Re: Motor not powering up
Thanks Myles.? I followed the wiring descriptions to get the unit working and have used it about a dozen times running up to 50amps in tests.? It ran good if forward and reverse.? Nothing in the wiring has changed and my meter reads valid numbers up to the contactor of 53V.? This idea that the 24v supply to the coils in the contactor being PWM might not show up on my amp meter seems like it could be leading me astray and that this really is the contactor.? I wish I had easy access to one I could use to rule it out but they are something like $120.? I'm thinking I'll go ahead and ship both the controller and the contactor and see what TS finds out.? I asked if it's possible the config in the sevcon could have been corrupted somehow and rewriting a configuration to it might bring it back.? They said they've only seen that happen on two occasions?but we'll find out when they get the controller.? I'll have to try and get it taken apart and ship it this weekend and hopefully know something soon.??
Thanks for your input, everyone.? I really appreciate every bit of new information!
Larry
On Tue, Sep 15, 2020 at 12:14 PM Myles Twete < matwete@...> wrote: I¡¯ve used the Sevcon GEN4¡¯s including their contactor drive outputs (3 contactor control outputs used in our case).? The nice thing is that, properly used, Sevcon¡¯s contactor control often includes: ¡¤?????? Built-in transient suppression ¡¤?????? SW-controlled PWM economizing ¡¤?????? Contact-weld prevention (contactor closes only after dV small) ? I don¡¯t have vast experience with these, but I know the design is robust.? I also know that Sevcon has great latitude to modify the internal configuration, timing and functionality of the Gen4 units (ours were actually Gen4 motor controllers repurposed as DC to DC converters).? There are lots of safety features, fault indicators and such---and I¡¯m sure the contactor drive outputs are quite protected.? I didn¡¯t hear of a single case of a contactor drive output failure.? I personally had Sevcon tailor one contactor drive output for our needs (PWM-drive a 24v coil from 48vDC rail plus PWM economizing). ? Before sending your controller back to TS, I would double check your wiring against the recommended wiring configuration.? Having said that, hardware fails and software gets configured wrong.? Sometimes the wrong hardware/software configuration gets shipped.? You can have several identical looking GEN4 units all with different configurations and even voltage ratings.? The markings on the controller S/N plate are important and should be checked against what it should be. ? Best of luck- ? -Myles Twete ? From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Lars Jensen
Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 2020 4:50 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [electricboats] Motor not powering up ? The line-contactor power from the sevcon is pwm, i.e. it is a pulsed 20-24v, which then should trigger the relay and provide the 48v main power - with a loudably click . The pwm is difficult to measure with a voltmeter. And the sevcon measures if power is provided on the 48v even if there is no 24v on the line-contactor - and goes into an error called "fused main contactor" (or similar) ? So my understanding is that the switch going into the sevcon allows the sevcon to determine that the user has switched it on.? It goes through some logic to determine if it's ready to engage the contactor.? So it runs between 20 and 24 volts to the small poles on the contactor.? This engages the contactor and supplies the full 48v to the Sevcon.? So if there is no voltage on those small posts the Sevcon is not turning the thing on.? I was thinking those poles were from the switch but in fact they are not. (which makes sense)? The odd thing here is that the Sevcon has a green light so it doesn't think anything is wrong.? I'm really just trying to understand this as I go.? I am certainly no expert, but what he was saying makes sense to me so far... ? if the contactor poles are not working shouldn't you change that before dismantling the sevcon? ? So I got a hold of TS today.? They said the small poles on the contactor should show 20 to 24v when it's energized to make the contactors close.? Probing those posts I get no voltage.? They had me probe the wires through the harness and they show continuity.? So they are asking that I send them the controller so they can put it on a bench.? So off I go to dismantle things. I really hope I'm missing something and it's fine.? I don't see how, but that would be the best outcome.? I held on to this unit in my home for a couple years until I had the opportunity to do the install.? After getting it installed I've taken the boat off the dock 1 time.? I've run it about a dozen times at the dock so on average I got about $80/hr use out of it.? Sevcon sounds like they are a pretty good outfit but this is very disappointing.? If it is the controller they will make a case for getting a replacement unit from sevcon but no guarantees since it's 3 years old.? I'll keep you guys posted. ? On Mon, Sep 14, 2020 at 11:46 AM Bob Jennings <heatnh@...