Alibro
Well-Known Member
Alibro
Well-Known Member
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andyfreelandy
Well-Known Member
Next chapter I meant ! The debugging and fettling.
Post is from MOT history. Gov site.
www.gov.uk
Post is from MOT history. Gov site.
Check the MOT history of a vehicle
Check the MOT history of a vehicle from 2005 onwards, including if it passed or failed, its mileage and why it failed, download MOT test certificate
Alibro
Well-Known Member
I found it thanks. It's odd that it still shows as diesel on one page but electric on the next, maybe just slow to update.Next chapter I meant ! The debugging and fettling.
Post is from MOT history. Gov site.
Check the MOT history of a vehicle
Check the MOT history of a vehicle from 2005 onwards, including if it passed or failed, its mileage and why it failed, download MOT test certificate
Next chapter? Mmmmmm
The first was long enough to be series never mind a chapter.
Maybe the next will be a new season.
kernowsvenski
Well-Known Member
Get in there you beauty! What a result. All that hard work vindicated. Well done Ali.
We need a LZ meet up in NI to celebrate. A convoy of smoke billowing, oil burning dinosaurs turning up to herald in the new dawn.
We need a LZ meet up in NI to celebrate. A convoy of smoke billowing, oil burning dinosaurs turning up to herald in the new dawn.
Nodge68
Well-Known Member
Excellent news Ali.
Is there anything more you need to do to get officially changed to electric?
Alibro
Well-Known Member
Thanks mate, once I get it taxed I can then contact the DVA to get the fuel type and engine cc changed. I still need to confirm how exactly as I don't have a receipt for the motor but hopefully it will be straight forward. I'm waiting until Wednesday to tax it so I don't lose a month but will probably only tax it for 6 months, to get the tax date as far from the MOT date as possible. We still have stupidly long waiting times to get MOT's but they send out a letter confirming the police will not take any action so long as the MOT is booked. That is OK but if it's not MOT'd you cannot tax it and then have an issue.
Alibro
Well-Known Member
Thanks mate, great idea.
Alibro
Well-Known Member
I need to tax it then send on the details of the conversion. I'll do all that after Wed as I don't want to lose a month tax.
Alibro
Well-Known Member
So I guess today is confession day!
Since getting MOT I've only driven around 60 miles as I was really busy but also still trying to sort a few of the issues that cropped up.
On the day before MOT I had it on charge and was doing various bits and pieces in the garage when I noticed a funny spell. I couldn't place it but after 10 or 15 minutes trying to figure out what it was I saw smoke coming from the engine bay and immediately transferred to full panic mode.
After rushing around like a headless chicken turning off everything I could think of it turned out I had left the power steering turned on and for some reason the module that sends around 6V or 7V to the coils to generate magnetism had decided to send a much higher voltage and the alternator was cooking.
So While I was waiting for the alternator to cool enough that I could test it I hunted out a second dc motor controller however in my haste I connected it to the eBike battery arse about face and there was a loud bang from the battery.
So now I had a semi melted motor a dud battery pack and potentially two dud motor controllers, I had friends coming in a couple of hours for a BBQ and the MOT was next day.
After half an hour or so looking at the battery pack I realised it has a fuse which was blown so a quick replacement and it was giving around 37V again.
Until I tried charging it that is and once again it went BANG!
So after changing the fuse a second time it dawned on me I had damaged the BMS in such a way it would still give power out but I couldn't charge the battery. This was an issue as the battery was a little on the low side for the journey to the MOT centre and I wasn't sure it would make it.
However I had to plough on and after digging out a third DC motor controller (Don't ask why I had three) I connected it up and thankfully this one was OK and even better the alternator motor was still working. I have to admit it's a cause for concern though that someday it might be an issue.
Once I had all that sorted I decided to have a last test before packing up for the evening and turned the key to start it up and NOTHING!!!!!
