The ebike parts designing thread with CAD/CAM

izeman said:
looking good! how rigid are they?

Thanks. I print them with PETG so they're very rigid, even more so with 14awg copper wire soldered to the cells. Before when I had the diameter set to 18.5mm these cells were fairly loose and the whole group could twist a bit. In hindsight it would probably be best to print out a 1 row/col version to check how well it fitted on a cell.
 
izeman said:
the a8 is a BIT too cheap to my findings. though an prusa clone will work fine. i have the wanhao duplicator i3plus and love it. did a lot of tuning (can't resist taking working parts apart).
the MonoPrice Select Mini 3D Printer V2 is among the best "smaller" ones. they are excellent and ready to go.
Isn’t A8 prusa clone?
 
My idea of a 3d printed battery holder. Ok it’s for 6 multistars that are often used for ebikes, not shown. Software is called via cad pro. Around 15 separate parts to get the batteries onto and into the bike frame. Tevo little monster delta style printer, 340x500mm print size! Yum yum.
 

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That is an AWESOME battery box! Thanks for posting it...

I'd add some side-panels to make a more attractive shape, but at least that rectangular box will provide a solid mounting base...
 
file.php


I just wanted to add some context...my fascination with a "honeycomb" cell layout vs a "rank and file" (which is the common default cell arrangement) is because they both have roughly the same cell-volume per pack cell-count, but...honeycomb provides for the option of air-fan cooling.

The standard square-pack rank-and-file shape has the cell walls almost touching each other, which restricts air-flow...

36V20A-battery.png


The worst configuration? Honeycomb with all the cells touching (hot-glued packs)...that means all the cells hold-in heat, especially in the center of the pack. You only need one cell to get too hot, to fry the entire pack...
 
Looking for an inexpensive way to convert this fork into cad data. Surface is all flat ; height would be increased from 14" to 15.5" and cut using water-jet.


Velocifero-MAD-500-a135902d47f62128-large 2jj.jpg
 
Thanks guys.
Using Autodesk Inventor Pro and still learning the ropes...
Looking if there is some kind of "Auto Trace" function in the program after inserting the scanned image in the sketch work area. If none, will just have to manually "trace" using lines, arcs, fillets, etc. It's showing file types: gif, bmp, jpg, png are supported, although more types could be used too.
Appreciate your patience.
 
shinyballs said:
Thanks guys.
Using Autodesk Inventor Pro and still learning the ropes...
Looking if there is some kind of "Auto Trace" function in the program after inserting the scanned image in the sketch work area. If none, will just have to manually "trace" using lines, arcs, fillets, etc. It's showing file types: gif, bmp, jpg, png are supported, although more types could be used too.
Appreciate your patience.

I've been doing 3D graphics for 25 years now, and I've yet to find a program that consistently does a good autotrace from a bitmap image. I no longer even check to see if a program has the feature. I just load the image as a background and trace manually. BTW, for the novice or part time designer, I'd suggest taking a look at Autodesk's Fusion 360. I think there is a free version/registration for non-commercial amateur use. There are LOTS of online tutorials for using Fusion 360 and it seems to provide a lot of professional capabilities in a package aimed at the non-fulltime designer.
 
Just to be clear, Fusion 360 is not "free". It is a commercial product costing $40 per month or $300 per year for the non-pro version, and the pro version is five times as expensive. You might be able to get a no-cost license temporarily, but you have to jump through hoops to prove you are a student or qualify for one of their special exceptions, but they can change that at any time and they clearly state that. There are other CAD programs that are free or much lower in cost, they may not have all the features but they may be adequate and more worthy of your time investment.
 
Alan B said:
Just to be clear, Fusion 360 is not "free". It is a commercial product costing $40 per month or $300 per year for the non-pro version, and the pro version is five times as expensive. You might be able to get a no-cost license temporarily, but you have to jump through hoops to prove you are a student or qualify for one of their special exceptions, but they can change that at any time and they clearly state that. There are other CAD programs that are free or much lower in cost, they may not have all the features but they may be adequate and more worthy of your time investment.

I said that Fusion 360 was free for non-commercial amateur use. And it is. That Fusion 360 is commercial software is implicit in what I posted. So I'm not sure what you are clarifying. Further, some of what you've posted is incorrect and distorting.

To be precise, the qualification rule is:
"You can use this license if you are a small business making less than $100,000 per year (or equivalent), or if you're a hobbyist using Fusion 360 for non-commercial purposes."

It is true that Autodesk could revoke that license at any time. But given that this kind of license has been part of Fusion 360 since its inception and seems part of their marketing strategy, that seems unlikely. But yes, they could change it.

But no, you don't have to prove anything to get the free subscription. Based on the online instructions, you simply choose the hobbyist option when you install the software. You just click the appropriate box. That's not much of a hoop IMO. I'm pretty sure one of my partners installed at home using the free license and reported no difficulties. He has a doctor friend who has been using Fusion 360 for free for years now to design his shop tools. He was enthusiastic about Fusion 360 and reported no difficulties. Either way, for those interested, it is a simple enough matter to install it and see if they make it difficult or not to get the free license.

