Phoenix Rising: P1

Has anyone else commented on your Mentat litany? Lordy I love me some Dune.
 
^ :wink:

Gosh, I thought someone else did some time ago. The Programmer's Mantra is said to have originated from Mark Stein on Sunday morning at the Arisia science fiction conference in Boston, ca. 1993.

In truth, it is a combination of many beers the evening before combined with lots of espresso shots the following morning that produce my best programming efforts. Work hard, play hard; such is Life.

As long as I yam commenting...

We had a light snow in Redmond after the New Year and I was able to test out the mods for the first time in about 2-3 inches of fairly dry stuff. Got the ebike up to 40 mph before noticing the rear beginning to squirrel; that's good enough for me. Also noted that cornering must be taken at a modestly slower speed on dry pavement due to the studs. Last weekend 5 inches of snow fell in Redmond but I was in China at the time and completely missed the opportunity to test handling in deeper stuff <cry cry> :wink:

In addition, my high-powered LED flashlights (as headlights) are beginning to fail: The connections are not as strong - leading to flickering, and the output is dimming. I have replacements but they are not a direct fit and require new mounting hardware.

Finally, for jkbrigman... I believe this one speaks for all who ride in traffic:
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
Frank Herbert, Dune

<slurp! more coffee...> KF
 
I hope never to receive your water, brother. :D
 
^ Me too ;)

OK, so here's the Spring update:
Swapped out the Winter Tires for the Summer. Inspection revealed that I lost 7 studs at random on the Schwable Ice Spiker Pro mounted on the FWD. The Panaracer Fire FR knobby mounted on the RWD took a fairly good beating too. With the Summer tires: both are Dual-ply Hookworms which are no longer available in this Life... unless I use a WABAC machine :p ; the front is in good shape, however I noticed the rear is getting a bit thin in the middle. Could be an over-pressure issue or that it's just handling more wear and tear. I have a backup mounted on the trailer; both are the more rare 24" vintage. Lucky me the trailer tire only has about 3000 miles, 98% use of which was as un-driven follower 8)

During the winter I often heard the spokes creaking after I made a few high-speed jumps off a curb. Yet during the semi-annual inspection not a one was loose. They are the Sapim Strong Single Butted Spoke from WheelBuilder.Com and do not flex a whole lot. Oiled up the chain; hardly any oily goobers to scrape off. Even the chain-ring was in good shape. Other than paint scratches and a wee bit of winter filth, everything looks good to go for Summer.

To be honest, up until yesterday I'd had little time to ride anywhere except to work. The last non-business-related ride was on July 16th, 2013 when I did that 89-mile ride to Granite Falls using the battery-extender saddle bags. Actually - that makes perfect sense cos that's when I took the job where I travelled to China and Mexico quite a bit... and was never home long enough to ride anywhere else.

In the past couple of weeks the weather has decidedly turned much more pleasant in a Pacific Northwest way, and I didn't have need to wear sweaters any longer. I also started using the 3-Way Current Control set to High which I believe is programmed to 121% (over-clocked). The difference reminds me of an old car I had back in High School: It was a total POS and completely butt-ugly oxidized white '61 Rambler station wagon with an inline-six. It had a lot of problems, this car. One was the tranny connected to the 3-on-a-tree shifter which was a fq-story as well, so I went to a wreaker and scavenged a 3-speed with Overdrive! Problem was the overdrive mechanism wouldn't fix under my dashboard. So I cut a hole through the floorboard where I could get my hand down to the tranny and pull the overdrive level manually. Let's face it: I was never going to land a date with this car, but it was hell-fun to take on the backroads and throw it into OD! :twisted:

The acceleration was like a rubberband where the energy is bound up into the torque converter and released in a brief surge of power - as if cresting a hill and becoming nearly airborne.

That's what an over-clocked controller feels like: That rubberband-type surge of power when you hit 35-40 mph, then zoom! :twisted: The downside about going +40 mph is the bike gets a little squirrely with a 42-inch wheelbase and studded tires. Possible future Darwin candidate... :roll: but it sure is fun!

That's all I knows. The 2WD continues to continue.
Knock wood. KF
 
I was hoping to see the Rims and Conti tires here.....
Do you have pics and info for that?
Thank you KF!

Tommy L sends...... \m/ . . \m/
 
Tommy! As it happens, I do have a stash of tires and rims from all the testing… but now that I am digging around in that room, I might as well provide a full assay; it’s been on my plate to do that anyways and this request has helped me organize the loose ends into one area. So the response is long (apologies) although concise. :)

Rims&TiresCollection2014.jpg

Just about all the objects discussed below are pictured here in the back room.

