How To Build a Cheap Traction Circuit

[williamson]

Traction cables should NEVER, EVER wear thru thier insulation. Use plastic grommets (Home Depot) when going thru a bulk-head. Cover with a short lenght of vinyl hose where it might rub against something. Anchor it at every point to keep it from moving.

[williamson]

If you assume that Paul's low-cost controller will give up to 775 amps, and you use 2/0 cable, and you have 20 feet of cable in your car, then the voltage drop in the cable is 1 volt. This is a reasonable max. This is a loss of 775 watts. You also have losses in the contactor, the fuse, the controller, the Anderson connectors, etc.

[williamson]

You can ask any question about traction wiring.

[adamj12b]

I am posting this information for Clyde.

How to use a hammer style crimper:

http://www.rc9.net/crimper/

Traction Circuit Diagram:

Traction circuit by AdamBrunette, on Flickr

-Adam

[1-ev.com]

I've also find schematics here:

Schematics (final??) - DIY Electric Car Forums

OR
http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums...ead.php?t=2372

Also it hard to find 144v and ~770A circuit breaker, fuse and shunt that will fit Paul's controller... most of them 120v and 400A ....

May be we should put some links to manufactures that make all of this and then it would be easy to look for price on the Internet...

Also #20 (permalink) on page 2 - link is not working :-(

[MPaulHolmes]

Hey Youri! I almost emailed you a link to your own message, because I didn't realize it was you that posted it, and I thought you might find it helpful.

[williamson]

To 1-EV.com: thank you for the other schematics. My schematic is limited to only the traction power, and Paul's controller. Any one can contact me if they would like a schematic that fits thier car. This shows that there are as many traction circuits as cars. I drew my circuit with the auto mechanic in mind, not the elecronics expert. What we need is the best price for parts and only safe parts, that is, not using 120 volt parts at 144 volts, etc. I will try to post a new link to the safety discussion. It was written by, I believe, the greatest safety expert in EV's.

[williamson]

Lower-cost heater core source: rather than the excellent 4 by 5 inch heater core sold by KTA Services, Ace Hardware sells a small room heater with what appears to be about an 8 by 8 inch core. As mentioned earlier, the average A/C has an water heater core of about 8 by 8 inches. The ACE SKU is 6087092. The model is Pelonius # HC-0120. The cost is $28.99 or on sale for $24.99.It is rated for 120 volts, but I think it should work well on 144 volts for 2 reasons: 1: You will have more air flow with an A/C blower than the small fan. 2. The core most likely has wire with negative resistance. this means that if the core gets too hot, the power it draws is reduced, stabilizing the temperature. Regards to all

[williamson]

This guy buys a hybrid, doesn't get 50 mpg. Goes to dealer. Dealer says nothing wrong. He wants 50 like his friends. Dealer says he can get it like his friends but he must promise never to tell anyone how. He promises. The dealer says "LIE"!

[williamson]

The article on safety can be found at:www.ev-america.com. Then, at the bottom, click on "technical articles". There are 5, but #3 is "Safety First". Bob Batson is the best expert on EV's. I found an error in my posting two items up from here. The wire used in the heater core has a POSITIVE temperature co-efficient of resistance!