> wrote: Larry, won't be at my boat till next week. Matthew brought up a good point. If you can't hear the contactor clicking/pulling in when you turn the key, it's busted.?? The contactor on my boat is a Tyco. Should be able to find a replacement easy enough. ? Just so you know, I have the 48v thunderstruck kit and have had the same contactor problem- proper voltage on one pole and significantly reduced voltage on the other. Ended up replacing the contactor and she worked fine. My connections on the contactor were kinda loose when I went to diagnose it at first with the multi meter, but seems yours were tight.? I think the contactor they provide with the kit could be low quality now that I read you are having the same problem. If you end up replacing it with a different kind let me know because I¡¯m thinking of getting a spare contactor the keep on board in case it happens again underway or in a foreign country. ? Reading up it seems I could leave the throttle in (off position) run a screwdriver across the Line and Terminal contacts and should see the clearview showing the correct voltage to confirm the contactor is not fully engaged?? I'm unsure as to why it isn't simply 53V or 0V on the Terminal side to the controller.? Seems it would act like a physical switch and either be on or off...? But bridging the two with no load seems like it shouldn't hurt. ? On Sun, Sep 13, 2020 at 2:13 PM Larry Brown via <elcapitanbrown=[email protected]> wrote: I went down to the boat yesterday to clean the bottom and figured I'd run the motor a little to keep that warm and fuzzy feeling?that I'm ready to go when I need to and no warmth or fuzz to be had.? Turning the key on to activate the Sevcon caused the sevcon green light to illuminate and the Clearview screen to come on.? However, the clearview shows 00 for voltage.? My battery monitor clearly shows the voltage at 54V (48V system).? When I check the lead going into the contactor to ground I get 53V but on the lead coming out of the contactor going to the controller I'm readying?approximate 10V.? I suspect this is the culprit?? Or is there a reason the lead between the contactor and the controller would read low??? Looking at the contactor it looks like it's a sealed/waterproof unit (From the Thunderstruck kit, or at least water resistent).? All wires nuts are tight on their wire leads from both incoming wire?from the battery bank and outgoing wire to the controller and the two that run to the key switch.? It's in a dry spot and I've run the motor maybe a dozen times in the 2 years I've had the equipment.? (my project was on hold).? There is no apparent corrosion externally whatsoever so I'm not sure what could have caused it to fail.? We are not far away from the lightning capital of the country (Lakeland Fla) but I don't see any charred marks on anything, the solar charge controller is working fine.? Are contactors flaky parts or parts that I should always have a spare available for?? I really thought having such a simple system that's relatively new that was working as advertised would be doing so for quite a while.? Glad I found out at the dock when I didn't need to move the vessel :-P Thanks in advance for anything you guys can offer as advice. -- Larry Brown ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
-- Larry Brown ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
-- Larry Brown ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
-- Larry Brown ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
-- Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
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Re: Motor not powering up
I¡¯ve used the Sevcon GEN4¡¯s including their contactor drive outputs (3 contactor control outputs used in our case).? The nice thing is that, properly used, Sevcon¡¯s contactor control often includes: ¡¤?????? Built-in transient suppression ¡¤?????? SW-controlled PWM economizing ¡¤?????? Contact-weld prevention (contactor closes only after dV small) ? I don¡¯t have vast experience with these, but I know the design is robust.? I also know that Sevcon has great latitude to modify the internal configuration, timing and functionality of the Gen4 units (ours were actually Gen4 motor controllers repurposed as DC to DC converters). ?There are lots of safety features, fault indicators and such---and I¡¯m sure the contactor drive outputs are quite protected.? I didn¡¯t hear of a single case of a contactor drive output failure. ?I personally had Sevcon tailor one contactor drive output for our needs (PWM-drive a 24v coil from 48vDC rail plus PWM economizing). ? Before sending your controller back to TS, I would double check your wiring against the recommended wiring configuration.? Having said that, hardware fails and software gets configured wrong.? Sometimes the wrong hardware/software configuration gets shipped.? You can have several identical looking GEN4 units all with different configurations and even voltage ratings.? The markings on the controller S/N plate are important and should be checked against what it should be. ? Best of luck- ? -Myles Twete ?
