samurai

The engine hoist was used to install the battery modules in the back of the Samurai. After a minor hiccup, everything went fine and I'm happy with the result -- no more batteries on the garage floor. Next step is to make the HV connections for a short test run and then try the BMS.

I've been working very slowly this last couple of months. In part, I think it was due to issues with DC DC converter and also several unsuccessful attempts connecting the BMS to the battery pack.

As you can read here, I switched from a custom battery terminal board to a used one from a Nissan Leaf, which came with all the leads.
I also bought a 32s ANT BMS from AliExpress, after reading a lot about BMSes:

I'm taking a lot longer than expected to wire my DC DC converter and, worse of all, I'm not having any success. I'm using a TDC-IY-108-12 from a Chinese company named TC Charger (the website www.tccharger.com printed in the manual doesn't exist). I think there are similar converters branded as Elcon. It's a 1kW unit with a nominal DC input of 108V (range can vary from 72V to 162V). Do you have any suggestions?

Sometimes you need to go back some steps to make sure you're happy with the build. That's what happened with my battery terminals and bus bars.

After a mock up with cardboard, I fabricated the aluminium battery box base and screw it to the body. I do enjoy working with sheet metal and its workspace in FreeCAD. I also invested a bit in the Technical Drawing workspace to send nice instructions to the laser cut and bending guys.

It's been a while since the last update. I've been busy with other non-related stuff and also some boring stuff, namely wiring the leads for all the battery modules (to connect a manual charger/voltmeter) and a future BMS. At the same time, the DC/DC converter finally arrived, along with some more HV cable and fuses. I've gone for a chinese TCCharger unit good for 1.2kW. I've read mixed reviews about these chinese solutions but the truth is that there is not many alternatives.

I've just placed the master switch (contactor) in the transmission tunnel, next to the hand brake. The holes were not hard to do but I did have to buy a 68mm hole saw. I felt a bit sorry for the car but this is something it had to be done :)

I finally got some time to apply the MDF layers to the battery terminal covers.

And it was very satisfying to know that it was a very nice fit. The only exception was of a couple of extra centimeters in width, which were promptly cut away easily.

The entire cover is made of three MDF layers. The first two are 10mm thick whereas the last one is 5mm thick.

Things are slower with the new lock-down and travel restrictions. But I was able to move on with the battery terminal covers.

I'm mimicking the original Nissan ones, albeit using MDF as insulation (3D printing was too expensive) and 5mm aluminium bus bars (copper laser cutting was too expensive too).

This was the plan:

I've just assembled the full stack of battery modules on a quick visit to the shop. Here's the result.