I think I deleted the pics, so i will have ot retake them and post next time I'm on wifi, but I converted my formerly-SLA powered Ryobi trimmer to run off RC LiPo instead.
I took one of the 6s 5Ah packs (I forget who it came from and most of the notes that were with them were lost somewhere along hte line after the house fire) and cut the center connecting trace on it's PCB, then connected it up as 3s2p instead, for 3s 10Ah.
Unfortunately, probably because this pack doesn't sag like the old 7Ah SLA the thing was designed to use, the motor overheats and I think the brush holder is damaged, because I have to use the foot-pounds-and-angles attitude adjustment on the motor end every so often to get it to run at the full speed. When it does not run at it's full speed, it quickly overheats, and the breaker built into the handle end pops, usually within a minute or so.
I'm probably going to have to replace the little Johnson Controls brushed motor with something else, as I don't think I can make it work correctly at this point. I am not even sure I can get the motor apart without damaging it worse than it already is.
If I do have to replace it, I'm not sure what motor I'll go with, cuz all the other trimmer motors I have are made for either 115VAC (universal), or 100-120VDC (PM), and I don't want to have to carry that much battery (don't care about the high voltage though).
I don't have any other little 12V (ish) brushed motors that will take that power level, or run fast enough, AFAIK. I do have a couple of medium-sized PM brushed motors that I think run on a fairly low voltage, originally bought for the friction drive project on DayGlo Avenger way wya back, though I don't have any idea where they are at right now I'm pretty sure they survived the fire.
Another possibility is using one of the 24V powerchair motors, without the gearbox on it, just adding a bearing and endcap on it and figuring out how to attach the line-reel to it's thicker shaft, if it's possible.
That's a lot heavier than the original motor, though, so I'm not sure I want to go that route--one reason I like this little trimmer is cuz it is light enough to carry around and use without making my arms/shoulders/etc hurt so much, unlike the bigger plug-in ones I have.
I'd also ideally like to add a little brushed controller to it for speed control, too, but I don't *need* that, and it'll be a while before I get that fancy with it, if ever. :lol:
I have *one* bigger trimmer that I don't mind so much, another Ryobi, because it is well-balanced with the motor in the *top* end of it, instead of down at the ground, but it is even heavier than the others, and doesnt' work right now--I actually have two: one died years ago of overheating due to overuse in summer heat and some problem in the motor windings, I think, but is mechanically sound, though in pieces in variuos boxes. The second I found at goodwill last year but it is missing parts of the reel-end. I can use that end of the old one on there instead, but before I can, I have to undo a nut on the old part that is rusted tight (cant' even put new line in it until I get that off). Already soaked it in PB blaster, to no effect, I think because I am just not strong enough any more to get a grip on the tools *and* the reel at the same time. (and my hands go numb at all the wrong times when doing this stuff, too).
I'd love to make THIS one battery powered, but it's a 115VAC universal brushed motor, and would take a lot of batteries in series to run it on DC.
It *does* have two speeds, though--the switch simply shunts across or leaves in-circuit a diode, so that the motor either gets full-wave or half-wave AC. So I could theoretically run it on only 70-80VDC, probably, and get about hte speed I want out of it.
But tha'ts still a lot of battery.....
One option would be to replace the brushed motor with an RC BLDC motor, and an ESC to run it, but the only one of those I have is in a Kepler drive from Bikefanatic, and assuming it still exists (might've been in the fire, I don't know), I'd rather keep it intact to put on a "normal" bike and try it out.
Another option is to take one of hte little Fusin geared hubs, probably the one with the broken clutch, and use just the core motor without the gearing and shell, etc., to drive the thing, along with a little 6FET ebike controller. That could be run off of maybe 36V and still maybe be fast enough with enough torque to drive the line and trim grass.
I took one of the 6s 5Ah packs (I forget who it came from and most of the notes that were with them were lost somewhere along hte line after the house fire) and cut the center connecting trace on it's PCB, then connected it up as 3s2p instead, for 3s 10Ah.
Unfortunately, probably because this pack doesn't sag like the old 7Ah SLA the thing was designed to use, the motor overheats and I think the brush holder is damaged, because I have to use the foot-pounds-and-angles attitude adjustment on the motor end every so often to get it to run at the full speed. When it does not run at it's full speed, it quickly overheats, and the breaker built into the handle end pops, usually within a minute or so.
I'm probably going to have to replace the little Johnson Controls brushed motor with something else, as I don't think I can make it work correctly at this point. I am not even sure I can get the motor apart without damaging it worse than it already is.
If I do have to replace it, I'm not sure what motor I'll go with, cuz all the other trimmer motors I have are made for either 115VAC (universal), or 100-120VDC (PM), and I don't want to have to carry that much battery (don't care about the high voltage though).
I don't have any other little 12V (ish) brushed motors that will take that power level, or run fast enough, AFAIK. I do have a couple of medium-sized PM brushed motors that I think run on a fairly low voltage, originally bought for the friction drive project on DayGlo Avenger way wya back, though I don't have any idea where they are at right now I'm pretty sure they survived the fire.
Another possibility is using one of the 24V powerchair motors, without the gearbox on it, just adding a bearing and endcap on it and figuring out how to attach the line-reel to it's thicker shaft, if it's possible.
That's a lot heavier than the original motor, though, so I'm not sure I want to go that route--one reason I like this little trimmer is cuz it is light enough to carry around and use without making my arms/shoulders/etc hurt so much, unlike the bigger plug-in ones I have.
I'd also ideally like to add a little brushed controller to it for speed control, too, but I don't *need* that, and it'll be a while before I get that fancy with it, if ever. :lol:
I have *one* bigger trimmer that I don't mind so much, another Ryobi, because it is well-balanced with the motor in the *top* end of it, instead of down at the ground, but it is even heavier than the others, and doesnt' work right now--I actually have two: one died years ago of overheating due to overuse in summer heat and some problem in the motor windings, I think, but is mechanically sound, though in pieces in variuos boxes. The second I found at goodwill last year but it is missing parts of the reel-end. I can use that end of the old one on there instead, but before I can, I have to undo a nut on the old part that is rusted tight (cant' even put new line in it until I get that off). Already soaked it in PB blaster, to no effect, I think because I am just not strong enough any more to get a grip on the tools *and* the reel at the same time. (and my hands go numb at all the wrong times when doing this stuff, too).
I'd love to make THIS one battery powered, but it's a 115VAC universal brushed motor, and would take a lot of batteries in series to run it on DC.
It *does* have two speeds, though--the switch simply shunts across or leaves in-circuit a diode, so that the motor either gets full-wave or half-wave AC. So I could theoretically run it on only 70-80VDC, probably, and get about hte speed I want out of it.
But tha'ts still a lot of battery.....
One option would be to replace the brushed motor with an RC BLDC motor, and an ESC to run it, but the only one of those I have is in a Kepler drive from Bikefanatic, and assuming it still exists (might've been in the fire, I don't know), I'd rather keep it intact to put on a "normal" bike and try it out.
Another option is to take one of hte little Fusin geared hubs, probably the one with the broken clutch, and use just the core motor without the gearing and shell, etc., to drive the thing, along with a little 6FET ebike controller. That could be run off of maybe 36V and still maybe be fast enough with enough torque to drive the line and trim grass.
