So in the meantime I tried to do as much as possible without having all the parts. After the first drive I finished the motor support with a top cover, a copper part to let current flow between the A2 & S2 pole on the motor and a some paint against rust and to make it look good.
On the chassis I placed brackets for attaching the two high voltage cables and the extra wiring loom with tie-raps. It's a guess where to put them not having the cables but it was a nice small project to do.
In the last post I wrote about testing the Hall Effect for the throttle. During the last couple of weeks I installed the throttle box and connected it with the paddle using as much of the original car parts as possible. I think I have to use an extra spring to get some more feedback from the paddle. But for now it's good and I'll figure out how much tension the paddle needs for a good feel when the car drives.
After the throttle box I made a mount for the Alltrax controller. I've placed it in the old spot of the radiator. It has original mounting points and it will give cooling for the controller in case that's necessary. For now I used an aluminium beam that was lying around in the garage. I might make a new mount of sheet metal that covers more of the radiator hole and gives more room for the cables with the 8 fuse holder I installed beside it. I'll use the 8 fuse holder obviously for safety but also for easy connection of the cables coming from the rear of the car to the controller, throttle box and dashboard.
When I got the throttle box and controller installed I connected them to test, program and readout the parts in the car with the laptop via USB (yea my 37 year old Robin has a USB port :D )
One of the projects I did the last weeks will be the most visible when the car is finished. I installed some parts of the new dashboard and I'm quite happy about it, I think it looks good!
For now it's all about the center console. The missile style switch, key switch and emergency switch turn on the controller and contractor which turns the car 'ON'. By law I need the three different switches and the key switch can't be removed when the car is 'ON'. Sounds normal but was quit difficult to get right. The white paper will make place for the LCD display of the Battery Management System (BMS) (yea my 37 year old Robin will also have a 4,3 inch display) and the button beside it is used to switch between the different screens. The voltmeter below will show the voltage of the two 12 volt circuits (lights etc. and BMS and other new parts) and will be switched by the toggle switch on the right. The amp meter will show the signal of the Fuel Gauge from Zeva. It can show the amps that the car pulls in RPM. 300 amp will be 3000 RPM in an original gauge. I guess I'll buy a matching set of volt/RPM meter but that's a thing to do later on.
The last thing I did has nothing to do with the new parts but it makes the old system more reliable. I replaced the glass fuse older with a new one that holds modern car fuses.
There is nothing to write about the batteries but I hope to have them soon to make some big steps in the project!
