Current tweeks

Boring but necessary, started dialling in the electric controller to match the motor (100A nominal / 200A peak) and battery (350A) specification to ensure I can pull as much current out of the power source with out blowing anything up. To do this I completed 6 runs at different settings under heavy load so the…

Kelly controller default settings

After spending some time making changes to the controller settings I decided to do a factory reset to clear out some of the experimental settings and dial it in slowly. Unfortunately there is no reset button so I reached out to QS and they sent to me some screen shots of the factory settings.

New colour-way (w/video)

Testing a new some new animation features in Twin motion. Trying a new colour-way too, because I can. Always best to visualise a variety of ideas. Liking the hi-vis green and tan/cork leather.

Just xj600e renders

Been trying hard to suck at something new again… and have finally worked out the correct buttons to push to improve the quality of some of my visualisation skills on my #xj600e Have moved from UE5 to Twinmotion. Finding it amazing to work with new programs.

Design Freeze 01

Okay, I think this project has reached a design freeze. Or at least a freeze until all is printed out and it has passed the DVLA MSVA (Motorcycle Single Vehicle Approval). The last task was to cover cables that route from the lower battery box to the controller at the top of the frame with…

Panel dry-fit

K — Think I’m getting close now. Still needs electronic mods but this is the first time i have been able to see the whole bikes form. To be honest I have seen in in VR and on screen a million times but it was good to see it in the flesh. Noticed that I…

Lower front covers

Think I have finally finished a mock set of the covers with the last assembly for the lower front of the motorcycle. Excluding the cable collar the the set has 5 pieces. There are some minor modifications to the front duct set that feeds the charger with fresh air to displace heat build-up. This is…

… more colour

Watched the Creator over the weekend. Was inspired by the colour ways of the AI robots. I mocked up a section of the bike with florescent paint. similar to the one used in the cable collar. Think I will get some orange tape to try different graphics on different parts of the bike to see…

… colours?

I think my obsession with detail and fiddly bits is getting out of control. Out of all the bits printed for my electric motorcycle so far, this is my favourite design & part. Just a plain old cable collar (about 150mm in length) that holds the front and rear panels together, keeps them on the…

Battery cover panels

Managed to find some time to do some B-surface CAD and knock out some more panels to test fit. I suffered some issues with the printer which was eventually fixed after I had printed most of the job. I’d used the z-hop to make the printing more reliable but this cause ringing which is why…

Put a cork in it!

I have been thinking about how I can further fulfil my sustainable ‘manifesto’ of design. I have thought about using recycling PVC tarps. Discourse with upholsters have indicated that it can be hard to work with because it is not flexible and from my personal experience I have found that it is quite hard to…

Colour break

I have been making slow progress on top panels of the xj600e. After putting together some draft surfaces I decided to try out the colour breaks on half a front panel I have proposed so far. Works very well to make the top set look less long and imposing. I think this is defo the…

B-Surfacing

#Garagelife – I have an all new respect for modellers that do B-Surface work. I have to admit that I have learnt so much about surfacing plastics working on the draft panels of my xj600e case study build in Alias. No draft angles because it is about low volume rapid production but working to tolerances when…

330mm shock test length

As mentioned in the last post, I decided to try a TW125 shock to test the length. No bottoming out, I had a jolly good bounce on it, felt like a child again. No clearance issues around the swingarm or linkages. The stance has changed, greater incline on the frame, more rear wheel clearance on…

New Geometry

Got some new geometry to lift the seat up and improve stance to remove the rear squat. 335mm mono strut from 295mm mono strut. Have had a chat with a sock absorber builder and they think all is good but I need to check the compression length. To check I have got my hands on…

Voltage Aesthetic

Engine & Tank vs’ Battery/Controller & Motor For a while I have been okay with the controller cover. However lazy I am, I feel the need to try something different because it is starting to look just like a ICE bike with a fuel tank. I’m sure this is inoffensive but some exploration can’t hurt….

300mm limit?

