Wires Galore

Like the tedious task that took up most of our time yesterday, Adam, North, and I continued laying down and labeling wires throughout the engine bay and interior of the car today. Since the only wires that need to travel through the interior of the car are the low-gauge ones which need to be more protected from the elements, the actual functions of these lines were widely different from one to another, and many of their tasks were very minor. Regardless, all of these connections were necessary for the car which, when it is done, will have at least a couple hundred connections throughout. After each wire had been laid out, Adam helped us identify each one and mark them with their eventual task using take and a marker. The result was a scene of chaos inside the glove-box and left-hand side of the engine bay.

Just a handful of the wires we laid out during the day

While we were working on this, Alex, John, and Max all worked with Calvin to remove the charging port from one of the trucks they were working on and installing it inside the gas door of the car. However, the charging port was significantly smaller than the opening where the gas tank was, so they had to fabricate a plate that would allow for a correct fit. Afterwards, they attached a button to detect when the port is in use which will eventually connect to the controller, whose job it is not to let the car run while charging, similar to when someone is filling up their gas tank. They also significantly cleaned off the area behind the door and even the door itself, even taking away the screeching sound caused by opening the door too far that was present previously. 

The charging port inside the gas door,.
The door itself has been temporarily removed.

During the second half of the day, North and I worked together to create a piece of wood that would fit where the gearshift used to be and cover up the huge hole that removing it left. Eventually the wood can be upholstered and, visually speaking, be a very nice addition to the car. Its purpose, at the moment, is simply to hold the small switch which changes the car from forward to reverse. It has much more surface area for other controls, but none are needed yet. For the last task of the day, we had to remove the gas pedal entirely so that we could install some special instrumentation needed for acceleration in an electric car. This was no easy task, but we managed to finish up before finally heading out at the end of a very busy day.

Week 2 Day 2

After a long day of budgeting with Mr. Preston, I was ready for some real work. Nothing against him or Excel, but nothing beats working on the car with the guys. But, to my pleasant surprise, Calvin had brought a friend into the shop today. Piddles the Chihuahua is probably the smallest and most adorable dog that has ever and will ever exist.

Piddles, the shop's mascot

Besides the excitement of a new face, we had a lot of work to do. Much of my day was spent calculating what gauge of wires we would need to go to every single component in the car from the hairball located in the glove box all the way to, say, the charger in the trunk. Below is a picture of Max hard at work under the dashboard of the car working with Calvin to wire some conduit through the dashboard, a tedious and difficult task.

Max in the zone

Tomorrow will be filled with even more work as we must do more part fabrication out of steel. While having everything in the car be custom can be fun, it is time consuming. By the end of A-term we hope to have a great deal done on the car.

12 Volt battery Box

          Today at the shop, we were able to grind down the weld beads on the 12 volt battery box while Garrett helped Adam and Calvin with the bracket that would hold the controller and other various components to the motors. Max, John, and Alex all worked on the donor proposals while Calvin cut the bracket. However, when Calvin was cutting the bracket, the cutting wheel got caught on the metal and under the pressure from the saw the cutting wheel shattered, cutting Calvin badly enough that he had to go to the hospital to have his arm stitched up.

The remnants of the cutting wheel that injured Calvin.

          After Mr. Preston and Calvin left to go to the hospital, I finished the 12V battery box and inserted the batteries. I then took the battery box over to the car and tried to find a way to fit it into the car. It turned out that the location for the battery box was uneven so we had to build small brackets that would fit onto the bottom of the battery box so that it would be level. We worked on the brackets and measured them before we permanently welded them to the box. The brackets fit perfectly so we decided to bolt the 12V battery box to the car. Then we went to lunch, and when we returned, Calvin noticed that the battery box was shaking and moving around more than what we would consider stable, so I fabricated a fourth mount to attach to the side of the box to prevent it from moving. 

The four batteries in the newly fabricated battery box.

          At the end of the day, we had fitted the 12 volt battery box, the bracket, found the points for the controller, inserted the four batteries, and prepared the bracket for the motor components.

The strip of aluminum that the level is sitting on is the bracket that the controller will rest on. 

