Plug-In Supply DIY

Re: Happy Plug-in Supply Customer

yes, I drilled two holes in the front support brace. I have included a picture as I was half way through the install. I had to re-drill holes in the fan to get it at the correct height so as not to scrape on the floor. It runs off the AC when the car is plugged in.

I also included a picture of the location of the Elcon. I simply used the hard plastic side of velcro underneath the Elcon to prevent sliding around.

 

Re: Happy Plug-in Supply Customer

Hi Kiettyyyy,

Is that 30 kW rating for the Gen 3 or Gen 2? I'd read that the Gen 2 has a 20kW rating?

Thanks.

 

With a battery voltage of 240v x 125 amps Max = 30kw

According to pEEF 20kwh is limited by the boost converter. The MG2 has a maximum output of 50kW according to my Bentley manual.

 

Re: Happy Plug-in Supply Customer

mine get really hot... cant touch the cooling
i know you have a fan installerd but still.. wy there?
pics of the battery pack in the back?

edit

never mind i found them
those are the new ones i see in those black boxes.. cabling looks a bit DIY? did these also come included? if so for that price it could be nicer.

 

Re: Happy Plug-in Supply Customer

Yes, the unit does get quite hot. That is why I use a fan blow through the vertical fins to help dissipate some of the heat. The reason I mounted the fan on the front bracket was it provided an ideal mount and plenty of air volume directed toward the back of the seat where the charger sits.

Cabling came with the unit. Pictures of the battery pack were posted back on page 12 (post #119)

 

but those wires now run tru your car? big ones right? can not hide them...
if thats the way cables are provided and looking at the price its way to high and unprofessionly looking.

it looks like something i would make .....

 

You route them through the door channel. The Trim covers them. I had to slide my seat way up to take the picture. Normally, you can't even see the charger.

But you can mount the charger wherever you want. If you come up with something more "professional", please share your ideas...

 

Are those wires not to big to fit under that cover?
Its not that i now a better way with those relays boxes it just looks like i would not pay 10 k for that

Verstuurd van mijn HTC Desire met Tapatalk

 

An update on progress on my 4kwh PIS system:

Two new packages arrived via FedEx last night. The largish one seems to be the pieces to build the battery boxes, the other one probably has all the boards and connectors I'm missing. I will examine them tonight after I get home... didn't have time to look at them last night.

Still cautiously optimistic about this system.

 

200 amps? the prius is limited to less then that to 200amps?

 

As I stated in post 170 I got the rest of my kit and I'm working on putting it together...boy what a lot of electrical parts!

Q: It appears that the electric cord for the charger needs to run from the bumper plug, snaked hither and yon through the door trim, etc. to the charger under the driver's seat. The cord I got seems to be about 8-10' long (haven't measured it yet). This seems to be about 1-2' too short (just eyeballing it...haven't measured) to reach. Did you have any problems running it that far?

Q: Also, the connector from the charger to the battery pack seems to be a little too short if I run it through the door trim. Did you have any problems with running it?

Q: The rear controller box has an AC cord coming out of it. How do you connect this? Does it need to be plugged in?

Inquiring minds want to know...

 

Mr Frog can you post some pictures. then maybe we can help.

 

As I stated above, right now I'm just eyeballing these installs...pics will come later. I plan to open another thread documenting my install. Since I have to earn a living, I'm not in a position to take any photos at the moment...perhaps tonight.

Right now I'm just asking Kruz if he encountered any of the issues I mentioned above.

 

1.) The power cord for the charger runs from the charger underneath the driver seat and plugs into the extension cord outlet that sits in the rear driver side "bucket". There is plenty of length. It is the 14 gauge extension cord that you cut off the plug and wire to the bumper plug. Remember to route it through the rubber grommet in the bucket and down through the frame first and then out the hole you cut in the bumper.

2.) The DC connector (Anderson connectors) should have plenty of length. I routed through the door trim, through the OEM battery pack frame and back to the new battery connections which should both be on the driver side.

3.) The rear controller AC connection plugs into the extension cord outlet sitting in the driver side bucket that was installed when you did step 1 above. This supplies power to the rear controller (BMS) when the car is plugged in and charging.

 

Did not receive an extension cord in the package. I got an 8' power cord with the charger. The end looks just like the plug that goes into a computer power supply and it goes directly into the charger...no way to hook anything else into this cord. I'm considering buying a 3' power strip and wiring THAT to the bumper plug. Then I would have length to plug in the charger and the rear controller.

I laid it out from where the charger would go, alongside the trim, and over the laid-down back seat into the back compartment. It looks like if I run it through the OEM frame, the battery pack is positioned properly and the leads from it are long enough, then it will work.

No extension cord supplied with package. See #1. The AC cord from the rear controller is only 1.5' long, no way it would stretch up by the driver's seat.

 

Yes, it sounds like this is all you really need. Make sure it is at least 14 gauge and maybe 6 feet long so you have enough tso work with. The power strip can sit in your "bucket".

 

By 'bucket' do you mean the cargo tray?

Further progress: bought some 22 gauge red connector wire, since it didn't come with the package (I told Robb about that). Cut the leads for the BMS and found that the black connector wire supplied wasn't long enough...another trip to Radio Shack needed.

These connector wires need to be two different lengths. A 'long' wire (one red, one black for all the 'bottom' cells) that is 4" long, and a short wire that is 2.5" long (red + black) for each of the 'top' cells. Then I'll also need some jumpers to string the BMS mini-boards together...not sure how long that will need to be, but probably < 2" each. Anyway, 4"x38 + 2.5"x38 = 247"/12 = ~21' just for the black wires. I only managed to get 33 long wires from the black wire Robb supplied. Haven't let him know about that yet...I consider it minor, but a pain!

The pics Robb sent showing how to put the battery pack together showed the wires just being crimped onto the terminal connector rings. My 'experiments' so far in doing that shows they are too loose. I plan to solder them. This amounts to an enormous amount of work (76x2 = 152 solder joints, plus solder the wires to the boards themselves--another 152 connections!). This kit is not for the lazy or faint of heart.

By the time I was done cutting everything I had available, my back was killing me! Need better ergonomics in my work area...

 

Crimping is generally considered better than soldering in an automotive environment. Good crimpers shouldn't have any problem making secure connections. I'd consider revisiting this if I were you.

 

If this was being installed in the engine compartment I might agree with you. It's not--it's installed in the cargo area. I agree better crimpers would be a plus.