Have just printed the first 300mm part. The mid top panel of the controller cover hit the supposed limit. However, the Ender 3 Max performed admirably. In fact looking at the gantry after completion, the printer could complete larger with ease. To speak of the fit… Excellent. Once the parts were pinned together on the…

Light visor

Taking a rest from the seat I decided to have a look at another part of the bike. I have been searching for an option for the lighting. I have taken a couple of bench marks and have even bought some items to make some physical comparisons. One design direction that I have been attracted…

Seat mock-up for upholstery v2

Have had a rethink about the seat. Needed to check it with rads… because I really want to find an upholsterer that can get clear rads as close to the 5mm used on the CAD model. I also placed the central line in the model to check that. Actually does a lot to reduce the…

Seat mock-up for upholstery

Originally I was going to make a foam mock-up of the seat as in CAD. However, I thought it would be a bit more accurate as an RP mock-up that matched the CAD model as a hard reference for the upholsterers foam. There was a strange 30mm correction to make. Which leads me to think…

Benchmark: Headlights & Flyscreens

Headlights Flyscreens

Wheel covers (v2 angled) installed

Over the Christmas hols I managed to print out the angled v2 wheel covers. spent a bit of time prepping the surfaces so they match the wheel. Think the look okay. I have a couple of fitment issues but nothing that effects the performance, just tweaks. Oh well, on to the next thing! Maybe try…

Wheel covers (v2 angled)

The first version (v1) of the wheel covers had flat side. The geometry was adequate on v1. However the original design visualised an angled conical cover, so amendments need to me made to v1. On v2 print time has increased from 2hrs to 6hrs. But maybe some volume reductions in the void created by the…

Wheel covers (v1 flat)

Have spend a bit of time practicing the split part thing on the wheel covers. The first version is flat but I’ll aim to angle the surfaces on future designs so that they match the angle of the bevel on the hub motor. On the QS hub motor 35mm M4 screws are perfect to attach…

Back-top panel fitment

The print of the first part went surprisingly well. Fitment was good on the frame to my relief. I had to make pre-planned cuts to the controller cover. Plus, I needed to make changes to the seat pan to pull the surface that interacts with the panels back to give some clearance for the upholstery…

1st split panel

Back to the print… First split panel has been detailed with preliminary locator & fixing points. Yes, I need to get a load more completed. But, so chuffed to get the first one out of CAD and into the 3D printer. After looking at the model and the new part I think the only additional…

Control panel v2 installed

Long time no post. Have recently replaced the brake cables, one was too short and was twisted, think it effected brakes. Also managed to change the handlebars to the white set pictured in renderings. I have installed the v2 control panel that will accommodate the covering covers for the bike and now holds the contactor….

Switch panel v2 & cover

Have finally printed out a solid version of the switch panel and cover. Looks okay for a first bash but would like to make some amendments to some parts to increase the quality. All new part fi together perfectly. Need to find a rubber strip about 1-2mm thick to place in the channel where the…

Security

I have decided to take some measures to give the bike a small level of security by locking up the activation switches. I have designed a cam lock into the switch cover. Quite simple really and there is enough purchase at the back of the new switch panel to hold the lever securely. Ultimately this…

Details…

I think I finally feel happy with the main surfaces of the covers. However, there is a fair distance to travel still until it is ready to print unfortunately. Parts still need to be designed for functions such as airflow, movability, and fixing. First task of late has been airflow. The old design had heat…

Surface update

Have worked on some surface updates that include a load of details that aren’t so visible but are needed to make printable parts that fit to the frame securely. The surfaces are still WIP so still a shed load to finish. Main area to date have been the formation of : – The new blistered…

Control Panel v2

The first switch panel was great as a mule to test the system but it didn’t match the upper panels so it’s time to make a new design that works better with the upper panels. Once I have finished this i need to make a flip-up cover to give access to the panel and make…

New 48v contactor

I have decided to consider using a new 48v contactor. The current coil in the contactor is rate 12-36v… so it is being stressed because the Kelly Controller asks that the contactor be connected through the 48v battery. So to amend this moving forward I have a more appropriate 48v connector that will take 200amps….

CT22 Brackets

Managed to source a cheap laser cutter so I thought I’d test them out with some simple stuff. I have been wanting to increase the height of the CT22 for a while to make cable management easier, so this seemed like e perfect opportunity to put together some new line work that increase the height…

Bluetooth Kelly configurator

Got a Bluetooth (BT) dongle from SIAECOSYS in China. I have had issues connecting to the controller via PC COM/USB. It doesn’t always work, I have to repeatedly try until the controller and PC ‘gave-in’ (I’m sure it’s more complicated than that). However I have never had such issues with my ANT BMS which is…

Seat Pan

Have been working on the Seat pan. Originally I was going to RP the pan, but after a bit of experimentation I decided that it wasn’t strong enough to take a serious amount of abuse from my buttocks. Instead I cut and shaped come 2mm aluminium then redesigned the holder to fix onto the plate….

