16) 04/09/2011 Under-Hood Wiring
We spent much of the month of March away from home, attending the American Bandmasters Assoc convention in Norfolk, VA, followed by a European tour that took us to Berlin, Prague, Munich, and Salzburg. I was honored to play English Horn in a concert at the Prague Conservatory and it was a thrilling adventure all around.
Now back to reality and the e-Bugeye project. The under-hood wiring is nearly complete. I double-jumpered all of the cell connections to increase the sustained amperage capability and installed the BMS front boards on each of the battery cells. The 24 cells are secured to the battery trays with aluminum framing at the base and aluminum channel spanning the top.
On the driver's side, the throttle pot is installed on the fender well near the controller and brake/clutch master cylinder.
Throttle detail: the cable attachment to the lever arm assembly was cannibalized from the SU carburetors original to the gas engine. The cable housing clamp was part of a choke conversion kit. The mount is merely a drilled and bent piece of aluminum strap.
On the passenger side is the DC/DC converter, auxiliary 12 volt battery, fuse box, breaker for the DC/DC converter, and ethernet port for programming the Soliton1.
The ethernet port is a standard surface mount item secured by double sided foam tape. It's clearly not weatherproof, but should be away from any direct moisture here on the back side of the fender well.
I discovered these fittings in the conduit section of Home Depot. They are a perfect fit for the 2/0 cable and conveniently mount in existing one inch holes in the firewall. They isolate the cable from the sharp edges of the sheet metal and allow the cable to pass through from behind the dashboard.
The forward battery bay fuse and emergency contactor are mounted in front of the batteries in the cable run from the most positive battery cell to the positive battery terminal on the Soliton1. The grill opening in the bonnet (Brit-speak for hood) is below the level of the battery tray, so all of these connections should be protected from direct spray. I may build a plastic enclosure just to be sure.
Next step is to connect and secure six battery packs in the boot, add four more behind these and two under the floor where the gas tank originally was. Add the charger and BMS essentials, and we're nearing completion.