EVAlbum entry
Table of Contents
Battery Management System
Note: The devices referred to as "BMUs" here, are what we now call CMUs (Cell Management Units).
Veroboard prototype
Layout and BMS PCB prototype
Rev 28 layout and schematic
Digital BMU board and Rev 32 images
Squiggle joins on BMU boards with Rev 32 layout and Rev 32 schematic
BMU testing and block of 8 cells
Rev 45 BMU schematic and PCB with shunt diffamp circuit
When BMS go bad and a failsafe circuit that might prevent this in future
The six (possibly seven) changes to artwork around April/May 2011
The JTAG Tiny hack
DesignSpark usage tips
3D BMU images
Final BMU artwork sent; "semi x-ray" view
Accessing the celltopbmu respository for downloading or browsing PCB design files, BMU source code, and Driver Controls source code
Final BMU PCBs arrive
The 6 possible orientations of an optic fibre connector on a BMU
BMU parts arrive
Assembling production BMU boards
All BMUs complete
BMS "Disco" lights video
Novus fibre to USB interface (schematic, layout, photos)
Insulation monitoring units (IMUs) schematic and photo of manufactured PCBs; artwork
Bodywork
Alternative number plate holder
Soft top recoated
Engine lifter
Cleaning alloy wheels
Headlights investigations
Weighing the car
Removing the fuel tank
Engine lifting
Cutting monocoque bodies
Tilting the vehicle
Upgrading the brakes; update part two (new rotors and pads)
Replacing the auxiliary 12 V battery
August 2011 engineer visit
Reinforcing plates for front shock absorber towers
Air conditioning, idler, encoder, and vacuum pump bracket
Replacing the boot floor and correcting the speedometer reading
Speedometer cable ratio adjustment
Weight issues and corner scale results
Suspension spring calculations
Batteries
Thunder Sky cell tests
LiFePO4 charging (1)
Batteries arrive
Battery Racks
Rear battery rack lid cutout
Middle battery rack
Early battery layout diagrams (1), (2), and (3) (detailed)
The High Tensions post.
Starting first contactor box
Battery boxes complete (or so we thought)
How did that get there?
Radiator and drive-shaft battery boxes assembled
Installing the front battery box
Installing the under-boot battery box
The front-mudguard battery boxes
Final battery wiring diagram. Well, almost final. The two DC-DC contactors and the links marked "360" were omitted in the final design.
2018 battery partial replacement.
Motor Controller and Cooling
The Control Techniques controller arrives
CT controller specs and more detail in the for sale post
Modifying for 240 V input (another thread, not us, we'd never do such a thing , but may be relevant)
Loo Tech Electricity Amplifier spoof (another thread)
Cooling gear arrives
Pump start voltage modification and final photos
The Tritium controller comes home
Pedal reading puzzle
Koolance Kooling Komponents Konnected
Coulomb's Neutral Wobble post (not directly related)
High voltage WaveSculptor arrives
Motor
Motor arrives
Motor performance curves
Motor mounting bracket
Cutting down the terminal box
Fitting and Adapting Components
Fitting motor and (not fitting) controller
Flywheel design
Adapter plate, adapter dimensions (text only) and KlaasDC's drawing
Driver Controls (DCUs)
Installing the potbox
Air conditioning pulley taper lock hub welding
Flywheel and clutch installation
First clutch upgrade
Electric heater/demister and power steering and ceramic heater bought
Power steering pump motor controller, including circuit diagram
Completing the Driver Controls (DCU) wiring
Electrical wiring
Fuses arrive
Battery layout diagrams (1) and (2)
EV200 economiser noise; images here and here
Contactor boxes
Charger
Elcon charger arrives
Elcon charger RS232 experiments and partial CAN box circuit; using Driver Controls to send and receive CAN packets; using a CRO; 74C04 based converter (circuits here and here); how CAN IDs are constructed.
Code for talking to the charger and charger repair
Charger control and more
Charge algorithm
Industrial Fibre Optics connections
DC/DC
DC/DC selection
LED power supplies arrive
Power Steering
Power steering upgrade
Orientation
Power steering pump noise
Power steering motor repair
Driving and General
Estimated power verses speed graph (another thread)
First drive with minor problems; video
At the 2011 AEVA Festival; see also 2011 AEVA EV Conference & Festival and video at the festival
First smoke (pre-charge resistor explosion)
First legal drive
Viewing large images that the browser has scaled to 750 pixels wide
Google text search. Type a space and add your search terms when the page comes up.
Google image search. Type a space and your own search terms when the page comes up. It doesn't scroll to the post with the image for you, so you still have to search the page for the relevant image.
Goals
[ Edit: added Jan/2011; better late than never? ]
* At least the power of the 1.6 L petrol MX-5; preferably better than the 1.8 L model. If possible, better power to weight ratio than both.
* 100 kW mechanical (hopefully achieves the above, even with added weight)
* AC for regen; and a bit different to the usual DC conversion
* High voltage for lower current draw, thinner cables, and off-the-shelf induction motor (no rewind required)
* Lithium iron phosphate battery for longevity, range, reasonable performance
* Originally: industrial AC for cheap motor and reasonably priced controller
* Originally: reproducible, so we can make a series of these and sell them
* Open source where possible
* Rear wheel drive for the possibility of direct drive (retaining the gearbox was off again, on again for some time)
Specifications
* Converting a 1990 NA 1.6 MX-5, Australian model
* Motor: ABB 3GAA 131 008E 3-Phase AC 22 kW, 2 pole, long 132 frame, aluminium frame
* Controller: Tritium Wavesculptor200 165 kVA 450 V
* Battery: 218 x 40 Ah Sky Energy and CALB in angle iron cages
* System voltage: 360 V stage 1 (using 3.3 VPC for a round number near the typical resting voltage), 720 V in stage 2 (with 900 V controller)
* Drivetrain: Standard 5-speed manual gearbox and clutch; 3.636:1 diff (in place of stock 4.3:1).
* Chargers: 2 x TC Charger (Elcon) TCCH-417V-5.5A-CAN (sometimes known as TCCH-312-06) with CAN bus option.
* BMS: custom, using one MSP430G2452 on each cell; over/under volts, over temp, link over millivolts
* DC-DC: 2x Meanwell HLG-240H-15A power supplies in parallel across each half pack
* Expected top speed: 120 km/h (stage 1) and 160 km/h (stage 2)
* Expected range: ~ 160 km
Acronyms
* BMS - Battery Management System
* BMU - Battery Management Unit; one per cell; part of the BMS
* DCU - Driver Controls Unit; one per half-pack
* IFO - Industrial Fibre Optics, an inexpensive form of fibre optics based on plastic that can be used without specialised equipment
==================
Ok, we have a donor vehicle. We've both had the "sports car smile", and are looking forward to the EV grin. If this works out as planned, it might even be an EV hysterical laughter. If it pans, it might be an EV grimmace; we'll just have to wait and see.
Know anyone who wants to buy a stock MX-5 1.6L engine? Runs really well. PM me for a test drive (Brisbane southside).
We don't need no steenking exhaust pipe! Soon to be the "million dollar car". (The number plate really does end in AUD).
Hopefully more soon. Blackening the soft top is next.
Edit: had to work the "million dollar car" gag in there.
Edit: added table of contents, as per guidelines
Edit 11/2010: Broke up long list of contents into sections (thanks for the idea, Geerant!)