Oh boy oh boy did we get a lot of work done today! After reviewing yesterday's work group activity and a tutorial on the low-voltage wiring to dashboard gauges, DC-DC converter & vacuum pump, we started out the hands-on portion with the job of mating the motor to the transmission (Bill is guiding it in below).
Once the motor was aligned & bolted to the transmission the top of the motor mount bracket went in (Ben from Albuquerque is about to install it below):
With the vehicle up there was much discussion about clearances (we will need to raise the battery box slightly to ensure that it is not touching the motor shaft).
Then there was lecture/discussion/q&a time
including a review of the standard wiring schematic for an EV.
St. Bill assigned afternoon lab tasks (he is discussing mounting the controller shelf in this photo)
but the first thing we did when we returned to the vehicle was hook the motor up to a 12-volt source to give it a spin test. It turned -- and so did the rear wheels! Very exciting!
Then it was back to fore-and-aft work groups. In the front the controller had to be mounted and wired up; the other group was assigned to come up with a method of securing the rear batteries in the box.
We have a wonderful variety of backgrounds in the class and there is a lot of informal sharing of knowledge; here a little group has spontaneously gathered around the tap-and-die sets to learn about those tools.
Once the controller was in Bill reviewed the high-voltage wiring
and then we sent the car up on the lift one more time to review our design solutions for front and back. On Wednesday there will be some fabricating & welding! I was a little worried that with the kit pre-designed & prepared for us by Brandon Hollinger of BH Electrics there wouldn't be any welding left for the class to do so I am happy that we are going to be able to include some.
Our end-of-day project review showed our tasks for the day accomplished and a clear plan developed for Wednesday. The build is going very well and right on schedule, but most important is the growing sense of camaraderie and fun in the class. Everybody really seems to be enjoying the collaborative problem-solving process and there is a lot of learning going on every minute of the day.
It was a little more tiring than I thought I guess since I dozed off before quite finishing this report last night and had to post it in the morning of Day Three! Off with me now to pick up coffee & muffins!
2 comments:
I am curious about what is included in the "kit". Can you give a list of parts and fabrications? Is the kit available commercially?
Hello Anonymous, I am still awaiting the final breakdown of parts & prices, including fabrication fees, from Brandon Hollinger of BH Electrics, who both developed and sold us the kit. I will post that info when I have it! A goal of this partnership certainly has been to help further the development of a commercially-available Miata conversion package.
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