Go Back   EcoModder Forum > EcoModding > DIY / How-to
Register Now
 Register Now
 

Reply  Post New Thread
 
Submit Tools LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 07-09-2012, 09:12 PM   #1 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
NeilBlanchard's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth
Posts: 7,907

Mica Blue - '05 Scion xA RS 2.0
Team Toyota
90 day: 42.48 mpg (US)

Forest - '15 Nissan Leaf S
Team Nissan
90 day: 156.46 mpg (US)

Number 7 - '15 VW e-Golf SEL
TEAM VW AUDI Group
90 day: 155.81 mpg (US)
Thanks: 3,475
Thanked 2,950 Times in 1,844 Posts
CarBEN EV5 Full Sized Prototype Construction - 5 Seat Electric Car From Scratch

I've begun the construction process to build the first full sized prototype of my CarBEN EV5 electric car!

I bought 25 sheets of Dow XPS foam sheets today (a quarter of what will be needed in total), and began cutting the first one on my PhlatPrinter 3 CNC machine. All the drafting and major designing is done, and the 3D SketchUp model is "sliced" to eventually generate the g-code to cut the foam to form the core of the chassis.

All was going swimmingly, until the bit failed to lift up on the Z-axis far enough and then it plunged in too deep, causing the X-axis to drag and get skewed... I'm going to hopefully troubleshoot it with the help of the folks on the PhlatBoyz forum.

I video recorded the "event" and I'm uploaded it now to YouTube -- I'll link to it when it is ready. So, it is started but still not "flowing along" yet.

__________________
Sincerely, Neil

http://neilblanchard.blogspot.com/
  Reply With Quote
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to NeilBlanchard For This Useful Post:
aerohead (10-13-2012), Christ (10-23-2012), pgfpro (07-04-2014)
Alt Today
Popular topics

Other popular topics in this forum...

   
Old 07-09-2012, 09:27 PM   #2 (permalink)
Cd
Ultimate Fail
 
Cd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Austin,Texas
Posts: 3,585
Thanks: 2,872
Thanked 1,120 Times in 679 Posts
Godspeed !
Wishing you the best .
  Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2012, 09:28 PM   #3 (permalink)
MPGuino Supporter
 
t vago's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Hungary
Posts: 1,807

iNXS - '10 Opel Zafira 111 Anniversary

Suzi - '02 Suzuki Swift GL
Thanks: 828
Thanked 706 Times in 455 Posts
Looking forward to your progress.
  Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2012, 10:29 PM   #4 (permalink)
Batman Junior
 
MetroMPG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 1000 Islands, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 22,513

Blackfly - '98 Geo Metro
Team Metro
Last 3: 70.09 mpg (US)

MPGiata - '90 Mazda Miata
90 day: 52.71 mpg (US)

Even Fancier Metro - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage top spec
90 day: 70.75 mpg (US)

Appliance car - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage ES (base)
90 day: 60.16 mpg (US)
Thanks: 4,058
Thanked 6,957 Times in 3,602 Posts
Subscribed.
__________________
Project MPGiata! Mods for getting 50+ MPG from a 1990 Miata
Honda mods: Ecomodding my $800 Honda Fit 5-speed beater
Mitsu mods: 70 MPG in my ecomodded, dirt cheap, 3-cylinder Mirage.
Ecodriving test: Manual vs. automatic transmission MPG showdown



EcoModder
has launched a forum for the efficient new Mitsubishi Mirage
www.MetroMPG.com - fuel efficiency info for Geo Metro owners
www.ForkenSwift.com - electric car conversion on a beer budget
  Reply With Quote
Old 07-10-2012, 04:25 AM   #5 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
NeilBlanchard's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth
Posts: 7,907

Mica Blue - '05 Scion xA RS 2.0
Team Toyota
90 day: 42.48 mpg (US)

Forest - '15 Nissan Leaf S
Team Nissan
90 day: 156.46 mpg (US)

Number 7 - '15 VW e-Golf SEL
TEAM VW AUDI Group
90 day: 155.81 mpg (US)
Thanks: 3,475
Thanked 2,950 Times in 1,844 Posts
Here's the video -- it is a noisy thing with both the CNC router and the small shop vacuum running:



You can see when the error occurred at about 10:50 -- I first thought it was a slippage on the Z-axis screw (which you can see me adjusting back upwards after pausing the g-code controller program) but it keeps plunging in. I was hoping that the pieces would be usable, but the resulting X-axis slippage meant that it ran off the back edge of the sheet...
__________________
Sincerely, Neil

http://neilblanchard.blogspot.com/
  Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to NeilBlanchard For This Useful Post:
aerohead (10-13-2012)
Old 07-10-2012, 07:55 PM   #6 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
NeilBlanchard's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth
Posts: 7,907

Mica Blue - '05 Scion xA RS 2.0
Team Toyota
90 day: 42.48 mpg (US)

Forest - '15 Nissan Leaf S
Team Nissan
90 day: 156.46 mpg (US)

Number 7 - '15 VW e-Golf SEL
TEAM VW AUDI Group
90 day: 155.81 mpg (US)
Thanks: 3,475
Thanked 2,950 Times in 1,844 Posts
I have successfully cut the first 4 sheets for the CarBEN EV5 chassis -- only 89 to go!

