[thingstodo]

I switched from buying a transmission to buying a reversing starter. That's not as easy as I thought it would be, either.

There are lots of contactors that will switch 100 - 150 amps. Lots of these are used for 12V or 24V electric winches. But 150 amps is a bit low. I'd like the contactor to be rated at least 250 amps, and would prefer a bit higher if possible. The starter will be changing the field connection on the Warp9, while the motor is not energized. But the Warp9 will take anything that the Kelly controller will send it - 350 amps for a few seconds during acceleration.

I had talked to Randy over at CanEV.com last week. And after the discussion, I purchased and received in the same week, a Honda D type transmission adapter plate (works for all Manual Honda transmissions from 1984 - 2005, with one part!) and a motor coupler to adapt the keyed shaft of the motor to the splined shaft of the transmission.

This week, I went through the CanEV web site again and noticed that Randy has pictures of a reversing contactor, the EV202, in his gallery of custom electrical boxes. So I called Randy at CanEV again and talked to him about these contactors. He sells them even though they are not listed on the web site store ... AND he has them in STOCK!.

So he sent me a quote and I ordered one. It's a beast, rated over 500 amps DC at somewhere around 200 VDC. A lot bigger than I need ... but it's better (and safer) to over-design the first one and then to do some measurements and verify that it's OK to scale back on the next design than it is to under-design the first one and get into trouble with overheating, or welding contacts together that are not rated at a high enough voltage or current so they won't turn off.