tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42142671431012095182024-03-20T11:43:53.429-07:00EV Miata - An Electric Miata ProjectBlog contains overview of the steps required to convert a first generation Miata to a freeway legal electric sports carpmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.comBlogger155125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-58850787885359501772013-05-22T19:39:00.001-07:002013-05-22T19:51:52.854-07:00Otmar at the Maker FaireThe Maker Faire is always a good time but while checking in I spotted a double VW Westfalia - two campers welded together to make one long bus.<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JHFYNAXHdxc/UZ2CcXoAZxI/AAAAAAAAFDg/cPVP-xD2Sxk/s640/blogger-image-2112343140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JHFYNAXHdxc/UZ2CcXoAZxI/AAAAAAAAFDg/cPVP-xD2Sxk/s640/blogger-image-2112343140.jpg"></a></div>I only heard of one of these creations and it belonged to Otmar - creator of the Zilla controller. Finding it had Oregon plates and a Biodiesel sticker confirmed my suspicion. <div>No sign of him on Saturday, but on Sunday, my dad flagged me down to talk with a guy wearing a goofy purple hat - it was Otmar. He asked how I liked my Zilla (which I love) and we talked for 15 or 20 minutes about the state of the conversion market and the different projects he's working on. I asked him to sign my Zilla </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-gnEO40pc9h4/UZ2BRvbyBqI/AAAAAAAAFDI/CcA7jtEUwb8/s640/blogger-image-369993698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-gnEO40pc9h4/UZ2BRvbyBqI/AAAAAAAAFDI/CcA7jtEUwb8/s640/blogger-image-369993698.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And I got a picture with him. It was an ethereal experience, which my smudged camera lens can attest to. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-u6E99FB160c/UZ2BToq21hI/AAAAAAAAFDQ/Fnga88bDj_4/s640/blogger-image--985009935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-u6E99FB160c/UZ2BToq21hI/AAAAAAAAFDQ/Fnga88bDj_4/s640/blogger-image--985009935.jpg"></a></div> </div><br></div></div>pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-91417686913215717702013-03-11T14:39:00.000-07:002013-03-11T14:39:20.608-07:00New Contactor<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So the car has been in the road for 4+ years and running relatively trouble free. In late November, though, it suddenly shut down on my way to work. I was able to pull over and restart it, but it was troubling. The Zilla error codes pointed to motor over speed, contactor stuck and low 12v supply - the usual hodgepodge of errors I see when the SLI battery is low.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I recharged the SLI battery over night but on the way to work the motor shut down again. It did restart and once I was home again I checked my wiring to the controller, thinking a loose 12v, ground or tach lead could be causing the problem. Everything looked Kosher. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next day on the way to work it shut down. I coasted off the freeway and parked. I tried restarting it, but this time instead of the familiar contactor "thump" I heard a sizzling sound. I pulled the pack emergency disconnect, pulled my meter from the glove box and made some quick tests. I quickly found that the contactor points had welded closed - which was probably the sizzling sound I heard.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was using a </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kilovac EV200 contactor and though rated for up to 2,000 amps and can handle 500 amps at 320volts continuous. EV Source points out that these ratings are based on a very large cable size -300 MCM, which <a href="http://www.ihiconnectors.com/AWG%20wire%20sizes.htm" target="_blank">translates </a>to about 4.5/0 where I am using 2/0. I was told the connector bolts would get warm from the resistance and ultimately weld shut (which they apparently did), but they never got warm to the touch in my typical drive ad never discolored to indicate overheating. Evidently the bolt temperature doesn't relate well to the contact temperature inside...</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is how the original EV200 contactor looked in the High Voltage Enclosure:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vQTyAYZWcjc/Tu01zLu91xI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/hhLmcwFtcX0/s1600/HVE+updated-cropped.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vQTyAYZWcjc/Tu01zLu91xI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/hhLmcwFtcX0/s320/HVE+updated-cropped.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So naturally I wanted to upgrade to a contactor that wouldn't die on me again. I looked at Nanfeng and Albright but ultimately decided on a Gigavac. The Tech Support at Gigavac said my 350 amp continuous at 170 volts was within spec for the GX14 as long as I used copper buss bars to dissipate any heat. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The GX14 is larger than the EV200 has a lower cable connection point than the EV200. After going through numerous mounting plans, I came up with one that used buss bars to connect the cable from above to the input bolt below and to the </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ferraz/Shawmut fuse</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is how the Gigavac GX14 looks in the redesigned high Voltage Enclosure:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VyH-wqtfwLM/UT5NqwRDLwI/AAAAAAAAEa4/-BUx5So3c5s/s1600/03E57F82-5276-4110-994C-2F97C59BA500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VyH-wqtfwLM/UT5NqwRDLwI/AAAAAAAAEa4/-BUx5So3c5s/s400/03E57F82-5276-4110-994C-2F97C59BA500.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can see the copper bus bar on the right middle under the 2/0 cable. The contactor is the black circular unit in the middle. The output of the contactor goes to a short bus bar into the</span> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ferraz/Shawmut fuse positioned vertically. It's bolted to the output cable to the Controller.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-42593884907071100752012-05-30T23:40:00.003-07:002012-05-30T23:41:36.229-07:00How to Retrofit an EV conversion to J1772 in 7 easy steps<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the last 6 months or so, more and more public charging stations have been installed around town so I finally decided it was time to join the J1772 club. For those of you not familiar with the term, J1772 is the designation for the plugs and inlets that are the official standard for EV charging in the US. With the standard connection on my car, I could take advantage of these charging spots - and many of them are free. