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Electric Circus Car vol 2

We are getting close to completing this project.  


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That Z-Link bus bar is a very good solution to distributing the battery power to the parts that are connected to it. It would provide a cleaner and more professional look to the installation than Wago power distribution blocks would. I only suggested the Wago power distribution blocks as a more economical alternative to using a bus bar. However if the difference in price is not a deciding factor then using the bus bar would be my number one choice.

Just to elaborate on installing the Wago connectors here is a wiring diagram showing how to wire them for an application like yours.

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We could make a kit out of all of the parts that you mentioned. To make the kit we would need to know the outside diameter of the bus bar's stud and screw threads (if the Marinco pro installer z-link buss bar is used then it has 6mm studs and 4mm screw threads), and we would also need to know how long to make the wires for the kit. 


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If you would like to have a kit made then please let us know the model of bus bar and wire lengths for the kit and I will go ahead and make it and post a link to it here.

I won't know the wire lengths until I start putting things together, but I'm OK with making all of those connections, so I won't need the kit.  I'll order the parts from ESP and the bus bar from West Marine.

When using a toggle switch for lights, does it matter if the switch is on the positive or negative wire?

Code

Item

Qty

Price

Grand Total

BAT-12V12A

BAT-12V12A, 12 Volt 12 Ah Battery Model WP12-12/T2 With 12 Month Warranty

1

$39.95

$39.95

LIT-2512

2-1/2" 12V 10W Halogen Electric Scooter Chrome Headlight (LIT-2512)

2

$19.95

$39.90

CHR-12V3A3P

12 Volt 3 Amp Automatic Battery Charger With 3-Port Inline Plug (CHR-12V3A3P)

1

$24.95

$24.95

SWT-100

Toggle Power Switch with 18" Wires (SWT-100)

4

$4.95

$19.80

WIR-100

WIR-100, 22 Gauge Black Power Cable Wire (Sold By The Foot)

20

$0.14

$2.80

WIR-101

WIR-101, 22 Gauge Red Power Cable Wire (Sold By The Foot)

20

$0.14

$2.80

WIR-105

WIR-105, 20 Gauge Black Power Cable Wire (Sold By The Foot)

3

$0.18

$0.54

WIR-106

WIR-106, 20 Gauge Red Power Cable Wire (Sold By The Foot)

3

$0.18

$0.54

FUS-360

ATO Fuse Holder with 14 Gauge Red Wire and 1/4" Push-On Connectors (FUS-360)

1

$2.95

$2.95

CNX-515

3 Pin Inline Charger Port with Wires (CNX-515)

1

$5.95

$5.95


This is what I ordered.  What do you think?  What size fuse should I use?

I understand about not knowing the wire lengths until the job is started. That is just the nature of wiring these kind of parts together on a vehicle.

The toggle switches for lights or anything else they could be on the positive or negative wire. Switches are practically always on the positive wire though for no reason other than uniformity. I would wire the switches on the positive wire just in case someone else works on it in the future because that is how they will expect for it to be wired.

With everything on at once there should be a 15 Amp load. So I would use a 20 Amp fuse. I will add a 20 Amp fuse to your order for no extra charge.


Also I would use a 14 gauge wire between the battery and bus bar. I will switch the 20 gauge wire on your order over to 14 gauge for no extra charge.


The 22 gauge wire will work for the lights however it is a little thin for the horn and siren. I will switch the 22 gauge wire on your order over to 16 gauge wire for no extra charge.


I will also put instructions on the order for our technician to use 16 gauge wire on the SWT-100 toggle switches.


With these changes made to your order everything now looks good to me.

OK

Thanks!


You are welcome. I also added to the order some extra wire terminals and wire connectors for no extra charge to help you complete the job. I resent the invoice to your email so you can see the changes made to the order. Thank you for your order.

Wow!  Super Service!

I have a question about my car's 36volt system.  Will leaving the on/off switch in the on position drain the batteries even if the motor is not being run?  If so, why?

Yes whenever the on/off power switch is in the on position then the controller is on (even when the motor is not running) and when the controller is on it draws a very small amount of power from the battery pack.

When the power switch is on and the direction switch is either in the forward or reverse position (not in park) then the reverse relay is on and it draws a considerable more amount of power than the controller does.

When the power switch is off then that automatically turns off power to everything, and the direction switch does not need to be put into its park position.

No harm other than a discharged battery pack would come from leaving the power switch on overnight, however if the power switch was left on for several days or weeks then that could deeply discharge the battery pack and either damage it or lower its lifespan.

If the power switch was on and the direction switch was in its forward or reverse position for an hour that would only put a small drain on the battery pack and probably lower the ride time by only a few minutes compared to if the power switch was off.

The controller probably draws around 5 Watts of power when the motor is not running, and the reverse relay draws around 25 Watts of power when it is in forward or reverse mode. So putting the direction switch in park is more important than turning the power switch off when the vehicle is not being used for a short amount of time.

OK.

I'm thinking about replacing my on/off toggle switch with a switch that has an indicator light.

It is a great idea to have an indicator light that illuminates when the power is on. However there is 36 Volts DC running to the power switch and as far as I know DPST toggle switches with 36 Volt indicator lights are not available.

An easier solution than trying to find a DPST toggle switch with 36 Volt indicator light would be to install a separate 36 Volt indicator light that runs off of the controller's indicator (power light) connector.

I would usually recommend to use an LED Voltmeter for this however I do not think that it would match the old fashion look of your miniature model T car. It is an option though. Here is what they look like.

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Old fashion looking 36 Volt indicator lights are available though which look like this.


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We can special order these chrome plated brass indicator lights with 36 Volt lamps. We could attach wires and a connector onto it that would plug into the controller's indicator connector so it would be plug and play. We would not even charge you for this since you have placed so many orders with us. All you would need to do is let us know how long to make the wires?

The chrome indicator light would be great.  Any color is OK.  My controller does have an available connector labeled 'indicator' and the wires would need to be 42 inches long.


I also want to know the level of charge for my 36volt battery pack so as to know whether or not it need to go on the charger.  .  Would that be the volt meter?

You're right, that it doesn't fit the retro look of my car, but I have a place to put it where the audience wouldn't see it.  I still would need the indicator light, as the volt meter would be hidden.

Okay I will go ahead and order the 36 Volt indicator lights and wire one to plug into the controller and send it to you. These are only available overseas so it will take a few weeks before we get them in. I am ordering them with red lenses since that is the most commonly used color for a power indicator light.

Regarding the Voltmeter for level of charge readings it would need to be read when the vehicle was in motion to get an accurate reading. When the motor is not running the Voltage of the battery pack will bounce back to a normal high level, so to get an accurate battery level reading the vehicle needs to be in motion at its normal rate of speed.

I imagine that if the audience can not see the Voltmeter, then you could not see it either when driving the car. You may want to consider using a old fashion style 36 Volt golf cart battery charge indicator meter that you could mount in the dash so you can see it when driving.

We could solder a couple of extra wires coming out of the back side of the indicator light to attach to the Voltmeter if you would like?

Great.  I like the old fashion charge indicator and yes, please do add the wires to the back of the indicator light.

Thanks,


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