3/23/16 Components

This morning went by very quickly. Alex and I started to fabricate mounts for the charger, and Garrett and North worked on the placement DC-DC converter box and controller. I enjoyed using the angle grinder again, but unfortunately, we did not get to use it for long. After we worked on the mounts, I read the manual for our controller so I could figure out the wiring configuration for the car.

In the afternoon, we reevaluated the components of some of the car components. Yesterday, we decided to place the charger in the trunk of the car to the side and place the DC-DC converter inside the glove box. There were, however, several issues with placing the converter there. For example, there was a plastic cover that shielding most of the metal mounting points, and sections of the air conditioner ran through the opposite side of the wall, so puncturing the system was a very real danger. We decided to relocate all systems to a display in the trunk of the car, but there was a debate about how we would do it. Half of us argued that the back seat of the car should be removed, to create an aesthetic, spacious display rack for each component, while half argued that the back seat of the car should be kept and systems built behind them. I personally argued for leaving the back seats. There is a common understanding within the EV conversion community that preserving a car’s identity, (I.e. keeping as close to stock as possible) .is always the number one priority. This gives the car a certain shock value. When you tell someone that your 1990 Toyota Supra is actually electric, even though it looks identical to a normal Supra, they might reevaluate some of their opinions on electric cars. I also thought it would be best to preserve the back seats since the car would be used as a transportation vehicle. We decided with the latter option, and began fabricating mounts and panels to make our new layout possible.

Back to Business

While yesterday was a great re-introduction to the project, today we began to make physically evident progress on the car once again. When we first arrived at the shop, Alex and I were tasked with mapping out the wiring that will eventually connect all components of the car. For this, their are two different channels of cables that will run from the batteries in the rear, to the core components in the front. Low power wires will travel inside the car, under the seats and carpet, due to their comparatively worse weather resistance, while higher power wires will travel under the car, along the edge of the out of commission transmission tunnel.

Soon after this, we decided to choose the locations for the final components of the car we hadn't considered yet- namely the DC/DC converter and the charger. For this, North and I created a cardboard mock-up for the converter, and John made one for the charger. We spent some time working with different location possibilities before settling on final places.

Holding the converter mock-up in place

Next, the Calvin arrived with the batteries at long last. We unloaded the box from his truck using the engine hoist, and he began opening the extremely secure enclosure. After it had finally been opened, we quickly got to work placing the batteries in the box. As we began to do this, however, it became apparent that the fit for the batteries would be very tight. Eventually, with the use of a mallet and multiple sets of hands, we crammed all of the batteries into the box.

All of the batteries sitting in our custom box

The batteries haven't yet been wired to each other, and we're certainly a decent way away from wiring up everything in the car together, but today felt like some real concrete progress, involving our reception of one of the three core components of the car, and the finalized plans as far as location of the other parts.

Home Stretch

The sunny attitude of the group was matched by the weather today as we made our way back to Humble again. We set off later than normal after every member of the group presented research on the next steps forward, I personally worked with Garrett on informing the team how the charger for the batteries should be wired and which system we should use. The goal of this group is to have the car running and moving by April 1st, and to have the car ready to show off to interested parties who want to donate to the project by Earth Day, April 22nd.

For this two week span of A-term, the group is slightly different. Shiraz is out of town for this particular segment of the project, and Mr. Preston is our teacher instead of Mr. Grisbee. However, it's the same core desire to finish the car that remains. Our time in Humble was mostly spent learning of what the next steps will be for the car up until the summer. We documented what needs to be purchased for the car, what already has been ordered, and what will be completed by the end of these two weeks. We also got a presentation from Adam that detailed how a bottom-loading battery test rig works. This concept only works with the chemistry of battery that we ordered, and is essential for having the batteries recharge evenly and not having any accidents like destroyed batteries when charging. It also allows us to save money by not relying on a battery management system.

Unfortunately there's no pictures to this blog post because there was not much to show for the work we did today, but tomorrow we will have the batteries and controller in the shop and will start on the journey of wiring and programming!

The Final Day of the Term

This morning, I expected a day much the same as any other day of J-Term, if not less eventful than usual. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see we had another busy and unique day ahead of us. Upon arriving, we immediately noticed that the Supra was missing from the smaller shop, only to find it sitting atop of Adam and Calvin's newly acquired car lift. As we walked in, we were introduced to a friend of Adam's and fellow EV enthusiast, John. He spoke to us a bit about his background and specific love for Supra's, which explained why he was interested in our project.

