Paul & Sabrina's Cheap EV Conversion

[redbeardatxm]

Thanks!

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

redbear: the answer to your controller questions will most likely be found on the EVDL mailing list. http://evdl.org

[MPaulHolmes]

OK, so I was bidding on this terrific foot pedal/pot box. That dang thing got ripped from me at the last second! oh dear! I was going to buy a PB-? (maybe PB-5 but I'm not sure) for my 1204-412 curtis controller. Well that's $100. Plan B! I'm making it homemade. I'm also going with the $2 radio shack 5k pot. I'll put up the pictures of my prototype when I'm done. Total cost will be about $5. I made a really crappy round piece of wood that I drilled through that will sit on the post of the Pot. I'll fasten the Pot to a piece of sheet metal (or hard plastic) which will be fastened to a short piece of 2x3 wood. The purpose of the round wood is to increase the diameter of the pot post so that it's easier to turn and a wire attached to the wood will have a linear range that is the same as the range on the gas pedal from all the way up to all the way down to the floor. There will be another wire attached to a spring that will keep the pot in the "off" state until the pedal is depressed. I just need to make it look nice enough so that an inspector ignores it. Pictures to follow!

[MPaulHolmes]

It works good! (the homemade potbox). Here are a few pictures. I just need to beef it up, like use wire cable instead of nylon string and not use a thumbtack to hold the string on the pot. Also, I can shrink it down a bit, so it's a box! Pot Box!!!

[bennelson]

Hard to get more homebrew than that!

Guess it beats spending $100 for one and waiting for it to come in the mail.

I am thinking my Electro-Metro will start out using my motorcycle twist throttle in the early testing stages....

[MPaulHolmes]

Well, I have some very interesting news about the car for our conversion. It's going to be... a...

VW Bug!!!

For a while I would take my ebike for leasurely cruses through my neighborhood, seeking out the perfect conversion. Well, I noticed a nice little blue VW bug a while back, and I tried to talk to the owner but no one was home. Yesterday, I took my baby for a walk and they were home. A very elderly couple that loves little babies! He had put in quite a bit of money into it fixing various things, and had almost rebuilt the whole engine on his own, but something was still not working. His wife wants it out of their driveway. He decided that since the engine isn't working, that he'll just take it to the scrap yard.

"Bad engine? hmm... I don't mind!"
"Well, I put quite a bit into it, so I can't give it to you for free, maybe a couple hundred?"
"I get payed on the 15th of June."
"You want to convert it to Electric??? Wow! I didn't know people did that!"
"Heck yes they do!"
"Your baby, She is so beautiful! We have lots of grand children"
"Yes, HE certainly is!!!"

Best of all, It's only about a block away, so I don't have to tow it! At least I now have a use for that 1 Ton engine hoist I bought. hahaha just kidding.

[bennelson]

Electric rear-wheel drive! Fun!

Mounting the motor should be pretty easy because of that!

[dremd]

SWEET!!

E-Bug will be awesome. I think there are even commercially available motor plates for those transmissions now days.

[MPaulHolmes]

Well, I upgraded the string to 1/16" steel cable, coated in plastic. I changed the roll of electrical tape that was used to expand the diameter of the Pot post to a chunk of the wood off of our plunger. I drilled through the piece of the cylindrical wood and slid it onto the post. I used JB weld to hold it in place. Also, the plastic round sides are JB welded to the wood post. Then I drilled a hole through the wood and through the metal post of the pot, and put the steel cable through the hole, making it stick in the hole with lots of JB weld. It's drying right now. The spring I'm currently using is from my stapler. All the plastic is from a bucket. The wood is just a 2x3. The only thing I'm now concerned about is the durability of the Pot and the spring. But, I can easily get a strong flexible spring and I found some 5k Pots that are good for 5 million turns for like $30. We'll see, though. I'll post pictures once the JB weld dries.

[MPaulHolmes]

Well, I was at a high school today, and the autoshop teacher was in the office, and I told him I was looking for a clutch hub for a 1971 beetle, and he said "Hey! come down some time today and I'll give you one." What? OK! So, I picked it up, and hacked it up, trying to increase the welding surface area, but maybe it's not a good idea to do that. By the way, those rivets were forever! Dang german engineering!!! Well, I got it off. It has a lip that is exactly 40 mm wide, so I can get a L-110 Lovejoy with a 40 mm diameter, and it will slide right on perfectly centered. I can then weld it really solidly, and then the only thing to do is the adapter plate, all without visiting any professionals that want my money. This is going to be good, and I'm an idiot that doesn't know how to change oil even!
Also, I got a good deal on a 250amp continuous emergency disconnect/contactor from Curtis. It was only $35! I do need to attach a red button though. I don't know why it didn't come with one. I tested it and it works! oh ya.
The last picture is with the spring fully stretched, so if I let go of the second green cord, it will automatically go back.

[bennelson]

Score on that clutch hub!

I think at this rate, your conversion is going to be done before mine!!!