In frame battery housings, suggestions please

Ham

1 kW
Joined
Feb 18, 2016
Messages
498
Hi All,

I currently make my own aluminium housings from 2mm sheet, folded and tig welded.

I am interested to see what designs other use for a) frame attachment and b) side/access panel fastenings.

For the last two builds I have used rivnuts to secure the main housing and either bolt through width ways bolts which run all the way through the housing to clamp the side panel in place or the side panel folds around the housing and then bolted through the housing.

Has anyone got any other methods, ideally that don't involve any intrusion into the housing by bolts/heads?

an example:

20210627_121820.jpg


https://zeusrides.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/20210627_121820.jpg?w=1568
 
Cool bike :bolt: have you thought about magnets on the side plate some very strong ones available, you probably seen already Luna has a magnetic battery Mount still uses rivnuts attach base to bike though, maybe just epoxy magnets on if need battery removable, if not could just epoxy box to bike 8) need get me a tig welder, that box suits bike nice , :mrgreen:
 
This is extremely ghetto compared to yours, but I made a bracket with 2 rivnuts that attaches to the factory water bottle holders. The bracket on the box then mates to that and is secured with 2 1/4-20 stainless bolts.

LVGyrQu.jpg


I've seen hose clamps used but those aren't a very elegant solution. If you have a TIG welder, why can't you just weld directly to the frame?
 
Greendog said:
Cool bike :bolt: have you thought about magnets on the side plate some very strong ones available, you probably seen already Luna has a magnetic battery Mount still uses rivnuts attach base to bike though, maybe just epoxy magnets on if need battery removable, if not could just epoxy box to bike 8) need get me a tig welder, that box suits bike nice , :mrgreen:

Thank you:)

Magnets is a very interesting idea, I have some thing magnetic strip I could perhaps glue around the edges. Worth an experiment with I believe...thank you!
 
COAR said:
This is extremely ghetto compared to yours, but I made a bracket with 2 rivnuts that attaches to the factory water bottle holders. The bracket on the box then mates to that and is secured with 2 1/4-20 stainless bolts.

LVGyrQu.jpg


I've seen hose clamps used but those aren't a very elegant solution. If you have a TIG welder, why can't you just weld directly to the frame?

I currently use 5 rivnuts per box which is a great solution. The door/side panel closure is a challenge when it comes to trying to not to have any hardware poking into or running through the housing.

I am very tempted to weld to the frame but there is much unsettled debate about the need to heat treat a frame after welding to return it to full strength or even a strength suitable for riding let alone full t6 temper. Most on the internet say it absolutely must be heat treated and those IRL engineers, aircraft engineers etc and tool makers say it'll be fine and not to bother with heat treating.

When I find a good frame at cheap enough I will have a play and see how strong it is after welding.
 
I did up a bike similar to that, I should have held out longer for a bicycle with a bigger triangle to maximize battery size but overall your bike is cool, blends in nicely and even looks stock and a great way to go incognito stealthily.

Is that a RC motor mid drive?
Doesnt look like an EGO, they have differently designed mounting flanges.
Hopefully its not to noisy, sometimes dogs chase after strange noises. I had that happen yesterday on a 60 mile ride, 2 loose big dogs I was ready to kick. Sometimes I wonder how many dogs would chase after me if I were to tie treats to the end of a string and just ride by the loose dogs. :lol:
Anyways the dogs to watch out for are the small ones, last year a small poodle was the only dog thats bitten me on my bike, just because a hub motor with trapezoidal waveform controller makes a strange sound that sometimes even humans turn around and freeze like a deer in headlights.
 
markz said:
I did up a bike similar to that, I should have held out longer for a bicycle with a bigger triangle to maximize battery size but overall your bike is cool, blends in nicely and even looks stock and a great way to go incognito stealthily.

