me the better part of an hour to figure out that the disc or the hub was warped. Regardless, I slapped a makeshift arrangement together and blasted into town looking for a post-mount front disc bracket for 203mm disc brake. I knew REI would have it, and I checked the other two bike shops, but the last one did have the bracket and the guy even had 0.20mm shims for the disc; Score! Took me another hour to finally get the disc into some sort of equilibrium to be useful. One done then I replaced the brake line and strung up a new one to the disc brake and tested it; all good (enough).

Reset the CA to the new hub and wheel. My freewheel speed has dropped from 53.5 mph to about 47.5 mph. I can only conclude that this has to do with the weight of the wheel, being a 2.5-inch wide fatty badass. The ride into town was interesting: I have more bottom-end, though it takes a little longer to ramp to top-speed; my thinking is two-fold: The studded tires slip trying to get a grip whereas the Hookworms do not slip at all, and it could be that the beefier phase wiring is allowing more current through to feed the launch. One artifact that is uniquely different is that my Regen has doubled! I was getting 7.1% in the city; it’s never been that high ever – mostly 5% at the very best.

One other strange item to report: There are no external markings on the FH other than the E-Bikekit logo, unlike the Ebikes motors which have either a sticker and/or stamped printing which indicates the size and wind. While replacing the phase wiring I did notice some writing on the circumference of the stator which said “8 x 7”. I hope this does not mean I have a 2807.

The last item: This front hub is really loud and growls with a lower frequency over my last hub; I attributed this to the harmonics of the hub covers. The handling of the bigger tire caught me off guard – but I got it sorted out; it’s a monster and really grips the road well now.

It’s 9 PM and I still haven’t touched the trailer. I need to finish the mods to the bike though. All the bike shops are booked out for a week, so it’s me doing the twiddling… and I’m kinda pokey cos I want to get it right.

That’s it for now; time for dinner and a movie.
Cheers, KF

nice rig. yes the triple 12 gauge will go through but the halls sensor wires are the weak link. you gotta keep them from binding up inside the axle between the phase wires and the axle inside where the drill leaves rough surfaces that tear off the hall sensor wire insulation. someone needs to invent a preformed wire bundle with the 12 gauge phase wires and the hall sensor wires all arranged close packing and bonded together so they can be pushed through.

when you mentioned the tube, did you inflate a little bit to help when you reseated the tire the second time? cops can give you a ticket for riding on studded tires, hehe.

the other thing i wondered about was the two silver sleeves on each side of the kingpin for the trailer. how is that constructed, the triangular links i can see a little, but wondered how that joint is made. like way cool. a rassie classie.

dnmun said:

when you mentioned the tube, did you inflate a little bit to help when you reseated the tire the second time?

Click to expand...

Yes.

dnmun said:

the other thing i wondered about was the two silver sleeves on each side of the kingpin for the trailer. how is that constructed, the triangular links i can see a little, but wondered how that joint is made. like way cool. a rassie classie.

Click to expand...

Imagine that instead of forks that I took some steel tubing, cut it short, then had it plated for protection, hence why they are shiny. I use the crown/steerer from a DH fork for the pivot, and then connect the "hitch" to the shiny tubing, with the other end connected to the bike's rear axle.

Thanks for the kind comments
Work-in-progress, KF

Monday Morning

Note: Front Faring was removed last night to facilitate modifications.

• Replaced Shimano Rear Disc Caliper with Avid Trigger so as to have the same mechanicals front and back.
• Lengthened the rear shifter cable housing by 3-4 inches and replaced the shifter cable with Teflon-lined cable per REI specialist suggestion; rear shifting was a bit stiff because I did not originally provision enough cable to make the loop at the end near the derailleur.
• Removed the 3-Way & Cruise-Control switch assembly for later relocation.
• Removed 3-Speed Derailleur, chain, Shimano XTR Crank and Bottom Bracket.
• Added Custom MtB Braze-on Adapter, Campagnolo Braze-on Derailleur, Custom-ordered Phil Wood Bottom Bracket, Campagnolo 53-42-30 Crank, and Shimano Dura-Ace XTR 9-Speed Chain (entire length), then diddled for the next hour getting it dialed in.

