Hyena's e-bike builds (now with HD video)

[heathyoung]

Its supposed to be class B or F - class H is pointless for a BLDC - for the simple reason that you will demagnetize your magnets before you smoke the windings.

[Hyena]

Class F would be nice but B is probably sufficient considering the halls would probably roast above 130 anyway. And I'm sure cost is a factor so our Chinese friends will take the cheapest way out!
I could smell the windings at 100 and presumably it got a little hotter than that once sitting still without any air flow. I reckon I've had the motor hotter than this before I drilled it and the windings still looked pristine so I'm not sure what rating it is - maybe closer to F ? I've also got a 9C that is nicely toasted with all the windings very dark brown but it didn't actually fail.

Anyway, here's the sweet video from yesterdays ride - if I do say so myself
Not that there's heaps of wild action in it but I I destroyed 2 gopro mounts making this (the death of one can be seen right at the end)
Note the big chunky rocks I was blasting over along the train line - the suspension soaked it up like is wasn't no thang
When reviewing the footage from the high mounted camera (on the roof of a train line signal hut thingo) I decided to do something different with it for the opening scene

[veloman]

Awesome video, good stuff.

[voicecoils]

Its supposed to be class B or F - class H is pointless for a BLDC - for the simple reason that you will demagnetize your magnets before you smoke the windings.

I'd rather have a salvageable stator than a complete write-off.

Are there other disadvantages to higher class insulation other than cost?

[valsislav]

Excellent new video -

[heathyoung]

Its supposed to be class B or F - class H is pointless for a BLDC - for the simple reason that you will demagnetize your magnets before you smoke the windings.

I'd rather have a salvageable stator than a complete write-off.

Are there other disadvantages to higher class insulation other than cost?

Apart from having to make sure that the rest of the stuff on the stator is properly rated as well (ie. use nomex rather than PFP) - not really. Hall sensors and magnets will die long before the windings smoke with class H.

[Sacman]

I just wanted to point out that the NEMA temperature classes I cited earier was just to give an idea of the temperatures that motor wire insulation can handle before the start to smoke. NEMA is only in the USA with about 450 wire manufacturers that are members and comply to the temperature class standards.

However, the motors we buy are from China... and who knows where they buy their motor wires from and whether or not those wire manufacturers comply with any similar temperature class standards.

[Hyena]

Speaking of temps I've concluded that my 100 degree thermostat might be a bit too much on the conservative side. Not so much the trip temperature, but the fact that it needs to drop quite a bit before it kick back in.
I was running late for work today so decided to take the fighter. After being at full throttle for most of the trip and often drawing 5kw it tripped on me, 2km from work. Pedalling the rest of the way slightly up hill in my heavy, lined winter riding jacket nearly killed me (aside from steaming me from teh inside out) but it actually saved me from what could have been a difficult to escape run in with the boys in blue. I had been belting along at 70km/hr - sitting behind a car that was doing the same speed when it cut out. I coasted to a stop then pulled over to switch my schlumpf into low gear (I do it so infrequently I haven't bothered trying to learn how to do it while riding) when about 20 seconds later a highway patrol car came flying up behind me. I nearly died for a second but he flew straight past me. 30 seconds later I was pedalling slowly on my way and he had the car I'd been tailing pulled over for speeding. Thanks thermostat!!

In other news after much research I've decided the AR drone, even the new one is probably not the best for what I want to do so I'm going to make my own quadcopter.

Check out this slick video of one in action. Obviously the guy has mad skills but the fact that they're capable of that is pretty cool. And his setup doesn't even look that powerful compared to others I've been looking at.
I'll have the gopro mounted on mine and once I'm happy with it will sort out a FPV setup with the gopro live steam output transmitted back to a LCD screen (not going to bother with video goggles) That'll enable me to fly the copter out of sight but still be able to see where it's going and to guide it back home (more range than the AR drone)

(it gets good about 20 seconds in)

[Sacman]

Wow very nice! That RC 3-D pilot has got some crazy skillz too!
Made me think if that quad-copter was scaled up in size and had a real human pilot, he'd probably pass out quickly from all the G-forces pulling maneuvers like that.