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Show quoted text
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Lars Jensen
Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 2020 4:50 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [electricboats] Motor not powering up ? The line-contactor power from the sevcon is pwm, i.e. it is a pulsed 20-24v, which then should trigger the relay and provide the 48v main power - with a loudably click . The pwm is difficult to measure with a voltmeter. And the sevcon measures if power is provided on the 48v even if there is no 24v on the line-contactor - and goes into an error called "fused main contactor" (or similar) ? So my understanding is that the switch going into the sevcon allows the sevcon to determine that the user has switched it on.? It goes through some logic to determine if it's ready to engage the contactor.? So it runs between 20 and 24 volts to the small poles on the contactor.? This engages the contactor and supplies the full 48v to the Sevcon.? So if there is no voltage on those small posts the Sevcon is not turning the thing on.? I was thinking those poles were from the switch but in fact they are not. (which makes sense)? The odd thing here is that the Sevcon has a green light so it doesn't think anything is wrong.? I'm really just trying to understand this as I go.? I am certainly no expert, but what he was saying makes sense to me so far... ? if the contactor poles are not working shouldn't you change that before dismantling the sevcon? ? So I got a hold of TS today.? They said the small poles on the contactor should show 20 to 24v when it's energized to make the contactors close.? Probing those posts I get no voltage.? They had me probe the wires through the harness and they show continuity.? So they are asking that I send them the controller so they can put it on a bench.? So off I go to dismantle things. I really hope I'm missing something and it's fine.? I don't see how, but that would be the best outcome.? I held on to this unit in my home for a couple years until I had the opportunity to do the install.? After getting it installed I've taken the boat off the dock 1 time.? I've run it about a dozen times at the dock so on average I got about $80/hr use out of it.? Sevcon sounds like they are a pretty good outfit but this is very disappointing.? If it is the controller they will make a case for getting a replacement unit from sevcon but no guarantees since it's 3 years old.? I'll keep you guys posted. ? On Mon, Sep 14, 2020 at 11:46 AM Bob Jennings <heatnh@...> wrote: Larry, won't be at my boat till next week. Matthew brought up a good point. If you can't hear the contactor clicking/pulling in when you turn the key, it's busted.?? The contactor on my boat is a Tyco. Should be able to find a replacement easy enough. ? Just so you know, I have the 48v thunderstruck kit and have had the same contactor problem- proper voltage on one pole and significantly reduced voltage on the other. Ended up replacing the contactor and she worked fine. My connections on the contactor were kinda loose when I went to diagnose it at first with the multi meter, but seems yours were tight.? I think the contactor they provide with the kit could be low quality now that I read you are having the same problem. If you end up replacing it with a different kind let me know because I¡¯m thinking of getting a spare contactor the keep on board in case it happens again underway or in a foreign country. ? Reading up it seems I could leave the throttle in (off position) run a screwdriver across the Line and Terminal contacts and should see the clearview showing the correct voltage to confirm the contactor is not fully engaged?? I'm unsure as to why it isn't simply 53V or 0V on the Terminal side to the controller.? Seems it would act like a physical switch and either be on or off...? But bridging the two with no load seems like it shouldn't hurt. ? On Sun, Sep 13, 2020 at 2:13 PM Larry Brown via <elcapitanbrown=[email protected]> wrote: I went down to the boat yesterday to clean the bottom and figured I'd run the motor a little to keep that warm and fuzzy feeling?that I'm ready to go when I need to and no warmth or fuzz to be had.? Turning the key on to activate the Sevcon caused the sevcon green light to illuminate and the Clearview screen to come on.? However, the clearview shows 00 for voltage.? My battery monitor clearly shows the voltage at 54V (48V system).? When I check the lead going into the contactor to ground I get 53V but on the lead coming out of the contactor going to the controller I'm readying?approximate 10V.? I suspect this is the culprit?? Or is there a reason the lead between the contactor and the controller would read low??? Looking at the contactor it looks like it's a sealed/waterproof unit (From the Thunderstruck kit, or at least water resistent).? All wires nuts are tight on their wire leads from both incoming wire?from the battery bank and outgoing wire to the controller and the two that run to the key switch.? It's in a dry spot and I've run the motor maybe a dozen times in the 2 years I've had the equipment.? (my project was on hold).? There is no apparent corrosion externally whatsoever so I'm not sure what could have caused it to fail.? We are not far away from the lightning capital of the country (Lakeland Fla) but I don't see any charred marks on anything, the solar charge controller is working fine.? Are contactors flaky parts or parts that I should always have a spare available for?? I really thought having such a simple system that's relatively new that was working as advertised would be doing so for quite a while.? Glad I found out at the dock when I didn't need to move the vessel :-P Thanks in advance for anything you guys can offer as advice. -- Larry Brown ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
-- Larry Brown ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
-- Larry Brown ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
-- Larry Brown ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
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Re: Repowering a 55' sailboat
Thank you so much, Mike!? This is very helpful. I actually looked deeply at the QuietTorque 60.0LC. It looks like one of the absolute best solutions for my boat. The professional look, ease of installation and excellent reviews really led me to consider it. Really, the only reason why I didn't end up going down the pre-build route is that my boat was built from the hull up by my father, uncle and grandfather over 12 years of effort. Everything has been hand built and designed. In order to fully participate in the experience and make the boat mine, I wanted to deeply dive into all the technical details of an electric conversion and then build from as close to scratch as I could. That said, I was recently in a rush and almost bought the QT60, but decided, in the breach, that I could lose another sailing season and build it myself.
