|
Royster's EV and RE Projects EV Pages Home EV Links |
Modified Rad2Go
E36 Scooter
click on photos for
larger images
|
|
|
|
|
This is the first of many scooters I modified for Electric Scooter Magazine (ESM), article here. Scooter arrived at EV Parts with fourth battery added (bringing voltage from stock 36 to 48) and a dead controller. The existing wiring was all 10 gauge. Due to the wimpy blade connectors on the batteries and the 10 gauge internal motor wiring, I decided to stick with this small gauge even though the new controller would need thicker wire in order to deliver maximum output. Oh well... sometimes you gotta compromise. My next project for ESM did allow me to make more serious power. The Curtis 1206 controller was installed in the only possible location that there was space for it, right on top of the rear tire attached to the deck plate. Even then, spacers had to be installed under the deck plate to keep the tire from hitting the controller. The available space for wiring the controller was extremely tight. It was delicate surgery to get it all in there and to allow for easy service. A mat of insulating silicone was cut to fit between the aluminum deck plate and the wiring to prevent shorts. An Anderson SB-50 connector was attached to the rear of the scooter to plug into the off-board Soneil charger. Though I wouldn't recommend that you do this, I decided to not use any fuses. For one, I wanted to find any weak spots in this set-up, the second reason was that we figured the small gauge wiring and the wimpy blade connectors would act as fuses. |
|
|
|
|
After
assembly, a few days of hard thrashing did make a couple of
problems appear. We found the part that acted as a fuse after
the scooter lost power suddenly while being ridden hard. It was
found that the motor brush leads were soldered (lame) to
the brush holders and one had melted loose from excessive heat.
Instead of attempting to repair this or create a solder-less
connection (not a lot of space in there), we installed a spare
motor after advancing the brush timing by a few degrees. It
worked, and continued to work. Though I had serious doubts going in about how much of a power increase might be realized due to the inadequate wire size, it turned out pretty well. The scooter would wheelie quite easily and acceleration and top speed was greatly improved. You can see wiring details pretty clearly in this 700KB picture.
Specifications: Owner:
Electric Scooter Magazine |
Updated 2/4/06
you are visitor number