Rims, Tires, Motors, Controllers
Unless otherwise noted,
  1. All rims are 36-spoke and for rim-brake.
  2. Rims under sizes under 2” were for the FWD P0 ebike that was operational in 2010.
  3. Physical width of rims measured in (mm) when dimensions were not available.
  4. All motors came from EBikes.CA.
  5. Except for 2009 and early 2010 purchases, all my controllers have been from Lyen.
Rims
  • Crystalyte 26” (30 mm) and spoked to 9C 2806 RH. Stock rim for the RH kit. Opened for study, and pulled 10-AWG through axle. Never used. Qty-1
  • Samson Champion 26” (25.4mm); Two spoked to 9C 2806 & 2807. Two left over - never used after respoking the motors. Total Qty-4. Stock rim for the FH kit.
  • Mavic 26” (36 mm) EX 729 Disc, Qty-3: One spoked to 9C 2806 FH Disc on P1 ebike now. One spoked to 9C 2807 FH RIM motor by mistake and never used. One spoked to rear Freehub Disc axle.
  • Kris Holm 24” (46 mm) Unicycle Competition (holed) Rim. One spoked to 9C 2806 RH Disc on P1 ebike now. One spoked to a front axle and is mounted as a follower on the P2 Trailer used in the 2011 Road trip to California. These rims can spawn rim-flats, so extra care is needed to prevent that by double-wrapping the liner. However they are very strong and lightweight.
  • Alex Rims XRim 26” (25mm) spoked to Rear Freehub Disc, and DA16 26” (22 mm) spoked to rear Freehub Disc.
  • Araya VP-20 26” (27 mm) spoked to front axle.
Tires
  • Maxxis Hookworm Maxxpro 60 Dual-Ply DH: Two 26x2.5, one mounted on the Front of P1 now, one is a good spare with little mileage. Two 24x2.5, one mounted on the Rear of P1 now, the other is mounted on the P2 Trailer and is also in very good condition as a spare. I have over 5k miles on my first pair and expect to get another 3k before needing replacement. They are awesome tires, and IMO second to none for ebike-class.
  • Schwalbe Icespiker Pro EVO 361 Tungsten Studs 60-559 (24x2.35); my Winter Tire for the Front on P1. Fat Frank 60-559 (26x2.35) – never been used. Marathon Winter 47-559 (26x1.75) Qty-2 used on P0 during winter and saw only one season; they were excellent tires.
  • Specialized Crossroads 26x1.95 Qty-2, primary tires used on P0 up until fall of 2010. Armadillo Hemisphere 26x1.95 used on P0; replaced worn out Crossroads on the FWD after the road trip to California.
  • Panaracer Fire FR 24x2.4 Black-walled Knobby; my Winter Tire for the Rear on P1.
  • Continental Contact 47-559 (26x1.75), used on P0 initially I think, before the road trip in 2010.
Hub Motors
  • 9C 2806 Disc FH & RH from EBikeKit, purchased in early spring of 2011 explicitly for the road trip to California. Rusted solid by November; Reworked in 2012 with varnish, venting, 12-AWG pulled through the axle, and new bearings. Been nearly flawless in operation since.
  • 9C 2806 FH Qty-2; one is disassembled though new/never used, one is the old FWD of P0.
  • 9C 2806 RH Qty-1; disassembled for study, modified for 10-AWG, never used, never will be.
  • 9C 2807 FH Qty-2; one is disassembled though new.
The spare motors will be used on the Dyno project.

Controllers
For the record, I have had more controllers than I can count or keep track of. However – my very first controller from EBikes.CA and it still works, although the pads have lifted off the TTL interface, thus I can no longer program it. I have had at least six 48V to 100V 6FETs, probably six 100V 12FETs, and I just purchased two 150V 12FETs for the Dyno project. The present P1 ebike uses two highly modified Lyen 100V 12FETs (EB312), and they’ve been flawless in operation since 2012 rework.

In summation, it appears that I have only one Conti tire. However I have been looking at Conti and Michelin to provide tires for the next build which is in the light motorcycle-class. There are pictures of tires scattered around my two bike build threads. Maybe what is needed is an addendum to Rims & Tires thread and to have a pictorial galley.

End of Summer UPDATE
In the month of September this year I, with other fellow ES members attended the Washington Silent Thunder Electric Nationals Sept 6, 2014 in Auburn, WA. Below are a couple of photos taken by a pro-photographer that day. Fun times; let’s do it again!

20140906.ST0.jpg

Teslanv, KF, and LFP just before heading out onto the Loop Track.

20140906.ST1.jpg

KF, makin’ the loops at WOT

20140906.ST2.jpg

WOT and yet pedaling! My top speed up to 48 mph.

20140906.ST3.jpg

The Tree is GREEN for GO! Final run had me pegged at 45.45 mph; pedaled the whole ¼ mile. What a rush!

Working on the next build… faster farther better! 8)
Cheers! KF
 
Thank you so much KF.

Looks like MAXXIS is not making that DH MAXX60 2ply any longer.

