GCinDC's Giant DH Comp

Something seems wrong. With my 13 panels I get 450 kWh a month output from them.

My utility company screwed up my 2nd months bill. I have been logging my usage daily just to know how the system is doing. The first bill was for 0 to 65 kWh (65 total). The second bill was for 0 to 66 kWh (66 total). I can't see how the meter could start at 0 the second month. According to my numbers the second bill should have started at 65 and ended at 61 for a net of -4 kWh.

I went to the city to bitch but the gal who does this kind of stuff was off until this coming monday.
 
my uncle had a similar experience as i recall.
he completely covered his roof with pannels :p
but on getting the first bill, he noticed it was as though there was nothing there!
after some winging and moaning to the provider, he now gets like $250aud credit each quarter.

they must have just over looked it or something...so many people, no time for scrutiny.

he was also lucky enough to get his setup and sign papers with the provider before the date government decided to change the rates at which they buy back power(bastards) so hes got the good subsidised rate locked in for 5 years, just enough to completely pay off the pannels...
 
oh yeah, they'll be getting a call and sorted out. at least they noted the meter change.

as for the 360kWh, they must not have believed the meter was going backwards, cause they did the math, just marked it positive, not negative, cause this couldn't be coincidence.
20141108_125609.jpg
 
8 days out of surgery and slowly healing. pain isn't too bad, less than last time. either he did a better job or it wasn't as bad, or both. i'm even sneaking in some range of motion exercises otherwise i'll lose it after another couple weeks before i can start PT.

here's a pic of the lovely stitches, which will come out this monday:
20141115_074429.jpg


metro is getting old tho. very much looking forward to getting back on the bike. did it really have as much power as i think it did the last time i rode it? or was that a pain medicine induced dream? :p
 
X marks the spot! Mine were just slits, not X's. Completely tore one head and partial tears on 2 more. I lost some range of motion specialy reaching back as if to draw a holstered gun or whipe my behind. Flat bench went from 385 lbs x 10 to 225 lbs x5 with a whole lot of pain. I quit working out because I couldn't sleep for days after. Now I need surgery on my left shoulder from making up the difference of the weaker right one or I simply wore the left one out finally. I'd like to get the left done so I could go back to the gym. One one thing I learned is muscles are like credit, takes years to build and go away over night. 6'4" at 235 natural lbs to 195 in a year and a half. Maybe just a bit bitter! :D bright side is my bike is faster!

I hope for a speedy recovery for you.

Tom
 
I got my range of motion back by joining a swimming pool. That was from a 4 hour dislocated shoulder from a skateboard fall that didn't require surgery, so your situation and rehabilitation may be different. Though for a few weeks I thought my right arm was paralyzed, but it got better from day to day.

Get a few pointers from the PT over a few days, and simulate those movements in the real world instead of a physical rehab facility. Get well!
 
Nice scars.
GCinDC said:
very much looking forward to getting back on the bike. did it really have as much power as i think it did the last time i rode it? or was that a pain medicine induced dream? :p
When I first got back on my bike after ~4 months of being sick it felt like a riding a wild bull. I'd nudge it over half throttle and feel like I was going way too fast to be safe and could die at any second. Basically how others generally react when riding my bikes (and this was only my old 5kw one). Within a few days I was back to full throttle launches off the line without giving it a second thought
 
Hyena said:
Nice scars.
GCinDC said:
very much looking forward to getting back on the bike. did it really have as much power as i think it did the last time i rode it? or was that a pain medicine induced dream? :p
When I first got back on my bike after ~4 months of being sick it felt like a riding a wild bull. I'd nudge it over half throttle and feel like I was going way too fast to be safe and could die at any second. Basically how others generally react when riding my bikes (and this was only my old 5kw one). Within a few days I was back to full throttle launches off the line without giving it a second thought

I pull 12+kw off of my KMX/Cro @ 21"/Adaptto from most stops... and I'm always reminded when people say, "Hey, was that you on the thing whizzing around so fast?" that it's not normal to accelerate up to 35mph in ~1.5 seconds.