After meet-and-greets were over, we began to work towards fitting up the beam for mounting the tailshaft housing. First, we had to clear away the thick protective coating on the underside of the car with a grinder. Next, Adam spot-welded plates on either side of the transmission tunnel where the beam will be connected. This was much easier than it would have been previously, because we had a chance to stand directly under the car with full mobility as opposed to laying on the ground.

Next, in order to patch up a hole that had been created in the surprisingly thin sheet metal when grinding down the coating, we welded another plate to the inside of the car, near the feet of the driver's seat. This was fairly simple to complete because the carpets and seats had been removed from the inside of the car for easy access to the transmission tunnel .

Afterwards, we began to prepare for the end of the term, setting up some storage solutions for the next 2 months. First, we helped move Adam's old stripped down Mustang from the back of the big shop to the smaller shop. Then, we brought over the engine hoist and carried the old 7M engine that was originally in the Supra to the back of the small shop. Finally, we moved everything over so the Supra would have a dedicated space for when Adam wrapped some final tasks up after we left. 

second to last day

It was another day at Humble today. First we tackled welding the rear mount for the motor. But in order to weld rear mount for the motor, we had to take up the carpet in the front of the car. But to remove the carpet, we had to take the front seats, center console, and some interior paneling. The carpet was pretty disgusting, so we sprayed it down with detergent and power washed it. It was pretty gross when all the dirty water came out it.

After this, Calvin asked me to help Adam in the garage to hand him tools. Adam started to align the mounts to get everything welded. The first thing welded was the bar to support the motor. I had to hold the ground clamp in place, which holds onto the piece being welded. It kind of made me uncomfortable since it didn’t have very thick sleeve on today. Then we looked at where the mount placement will be on the transmission tunnel. We came to the obstacle at this point since there was a hole through the metal on accident. To fix this problem, we are creating plates to cover the hole by basically sandwiching these two plates to cover the hole then welding it onto the frame.

While all this was happening, John, Shiraz, and Alex worked on the lip to go underneath the battery box. It is a frame that goes done less than an inch down. It would have weatherstripping on it. It would then form a seal and be watertight. This was made so that no water got into the battery box from the outside. We finished a lot today and worked on the proposal this afternoon once we got back.

The Pen is as Powerful as the Grind Wheel

I, Alexander Donnenberg, have made a box. This is not just any box, it's a five sided box made of beautiful steel. Calvin and I spent most of yesterday designing and crafting the box, and this morning was spent on grinding down the outside so that the surface was smooth and still box-like. It was very tedious work but I did not mind because the box was source of great pride and accomplishment. While I may have lost some hearing, it was worth it. The box's purpose is to house the controller from the weather, as complicated and clever electronics generally do not like getting wet or dusty. I made it five sided so that the big side facing outwards will have a plexiglass cover that can be screwed in, giving a great view of the controller. The housing will also have holes in the front and back of the box for the water hoses going into the controller and the terminal connections going out to the motors. In other news, the greatest milestone of our project was reached today. The battery box was completely and successfully installed. This was one of our two goals to reach by the end of the J term and we are all so proud that we reached it. But it required some extra motivation to reach today, which we all got from a pep talk in the car back from lunch by Mr. Grisbee. He had noticed a lack of drive from us in the last couple of days, voiced his concerns, and gave us new spirit to find the line to follow again. Here are some pictures that were taken in the afternoon during the completion of the battery box mounting.

Slag and Fire

Shiraz and I worked on fabricating pieces of steel to cover exposed areas around the battery box. It was a fairly simple design process that required us to mock up the measurements on cardboard first then trace them onto steel. Soon after, John Long and James Moudry accompanied us to the machinist shop where they observed Joey cut the 1/8^th inch steel with plasma torch. I was proud to have the head of school and Mr. Moudry visit Humble, since they have been so supportive of the project. The steel cut outs left an outline of hardened steel called “slag.” Max put in a great amount of effort grinding off the slag, and He also helped change the curve of the fabricated pieces, which took several hours. Meanwhile, Alex was involved in a solo project to design the steel box and mounts for the vehicle’s controller. He and Calvin created the box so that it would not need to be machine cut and folded, but instead, hand built. I was truly impressed considering they were working with very rigid steel. I think this is a testament to the power of the design process and how much work an ingenious design can save you.

