May 31, 2007 by Rob.

I had to fashion some braces to support the control board. They consist of “Z” bent metal bars that will hold the board at the right angle without hitting the batteries. I had to make a po’ man’s metal bending rig from clamps and L bars.

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May 31, 2007 by Rob.

Small victories bring me closer to driving day! Today I was able to get the vacuum pump mounted and in place.

Posted in Pictures, Planning | 1 Comment »

May 31, 2007 by Rob.

I was able to fit the new battery support into the back rack today. It looks great! The back rack is pretty tight - only a very slim margin front to back. Those batteries sure are heavy.

I also figured out how to secure the batteries for safety - I’ll use a cable through the floor and to the frame under the deck. That should prevent upward movement in case there is an accident.

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May 31, 2007 by Rob.

If you missed the Green Tech Summit then you may want to consider checking out the video replay:

• City Hall Intro (Austin Mayor)
• Gephard & Woolsey (Rob’s pick)
• Summit Keynote
• Tuesday Keynote
• Panel Discussion

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May 31, 2007 by Rob.

As posted to the AustinEV list. Here are Chris R’s responses:
During the OG several people had suggestions for online EV parts suppliers. Specifically, for Anderson connectors & DC breakers. What where the choices?

For Anderson connectors, I’ve used Waytek in the past: http://waytekwire.com

Also, does someone have a recommendation for the DC breaker? I know it needs to be DC and high current, but a part # or manufacturer would be helpful.

For a breaker, the usual choice seems to be the Heinemann: http://www.evparts.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=1113&product_id=1451

[Rob’s Note 6/1: This breaker is a $220 part]

Posted in Parts, AustinEV, Planning | No Comments »

May 30, 2007 by Rob.

Wow - Chris dropped off the extra support for the rear box this afternoon.  We had it about 90 seconds before Alex had started to prime it!That really helps me stay on schedule and keep rolling for the rear batteries.  Go team!

I also cut and Alex primed the remaining MDO for the vacuum pump platform and rear box lid.   I picked up the vent fans today at lunch so the rear lid should wrap up soon too.

Chris was not as impressed by my “duct tapesque” solution for the vacuum switch, but equally stumped about locations.  I think I may end up hiding it under some of the green sign board.  What can’t be fixed can be hidden

Posted in Storyline, AustinEV | No Comments »

May 29, 2007 by Rob.

I’ve finally figured out where to place the vacuum pump and vacuum switch (pump on/off). The pump can sit flat on the battery rack under the brake cylinder on a (TBD) mounting board.  The switch gets packed with foam into a small cavity just below the wiper motor. The switch is secured to the body using a large ring clamp and the foam is needed to provide some extra mounting support.

Unfortunately, the switch has no external mounting!

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May 29, 2007 by Rob.

I managed to cut my MDO board to create the base shape for the control board. The control board will have the main electronics (controller, contractors, pot box, etc) for the car. It came green, but I’m painting it day-glow blue. I’ve got to create the circuit diagrams and layout of the components (picture left to right: pot box, controller, contactors, ammeter shunt, fuse, Anderson-350 connector). I’m certain that I’ll need to go shopping to finish it, but EVAmerica sent nearly everything I need to get started.

One of my objectives with the control board is be able to quickly remove the control board as a unit. That means that all wiring to the board is able to quickly disconnect so I’ll need at least three high load Anderson connectors (traction batteries, motor, aux battery)

The AustinEV team also suggested that I add a high current DC breaker on the rear pack. I should have a pull string on the breaker so that the driver can quickly kill power to the whole system. I have a good location for the breaker between the back seat and the rear box.

Posted in Pictures, AustinEV, Conversion, Planning, EV Tech | 1 Comment »

May 29, 2007 by Rob.

This blue pill would be way too big to swallow. The vacuum reservoir mounts to a steel bar screwed to the firewall using 4″ ring clamps. The tube is not heavy and should not vibrate, but I added foam to provide a little cushion and keep the tube from getting scratched. Note: There is a minor ground conduction hazard from the clamps.

The tube is very secure in this position and this space above the batteries would be hard to fill otherwise.  This fuzzy bonus picture shows that my fossil fuel mascot trying to undermine the EV progress.  He’d better not try to bite the battery cables!

Posted in Pictures, Conversion, Planning | 1 Comment »

May 28, 2007 by Rob.

I’ve been using Laura’s retired political yard signs (no, she didn’t win) to make the battery box sides. Except for the ones that show through the grill, I’m painting them day-glow yellow. My first attempts really match the RAVolt’s green paint and hide the front batteries so well that people don’t realize that there are batteries there.

I need to make them more sealed because some rain was getting into the engine area. That’s not a big problem (all the components are relatively weather proof), but I can make a better seal.

Posted in Improvements, Pictures | No Comments »