I really like the breakdown, Mike.? I've actually created a graph with the estimates created from Gerr (from his book), Eric's feedback-based calculations from this list, and your experience-based calculations from building production systems.? I built a quick non-linear regression to fit a simple curve, then used it to predict a set of common values.? (I couldn't embed it and the normal upload to the forum isn't working. I was able to add it as an attachment, but can't find the attachment. So, there's a simple link below.)
Thanks again, Mike!
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Re: Motor not powering up
The line-contactor power from the sevcon is pwm, i.e. it is a pulsed 20-24v, which then should trigger the relay and provide the 48v main power - with a loudably click . The pwm is difficult to measure with a voltmeter. And the sevcon measures if power is provided on the 48v even if there is no 24v on the line-contactor - and goes into an error called "fused main contactor" (or similar)
Lars
So my understanding is that the switch going into the sevcon allows the sevcon to determine that the user has switched it on.? It goes through some logic to determine if it's ready to engage the contactor.? So it runs between 20 and 24 volts to the small poles on the contactor.? This engages the contactor and supplies the full 48v to the Sevcon.? So if there is no voltage on those small posts the Sevcon is not turning the thing on.? I was thinking those poles were from the switch but in fact they are not. (which makes sense)? The odd thing here is that the Sevcon has a green light so it doesn't think anything is wrong.? I'm really just trying to understand this as I go.? I am certainly no expert, but what he was saying makes sense to me so far...
if the contactor poles are not working shouldn't you change that before dismantling the sevcon?
So I got a hold of TS today.? They said the small poles on the contactor should show 20 to 24v when it's energized to make the contactors close.? Probing those posts I get no voltage.? They had me probe the wires through the harness and they show continuity.? So they are asking that I send them the controller so they can put it on a bench.? So off I go to dismantle things.
I really hope I'm missing something and it's fine.? I don't see how, but that would be the best outcome.? I held on to this unit in my home for a couple years until I had the opportunity to do the install.? After getting it installed I've taken the boat off the dock 1 time.? I've run it about a dozen times at the dock so on average I got about $80/hr use out of it.? Sevcon sounds like they are a pretty good outfit but this is very disappointing.? If it is the controller they will make a case for getting a replacement unit from sevcon but no guarantees since it's 3 years old.? I'll keep you guys posted.
On Mon, Sep 14, 2020 at 11:46 AM Bob Jennings < heatnh@...> wrote: Larry, won't be at my boat till next week. Matthew brought up a good point. If you can't hear the contactor clicking/pulling in when you turn the key, it's busted.?? The contactor on my boat is a Tyco. Should be able to find a replacement easy enough.
Just so you know, I have the 48v thunderstruck kit and have had the same contactor problem- proper voltage on one pole and significantly reduced voltage on the other. Ended up replacing the contactor and she worked fine. My connections on the contactor were kinda loose when I went to diagnose it at first with the multi meter, but seems yours were tight.?
I think the contactor they provide with the kit could be low quality now that I read you are having the same problem. If you end up replacing it with a different kind let me know because I¡¯m thinking of getting a spare contactor the keep on board in case it happens again underway or in a foreign country.
Best, -Jack
Reading up it seems I could leave the throttle in (off position) run a screwdriver across the Line and Terminal contacts and should see the clearview showing the correct voltage to confirm the contactor is not fully engaged?? I'm unsure as to why it isn't simply 53V or 0V on the Terminal side to the controller.? Seems it would act like a physical switch and either be on or off...? But bridging the two with no load seems like it shouldn't hurt.
