samurai

After some deserved holidays, I finally test fitted the MDF adapter in the transmission bell housing. Without surprises (I tested the fitment before with a sheet metal version), it fits.

I've been busy on the last month trying new versions of the motor cradle and gear box plate. It's been a slow process due to limited access to the shop, thanks to corona virus, home-schooling and remote work. :(

But the hub that secures the original flywheel to the electric motor is under way! It started with my model in FreeCAD, which you can see here along the other bits:

I finally got the Arduino to drive the analog gauges of the original Samurai dashboard.

The tachometer responds to a variable frequency square wave (0-12V) and the fuel and temperature gauges respond to a PWM signal (current sink).

I just bought my first Arduino (well, actually, a ESP8266) and CAN bus module!

My motivation is to read some parameters from the electric motor controller, such as rpm and temperatures, and drive the original, analog dashboard from the Samurai.

I know that the controller has a CAN network feature were we can program up to 4 messages (called TPOs) with up to 8 bytes each. We can use that payload to send data such as key-on time, controller temperature, motor temperature, throttle request, motor status, motor rpms, SoC, etc.

I finally got the electric motor spinning!
It is still on the floor and outside the car but it's a nice milestone. It means all the connections and configuration are ok.

I had a couple of struggles, first with the windows software and then with the configuration (clone) file.

Just a quick update on another side task.

I want to retain the original look as most as possible and that includes keeping the original analog dashboard:

The new corona virus pandemic is closing several countries and Portugal is no exception. So, I'm moving on with what I can from home and I decided to learn how to use FreeCAD and design a cradle to secure the electric motor.

Today I removed the gear box from the vehicle. While not strictly required, I want to take some measurements and clean up, and that's easier to do with the gearbox outside the car. Also, I think it's easier to test fit the electric motor and adapter plate in the box on a workbench.

I started by draining the transmission oil. The drain plug can be undo with a 3/8" square socket: