[toddshotrods]

I couldn't take it - I stayed up all night to cut these. It took five hours (I started at 3:30am).

They're not glued yet, just loosely stacked. If I have enough energy, I'll fit and glue them this evening, when the Team is here (I'm still in the shop).

[toddshotrods]

When the adhesive cures, I will get it to fit a little better, and start smoothing it out.

[Woodsmith]

That is looking so 'Todd'!
Love it.


I like the speed that you can get, with that insulation foam, to see how it will look in 3D.

[toddshotrods]

Originally Posted by Woodsmith

That is looking so 'Todd'!
Love it.


I like the speed that you can get, with that insulation foam, to see how it will look in 3D.

Thanks Woody!

Yeah, working with insulation foam on the ShopBot is super fun, quick, and almost too easy to be true.

The only problem I have now is it looks kind of agressive, which makes me want a big motor! The upside is I can always put anything I want in it, whenever the urge strikes, from the little Mars to an 11" forklift motor - thanks to the stressed engine-member frame design. I could even have a few different combinations sitting on their own subframes, ready to drop in to suit my whims.

[Woodsmith]

Originally Posted by toddshotrods

I could even have a few different combinations sitting on their own subframes, ready to drop in to suit my whims.

I am just imagining something like Thunderbird 2 with the conveyor of different pods scrolling past underneath.

[toddshotrods]

Originally Posted by Woodsmith

I am just imagining something like Thunderbird 2 with the conveyor of different pods scrolling past underneath.

Now you're talkin!

[toddshotrods]

I machined the mock-up Mars motor yesterday. This will be smoothed out a little bit and coated (probably epoxy), but won't receive a lot of detail work. It's main purpose is to help us sort out the drivetrain layout. The bottom of the battery box will wrap around the motor and controller, so we need the correct sizes and shapes in place to work off. By wrapping the foam mock-up motor around the little ProTech motor, we kill two birds with one stone, and should have a functional mock-up, that we can simply swap the real parts into.


We're supposed to cast the intake manifold flange for Schism this Saturday or next, and I might model Scrape's motor mount and have him cast it too.

[toddshotrods]

Test-fitting the mock-up Mars motor shell, and starting to sketch out a "chill jacket" system to help the temporary ProTech motor keep its cool.




One of my Team members and I came up with the idea to make two aluminum pieces that cup around the frame tightly and are clamped together. Holes will be drilled through the cooling plates, threaded, tapped, and fitted with compression nipples, on the ends; then fitted to a little hand fabricated tank on each end - like a radiator. I haven't modeled the tanks yet, and this model is just a rough sketch, but try to imagine a little half-round, miniature, tank with eleven little short flanged sections of tubing soldered or welded to it, with compression nuts on them.


I admit, it's a helluva lot of fabrication, but we're prone to this type of excess. Someone may be able to simplify this basic concept and implement it. The main point is all the water comes in cool, makes an equal path across the motor frame, and exits (hopefully) full of waste heat.

As I said, this is just a rough sketch to communicate the idea, and help me think it through. To fit in the mock-up case I made to go over this little motor, I can't have those big clamping bolts. I did those for the Water Cooling thread to illustrate the concept.

[toddshotrods]

Between directing my Team through some of their fabrication tasks, and fighting my urge to do Rhino style surface modeling, I have been pecking at Scrape's motor mount for the last two days. I don't really know how many hours I have in it (I would guess around 20-30 actual modeling time) but most of the two days was spent doing other stuff or staring numbly at the computer screen trying to figure out what I wanted to do (for a solid model, as opposed to my normal surface extravagance). I used Pro/E because this is a real structural part. The 36lb motor is literally hanging on this mount. I might do a little FEA on it, and tweaking if necessary - but the important part is I have a real solid model to go back and tweak for future versions and upgrades. I am also setup to do Mars motor mounts for people.



...and, imported into Rhino to do a mock-up with the motor and sprocket. Tasty!


The two rear mounting holes bolt to the factory Ninja frame, where the ICE mounted (rearmost mounts). The recesses in the back of the mounts ARE for 1" o.d. aluminum rodS (bored to accept a 10mm bolt) to fit in, and stretch to the other side of the frame mounting tabs. This allows me to use the factory Ninja mounting bolts, and lock the motor in tight on mounts designed for this purpose.

If money were no object, I would have this cut in titanium, just for the heck of it!

[toddshotrods]

Here's a shot of Scrape with the body smoothed out a little more and fit to the frame a little better, and with the (original Ninja) front fender on it. The fender helps pull the front end down, visually, and looks good with the body, IMO.



Also, what do you knowledgeable motor people think of this motor? I know next to nothing about AC, so I don't know what to look for. What caught my attention is the 5hp continuous rating, and size of the output shaft (.875"). Seems like a pretty powerful little rascal. It's approx 6.7" diameter x 11" long (total, w ends). $25.




Compared to a Mars motor, would it be worse, equal, better, for a bike like this? For the inverter, I was thinking that if this new intern is legit, and really has a knack for this stuff we could cobble something together with used parts, following the DIY AC inverter plans floating around here. P&S also have a new AC board, and hopefully a full kit soon...

What say ye? Stick with DC?