Larry
On Sun, Sep 13, 2020 at 2:13 PM Larry Brown via <elcapitanbrown= [email protected]> wrote: I went down to the boat yesterday to clean the bottom and figured I'd run the motor a little to keep that warm and fuzzy feeling?that I'm ready to go when I need to and no warmth or fuzz to be had.? Turning the key on to activate the Sevcon caused the sevcon green light to illuminate and the Clearview screen to come on.? However, the clearview shows 00 for voltage.? My battery monitor clearly shows the voltage at 54V (48V system).? When I check the lead going into the contactor to ground I get 53V but on the lead coming out of the contactor going to the controller I'm readying?approximate 10V.? I suspect this is the culprit?? Or is there a reason the lead between the contactor and the controller would read low???
Looking at the contactor it looks like it's a sealed/waterproof unit (From the Thunderstruck kit, or at least water resistent).? All wires nuts are tight on their wire leads from both incoming wire?from the battery bank and outgoing wire to the controller and the two that run to the key switch.? It's in a dry spot and I've run the motor maybe a dozen times in the 2 years I've had the equipment.? (my project was on hold).? There is no apparent corrosion externally whatsoever so I'm not sure what could have caused it to fail.? We are not far away from the lightning capital of the country (Lakeland Fla) but I don't see any charred marks on anything, the solar charge controller is working fine.? Are contactors flaky parts or parts that I should always have a spare available for?? I really thought having such a simple system that's relatively new that was working as advertised would be doing so for quite a while.? Glad I found out at the dock when I didn't need to move the vessel :-P
Thanks in advance for anything you guys can offer as advice.
-- Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
--
Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
--
Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
--
Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
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Re: Motor not powering up
The folks at TS are good people! I'm sure they'll be able to sort?it out with sevcon. Keep us?posted.
So my understanding is that the switch going into the sevcon allows the sevcon to determine that the user has switched it on.? It goes through some logic to determine if it's ready to engage the contactor.? So it runs between 20 and 24 volts to the small poles on the contactor.? This engages the contactor and supplies the full 48v to the Sevcon.? So if there is no voltage on those small posts the Sevcon is not turning the thing on.? I was thinking those poles were from the switch but in fact they are not. (which makes sense)? The odd thing here is that the Sevcon has a green light so it doesn't think anything is wrong.? I'm really just trying to understand this as I go.? I am certainly no expert, but what he was saying makes sense to me so far...
if the contactor poles are not working shouldn't you change that before dismantling the sevcon?
So I got a hold of TS today.? They said the small poles on the contactor should show 20 to 24v when it's energized to make the contactors close.? Probing those posts I get no voltage.? They had me probe the wires through the harness and they show continuity.? So they are asking that I send them the controller so they can put it on a bench.? So off I go to dismantle things.
I really hope I'm missing something and it's fine.? I don't see how, but that would be the best outcome.? I held on to this unit in my home for a couple years until I had the opportunity to do the install.? After getting it installed I've taken the boat off the dock 1 time.? I've run it about a dozen times at the dock so on average I got about $80/hr use out of it.? Sevcon sounds like they are a pretty good outfit but this is very disappointing.? If it is the controller they will make a case for getting a replacement unit from sevcon but no guarantees since it's 3 years old.? I'll keep you guys posted.
On Mon, Sep 14, 2020 at 11:46 AM Bob Jennings < heatnh@...> wrote: Larry, won't be at my boat till next week. Matthew brought up a good point. If you can't hear the contactor clicking/pulling in when you turn the key, it's busted.?? The contactor on my boat is a Tyco. Should be able to find a replacement easy enough.
Just so you know, I have the 48v thunderstruck kit and have had the same contactor problem- proper voltage on one pole and significantly reduced voltage on the other. Ended up replacing the contactor and she worked fine. My connections on the contactor were kinda loose when I went to diagnose it at first with the multi meter, but seems yours were tight.?
I think the contactor they provide with the kit could be low quality now that I read you are having the same problem. If you end up replacing it with a different kind let me know because I¡¯m thinking of getting a spare contactor the keep on board in case it happens again underway or in a foreign country.
Best, -Jack
Reading up it seems I could leave the throttle in (off position) run a screwdriver across the Line and Terminal contacts and should see the clearview showing the correct voltage to confirm the contactor is not fully engaged?? I'm unsure as to why it isn't simply 53V or 0V on the Terminal side to the controller.? Seems it would act like a physical switch and either be on or off...? But bridging the two with no load seems like it shouldn't hurt.