WIP lights

Finally got lights connected to the handlebar switches… after having to acquire an homologated headlight. Still a query on the rear amber lights might need to move them further back. TBH, I mainly made this post because I like making GIFs

All of the lights

Been working on the lights. I have finally connected the two brake lights together to work when both/either of the levels are pulled. Nice and bight too. I will use the top light as a position light during dipped illumination and both for braking, as seen in the GIF above. I’m happy with the result…

Regen RLS_TPS Brk%

Have managed to get the Regen brake up and working. I have yet to plug the Regen into the lever to assist braking (and recover energy) instead of recovering when the throttle is off. But this is a start Until I get the Rear Brake lever/light/controller set-up. Test data below indicates all is working well…

Headlight set-up

Looking at the spec to set-up the headlamp. It is complex. I have recently heard of Motorcyclists failing the MSVA test on the dipped headlight so it is important to get this one in the bag. Some guidance from the DVLA government website is below, and Delboy a popular motorcycle enthusiast simplifies the process in…

CT-22 display on XJ600e

CT-22 display is working… Great. There are still issues with the battery indicator. I fear that this might be due to the negative running though the BMS not directly to the battery. will eventually get this sorted out, and if that doesn’t work crying for five minutes before further diagnostics will be my a viable…

Not pretty, but she’s a running

So, the basic powertrain of the battery, BMS, controller and the motor have been completed, or as much as they can be for now, and….. xj600e is alive and running under at full power of 100ah (charge socket works too). I am happy to see it finally work TBH. I had a couple of issues…

Insulation

Feeling paranoid that I am placing batteries in metal cases I have decided to insulate the inside of all the metal boxes. Even though the voltage cable connection points are covered with rubber boots and no metal is exposed the inside of the controller (pictured) has been coated with heat resistant high temperature polyimide tape…

Power cable–ing

Spent some time power cable–ing. I have managed to route the 12v, hall sensor cables, and power cables after making a new gland bracket to hold the V/W/U motor cables. Need to do some tests before firing it up. The last test used 48v on the connector. It should use 12v, technically, so I will…

Wiring (interim)

Have finally started the wiring and installation. Realistically I need to make sure all is working in situe before going for a final installation and metalwork treatment. Progress is slow due to time restraints, but happening. My main concern is ensuring I make the correct connections first time to avoid damage to components and to…

1st charge

Uprated the cables to 35mm2 to start testing the battery. In this first charge I pushed the state of charge (SOC) from 25% to 50%, took about 1hrs 13mins. Indicates that a full charge may be just under 5hrs. Also using this 25% charge suggests a 100AH full capacity. In general, happy charging is working….

BMS Installation

Have finally got around to firing up the BMS. After a couple of cell step voltage checks (that were surprisingly close; 0.016 cell diff). I was eager to look out for mis-wiring and errors but luckily found none. Awesome. Turned on the ANT BMS which seems to have been tricky in past versions of the…

Top panel breaks

I have started to think about how to supports and breaks on the top panels in 300mm chunks. Although I’m still at very early days I thought it will be sensible to make the controller cover made from aluminium the main structural component of this assembly. The top, side, front and rear replacement panel pinning…

282 LEDs

After experimenting with a regular domestic light to check out the effect of back lighting the translucent red filament I managed to get my hands on some 12v LED strips to see what they look like. I worried that the light might either be too bright or dull, but this was not an issue. The…

Bit more rear red?

