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Old 08-09-2014, 17:48   #91
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Re: It Begins: Converting Cal 2-27 to Electric Propulsion!

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will you be using regen?
Motor and controller are regeneration capable. Prop is not. It is a folder. Prop change is on the list, but at 6kt more or less top speed, regeneration is not particularly significant.

No test data. After several days I finally realized why I was having problems aligning the shafts. My bronze prop shaft is slightly bent. I have to go back to work so the fix will have to wait until I get home again. But it runs.
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Old 08-09-2014, 18:02   #92
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Re: It Begins: Converting Cal 2-27 to Electric Propulsion!

Dear monster, your project is too cool. When you get done it will be an example of super McGuyver engineering. I will send you some smoke Salmon if you send me some rue for bouillabaisse... Woohoo!
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Old 10-09-2014, 18:02   #93
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Re: It Begins: Converting Cal 2-27 to Electric Propulsion!

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Motor and controller are regeneration capable. Prop is not. It is a folder. Prop change is on the list, but at 6kt more or less top speed, regeneration is not particularly significant.

No test data. After several days I finally realized why I was having problems aligning the shafts. My bronze prop shaft is slightly bent. I have to go back to work so the fix will have to wait until I get home again. But it runs.

Remember our talk months ago? Woe is the bronze shaft...
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Old 11-09-2014, 05:35   #94
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Re: It Begins: Converting Cal 2-27 to Electric Propulsion!

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Dear monster, your project is too cool. When you get done it will be an example of super McGuyver engineering. I will send you some smoke Salmon if you send me some rue for bouillabaisse... Woohoo!
A roux is easy to make. Equal parts flour and oil or fat. Brown over medium heat stirring constantly. Don't try to go for a dark roux the first few times, just a light brown. Be patient and don't turn the heat up too high.

Before adding the water, add your onions and any other veggies. They get color from the hot roux. Then add ur water or stock.
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Old 11-09-2014, 05:41   #95
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Re: It Begins: Converting Cal 2-27 to Electric Propulsion!

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Remember our talk months ago? Woe is the bronze shaft...
Hah. Yeah I remember but until I pulled the coupling I thought I had a steel shaft. I think next year I will haul out and replace it and replace the folding prop with fixed. It's not severely bent but enough that when I get everything perfectly aligned and then turn the shaft half a turn, my alignment is off a little.

Gonna try to get out and anchor off a shallow beach not far from here and clean prop and bottom today. Weather permitting.
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Old 11-09-2014, 06:10   #96
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Re: It Begins: Converting Cal 2-27 to Electric Propulsion!

Don't get rid of your folder. I have a feeling that what you get in Regen may not be worth the loss in speed.
There is no free lunch
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Old 11-09-2014, 14:44   #97
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Re: It Begins: Converting Cal 2-27 to Electric Propulsion!

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Don't get rid of your folder. I have a feeling that what you get in Regen may not be worth the loss in speed.
There is no free lunch
Oh yeah I'm keeping it. Ya never know.
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Old 11-09-2014, 15:07   #98
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Re: It Begins: Converting Cal 2-27 to Electric Propulsion!

Looking forward to your observations on performance and what you do with the extra space. Does she still float on her lines?
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Old 11-09-2014, 15:29   #99
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Re: It Begins: Converting Cal 2-27 to Electric Propulsion!

Just found this thread, interesting and intriguing to me as I am considering repowering my Alberg. I have been following others conversions as well, but I like the $$ factor of this one.

Congrats Keep updates coming
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Old 13-11-2014, 12:19   #100
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Re: It Begins: Converting Cal 2-27 to Electric Propulsion!

Some test data. Lake Pontchartrain, calm day, breeze on the beam, average of both directions. Estimated range can be calculated from assuming 100ah drawn from the bank, divided by current to get run time, multiplied by speed to get nm. For instance at 1a I should be able to draw for 100 hours, giving 100nm range at the 1 amp setting. At 20 amps I should be able to run for 5 hours at 3.3kt giving a range of 16.5nm.

1a 1kt
2.5a 1.4kt
5a 1.9kt
10a 2.5kt
15a 2.9kt
20a 3.3kt
25a 3.6kt
30a 3.8kt
35a 4.1kt
40a 4.3kt
45a 4.5kt
50a 4.6kt
55a 4.7kt

Two things I really need to do. First, I underestimated the need for a quality high current charger. 15 amps is NOT enough for a 220ah bank. I need at least a 30a charger, preferably one that can deliver an equalizing charge, which is 62 volts for a 48v bank. The charger came with the Kelly controller and the voltages are too low and not adjustable. I probably should build a charger that I can configure to my needs and preferences but it is a daunting project.

Second, the control setup is awkward. I have an on/off switch, a fwd/n/rev switch, a recent pot, and a throttle pot. I don't intend to sail the boat any more so I can eliminate the regen. I want to have only the power on/off switch, and a single knob for throttle and reverse/neutral/fwd. Pointer straight up for neutral, to the left for reverse power, to the right for forward. Further for faster, less for slower. I will probably use an arduino for processing the signal from a 10k pot using the 5v control voltage from the controller, with the midpoint being converted to 0 throttle, 0v to full reverse, 5v to full forward. The single knob control will be more intuitive and easier/faster to operate.

Since I will have an arduino board in the control box, maybe it would be cool to also have a 2 line LCD display right on the control box, showing battery volts and state of charge percentage, amps into the controller, and prop RPM. What I got now is just an analog shunt ammeter and analog voltmeter jumpered in, laying loose on top of the battery box. Difficult to read and inconvenient. For now, I will mount them on a piece of acrylic, along with a digital hall effect tachometer that I haven't installed yet. I will mount that on a box of some sort so the connections aren't exposed. But a 2 line display presenting the data right there on the throttle box will be super.

