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[scZero]

Here's a pic showing access to all 4 breakers from the left side of the bike.  Also wound up is the  serial cable lead to the MBB where I can externally access it.

[nigezero]

SC: I was there with you only a few weeks ago, well done! I'll be really interested to see if the feeling remains crisper and the throttle response issue is fascinating. You may have landed on a really practical fix

[scZero]

Thanks.  I do believe this contactor will hold up and stay crisp for a long time.  Anything underrated gets burned up and abused, properly rated and in some cases over rated they get used as what they were designed to do and then some.

Have to stress:  When you put in this or any contactor that's larger (or doing any mod in there),  you can't rush it.  You need to take your time, ensure you're not causing a short or that a short may be induced in the future from rubbing and shaking of the bike / battery module.  I kept closing, feeling the rear panel as I closed it and kept identifying what was hitting / resisting it as well as any possible shorting.  I looked from above (pulled up the pitted battery liner) as well as looked from below through the gap the wires come out of using a flashlight.   After a couple of nights doing that I was able to tie and reroute wires accordingly and have the door close without any interferance. 

Where I placed the breakers appear to be the only block of space where they can be accessed from outside the bike via a hands reach.  I used the existing fuse hole in that area to be I believe my upper right most breaker location.  I could fit two side by side, the fit was tight due to the Sevcon controller but it worked.  Then dropped two more down below.

[scZero]

I forgot to mention, in order to get around the vampire drain from the pre-charge (pcr) resistor I wired a 12v four wire relay to the 12V accesory fuse/breaker on the back door.  That way power across the PCR would be cut when the key was turned off but then live or activated when the 12v acc was fired on which triggered the relay and allowed current to pass across the pcr. 

Here's the relay I used:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D0XIFSI/ref=oh_details_o00_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[nigezero]

SC how's it all been going? Talking to Thomas the other day who still has probs with his contactor

[scZero]

Hi Nige, my Zero is operating better than new now.  100% glitch free now!

[nigezero]

Great to hear that; i suspect this is an important test and milestone that may solve probs for many owners of older bikes and possibly newer ones too.  In due course, ill make the same mod to mine and  TP will need to do it too. Putting aside the glitches, has the performance changed do you think? Better current flow should mean better everything; torque and power and smoothness, but ill be intrigued to see how long this lasts and if its just the "Freshness" factor of the new components or if its just a meatier contact.

I havent had any contactor problems at all on mine, so sometimes they seem to work just fine, but TP has tried everything else but

[scZero]

Yes, performance has increased.  The throttle response is smoother.  I had really bad pulsing at 20-25mph, most of that is gone.  Interesting enough I don't have to wait as long when I turn the key on and to the time where I get power to the wheel.  That delay was annoyingly too long.  And the acceleration ramps up stronger and more intense.  More resistance means less current will flow to the motor, less resistance means more current can flow hence the magic of the upgrade.

When I get time I need to tie into the serial comm port leads I ran out from the MBB.  Out of the 4 wires I don't know which one is RX, TX, etc..  Will be some trial and error but not a big deal.  I'll hopefully get more performance after I mod the MBB's code.   Looking forward to that.

If you guys have any questions let me know.  Just be sure to take your time, a couple of days after the larger contactor is installed to ensure you've got all the new wire routing done safely so there's no rubbing, cutting, or possible shorts that can occur over time.

[kingcharles]

More resistance means less current will flow to the motor, less resistance means more current can flow hence the magic of the upgrade.

And don't forget higher voltage at the motor!