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My old charger port was a L6-20 which was cheap and fine for charging at home, but few public places had this style connector waiting for me... It had served me well over the last 4 years, but change is good.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most of the local stations I ran across were from Coulumb, so I set up an account at <a href="http://www.chargepoint.net/chargepoint-card.php">ChargePoint </a>and got a $5 card for using their chargers. How's that for thinking ahead?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kl_qByvcZfA/Tu02voDb37I/AAAAAAAAA68/GpUnAOun-Zs/s1600/Inlet+and+LED.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kl_qByvcZfA/Tu02voDb37I/AAAAAAAAA68/GpUnAOun-Zs/s640/Inlet+and+LED.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original L6-20 charging port</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The whole process of installing the J1772 was easier than you'd think. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are the steps I took:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Step 1 - buy a J1772 Inlet</b>. The Inlet is the part that goes on the vehicle. I also needed to buy the plug end so that I could convert my home charging gear (a.k.a EVSE or Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment) to J1772 also. There are a few places that sell these parts - and they aren't cheap, btw. I bought mine from <a href="http://www.tucsonev.com/">TucsonEV </a>. I had a few questions which they promptly answered and they were quick to replace a pin which wasn't correct from the factory - no complaints.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Step 2 buy resistor(s) and diode</b>. The J1772 standard expects to see signalling between the charger and the outlet in order to power up the connection. Here's a <a href="http://www.evdl.org/docs/j1772description.pdf">link </a>to a description of the electronics for the signalling involved. </span><span style="background-color: #f5f5ff; font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Your charger is probably like mine in that it doesn't have a way to provide these signals. One could wire up a switch to manually provide the signalling, or buy a circuit board to to fake it out, or you could do like me and hard wire it so the EVSE thinks the charger is always ready and turns on the juice. This is a low voltage, low current application, so the parts are cheap and should be readily available. You need a diode that will handle 20ma and <span style="background-color: white;">856 to 908 ohms worth of resistors. I couldn't find a 900 ohm resistor so I used a 560 and 330 in series. These parts came to about $6.00 at 'the shack."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h5pMlf6Pp4c/T8b4oWbD_ZI/AAAAAAAABxs/_kys4eaudeM/s1600/IMG_0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h5pMlf6Pp4c/T8b4oWbD_ZI/AAAAAAAABxs/_kys4eaudeM/s640/IMG_0006.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parts needed -J1772 Inlet, diode and resistor(s)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Step3 remove old inlet and test fit the new</b> I pulled out the old inlet and disconnected the wiring from it. Then I dropped in the new J1772 unit in it's place. The screw holes for the old inlet didn't match the J1772, but to my surprise, the holes for the original Miata gas filler neck did! This made the swap real easy. If you aren't this lucky, you'll need to drill the mounting holes for your new inlet.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Step 4 Soldering the power pins </b>Disassemble your inlet and figure out where the wiring needs to be placed for proper assembly. Mine had a pin retainer that needed to be over the wires before the pins were soldered on. I added a short wire to the ground so that I could easily connect the resistors and diode later. The power pins took a lot of heat to get up to temperature - more than my soldering gun would put out. I ended up using a butane plumbers torch at a low setting to warm up the pins. I tinned both the wire and the pin and then mated them together one at a time. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Step 5 solder the pilot pin connection </b>The pilot pin is the small one on the lower left. The one on the right is the proximity pin, which I understand isn't used. Connect your resistor(s) in series (end to end) with the diode. The stripe on the diode should go toward the ground wire. Solder one end of the component is soldered to the pin and the other end to the ground wire we put in earlier. It doesn't matter which order the parts go in as long as the diode is properly oriented. Once you solder it, shrink tube it or tape it up and insert the pin in place. </span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></b><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Step 6 Install the inlet assembly</b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Time to put the whole thing back together. Make sure the wires don't bind and a properly held in place by strain relief nut on the back.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FdYVtNrWN3E/T8cQ7CAxZnI/AAAAAAAAByM/r6JSCCeQOYk/s1600/IMG00060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FdYVtNrWN3E/T8cQ7CAxZnI/AAAAAAAAByM/r6JSCCeQOYk/s640/IMG00060.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inlet installed - I later rotated it 90 degrees to allow the cord in my garage to connect easier</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zIX68H-G4CU/T8cMRUAlkpI/AAAAAAAABx4/iVthTq7Jc9o/s1600/IMG_0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zIX68H-G4CU/T8cMRUAlkpI/AAAAAAAABx4/iVthTq7Jc9o/s640/IMG_0005.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inlet with cover and strain relief installed from inside the turnk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Step 7 test it out </b>Drive out to your local charging station and plug in. Mine was at a <a href="http://www.walgreens.com/topic/sr/sr_electric_vehicle_charging_stations.jsp">Walgreens </a>Drug store. Though the lot was full, the EV spot was empty, so I pulled in, plugged in and waved my little ChargePoint card in front of the charger. I heard a click and then the sound of the charger in my car starting up - sweet.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SoTZu3d-LgM/T8b4eaf7xII/AAAAAAAABxk/y5D2FlfgDfs/s1600/IMG_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SoTZu3d-LgM/T8b4eaf7xII/AAAAAAAABxk/y5D2FlfgDfs/s640/IMG_0010.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Free parking and a free charge - Life Is Good!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-35085558033363714772012-02-07T23:17:00.000-08:002012-02-07T23:17:55.769-08:00dead batteryWell, haven't had much to post about in quite a while. Generally I come home, plug the car in and in the morning I unplug it and drive it to work. Simple as that.<br />
