@@MMMM2MMMM2MMMM this is what I was trying to get at with my video... It wasn't just the firmware issue, it was the sign that they do everything as minimally as possible.
Is it possible that the insulation on the flexible bars hides the heat? Or alternatively, ambient visible light reflecting off the aluminum bars might have confused your camera?
The reflection off the tinned bars was a problem, yes. The insulation would only mask the heat for a short time... I think it cools better as there's more surface area for convection cooling on the wires. Andy (Off-Grid Garage) stress-tested my bus bars at something like 200A with no issues.
Great video, I learned a lot. When you said how the BMS balances the cells, I thought "there's no way that those tiny wires are carrying enough current to affect cell balance!" but then I went and read up on both active and passive cell balancing and it turns out that it is done with less than 1 Amp of current per cell. So at a length of a couple of meters, you could use 24 gauge wire for that. So I sit corrected. I am 3 years late to this party, I can't wait to see what has transpired in your project.
I’ve been using cable lacing in diy and hobby for quite a while, but I started from making whips. Cable lace is the best replacement for sinew and binding a whip belly uses the same stitches in some places
Hey Digital Mermaid - Great to see that you are still going strong and that you have received your second motor!!:)If I remember it correctly (a while ago now) you expressed an interest in following my build if I ever posted it on RU-vid. I have just posted the first episode showing the motor housing design and should have it welded this coming week so that i can start mounting the motors (received the second motor today in the post). Feel free to check it out. Thank you for all the advise so far and may have some more questions as I am progressing and hope you do not mind:) Thank You / Modular Hippo.
It's been awhile since I visited the channel. Holy Crap! What a Mess! Looks like my garage! Glad to see the progress. You learned lots this year.... :)
I have 2 10kw Kelly controllers and neither are water cooled. Just large aluminium plates bolted under. I find that 3kw to 4kw is the average power consumption measured at the shunt at 5knots. Cover the busbars with acrylic - can easily bend it with your heat gun.
Aye, I've done it a couple times. It's all good though, I've got the right size ring terminals waiting for me back home. I was worried it'd make the contact area too small.
Absolutely an option, yup. Part of the plans for the sea trials will be to test different gear rations at different propeller pitches under both drive and regen conditions.
Cars with throttle by wire (many in the last 20 years) and electric cars have a nice accelerator pedal module that has two pots for redundancy and well made, durable mechanicals. A visit to a local automotive recycler (junkyard) should get you a couple for not much $(C). Then you could modify to remove the return spring and make a more appropriate handle.
Actually the packing foam more reminds me of the Millennium Falcon. To answer any questions, no, I don't have a SiFy preference. I love all the neardyness... As for the switches, the DPDT switches (or as you call them the dual row switches) will offer a level of redundancy which can work in your favor in that they have two paths of conduction. When wired in parallel they can help insure good conduction which in boating is a consideration for when things have to work. I'm deeply sorry to hear about Tatters. I know what it's like to lose a furry friend. It's never easy and with the family issues you referred to I can imagine you're under a great deal of stress. Suffice it to say that you'll be in my prayers for the near future at very least.
I swear all large crimps are way larger than they need to be, sometimes I just stick a little piece of solid copper wire in to take up space and if I want a really nice crimp I start with the larger dies and then switch the dies down a size, one side at a time over several crimps to get a perfect ultra compressed crimp in the end regardless of how the wires fit at the start.
Hello, I recommend using two belts, one for each motor, as this will increase reliability and provide a small redundancy in case one of the belts or the bearings of one of the motors fails. I also think that you can use one water block by mounting it between the controllers back to back. Precharge resistors can be connected through an additional relay, which will be activated before the contactors, which in turn will be activated after the capacitors are charged. This can easily be done using an analog circuit or with an Arduino. Or connect the contactor control switches after the contactors themselves, or even better, after the fuse. This will prevent accidental activation of the contactor before the capacitors are charged and will disconnect the contactor in case the fuse blows!
Originally that was my plan, but the drag of the disconnected motor costs overall efficiency, and as you can probably see, I am placing a high value on maximum efficiency from this build. The idea of sandwiching the motors on either side of the controller is a really interesting idea. I saw someone else here make the same suggestion, and I need to give it some serious thought. The main trick will be coming up with a way to mount it, as the current mounting method uses bolts. The idea of a circuit to connect the precharge resistor before closing the contactor is a really interesting one, I'll give this some thought!
Hi please check that the fuse holder internal fuse contacts and wire cannot poke out of the fuse holder once the fuse is removed. Possibility of exposed live tags. Easiest way to stop this is a small cable tie added to the wire once the fuse is fitted. Place it such that the wire can still move with the spring movement, but not expose itself out of the plastic holder or cap. I would always put the fuse after the switch, as Sod’s Law says you will need to change the fuse without being able to use the main isolator for some obscure reason, yet thought of. Also could you not mount the contractor close to the controller and use Buss Bar to connect them. Just a thought.
