BLOWN 1231C CONTROLLER

The Curtis 1231C has been removed and after bench testing, was opened up for inspection. It really was not as hard as I thought as I just took an exacto knife and cut the edge loose from the case. I found if I just scored the top and kept running the knife along the first cut, deeper each time was easier than trying to cut the entire thickness all at once. Once the outer cover was cut loose at the edge of the case and the bottom bolts were removed, the controller slid out after a little prying and coaxing. All of the MOSFITS were destroyed and the plasma had cut into most of the diodes. Some of the resisters were also burnt up from plasma when the MOSFITS blew up and the copper on the board in one section was evaporated between the Caps and where the MOSFITS and Diodes mounted.

 

OK, sorry about the poor video quality. I am using a Cannon Camera in MPG mode and it is rather tricky trying to hold the camera while trying to perform the tests on the controller. I have a tripod but the camera mount is missing, so I couldn't use it. My son is going to help me do a video one of these days and hopefully we can put together something with a little better quality.

I have been moving forward and have the old battery racks removed from the back compartment. Four of the lead acid batteries have been sold and another guy interested in 6 more of them. I didn't count the batteries in the value of the components when I purchased the car, so anything I get out of them will help offset the cost of repairing or replacing the controller. MOSFITS and Diodes have been ordered to repair the 1231C but if I can get it working, may try to sell it and go with a newer Netgain or Evnetics controller. The goal of this build was to purchase a running car with lead acid batteries, convert it to LiFePo4 batteries, and end up with a respectable build for under $10K, so we will see if I can make that happen.

Also, the vacuum pump has been removed and I am going to try to put a muffler on the exhaust to try and quiet it down. It was mounted on rubber pads but was on a fiberglass fender well that resonated. It worked great, just drove me nuts when it came on.

Randy

LEAD ACID BATTERIES OUT

The Lead acid batteries are finally out of the Electric Fiero and last week was spent making wood racks for  the old batteries until I decide what to do with them. Currently I have been testing to see if they would be good enough to store electricity from a solar panel or use to fast charge the lithium batteries that will be going in the car but so far, they look pretty spent.

After removing 900 lbs of weight, you can see how much the Fiero rose. I am going to need to adjust the suspension when the new lithium batteries are installed as the car look much better setting low.

Before starting the upgrade on the Fiero, I wanted to pull it out for awhile to refinish one of my bedroom doors in the garage. The switch is turned one notch for 15 seconds or so for the Caps to charge, then the key is turned to the start position. When I did this, the car spun the tires and lurched backwards. I turned the key off and coasted out of the garage. When I tried to pull back a little more, the car would not move. I could hear the relay making up but the car would not move. There was no smoke so hopefully there is a fuse somewhere in the circuit that blew. The last few times I drove the car it was acting strange so I was lucky this happened in the driveway instead of out on the road somewhere. After I get through testing the batteries, I will take a look at the controller and hopefully be able to isolate the problem.

If anyone is interested in angle iron racks for 6 volt batteries that will bolt into a 1985 Fiero without any welding, I have a set for sale.

Regards,

Randy

SWEEPING OUT A SPACE IN THE GARAGE

Over the last month I have been selling and trashing much of the clutter that seems to collect in garages. Today I finally was able to clean out a space and actually get the Electric Fiero inside the garage.

 The money from the items I sold on Craigslist went into my fund for lithium batteries and hopefully by Spring, enough funds will be available to make the purchase. Currently there are about six battery manufactures or vendors emailing me on a regular basis offering to sell me batteries and I believe competition is good. It was a common perception that as volumes grew that battery prices would come down but that does not seem to have transpired. They have come down from where they were when first introduced but seem to kind of hit a plateau and just stayed there.

The lead acid batteries currently in the car are a couple years old but may be good enough to use as a solar storage bank. They will be pulled and individually tested to see if they can be used to fast charge the lithium batteries in the event the car was needed quicker that a regular charge would allow.

The interior of the Fiero needs work and after pulling the batteries, is where I am going to start. I have a set of seats that are better than those currently in the car but I kind of have my heart set on leather. They would really set off the interior and lend some class to the Fiero. The headliner is also in poor condition but I have been able to put headliners in myself so that shouldn't cost much. While doing the interior, I am going to work on the instrumentation and heater. The speedometer works but not the tachometer. Also, my JLD404 is not reading current correctly either from not being hooked close enough to the controller or noise on the line. I have good voltage indication but am not able to count amps. The JLD404 has a common ground and I am thinking that the shunt and voltage grounds have to be at the same potential for the meter to read amps properly.

After the interior is finished, the rear drive cradle is going to have to be dropped. The last time I drove the car there was some pretty severe clunking back there and it seemed the car would not move for a few seconds after the noise. I originally thought the cradle bushings were worn but am thinking it may be a transmission problem. While I have the cradle out I am going to check the clutch and motor coupler to make sure they are still good. Also the transmission and motor mounts need gone over. The previous owner recommended I go with solid mounts as the electric motor does not have the vibration an ICE would. This will also be a good time to put the Helwig H60 split brushes in and rebuild the brakes. There are currently 900 lbs of batteries, so I may need to do some suspension modifications as there will be less weight now. Also, the tachometer sensor will need to be mounted and some kind of hall effect rotor added to the motor shaft.