<br />
Tonight it wasn't so simple...<br />
It was a misty morning so I drove to work with my driving lights on - not the headlights, just the driving lights - it wasn't dark, or rainy just a little misty. So I park in the lot in plenty of time for my 9:00 meeting and at when I return to my car at 6:00 - nothin'. No dash lights, no familiar thump of the contactor, just nothin'. At first I wasn't sure what had happened, then I noticed that the light control was still on - the battery was dead. Without the 12v battery, the contactor won't close, the controller won't get operating voltage, nothing will work.<br />
<br />
Now I sat for a minute and remembered something... When I first built the car I had the DC/DC converter connected directly to the pack, but it was constantly charging the battery and draining the pack, so I put in a relay so that the DC/DC converter was only active when the key was on. Now there was a small mechanical switch on the side of the relay that allowed you to activate it manually, I knew if I could get the relay to close, the DC/DC converter would provide the 12v needed to get the car to work.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vQTyAYZWcjc/Tu01zLu91xI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/hhLmcwFtcX0/s1600/HVE+updated-cropped.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vQTyAYZWcjc/Tu01zLu91xI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/hhLmcwFtcX0/s320/HVE+updated-cropped.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I popped the hood and unscrewed the cover of the High Voltage Enclosure to access the relay, With a flash light I checked either side for the switch - there it was on the driver side - just below 2 high voltage leads. I turned the ignition key on then dug a pen out of my laptop bag thinking it would safely flip the switch, but it wouldn't reach it. I thought about it for a minute, but I knew I had to use my finger to do this. I put my left hand behind my back (an old trick I learned from a TV repairman - you don't want to touch ground with your left hand when you get a jolt on your right and have the shock pass through your heart...) and with my right index finger reached between the wires and pushed the little plastic tab in. It made a satisfying clack as the relay closed and the 12v from the DC/DC converter kept it that way.<br />
<br />
I closed the hood and got behind the wheel. Everything looked normal now., As I turned the key into the start position I heard that familiar thump of the contactor and we were mobile.<br />
<br />
It was dark and with the headlights on I knew eventually the 12v would drop pretty low and the controller wouldn't like it - maybe enough to stall out - so I took the streets home. Sure enough, about a mile from my door the "Check Engine" light came on solid but she continued to drive fine. I got her home and safely into the garage.<br />
<br />
I can't think of another car that will start with a completely dead battery. I've compression started a lot of cars, but never with the battery completely dead. Even the old crank-start cars needed a battery for ignition, right? These electric cars are somethin' aint they?<br />
<br />pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-57405277172707902782011-09-05T09:56:00.000-07:002011-09-05T09:56:00.229-07:00Cool electric car decalsBeen looking for some good EV stickers for my electric Miata, but all the stickers I found were from the 90's and quite dull.<br />
<br />
One winter I came across some cool lightning bolt graphics at a ski shop. Comes out they were from Electric Sunglasses. A little research and I found some stickers that clearly said "electric", were cool and didn't break the bank.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XPUkUej_t-c/Tl8SE0GGOkI/AAAAAAAAAo4/21W8P9E8Z4M/s1600/DSC01422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3q9FMtrbspXSVXdcLCXKTfb441_Hut8qRPtWdsj57onnA-jK3DwyxIEYZq7j8ts1J5jkbjFgUICMqUUtJ-xNCzBV7GHaBQeGZ-YlmqD8Yhyphenhyphen8NUSqIEpcv5NHqUwXTGdyHSXYrNa5lPet0/s1600/DSC01421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3q9FMtrbspXSVXdcLCXKTfb441_Hut8qRPtWdsj57onnA-jK3DwyxIEYZq7j8ts1J5jkbjFgUICMqUUtJ-xNCzBV7GHaBQeGZ-YlmqD8Yhyphenhyphen8NUSqIEpcv5NHqUwXTGdyHSXYrNa5lPet0/s320/DSC01421.JPG" width="320" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XPUkUej_t-c/Tl8SE0GGOkI/AAAAAAAAAo4/21W8P9E8Z4M/s1600/DSC01422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XPUkUej_t-c/Tl8SE0GGOkI/AAAAAAAAAo4/21W8P9E8Z4M/s1600/DSC01422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XPUkUej_t-c/Tl8SE0GGOkI/AAAAAAAAAo4/21W8P9E8Z4M/s320/DSC01422.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
If you want to get some for yourself, just send me a comment and I'll pass along the URL.pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-40217975360881686852011-09-03T09:40:00.000-07:002011-09-03T09:40:00.551-07:00Miata "hood" alignmentI see a lot of Miata's with hood problems - or at least that's how they look. You know the ones, where the hood sticks up higher than the pop up headlights. I always wondered how the hood got that far out of alignment, but that's not what's rong at all.<br />
After doing a lot of under hood work I found my car exhibited the same hood issue. But I wuickly found out that it wasn't the hood at all, just the headlight covers...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ii0GJy0MHmI/Tl8NmlfskjI/AAAAAAAAAoo/xS2V3DkFgak/s1600/DSC01423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ii0GJy0MHmI/Tl8NmlfskjI/AAAAAAAAAoo/xS2V3DkFgak/s320/DSC01423.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> There isn't any bracing in the back of the Miata headlight covers. Any pressure will cause them to bend down creating what looks like a hood alignment problem. Luckily, the fix is really simple...<br />
<br />