Larry
On Sun, Sep 13, 2020 at 2:13 PM Larry Brown via <elcapitanbrown= [email protected]> wrote: I went down to the boat yesterday to clean the bottom and figured I'd run the motor a little to keep that warm and fuzzy feeling?that I'm ready to go when I need to and no warmth or fuzz to be had.? Turning the key on to activate the Sevcon caused the sevcon green light to illuminate and the Clearview screen to come on.? However, the clearview shows 00 for voltage.? My battery monitor clearly shows the voltage at 54V (48V system).? When I check the lead going into the contactor to ground I get 53V but on the lead coming out of the contactor going to the controller I'm readying?approximate 10V.? I suspect this is the culprit?? Or is there a reason the lead between the contactor and the controller would read low???
Looking at the contactor it looks like it's a sealed/waterproof unit (From the Thunderstruck kit, or at least water resistent).? All wires nuts are tight on their wire leads from both incoming wire?from the battery bank and outgoing wire to the controller and the two that run to the key switch.? It's in a dry spot and I've run the motor maybe a dozen times in the 2 years I've had the equipment.? (my project was on hold).? There is no apparent corrosion externally whatsoever so I'm not sure what could have caused it to fail.? We are not far away from the lightning capital of the country (Lakeland Fla) but I don't see any charred marks on anything, the solar charge controller is working fine.? Are contactors flaky parts or parts that I should always have a spare available for?? I really thought having such a simple system that's relatively new that was working as advertised would be doing so for quite a while.? Glad I found out at the dock when I didn't need to move the vessel :-P
Thanks in advance for anything you guys can offer as advice.
-- Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
--
Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
--
Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
--
Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
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Re: Motor not powering up
So my understanding is that the switch going into the sevcon allows the sevcon to determine that the user has switched it on.? It goes through some logic to determine if it's ready to engage the contactor.? So it runs between 20 and 24 volts to the small poles on the contactor.? This engages the contactor and supplies the full 48v to the Sevcon.? So if there is no voltage on those small posts the Sevcon is not turning the thing on.? I was thinking those poles were from the switch but in fact they are not. (which makes sense)? The odd thing here is that the Sevcon has a green light so it doesn't think anything is wrong.? I'm really just trying to understand this as I go.? I am certainly no expert, but what he was saying makes sense to me so far...
if the contactor poles are not working shouldn't you change that before dismantling the sevcon?
So I got a hold of TS today.? They said the small poles on the contactor should show 20 to 24v when it's energized to make the contactors close.? Probing those posts I get no voltage.? They had me probe the wires through the harness and they show continuity.? So they are asking that I send them the controller so they can put it on a bench.? So off I go to dismantle things.
I really hope I'm missing something and it's fine.? I don't see how, but that would be the best outcome.? I held on to this unit in my home for a couple years until I had the opportunity to do the install.? After getting it installed I've taken the boat off the dock 1 time.? I've run it about a dozen times at the dock so on average I got about $80/hr use out of it.? Sevcon sounds like they are a pretty good outfit but this is very disappointing.? If it is the controller they will make a case for getting a replacement unit from sevcon but no guarantees since it's 3 years old.? I'll keep you guys posted.
On Mon, Sep 14, 2020 at 11:46 AM Bob Jennings < heatnh@...> wrote: Larry, won't be at my boat till next week. Matthew brought up a good point. If you can't hear the contactor clicking/pulling in when you turn the key, it's busted.?? The contactor on my boat is a Tyco. Should be able to find a replacement easy enough.
Just so you know, I have the 48v thunderstruck kit and have had the same contactor problem- proper voltage on one pole and significantly reduced voltage on the other. Ended up replacing the contactor and she worked fine. My connections on the contactor were kinda loose when I went to diagnose it at first with the multi meter, but seems yours were tight.?
I think the contactor they provide with the kit could be low quality now that I read you are having the same problem. If you end up replacing it with a different kind let me know because I¡¯m thinking of getting a spare contactor the keep on board in case it happens again underway or in a foreign country.
Best, -Jack
Reading up it seems I could leave the throttle in (off position) run a screwdriver across the Line and Terminal contacts and should see the clearview showing the correct voltage to confirm the contactor is not fully engaged?? I'm unsure as to why it isn't simply 53V or 0V on the Terminal side to the controller.? Seems it would act like a physical switch and either be on or off...? But bridging the two with no load seems like it shouldn't hurt.