WOO HOO!!!

I had to fix two problems: the voltage driving the Z and Y axes was too low, and the drive belt on the X axis stepper motor was loose. And I added back the two side roller rails so that they keep the sheet from shifting side to side. Each piece finished the cut *right* where it started; virtually perfectly...

Today was an amazing day! I've been working for over three years on this project and I finally have something *physical* to show for it! :-)

Video to come...
__________________
Sincerely, Neil

http://neilblanchard.blogspot.com/
  Reply With Quote
The Following 8 Users Say Thank You to NeilBlanchard For This Useful Post:
aerohead (10-13-2012), Christ (10-23-2012), ERTW (12-18-2013), HHOTDI (01-09-2013), Rokeby (07-11-2012), SoobieOut (07-14-2012), tpotts (10-16-2013), wdb (12-15-2022)
Old 07-10-2012, 08:18 PM   #7 (permalink)
Wiki Mod
 
Weather Spotter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Midland MI, USA
Posts: 2,042

Max - '14 Ford C-Max SEL
Thanks: 228
Thanked 304 Times in 210 Posts
subscribed!
__________________
  Reply With Quote
Old 07-10-2012, 09:35 PM   #8 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
NeilBlanchard's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth
Posts: 7,907

Mica Blue - '05 Scion xA RS 2.0
Team Toyota
90 day: 42.48 mpg (US)

Forest - '15 Nissan Leaf S
Team Nissan
90 day: 156.46 mpg (US)

Number 7 - '15 VW e-Golf SEL
TEAM VW AUDI Group
90 day: 155.81 mpg (US)
Thanks: 3,475
Thanked 2,950 Times in 1,844 Posts
Here's a couple of photos:



Here's the video of cutting the second copy of the F23 sheet -- it is fairly long and noisy, but I try to "narrate" as it goes along:



I ran out of space on the camera about a minute before the last part finished, but I'm sure you get the idea...

Now I need to generate more g-code files - and cut hopefully 5 or 6 more sheets tomorrow. Then start gluing...
__________________
Sincerely, Neil

http://neilblanchard.blogspot.com/

Last edited by NeilBlanchard; 07-10-2012 at 11:14 PM..
  Reply With Quote
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to NeilBlanchard For This Useful Post:
aerohead (10-13-2012), Christ (10-23-2012), Rokeby (07-11-2012)
Old 07-11-2012, 01:48 AM   #9 (permalink)
123
EcoModding Lurker
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Oregon
Posts: 73
Thanks: 2
Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts
Nice can't wait to see it finished.
  Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2012, 06:32 AM   #10 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
NeilBlanchard's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth
Posts: 7,907

Mica Blue - '05 Scion xA RS 2.0
Team Toyota
90 day: 42.48 mpg (US)

Forest - '15 Nissan Leaf S
Team Nissan
90 day: 156.46 mpg (US)

Number 7 - '15 VW e-Golf SEL
TEAM VW AUDI Group
90 day: 155.81 mpg (US)
Thanks: 3,475
Thanked 2,950 Times in 1,844 Posts
Well, I hope you are patient. This will take a year, or two or maybe more.

I have to buy ~68-75 more sheets of foam (depending on how many "extras" I need), and then the real fun begins. Fiberglassing the inside and the outside, fitting it with suspension and wheels (likely custom rear suspension?) and working out the steering and the connection to the hinged front wheel skirts, buying at least the windshield and wipers for a Smart ForTwo, putting in the driver's seat, working out hinges and latches for the rear hatch and rear doors -- and THEN building the battery pack (hopefully around 50kWh+) and the drivetrain.

__________________
Sincerely, Neil

http://neilblanchard.blogspot.com/
  Reply With Quote
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to NeilBlanchard For This Useful Post:
aerohead (10-13-2012), Christ (10-23-2012), touring21 (01-09-2013)
Reply  Post New Thread


Thread Tools




Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.5.2
All content copyright EcoModder.com