jonescg's NEW electric racebike BUILD thread!

[jonescg]

Finished the linkage for the suspension. Only thing I need to do now is put some 6 mm spacers between the lower shock mount and the rocker plates. I used 10 mm ally instead of the 8 mm Randy used. It still works, but there's a bit less thread to work with.







I'm heading around to AussieJester's place tomoz to start making a tank cover mould. It's looking like I need a stiffer subframe too, given the weight out the back of the bike there. Another job for the welders of the world...

 

[grindz145]

Holy shit man! I lost track of this project a while back. Completely amazing! AABBsolutely killing it! Way to push the state of the art my friend. This makes me excited for life. Can't be overstated. godspeed!

 

[teddillard]

Chris, this brings a spark of light into my cold, black heart. :lol:

I did a little synopsis of the thread in the Electric Garage - http://evmc2.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/jonescgs-build-thread-voltron-evo/

It's truly an inspiration - both for what one guy can do with armed an unhealthy obsession and unwavering determination, (and a lovely, supportive partner ) and what a entire community can do in collaboration.

Can't wait to see it complete!

 

[megacycle]

Looking special Chris.

Was there any spec's with the motor drive as to cabling it up.?

Like cable type, bundling the 3 cables arrangement, same lenghts etc.
Would of thought, it may have a small effect on the drive operation.
Was there final cable covers to do, like anaconda?

 

[Rodney64]

Nothing on the 7.30 report Chris. Must have been bumped to another night.

 

[megacycle]

Looking special Chris.

Was there any spec's with the motor drive as to cabling it up.?

Like cable type, bundling the 3 cables arrangement, same lenghts etc.
Would of thought, it may have a small effect on the drive operation.
Was there final cable covers to do, like anaconda?

Time for lights out here..

 

[jonescg]

Rodney - I think the Morcombe story was bigger, so maybe next week? Or in the Friday edition.

Mega - The cables should probably go inside their own conduit, especially the DC bus. The phase wires are short, but could probably use some shielding. The 50 mm2 cable is a bit too big for the cable glands on the motor to work well, so it might need a bit of a re-jig. The shielded cable is only 32 mm2 in diameter, but would fit nicely in the glands.

Ted - Thanks for the kind words! I was just discussing with other crazy e-moto guys that we *should* have 5 bikes on the grid for 2014. So come hell or high water, this bike will be out to prove shit by June.

In the spirit of the collaboration that is Endless-Sphere, I was at KiM's place (aka Aussie Jester) and we started glassing up the mould for the tank cover. I have to say my fear and loathing of fibreglassing is waning somewhat after today's successful efforts.



View attachment 4

 

[jonescg]

Unfortunately the part making wasn't nearly as successful as the mould making. After two layers of fine woven mat we decided to let it cure and pop it out while it still had a little bit of flexibility. She was stuck

After scoffing at the mess the PVA made of the mould surface (which popped out just fine) we failed to put the PVA on this time when making the part. Big mistake. The gelcoat stuck on the surface very tight, and we ruined the part as we pulled it out. The mould suffered a bit of damage too.





So I am inclined to go back to the plug and make a new mould but this time with a much bigger flange around the outside. It makes parting it off much easier when there is a bleed edge you can lever. The part might be repairable, and so might the mould, but we have everything we need to make a new one.

See, this is why I hate fibreglassing...

 

[teddillard]

See, this is why I hate fibreglassing...

Yes. Emphatically. Hates it. Carbon fiber is even more awesome. All the joy of fiberglassing, with the added bonus of stronger than steel spikey sharp things waiting to impale you.

I put a lot of effort into learning about vacuum forming plastic parts because of that loathing, but haven't got to the point of getting that to work yet. Doesn't make much sense for just a part or two, but it seems like once it's set up it'd be awesome to have.

 

[jonescg]

Tomorrow I leave for Spain. I am taking a two day course on installing and programming Circontrol DC fast chargers, and apparently, they won't do it over the internet. So I get a truckload of frequent flyer points and some wicked jetlag, and a chance to visit Europe for the first time in my life!

If any ES members are in the Barcelona Terrassa area, get in touch!

But today I decided to pull the bike down. I sent the seat suframe over to my friend in Brisbane who will weld up a new one. The old one bends to easily, and given there's 12 kg worth of inverter hanging off it, it probably needs some bracing. I need to get the frame painted anyway, so I might as well strip it all apart. It's a good exercise, and will help me with the final assembly.

First you pull the battery out and remove the battery tray. The motor coolant tubes and inverter will have to be removed at this point. And the radiator I guess. Then remove the inverter by disconnecting the phase wires first. You then take the seat subframe off. Then you put a jack under the frame and take the weight off the shock. Remove the shock and take the right foot peg off as the brake line is connected to it. Then lower the bike down onto a set of blocks under the motor, but leave pressure on both the frame and the motor. Undo the motor bolts on the battery cradle and undo the bulkhead bolts at the top of the cradle and lift it out through the top.



Then you undo the swingarm pinch blots and pull the pins out. The swingarm will roll out (and washers will hit the deck and roll everywhere, collecting dirt and sand). Then you undo the upper bolts on the motor, jack the frame up as high as possible and roll the motor down to the ground. A second person helps, or lots of foam.

But all up it's pretty straight forward. I will try to get some stands made up to suit the motor height just to make it a bit easier, or maybe a second jack.



Adios por ahora!

 

[Danny Mayes]

Bummer about the fiberglassing. I hate doing things twice...

Barcelona is wickid fun. Great food and lifestyle. Are you getting much time to see around?

D

 

[voicecoils]

Faring glassed up.
Tank cover being glassed up.
Cells have been ordered.
Inverter has been ordered.
Frame to be painted this week I hope...