Larry
On Sun, Sep 13, 2020 at 2:13 PM Larry Brown via <elcapitanbrown= [email protected]> wrote: I went down to the boat yesterday to clean the bottom and figured I'd run the motor a little to keep that warm and fuzzy feeling?that I'm ready to go when I need to and no warmth or fuzz to be had.? Turning the key on to activate the Sevcon caused the sevcon green light to illuminate and the Clearview screen to come on.? However, the clearview shows 00 for voltage.? My battery monitor clearly shows the voltage at 54V (48V system).? When I check the lead going into the contactor to ground I get 53V but on the lead coming out of the contactor going to the controller I'm readying?approximate 10V.? I suspect this is the culprit?? Or is there a reason the lead between the contactor and the controller would read low???
Looking at the contactor it looks like it's a sealed/waterproof unit (From the Thunderstruck kit, or at least water resistent).? All wires nuts are tight on their wire leads from both incoming wire?from the battery bank and outgoing wire to the controller and the two that run to the key switch.? It's in a dry spot and I've run the motor maybe a dozen times in the 2 years I've had the equipment.? (my project was on hold).? There is no apparent corrosion externally whatsoever so I'm not sure what could have caused it to fail.? We are not far away from the lightning capital of the country (Lakeland Fla) but I don't see any charred marks on anything, the solar charge controller is working fine.? Are contactors flaky parts or parts that I should always have a spare available for?? I really thought having such a simple system that's relatively new that was working as advertised would be doing so for quite a while.? Glad I found out at the dock when I didn't need to move the vessel :-P
Thanks in advance for anything you guys can offer as advice.
-- Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
--
Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
--
Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
-- Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
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Re: Motor not powering up
if the contactor poles are not working shouldn't you change that before dismantling the sevcon?
So I got a hold of TS today.? They said the small poles on the contactor should show 20 to 24v when it's energized to make the contactors close.? Probing those posts I get no voltage.? They had me probe the wires through the harness and they show continuity.? So they are asking that I send them the controller so they can put it on a bench.? So off I go to dismantle things.
I really hope I'm missing something and it's fine.? I don't see how, but that would be the best outcome.? I held on to this unit in my home for a couple years until I had the opportunity to do the install.? After getting it installed I've taken the boat off the dock 1 time.? I've run it about a dozen times at the dock so on average I got about $80/hr use out of it.? Sevcon sounds like they are a pretty good outfit but this is very disappointing.? If it is the controller they will make a case for getting a replacement unit from sevcon but no guarantees since it's 3 years old.? I'll keep you guys posted.
On Mon, Sep 14, 2020 at 11:46 AM Bob Jennings < heatnh@...> wrote: Larry, won't be at my boat till next week. Matthew brought up a good point. If you can't hear the contactor clicking/pulling in when you turn the key, it's busted.?? The contactor on my boat is a Tyco. Should be able to find a replacement easy enough.
Just so you know, I have the 48v thunderstruck kit and have had the same contactor problem- proper voltage on one pole and significantly reduced voltage on the other. Ended up replacing the contactor and she worked fine. My connections on the contactor were kinda loose when I went to diagnose it at first with the multi meter, but seems yours were tight.?
I think the contactor they provide with the kit could be low quality now that I read you are having the same problem. If you end up replacing it with a different kind let me know because I¡¯m thinking of getting a spare contactor the keep on board in case it happens again underway or in a foreign country.
Best, -Jack
Reading up it seems I could leave the throttle in (off position) run a screwdriver across the Line and Terminal contacts and should see the clearview showing the correct voltage to confirm the contactor is not fully engaged?? I'm unsure as to why it isn't simply 53V or 0V on the Terminal side to the controller.? Seems it would act like a physical switch and either be on or off...? But bridging the two with no load seems like it shouldn't hurt.
Larry
On Sun, Sep 13, 2020 at 2:13 PM Larry Brown via <elcapitanbrown= [email protected]> wrote: I went down to the boat yesterday to clean the bottom and figured I'd run the motor a little to keep that warm and fuzzy feeling?that I'm ready to go when I need to and no warmth or fuzz to be had.? Turning the key on to activate the Sevcon caused the sevcon green light to illuminate and the Clearview screen to come on.? However, the clearview shows 00 for voltage.? My battery monitor clearly shows the voltage at 54V (48V system).? When I check the lead going into the contactor to ground I get 53V but on the lead coming out of the contactor going to the controller I'm readying?approximate 10V.? I suspect this is the culprit?? Or is there a reason the lead between the contactor and the controller would read low???