With any luck by early summer I should be ready to start building the battery boxes and installing the batteries. 

Looks like I have my work cut out for me so better get out to the garage and get started.

Until next time,

Randy

EV VW

Saturday I went to Lancaster, OH about 30 minutes from my house to meet with a fellow EV builder who converted a convertible Volkswagen. Joe showed me the details of the car and then took me a ride. The car looks and runs great.

Joe has been building and driving EVs for quite some time now and has a rather nice collection. I am going to have him make up some cables for me when I remove the lead acid batteries from the Fiero and hook them up in the garage to load test. If there is anything left in them them, they may be good for either a solar storage bank or to fast charge  the LiFePo4's when I get them installed in the Fiero.

It's good to finally get together with a fellow EVer in in the area and look forward to working with Joe on our EV projects in the future.


Randy

RANGE ANXIETY

I had been driving the electric Fiero on short errands close to home since the last charge and thought I had plenty of juice left, so I decided to drive to the Hardware Store about 8 miles away to pick up some screws I needed to remount the breaker box I installed in the garage to charge the car.

After going a couple miles, the car felt a little sluggish and I almost turned around, but decided I could probably make the trip. Most of the roads are country with a 35 mile per hour speed limit but there are about 3 miles on main roads with a 55 mph speed limit. I pulled out on the state route and had to accelerate pretty briskly to keep with the flow of traffic and by the time I reached the Hardware Store, it was obvious I should have turned around and gone back home after the first couple of miles but I got my hardware and headed back home. The car would barely go 35 mph and the voltage was dropping so low the main contactor kept kicking out. Fortunately after coasting for a few seconds, it would make back up. There are a couple of small hills and I was barely able creep up them but some how made it. When I was a couple miles from home my wife called and I told her to meet me by an old school house and bring a strap to pull me home. 

Somehow the car kept going and I met her on the road about a mile from the house. One more small hill and I was able to coast the remainder of the way into my driveway. 

The old lead acids are probably really toast now but it doesn't really matter as I am going to be pulling it into the garage soon to start the rebuild and lithium battery install over the winter.

EVCCON DAY 2

This year there was a marked improvement of the build quality of the cars that were brought to EVCCON, with most cars looking like they had been professionally converted. Next year when my Fiero is completed, I am sure the bar will be even higher, so I really have my work cut out for me. 

Last year I met several converters from Ohio, so it was good seeing them again this year and meeting up with some folks who did not attend last year. I think it is important for converters to build a good support network for each other, as many times a fresh set of eyes on a problem are really needed to come up with a good solution.

EVCCON DAY !

Arrived at EVCCON on Wednesday and visited with everyone at the garage.

JD 110 PROJECT & LEAVING FOR EVCCON

The John Deere 110 project is nearing completion, so hopefully this will allow me to kick the Fiero rebuild into high gear. Hoping to sell the John Deere to put in the LiFePo4 battery fund for the Fiero but then again, I may just keep it to mow the grass. They don't make garden tractors like this anymore, as they are now basically just stamped sheet metal with a lot of plastic.

 

It's time to get the lead out of the Fiero. With the New CALB CA cells, I am hoping to find a good set of used cells up for sale for a good price when another builder is upgrading.

Just a little more packing and then off to EVCCON. Next year the Fiero will be rebuilt with new batteries, and will be at the show.

 See everyone at EVCCON this evening!

Randy

Meter Problems

Over the summer I have been working on the batteries and have been using the EV Fiero for local errands. The car now has close to a 25 to 30 mile range and I am feeling more comfortable driving it
.

I hooked up the JLD404 but am having problems getting the amps to read accurately. It seems like it is multiplying the amps as the controller is only 500 amps but the jld404 is reading -650 amps at full throttle, then displaying an error. The JLD404 is pretty easy to set up and I am fairly certain it is configured correctly but although Jack Rickard at EVTV says that you can use a 500 volt/50mv shunt, if you set the maximum range to 750, Marco at Light Object, where I purchased the meter said it would not work unless I put in a 75mv shunt.  Even though I believe Marko is incorrect, I purchased a 500V/75mv shunt and set the maximum range to 500 with the same results, high amperage readings. The mV reading from the shunt on a volt meter never exceeded 52.5 mv, so the JLD404 should be reading around -350 amps at 52.5 mv. Needless to say, the amp hour counter is not going to be accurate until I get this problem figured out so I just have to keep track of my miles when driving. The EV accelerates quite a bit slower when the batteries start getting low, but will still operate, so you do have some indication that you need to head for home before it actually runs out of power.

The 1970 John Deere 110 Garden Tractor that I have been restoring is almost completed, so I should be able to spend more time on the Fiero EV real soon. Hoping I can sell the garden tractor to help pay for LiPo4 batteries but my next investment is going to be a video camera so I can start posting some video. My son has offered to be my videographer and editor, so I am looking forward to getting him involved with the project. 

It is getting close to EVTV’s EVCCON and I am getting excited. I came home from the convention last excited about getting started on a conversion, so hopefully by next years EVCCON, I will have the Fiero converted to Lithium and be able to take it to the show. For anyone interested in attending you can check out the following link.

EVCCON

SWEET EDDIE

The 48 Hour Film Project movie by Post House is finally out featuring my Electric Fiero. I even got mentioned in the credits.