Have been experimenting with translucent materials and thinking of 101 ways to drain the battery while I wait for parts to arrive. Decided to have a go at an ambient/stop night time light. As the only colour I believe I should use on the vehicle at night are front: clear/amber and rear: red/amber I thought…

Cover redesign

3 issues that seem important at the moment: Access to the control panel – Currently thinking of a hatch over the control panel that hinges from the front (pivot point arrowed in red). Potentially this could be locked. Air flow to the bottom of the controller – Marked in green thinking that it would be…

Switch panel

Need to start mounting some of the components that are just hanging around at the moment. I have put something together in CAD quickly and spent a bit of time with the printer. Have tried a new material rPETG that has a substantially higher temperature and water resistance and has excellent ductile strength making it…

ANT BMS configuration

Plans for BMS installation below. B-, B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B7, B8, B9, B10, B11, B12, B+   12+2=14 wire ANT documentation was complete or easy to find but found a manual that seems consitant and aligns with a previous post on nissan leaf and wiring here. Below a quick reminder why a Battery…

Contactor

1Kohm/10W resistor that straddles the main contact to pre-charge and protect the controller on voltage in-rush is needed on this contactor, without this the contactor poles would spark & arc. A 200V/3A diode is also needed across the coil to suppress the high voltage spike that will happen when disconnecting the power. Both these components…

Battery BMS stuff

I have quickly realised that the triumph of 1st wheel motion is momentary. Next on the list of things to complete is the battery BMS so I can charge the battery. I have no mains power supply so this is important to do quiickley so I can keep the wheel spinning. The Nissan leaf busbar…

Tuning #1

Have spent the evening calibrating the 8kw QS V3 motor. Out of the box the motor was a but rough because the controller and the motor are not from the same supplier this is normal apparently. Watching the hub motor robotically rotate with beeps and jerks as it Identifies the angles of motor using the…

1st motion

Finally got the QS hub motor moving with temporary wiring. I encountered a couple of issues here and there but luckily I managed to reach out to a Mr. Powell in the US that has a leaf cell / Kelly controller set-up that is similar to my own and hey presto, the hub finally lives….

Wiring…

Okay, time to make a start on the cable loom for XJ600e, finally. Bit of a boring post but an important one because once all is sound with the wiring then finally the panel design can start with the assurement that the packaging for the powertrain is concrete. This means less changes to the final…

r/e PLA (recycled/eco PolyLactic Acid)

To help guide the project along the lines of sustainability and ethics circular design I have been on the hunt for recycled/eco filaments. Ultimately I would like to find a reclaim company that can take my waste prototype material and offer maybe a discount towards future material, etc. This is hard to find as often…

Isolator carriage v2 printed

I know I should be used to it by now (after all I see it happens all the time in University and in the design industry) but it still amazes me that I can print designs into reality that only exist on a computer. Anyway, I managed to push out a rough print overnight to…

Isolator carriage v2

Have made some changes to v1 design of the isolator carriage. A bit more cable management and some amendments to the BMS to ensure the charge input cables are orriended correctly, etc. Need to print the design to double check it maybe get some advise of the management of the cables. Currently the high and…

Isolator carriage v1

Having had some small issues with dimensional accuracy I have finally started to get some results on the bigger prints and I am finding new uses for the printer. Originally I planned to stick the BMS, charger, and precharger components onto a thin board with 3M double sided tape to isolate it from the batteries….

300mm cuts

Have started to think about the opportunity to 3D print panels rather than metal form them. The more I think about it the more it makes sense. Plastic doesn’t conduct electricity, useful trait on an electric bike… and the production will be easier for my CAD skillset. Having had the printer for a while I…

First 3D print

After 23 hrs (I sped up the printer) the rear battery panel is complete. it fits the main case like a glove. However the top case cover needs some amendment. As the print is probably more accurate than the metal bend. I will use it to finally shape the metal cover. As for my virgin…

3D additive prototyping

To help the prototyping phase move along more fluently I have acquired a 3D printer. It was useful to use a print shop but costly. Working sheerly on cost and the fact that 3D printers are so cheap nowadays it is more economical to make plastic parts myself. I have more control concerning quick changes…

Rear battery box cover v2

I have spent an evening making some changes to the design of the original battery box to give better clearance for the cables I originally planned to through the bottom of the box because that is where the BMS used to be but now that it is better placed above the battery amendments need to…

Alu under bracket

Managed to get my hands on a sheet of 3mm 1050 Aluminium (a test of sheer will if looking for a decent price in these COVID times) so I could hack and fold the under bracket in a hard material. I haven’t used 3mm material before so I was a bit worried about folding and…

Mock under bracket

Interesting to see the growing form of the battery as a whole with the under bracket mocked up in card. All seems to be good. The contactor can be easily removed and replaced and when in position both the contactor and the DCDC convertor clearance is good. On issue is the cable routing. The high…

