My solar-assisted custom tricycle FOLLIES

[ddk]

hardly a comparison
the magic pie with a 58V hot battery does add significantly more power to the trike.
I made my semi-normal commute around town, including checking my mail, without ever changing the trikes gear ratio (set at 1:1)
this includes going from up here...

...to down here...View attachment 1

...and back up there.

The MP 2 front motor used an additional ~150W for this.
-full regen on the trip down-

 

[ddk]

hardly a comparison
the magic pie with a 58V hot battery does add significantly more power to the trike.
I made my semi-normal commute around town, including checking my mail, without ever changing the trikes' transmission gear ratio (set at 1:1) Total chain ratio is (56/16) + (44/18) = 5.944444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444etctctct driving a 20" wheel....

-just needed to glarify that silly lack of information aboot MT's chain ratio
winter is here with rainy days all week long
t'ain't worried tho; I haz MPPM ( sounds like an incurable disease, don't it? )

 

[amberwolf]

Yes, yes it does. And it probably is, too.


Regarding hte connector thing, I see your point about hte metal distortion/compression, and I guess my "solution" wouldn't really work.

 

[ddk]

Attention me:

Me has too much stuff.

Starting this week, I will be tossing, or giving away all this stuff I'll never use.
I probably have enough stuff to build three bicycles with parts left over. I have 16", 20" hollow hub and 24" wheels; forks, frames, 1 and 3-piece cranks, handlebars, 1" headsets and necks, necks, necks, one recumbent seat (no saddles); metal tubing (thinner than bicycle tubing) fiberglass tubing, extendable poles (first design of the solar panel supports for a tricycle; worked ok but too much effort for me to use) scrap metal, large pieces of 4mm Coroplast (white) several pieces of 4x4 Luan underlayment plywood, luggage, cases, plastic shelving, an old dented steel shelf (probably should toss this).
About half of this stuff is new-never used; the rest is like new, or barely used; some is used, still serviceable.

I'm keeping:
Workshop and porch
My tricycles: MT and MPPM and their batteries
My 'extra' wheeled/non-wheeled motors/controllers (as spares) but do ask. I have a couple I would part with for not-much-money*
My tools (dunno why- have too many of the same things)
One trailer (maybe)
Some of the hardware and electrical parts
Chargers

*I have no energy to pack things up or ship them out
anyone in my neck-0-d-woods** or 'just passing by' can claim stuff via pm or if you're Rassy, a phone call works.

-that is all-

**oregon/california border on the coast
I suppose I should post this in the used section, but I'm lazy

 

[Rassy]

Me has too much stuff.

Me too. But I'm too lazy to do an inventory and I have no interest in trying to sell anything anyway. Actually, most of what I have left is worthless. In about the last year I have helped several folks add electric assist using motors/controllers, etc. that were just laying in the shop.

Right now I have just two old brushed hubs in 20" wheels and one controller, but both my Daughter-In-Law and my friend with the hand cycle are happily using identical motor/controllers so I'll keep these for spares in case they need a quick repair. I think these motors were originally on that little two wheel trailer that came down your way.

And at least two brand new NuVinci Developer Kits, but I like them too much to let them go.

I've been thinking of driving down to Gold Beach tomorrow to take care of another matter. Maybe I'll drive on down your way for lunch and look at your stash if you're going to be around. I'll give you a wake up call after 10:00 tomorrow morning.

 

[ddk]

...
I've been thinking of driving down to Gold Beach tomorrow to take care of another matter. Maybe I'll drive on down your way for lunch and look at your stash if you're going to be around. I'll give you a wake up call after 10:00 tomorrow morning.

I've stopped offering help. I rarely go where people congregate, making this decision an easy non-task.
the forum seems...
kinda f*cked up.
every time I do something I get logged out.

see ya later today

 

[docnjoj]

...
I've been thinking of driving down to Gold Beach tomorrow to take care of another matter. Maybe I'll drive on down your way for lunch and look at your stash if you're going to be around. I'll give you a wake up call after 10:00 tomorrow morning.