I stopped riding it for 3 weeks recently because I was afraid I'd have to go up a belt size, started riding my upright... when I got back on it, well, my memory didn't do it justice at all =)
 
xenodius said:
Hyena said:
Nice scars.
GCinDC said:
very much looking forward to getting back on the bike. did it really have as much power as i think it did the last time i rode it? or was that a pain medicine induced dream? :p
When I first got back on my bike after ~4 months of being sick it felt like a riding a wild bull. I'd nudge it over half throttle and feel like I was going way too fast to be safe and could die at any second. Basically how others generally react when riding my bikes (and this was only my old 5kw one). Within a few days I was back to full throttle launches off the line without giving it a second thought

I pull 12+kw off of my KMX/Cro @ 21"/Adaptto from most stops... and I'm always reminded when people say, "Hey, was that you on the thing whizzing around so fast?" that it's not normal to accelerate up to 35mph in ~1.5 seconds.

I stopped riding it for 3 weeks recently because I was afraid I'd have to go up a belt size, started riding my upright... when I got back on it, well, my memory didn't do it justice at all =)

My mind is twisted to ride @13+Kw peaks and my crystalyte 12mm axle partially twisted on one side... :twisted: maybe it's the 40A max regen current when engaged that throw me on bar...I should watch which way it twisted... :idea: take care whit a crystalyte axle @+8KW...espcially @low speed...
 
I have some excellent clamping torque arms machined by Brake that I welded onto my frame... I actually got a tiny bit of twisting with the Doctorbass arms on there, but now they're golden.

I may replace the axle before I attempt going from 300 to 500 phase amps though, just to be safe.
 
y'all are killing me with your 12kw and 300 battery Amps... i'm miss my bike!

i find i'm still racing tho, just on foot against other pedestrians, on the platforms, and up and down the metro escalators... the irony is that i'm probably now getting more exercise and arrive sweating!

the porch, btw, just in time to enjoy in winter?
GOPR3242.JPG

i'm not happy w/ the column trim; was thinking i'd put more of a cap trim on, so misalingment w/ beam wouldn't be noticable, but couldn't decide how to finish that.. ah well
 
It's kind of hard not to race when you can "teleport" around places. It rained today and I really had to resist peeling out from all the stops... I can only use about half throttle (and it's exponential) or my Pirelli will lose traction! It's fun to fishtail around.

Hey, that looks great! Can't see any misalignment from here but I think some crown would look good.
 
MAGICPIE3FOCUSPOWER said:
How many cells and amps are you using for this great bike? 8)

If you mean mine, I'm using a 24s A123 pack. As far as amps, I only pull 135 battery most of the time... =) 340 phase.

I've had it up to 72mph with OVS on max, on older firmware, before it was limited... =)
 
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=56622&start=25

It's pretty straightforward, I did most of that work in a tiny apartment and a parking lot, but now I have a garage. I've since welded a frame for the battery box onto the bike, fully enclosed it in ABS, extended the rear a bit, and welded on new torque-arms. Advantages? It kills in slippery conditions, and it accelerates REALLY fast. And it's just comfortable. And I can park it on campus without paying 600-1200 a year in fees...

It handles potholes and such surprisingly well even at 60mph or so, but raised objects on the road (as opposed to recesses) are not taken so lightly... e.g. speed bumps or debris. One time I accidentally hit a chunk of ice the size of my fist at 30mph, little did I know it was anchored in a pothole, it totally flipped me over. Ripped up the knee of my zip ups. Curbs are doable but not fun at all. And while my wrists are safe from carpal tunnel, I can't bunnyhop. Also, it's a bit wider than I'd like for pedestrian paths and such.

I plan on addressing those issues with a narrow track leaning delta velomobile. I hope I'm not threadjacking here, let me know, but here are some of my design points;

Vertical leading link fork. This will facilitate several things-- firstly, its a good design for a suspended FWD hubmotor, very sturdy. Second, it will maintain trail when I negotiate zero-point turns, which will remain ergonomic via simple U-joint linkage. The U-joint linkage will also allow easy adjustment of handlebar height, which will facilitate yet another point; the back of my seat will be able to flip up near the headrest and lock up, so that I can ride upright if I want. At least part of the fairing will be attached to the handlebars, and raise with it. There will be doors, which will both move forward on the inside of the fairing

Short wheelbase. The front wheel will be about in line with my knees, this will increase load on the front and help with traction. I plan on regen-braking a lot but I'm looking at getting a moto hydraulic brake and disc on my Cro... alternatively, some DH brakes should do.