I've been reading much on 2wd as I'm intrigued. Thinking Lightweight build with dual Mac 6T's. But I just got this frame and tires.
Not sure what to do, Although the Cro with the Moto rims and Pirelli Scooter tires might be in order! lol

But I'll finish this build as I aquired it just like the picture shows. The front disc Hydraulic is very powerful. I'll try running my Lyen 4115 at
133v HOC and see how fast it will go! lol :)

Tommy L sends....

1424464_10152755754736983_2798470886362686169_n.jpg
 
Spring Update 2015

New Headlights
Some time ago during the last winter I upgraded the headlights to throw a lot more light onto the road. Previously the dual Cree UniqueFire 300 Lumen setup just seemed to be getting dimmer with time. I swapped these out with a pair of high-powered triple-LED flashlights on sale from Home Depot, individually capable of 1000 Lumens. During the mod I figured out how to bypass the Clicky and make them single-mode. They are wicked-bright and throw a nice spread well in front, and more importantly – I'm visible to other drivers from a good long distance. Got to be happy about that.

Winter Tire Swap
Well… we really didn’t get that cold this year. I did put the knobby on the rear, though we had like maybe 5 days of frost this season so I never got around to mounting the studded front. Now that we’re officially into spring, I need to swap that tire off for improved mileage and cornering.

Battery Pack
On April 4th, after TeslaNV joined the 60 mph Club on the dragstrip at Pacific Raceways, I got the bug to upgrade my pack voltage from 15S/63 volt to 20S/84 volt. It had been a year since I last balanced this pack. Surprisingly most of the cells were within 0.04V except for a couple which had bad balance wires and thus unavailable for measurement. All cells were manually balanced at this time to 3.88V. A total of 4 batteries were removed, with 2 being replaced for the reasons above. Removing one battery from each side of the Commuter Pack reduced from 18 batteries to 16 /4 so there would be 2 “units” on each side. The Saddlebags hold 6 batteries x 2, so I crafted a shared single wire cable for the split-unit.

DC-DC Converter
This device is rated at 36-75VDC IN, so going to 84V would have been a problem. My EE buddy suggested I tap off the 3rd battery in series of a 4-battery unit and pull that forward for the supply. Did that; took 3 times to get the wiring right. Plugged that into the V+ feed to the DC-DC Converter but then realized that the Black Box-OUT sends VBatt as Vcc_L back to the controllers; no good. Resolved by fetching a 12V/50A Relay from Napa Auto and wired it to a 12V/GND existing stub (nicely convenient). Testing proved this could work:

  • When keyswitch is enabled, the 3rd-Tap Power (63V) feeds the DC-DC Converter and energizes the 12VDC circuit. This enables the relay to ON and correctly sent VBatt (84V) back to the controllers. 8)
Velcro Strap
The strap at the top tube which prevents the PE shields from migrating was becoming abraded, and has been replaced.

Programming
Reviewed past experiences and have decided to initially program the controllers to have similar power, although the current will be reduced to map with the change in voltage. Also need to validate that the R12 mod is sufficient for 84V, otherwise… Rediscovered my old BT app that I wrote 2 years ago and found all the cabling. No written record on how to do this, but I did take screen caps – evidently in preparation to document.

Previous notes from 10/2012 say: “FH Controller is presently set for 18A Battery/45A Phase, and the RH Controller is set for 22A Battery/56A Phase.” However it appears that I was tinkering (at least with the RH) with 24.2/60.8. Battery Amps based on the Commuter Pack, is 4 x 5 x 15C (Max) = 300. No fear here. The initial testing began with FH @ 18/45 Batt/Phase Amps and RH @ 20/50. The 1st speed test was on April 10th, with a resulting maximum velocity of 50.4 mph (averaged between the two wheels). The next day I upped the power a bit more to FH 21.6/49.6 and RH 24.2/56.0 – and I was easily able to exceed 50 mph. BTW – I still have the knobby tire mounted on the rear!

[youtube]Ajl1Be9ddTk[/youtube]

Illness
I have not had a chance to catch up on threads. Right at Thanksgiving I came down with the worst head-chest flu in more than a decade, lasting about 3 weeks. Just as I was turning a corner and starting to feel human again – I contracted Shingles. Didn’t know it was Shingles though for 5 days; I was misdiagnosed as having migraine with allergies. The pain was unlike I had ever experienced. Ended up in Emergency on Dec. 24th… and my life changed for the next 3 months on strong meds. The affected nerve section covered my right front hemisphere, including the brow and eye. Although we prevented the Shingles from advancing onto the cornea, I have developed double-vision in that eye that moderately affects working on CAD. I still have the symptoms; they grow less and less pronounced each passing week, and the scarring is slowly fading. Thank the gods for winter though because sensitivity to bright light on the right eye was absolutely painful, and made it very difficult to work on the computer. But I’m better now and happily swimming with the rest of humanity again. Don’t wait till your 60 to get your Shingles shot! :wink:

Be safe, KF
 
Didnt know you could get a shingles shot? glad your feeling better Kf,You have wicked story- writing skills :) .
 
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