Underside mounts & protection

Started to think of mounting points for the lower covers and extra protection for the contactor and DC/DC convertor components under the battery case. Decided to combine them. thinking it needs to be quite strong so some folded 3mm alu will make for easy fabricate but maintain strength. The extra thickness should make the mounting…

Batteries home

After over twelve months of storage in the excellent temperature controlled facilities of C-ALPs the cells have come home. COVID19 is such a pain. Many thanks to Dr. Curnick for all his help with these cells, he balanced them and all are set to 30% SOP (State Of Power) — Perfect! Next to insulate the…

Step back and see…

Great light today, thought it word be a good opportunity to take a step back and have a look at the old bike to observe it from a distance. Being stuck in the garage I’m often working up close and never get to see how it looks from a ‘normal’ street level perspective. Social media…

Shiny lines

I have some shiny new stainless steel custom brake hoses from OHA motorsport. I know this because that is what it says on the bag — useful sticker. Fitment seems good in general. There is a bit of slack in the rear line. It was ordered with extra length because there are still questions about…

Brake lines

How long should the brake lines be? As long as a piece of string! Planning the final dimensions for the brake lines. Measurements have been taken with a cord. The factory lines at the front (1 x 310mm upper / 2 x 495mm lower) do not need to be changed. However the rear line is…

Lights behind

The 3D print is delivered, LED strip installed and bolted to the frame. Works well, slightly worried about the suspension travel now but will have to run it over some heavy ground before final seat design to see how much actual movement there is in the rear swingarm. Worst comes to worst I turn it…

Rear light holder v1

Have had to put together a holder that bolts to the inside of the seat hoop to locate the rear brake/indicator light strip quickly. Original thought was to cut the metal seat hoop and insert the LED strip inside. But for the sake of getting the electric assembly together for the pilot build I’ll 3D…

New cable spec

Having had a quick chat with electric loom specialist Chris Yip and EV guru Ian Goodman I have changed the cable spec on the bike to accommodate peak draw (max 200A) and future proof the loom it for future battery development. Originally the cable size was specified at 16mm2 , but this has been increased…

Low res scans

Have been unhappy with the exchange between 3D CAS (Computer Aided Styling) and mock fabrication for a while. Very much so to the extent that it has caused me to be overly cautious in preceding to cutting a metal pattern. A solution to that has been to scan amendments that have been made in card….

Riser turned

Spend a but of time visualising the old model further to inspect the design at a higher resolution in motion. Looks interesting. Feel that there are some odd areas that need further resolving, but the self critique is good for progress. Still batting back and forth between cafe and riser, but leaning toward riser —…

Benchmark: wheel covers Pt.1

While thinking about laser cutting wheel covers/rim fillers at a later date I bumped into an interesting post on XS650.com; a Yamaha enthusiast forum. Instead of laser cutting rim fillers they modify pizza pans. Yes, pizza pans. JRay77 goes through the steps he completed to make some convincing fillers. The whole post is here: http://www.xs650.com/threads/wheel-covers-ideas.46953

Cafe again

Not too bad in eCafe style too, by the seaside… That is all!

Top cover [front]

Filled in the gap between the forks and the top panel. A colour contrast has been made between the two areas. I would like to make several front areas that reflect different function eventually. I.E. storage, extra functions, etc. But for the moment the simple vents that will let airflow under the controller, to avoid…

Benchmark: Biggar’s e-fighter

Text from his site are as follows: In this video I build a custom electric streetfighter motorcycle. Plans for this project are available at the following link: https://www.resystech.com/electric-st… Though equivalent to most 300cc street bikes in overall power, this little monster boasts a massive 250 ft-lb of max starting torque and over 100 ft-lb of…

Alu controller box

Started to experiment with brazing. Cut the alu from the patterns developed in card. bent some stuff and started burning stuff… #fire! Didn’t turn out too bad for a first try at brazing. Had a couple of parts that I decided to bolt to the main box, so that I could disassemble and change the…

Battery case reconfig.