Is that a RC motor mid drive?
Doesnt look like an EGO, they have differently designed mounting flanges.
Hopefully its not to noisy, sometimes dogs chase after strange noises. I had that happen yesterday on a 60 mile ride, 2 loose big dogs I was ready to kick. Sometimes I wonder how many dogs would chase after me if I were to tie treats to the end of a string and just ride by the loose dogs. :lol:
Anyways the dogs to watch out for are the small ones, last year a small poodle was the only dog thats bitten me on my bike, just because a hub motor with trapezoidal waveform controller makes a strange sound that sometimes even humans turn around and freeze like a deer in headlights.

It is the CYC x1 pro kit, I like having the noise...gives people a heads up without the need for a bell:)
 
Ham said:
I currently use 5 rivnuts per box which is a great solution. The door/side panel closure is a challenge when it comes to trying to not to have any hardware poking into or running through the housing.

Neodymium magnets aka rare earth are extremely strong. I use 2 tiny ones to secure the access plate on my box and I have zero worries about it popping off even on rough trails on a hardtail. Obviously you need something magnetic for them to attach to so I just epoxied a small piece of steel under the aluminum frame.
 
My enclosure / housing is 20ga steel with some but minimal intrusion:
IMG_20200513_195746 (2).jpg
IMG_20200604_095707 (1).jpg
I welded some long nuts to the bottom of the housing to fasten to the bike frame with some shaft collars. It works great on my round tube frame.
 

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I bend, cut, and CNC mill poly-carbonate plastics for very strong impact resistant structures. They are long lasting and weatherproof and easily bolted, tapped, drilled, and otherwise machined. Instant glues and fast assy the most timeis int eh design and cutting.

I buy the plastic for 1$/lb... a 4x8 sheet of thick strong poly is like ( in 0.2 inch) 18 lbs.

I also have a 100 ton press brake at my disposal. I hae fitted steel boxes by rectangle with four bends, welded tack on corner and lid from sheet with two thin bends. I have used 10 gauge steel for this. It is uch cheaper than breaking out the CNC plasma machines. I once installed this in a set of 4 boxxes for an RV. Entire battery was probably 600-700 lbs and under thh RV. Held 26kWh nominal.

I have also carved STRESSED SKIN panels into cavities for batteries in soft ( triangle ) bags and the like... . I build them up with plywood ( I build alot of bucks and forms, molds fort the cast iron castings on the steam engines) (and boats))... I build them up with poly glue plywood over styro... then machine with carpentry tooling the cavities to the required dimentino.. then fit in bag.. making a strong internal framework for the ( soft) case. Standard stressed skin panel systems.

I got a foundry

I got a Mennonite factory wrecking crew and junkyard

I got a Mennonite metal shop under contract for many things...

I build a 2200w firebrick polycarbonate bender

I drill and mill. ( well.. mill.. then drill, but you get the idea.)

I wish I had a laser

I want to buy more tools and wisht there were turnkey designs online.


Tha is really cool, simple, and light PWD.

pwd said:
My enclosure / housing is 20ga steel with some but minimal intrusion:
....m of the housing to fasten to the bike frame with some shaft collars. It works great on my round tube frame.
 
I have also heard that you can weld on frame and it is strong enough but just not as strong as was ,but I'm with you ham if you can design a solution gets same results then even better and peace of mind ,
Wondered where I got idea for magnets from so credit goes to COAR for his side panel with neodymium , pwd think your design would be very strong lots of clamping force so winner on function but looks good to, bit heavy be lighter if alloy,
Like poly carb but never gonna look as good as tig welded box
by DogDipstick » Jul 23 2021 4:11pm

I got a foundry

I got a Mennonite factory wrecking crew and junkyard

I got a Mennonite metal shop under contract for many things...

I build a 2200w firebrick polycarbonate bender
alright mate , where that come from, no need boast :p also got worst user name on ES to :wink:
by markz » Jul 23 2021 8:52am
I did up a bike similar to that,
markz if made a bike as nice as that wouldn't you want to show us a picture ? that and 60 mile ride has odour of horse about it :wink: that steak dinner I paid that poodle was worth it then :lol: who said I wasn't on here make friends :mrgreen:
 
DogDipstick said:
I got a foundry

I got a Mennonite factory wrecking crew and junkyard

I got a Mennonite metal shop under contract for many things...