Later in the day I was assigned to grind off surface sections of the car frame, so we could get a clean weld for our engine mounts which would provide additional structural support for our motor. I have no difficulty using the power grinder, but I was put off by the idea that I would be on my back under the car using the power tool. Bear in mind these grinders spit jets of sparks.  I remembered something a teacher said on one of the Odyssey trips, “growth comes from leaving your comfort zone.” The advice gave me the motivation I needed to go through with the task.

Throughout the day Adam welded the car mounts we created to the battery box. In the afternoon the welding caught part of the undercoating of the car on fire, but it was quickly extinguished with no harm done. Alex also welded today, in order to reinforce his controller box.

All in all, today was not our busiest day, but a great amount of progress was made on the car, and all of us refined our metal working and design skills.

Motor Mounts & Moldy Carpets

Today was another productive day that consisted largely of progress towards our motor mount fabrication. Right off the bat when we arrived, it was back to work wrapping up some of the cutting and grinding that we hadn't quite completed yesterday. Immediately after we'd caught up, we were faced with many more metal pieces that needed to be cut out, ground down, and shipped off to Adam's post at the welding table so we could get all the necessary brackets created as soon as possible. For these tasks, Alex and Max did most of the cutting, while North and I worked on grinding down the edges so all pieces were precise and identical, and had no rough edges.

After each piece had gone through its first 2 steps towards completion, they were collected by Adam, who welded them together according to our designs for the mounts. Because the welding process creates extruding beads along each edge of the pieces, they must all return to the grinder after being welded so they can be in accordance with the exact measurements necessary for the mounts.

After this process had been done on each bracket, we had a collection of pieces ready for application into the car. Though not all pieces have been completed as of now, it is certainly satisfying to see the product of our progress and effort.

Some of the completed pieces for our motor mounts

The second project we worked on today was the interior carpets of the car. This has been a known issue for a decent amount of time, but North, Julian, and I finally decided to tackle it today. We took the carpet out to the side of the building, powered up the pressure washer, and used extensive amounts of the "Purple Power" spray to clean off the mistreated mats. After letting the carpet air-dry in the sun for most of the day, it is certainly not like new, but it is already looking much better than when we pulled it out, and our work is not done yet.

The interior carpet hanging out to dry after being cleaned

The final task we took on today was beginning to remove the blue tint on the back window that the group had realized earlier was almost impossible to see out of from within the car. In order to do this, North and I sat in the trunk of the car and used razors to slowly remove the blue plastic. After we'd removed most of the surface area of the tint, we used the same "Purple Power" spray from before to get off the glue and other surface scratches from the inside of the window. There is still some more plastic to remove around the edges of the window, but we have high hopes for how it will look when everything is done with.

Cutting, Welding, and Mounting

Today was yet another productive day for the EV J-term. We started the day off with some welding and cutting pieces for the mounts. Alex and Max got some hands-on experience with the mig-welder, and I got to say that I personally wasn’t up for even trying. It requires some serious skill to do it perfectly. You have to be able to maintain a straight line with consistent pressure, which isn’t easy to do wearing a welding mask. That being said Max and Alex did start to get better at it with some practice.

            Meanwhile, the rest of the group was busy cutting steel for the mounts and grinding it out to have solid pieces with clean edges. I personally found cleaning the edges off easier than cutting a full piece. I say that because it was a little bit of challenge for me to maintain a straight line while cutting the steel.

            After lunch we picked up the battery box that we had sent for fabrication earlier this week. I was sure that Alex and I had the measurements and the design right when we sent it for fabrication, but I was still a little nervous. To test it out we placed it in the trunk and checked if it was within the parameters created by the frame of the car. I breathed a sigh of relief when the box was perfect for the amount of space we had. Then we moved to cutting the steel plate in the trunk off so we could drop the box in. Following that we gathered around the car to discuss which way would be the best to mount the box onto the car. We all had different ideas that worked, but we wanted to go with what would work best, not just easy or fast. So we decided to do several mounts to the frame of the car to make it as strong as possible. This led to our following task which was cutting and welding the mounts.

            Overall we all feel like this J-Term is headed in the right direction. We are making good progress and are on schedule to have the car running by the end of A-Term.