I'm still not 100% sure why but it seems that with the 12V battery fully charged (as it will be after charging the traction battery) the startup sequence had decided to not work. This was after spending a couple of weeks where the startup sequence had been flawless so as you would imagine there was a lot more headless chicken.
Bottom line is on MOT day I drove to the MOT centre with a half dead power steering battery and a startup sequence that was flaky at best.
Any wonder I nearly kissed the tester when he gave me the pass certificate,
Since getting MOT I've only driven around 60 miles as I was really busy but also still trying to sort a few of the issues that cropped up.
On the day before MOT I had it on charge and was doing various bits and pieces in the garage when I noticed a funny spell. I couldn't place it but after 10 or 15 minutes trying to figure out what it was I saw smoke coming from the engine bay and immediately transferred to full panic mode.
After rushing around like a headless chicken turning off everything I could think of it turned out I had left the power steering turned on and for some reason the module that sends around 6V or 7V to the coils to generate magnetism had decided to send a much higher voltage and the alternator was cooking.
So While I was waiting for the alternator to cool enough that I could test it I hunted out a second dc motor controller however in my haste I connected it to the eBike battery arse about face and there was a loud bang from the battery.
So now I had a semi melted motor a dud battery pack and potentially two dud motor controllers, I had friends coming in a couple of hours for a BBQ and the MOT was next day.
After half an hour or so looking at the battery pack I realised it has a fuse which was blown so a quick replacement and it was giving around 37V again.
Until I tried charging it that is and once again it went BANG!
So after changing the fuse a second time it dawned on me I had damaged the BMS in such a way it would still give power out but I couldn't charge the battery. This was an issue as the battery was a little on the low side for the journey to the MOT centre and I wasn't sure it would make it.
However I had to plough on and after digging out a third DC motor controller (Don't ask why I had three) I connected it up and thankfully this one was OK and even better the alternator motor was still working. I have to admit it's a cause for concern though that someday it might be an issue.
Once I had all that sorted I decided to have a last test before packing up for the evening and turned the key to start it up and NOTHING!!!!!
I'm still not 100% sure why but it seems that with the 12V battery fully charged (as it will be after charging the traction battery) the startup sequence had decided to not work. This was after spending a couple of weeks where the startup sequence had been flawless so as you would imagine there was a lot more headless chicken.
Bottom line is on MOT day I drove to the MOT centre with a half dead power steering battery and a startup sequence that was flaky at best.
Any wonder I nearly kissed the tester when he gave me the pass certificate,
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Nodge68
Well-Known Member
Wow, that sounds like a very stressful time Ali.
I must admit I would be looking into a different power source for the steering, which would eliminate one bit of complication. But at least it worked for the MOT, and you can iron out the little bugs as they crop up. That's no different to mainstream car manufacturers, who use initial buyers as beta testers of new vehicles.
A big WELL DONE from me.
I must admit I would be looking into a different power source for the steering, which would eliminate one bit of complication. But at least it worked for the MOT, and you can iron out the little bugs as they crop up. That's no different to mainstream car manufacturers, who use initial buyers as beta testers of new vehicles.
A big WELL DONE from me.
Alibro
Well-Known Member
LOL, thanks mate you have no idea how stressed I was.Wow, that sounds like a very stressful time Ali.
I must admit I would be looking into a different power source for the steering, which would eliminate one bit of complication. But at least it worked for the MOT, and you can iron out the little bugs as they crop up. That's no different to mainstream car manufacturers, who use initial buyers as beta testers of new vehicles.
A big WELL DONE from me.
A new power source has been sourced.
That is I've already built a new bigger battery pack.
The problem with the old setup was I had to manually turn on the battery, then turn up a potentiometer to get the desired power assistance. While this works it is easy to accidentally leave the battery turned on which is still sending 6V to the brushes on the alternator. I think this is what happened but for some reason the motor controller I was using to send the 6V had failed and was sending full pack voltage (36V) to the alternator hence the smoke. How it is still working I don't know but I fear the insulation in the coils will be irreparably damaged so I may have to make a big decision in the near future.