Started to reconfigure the components of the battery box. added DCDC convertor for 12v supply and have moved the connector behind the L-shape bracket that also holds the charger. The battery case is looking a bit worst for ware after being offered up to the frame so many times but nowt a lick of flat…

Lockdown metalwork

Starting to get back into metal fabrication again in the newly announced COVID19 lockdowns. As we’re all locked up in the house I thought I might as well get on with some aluminium work to maintain some progression. Making good use of the sheet bender to form the socket holder and the battery case cover….

Charger mounting

Have finally started to mount components to the frame again to check fit. One item that I haven’t fitted before is the charger. It needed some mods because the cable casing had fractured but it was interesting to see how it fits to the case after a mock bracket had been fabricated. Will start to…

26650s

26650s have arrived. they look like quality items. Up to 70amps, should be more than enough for the for the 30amp system. looking forward to putting these together to make my first self built battery pack — the start of many great things one hopes.

12v 30amp BMS

The 12v 30amp BMS has arrived. Despite the dimensions on the site it is still smaller than I expected, which is good. 4 x 25650 3.7v 70amp Lifepo4 batteries have been ordered so the stabilising systems power supply is nearly ready. As a reminder, this power source is needed to supply the system with a…

Fly screen

Started to look at fly screens. I mocked up a first stab in card. based on the CAS design, feel like it could do with some development though in terms of surface development. After seeing the bike naked for so long I feel that I could do with a smaller version. One that is a…

Final sub-frame laser patterns

Finally finished some lasercut patterns. A couple of changes were made. Only subtle one such as the sub-frame section that holds the type 2 socket is now separated from the main body to make assembly easier. Also, have cut side walls to be replaced by polymer sheets to save weight. Have sent to machinist, should…

Rise(r)… again

To experiment I have mounted some new riser bars that were lower than my 3-4 inch risers. I originally went back to cafe racer bars after planing to use risers because although the rise improved the seating comfort they looked too high, kinda felt like a chopper. However, after trying a couple of bikes that…

Battery BMS/charger socket/cover

After making a few mods to the battery/charge socket cover it became evident that there would be some extra space due to the re-shaping of surfaces. Great news is that there was enough to hold the rectangular BMS board so it looks that i’ll be using this one instead of the flatter square BMS. Rethinking…

Charge point & battery cover

Started to mock-up the sub-frame for the charge point and battery cover. Still enjoying the physical CAD feeling. First stab works but feel that this is an ideal opportunity to make changes to the 3D surface formation that were mentioned in a previous post. Previous fixing points seem less physically stable than originally proposed so…

Mock controller subframe v.5

A finally think i have a final part and pattern to lasercut for the controller subframe. versions 3 and 4 had minor tweeks and changes. however the latest revision is modelled to 1.5mm thickness steel. and covers the controller better while still allowing the wires to run out of the controller pics and pattern below….

Mock controller subframe v.2

Having experimented with the first version obvious flaws were identified in the design of the controller subframe. First, it was slightly dimensionally inaccurate because it was lashed together. Secondly, it was unstable where it fixed to the controller, after a certain amount of yanking around the thin side arms snapped. Obviously the real subframe would…

Mock controller subframe v.1

Have started to check the packaging of the system components on the controller subframe. I used 21650 cells for the 12v battery but plan to use 26650 A123 system cells. This will add an extra 20mm width and 5mm depth but it looks like there is enough space to fit them in. 65mm height will…

COVID garage CAD (Cardboard Aided Design)

Finally managed to get the bike all into one place back in the garage after being locked out of the NTDC due to COIVID19. Thought it would be good to check some things that can be seen in 3D models but still leave a bit of doubt with regards to the real thing. After a…

94% State of health on cells

Despite the COV19 lockdowns that have ground the UK to a halt Dr. Oliver Curnick has worked his magic to test the capacity of the Nissan Leaf cells and it turns out that I have been a lucky guy. All the cells have a rated capacity around 106Ah, 375Wh.  ‘They would’ve been 112.6Ah at beginning…

Refinement

Have started to refine the design. Have added a set of fins to cover the controller cover. Main tasks are to redevelop the battery and charging area, refine the fins profiles on the top and bottom covers so they can be laser cut, I’m really liking the fly screen so that needs further development.

Back to Cafe

Being a fickle beast i decided to consider cafe racer bars… again. As I have never visualised XJ600e with cafe racer bars in it’s last phase. I think i quite like it now. As the controller cover is now exposed I think there needs to be a further level of development to detail the front…