I'm a big fan of free and open source software and not a big fan of subscription software. Subscribing to Fusion 360 goes against my tendencies. But my time is valuable and the loads of YouTube videos explaining how to use Fusion 360 were a big part of why I advocated using Fusion 360 in the studio and why I suggested it here. Also, my last two yearly subscriptions were $25 and $50 respectively. These were special offers that came as a consequence of having licensed Fusion 360 a month at a time a couple or three times. This has not been expensive software for us.

The Standard version of Fusion 360 is distinctly not "non-pro". It merely lacks the Advanced Manufacturing and Advanced Simulation modules. But it includes simulation and manufacturing (CAM, waterjet, stress analysis and more). As a non-engineer and non CAD specialist, I've used Fusion 360 to help develop commercial products professionally and to create CAD files that were used to create press molds for real-world commercial products such as the amazing Earth Talon :^)

https://www.amazon.com/Earth-Talon-Fiberglass-Shovel-Handle/dp/B00PLZ9PAK.

It is not as though you are getting some significantly watered down, low-feature, "non-pro" version if you don't purchase the $1500 "Ultimate" license.
 
That is their current policy. There is a risk that the investment you make in learning and developing designs in this complex tool may be wasted. From what I understand, the learning curve is substantial. That in itself is a substantial "cost".

I have read that that student and educational users are forced to jump through a number of "hoops" to qualify for the licensing. I wonder how one proves how his "small business" income is low enough. Do they want tax returns? What about next year when it needs to be renewed?

I think it is important that people understand what they're getting into with "special zero cost access to commercial software". This has been a problem as recently as Eagle PCB software, leaving a lot of people stuck. Company policies change over time. I do see a number of issues when changing between student licenses, hobby licenses, startup licenses and free trials.

Fusion 360 uses cloud storage. You can make a backup on your machine, but your designs are stored in the cloud. Not everyone likes that. Your machine chats with their license manager.

Over the years we have been bit a number of times by things like this. We need to support the developers of the low-cost and free software to ensure we will continue to have access to it. If we instead use free access to commercial software we deprive those developers of users, encouragement and support.

Everything Autodesk does is designed to make a profit. After you have invested in learning their tool they know they have a much better chance of selling you their software. They're counting on you being committed to it and being willing to pay for it. Something to consider when you choose where to invest your time and effort.

The commercial software industry is moving toward pay as you go, Adobe and Microsoft are two other big examples. They may give you free access for awhile, drive out (or buy out) the competition, then the price goes up. Microsoft Project and Visio are a couple of examples of this. Microsoft Office is creeping in this direction as well with their annual subscriptions.

People should only use Fusion 360 if they are prepared to pay the actual cost of the product. If someone wants a free or low cost product, they should look elsewhere for one.
 
Has anyone created a CAD model of the Cycle Analyst v3 Case that I could use as a starting point for a personal project I'm working on?
Something that would be useful for creating something that could be 3D Printed.

Not sure if there is a better place to ask. Its really difficult to search for this kind of thing here on Endless-Sphere or with Google. I only found two items. One was just a mention of one, and I found out it is proprietary and not sharable. The other was a Solid model, not something that could be used for 3D Printing.

Thanks!
Rob
 
I think some years back, Oatnet made something to fit *around* a CA case for his dune buggy, but I don't know how close-fitting it was (and therefore if it could be used to base a CA model around).
 
That battery cap design inspired me, so I decided to knock out a similar design in Tinkercad.

5s2p-honeycomb-1.jpg
5s2p-honeycomb-2.jpg

They are freely available to copy, edit, and download for printing here: https://www.tinkercad.com/things/lyY7dtA75YJ-5s2p-18650-side
 
Alan B said:
That is their current policy. There is a risk that the investment you make in learning and developing designs in this complex tool may be wasted. From what I understand, the learning curve is substantial. That in itself is a substantial "cost".
All CAD programs are complex. Fusion 360's interface is designed with ease of use in mind. Online tutorials are plentiful. These things reduce the "cost" in terms of the time required to actually get something done. Maybe things have changed, but the free/open source CAD programs I found when I looked a while back had no where near the same level of "free" online assistance.

We've covered that policies can change. But they can also stay the same. Fusion 360s policy has been around as long as Fusion 360 has existed and it seems to be a core part of the marketing strategy. Investing time in any software involves risks. Given the plethora of online tutorials and the easy to use interface, the risk/reward ratio with Fusion 360 seems pretty low to me for the occasional/hobbyist user. But, of course, everyone must make that choice for themselves.

Alan B said:
I have read that that student and educational users are forced to jump through a number of "hoops" to qualify for the licensing. I wonder how one proves how his "small business" income is low enough. Do they want tax returns? What about next year when it needs to be renewed?