But for now I'm pushing on with the new pack. I built it with a smart BMS which has a BT connection to an App on the phone and sends all the details of each cell, pack voltage and current draw.
It also has a switch option so I can turn off the output of the battery remotely. Initially to keep things simple I'll connect the switch to the POT that I'm using to control the PS. Eventually the plan will be to automate everything through an Arduino.
Alibro
Well-Known Member
I thought you guys might be interested in the battery pack I built.
The cells are Liitokala Lii-50A 26650's so a good bit bigger than standard 18650. I bought them a year or two ago but they were tested when bought and charged to storage voltage. Before building the pack I checked the voltage of each one and they were all identical.
They can provide around 5000mAh each and if we say the average voltage is 3.7V then they have approx 3.7V x 5A = 18.5Wh
I have 10 in series with 5 in parallel therefore 50 in total so if we multiply by 18.5Wh x 50 the pack should be good for 925Wh or 0.925kWh
The power steering draws around 3A at 37V so approx 111W or 111Wh so in theory the pack should be good for 9 hours.
Maybe a little over specced.
The BMS is "Smart" so it has a Bluetooth connection to an Android or Apple device. It allows me to monitor cell voltages, output current and voltage but also gives a great deal of control over charging and allows me to turn the the pack output on or off remotely. I also have the option of a switch to turn the pack off which I plan to use with a switched POT. Eventually if I ever get around to it I'll use an Arduino to control the power steering but for now a POT mounted beside the boot window switch works well.
I also refitted the boot door card last night but had to do a little mod to make it fit.
It was up against the lid of the battery box preventing the door from closing but now is a nice tight fit. In all the years I've had Freelanders I don't think I ever used the boot door storage so I'm not too bothered to have a gaping hole in it.
The cells are Liitokala Lii-50A 26650's so a good bit bigger than standard 18650. I bought them a year or two ago but they were tested when bought and charged to storage voltage. Before building the pack I checked the voltage of each one and they were all identical.
They can provide around 5000mAh each and if we say the average voltage is 3.7V then they have approx 3.7V x 5A = 18.5Wh
I have 10 in series with 5 in parallel therefore 50 in total so if we multiply by 18.5Wh x 50 the pack should be good for 925Wh or 0.925kWh
The power steering draws around 3A at 37V so approx 111W or 111Wh so in theory the pack should be good for 9 hours.
Maybe a little over specced.
The BMS is "Smart" so it has a Bluetooth connection to an Android or Apple device. It allows me to monitor cell voltages, output current and voltage but also gives a great deal of control over charging and allows me to turn the the pack output on or off remotely. I also have the option of a switch to turn the pack off which I plan to use with a switched POT. Eventually if I ever get around to it I'll use an Arduino to control the power steering but for now a POT mounted beside the boot window switch works well.
I also refitted the boot door card last night but had to do a little mod to make it fit.
It was up against the lid of the battery box preventing the door from closing but now is a nice tight fit. In all the years I've had Freelanders I don't think I ever used the boot door storage so I'm not too bothered to have a gaping hole in it.
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Alibro
Well-Known Member
I think I've managed to max out the Mitsibishi Outlander OBC (On Board Charger)
I know using a 13A plug for current drain of just over 14A is a little dodgy but it was just for testing and a 32A wall socket should be arriving tomorrow or the next day This way I could see the power being drawn and confirm it is working correctly.
This is the Wall charger EVSE I bought off ebay
It's stupidly big but should do the job and if I ever upgrade to a 7kW OBC it should be able to deliver that.
I know using a 13A plug for current drain of just over 14A is a little dodgy but it was just for testing and a 32A wall socket should be arriving tomorrow or the next day This way I could see the power being drawn and confirm it is working correctly.
This is the Wall charger EVSE I bought off ebay
It's stupidly big but should do the job and if I ever upgrade to a 7kW OBC it should be able to deliver that.
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Alibro
Well-Known Member
Thanks mate.