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Total Members Voted: 86

[protomech]

Hey guys, I was in a bit of a wreck yesterday and bumped my head pretty good. Lots of blood and all that fun stuff. Testing on JPlugs seems to have passed completely, however testing on the NEMA 1450 needs some more still. That will have to be delayed a few days until I get better.

Also, I will be fine soon. If you guys remember, I broke my spine in 2014 and was back on the track in a few weeks. This is nowhere near that bad.

Yikes Wishing you a swift recovery .. head wounds are a little scary (and concussions can have significant lingering effects), but even a minor wound bleeds like crazy. Hopefully it looks worse than it is

Ben to use more than 8 kW continuous you will need to use the controller kit.  Although the charge fuse is 100 amps we have had it blow on 2 bikes under 9000 watts.  So in the right conditions, the charge fuse didn't like even just 90 amps.  And because of that each bike was out of commission for a week replacing the wiring harness. 

So don't charge with more than a single 30 amp J1772 using the accessory port above the motor.   We have had about 20 things happen we didn't expect that have caused big delays in releasing this and this was just one of them.  But it's good EC has been asking us to perform this testing as Ben I'm sure you wouldn't be too happy charging at 10 kW at an RV park somewhere along your trip and then blowing your charge fuse and having to have your bike towed and in the shop for a week while a new wiring harness arrives.  So please everyone remain patient as you have been.  We are trying to find everything that can go wrong, and while we hope unexpected things aren't discovered, I'm glad we find them and fix it.  It just takes time.

Since the 14-50 testing isn't finished yet, right now the first few people that wish to soon receive the chargers will only be set up for J1772 charging, until the 14-50 adapter is sent separately and more fully tested.

To have the controller kit installed, it will need to go to a dealer or have someone familiar with high voltage electronics do the install and the main high amp battery contacts on the controller will be tapped, and charging will proceed backwards through those leads.  An auxiliary 250 Amp fuse is included and will need to be installed in the tail section.

Greatly appreciate the details. Glad you guys are spending the time to bulletproof this.

[Electric Cowboy]

This is not the normal setup we will be sending out to everyone, just a cool photo of what Terry is doing on his way up testing some 1C charge rates on his 5 brick.

[Electric Cowboy]

Just ordered a 2016 SR from Hollywood Electrics since we need something to test on after my accident. Sweet news!

[MostlyBonkers]

Sweet news indeed! That charge rate is awesome.

I'm sure this is all in the pipeline, but I'd love to see some details on the accessories; auxiliary and controller kits, how different cables plug in and so on. A guide on different installation methods would be great too.

This is just a thought, but as documentation is likely to be a very time consuming task, is it worth reaching out to the community for some assistance? If you were able to provide a few photos and some video commentary, I'm sure one or even a few of us (myself included), would be happy to have a stab at a guide of some sort. If you like the results it could be distributed, if not, then it's an interesting exercise that shouldn't create much work for you guys so not too much time invested or wasted. Just an idea, it might not be a good one, so I'll take no offence if you don't like it.

[Electric Cowboy]

Sweet news indeed! That charge rate is awesome.

I'm sure this is all in the pipeline, but I'd love to see some details on the accessories; auxiliary and controller kits, how different cables plug in and so on. A guide on different installation methods would be great too.

This is just a thought, but as documentation is likely to be a very time consuming task, is it worth reaching out to the community for some assistance? If you were able to provide a few photos and some video commentary, I'm sure one or even a few of us (myself included), would be happy to have a stab at a guide of some sort. If you like the results it could be distributed, if not, then it's an interesting exercise that shouldn't create much work for you guys so not too much time invested or wasted. Just an idea, it might not be a good one, so I'll take no offence if you don't like it.

Man you have no idea how awesome that would be. Documentation is the hardest part. I will share a doc or repo on github you guys can help with if you are interested/willing.

[MostlyBonkers]

Sure, it's worth a try EC. I think I'd find it rewarding to contribute in some way.

[Patrick Truchon]

+1

[Electric Cowboy]

I need a little more time for this concussion to go away and I will be back at it. Thanks for the Great Idea Bonkers.

[MostlyBonkers]

You're most welcome EC, I'm glad you like the idea and I hope it helps out.

Thanks for bringing us a great new product that will mean that many people can enjoy riding their Zeros all the time instead of having to revert back to an ICE bike for longer trips. What you've achieved is truly awesome. Exciting times!

Do try and take it easy for a while though EC.  I know the timing is bad for you but your health has to be your top priority.

Great to see a +1 from Patrick too.  I'll start a new topic for this in the next day or two to help manage this project and we can see where it goes from there.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

I for one am definitely willing to contribute to documentation. There's probably enough technical writing skill around here to make it pretty straightforward with a little coordination.

[Electric Cowboy]

Another quick update.

Luke and Terry are right now working on testing multiple production ready chargers under various conditions to ensure the voltage calibrations are good and to see if there are any variances in calibration that need to be taken into account based on how the charger is hooked up.

Very exciting times.

[Patrick Truchon]

Fantastic!  I can't wait!!  Thanks for keeping us in the loop.  This thread is the primary reason why I check this forum right now. 

[SteveInNC]

I'm trying to learn more about this unit and prepare for a purchase. Is there a link to this thing? I've looked at the website but, I'm confused as to what is a similar unit. I would like to get the exact dimensions so I can start looking for a top case. How does this connect to the bike? Are you guys planning on permanently mounting to bike? Will I need to modify (professionally?) my bike? Will this allow any faster charging on a regular 110 plug? Please forgive my ignorance as electrical stuff is not my forte.

[Erasmo]

I'm trying to learn more about this unit and prepare for a purchase. Is there a link to this thing? I've looked at the website but, I'm confused as to what is a similar unit. I would like to get the exact dimensions so I can start looking for a top case. How does this connect to the bike? Are you guys planning on permanently mounting to bike? Will I need to modify (professionally?) my bike? Will this allow any faster charging on a regular 110 plug? Please forgive my ignorance as electrical stuff is not my forte.

I'll give a shot at answering:
Here is their site: http://diginow.it/super-charger-for-zero-motorcycle.php
I don't have the dimensions but it will fit in a modest top box.
You can connect it via the aux port, controller and the power tank connection if you don't have one.
I know I will. You do not need to modify the bike if you use the aux port but that does also mean that you cannot use full powah.
Yes, how much faster depends on the fuse behind that plug.

[SteveInNC]

I'm trying to learn more about this unit and prepare for a purchase. Is there a link to this thing? I've looked at the website but, I'm confused as to what is a similar unit. I would like to get the exact dimensions so I can start looking for a top case. How does this connect to the bike? Are you guys planning on permanently mounting to bike? Will I need to modify (professionally?) my bike? Will this allow any faster charging on a regular 110 plug? Please forgive my ignorance as electrical stuff is not my forte.

I'll give a shot at answering:
Here is their site: http://diginow.it/super-charger-for-zero-motorcycle.php
I don't have the dimensions but it will fit in a modest top box.
You can connect it via the aux port, controller and the power tank connection if you don't have one.
I know I will. You do not need to modify the bike if you use the aux port but that does also mean that you cannot use full powah.
Yes, how much faster depends on the fuse behind that plug.

Thanks Erasmo,

I have looked at that link a lot. I have a power tank so I think I'll be able to connect via the aux port and plug into a 50A and plug the controller in for the fastest charge?