My official Prius Plus mods thread.

I just did some re-reading of some early posts in this thread and there are two things I would like to clarify.

One:
The batteries I have selected are BB Battery EVP20-12 weighing in at 14 lbs. each. The pack of twenty should weigh in at around 280 lbs. and not 500 lbs. I used 500 lbs amount to say if I used a half ton jack, lifting 500 lbs should be easy. Now it turns out the using a half ton jack to lift 280 lbs is overkill, but half ton jacks are cheap so for about 12 bucks I should be able to keep my spare. (We will see if I can.) Also, I will be using hold down screws for safety, so if I do need to get to the spare I will have to remove those first before I can lift the pack, and lock out pins so the pack can't lower until you are ready for it to lower.

Two:
In my original diagrams I showed the high voltage parts placed behind the batteries as you look at the pack from the back door. I now plan to move the batteries closer to the front and the high voltage parts to the back so if in an emergency I had to pull the fuses, I could get to them without leaning over the pack.

 

I got Can-View working!

I have no idea what it means yet but it works! :lol:

 

Dave,
Those are issues I'd like to be involved in as well. Only I don't want to take the point as I don't have the proper amount of time to devote to running a club. However, if you want to start one you can make me the first member. I can help folks by showing them how to do a free EV mod. I am amazed by how many more Prius are on the road here over the last year.

 

HV (High Voltage) Warning: Traction Battery Packs, Motors, Chargers, and other HV sources could cause serious injury or death if proper precautions are not taken while working on or around them. Use this information at your own risk: There is no warranty expressed nor implied and we are not liable for any of your future actions. Even should you perform these modifications to the letter you could still cause damage to any number of components in your vehicle causing it to no longer function. By utilizing these ideas in an attempting to enhance national security, reduce gas consumption, vehicle "emissions", your carbon footprint, or smog, you do so at your own risk & peril. </span>

Moving on!
The high voltage parts connections are easy to understand In a simple form to explain it the connections go from the OEM Battery to a contactor, to a diode, to a fuse, to ten batteries in series, to a diode, to a second fuse, to another ten batteries in series, to a second contactor, and finally back to the OEM Battery.

[attachmentid=7785]

I consider the contactor the heart of this conversion as it shuts on and off connecting the second pack when needed.

Contactor
[attachmentid=7780]

Now the contactor is handling 240 volts DC and when it shuts off just to be sure it won’t arc, you want to add a snubber. The snubber is made from a capacitor and a resistor soldered together with ringlets, covered with heat shrink tubing and attached to the top of the contactor.

Snubber

[attachmentid=7781]
[attachmentid=7782]

 

This is where the snubbers go.

[attachmentid=7792]

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(faith2walk @ May 1 2007, 08:05 PM) [snapback]433635[/snapback]</div>

Oh, I'm sorry; do I have my numbers wrong on the OEM battery? I am not sure of what percent it discharges down to. Can someone clarify that for me? The point I wanted to make was that was that the power still had to come from the gas engine. On a PHEV the power can come from clean sources such as roof top solar, hydro, or wind. Just choose whatever the cleanest energy is that you can get your hands on. For me it is also about not paying someone else to power my car. I will still have to buy fuel, but at least some will come from the sun via panels I already own.

 

Batteries Ordered

Ouch that hurt! This is starting to get serious. As you have by now guessed by my log-in name I don't like spending large sums of money, especially mine. That being said I have twenty new batteries headed my way. With them I should finally be able to build my battery box and place my electronics so I can start running cables.

[attachmentid=7809]

I'm posting the data sheet for anyone who is interested.

http://www.bb-battery.com/productpages/EVP/Evp20-12.pdf

I will still have to buy a charger, battery box parts, wire for cables, and diapers for when I open up the credit card bill. Because first you say it, then you do it.

Total so far
Can-View V4 = $403.00
Vent parts = $11.04
Low Power Control Board and parts = $134.65
High Power parts = $471.93
Batteries and freight = $908.00

Sub Total = $1928.62 :blink:

 

I almost went with Digi-key but there was a wait of four to five weeks. I did not know I thought this was very expensive. Be careful though they did not have "EVP12-20s" in stock. I had to get a quote from them on theses. They did have other BB Batteries though like the EP12-20.