For those investing in crimpers, I would NOT recommend these high-priced hydaulic crimpers for the reason shown in this video.. I use the inexpensve one that just needs a couple of strikes with a hammer to crimp any sized lugs that Maddie is using.
I actually have that as an emergency crimper for the boat. The concern I have with those is that they don't compress/cold-weld the strands like the hydraulic crimpers do. Perhaps I need to run some tests, to see how the resistance changes, given I've got the really sensitive resistance tester.
unfortunately there are folks that are not only lazy but also afraid of failure on top of fearing a proper challenge. we weren't taught in school how to actually "Think" and apply our brains, that was a paid option (at least not in the area i went to school). humans are very hungry for knowledge but some just don't understand the concept.
Gosh those crimps sketch me out. I didn't realize there was such a difference between the metric sizes and the imperial ones, I guess I always got lucky with the size. Dunno, I have experience with smaller size crimps (like consumer electronics size) and absolutely anything you do wrong will make the connection unreliable over time. Use anything but the manufacturer tool, perfectly calibrated, and you see failures in a year or two with vibration. Maybe you should fill them with solder to be safe? I've actually never seen a soldered wire fracture, but crimps are about as dicky as the EPS tap to a bridge console.
Aye, I'm nervous about the longevity of those crimps, also. I mentioned in the video that I suspect I'll have to replace them at some point, and if I do, I'll get imperial dies so that they're sized right. That said, the ones I did by swapping dies came out pretty good, it's the first ones I did with just the smaller die that came out pretty bad.
Very kind of you! I can't generally link URLs, but there's a PDF with the dimension on Bluesea's website. If you search for 'MaxiBus 250A BusBar' or 'Bluesea 2127' you should have it come up as the first link. On the left side, there's a PDF under "Dimensional Drawings" that shows the bus size, terminal diameter and spacing. :)
@@TheDigitalMermaid unfortunately mine don’t fit that version 😢 but! If you want I can print you some that do. I have spare red and black PET for my printer and I’d love to contribute to the boat. If that’s something you’d like then let me know and I’ll start some drawing. If you have any other bus ads or covers you would like done then I’m happy to do them aswell. 🎉
I was out testing my 5kw motor and the motor gets hot long before the controller, but I have an air cooled motor. I have similar Kelly controller. I have a smaller boat than you, though my first tests 3knots 14A and 5knots 50A This is in fairly calm weather.
Aye, I'd heard that, which is why I got the water cooled version. The idea would be to only run the 5kw up to about 2200w (~43A) at most. After that, it makes more sense to run the 10kw. I had planned to plumb the cooling so that the coolant exits the radiator and goes into the motors first, so that they got the most effective cooling.
No she doesn't. For no load, short term testing she could get away with shep extention cords. Only upside of using right size wires would be to calculate component consumption, and get a feel space needed for routing.
Nope, for short term testing I would be fine with 4awg. Trick was that I was basically out, so if I was ordering new stuff, I figured I may as well go for the finished size.
I would like to have 2 motors; one in the bow and one in the stern; have them be outboards so they could turn in any direction and out of the water when not in use. Front wheel drive and rear wheel regeneration.
@@TheDigitalMermaid Regenerating from the stern when sailing. Driving from the bow when motoring. Waves have effect on the steering with front wheel drive.
Its amazing how insurance is so different compared to Denmark where I live. Here you don't have to hunt for insurance, you just get the best offer and click "Add to cart". Unless we are talking about very big expensive boats, there is no such thing as surveys. I've never come across a leisure craft surveyor in Denmark. When I swapped the diesel out for electric I gave them a call and told them that I had installed an electric drive and popped 12 kWh of LiFePo4 batteries into the boat, they just said: Cool - go sailing. Whenever I have had a claim, there has been zero discussion, they just pay up, and even more than I expected. Prices are much lower too. It doesn't have to be diffcult.
they're prolly not too concerned about an electric fire hazard if you are on a boat and the person that got the ensurance at the same time. over here the policy of any contract states: contract ends with death. sooooooo......
I had to redo some heavy gauge wires in my truck and ran into the same problem using the same style of crimper, switching dies was annoying but produced a much nicer product than trying to do it in one go with the wrong one (which I wound up pulling out because it seemed good but then failed the pull test)
I didn't know how long I'd need in the final install, and so there's a good chance I can do exactly that. I really am not happy with these crimps, so shortening the wires and getting fresh crimps before the final install on the boat might well be the way to go.
I would never subject you poor people to a calendar! Haha. The motors are surprisingly small, when compared to the ol' diesel engine. For sure though, compared to normal DC motors, they're chunky.
So why the need for the 5k - just use one half of the 10k, its even wired ready. Or am I missing something? I seem to recall the 5 was for efficiency not to get to 15 at max.
I talk about this in length in the "Decisions Made" video, but in short, efficiency. The 5kw is MUCH more efficient at the expected power levels needed to "slow steam" when my goal is to get the absolute maximum range. The 10kw is for the brute force needed in tidal areas or when I need to really push hard with less regard for battery range.