Prop open the hood, grab a rag and "love up" the underside of the headlight covers. Apply a little upward pressure as you rub across the width of the cover. Don't pull hard, just gently pressure is all it needs. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ffbqq5HUeSY/Tl8N9Lp8QhI/AAAAAAAAAos/eSw3049P5zI/s1600/DSC01424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ffbqq5HUeSY/Tl8N9Lp8QhI/AAAAAAAAAos/eSw3049P5zI/s320/DSC01424.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> In no time your headlight covers will be back where they belong and your hood will fit like new.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qVT9ibRrfWg/Tl8ORnVfhGI/AAAAAAAAAow/jCHJmXtzlP8/s1600/DSC01426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qVT9ibRrfWg/Tl8ORnVfhGI/AAAAAAAAAow/jCHJmXtzlP8/s320/DSC01426.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-22931245513463386222011-08-31T21:40:00.000-07:002011-08-31T21:40:47.838-07:00$8 Fix for a faded Miata bumperIf you have an early Miata with original paint, chances are the front bumper has faded. You have probably read about different polishes or treatments that should work, but none worked on my car. Here's how the nose used to look - tired and faded...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N16DakWWSik/Tl8KF0YIdYI/AAAAAAAAAoc/6BB5tek3ro8/s1600/DSC01395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N16DakWWSik/Tl8KF0YIdYI/AAAAAAAAAoc/6BB5tek3ro8/s320/DSC01395.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Then I got the idea that what was really wrong was that the clear coat was gone. I tried a little cear touch up paint to test the ides, and it worked! I went to the local auto parts store and bought a can of Duplicolor clear for $8. I masked off the metal work, so that only the rubber bumper was exposed and laid down 3 coats of clear before the can gave out.<br />
Here is the result:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5G7ibE-YAck/Tl8KkvclElI/AAAAAAAAAog/FeqRkrDp0KU/s1600/DSC01397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5G7ibE-YAck/Tl8KkvclElI/AAAAAAAAAog/FeqRkrDp0KU/s320/DSC01397.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After a couple of days, I rubbed it in with some polishing compound to bring out the shine and there you have it. No need for an expensive paint job and no more embarrassing faded nose - and for only $8!</div><br />
pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-37142168777580632892011-03-27T13:09:00.000-07:002011-03-27T13:09:56.312-07:00Miata can't shift into reverse?About a year ago, I was driving my '92 Miata and I couldn't find reverse gear. I made a couple of simple fixes and, so far, I haven't had any trouble with reverse since.<br />
<br />
<b>Here's a tip or two if you find you can't get your Miata into reverse:</b><br />
<br />
If you have trouble shifting into reverse with the clutch fully engaged, try giving the car a little throttle while you release the clutch AND pull the shifter into reverse. You may feel the gears start to grind a bit, but it will often slip into gear.<br />
<br />
If that doesn't work, you can replace the reverse light switch and replace your transmission fluid with synthetic. I'm not sure which of these made the biggest impact since I did them the same day, but neither of them are expensive or hard to do. <br />
<ul><li><b>Replace the reverse light switch</b> Reverse lights are often a trouble spot for NA Miata's. Either the switch fails or the connectors to the switch work their way loose. The reverse switch can also become stuck which may prevent you from shifting into reverse. This may have been the problem with my car, since the shaft was hard to depress and felt like it was worn into place. It's really not too difficult to replace the switch itself, though make sure you reinstall your old washer. Without it the switch will protrude into the transmission a little too far making matters worse!. Replacing the switch isn't hard, but connecting the switch it IS. The wiring is on top of the transmission (!) making it quite a chore to connect. Luckily, they aren't polarized, so either wire on the harness can go to either wire on the switch - but that's small consolation.<br />
Check out the red wires on the left side of the transmission in this picture from Hakuna Miata. They head up and over the transmission to the right side where they are connected to the harness. Fun eh? As an added safety measure, I would recommend taping these connectors with some duct tape after they're connected. You don't want to do this again...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.miata.net/hakuna/0035/0032.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.miata.net/hakuna/0035/0032.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></li>
<li><b>Replace your transmission fluid with synthetic. </b>Synthetic oil is much slipperier then the run of the mill stuff, which makes the transmission easier to shift and could improve your mileage as well. You'll want to refill the transmission with the car level so that you can get an accurate read on how much synthetic is in the gear box. Jack up both ends of your car and make sure you have enough room to work. You can get synthetic at most car parts stores for under $10, and while you are there you may need to pick up a couple of other things <br />
- My filter plug used a square drive - which was not in my toolbox - so add that to your shopping list if you don't have one. <br />
- Spray solvent. My filler plug would not come out for anything and the usual WD-40 did nothing. Comes out the last person to open it (or maybe it was the factory?) gooped it up with a lot of thread lock. A little spray solvent did the trick. <br />
- A fluid pump. You'll need a pump to get the fluid in the transmission, since the filler is too close to the tunnel for the bottle to fit. <br />
- The Synthetic transmission oil. The manual says 2.1 quarts are needed, but I used a little less than 2 and spilled a bit as well. </li>
</ul>After I made these simple changes, shifting was noticeably improved. And in the past year, I never had a problem shifting into reverse again. Hope it works for you.pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-25990721470314542902010-08-26T19:05:00.000-07:002010-08-30T19:31:16.251-07:00Blame the potholesBefore you read the following post, you should know that I drive this car daily.<br />
It may seem that this blog recently is nothing more than a list of problems, but when the car works (which it does 99.9% of the time) there is nothing of any interest to post - "disconnected charge cable, backed out of garage, drove to work, drive home from work, connect charger cable..." <br />
<br />
Yesterday I had a little trouble getting to work. Along the way my controller appeared to shut down - the Charge light went out and the Check Engine light went on plus, I had no power. I coasted to a stop and restarted the car. Everything worked fine. I took the streets to work in case it decided to fail on me again and once I parked at work, I hooked up my laptop to my Zilla to read the error codes. There were 3 of them - the 12v supply was too low, the contactor opened unexpectedly, the motor RPM was too high. Sounded pretty serious, but I remembered a similar set of errors when my 12v SLI battery failed and<i> I had</i> left the door ajar one night, leaving the interior lights lit for 14 hours... I decided the SLI battery was to blame and after work, took the streets home without incident. Once back home, I hooked up my 12v charger to my SLI battery. It showed it was at 100% - but I ran it through a charging cycle anyway.<br />