The ebike mechanicals are now up to date, converting the front wheel from rim brake to disc, adding pedaling comfort at higher speed, and upgrading the shifters to make more room on the handlebar.

Afternoon

• Switched over to the Trailer and took the 24” Wheel off for inspection; as I suspected the plastic rim tape was insufficient to prevent an inside cut into the tube. Resolved to make use of some spare “Stop Flats 2” tire liner and laid it down with rubber cement to prevent walking. Then used a bit of Velox tape to smooth over the binding at the stem. Discovered I had a second plastic rim tape made especially for the Kris Holm rim, and decided to add that as a third layer of protection and prevent the Stop Flats from wandering. This pretty much nullifies the reason for going with a rim that has holes in it don’t you think? For some reason this tire also did not have the Panaracer Kevlar tire liner, and my Stop Flats supply is too narrow; sourcing out options. I have a spare Arrow Tube; might bring that along for emergency repair.
• Ordered replacement Downhill tubes: Q-Tubes DH 26” and 24” 2.4-2.75 SV Schrader expressed delivery from JensonUSA.
• Began working on several related mods concerning the handlebar layout and the new primary controller.

At this point I will be delayed by a couple of days for supplies to come in; the weather is going to be rainy Tuesday and Wednesday anyway.

Focusing on the electrical, KF

Tuesday June 28th

I should have been on the road by now but good things take time.

• Spent the entire day stripping off the electrical system bit by bit, and wiring up the new… bit by bit. Programmed the primary controller with some default settings – nothing fancy and pretty similar to what I already have. The 3-Way speed is set to 50%, 75%, & 100%. It’s just for a test run. However the rated current is set for 24A with Phase set to 60A; the former is 1A lower whilst the latter is a bit higher; I’ll need to watch this on hill climbing as I am pretty sure I reset my last controller to 45A max to preserve the battery.
• I am about ready for a freewheel test but I am also tired, and when we’re tired that’s when accidents happen. Like this morning: I was tired and not paying attention while working with a sharp blade and sliced my thumb; nothing serious, doesn’t hurt - except for pride.
• Generally, I fabricated two harnesses and a crossover link to the second controller. Tedious work, I kept referring to my schematics to keep me straight. It didn’t help that I was a little bit short on connectors and ended up cannibalizing several old controllers for items.
• The controllers will be located in the rear this time, behind the seat though mounted on the rear suspension. They need to be as close together as possible. The primary controller therefore has a motor/HE harness going forward, and the secondary controller will have a stub-out: The trailer will carry the harness back to the motor.
• The second harness is hardwired to the primary controller and brings the signal lines forward to the handlebar for Cruise, 3-Way, and Ebrake. The CA and Throttle are long enough by default that they can traverse to the rear. I will provision for two CA’s up front, one for each controller.
• The Crossover will carry the Throttle, Cruise, 3-Way, and Ebrake.

ToDo List

• There is yet one more harness to create and I’m too fatigued to get to it tonight: Turn Signal and Brake Light. This will involve modifications to the DC-DC Converter system that presently powers my 3.3V supply for Hi-Powered LED headlights and rear-facing Blinkies. The mods will integrate a motorcycle-style L/R/Horn/Hi-Low Beam control and Flasher. The L/R indicators will be mounted Front, Rear, and on the Trailer. The Brake light will engage from a relay that is triggered by low current from closing the Ebrake. The License-plate light will be taped over. All the subassemblies are completed; it’s just waiting for me to tear into the Triangle area and feed the cables through.
• The Trailer has two harnesses that just need connectors: Motor/HE harness and the Taillights & Indicators. And that should be that for the electrical. After the smoke test run I will come back and add the R12 mod, upgrade the caps, and make whatever adjustments to the controller. Fingers-crossed – this should be an uneventful conclusion to all things electrical.