I tried to get the configuration program for the Kelly controller to run on my laptop, running Linux, but no joy. In Wine the app tries to start but says it can't find the controller. I tried all sorts of things and I can't get it to go. That is one of the things that absolutely sucks about the Kelly controller. The tech guys want US to use the operating system that THEY use. They don't understand the American concept that the customer either gets it his way or gets it elsewhere. They are zero help on this, and other issues. They also label meters only in a percentage of configured current and voltage parameters, not volts and amps, and so the data from the supplied meters is ambiguous and basically useless. They defend this stupidity by claiming they would have to write a separate configuration for each size of controller. In fact they only need to change certain constants in a configuration file for each controller but they think they know it all and I am just some retard who doesn't understand that the vendor makes the rules and the customer shuts the hell up and takes what he is given. And they are mad at me for not ordering my motor through them.

Bottom line, if you use the Kelly controller, don't expect much useful technical assistance from them, make sure you have a windows or Mac computer, and don't waste your money on their kit. Buy controller, fuse, contactor, diodes and resistor, and heat sink, put it together yourself. I am waiting for Sevcon to get their act together and make a line of controllers that can be configured on a proper Linux or Android computer, without paying $200 for a special programmer doodad. That's pretty ignorant and stupid, as well.

I only get a max of about 60 amps or a bit less of current. I think it is hitting a speed limit in the controller. The original 12" 2 blade folding prop doesn't seem to be loading the motor enough to develop peak power. I will be replacing it with a fixed 3 blade next year. Possibly it would have been better to not use a reduction gear with this 4201 motor, which is meant to be ran slower than the similar 0907, but I didn't want to have to diddle around with a thrust bearing when I could just mount right up to a Baldor reduction gearbox. But the 3 blade prop ought to give me the full 5kw power from this motor and controller.

Another thing I want to re-think is the motor mount system. I will build a bed framework that does not need adjusting, and the motor faceplate will have separate adjustments for side to side, yaw, fore and aft, pitch, and height. Also I will make it slightly wider to accommodate the 10kw size Motenergy motors. The idea is for the design to be more or less universal for all boats originally equipped with Atomic 4 or Universal Diesel motors, using the Motenergy electric motors. Mounting the electric motor properly is probably the most intimidating part of a full DIY electric repower. This is why a full turnkey system or a professional installation is worth several thousand dollars more. Well, and the engineering. With an open source mount easily built with no welding out of cheap mild steel angle iron and 1/8" sheet, a DIY setup for 25 to 35 foot boats is a lot more feasible for a lot less technically inclined owners. The only machine shop type equipment needed would be a cheapo drill press from Harbor Freight, to drill accurate holes in 1/4" steel for 3/8" bolts. And a saber saw. No other power tools needed.

If there is enough interest, next year after I redo the mount and control box, I might make an Instructible tutorial on a generic setup for a small sailboat with a Motenergy or compatible motor. Maybe an open source kinda thing that can adapt to new technologies and sources as time goes by, with an eye toward keeping it cheap but also easy for regular folks to do.

To reiterate, I got my parts from:

Kelly, for controller kit including inadequate charger, useless meters, nice mounting plate, contactor, and fuse with KBL48301X 48v 300a peak, 100a continuous controller. I recommend thinking carefully about going with a Sevcon controller, though. Neither one is perfect. They don't care what we want.

Electricmotorsports for Motenergy 0201014201 BLDC 5kw motor. It was cheap so I got a spare, too. Later, after initially planning on direct drive, I also got a 2:1 Baldor enclosed gearbox from these guys.

Sams Club, for batteries. 8 GC2 6v golf cart batteries, for 48v and 220ah.

McMaster-Carr, for shaft, couplings, angle iron and sheet steel, and other bits and pieces.

Home Depot, for stainless bolts and hardware, and wood for my battery box. Also 2/0 cable for connecting batteries, controller, and motor.

Radio shack, for parts for control box.

Ebay, for meters, digital tach, digital volt/amp meter, (still in transit)

Alternate cheap source for motor and controller is Golden Motor, but they couldn't beat the price I paid for Kelly/Motenergy setup.

For kits, look at Thunderstruck or Electricmotorsports. Thunderstruck also has a nice open belt reduction gear.
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Old 13-11-2014, 12:27   #101
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Re: It Begins: Converting Cal 2-27 to Electric Propulsion!

so roughly 4.5 hp to push the boat at 4.7 kts?
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Old 13-11-2014, 13:18   #102
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Re: It Begins: Converting Cal 2-27 to Electric Propulsion!

As requested, a short demo video.

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Old 13-11-2014, 13:29   #103
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Re: It Begins: Converting Cal 2-27 to Electric Propulsion!

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so roughly 4.5 hp to push the boat at 4.7 kts?
That sounds in the ballpark. And it roughly jives with the 6hp Nissan Pushing Me At Hull speed. Lessee... 55a x 48v = a bit less than 4hp. Of course there is some apples/oranges thing going on with that so it's not an exact correlation.
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Old 13-11-2014, 15:00   #104
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Re: It Begins: Converting Cal 2-27 to Electric Propulsion!

wow OK you boat is easily driven! nice. the video is private
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Old 13-11-2014, 16:38   #105
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Re: It Begins: Converting Cal 2-27 to Electric Propulsion!

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wow OK you boat is easily driven! nice. the video is private
Oops fixed that. Sorry
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