I build a 2200w firebrick polycarbonate bender

I drill and mill. ( well.. mill.. then drill, but you get the idea.)

I wish I had a laser

I want to buy more tools and wisht there were turnkey designs online.

Do you got pics? I'd love to see them.

I also love tools.
 
alright mate , where that come from, no need boast :p also got worst user name on ES to :wink:

Hey I worked my whole life for this user name tag. Warning.. ES is NOT the only place where I have the worst user name. Lol.. Do NOT google "DogDipstick.. " unless you want to see dogs wearing lipstick.

However, look deeper, and you will see I have used this user name since about 2006 online. Dipstick was the toughest lil Jack Russel you might have ever known if you ever had the chance to meet him. He died in 2009.



I love what I do. I help stuff get built.

nicobie said:
Do you got pics? I'd love to see them.

I also love tools.

Sure what do you want to see? We use Glicks industrial salvage, buy our metal from them for our engines. Boilers. Ect. being an engineering co, we can pick and choose our metal at will and very cheaply ifit still has its heat numbers and whatnot on it, .. We can XRF it and now for sure ( so our boilers dont blow up) the metal composition and if we choose wisely we dont need xRay testing...or even certified welding to get the boiler tagged.

We use Catskill foundry for the brass and cast pouring, and we use Nolt metals for the plasma machining, big press brakes, and welding skills ( they build metal wheels perfectly round, those Mennonites). I can show you examples of stuff we have contracted for all of those.

For the plastic bending, that is kinda all me. I can show a pic of the bender if you like. It uses 220v strip heaters nestled in a stainless box with a hinged platform on top.. like a big plastic brake. with firebrick and fans to direct the temp, and a thermostat on the exit. It is why I got the into the CNC thing... I got a 2200$~ hobby grade CNC machine and I buy the plastics, and cut to shapes. Its damn fast and damn loud.

I recently built a shunt holder for a ebike.... It held one of those generic 200A shunts sandwiched in a few layers of Poly like a pcb and with a few AUX circuits for the bike, a charge fuse, and a 12v system input and output fusing. Worked well and held the shunt, CA connections, charge in fuse, 12v out fuse, and the DC/DC converter fuse. Then bolted on the ( zip tie too) circuits.


The CNC is a Bravoprodigy machine... and is absolutely amazing even with its med. speeds and power. Our tig is the 200A Vulcan from Harbor Freight.

i use it mainly to cut poly-carbonate boxxes accurately for battery cases.So I dont have to do it on the table saw and can do accurate complex repeatability. Inlaid bolt down lugs welded to copper plates and inlaid into the 1/4 inch thick plastic. The like. Built into battery boxxes I plan to sell ( and have sold). A CNC machine can cut 6 sides much more accurately than me with a table saw.. and I can be watching old episodes of Jerry Springer in the meanwhile. I also am very interested in cutting aluminum bus bars for car audio.. very lucritive market.. Like https://coventryind.com/.... I can do their 135$ bus bar set for 13.50$. All day. That is a plan of mine too with this machine.

What do you want to see? the bucks I have built? The cases? The Stressed skin panels carved out into cell holders? The battery cases for my BBSo2 or my Hubbie motor? The plexiglass bender? The Mennonite kid with the plasma machines next to his " acoustic" bicycle? Lol. I pass soooo many Mennonite kids round here ( Rural Pa) and they all look at me in awe of my hill smashing 1000w hub motor. As they pedal everywhere.

The most expensive engine we ever helped build? Lol. Yes. It was only a few hundred grand for that walking beam... but it was shiny. Got pics. We just built an electric fired steam boat ( with one of our engines) with an oil burner, I wired the whole thing. Got pics. I love building things.

