Reid's Stealth Cruiser: Float your eBOAT? Ideas, anyone? p22

[Reid Welch]

^&^

yeah! Bulbnose here will try replacing the MIA LED first.
EDIT: got a pair of small, green Radio Shack LEDs... I will try one out tomorrow.

and then if that don't work, and the motor passes the hall sensor test:

Off to Justin to buy a new eZee controller
(after all, it DID work until I mucked the stock configuration of the eZee system.

About possible overheating: No overheating when I ground-thin the heat sink. I took care to keep it cool whilst grinding.
The grinding, for those who don't follow stupid-long threads: to gain clearance for the eZee cover, the case of which is
mounted to this bikes water bottle braze ons.

No "shorting" of delicate IC goods: humidity is high here in Fl (am aware of static spark risks)
and I am always grounded first to electronics,
and the belt sander, grounded too, and myself to the concrete floor.
But if the controller is somehow fritzed: I just get a new controller.
It's no big deal after all.

On the wish list:
off now for a trip to Coral Way Bicycle Shop here in Miami.
They may have obtained by now, the 52t front chain wheel for this SunKruiser (a Miami importer's badge-name)
These old-school forged cranks require a special spanner to unscrew the bearing cone which serves also to secure the chain wheel.
Low tech is still good stuff: time tested for a century. No cartridge bearings for me, where I can avoid 'em.
__________
Back to Sleeping Beauty:
as Justin said: all things electronic or mechanical are fix-able.
And I note, from bitter experience, that only death of the body is irreversible. I am not dying today.
It's just a bike project temporarily stalled.


________
humour finish:
Maybe I'll die in the deep end of
the Venetian Pool

someday,
glub glub: on an ebike but..... no aqualung.

Laughing at the last, at the soaking end; lead belt-weighted, front tire filled with water for traction,
and, knowing me: I won't find the quick-release of the belt.
Halp! Lifeguards! Camera crew! Wot? Nobody there can swim that day?

:wink:

 

[AussieJester]

You will of course be filming this underwater escapade...from your bike as well as above water right Reid? So you will also need to waterproof your video camera This will be like a car crash, you know you shouldn't stare but you just cant look away hehehe...Are the rumours regarding the Columbian drug cartels true? are they really watching with interest to see if the bike is an option for underwater transportation of Cocaine Your a braver man than i Gunga Din best of luck sorting the problem fingers crossed its not the motor...hrmz...would it be better if it was? whats the cheaper to replace speed controller or motor? I hope when you replace the cut off LED it all miraculously starts working again anywayz...

Kim

 

[Reid Welch]

You will of course be filming this underwater escapade...from your bike as well as above water right Reid? So you will also need to waterproof your video camera This will be like a car crash, you know you shouldn't stare but you just cant look away hehehe...Are the rumours regarding the Columbian drug cartels true? are they really watching with interest to see if the bike is an option for underwater transportation of Cocaine Your a braver man than i Gunga Din best of luck sorting the problem fingers crossed its not the motor...hrmz...would it be better if it was? whats the cheaper to replace speed controller or motor? I hope when you replace the cut off LED it all miraculously starts working again anywayz...

Kim

It will be a grand trick. There are real hurdles to overcome:

=make the damned thing work without long-term harm to the machine

=coo and bill with pols and publicists to sell the most insane-sounding idea ever presented to the City of Coral Gables.

=The Venetian Pool (google it for the history): a former rock quarry for our local limestone, converted from an ugly hole,
way back in 1923, by Coral Gables' chief architect (this city was the first fully pre-planned city in the USA).
It =is= the most beautiful, huge, swimming pool in all of the world.

=I was lucky enough to grow up just one walking block away from the pool.
I have not been swimming in that pool since I was about thirteen or so (forty years ago).

It is very shallow over most all of its acre-size, deep only at the diving platform end.
It has caves, waterfalls, loggias, a sandy mini-beach and coconut palms, all just as it was when first opened.

It was a national event, its grand opening. Paul Whiteman, most famous bandleader of the world at that time,
and his band, performing "Whispering" and other hits, standing in knee-deep water. Genuine Venetian gondola men,
imported for the opening days, plying the waters. This place represents the Roaring Twenties, open gin joints, real estate boom,
and later...all busted. But the pool has been preserved exactly as it always has been, but today they have removed the high-diving boards.

The Cave: was a great place to swim into with your sweetie to neck above or below the water line.

I want to put the ebike into that pool and have pro photographers photograph the stunt for local and possibly, national TV.
And of course, it will be difficult to sell this idea to conservative, fraidy-cat pols. But what fun if it can be pulled off!

