Ghia
And then I drove her home
Friday, 14 Apr 2006 Permalink
Everything's removable except for the framework, so I can test-fit and install my EV components while they're on the workbench, then just bolt the whole assembly into the back of the car.
So he finished up the job and I came down and towed it away on the tow bar, using a huge borrowed Jeep SUV.
However, Anna and I couldn't push the car back into the garage. There was snow on the ground and I think the front brakes were dragging. Time for plan B.
I grabbed a single Orbital battery and set it in the engine compartment. Then I made sure the transmission was in neutral, covered my eyes with my forearm, and connected it to the motor with a pair of jumper cables. There was a massive spark noise, a wisp of smoke, and a spinning motor. I jumped into the car, put in the clutch, shifted into first, and drove her right up the driveway through the snow and into the garage. Finally I know what the EV Grin feels like! The car just moves, with no noise, fuss, vibration, or stink. It made me feel really good.
I can't wait to get the other fifteen batteries in there and see how she works.
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Be-weldered
Wednesday, 01 Mar 2006 Permalink
Golden Ghias
Friday, 20 May 2005 Permalink
I’m on the road with Jay Donnaway, who invited me to copilot for him during the Ghia cruise to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Karmann Ghia. I’m typing this from the Mac of Johnathan Donnaway, Jay’s brother, who is currently at the hospital expecting his wife to give birth any moment.
Perhaps I ought to unpack that a bit.
Karmann Ghia Parts and Restoration has a yearly get-together called the Treffen, which is a show-and-shine/swap meet sort of thing. This year happens to be the 50th anniversary of the first VW Karmann Ghia to roll off the assembly line, so KGP&R decided to do something special. They put together a Cruise Across America and got Disney sponsorship.
Oops, looks like we’ve had a successful birth. Time to save and exit, more later.
Perhaps I ought to unpack that a bit.
Karmann Ghia Parts and Restoration has a yearly get-together called the Treffen, which is a show-and-shine/swap meet sort of thing. This year happens to be the 50th anniversary of the first VW Karmann Ghia to roll off the assembly line, so KGP&R decided to do something special. They put together a Cruise Across America and got Disney sponsorship.
Oops, looks like we’ve had a successful birth. Time to save and exit, more later.
Burning Rubber
Sunday, 30 Jan 2005 Permalink
The air was filled with the whine of an electric motor and the acrid smoke of burning rubber. I’d tweaked my machine for maximum speed and it looked like I’d been successful. In a few more seconds I’d know for sure.
Yep, I had managed to drill out the rubber grommet for the brake line. Turning up the speed on the drill press had done the trick. The half-inch drill bit had basically melted its way through the grommet, leaving a hole large enough for the blue braided hoses from the brake reservoir to the master cylinder to pass through.
With the brake reservoir hoses all taken care of, I was able to finish installing the front battery shelf. Everything went together perfectly.
All that remains to be done on the battery shelves is to take them apart again and paint them for waterproofing. Next I can install the batteries and get them cabled together, and get the regulators and charger installed and see how they work.
And eventually I’ll be burning rubber on the street instead of my garage.
Yep, I had managed to drill out the rubber grommet for the brake line. Turning up the speed on the drill press had done the trick. The half-inch drill bit had basically melted its way through the grommet, leaving a hole large enough for the blue braided hoses from the brake reservoir to the master cylinder to pass through.
With the brake reservoir hoses all taken care of, I was able to finish installing the front battery shelf. Everything went together perfectly.
All that remains to be done on the battery shelves is to take them apart again and paint them for waterproofing. Next I can install the batteries and get them cabled together, and get the regulators and charger installed and see how they work.
And eventually I’ll be burning rubber on the street instead of my garage.
Half a loaf is better than none
Sunday, 19 Dec 2004 Permalink
I've managed several small work-on-the-Ghia sessons this month. I haven't gotten a whole lot done, but at least it's something.
Here's a brief list of progress made since the last post.
So now it's time to focus on Christmas. Here's a little piece of Eldritch Christmas Cheer for you to enjoy, courtesy of my favorite webcomic Penny Arcade. I can't wait for the rest of the story.
Here's a brief list of progress made since the last post.
- The battery regulator heat sink can be moved by loosening the nut and moving the heat sink to a different hole. This clears the mounting hole on the circuit board, so I won't need to do any grinding.
- Rich Rudman replied to my list of questions regarding the regulators, so I have a better idea of how they should be installed and used. He hasn't replied to my followup questions, though.
- I've given up on the allthread hold-downs for the batteries. I measured how long they had to be and they were exactly eight inches, so I bought 32 8-inch 5/16 bolts from Fastenal. They work perfectly, and take up less room than wing nuts or homemade knobs, leaving more room to mount the regulators on top of the batteries.
- Made contact with Randy Holmquist at Canadian EV and inquired about their prewired electrical boxes, containing all manner of parts such as contactors and relays. I can order up what I want and they'll build it, and I can just bolt it in and hook it up. Jonathan has one and it's great -- very nice and neat. They also have an electric heater and one remaining DCP DC-DC converter, which I'm considering purchasing.
- Jonathan came by to visit and check out the charger and regulators. He was favorably impressed. He also really likes how I am managing to fit 16 batteries into a Ghia. We talked about how to mount his controller in the Ghia when I'm ready for it. I'll need to replicate his heat sink since he doesn't have another one.