Self-centering geometry. The rear swingarms will be designed such that leaning will increase the overall center of gravity as it moves from the midline, instead of lowering it like a traditional linear track vehicle. It probably won't be enough to reliably remain upright at a stop, I'll have a lean-lock for that, but it'll help dampen excessive leaning due to loss of rear traction (which should never occur anyway in a FWD setup-- if you can tell, I plan on riding in snow and ice)

Full fairing with a bubble. I want to be able to hunker down and cut through the wind. I don't want to blink when I think about riding in -20F weather. Or 100F weather, I've already designed some NACA ducts...

Serial drivetrain. I plan on riding at speeds from 5mph among pedestrians up to 60mph on the highway, and if it's cold, I'd like to stay warm that whole time. I plan on using a reversed mid-drive and cheap 6fet for resistance and energy. It won't be as efficient as a chain drive, but I don't care about that with a 7.5kwhr pack-- I care about staying warm, and getting exercise, and this accomplishes that better than a complex chainline on a FWD leaner... Also, I really want it to be super quiet, and chains can be noisy. A single belt drive should be pretty quiet though.

Big ass trunk. I want lots of convenient storage, and a delta gives me room, so it'll be big. And you can bet that empty space under the flat bed of the trunk and behind the seat will be full of batteries. Since it'll lean, things won't even slide around. I'll have room in the front of the fairing too.

The fairing, and charging. Since I just need stiffness, I plan on laying up carbon fiber over a high-infill multi-part 3d-printed mold, it should actually be cheaper than fiberglass for the same stiffness. And it'll be a one-step process. Some of the tools won't be cheap but it'll be nice to have them around. Also, I plan on making the fairing "rippled"; ~~~. The idea would be to get as many flexible solar cells on there as I can; since flex cells are very good at capturing energy at off angles and low-light conditions, it makes sense to use a "wave arrangement" to maximize surface area. I read that you can get ~30% more energy from a given area this way. I'll test it myself first before I build the fairing and try to compare to monocrystalline panels. Aero is more important than 1-2% panel efficiency, so I seriously doubt I'll use monos. But, if I could get a measly 100W out of that setup it'd take care of all my local commuting; I predict I could get 200w in sunny conditions. I use only 300wh on my typical daily commute, plus some extra for other trips. I'll have a master switch that turns on my Adaptto display, and simultaneously switches the panels and pedals to bulk-charging mode. When I park it, depending on charge state I'll either leave it like that or switch it to a coil/balance charge so it doesn't exceed my preferred pack limits. I would like to jack into the Max-E shunt for bulk-charging but might play it safe and use a CAv3 and inline shunt. I'd also like to have the ability to charge from 110v, 220v, and J1722.

I know it's a lot to pack into a single vehicle but I don't see why it can't be done, as I've seen examples of all these bits by themselves. I plan on getting an Ultimaker 2 if my boss doesn't, as it is capable of producing exceptionally precise (~20 micron resolution) FDM prints when tuned properly, and I could print a nice dash, fairing mold, aero side mirror mounts, headlight mounts, NACA ducts, fenders or molds for composite fenders, etc... with high resolution and some care, it's easy to glue ABS parts together and get a solid finished piece. Plus with infill you can make it lighter than sheeting...

I want it to serve as an all-weather vehicle with worry-free range, silent and comfortable operation with excellent suspension, lots of cargo space, good performance and handling, and integrated solar charging... for my ultimate goal; a vehicle that I can operate for 3,000 miles without plugging in to a wall, changing a tire, checking a dipstick, anything other than verifying things are working as they should. It's an arbitrary goal and bragging point. Of course I'll have longer term maintenance items with bearings, U-joints, suspension, and other linkages... but weather protection will go a long way in preserving those. I would like to have the frame done within a year, and the fairing done the next year. We'll see. I've been really really motivated but grad school is ridiculously time-consuming and I need to get a welding table before anything else, I think... large steel plates are expensive. I'll probably end up spending at least 5k all together and I might cannibalize my previous build too! But, I want it to be my transportation endpoint. Extremely custom, comfortable, reliable, and versatile.
 
xenodius said:
...Also, I plan on making the fairing "rippled"; ~~~. The idea would be to get as many flexible solar cells on there as I can; since flex cells are very good at capturing energy at off angles and low-light conditions, it makes sense to use a "wave arrangement" to maximize surface area. I read that you can get ~30% more energy from a given area this way. I'll test it myself first before I build the fairing and try to compare to monocrystalline panels. Aero is more important than 1-2% panel efficiency, so I seriously doubt I'll use monos....