Failing that, if I am refused the Pool, there is the nearby Desoto Fountain,

built at the same time as the Pool; they are less than five hundred feet apart, are in straight-sight line.
I can easily STEAL a ride around the three foot deep circular fountain, having a buddy film the fun.
When we were kids and bored, our favorite sport was to dump a box of Tide detergent into the Desoto Fountain (it is huge).
SUDS, mountains of suds, would form by the waterfall action, and breezes and wind would blow billows of foam across Granada Boulevard.
PS: I never, no I never, ever did the soaping, myself. I know not who would do such a naughty thing!

 

[AussieJester]

Cant you just launch into the pool without permission...like casually ride straight into the pool nobody would expect it and the fine wouldn't be too large would it LoL.. To heck with the pissy little pool anywayz Reidy you live in Florida damnit your got the ocean everywhere, this fresh water business is for amateurs, a pro like you needs the corrosive properties
of salt water thrown into the mix hehee...not to mention the added obstacles of weighted down human bodies from drug deals gone bad.

PS: I never, no I never, ever did the soaping, myself. I know not who would do such a naughty thing!

I bet theres still half empty pallet of Tide detergent sitting
in your garage...will scour background of all garage pictures in worklog and be back with proof at latter date

 

[Zoot Katz]

. . . Laughing at the last, at the soaking end; lead belt-weighted, front tire filled with water for traction,
and, knowing me: I won't find the quick-release of the belt.
Halp! Lifeguards! Camera crew! Wot? Nobody there can swim that day?

SCUBA Santa rides with sharks and pops wheelies too.

I guess that was OT because he's not packing batteries.
I'd wait until Justin was ready to maybe loan you a prototype of his encapsulated fail-safe controller in exchange for video chronicling the event.

ps. "Reid's Stealth Cruiser; This just in from Justin" would have been too cute.
They're a great bunch of "kids" down there on Main St. I love 'em all.
Despite generation, knowledge, economic and beauty gaps they've always treated me with warmth and respect, even before I ever dropped a cent in the store. I'm lucky to have them as my closest LBS.

 

[E=IR]

Electric eels could power your ride!

 

[AussieJester]

Reid will do it and look sharp in his Okanui boardies when he does... No wetsuit, no tanks...no worries :-|

single speed coaster brake bicycle.... $US200
Ezee wheel kit ..... $US750
36V, 20AH Ping battery.... $US470
Transporting cocaine underwater into Florida for Columbian drug cartels ....priceless

 

[Reid Welch]

Reid will do it and look sharp in his Okanui boardies when he does... No wetsuit, no tanks...no worries :-|

single speed coaster brake bicycle.... $US200
Ezee wheel kit ..... $US750
36V, 20AH Ping battery.... $US470
Transporting cocaine underwater into Florida for Columbian drug cartels ....priceless

Ah, a bath! The stunt must be done in THAT pool, Venetian, singing,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ee-mRrqV6g&feature=related
context: Saturday night was national bath night. Most people bathed but once per week--in the tub.
The cited tune was parody-reaction against the wildly-popular "Singing in the Rain" of that year.
In this movie version, the comedienne foils against Lurch, Lurch bumping out "You Were Meant For Me".

The Pool ride is meant for me. For normal people, for those who don't like water so much,
well, how about this tune? It is warm and most comforting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgjDftd5Ldk&feature=related
_______
Okanui? Phooey! My pussy's not that wet yet.
I'm gonna pot my controller and plant myself on submersed concrete,
As Life Goes on Without Me
(btw,the film maker and me granddad were pals)

 

[vanilla ice]

For the love of God, can we get a thread title update already?

Its been four days without any news, whats new Reid?

 

[D-Man]

I think its time to have a "moment of silence" for the totally wrecked stealth cruiser......................Its dead. This is how its suppose to look:

 

[africanandy187]

I know, i keep checking the thread like 5 times a day!That new controller must be in the post...

 

[AussieJester]

Yes Mr Reid update update update mate

He has been a little unluky, first the BMS...then the controller...possibly the motor...he will get it up and running hrmz...not sure for how long though especially if he takes it 'swimming' Be interesting to watch though...i have my fingers crossed for a successful circumnavigation of the pooool...

Kim

 

[Reid Welch]

Update? Have been under the weather for the past few days. Glub.

