Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Resources, Parts and Products => Topic started by: Steve on Friday,August 24, 2012, 03:43:16 PM
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In my quest to develop complicated, labor intensive solutions for simple problems, here's my battery rack:
(http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb405/thruthefence/batteryrack.jpg)
(http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb405/thruthefence/batteryandrack.jpg)
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Gee Steve, that is one very neat piece of work.
I won't bother posting a picture of the bent bit of wire that's holding mine down..... :)
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Very cool battery rack :beerchug:
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Very good solution, but how is the battery rack fixed in the car? And on which place in the car did you plan to mount it?
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Nice work Steve. That stinkin' battery ain't going no where...........
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You sir, are my hero.
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It is a work of art and certainly a hell of a lot nicer than my bent pieces of aluminum with a couple of holes drilled in it!
I am curious as to why the big battery as opposed to the Odyssey PC680? Is it needed? helpful? Do you have a stereo that rattles my windows when stopped at signals? Just wondering.....
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"I am curious as to why the big battery as opposed to the Odyssey PC680?"
Somebody GAVE me two of them!! Friend of mine at the airport flew a Turboprop Lancair for awhile. It has a 24V electrical system, and uses two of these in series. They are replaced yearly as a part of routine maintenance. Being a "Hobby" airplane, they only had 20 or so starts on them. I've had them on "Battery Tenders" for awhile now. The one in the picture was capacity checked when I was making the measurements for the rack, & Passed with flying colors.
Here's my charger/loadbank:
(http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb405/thruthefence/raybatterycharger.jpg)
I charged it up, and pulled 20A out of it for two hours, and still had 12.2 VDC. I hope it survives until the car runs on it's on!!
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A poster asked about where the battery will be mounted; Behind the passenger seat, which has been floored up with carbon fiber honeycomb panels. The beaverboard (which was deteriorated) canted bulkhead was removed, and a new one was constructed of the same carbon fiber material. Please excuse the untidiness of the area.
(http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb405/thruthefence/batterybay.jpg)
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If the battery is going to be closed up in the section behind the seat I would suggest a battery cut off switch, just in case you need to disconnect in an emergency.
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Where did you get the carbon honey comb. I'm replacing the firewall as well and waslooking into composite material currently used as a firewall in boats.
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Where did you get the carbon honey comb. I'm replacing the firewall as well and waslooking into composite material currently used as a firewall in boats.
I don't know where Steve got his, but I did find some here.
http://www.dragonplate.com/ecart/categories.asp?cID=82
Not cheap though :confused:
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A little rubber or foam padding will help to dampen out vibrations -- which can shorten battery life quite dramatically.
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A poster asked about where the battery will be mounted; Behind the passenger seat, which has been floored up with carbon fiber honeycomb panels. The beaverboard (which was deteriorated) canted bulkhead was removed, and a new one was constructed of the same carbon fiber material. Please excuse the untidiness of the area.
(http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb405/thruthefence/batterybay.jpg)
Carbon fiber is conductive (don't ask me how I know), make sure it can't short the terminals.
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Carbon conducts electricity, carbon brushes in electrical motors etc.
Therefore, according to Spock, it is logical that carbon fibre conducts electricity.
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The carbon fibre mat may well be conductive, but the resin that it's smothered in won't be. Chances of a short are pretty slim I'd say. although it still makes sense to cover the positive terminal with a rubber cap.
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It might have some conductivity, just nothing as effective as metals.
When we wanted a fibreglass vessel or lining which had some static dispersion because the contents might go pop with a spark, we'd specify carbon loading for the gelcoat. The surface presented to the contents was still resin rich but it was conductive enough to be classified by Hazards as not being able to produce a static build up. Having said that, I've a CF bike frame and I'd be staggered if that was conductive enough to pass !
Brian
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Trying to install a smaller replacement battery to an S2 is a bit of a conundrum with only one factory hold down bobbin on the battery tray. This is my method of fitting a PC925 battery in the original location. I'm using an aluminum base plate to support the battery and hold down bracket. The base plate is secured by three bolts, one is the stock bobbin and two additional holes drilled in the right rear wheel arch. The hold down bracket for the battery is then bolted to the plate. The entire assembly can be removed by removing the three bolts and lifting out the base plate and battery.
This particular PC925 battery used was a spare I had sitting around for around three years intended for another car. Unfortunately for the S2, the positive terminal on this PC925 is on the wrong side of the battery. This forced a compromise in how the battery is oriented on the base plate and a need for a slightly longer negative cable.
The hold down bracket has a bit of a Frankenstein look with the bolts securing the aluminum flat stock to the hinges. The bolts are probably overkill for the purpose, will use pop rivets next time for a cleaner appearance.
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Nicely done. Looks very secure, and nice craftsmanship, too.