We have two lathes also ( a 12" and a 14" ) ( well 4, actually if you count the mill and the minilathe) and a few big welders too. Alongside the presses and the assortment of normal tools everyone has. We are totally a boutique manufacturer of boilers for hobby steam use ( rated, tagged, insurable boilers).

Its a funny thing. The steam age is intertwined with the electric age... Power is power and before steam there was only watermills to make watts. I have had opportunity to see alot of the old "Electric rooms" next to the "boiler rooms" on old old ships.. pics, designs, ect. plans, restorations, ect... To see what they did in the dawn of the industrial age to make electric power.. from the big (steam) engines. The pioneers.

I love trying to copy them.
 
That's a cool little engraver you've got. Kinda reminds me of the Carveright I beta tested years ago. I think dentists use machines like that to make crowns.

I'd love to see pics of the walking beam engine you mentioned.

Please don't take my post as being derogatory, I really am interested in strange and unusual, shiney stuff that moves and does useful things. :mrgreen:
 
I think I saw this on Ebay UK. Nice work. I like how it specs like a stealth bomber enduro type, thanks to that CYC motor but looks like a mountain bike. Less bother from the fuzz when doing day to day riding.

I like how you've housed the cells in such a tight frame. Very creative.

Sorry not a suggestion to your question, but more an appreciation of the hard work you have clearly put in.
 
by DogDipstick » Jul 23 2021 9:57pm

alright mate , where that come from, no need boast :p also got worst user name on ES to :wink:
Hey I worked my whole life for this user name tag. Warning.. ES is NOT the only place where I have the worst user name. Lol.. Do NOT google "DogDipstick.. " unless you want to see dogs wearing lipstick.

and i thought dogdipstick was "code" for corndog
 
fladam said:
I think I saw this on Ebay UK. Nice work. I like how it specs like a stealth bomber enduro type, thanks to that CYC motor but looks like a mountain bike. Less bother from the fuzz when doing day to day riding.

I like how you've housed the cells in such a tight frame. Very creative.

Sorry not a suggestion to your question, but more an appreciation of the hard work you have clearly put in.

Thank you for the kind words.

Yes you have seen it on ebay. I would very much like to be able to turn my passion into a small business of sorts so figured I build two and see which one sells, then use that to fund the next builds.

I have a Transition Patrol with the same set up which looks and rides amazingly. I'd like to keep it but if it sells then I just build more:)
 
nicobie said:
I'd love to see pics of the walking beam engine you mentioned.

Here are two. A small one and a big one. I'll post pics of the polycarbonate bender, too, in this post. It took a lot of work and I am proud of it. Now I have the capability to cut anything perfect and bend square. I do like doing this stuff. I am going to make my own DIY CNC router for I cannot afford a real 10-25$ K one.. but I cn build one with the similar sped. That machine is revolutionary in my opinion.

The Rockler Click'NCarve was made by Bravoprodigy... and this is the next step up machine. It is very neat. The ClickNCarve was a introductory machine also.

Engine pics. These are hobby steam enthusiast engines. Built for fancy period correct boats and their Captains to go steaming around lakes and rivers while the exhaust goes "Whoosh-pssssWhoosPsss"

The crank on the big engine is 280 lbs alone. We also help hobbyist to fix their old period correct single, reciprocating, two stage, and three stage plants in the little runabouts. We also sell a line of Steam Oil. We just finished a boiler/burner/batterybank and wires for a speed steamer and ran the initial steam tests.
 

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nicobie said:
Impressive! I especially like the big wood and iron one. I'd love to see it in person and running.

Yeah that one is probably the biggest hobby steam engine in the United States. In fact I (we) think it is. That was his goal.

The boat will be built next, I will surely post pics when completed. Its like a five year project. She will live in New Hampshire.


Its amazing what you can order from Emachineshop, and other online 3d printing, CNC, plasma shops, even if you cannot find it locally. I love building stuff. When I was a kid there was nothing like this whatsoever.. you were cutting chunks of metal with a bandsaw or grinder. Now we have precision down to 0.001"
 
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