<br />
Next day, I drive to work without incident. Ont the way home, however, it stalled, First on the freeway (i was able to coast down the next exit where I was able to restart it), then at a left turn (sorry to the people behind me) then at a traffic light (more sorries to those behind me).<br />
<br />
I figured it must be a loose 12v wire. Saturday I popped the hood and poked around for a loose wire. Everything looked fine...until I noticed the ground connection under the relay box was loose. I tightened it up and took her for a test drive - all good. A simple fix to what sounded like a serious problem.<br />
<br />
The potholes must have rattled it loose.pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-89393090444528083632010-03-30T20:22:00.000-07:002010-03-30T20:22:44.385-07:00Electric Toyota Miata?Over the weekend I was checking the throttle and noticed that it didn't go "full on" when the accelerator was fully depressed - it only made it 90% of the way. This meant I wasn't getting 100% of the power even with the pedal to the metal...<br />
<br />
I reworked the cable connection to the throttle using a cable stop from Kragen and moved it to a lower hole on the actuator arm. This made the car much more responsive - less cable travel to get the same amount (or more!) speed.<br />
<br />
Monday's commute was a little more fun than normal. First it was more responsive, so I was passing cars, making abrupt lane changes and generally enjoying the ride.<br />
<br />
On the way home I floored it and felt the cable jerk - I released the pedal, but the car decided she was a Toyota and was at full speed - the throttle was stuck. I pulled up on the accelerator with my toe, but that did nothing, so I switched off the ignition, then put the key back to the first position (accessory) so that the wheel wouldn't lock up on me, and coasted to a stop on the shoulder.<br />
<br />
Under the hood I quickly saw that the cable stop was stuck against one of the housing screws on the potbox. I bent the arm a little toward the front of the car so that there was clearance again. Checked it once or twice, then hopped back in and waited for a break in traffic. I accelerated a <i>little </i>slower so as not to tempt fate, and drove home. After a couple more tests in the garage I was convinced that all was okay.<br />
<br />
So, I think this illustrates one of the advantages of building your own car - or at least working on it - you know what all the parts do and can quickly remedy a situation that would have stranded an average motorist.<br />
<br />
I guess that's one way to look at it...pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-70884541720737218042010-02-20T22:10:00.000-08:002010-02-26T09:50:56.795-08:00Bad SLI battery<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pA7UYDSDdLE/S4gJWO63LrI/AAAAAAAAAkc/JtxCJFjV1xE/s1600-h/base_media.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 90px; height: 90px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pA7UYDSDdLE/S4gJWO63LrI/AAAAAAAAAkc/JtxCJFjV1xE/s320/base_media.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442610427243998898" border="0" /></a>Well, on my way to work Wednesday morning the check engine light came on solid. This is the Zilla’s way of telling me that something is amiss. The can continued to drive with full power and the Zilla wasn’t overheating (according to the gauge) so I continued my drive. Once in the parking garage I plugged in my laptop and looked at the error codes. I was surprised to see a whole bunch of 'em:<br /><br />1224 - SLI battery too low and caused shutdown of controller<br />1221 - Major Overspeed Either Motor Beyond redline by X<br />1223 - SLI battery below warning threshold<br />1124 - Main Contactor Stuck On<br /><br />2 of these, the overspeed and contactor stuck on are pretty serious, but the motor wasn’t over-reved, and the contactor was not stuck on…<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;">By the way, SLI stands for Starter, Lights, Ignition since that's the role the battery plays in a gas car. In an EV, it's more of a buffer to keep the 12v system running during heavy loads.<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I cleared the errors and thought I’d take a look at it again on the way home.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">After work I drive the car out of the garage without the check engine light lit. On my way home the light came on steady again. It was raining so I was using my wipers and headlights, so then I started to think the real error was low SLI battery voltage and this low voltage was causing the Zilla problems in its logic which made it think the motor was over revving or the contactor was stuck.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;">A few blocks from my house it did stall, but I was able to get it running again and brought her home.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:10pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I tested the voltage on the SLI battery – 12.4v, not too good. I got out my 12v charger and charged it up.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The next day I drove it to work when the check engine light came on again. Once in the garage I checked the error codes and this time it was just 1223 - SLI battery below warning threshold. I left work a little earlier to avoid using the headlights, and it wasn’t raining, so the trip home was, other than the check engine light staying lit, uneventful.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Back at the house the SLI battery again showed 12.4v. I put it on the charger for a couple of hours, but when I removed the charger the voltage started to drop. In an hour it was back at 12.4v - must be a bad battery.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I checked on line and the nearest auto parts store, Kragen, doesn’t carry them. I tried Sears, and they don’t carry them either. I was thinking I was going to have to order one on line and pay a hefty shipping fee, when I found that Auto Zone did carry them and the one 20 minutes away had one in stock!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Saturday I pulled the old battery, picked up the new one and gave them the old one in return. Connected it up and thought I was all set…</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Monday on the way home the light comes on again!