[Hyena]

I think a large scale version of the wouldn't allow it to be so agile. I remember seeing a video about these smart swarm mini micro copter things and that they're amazingly nimble largely due to their size.

When I sent that link to a friend he sent me back THIS

[shorza]

That's unreal!
I remember reading something about how chopper's blades are speed limited to travel below the speed of sound. Once it breaks the sound barrier, there is too much turbulence. Physics

[AussieJester]

Excellent new video -

Ditto!! always enjoy watching your videos, it's obvious allot of time and effort go into making them, well done...only one small complaint Jay, where's the high sides

KiM

[Sacman]

The "conventional style" RC-Copters are pretty nimble and amazing too.
Check this out...

[Hyena]

The missus had the day off work today so called me up to see if I wanted to have lunch, I ducked off from work and met up with them at a park a few minutes up the road. I don't have any baby seats or anything on my bikes so it's usually too hard to try and give the kids little rides but with the large width low cut frame of the fighter it's perfect - even for 2 littlies! Giving the kids rides around the park on the fighter may have been a bad idea though. "Daddy, I think santa needs to bring me a bike like yours for christmas" heh.
Got a bit of gopro footage if anyone is interested in seeing it ? Very much a change of pace from my usual tearing around like a ratbag!

Hyena and his pups - 3.5yrs and 20 months

Hyena and his pups

kids-fighter.jpg (148.07 KiB) Viewed 267 times

(when asked to smile for a photo my eldest always pulls that face now. Little bugger )

[remf]

Haha cool kids! They'll be wheeling you around on a futuristic 2-wheeled device in the distant future

[Trackman417]

Got a bit of gopro footage if anyone is interested in seeing it ? Very much a change of pace from my usual tearing around like a ratbag!

Hyena and his pups - 3.5yrs and 20 months

kids-fighter.jpg

(when asked to smile for a photo my eldest always pulls that face now. Little bugger )

I'm up for some "action"

[Rodney64]

It's your thread, yes family shots are Important.

[Hyena]

They'll be wheeling you around on a futuristic 2-wheeled device in the distant future

I've always said I'll have the baddest electric wheel chair around when the time comes. I just hope it is in the distant future given everything that's gone on in the last 12 months...

[Architectonic]

Haha cool kids! They'll be wheeling you around on a futuristic 2-wheeled device in the distant future

Surely we'll have our electric hovercrafts by then?

[Hobbit]

Actually, you're pushing around on a futuristic two wheeled device NOW.

[Hyena]

Actually, you're pushing around on a futuristic two wheeled device NOW.

Yeah but I'm waiting for THIS

Here's the vid of my kids on the fighter. My eldest repeating himself over and over will probably be annoying

[Trackman417]

With all of those wires hanging loose on your bike, I guess you could say that your pretty darn lucky, one of your "pups" didn't yank any of them out
Gotta get that stuff nice and tidy

[Hyena]

All that wiring (and battery pack etc that you can see at 1.26) is just an external headlight I threw on the day before. I don't normally ride my fighter to work so just threw it on as a temporary measure for visibility to get home at dusk. Likewise with the silly electronic horn (the little fella hits the button at 0.46)
I actually have internal wiring for a headlight with a seperate key switch click to turn the lights on but haven't wired up the DC-DC converter yet as I'm not riding the fighter of a night yet.

[pucksterpete]

Cool video...Good to see the little one's following in daddy's foot steps!

[Glenn_M]

Mad riding skillz Jay
Controlling a Fighter, 2 x kids and a vid camera - degree of difficulty 9.7 Puts you at Expert level I believe.

Gonna have to build kids ebikes soon like I did.

Glenn