It happened the other day, but I've been flat out since, however....
THE BATTERY IS IN!!!
I ended up mixing the thermal paste with some silicone grease, and some...ahem...other...silicone based lube. :wink: :lol:
Since they were all silicone based, they mixed well and the resulting paste was both lubricating and sticky which worked perfectly.
I pre-lubed the insides of the frame using a curtain rod...one of the few things I have long enough...and liberally coated the sides and bottom of the battery.
It was a two person job getting it in and it required one person to hold all the wires tight and flat against the bottom the frame, while the other helped ease the battery in without crushing/slicing the other persons fingers against the frame...not an easy task.
Even with the lube, it was quite a tight fit and required quite a bit of force to get it in there.
The last part could not be done by hand, so I re-employed the curtain rod for the last push to the end.
I would post a photo showing the end result, but it's inside the frame...so a photo of the frame doesn't really show anything. :lol: But here's the only shot I could still take showing it is in fact in there.
Re-mounting the rear fork/stays was not exactly easy with the battery in there, but I got it done eventually with a lot of patience and angled spanner contortions.
I wired up the secondary battery and controller, and installed new gear and brake cables. The charge port and balance wires are nested nicely in the gap just in front of the rear forks,
The foam cover is just to prevent the balance plugs getting dirty or wet and can easily be slid down to access them.
I also painted the clamping torque blocks, and tightened everything up after getting some shorter bolts and half nuts in order to make it fit next to the derailleur mount.
Here's the clamping torque blocks in place and tighten up.
As you can see, the non-drive side is an absolute mess. This is partly because I decided to re-use the original torque clamps that did not fit, as axle/wire cut preventing pieces so that if the bike is crashed or layed down onto that axle, those protruding pieces should take the force, not my wires and avoid them getting cut.
As for the stand, it's a whole other story, and I'm open to suggestions. I did order a new one, but the bolt was too big. The threads in the rear forks are mostly stripped, so I'm thinking I need a clamp on stand, but not sure I'll be able to find one that works at the funky angle of this bike. Any suggestions welcome.
I also bought this cheap little battery meter to add as a simple battery gauge.
I think I'll just stick it on top of the CA. I know it's not that accurate, but I like being able to get a rough feel for consumption at a quick glance...and it glows green, which is cool.
Still left to do is tidy up the mess of wiring, and secure the controller and 2S pack to the frame. I think I'll just use zip ties and duct tape as I haven't thought of a better way to do it yet.
And after that I have to re-mount my solar panel and light...then I'm done...for now.
My next thing to tackle for this bike is the controller. I was very close to buying one of the new Grinfineon sinewave controllers the other day, but I would also have to buy a new CAV3 if I want to keep my cruise control, and I also didn't like the idea of loosing programming ability, but I think I might still get one at some stage...just gotta finish of some other projects first.
Cheers