<span style=""> </span>Same error, 1223. I put the new battery on the charger and checked under the hood to see if my Iota was disconnected. It was wired fine, but I did find one of its fuses blown. Not sure when this would have happened (maybe when installing the new battery?), but this must be why the new battery died on me.<span style=""> Just the same, the old battery was bad because it wouldn't hold a charge.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">So, moral of the story?<br />- Low SLI battery will make your Zilla think strange thoughts<br />- Check your fuses!<br /></span></span></p>pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-46885096715304248812010-01-20T16:27:00.000-08:002010-03-09T16:34:55.775-08:00ZEV Stickers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pA7UYDSDdLE/S5bntjpthyI/AAAAAAAAAlY/wjlxGBOuKQo/s1600-h/SANY1091.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pA7UYDSDdLE/S5bntjpthyI/AAAAAAAAAlY/wjlxGBOuKQo/s320/SANY1091.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446795569201514274" border="0" /></a><br />I just got a letter from the DMV in Sacramento with 3 silver stickers. These are similar to the yellow stickers you see on hybrids in CA, but these are better - they're silver.<br />These will let me drive in a carpool lane and park in an "EV only" spot for charging.<br /><br />Earlier, the DMV denied my application because they were not aware the car was converted to electric. I sent them a response with the BARs report showing that the state representative attested to it being fully electric.<br />How could they say no...pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-87960540758538185252010-01-14T22:32:00.000-08:002010-01-14T22:43:58.027-08:00Range updateSo, I probably have a good 10 months of driving on the car and the battery pack is broken in quite well. The SOC gauge has been showing over 100% in the morning for a few months, but now it seems pegged. I was estimating the old fully charged SOC at 110% but now I'd say it's 120%. After I drive the 4.5 miles to work and she sits a few hours it shows 100% SOC. When I return home and let her sit, it now shows 70% remaining. These are highway miles too, at 60+ MPH...<br />Back in June I did a test and put 17 highway miles on a full charge. Now I could probably do 20 or 25. Maybe I should revise the range up a bit?pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-43139847852624375672010-01-14T08:51:00.000-08:002010-03-09T16:19:53.935-08:00New plate<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pA7UYDSDdLE/S5bldLBWH9I/AAAAAAAAAlM/SPoP8im5ycU/s1600-h/SANY1096.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pA7UYDSDdLE/S5bldLBWH9I/AAAAAAAAAlM/SPoP8im5ycU/s320/SANY1096.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446793088688594898" border="0" /></a><br />My wife was driving the car one afternoon and got a ticket for no front license plate. Since the car didn't come with a front plate, I needed to get a new set to clear the ticket. Sounds like a good excuse to order personalized plates... Took a few weeks, but I picked them up on Tuesday. Now I just have to get the front plate installed...pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-60876163329498051082009-12-06T18:33:00.000-08:002010-01-14T22:44:27.149-08:000-60 time revisited<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pA7UYDSDdLE/S0_UwDqAfwI/AAAAAAAAAjU/38DcclWN4uU/s1600-h/SANY0798.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pA7UYDSDdLE/S0_UwDqAfwI/AAAAAAAAAjU/38DcclWN4uU/s320/SANY0798.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426789998085046018" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">Quick update on the 0-60 time. I occasionally make a pass on my way to work and see what time I get. I still spin the wheels a bit, but I've been getting 12.8 seconds pretty consistently, so this may be the best I can do.<br />I can't help but think a real driver on a track could do better, but this will have to do for now.</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;">Still, it's faster than a Triumph Spitfire, MGB or the original Porsche 914 - </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.albeedigital.com/supercoupe/articles/0-60times.html">http://www.albeedigital.com/supercoupe/articles/0-60times.html</a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I'll continue taking an occasional pass to see if I can better 12.8.</span>pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-3530157040736326682009-10-23T17:33:00.000-07:002009-10-23T17:45:06.880-07:00Denied!I'm looking at adding an AVCON charging port to the car since the public charging locations here in SF are mostly all equipped with them. In order to use the public charging spots in parking lots, you need to have the proper silver ZEV stickers on the car. Since the car is now registered and the stickers are only $8 (plus they let you drive in the carpool lane) I figured I'd send in the form.<br />This was in September.<br /><br />A month later I get a letter from the DMV - not with my stickers, but with my uncashed check and a nice letter explaining that a 1992 Miata is a gas car and if I want to register it as Natural Gas, blah, blah, blah.<br /><br />The form wasn't very detailed - it was intended for hybrids, those Ulta Low Emission Vehicles and maybe an EV1 or RAV 4 EV - not for a conversion. I can see how they might think I was just trying to get into the car pool lane for free...<br /><br />After stewing for a couple of days I wrote them what I thought was a nice letter and included a copy of the BAR Referee certificate to prove the car is now electric.<br /><br />I was going to include some pictures, and a link to my web site, but figured that may just annoy them.<br /><br />We'll see what they say.pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-48600562284423537432009-10-20T23:06:00.000-07:002009-10-21T08:20:13.566-07:00New website is up!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pA7UYDSDdLE/St8moDAQ2uI/AAAAAAAAAgM/8N4atn68-Zs/s1600-h/EV+Miata+badge+digital-black.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 109px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pA7UYDSDdLE/St8moDAQ2uI/AAAAAAAAAgM/8N4atn68-Zs/s320/EV+Miata+badge+digital-black.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395073348056177378" border="0" /></a><br />I'm happy to say the new website is finally up! We've been working on getting the kits ready to ship, getting the new web site designed, working through a bunch of issues with PayPal then Google Checkout, but it's finally ready to go - at least close enough, and I'm tired of looking at it.<br /><br />The kits are orderable from the pricing page and we decided to have a special introductory price of $2,000 instead of the $2,500 we plan on charging. How long will the discount last? Don't know. You might want to buy one now while you can save the $500.