EcoRenovator

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-   -   EcoRider - riding lawn mower electric conversion (https://ecorenovator.org/forum/showthread.php?t=161)

pinballlooking 07-14-17 01:27 PM

Good deal.
I look forward to it mowing again as I am sure your neighbors feel the same way. :)

Daox 07-26-17 11:57 AM

2 Attachment(s)
Last night I got the motor fully reassembled. It took a good chunk of time. Unfortunately, the acid got into the brushes and brush holders. Thus the brushes were seized in placed by corrosion. I tried pushing them out, hammering them out, lubricating them. Then I started digging and found the tiniest cutest little gear puller. It did a wonderful job of being able to essentially press them out.

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...1&d=1501088176



To clean it up, I have some Deka battery acid cleaner stuff. It neutralizes the acid and then you can clean it up easier. It sprays on yellow and turns red if it hits acid. Super handy stuff for this job. I sprayed down the brush holder really well, let it sit, then rinsed it off with water. I did this again to make sure there was no more red. I then had to go in ever brush holder with a fine file and clean it all up so the new brushes would go in smooth.

After that, it was standard assembly. I got everything back together and hooked up the motor to an old computer power supply to run on 5 volts for the next day or so to seat the brushes. Here is the simple setup.

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...1&d=1501088176

pinballlooking 07-26-17 12:09 PM

That acid sure caused a bunch of work/time spent on it.

Daox 07-26-17 01:18 PM

That is for sure! I will be figuring out some sort of diverter / guard plate that protects the motor from EVER getting acid in it again.

randen 07-27-17 07:42 AM

Daox

If I may humbly suggest maybe the time to start thinking of a lithium battery swap. Either a CALB cell or maybe a Chevy volt take out. The lithium batteries are amazing. Very light and high energy density, you may be able to cut your grass twice before needing a charge. NO acid problems here and they will last you a LONG time (with a proper charge)

Randen

Daox 07-27-17 10:06 AM

I would absolutely love to go to lithium batteries. Unfortunately, its just not a possibility with the time I have available right now. Too many other projects. :)

randen 07-28-17 06:53 AM

Daox

I fully understand. It's the problem with the DIY guy, soon your up to your neck with things to do. I have my truck in the shop trying to get the air-conditioning operational. The solar pergola needs the inverter and charge controller installed. And an homebuilt airplane needs to get to the paint shop. Also a little thing---work.

I'm sure you have lithium powered tools- Can you imagine what the lawnmower would be like.

Randen

jeff5may 07-29-17 08:33 AM

Use laptop batteries (18650), that's what Tesla is using in the model S battery banks. The more laptop batteries we (as consumers) purchase, the faster prices will fall. Economics of scale type of thing. Since the maturity of the convergence product (cell phone/tv/tablet/internet/etc devices) market and the shift of the EV market to lithium battery technology, prices have taken a nosedive.

These lithium cells are now somewhere between the price per KWH of the NiMH and the NiCd cells. Ten years ago, they were much, much more expensive. If you get the "normal" drain type cells made for flashlights (around 15 Amp max discharge rate) and not the "high" drain type (20 Amp or more max) made for power tools or vapor cigarette boxes, they can be had for a dollar or less per cell. Tesla claims they are below $200 per KWH on their battery assemblies now, and Elon and his crew are beating prices down with a big friggin hammer as we speak. The new goal is below $100 per KWH. Tesla/Solar City has teamed up with Panasonic to try to achieve this as fast as possible.

Lead acid may not always be cheaper per KWH. A typical passenger car or deep-cycle boat battery stores around 1 KWH. Go look around at prices. There are companies already manufacturing and marketing Li-ion deep cycle batteries for around twice to three times the price of standard lead acid deep cycle batteries. Compared to the glass mat (optima) batteries, the lithium products are not that much more expensive.

jeff5may 08-29-17 08:16 AM

EDIT: **This post was in reply to a post that has since been deleted. DOH.**

Laptop batteries are a suggestion, the answers are many. The original design employs lead acid batteries and does its job well. The OP is considering upgrading the battery bank along with the motor rebuild. I am suggesting lithium cell chemistry as a viable option.

Due the wide usage of the 18650 cells in all kinds of consumer electronic equipment, and now adopted by Tesla, the cells and their support equipment are widely available. They can be found new or used, in small or large quantities, with relative ease. The charge control / battery management system (BMS) modules are also not uncommon, and can be found in a wide range of available configurations. For a little bit of tinkering and testing, a reliable, rechargeable, custom power source could be assembled.

All it costs is time and money.

Daox 08-01-18 03:57 PM

I just got in from a very quick mow. I noticed the mower motor running slower than normal. So, I stopped mowing and checked out the batteries. One was quite low. There was likely some damage done to it from draining it too far. What caused this? A failed charger. Last time I talked with my charger supplier, he suggested taking them off the mower to extend their life (less shock and vibration). So, I think I am going to look into that. I've already replaced enough of those little chargers and when they go, they usually take a battery with them too.

I do have a question for you guys though. Moving the four chargers off of the mower is no big deal. However, I'll have to change the connection between things. Currently, all of the chargers are on the mower, so I've tied in parallel all the 110V AC lines together, and those go to a female 110V receptacle. This makes it very easy to pull the mower in the garage, plug it into an extension cord, and by the next day, its ready to go again. Now, I will have to change things. I will now have 4 chargers off of the mower, with some cable going to the mower. I will need an 8 pin connector to plug in the mower for charging now. So, I'm looking for something simple and cheap. My first idea was two molex connectors. I can 3d print a housing to combine the two to make it a single 'plug' even. However, molex connectors aren't the easiest or greatest at plugging together easily. So, I am looking for any alternatives you guys can think of. The connector only has to handle 3 amps of charging, so nearly anything will do. I'd just like to keep it cheap, and convenient to plug in.


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