I've stopped offering help. I rarely go where people congregate, making this decision an easy non-task.
the forum seems...
kinda f*cked up.
every time I do something I get logged out.

see ya later today

I and others hope you continue, DDK! You really add a lot of helpful stuff that many of us can use. Also cool pictures of plants, too! All we have is kudzu down here.
otherDoc

 

[Sancho's Horse]

It is my bad mojo. My wife had a traumatic brain injury, left temporal lobe. Actually bike related. She fell off of her parents bike when she was in the third grade. A non/mis diagnosis? with the issue forced 5 days later due to vomitting. She had the best surgeon in her province scoop out the clots, and she spent a month in the hospital. I knew about it before marrying her, maybe not the severity, but I dismissed it because she did make it through medical school. Must not have been too bad, I thought. I was wrong. I did not really want to post about this, but I have been going through hell. It wasn't until I researched temporal lobe damage that it all clicked. Bouts of violent outbursts completely unrelated to anything going on. Crazy decision making. Calling me impure. Always asleep and/or depressed. Becoming sexually unhinged. Obsessing over a detail in my explanation of CO posioning, i.e. getting angry because I said CO binding is essentially irreversible under normal body conditions. I will stop there, but it has been hellish. I used to have fun. Life in a box now. I do see a light at the end of the tunnel though.

 

[ddk]

test for test
was having problems posting... now I don't
quote " I'll be back"

 

[docnjoj]

Sometimes life gets better. I hope for you both.
otherDoc

 

[ddk]

taste

 

[ddk]

another tasteless test

 

[ddk]

back onlineView attachment 1

ordered more batteries to satisfy magic pie's insatiable hunger.

 

[ddk]

well, one can say life is always entertaining, never boring ('cept when yer a lil' kid)

I forgot to give Rassy surprise gift when he last visited me. Cause I bought TWO packages of those silly valve-stem lights (also comes with almost-useless headlight) -AS SEEN ON this thread (previous page, that is)
************************************************************

I've NEVER understood rechargeable battery voltage ratings.
Fer instance, if you discharged a 12V-rated lead-acid battery to 12V you'd quickly kill the battery. At 12V that battery is over-discharged.
So why would you call it a 12 Volt battery?
doesn't make any kind of logical sense to me.

Since I'm running my battery voltage *very* close to the maximum voltage my motor controller can work at without self-destructing, I'd rather know a battery's MAX voltage at full charge, instead of it's less-than-minimum voltage at it's quickly-self-destructs point.
-also-
if one derates their chosen battery by 25%-50%, expect a much longer cycle life. This is true of (almost) any rechargeable battery chemistry. I have 1000's of partial cycles on my LiCo, lead-acid and NIMH batteries.
note: I stopped using NICAD chemistry as soon as reliable gel cell lead acid batteries became available jus 'cause...

(changes point-of-view)
I'm uncomfortable using series-add battery packs. There's this additional layer of exposed wiring and connections that lends itself to failure.
...at least, in my imagination.
So I've decided to rebuild several of my 41.5V packs into 58V packs by adding 4S cells to the existing 5S+5S cells for 14S 3P (9 battery packs rated @ 5A each for the 'rated @" figure of 870W... except I'm hoping to never discharge more than 425W per cycle. (accidents happen accidentally)(and one should always expect the spanish inquisition)(Mr "always carries more battery than needed" )(yes, ispeak(TM) in three voices that only sometimes agrees with me)
My add-on packs will be relegated to powering those 45W led RGB string lights I'm so enamored with

so endith the day and night of the ninth

 

[docnjoj]

That is a great moon, DDK!
otherDoc

 

[ddk]

That is a great moon, DDK!
otherDoc

Thanks (pats canon on head) new camera takes great sky shots!

I've found the sweet spot for the NuVinci transmission setting on MPPT. (slightly less than 1:1)
Now, if I need a (HUGE) boost of power assist to the Majix Pi, I just have to barely crack open the rear motor's throttle.

I'm grinning that e-grin

see wut yer missin on, Rassy- :lol:

 

[The fingers]

Nice lights, on sale too! 8)

 

[Rassy]

see wut yer missin on, Rassy- :lol:

But you know I'm just like a bad penny. I shall return--eventually.