<br /><br />I was hoping to have a shipping through a couple of carriers but this turned out to be a big hassle, so shipping is through UPS only for now.<br /><br />I no longer have a link from the site to this blog - I wanted to keep it the way it was rather than try to give it a serious business tone. I have another blog - EV Miata News - for the serious business stuff.<br /><br />If you feel like it, drop me an email to let me know what you think and especially if you find any bugs, typos or etc.pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-63861904580529878472009-10-01T10:59:00.000-07:002009-10-05T08:17:27.293-07:00The Tail<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pA7UYDSDdLE/SsoKHj3ahKI/AAAAAAAAAfY/odVhNIKmiHg/s1600-h/Tail.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pA7UYDSDdLE/SsoKHj3ahKI/AAAAAAAAAfY/odVhNIKmiHg/s320/Tail.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389131029105247394" border="0" /></a>I'm not one for a lot of stickers on my car, so I find most people don't notice that my car is electric. One afternoon I was thinking of putting something where the tailpipe was and struck upon the idea of hanging an electrical plug there.<br /><br />It's not connected to anything - in fact it's just the plug I cut off my Iota dc/dc converter connected to a vacuum hose tie wrapped to a bolt. But it does the job. It swings around as I drive pointing out that my car has no exhaust pipe and plugs in.<br />As soon as the day after I did it I started getting complements from the neighbors, so I knew it was working.<br />So this morning I was stopped at a traffic light on the way to work and happened to look in the read view mirror as the driver behind me mouthed the words "oh look, that's an electric car." Now, as a EV owner, you should seize the opportunity to show the superiority of electric drive when they present themselves - at least that's my story...<br />I was lined up at the light next to a Porsche Boxster, so when the light turned green, I punched it. The rear wheels chirped, a whiff of burning rubber and the Porsche was in the rear view mirror. Now, the Porsche driver didn't know he was racing anyone, but, for what it was worth, I think the point was made.pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-6466827960824194392009-09-23T09:34:00.000-07:002009-09-26T12:41:57.957-07:00Burning rubberI've been trying to get a 0-60 time on the car and I found that it's not as easy as it sounds.<br /><br />First you need to find a place with a 60 mph speed limit, with light traffic, that is level for about a 1/4 mile and has a wide shoulder for you to start from. I'm also looking for a place that's along my commute or nearby so that I won't have to drive out of my way to do the test.<br /><br />I found a place that is pretty close and bought a cheap stopwatch and made several attempts. Problem is, I'm better behind a wrench than behind the wheel. I shift too late, feather the accelerator too much not to mention being late with the stopwatch...<br /><br />In my latest attempts I decided to just hammer it and shift at 5000 rpm and see how we do.<br />The first time I tried it the Zilla cut out - I started moving then, no power. After I released the acceleration and step on the juice returned. No point working the stop watch on this run.<br />I found that the Zilla Stall Detect was the culprit and disabled it.<br /><br />The next morning I reset my stopwatch and drive out to the spot, pull to the shoulder, put it in second gear and wait for the traffic to clear. Once the coast is clear I hit the stopwatch and floor it. The motor revs and we start moving, but not too very fast - and then there is the smell of something burning. I back off the pedal and get to 60, but the stopwatch shows 14.4 seconds and the smell is now clearly burning rubber. I drive around the block and see about a ten foot strip of rubber leading off the shoulder and into the street.<br /><br />So, the hammer plan obviously won't work.<br />I still don't have my 0-60 time, but I do have a nice strip of rubber to show for my trouble.pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-87354130886053448682009-09-19T13:44:00.000-07:002009-09-19T14:14:19.803-07:00Visit to the scales<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pA7UYDSDdLE/SrVJk_gQ4lI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/ZeUZzf7_LhY/s1600-h/SFDump.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pA7UYDSDdLE/SrVJk_gQ4lI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/ZeUZzf7_LhY/s320/SFDump.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383289829462172242" border="0" /></a><br />Just made it back from the scales at the dump. I know, but I didn't have a truck scale nearby...<br />Anyway, after a little confusion I was able to get the guy in the booth to tell me the front total and rear weight.<br />The total weight (less the driver) comes to 2680 lbs. That's 564 lbs heavier than stock - not surprising with the amount of lead in the car.<br /><br />The front came to 1460 and the rear to 1220 lbs. This works out to 54/46 weight distribution.<br /><br />The Miata is known for it's "near perfect 50/50" weight distribution, but after a little research I found it was either 49/51 or 48/52 depending on the source. The designers of the Miata planned to even out the weight to 50/50 once the driver got in the cockpit.<br /><br />I was out of the car when I did the weights, but given the extra total weight, I wouldn't expect my weight to influence the distribution by more than a point which would possibly make my car 55/45.pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-43400482346777239632009-09-13T20:51:00.000-07:002009-09-14T21:02:06.223-07:00Charge Timer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pA7UYDSDdLE/Sq8Pb3xdXFI/AAAAAAAAAfI/zHmlfa4iyxY/s1600-h/SANY0431.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pA7UYDSDdLE/Sq8Pb3xdXFI/AAAAAAAAAfI/zHmlfa4iyxY/s320/SANY0431.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381537051233311826" border="0" /></a>Since I'm now on a time of day meter, I need to take advantage of the lower rates after midnight by using a timer.<br />If I was using 110 vac I could have used a $3.00 timer - actually, probably not, but a cheaper one, just the same...<br />I use 220 vac so I needed to use a high end timer designed to control an electric water heater - $41 at Home Depot.<br />The instructions were pretty clear and wiring it up was pretty simple.