Hello, all. I haven't written here in a few weeks. I ordered
a Thunderbolt through Bikes @ Vienna and went in a month
later with my Peugeot mountain bike. The Peugeot was the one
with the odd 24-35-51 / 34-11 gear set. Adam at Bikes @
Vienna swapped my Alivio controls, R443 FD, and LX RD from
the Peugeot to the Thunderbolt, and the cranks from the
Thunderbolt to the Peugeot. The Thunderbolt components
including the cranks go on auction on ebay on Monday.
But it didn't work. The Peugot was shifting well, but I
asked Adam to swap the spacers from inboard the outer
chainring to the inboard position. He did this, it wouldn't
shift, and he gave up, claiming Lightning had misaligned the
FD mounting tube. I took photos of both and overlaid them
with rotation to align the position of the Peugeot seat tube
and Thunderbolt FD mount tube, and found little difference,
so I experimented with spacers and got the Thunderbolt
shifting with some problems remaining.
So I started working on the electricals. The Peugeot used an
Ametek servo motor, 4 inches diameter by 5 inches long, at
first low in the bottom bracket area chained to the cranks,
then later, in the center of the frame diamond on a
3/4 inch thick 14 inch diameter board chained to either the
rear wheel or the cranks.
That motor is now on the Thunderbolt, and is aligned and
strongly mounted. What I did was go over to Home Depot and
walk home with a ten foot piece of 4 inch plastic drain pipe
on my shoulder. Then I cut off about eight inches of it,
running down the length with a nibbler, marked with a
carpenter's pencil and magnesium level extrusion, then
strapping on a hose clamp, marking again, and cutting the
circumference.
I cut into the piece two long strips parallel to the axis,
just to the depth that they could bend up into tabs and rest
against the seat stay clamps on the Thunderbolt. I trimmed
and drilled them and suspended the hollow pipe from the
clamps, then bent a hose clamp to suspend it from the seat
brace above. Then I put the motor in.
I cut a notch to clear the exit cable relief on the rear
side of the motor. I cut the pipe so when the motor aligned
with the cut, adjacent the stay, the pinion cog was
positioned right between the stay inner surface and fender
outer surface for best chain clearance. Since the tabs
weren't perfectly aligned, I twisted the pipe so the axial
cut now had a slow spiral, aligning the axis of the motor
with that of the rear axle. Then I marked the ends and cut
the pipe flush.
I fooled around with a four inch hole saw to match the
contour of a 3 inch bit of 2x4 pressure treated wood with
the motor and pipe, but ended up just relieving the center
of each end. One end is full width for the motor. The other
is narrow for the 3/4 inch seat brace. Both reliefs act as
v-blocks. I planed the edges to clear the hose clamp. Then I
twisted it again for alignment and clamped it all in place
with the hose clamp, and tightened the seat stay clamps.
It's solid, square, out of the way, and somewhat
adjustablle. The rear hub to drive it hasn't been built yet.
It hides nicely under the seat bag.
Then I got on the pedal powered generator. I decided to use
a 5 inch diameter, 3 inch wide, 225 rpm ceiling fan motor
with advertised 5/8 inch but actually 17mm shaft. I got an
adjustable stem with short extension from Nashbar and
removed the clamp bolts. I wedged the clamp open with a
chisel, removed the plastic cap from the open end of the FD
mount tube, and bumped it on with a rubber hammer, without
damaging the paint. Then I installed the clamp bolts, with
about 1/8 inch of stemp clamp over the end of the tube, as
it ended up flush with the derailer mounting clamp. I'll
mill it a bit narrower later.
I unscrewed the stem angle adjuster and retracted the
multisplined insert. I clamped the stem body in the mill
with axis vertical and used a 3/4 inch diameter 60 degree
double angle cutter to mill 30 degree ramps on the stem's
handlbar clamp area, just evening out some roughness in the
forging, not interfering with later use as a stem, so that
the motor would sit nicely on a 120 degree v block. Then I
strapped the core of the motor to the stem with another hose
clamp and reinstalled the stem body with the adjusted. It
ended up setting at 20 degrees rise. It's graduated on the
side in 5 degree incremements. It may go up or down 5
degrees to adjust the chain for slack.
