Welcome Home, Old Friend!

 Look who found his way back home!

Eleven years ago, the eBugeye found a new home in California with a fellow who had recently retired and was looking for a project. The batteries, charger, and controller were stripped out and repurposed in the evTD, so he received the rolling shell with the NetGain motor and adapter installed.

Barry, the new owner, added 44 100Ah CALB batteries, a SolitonJr controller, and a Thunderstruck DC/DC converter, along with all the bits and pieces to complete the project. Unfortunately Barry passed away shortly after his first test drive around the block. I asked his son, who had inherited the car, to let me know if he ever decided to sell it. After sitting in his garage for nine years, I guess he finally decided it was time to let it go. Long story short, it’s back in my garage alongside the evTD and the PorschEV.

With five cars now in the fleet, the wife notes that at least two need to find new homes. As soon as I get the Bugeye licensed and inspected (more on that below), I'll detail the Porsche, finish the new battery pack in the MG, and get both on the market. If you have interest in either or both, drop me a line and we'll work something out. I'd like them to go to a good home with someone who appreciates the special nature of these cars.

Interestingly, the Bugeye was set up for charging directly from the builder's home solar, so I need to add a charger to the system and finish some of the loose ends that were left. The good news is that I happen to have the Elcon charger formerly in the MG that is supported by the Thunderstruck control set. Thunderstruck has introduced a new Master Control Unit that incorporates the charge controller and BMS controller in a single integrated box, so that's what's going into the Bugeye. Stay tuned for more as the saga continues.

Meanwhile the Poor MG Sits ...

 Before the Porsche diversion, I had actually been making pretty good progress on the MG TD.

I had settled on another Better Place pack, twelve years old but unused, still in its "carsophagas"

Unpacking revealed the ninety six cells of electron storage with all the included bus bars and superstructure. Note the old blue GBS cells stacked against the wall.

Obviously this monolith won't fit, so reconfiguration is in order.

One long pack behind the seats

Twin banks for the front

I was so pleased with the Thunderstruck transformation in the Porsche that I duplicated that setup for the MG. So here you see the TMS2500 charger in the front bay with the forward batteries installed and the Meanwell DC/DC alongside.

Meanwhile, another opportunity interrupts ...

In for a Dime, In for a Dollar Part Deux

Here it is almost another year later, with much to report and at the same time limited progress. We noted at the end of the previous post that the EVTV charge controller in the Porsche had failed and prospects for a direct replacement were dim. A little exploring turned up a charge controller from Thunderstruck Motors that seemed to fit the bill with the added benefit that it managed the J1772 charge port as well as the DC/DC converter.

It listed support for SOME Lear chargers, so I forged ahead with a direct replacement for the fried EVTV charge controller. Turns out my Lear (Chevy Volt) charger is one that's not supported, so after an extended attempt to get it talking appropriately on the CAN bus (support from Thunderstruck was outstanding by the way), I threw in the towel and ordered the charger that the controller was designed for, the Thunderstruck TMS2500. This is a very impressive product: light weight, air cooled, very quiet, and it worked great first try.

So why not go whole hog and add the BMS to keep tabs on the battery pack? Even Jack Rickard relented on his opposition to BMS's after having a Better Place pack like mine nearly burn his shop down. I added a BMS Controller with three satellites and sprang for the BMS Display. After installing all of that kit, I finally have the Holt Grail of instrumentation, a comprehensive real time view of the state of the battery pack. Installation was straight forward if messy, so this was a real opportunity to tidy up a lot of things that got grafted into the rear harness over the years. First thing was to consolidate the mid pack contactor, DC/DC fuse, and two control relays into a box where they are vastly more maintainable than the former location hanging underneath the platform.

Each positive connection plus one negative per harness gets a BMS lead which doesn't seem so bad until you realize that adds up to 104 leads for the 96 cell pack. 

It gets a bit disorganized, 

but nothing a few zip ties can't handle.

With everything in place it makes for an attractive installation.

So after finishing up the job, what do you do the very next day? I say take it to a car show!

Between the new Scott Drive Inverter/Motor Controller and the Thunderstruck charging system and BMS, the Porsche is a smooth ride with nearly all the kinks worked out. Meanwhile the poor MG has been languishing in the garage ...