For various reasons the seat has been slow to develop. However, I’m enthusiastic to get this finished so it can be ticked off the list of things to do. Being the kinda guy who is always happy to learn new things, I I’m going to have a go myself. Because I’m new to the upholstery…
Tag: xj600e
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…
… 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…
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…
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….
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…
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…
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…
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…
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
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…
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…
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….
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
v3 Sketch surface update
Surfaces have been update for the xj600e. Using the sketchwork seen in a previous post CAS renders visualise the potential outcomes of using new riser bars instead of the Cafe racer clip-ons and how the change of design direction works in 3D with the current powertrain.
1200w onboard charger [48v/20A]
Pictured in blue in CAD [with wheel travel] is: 1200W on-board waterproof battery charger 48v/20A, KC CE Ro1200W on-board waterproof charger – Main advantage of this charger is compact size– 130mm x 90mm x 230mm– Pre-charging – automatic shut off – over charging protection https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/1200W-on-board-waterproof-24V-48V_62252160597.html?spm=a2700.details.pronpeci14.11.652e4b9afSCIvk Other options are: 48v 20A 1500W Waterproof Intelligent Battery Charger…
Sketches… v2 (out with the old)
More sketches… this time with a mince pie. It’s Christmas! Version 1 of the XJ600e used aesthetic features that would make it acceptable to the traditional rider. However, further research and dialogue with manufactures indicated that the new rapidly moving marketplace for 2020 preferred aesthetics that were more aggressive and ‘gadget-like’.
An electrifying life on two wheels... 