I'd previously removed the motor core and started machining
a 3/16 x 3/32 inch slot for the integral key in the 8 tooth
pinion modified to 2mm width by Jensen using a go cart
pinion for 40 chain as the starting material. I love that
integral key. It sure beats fiddling with a tiny bit of
metal, a square 3/16 on a side and about 1/2 inch long, the
usual removable key. So I got into the slot using a 5/32
inch end mill, 0.005 inch per pass, but something wasn't
right and I realized it was a 17 mm shaft, not 5/8, so I am
taking it to Jensen to have them turn it. Good thing I
didn't finish the slot through. It wouldn't center on
Jensen's lathe if I had. It has a 1/2 inch hollow shaft so
the slot will eventuall have to go through. I asked Surplus
Center for a credit and recommended they edit their web site
to show the correct shaft size.
You see, an AC motor has its windings on the outside, not
the inside like the DC motor generator. This way, they can
use heavier wire with less resistance as there is more
volume to work with. This reduces generator source impedance
and increases the range of operation. The eight inch white
LED traffic signal module donated by Dialite will be powered
directly by this AC motor in generator mode, operating over
a range of 80 - 135 VAC. That's a relatively good range for
pedaling, comparable to 40-67 rpm. You have to "hit" the AC
motor with DC from the road powered generator to polarize it
each time it starts. An automatic circuit based on brake
lever switches may do this.
I have the book/pamphlet "Alternator Secrets" from Lindsay
Publications and may reorder it, as some of my books are
in storage.
Here's an amateur radio operator's induction generator page:
qsl.netInduction Generator.htmlOpen ↗
I had already mounted a Nite Rider Universal Mount to the FD
mounting tube below the FD, and yesterday remounted it with
the rubber strip for a solid mount. The FD cable ends up
between the clamp screw and tube, and needs a ferrule. Bikes
@ Vienna provided it without one.
As it turned out, the FD cable stop didn't need to be moved
but Lightning may move it in production if they choose to
recommend the Nite Rider gear for their bike. Frame mounted
headlights are less distacting to the rider. I haven't got
the Trail Rat, 7.2 W bulb, or 1 W tail light yet, and won't
until I have integrated the tiny 6 V 1.5 A dc-dc converter
supplied by TI as a sample inside the DC motor/generator,
and add the 2.5 x 5.5 mm output jack called "Sure-Loc" or
something like that by Nite Rider.
The eight inch LED module is to be installed into the nose
of a Windwrap GX fairing with rubber windshield molding to
be purchased from JC Whitney. I'll probably build an
adjustable router with my Unimat One components and mill the
required hole for a good seal to the rubber, routing six
circular slots separately first, then breaking them out and
filing smooth. The six tabs will keep the router support
centered. If you just go round a full circle you have no
support as you near the end.
The DC motor will have an automotive power adapter
(cigarette lighter socket) on an SPT-2 lead through the
existing bushing, providing direct connection to
unregulated generated power and the possibility for
takeoff drive assist. Taking off in this recumbent is
hard. It's SWB and squirrely at low starting speeds, but
then I am stil learning. Then my inverter can be plugged
in, or my ultracapacitor pack for a "freewheel" effect,
extending coasting.
Two Nashbar brake wire operated switches have been received
and will be installed, with the right lever operating the
right tail light, and the left etc., so I can signal stop
and turn like I used to on my Jawa moped, by operating the
brake levers together, or just tapping one at a time while
pressing the other one a bit so that from the rear you see
one solid light and the one to the turn side blinking with
each tap. The in between wiring will have to be extended.
Nashbar's price for the rear brake designed, seat post
mounted brake light and switch is only ten dollars.
I have a handlbar mounted set of two 20 W dimmable compact
fluorescent spiral bulbs in clamp on desk lamp shades
mounted to a pair of Space Bars, but probably will not add
them anytime soon.
Any questions?
Yours,
Doug Goncz ( ftp://users.aol.com/DGoncz/ )
My physics project at NVCC:
groups.google.comgroupsOpen ↗ plus
"bicycle", "fluorescent", "inverter", "flywheel",
"ultracapacitor", etc. in the search box