I've never read or heard anything like that except from you. To get the free hobbyist license, you simply click the appropriate option either when you install it or when the 30 day free trial is over. It ain't hard. If a person can't handle that, then CAD is probably not for them. As for what happens the following year, you simply renew your hobbyist subscription.

Did I mention that there are gobs of online tutorials? Well here's one that steps you through installing and optioning for the one year enthusiast option directly without waiting for you 30 day trial to expire. It takes about 6 minutes - and most of that is in waiting for the download/install.
[youtube]LcWSCoDTsxA[/youtube]

Alan B said:
I think it is important that people understand what they're getting into with "special zero cost access to commercial software". This has been a problem as recently as Eagle PCB software, leaving a lot of people stuck. Company policies change over time. I do see a number of issues when changing between student licenses, hobby licenses, startup licenses and free trials.

Yes, it is also important to distinguish between fact, speculation and hearsay.

Alan B said:
Over the years we have been bit a number of times by things like this. We need to support the developers of the low-cost and free software to ensure we will continue to have access to it. If we instead use free access to commercial software we deprive those developers of users, encouragement and support.
Support. How? By donating /paying and struggling to use software that simply is not as good? By putting up with ads? By volunteering coding. By having other software installed as part of the install process if you aren't vigilant? Suddenly this kind of "free" software doesn't sound so "free" if somehow it needs support from users.

Alan B said:
People should only use Fusion 360 if they are prepared to pay the actual cost of the product. If someone wants a free or low cost product, they should look elsewhere for one.

What are the alternatives you suggest? By all means, post links to other alternatives. I'm all for free software and having options as I'm sure others here are.

As for "only", that is hardly true. A person could be absolutely committed to paying no money for software and still reasonably choose to use Fusion 360 as a hobbyist. Given that the software has a fairly rich feature set, that the company appears to be committed to the hobbyist, that you can download and archive projects in standard CAD formats as wells as a Fusion 360 specific project, and that you can remove your projects from the cloud, the risks are low. BTW, as much as I am not generally a fan of "cloud based" computing and having software tied to the "mothership", I must say that it is nice to be able to work on a project at work and have it available at home without having to do anything other than start up the software.

As I said at the outset, Fusion 360 is a fine option for the novice part-time user. It is not the only one. But is an option worth looking at. I'd be more concerned about my time investment if I was planning on being a regular user than if I were planning on using only a few times a year.
 
Let's terminate this discussion on Fusion 360.

I'm working on designing some 3D parts in an actually free CAD program that anyone can download and is far easier to learn than Fusion 360.

People can use what they wish. There are many choices. Not everyone agrees with your choice, and arguing about it serves no purpose. I've been bitten by the "free" bait and switch a few times before, investing a lot of time and energy only to have to start over and lose all the hard work. How many times do we want to repeat that cycle? In the short run it may be fine, in the long haul it can be extremely unpleasant and costly. For someone who has worked with CAD/CAM many years it may be of little consequence to change packages. For others it is a huge investment to lose and have to restart.

In the 3D printing business especially there are many people using other, truly free (or low cost) programs. Fusion 360's strength lies elsewhere.

There are many free (or low cost) CAD programs, OpenSCAD is one that I know is extremely popular in the 3D printing world. FreeCAD is another. Estlcam for CNC. The list goes on, if a little research is done.
 
rberger said:

There doesn't exist a CAD program advanced enough (free or not) that can design a keyboard for an Emacs user. I'm glad we're just designing simple ebike stuff here. ;)
 
Here is a quick first cut at a Cycle Analyst stacking bar. On my AWD Bonanza the two Cycle Analysts need a better mount, there isn't enough room on the handlebars for two displays and it would be more intuitive to have them stacked one above the other. I'm going to try some different ideas, this is the first and simplest one. I need to get some screws to try it out. This is a very simple 3D printed design. Done in OpenSCAD with a parameter for the display spacing, this is minimum spacing. Just for fun I'll include the simple program that makes this design. OpenSCAD is different from most CAD programs in that you write code to generate the design. 3D objects are built by performing operations like difference and translation on simple geometric shapes like cube (rectangular solid) and cylinder.

Code:
// cycle analyst mounts ES:Alan B 2/2018

$fn = 128;  // smooth the circles by using more facets

// Cycle Analyst by ebikes.ca
// dimensions in mm

m6clearance = 6.6;  // clearance hole for rear screw mount in CA
closeSpacing = 58;  // 57.8 height of CA
betweenWires = 13;  // clearance between wires on rear hump

stackBar(0);  // render with the minimum spacing

module stackBar(spc)  // simple bar between two M6 holes to stack two CA displays
{
    thick = 4;  // bar thickness
    end = 8;    // length of ends
    
    holeOfs = (closeSpacing+spc)/2;
    
    difference()
    {
        cube([betweenWires,closeSpacing+spc+2*end,thick],center=true);
        
        hole(holeOfs);
        hole(-holeOfs);
    }
}

module hole(ofs)
{
    translate([0,ofs,0])
    #cylinder(h=10,d=7,center=true);
}
 

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