D-man's Xty prayers that I drown are being answered, apparently, me being an atheistic homo Stealth Cruiser (no public washroom is safe!) :wink:

Anywho, nothing has been done other than to order from Ping, a five amp charger to upgrade from the supplied 2.5A charger.
Howsoever, that won't make the bike run! It will only charge the battery faster for non-running needs! :lol:

Justin, busy as he is, took time to give me a tip. He won't mind a full quote of his mail of the other day, so I quote:

From: "Ebikes Information"

To: ReidWelch@netscrape.com

Subject: Re: Zev or Justin: what do =four blinks= of the controller LED mean?

Date: Sat 01/03/09 06:21 AM


Hi Reid, quick reply now so you know what to tackle on the weekend. 4
LED flashes indicates a problem with the throttle, so see if you
really are getting a ~1V to ~4V signal on the throttle line (green
wire) as you twist the grip. The eZee controller handles the throttle
a bit differently than most, pulling the signal up to 5V if it is not
connected in order to detect a disconnected throttle situation.

-Justin

On Fri, Jan 2, 2009 at 1:22 PM, Reid Welch <ReidWelch@netscape.com>
wrote:
>
> Hey guys,
>
> I installed correctly a small LED to replace the OEM that I stupidly
snipped
> from the eZee controller.
>
> Somewhere, I can't find that info now, the blink code, on your site.
>
> I get four flashes upon applying power to the controller. Then
nothing.
>
> I have not gone further with the diagnostic procedure, such as
checking for
> throttle voltage, or unbandaging the wheel-to-cable hardwire
connections.
>
>
> BTW: how much for a replacement controller if I happen to end up
needing
> one?
> I should have a spare, anyway.
>
> Let me know ASAP? What is the blink code sequence/meaning?
>
> Thanks to you both, Zev and Justin.
> And thanks to you, Justin, in particular, for your last, very kind
letter;
> I put it to the public thread. Old Zoot could not say enough good
things
> about you guys, your neighbor.
>
> I appreciate your help so very much, and hope to get this bike running
soon
> as I am able:
> preferably before next Twensday, if possible.
>
> Reid, The Incompetent

I will check the voltage, if present, at the throttle connnections.
It looks to be a defective controller, unless by some act of god (dog), The Reid is getting his Pride's comeupance.

Note that I have done nothing wrong, nothing that they can hang me for, not yet.
At worst, I will get another controller. And if that does not do the trick, and the oiled motor is, indeed alright, as Justin thinks,
I'll just Deep Six the whole project. It was going into the pool, anyway.

I'll then take up macrame instead. Why? No eelectronics!

----

Thank you all for your interest. Four percent per annum is sufficient, or time served:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7dmbWWSD_k

 

[Zoot Katz]

I'd rather not see you drown your cat but the bike part sounded cool.
Personally, I think you lost it when you decided to make it submersible with all those holes in the tubing.*

An emergency activated positive buoyancy system might be a desirable accessory.
How ya gonna push it out of the pool?

Reid, we are counting on you.
Feel better soon and quit kicking yourself in the bumm.
If your fried guinea pig comes at the price of a throttle and LED, you're laughing.
Your quest for perfection is inspiring.
Carry on.

*Don't forget to put lots of boat trailer grease in the steerer tube and seat tube before installing the stem and seat post. Go for something removable to seal the drain/vent holes and cable routing before submersion.

 

[AussieJester]

If you need a throttle Reid i have 4 spare happy to send

Keep at it i know what your feeling was there few days ago myself, you've just had a spot of bad luck...will all turn out well in the end

Kim

 

[Reid Welch]

Agreed, Zoot: the main tube is the only one that I've "rustproofed" with a conversion coating.
The remainder of the tubes, and the cable-bearing tube, itself, in particular, will be super-packed with waterproof grease,
or with par-al-ketone, at the very least.

----

Aussie: the throttle is not the problem. Have two throttles, one known-good.
A multimeter test per Justin's directions will tell much. The eZee worked fine before I snipped connectors and then hard-wired all points.
------

Am mounting a rubbed-dull Planet Bike fender tonight. Satin black plastic fenders look like the new fashion for this bike.

-----
Readings tomorrow, perhaps, of the controller throttle wires; is there voltage there despite four blinks of the LED?
Is there voltage there even if the throttle be totally disconnected?
and from there....a new controller if no-go.

Vacuum tube electronics (reid welch theremin) are more my speed. shocking, but true).
Solid state stuff is beyond my kin. It will sort out in time.
----
I wonder if it's possible to really ride a bike underwater: probable lack of front wheel drive traction,
and lack of sufficient speed to keep one's balance, and the buoyancy of air-filled (I may water-fill the front tire)...
...I will want lots of lead weight for a waist belt.