Actually I just found out that you can get semi-flex monocrystalline panels, and as I just did a bit of preliminary computational flow dynamics in Solidworks I realized an obvious flaw in my plan. Headwinds are not guaranteed; often I'll get a crosswind. Turns out that wavy fairing would have a turbulent flow across the top at least 40% of the time, anything beyond about 10 degrees from straight ahead and it'll begin to lose efficiency. So, it's not worth it-- but the good news is I can have a more normal and very sexy looking carbon fairing with some semi-flexible monocrystalline panels, rated at "30 degree" bends. Which , with some attention, should be plenty. I'll basically just use Sylgard 184, a solar-encapsulation epoxy, print my mold/core with recesses for the panels, put the panels over the fiber, and lay up my other layers as usual. I estimate the entire fairing will cost at least $1000... as I will need a variety of tools, not to mention consumables. But it'll be worth it. I don't have a full model yet but I'll be able to fit at least 200W of panels on there. Given some losses in non-ideal conditions, pedal input should still be able take that up to 250W, that would double my range if I'm rolling along at just 500W.

GC, did you do any research on how you expect solar panels to develop in the future? I haven't looked at them too much, but I know progress is being made all the time, consumer panels max out at around 20% efficiency, and experimental panels have spanned 40-65%... I suppose $/watt is the most important move for a home system regardless. Do your panels have glass or epoxy coats? Both? Do you feel they're safe from damage? I've been thinking about doing a system myself, but there is less incentive in my area and we will be selling this place as soon as I finish grad school-- still, it'd increase value of the home I think. My main concern is that we get ridiculous winds, sometimes over 60mph, about once a month. I don't think anyone's shingles are safe...
 
xenodius said:
Do your panels have glass or epoxy coats? Both? Do you feel they're safe from damage?
3.2mm tempered glass, here are the specs. definitely wanted the best value panel, ie cheapest/best performing. didn't really research them.

totally broke from all these home projects. thinking of selling the black dh comp frame, like for $600 with the kiwi's adapters attached. anyone interested before i go about listing it in for sale thread? will sell w/ manitou swinger shock. all new bearings after the fire. crappy paint job tho and tape here and there.
 
little update: now 5 weeks post op. started PT last week. healing/rehab going well. less pain, more range of motion. nights still the worst... :?

anyway, i rode the bike in to work for the first time today, just slow, 25mph, mainly cause my office moved and i no longer have a place to park & charge. not sure if i'll be able to find a place in the future, but it's fine for now, esp on the two days a week i need to go to georgetown univ hospital for PT, since there's no quick public transport to there and back home.

new office is very close to union station and the capitol, where all the a-holes are. what a bunch of pathetic losers. i get so depressed when i think about how our gov't and esp the political process has gone to hell. makes me want to hurl. ugh.
 
dbaker said:
Bigger battery so you can make round trip? Stromer?
you know i don't like any battery that won't fit in my triangle, but yeah, if i gotta compromise the speed for the sake of efficiency, i'll probably end up changing something. :twisted:

definitely a downside of the adaptto system, that it's gotta be charged on the bike, at least to make use of the balancing.. otherwise, i'd haul the pack up to the office..

fact is that i've got a lot of unused space in the triangle, esp since i'll end up moving the controller to below the downtube. and lipos don't fit as well, so maybe i should look into an 18650 cell pack designed to fit. not the time to drop any cash for that tho!

stromer? you mean the spare? i doubt i'll ever ride that regularly if i ever fix it up. that's got for sale written all over it.
 
since the adapto keeps your packs balanced, then for the intermediate charging between adapto charges, you could use a bulk charger without the adapto balancing network and just charge long enuff to put almost a full charge back. set the output to about 83V and you should be ok since the lipo is pretty good at maintaining balance. so you could carry a small charger set to 83V and have some plugs on each end of your battery to charge it through. the balancing network will still function even without the adapto being powered up. just have no HVC protection so you can not just set it and forget it. not a Ronco.
 
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