I should be ready for track testing in May. Win!

Awesome progress! Cool to see E-S members helping out too. Good luck on your quick trip to Spain 8)

 

[jonescg]

Well Terrassa so far has been very nice. Very friendly people, beautiful women, nice climate, great food... About the only thing missing are the jobs. I hear the unemployment rate is something like 25%, and 50% for those under 25 years old.

I love the fact that people of all ages walk around town. I suppose the weather is good enough year round and the towns are very population dense that it makes sense. Unlike Perth where we drive everywhere and complain about the congestion...

Anyway, about my bike Grant Cresswell has confirmed that there are at least 5 entries for race one of the eFXC, so it's all systems go. Hope I get another month's work soon.

 

[jonescg]

Some good news and less good news. The good news is the cells have been shipped from Shenzheng and will be here this week! I can start peeling the kapton tape of 750 cells and begin the building process.

The less good news is the offshore work I had in mind has been pushed back another two weeks, and the company appear to be struggling to find worthwhile contracts. Whether or not this is due to the inevitable decline of the fossil fuel industry or the generally stagnant economic conditions I don't know, but I do know that I have got to find more regular work in the meantime

I am now back from Catalunya (having learned that the locals consider it separate form Spain ) and the trip was fantastic. My host, Esteve from Circontrol was a terrific guide. I learned all about 50 kW DC and 43 kW AC chargers, how to install them and how to set the software up. A couple of pictures:







While I was away the ABC's 7.30 report aired a story on the recent Electrikhana and put a good emphasis on our proposed electric highway in WA.
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2014/s3966538.htm

Finally, Zoom TV have finished their little story on Electrikhana - I get to promote my bike for free! Yay!
[youtube]-ScUdtkav1g[/youtube]

 

[Frank]

Great interview Chris.

 

[SplinterOz]

Dude such the celeb... first 7:30 on ABC then Zoom !!!

 

[grindz145]

Wow, that's an awesome well produced segment, and you sounded great! Damn that thing is even sexier in video format. Oh and the bike is nice too.

 

[torquehd]

Hi there,

New to the forum, and EV's in general. I'm a long time motorcycle mechanic and enthusiast, and of course, looking to build my own E-Sportbike someday (probably a couple years out). I've been googling axial flux motors, and I'm curious why Yasa wasn't a consideration for you. It seems like they build motors with high power to weight ratios which would be suitable for a "superbike" or track bike application.

 

[jonescg]

Hey there,

Yasa was a consideration, but not at that price. I paid AUD$11,000 delivered for my Evo motor. The Yasa would have been $16,000 Also, I know that the Kingston team used a Yasa motor, but placed well behind Kyle's team who used a much cheaper Emrax motor. Not sure what was holding them back, but interesting nonetheless. The way the motor fits inside the frame is important too, hence I had to build my frame around the motor.

Glad to hear you want to build an electric superbike. I say superbike, as the Brammos and Zeros are pretty good, but superbikes they ain't.

 

[torquehd]

Thanks for the reply, and the post. It's pioneers like you, who share their knowledge and methods, that make progress possible on a large scale. I've learned a lot from your build, and your battery build. Looking forward to seeing the final touches and seeing your bike perform. Good luck!

 

[etard]

Great interview Jonesy! Too bad you couldn't show em your bike in action.

And you got the Jester (AKA Michael Douglas) out there working his magic, that made my day!

I have a suggestion for getting the motor out. If you have the ability to hang your frame from overhead, I have used ratchet straps to hold my bike up, while taking the rear tire off. I have done this from trees, by screwing in hooks to the rafters, or even just looping over a rafter in my garage. I like this because it gives me the ability to raise and lower the frame in order to line up the rear wheel, etc... I can't suggest anything for the washers, physics dictates that they must roll into the darkest corner and fall over on the greased side down.

 

[jonescg]

Some good news today - my cells have arrived!



504 of them will go into my bike, 80 of them will go into a battery for Slabs and 100 of them into a battery for Sab3r Electrics

In other good news, Brett Sutherland has just got back from the USA (Oregan) where he picked up an inverter from Rinehart for me He also came back with a couple of Brammos, but they're not for me . I will have the inverted in my hands in a couple of weeks while the subframe gets reinforced.

The only other good news is that Entecho might be able to offer me more regular work in the lead-up to the new financial year. I have been working there doing some more test flights this week and it's looking quite promising. Still no work on the ship, but I think I'd rather regular work at Entecho if the choice was clear.

Coming together!!!

Now, hopefully Michael Douglass and I can get the new tank cover done soon

 

[Bernel]

Hi Chris,
I have just been catching up on your build thread, sorry to hear about your baby and I wish you and Catherine all the best for the future. Your bike build is coming along nicely and I am waiting with interest for the final roll out. You Aussies seem to be way ahead of us in the UK. Where did you get your high voltage Anderson connectors from? I can only see ones up to 350A.

Great interview by the way, very professional and articulate.

I look forward to future developments.

Bernel.

 

[grindz145]

Maybe you've mentioned this before on your thread, but what cell manufacturer are you using? I just received 12kwh of XALT energy 60Ah Cells.

 

[jonescg]

Troy, these 5 Ah cells are from Herewin - the guys who make cells for Turnigy and Haiyin. Because of the large order they had to do a production run, so there's a better chance of consistency across all 750 of them. I will do the assembly at Entecho since I can spread out a bit there, and it's fairly clean.

Bern - the Andersons are standard 600 V rated, 350 A connectors. They won't be over 600 V for very long, and most of the time I will be pulling about 200 A peaks. It's not the nice waterproof fitting I'd prefer it to be, but this is a fair weather trackbike.