Two MPH will be required, I am guessing, to keep balance-control of the bike.
Cameras will be witnessing; don't want to make a muck of the subaqueous endeavor.

 

[Reid Welch]

IT seems do-able:
THIS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhT_caje0GI

NOT this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7erm00aOqY

Plans:
No aqua lung. Street clothes. Ramp entry and exit. Smiles.

 

[AussieJester]

Plans:
No aqua lung. Street clothes. Ramp entry and exit. Smiles.

NO NO NOOOO!!!111oneoneone Wheres your sense of style and adventure gone ?!?#!#$@!?

Okanuis with a a superman indian air seat grab entry into the poooool Reidy...will let you off with a straight superman indian air if adequate ramp isn't available Getting out of the pool will be easy the Paramedics will float you to the side and lift you out no ramp required LOL

 

[Reid Welch]

Plans:
No aqua lung. Street clothes. Ramp entry and exit. Smiles.

NO NO NOOOO!!!111oneoneone Wheres your sense of style and adventure gone ?!?#!#$@!?

Okanuis with a a superman indian air seat grab entry into the poooool Reidy...will let you off with a straight superman indian air if adequate ramp isn't available Getting out of the pool will be easy the Paramedics will float you to the side and lift you out no ramp required LOL

Somehow :lol: I cannot see a piker, a non-biker, a 55 year old ill man, doing a Jeremy...not without plenty of feather pillows and a will, and life insurance (unobtainable).

Street clothes will be ever so much funnier. Think: Mr. Twombley Twiddles: unflappable, but not unwet-able.

 

[Reid Welch]

General notes:

SLOW CURE epoxies are far superior for heat and chemical resistance and water resistance.
Avoid "five minute epoxies" whenever possible.

-----

I'd ruined by shorting, an unwrapped Ping BMS.
Here is how the new BMS is made totally waterproof, safe, even, from days of immersion in salt water (were that a goal).

TIP: two coats. IMPORTANT WITH EPOXIES: apply the second coat before the first coat is fully hardened: to ensure marriage of the coats.
otherwise, you must scrub/roughen, wash and super-dry (low bake in the hot sun or warm oven) before applying the next coat.

Tip: mix this two-part epoxy super-well, with a chopstick, in a plastic disposable drinking cup.
Mix for fully two minutes. Wipe off the chopstick. Dribble the material onto one side of the board.
Let it set up for (this is very slow cure epoxy) for a number of hours, until it has turned semi-solid.
Then apply coat number two. Then flip the board and repeat the procedure.

TIP: mixed epoxy will entrain tiny air bubbles. Let the mix "induct" in the pot for fifteen minutes.
Then, take a deep breath and hold it (make CO2). Exhale your breath into the epoxy cup.
The risen bubbles, tiny, will pop. Your coating will be crystal clear. Alternately, exhale expended air into the poured coating;
this is the safer way than to use the exhaust heat from a propane torch (no heat: no damage to micro circuits possible).

----
Now, the eZee controller: it is thinly coated with a rubbery (like a five minute epoxy or perhaps a silicone-based film.
It cannot be truly waterproof. The fix: remove that crap with acetone (this I will do at my risk); true epoxy is acetone proof;
not so with the eZee controller's coating. Scrub and micro-clean the board. Low-bake (like at 150F) for many hours.

Now epoxy seal as shown above.
Now install it into its "waterproof" case, and let that case be totally open to the ventilating air.
In this way, the controller can never be water-entrained by a "sealed" metal box, which, in practice,
is not likely to be truly waterproof.

Rain proof? It is rain-resistant as that controller is made.
But over the long haul? Condensation and such will form (my prediction).
And that spells trouble in Controller City.

I have a spare controller on the way to replace the OEM eZee controller which I mysteriously spoilt by my hard-wiring efforts ((see previous postings))
I won't eff up twice; not in the same ways, anyway.

----

Now, HOW ABOUT a manlier front chainring[/b] for this singlespeed, flatland bike?
Next form:

 

[Reid Welch]

Single speed. We have no hills here. Super simple. Steel bike.
Pedals like a dream with its OEM 44T front chainwheel.

E-assist will do the main work. Think of this gearing-up, fixed, as a sort of alternate to multiple gears....good only for flatlands.
But, at 20mph and over, a 44T chainwheel will be impossible to spin comfortably. I'd be like, whizzing my legs;
No way the Mathurine catheter bag would not leak :lol:

This 52T chainwheel

will make high speed pedaling (with wide open throttle) a breeze.
It will also make the bike a pig to pedal from a standing start: a dissuasion against bike thieves who won't know that the rig is electric.