- Built brackets to hold down the front shelf. They're just four one-foot long pieces of angle iron that will bolt together in pairs, one on the inside of the wheel well and one on the inside of the front trunk. The pieces inside the trunk will hold down the shelf, the ones in the wheel wells will stiffen the body and help prevent things from tearing loose in a wreck.
So now it's time to focus on Christmas. Here's a little piece of Eldritch Christmas Cheer for you to enjoy, courtesy of my favorite webcomic Penny Arcade. I can't wait for the rest of the story.
Still crazy after all these months
Tuesday, 23 Nov 2004 Permalink
I’m finding out that when a huge project ends, all is not beer and skittles. Now you have to do all the things that stacked up behind the huge project. I expect that when that’s finished I’ll have to do the things that stacked up while I was catching up. I feel like Achilles trying to catch the tortoise.
Fortunately, calculus proves that the Greek will eventually catch up to and pass the reptile, so surely the Geek will eventually catch up with and complete the hospital network project list.
In the meantime, I managed to coax a week of vacation out of my corporate overlords and will be sneaking off to Portland for Thanksgiving with the parents this afternoon.
And I finally found some time to work on the Ghia. I didn’t get much done, but it was the first time in two months.
I made a drilling jig to drill properly-spaced holes in the front battery shelf. The ones I did by hand and eyeball on the back shelf didn’t line up very straight and caused some problems. The jig made the holes for the front shelf come out much better.
While I was working on this, the UPS driver brought me my battery regulators! I needed to have these in order to finalize the battery mounting scheme. It’s best to mount them directly to the batteries, but the top of the batteries will be taken up with the wingnuts that will hold the batteries down. I need to work out some sort of bracket, probably something that will in turn be held down by the wingnuts, and help spread the hold-down force over a larger area so the battery doesn’t get cracked open.
As this picture shows, the upper right mounting hole is obscured by the heat sink. I’ll need to solve this little problem. Perhaps a circlip would work.
The (MS Word document warning) documentation that came with the regulators is not very good, I’m afraid. It contains many references to an earlier version of the regulator, and leaves out all the new features of the current version. I don’t know what the LEDs signify, nor can I determine the best way to wire them up. Fortunately, the designer Rich Rudman is easily contacted for questions, which I did last night via email. We’ll see how that goes.
I’ve rethought the placement of the PFC-20 charger. I think it will go into the nose of the Ghia instead of between the batteries and the dashboard. The space is just too tight and I need to put other things there, such as contactors and heaters and ductwork and dashboard wiring. Having the charger in the nose is worrisome because it will be the first component mashed if I get into a wreck, and it’s the single most expensive component. Of course, crunching the nose of the Ghia would pretty much total the car, since they’re so hard to repair. No spares, and hand-shaped by German craftsmen. I think I’ll just continue to avoid accidents.
I’m getting pretty close to wiring up the batteries and the charging system. Next big item - the controller.
Oops, time to close — Anna just brought in a Harbor Freight catalog with today’s mail.
Fortunately, calculus proves that the Greek will eventually catch up to and pass the reptile, so surely the Geek will eventually catch up with and complete the hospital network project list.
In the meantime, I managed to coax a week of vacation out of my corporate overlords and will be sneaking off to Portland for Thanksgiving with the parents this afternoon.
And I finally found some time to work on the Ghia. I didn’t get much done, but it was the first time in two months.
I made a drilling jig to drill properly-spaced holes in the front battery shelf. The ones I did by hand and eyeball on the back shelf didn’t line up very straight and caused some problems. The jig made the holes for the front shelf come out much better.
While I was working on this, the UPS driver brought me my battery regulators! I needed to have these in order to finalize the battery mounting scheme. It’s best to mount them directly to the batteries, but the top of the batteries will be taken up with the wingnuts that will hold the batteries down. I need to work out some sort of bracket, probably something that will in turn be held down by the wingnuts, and help spread the hold-down force over a larger area so the battery doesn’t get cracked open.
As this picture shows, the upper right mounting hole is obscured by the heat sink. I’ll need to solve this little problem. Perhaps a circlip would work.
The (MS Word document warning) documentation that came with the regulators is not very good, I’m afraid. It contains many references to an earlier version of the regulator, and leaves out all the new features of the current version. I don’t know what the LEDs signify, nor can I determine the best way to wire them up. Fortunately, the designer Rich Rudman is easily contacted for questions, which I did last night via email. We’ll see how that goes.
I’ve rethought the placement of the PFC-20 charger. I think it will go into the nose of the Ghia instead of between the batteries and the dashboard. The space is just too tight and I need to put other things there, such as contactors and heaters and ductwork and dashboard wiring. Having the charger in the nose is worrisome because it will be the first component mashed if I get into a wreck, and it’s the single most expensive component. Of course, crunching the nose of the Ghia would pretty much total the car, since they’re so hard to repair. No spares, and hand-shaped by German craftsmen. I think I’ll just continue to avoid accidents.
I’m getting pretty close to wiring up the batteries and the charging system. Next big item - the controller.
Oops, time to close — Anna just brought in a Harbor Freight catalog with today’s mail.