 

[ddk]

Nice lights, on sale too! 8)

actually it's cheap junk sold for too much, even on sale
While the headlight is a poor excuse for a headlight, it's equally useless as a flashlight.
Thw valve lights come with batteries (3 coin cells per light) where the replacement batteries will cost more than all three lights.
But
where we live light conditions can radically change in a *very* short time... so any additional light can a gud thang, in that other people (drivers) might see you sooner than...

see wut yer missin on, Rassy- :lol:

But you know I'm just like a bad penny. I shall return--eventually.

lol
...later

 

[Rassy]

Thw valve lights come with batteries (3 coin cells per light) where the replacement batteries will cost more than all three lights.

Years ago, back when LED bulbs were first being put in little keychain flashlights I needed 3 new coin batteries for one of them. At the local big box store (actually Bi-Mart, one of Oregon's local "little" box stores) 3 new batteries would of cost about $4, but the little lights were on sale for $2, complete with 3 batteries. Yes, I just purchased a new flashlight.

Now-a-days you can purchase large volumes of those batteries on-line for just a few dollars.

 

[amberwolf]

It wouldn't work for the valve stem or other wheel lights, but I am about to install an ac adapter as a DC-DC to power some various LED lights (oriignally coin-cell powered) on CrazyBike2, mostly so I can more permanently mount the lights, which at the moment I can't cuz the battery compartments and switches are where the mountings have to be.


If you installed a pair of copper strips on the rim (or hub, to keep materials costs down) of a wheel, and "brushes" or springs on the fork to keep contact with them, you could also power wheel-based lights that way. I have considered that, too, as I have some pulsating RGB LED stuff that runs off 3 coin cells...but all of which have dead batteries.

 

[ddk]

...
Now-a-days you can purchase large volumes of those batteries on-line for just a few dollars.

It wouldn't work for the valve stem or other wheel lights, but I am about to install an ac adapter as a DC-DC to power some various LED lights (oriignally coin-cell powered) on CrazyBike2, mostly so I can more permanently mount the lights, which at the moment I can't cuz the battery compartments and switches are where the mountings have to be. ...

(see above)
I have some 150W DC/DC variable buck converters rated for 60V operation... bucks as low as 3.5V. (about $11 thru amazon) However I also use 3S and 4S cells in my battery packs, where the discharge/charge connections are available to power external stuff.
-Guess which way I went...
I did wire up a buck/boost box, but it's at best, clumsy and kludgey to use.
...speaking of which, I randomly checked hobby king for the inexpensive 4S hardpacks (~25 each) and they had them in stock, so I got 9 of them to finish my current plan of making all my 41V battery packs into 58V battery packs.
This isn't because I want to go faster (I don't) It's because I like everything to be compatible between motors/controllers/battery packs and as mentioned previously, I wanted to replace my external 16V battery packs because... external.
Since I have 3 high-power battery balance chargers it took about an hour to prep the new batteries... a far cry from last years struggle to do the same thing in a 24-hour period using one low-power balance charger.

 

[ddk]

yep
idiot I m
after receiving my second flat tire today I finally realized I haz a different rim, which came with the magic pie.
As such, the hole for the valve stem is likely the culprit. (as in, too small )
Noticeable by any non-idiot with eyes the see.
Just not this non-non-idiot...

 

[amberwolf]

FWIW, I've also found that sometimes these cheap rims on hubmotors can have "flashing" left from the hole-drilling in the space inside the double-wall inside the hole, which rubs on the valve stem rubber and cuts it.

Harold in CR (I think) suggested to me to drill the hole just a hair larger and then use heatshrink around the valve stems to help provide a little more protection against this sort of thing, as well as to help crappy valve stems from simply separating (where the rubber is not bonded to the brass properly, and just delaminates once aired up).

 

[The fingers]

yep
idiot I m
after receiving my second flat tire today I finally realized I haz a different rim, which came with the magic pie.
As such, the hole for the valve stem is likely the culprit. (as in, too small )
Noticeable by any non-idiot with eyes the see.
Just not this non-non-idiot...

Don't feel bad, I kept reading the 26x1.75 stamped on the rim instead of the 26x1.95 on the tire sidewall. After 2 flats and 3 trips to the LBS (2 wrong-sized tubes) I realized my mistake. I thought they seemed smallish.
Now I have a 29er donor bike that I'm thinking of doing a rear geared kit on. :?