<br />Now I'm charging at $.05 a KWH.pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-50515461778474768802009-09-12T09:46:00.000-07:002009-09-14T20:45:02.156-07:00Shock Absorbing Stud Mounts<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pA7UYDSDdLE/Sq8Mr9Mqh5I/AAAAAAAAAek/OVorvQXaCoU/s1600-h/SANY0428.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pA7UYDSDdLE/Sq8Mr9Mqh5I/AAAAAAAAAek/OVorvQXaCoU/s320/SANY0428.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381534029032621970" border="0" /></a>I have a bunch of speed bumps in the parking garage at work. Even though I try to ease over them, sometimes I hit them pretty hard. I started wondering what this was doing to my electronics - like my Zivan charger and Zilla controller. . .<br />I ordered some rubber mounts for my vacuum pump and thought I'd order 8 of them to use on my Zivan and Zilla. They are a little tricky to install - the rubber tries to twist rather as you tighten the nuts. If you put pressure on them, the rubber compresses and won't twist allowing the nuts to tighten up nicely.<br /><br />Now both my Zivan and Zilla have a little give and I won't be worried about hitting those speed bumps a bit to hard.pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-85245141814907632392009-09-11T00:17:00.000-07:002009-09-14T20:47:08.474-07:00Discount Power<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pA7UYDSDdLE/Sq8N_uCAzKI/AAAAAAAAAes/-mNrncor3bc/s1600-h/SANY0427.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pA7UYDSDdLE/Sq8N_uCAzKI/AAAAAAAAAes/-mNrncor3bc/s320/SANY0427.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381535468070423714" border="0" /></a><br />Power companies have excess power in the early morning hours. There generators are running, but since everyone is asleep, most of the power isn't used. Hence, this is the best time from the power company's perspective, to charge EVs - no need for additional power plants and extra revenue for the power companies. To encourage us to use this late night charging, many power companies have time of day metering where the late night power is significantly cheaper.<br /><br />The local power company, PG & E has a special rate schedule for "experimental electric vehicles" called E-9. Applying for E-9 is tricky - you can find the <a href="http://search.pge.com/cs.html?url=http%3A//www.pge.com/tariffs/doc/E-9.doc&qt=e-9+schedule&col=&n=3">rate schedule</a> and a<a href="http://www.pge.com/includes/docs/pdfs/b2b/newgenerator/solarwindgenerators/standardenet/e9_rate_checklist.pdf"> form to apply</a>, but it doesn't tell you where to send the form and references a E-Net application that isn't mentioned on the web site at all. I sent them an email which gave me a contact that gave me the address.<br /><br />After reviewing the rates, we decide to have a second meter installed for the car - that way we aren't paying $.28instead of $.11 a KWH for household appliances during peak summer months.<br /><br />Okay, the form filled out I pop in in the mail and hear nothing. Friday morning a blue truck pulls up and a guy has a work order to swamp our residential meeter with a time of day unit programmed for E-9 rates. Not what we wanted, but after talking with him, we could either have him put the house on E-9 or not, he couldn't put a second meeter in. We decided we'd give it a try for a month and see how it worked.<br /><br />Now I need to put in a timer on my charger circuit so that it only kicks in after midnight...pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-48461638833954199712009-08-30T22:22:00.000-07:002009-09-02T22:43:48.404-07:00Palo Alto EV Rally<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pA7UYDSDdLE/Sp9TBotxM9I/AAAAAAAAAec/grHRGH4mZW8/s1600-h/Rally2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 280px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pA7UYDSDdLE/Sp9TBotxM9I/AAAAAAAAAec/grHRGH4mZW8/s320/Rally2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377107767678022610" border="0" /></a><br /><div>The EV Rally on Saturday August 29th was a great success. Soon after setting up the space I had a constant stream of educated, interested EV enthusiasts checking out the car. Lots of good questions comments and good words. A number of people were interested in the kit, and there were a few who were interested in a completed car rather than attempting the conversion themselves - even had one guy offer to buy the car!<br />Later in the afternoon I had Jerry Pohorsky, the<br />EAA Silicon Valley President and organizer of the event, come by and give me an award for the best classic conversion. He was very complimentary of the car and our kit.<br />The event was scheduled to end at 4:00 and by then the crowd was dwindling. I had a couple of people interested in a ride, so off we went. I knew I had an error on my Zilla because the check engine light was lit and the charge light wasn't, but the car ran fine so I decided to ignore the error. Once behind the wheel I noticed the needle on the tach was pointing straight down - as if it was pegged - hmmm. The car ran fine so off we went, spinning the tires out of the parking lot and on to El Camino Real. 2 blocks down and 2 blocks back and I noticed the blinkers weren't working, but the tach needle was pulsing when the blinkers were on - hmmmm again.<br /><br />For the next ride I had my passenger check the brake lights before getting in and took it much easier, even when we saw a 67 Mustang GT at a stop light... We got back into the lot without insident (or a ticket). I said goodbye to my passenger and started to break down my booth while trying to figure out what whent wrong with my 12v system. The first guess was a blown fuse and that the circuit fed back through the Tach causing it's problems.<br /><br />After returning home I located the blown fuse and realized I probably popped it while towing the car. I have a trailer wiring harness connected to the Miata's lights so that when I tow it to a show the tail lights and brake lights work. I must have had it wired to the tow car with the power on in both cars to blow the fuse. Once I replaced the fuse the check engine light went out, the charge light is lit and he blinkers work (yay!) the tach, however still has its needle on the wrong side of the dial. Now, when I start the car up it pegs under zero rpm. I'll have to pull the dash apart to fix it...<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4214267143101209518.post-65511943965222071602009-08-29T09:48:00.000-07:002009-08-31T21:52:17.749-07:00The Zilla is back!After what seems like forever, the Zilla controller will be back in production.<br /><a href="http://www.cafeelectricpress.com/blog/?cat=2">http://www.cafeelectricpress.com/blog/?cat=2</a><br /><br />Happy day!pmackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18388990220440343921noreply@blogger.com0