POINT: the electric assist takes the place, so to speak, for my circumstances, for the complication and weight and general nuisance
of multiple gears, shifters, idlers, cables, clutter and "ooooh, I wanna steal this bike", appeal.

To cross an intersection from a standing stop: apply throttle and pedal.
The position of the coaster brake bike's pedals will hardly matter.

And as I cruise at 20mph or 25mph (est), I'll pedal assist, put in my 100 watts or so,
and gain leg exercise and upper body exercise, as I lean back and PULL into the pedals.

IF I want, in practice, a higher or lower fixed gearing: the rear sprocket is standard fit: comes in a range of tooth-numbers.

IF I want a more precise chain than standard, 3/32 x 1/2" chain fits these chain cogs, width-wise, just fine.
There will be no chain guard. The chain will be nickel plated for appearance, and wax lubed, not oiled,
and it will look quite the business. Simple!
(I only make building things, look complicated: a unique talent not to be emulated by others).

 

[AussieJester]

I have that EXACT epoxy box sitting on my shelf in the garage, was one my old man bought yeeeears ago (hes been dead near 10 years) I have never used it it is missing the hardner, its intended for furniture if i recall correctly?

Good to hear new controller is on route anywayz Mr Reid...I still can't help but think this whole process will need repeating once
you and the bike are dragged (hopefully NOT by paramedics) from the poooool :-S Fingers crossed for you it doesnt...

Nice addition of the larger chain ring too

Me

 

[Reid Welch]

Get a new Pour-On kit, AJ?
The shelf life is indefinite.
My kit is at least ten years old.
I've used, perhaps, two ounces, of the sixteen ounce kit.

It is a lifetime supply...particularly if I take the Big Glub.
Bury me at at sea, then, tied to this bike.

 

[chuck]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have come to understand.

At first I dismissed it, random thoughts about Reid, strange conclusions, just nonsense. It simply can't be!

Reid left for too long with his unfinished tale. An absence of months, a year, perhaps more. A bike incomplete, a story untold.

I emulsified oil, in a pool of chlorine. I ran calculations, my suspicions grew. There is more to this story, this absence unexplained. Add grease to the mix. What do I prove?

I had to examine, I did some more math. A perfect concoction. Reread Welches' stories, those from the past. It starts to make sense.

Ions in water, just the right mix. Hydrogenated oil makes it complete.

The chemistry now, catalytic it is. A perfect concoction for what is to come.

My doubts confirmed, I fear the worst.

Batteries in water. With just the right volts.

Will usher a current with incredible amps. Reids' planning is perfect for what He intends.

The current will travel with unbelievable speed. A catalyst at work will help it along.

Reids' bikes my friends, they all work well, the problem is solved, He is stringing us along.

Unplug your chargers from your bikes.

He will unleash his anger against all of us.

Those ions in water will cause a reaction.

An electromagnetic wave will leave this pool. Traveling with great amplitude.

This spike will travel through the wires, gaining access thru the pools' lighting.

At risk is your charger if left connected, I figured it out, you must disconnect it.

Reids' intentions are clear, the reason behind it, waterproofing my friend, don't you believe it.

The reason's so clear I refused to believe.

Jealousy, what do I mean?

We ride and ride, we have so much fun. He wishes and wishes to do what we like.

Poor Read Welch -- just can't ride a bike

 

[Reid Welch]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have come to understand. (snip)


Unplug your chargers from your bikes. (snip)




Poor Read Welch -- just can't ride a bike. (snip)

____________

Friends, I am here to tell you all about the basics of Trouble in Riverdale City.
Whyyyyy, the most terrible danger against your beloved bikes, is NOT the opine of a mere salesman: myself
http://www.blackbearoil.com/index.htm
We are talking about ROT, my friends! ROT of rust from within the very soul of Reynolds or any lesser tubing, bicycle-ular!
Preventives and pictures will follow. Heed them well


I have had this can of stuff

(note the external rust of the can?) since... I recall this very can in the tool shed, unused, set back on the shed shelf, back in the early 'sixties.
It was was externally rusty then; inside: the can shines like God's own light of truth!
Now I'm gonna sell you folks on snake oil, whale oil, oxygen scavengers and LIFE:
the lifespan of your steel bikes! AVOID TROUBLE. AVOID MY ADVICES.

(photos of tonight to follow)
Listen to me, The Music Man with the Dead Bike. Heed no others!

"You know, it must be good", said the indian to the liquor salesman.
"Add a dash of mineral spirits: good for the spirit of the great indian!", came the retort.

tbc