 

Screen for Can-view Ordered</span>

[attachmentid=7854]

Ouch that hurt too. If you remember the Can-View V4 and the Screen are two items I was going to use anyway, so I don't count them as part of the price of this conversion in my book, but for your sake I will include the price here. One LILLIPUT GL-701/NP/C/T, shipping, insurance, and tax, $355.05. You could buy a screen that you could mount on your dash and save 100 bucks but I hope to figure out a way to mount this behind the glass door. We will see.

Now as a side note, Calcars.org will be doing another conversion at the Makers Fair again this year. I plan to be there. Read these details as you sing to yourself

"Are you going to the Makers Fair?
"Prius, Sage, Red, Black, and Brown"
"Remember me to one who glides there, she still is a true love of mine."
"Tell her to take me to a coffee house (On the side of a hill in the deep forest green)"
"Prius, Silver, Blue, Green, and Tan (Clean as a sparrow on oil crusted ground)"
"With two beds that fold right down (Blankets and bedclothes I'm a child of the mountain)"
"There we sleep silently dreaming (Of the day she can run on the clean mountain sun)"

<span style="color:#3366FF">Maker Faire , Saturday May 19-Sunday May 20, San Mateo Fairgrounds

Next project, mount the diode in the heat sink.

Total so far
Can-View V4 = $403.00
Screen for Can-View = $355.05
Vent parts = $11.04
Low Power Control Board and parts = $134.65
High Power parts = $471.93
Batteries and freight = $908.00

Sub Total = $2,283.67 [attachmentid=7859]

 

Mount the Diode in the Heat Sink

1. Place the heat sink on the work bench.
2. Drill hole to insert nylon spacer. (Lowe’s PN 136978) $1.00 and that included tax.
3. Install diode using the spacer and two heat pad washers.

Sounds easy enough.

Tools you will need are a drill with a 1/2" bit, a large towel, a bandage and some sort of antibacterial cream.

What you want to do is place the heat sink on a piece of wood that you can drill through. Hold the heat sink firmly and drill just until the bit catches and spins the heat sink around like razor sharp blades of death. At that point stop drilling and grab the towel to stop the bleeding. Try to use just one end of the towel for the tourniquet so you can use the other to clean up the little drops of blood from your tool set and surrounding area. This is where the bandage and antibacterial cream will come in handy.

Oh yeah, a vice... you'll need one of those too. Why didn't I think you that before? In fact if you use the vice you may not need the towel, bandage, or antibacterial cream.

[attachmentid=7895]

[attachmentid=7896]

[attachmentid=7897]

Now the diode is electrically separated from the heat sink.

Total so far
Can-View V4 = $403.00
Screen for Can-View = $355.05
Vent parts = $11.04
Low Power Control Board and parts = $134.65
High Power parts = $471.93
Batteries and freight = $908.00
Miscellaneous Parts = $1.00


Sub Total = $2,284.67 [attachmentid=7859]

 

For the Prius Plus to work you must have 240vdc in the second pack or you will have to have a DC to DC converter. DC to DC converters add weight and money. Also, you have to watch the weight. Believe me If I could have, I would have a larger pack.

Here is a picture of my parts, less the Can-View and Screen, and Batteries. Wow, it doesn't seem like all that much once the small parts are on the low power board.

[attachmentid=7900]

Next project, mount the in dash Liliput motorized pop up screen. B)
Can you say bloody knuckles?

Maybe I'll do the Can-View install while I am back there too.

 

I just got the Lilliput GL701-NP/C/T.
The same one that The Force has. Yes, Force it has the round button. I’m thinking I could just put my front view cam right to the extra input on this. I will be taking apart my dash tonight to start the install. If there is any way to get this in my car without removing the glass door, I'm going to find it. I'll be installing a Carputer later this week for data collection off the Can-View in real time. I'll have a lot more on that Thursday or Friday.

I have had a lot of late nights this past weekend, and I think the only thing keeping me from passing out is coffee. So it is off to get some more coffee and to change my bandage.