Sunday, November 1, 2009

Miscellany

October was a busy month on non-car activities, so not much got done. I did find some time earlier in the month to add an in-line high voltage 400A fuse (Ferraz-Shawmut A50QS400-4). It is in a link with a Cam-lok connector, and is located between the front battery boxes and the rear battery box:


Yesterday was much better, sunny after a blizzard, generally a good day to work. I spent an hour or two cleaning up tools that had been placed in haste during the month, and then got to work. I started with the battery charger mount. I installed 1/4-20 RivNuts in the rear compartment - the orange-handled tool is a RivNut tool that I got for the ElectroJeep project. Much nicer than the allen wrench tool I used before on the Porsche:


Here is the charger snug and happy in its new location. The only concern I have is that the charger gets quite warm. I will rig up an active air circulation system for the rear compartment, both for charging as well as operating (to help keep the DMOC cool).


I also test-installed the battery warmers. I decided to go with Gro-Quick soil heating cables. Since there is space between the batteries (due to them being smaller than the original batteries) I think that will be a fine place to put the warmer cable. This cannot be the final configuration, though - the documentation has fairly dire warnings about crossing the cable or allowing the cable to touch itself. So I will be routing cable channels into the plywood battery spacers to hold the warming cable.

In the meantime, here are a couple of pictures showing how the cable loops back and forth between the batteries. The rear box:


The front box:


I also cut the clear acrylic tops for the regulator boxes. This shot is a test-fit of the tightest spot. Looks like there will be plenty of clearance, even if the regulator boxes are on top of the hold-down straps (which I think they will have to be):