OT:
I have a guy that comes by and repairs the saucer, er um hidden urban cave from time to time, and last week the alien above me sprung a leak. He came by to check on things and caught me in the midst of wide-open assembly that looked a bit like an impact crater with tools and wires and parts leading away from the center of activity in a radial fashion; it blew his mind to see my bike in this state with meaty tires mounted, ready to rumble except - I had the dash/handlebar completely exposed and tinkering on the brains of the circuit boards. Had a good laugh: He pointed to an object in the room and said “Is that a lathe?!?” and I said “No… it’s just an industrial sewing machine”. I don’t think he’s ever seen that many LiPos before either.

The Maker help me: I might need another day just to clean up before I leave. :lol:

That’s all for now. Beat. Time for a movie and an apple… with peanut butter!
~KF
PS – Sorry no pictures; I’d rather show you the finished product :wink:

Wednesday June 29

Long day. I didn’t take notes through the day so this is from memory:

• Began the morning reorganizing the Handlebar as that will dictate how I will resolve some of the wire termination. The aero bars took a long time to figure out however I finally settled on an equitable arrangement with the hi-powered LED headlights. I managed to get every trick device onto the bar as a result; no small feat!
• I know I did some soldering this morning too but for the life of me I can’t remember what it was.
• Switched over and replaced the Front Disc Rotor. The front brake was warped and methinks that the wheel fell over and bent it, so I ordered another from JensonUSA. That arrived the day before and I decided to take a break from soldering (whatever it was) and replace the rotor. Well… the rotor wasn’t warped cos I have exactly the same problem with the new disc. Therefore I must conclude that the Front Hub has a warped Cover. The drift is clear across from one side of the caliper gap to the other. The only other option that I have is a painful one – and that is to shim the damned thing. I spent like two hours screwing around trying to trick it into shape but it’s just plain buggered and not worth a damn in the state that its’ in now, as in unusable. :x

This is when I took a nap.

• After about an hour snooze I got up and designed a cross-brace for the hitch to assuage a slight wobble and remitted that to the Machinist.
• Went back to the bike and hung the two harnesses onto it, including custom-mounting the primary controller.
• Decided to clean up and reorganize the work area; too much stuff lying about and productivity is falling.
• Began staging the next step in completing the instrumentation. Essentially I am adding a keyswitch to the bike so I can lock the electrical. Reusing an old controller case, I drilled out the hole to mount the keyswitch, and there is room for more discreet components; I call it “Da Black Box” cos it’s black and it’s a box. The DC-DC Converter will mount onto the side and use the case as the heat sink. About the only thing I can’t stuff into it is the flasher. Anyway – this assembly will be completed tomorrow.
• Took a break from that and installed the 24” DH Q-Tube and tire onto the trailer rear wheel. Those Hookworms are difficult to mount – at least for little ol’ me. That’s all done now. The only thing left to do to that wheel is upgrade the wiring which I may leave for last.
• Jonesin’ for a freewheel test! Finished crafting the USB-2 Micro-B Female connection with the HE signal wires in preparation for a freewheel test. Made a little resistor shunt for plugging the controller to the battery without a spark. Funny how that used to happen all the time, but now it never happens cos I leave the pack connected all the time. Hooked up the Throttle, CA, and shorted VCC to VCC-L: We have power! All the rest of the systems I left disconnected. Gave the throttle a twist – and nuttin. Rechecked everything and tried it again – wheel spins! There appears to be an issue with the Throttle – not sure; I’ll check it out in the morning.
• Freewheel results: MaxS was 42 mph. I think this is because I have the default speed set to 100%, though I am not sure. The motor has a profound low growl to it, but this only happens when starting, otherwise it sings. The front brake is just plain hosed; the disc is walking at least 0.050” back and forth. However I am happy that the controller works.

It’s now wicked early Thursday. There is a possibly that I could leave on Friday if I can get the brake issues resolved and fine-tune the controllers. Kinda wish I could bring a laptop for reprogramming on the fly, but the bike is plenty heavy now.

OK that’s me bushed. Time for a spot of homemade stew and then bed.
Zonked, KF