Looking at the contactor it looks like it's a sealed/waterproof unit (From the Thunderstruck kit, or at least water resistent).? All wires nuts are tight on their wire leads from both incoming wire?from the battery bank and outgoing wire to the controller and the two that run to the key switch.? It's in a dry spot and I've run the motor maybe a dozen times in the 2 years I've had the equipment.? (my project was on hold).? There is no apparent corrosion externally whatsoever so I'm not sure what could have caused it to fail.? We are not far away from the lightning capital of the country (Lakeland Fla) but I don't see any charred marks on anything, the solar charge controller is working fine.? Are contactors flaky parts or parts that I should always have a spare available for?? I really thought having such a simple system that's relatively new that was working as advertised would be doing so for quite a while.? Glad I found out at the dock when I didn't need to move the vessel :-P
Thanks in advance for anything you guys can offer as advice.
-- Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
--
Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
--
Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
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Re: Motor not powering up
So I got a hold of TS today.? They said the small poles on the contactor should show 20 to 24v when it's energized to make the contactors close.? Probing those posts I get no voltage.? They had me probe the wires through the harness and they show continuity.? So they are asking that I send them the controller so they can put it on a bench.? So off I go to dismantle things.
I really hope I'm missing something and it's fine.? I don't see how, but that would be the best outcome.? I held on to this unit in my home for a couple years until I had the opportunity to do the install.? After getting it installed I've taken the boat off the dock 1 time.? I've run it about a dozen times at the dock so on average I got about $80/hr use out of it.? Sevcon sounds like they are a pretty good outfit but this is very disappointing.? If it is the controller they will make a case for getting a replacement unit from sevcon but no guarantees since it's 3 years old.? I'll keep you guys posted.
On Mon, Sep 14, 2020 at 11:46 AM Bob Jennings < heatnh@...> wrote: Larry, won't be at my boat till next week. Matthew brought up a good point. If you can't hear the contactor clicking/pulling in when you turn the key, it's busted.?? The contactor on my boat is a Tyco. Should be able to find a replacement easy enough.
Just so you know, I have the 48v thunderstruck kit and have had the same contactor problem- proper voltage on one pole and significantly reduced voltage on the other. Ended up replacing the contactor and she worked fine. My connections on the contactor were kinda loose when I went to diagnose it at first with the multi meter, but seems yours were tight.?
I think the contactor they provide with the kit could be low quality now that I read you are having the same problem. If you end up replacing it with a different kind let me know because I¡¯m thinking of getting a spare contactor the keep on board in case it happens again underway or in a foreign country.
Best, -Jack
Reading up it seems I could leave the throttle in (off position) run a screwdriver across the Line and Terminal contacts and should see the clearview showing the correct voltage to confirm the contactor is not fully engaged?? I'm unsure as to why it isn't simply 53V or 0V on the Terminal side to the controller.? Seems it would act like a physical switch and either be on or off...? But bridging the two with no load seems like it shouldn't hurt.
Larry
On Sun, Sep 13, 2020 at 2:13 PM Larry Brown via <elcapitanbrown= [email protected]> wrote: I went down to the boat yesterday to clean the bottom and figured I'd run the motor a little to keep that warm and fuzzy feeling?that I'm ready to go when I need to and no warmth or fuzz to be had.? Turning the key on to activate the Sevcon caused the sevcon green light to illuminate and the Clearview screen to come on.? However, the clearview shows 00 for voltage.? My battery monitor clearly shows the voltage at 54V (48V system).? When I check the lead going into the contactor to ground I get 53V but on the lead coming out of the contactor going to the controller I'm readying?approximate 10V.? I suspect this is the culprit?? Or is there a reason the lead between the contactor and the controller would read low???
Looking at the contactor it looks like it's a sealed/waterproof unit (From the Thunderstruck kit, or at least water resistent).? All wires nuts are tight on their wire leads from both incoming wire?from the battery bank and outgoing wire to the controller and the two that run to the key switch.? It's in a dry spot and I've run the motor maybe a dozen times in the 2 years I've had the equipment.? (my project was on hold).? There is no apparent corrosion externally whatsoever so I'm not sure what could have caused it to fail.? We are not far away from the lightning capital of the country (Lakeland Fla) but I don't see any charred marks on anything, the solar charge controller is working fine.? Are contactors flaky parts or parts that I should always have a spare available for?? I really thought having such a simple system that's relatively new that was working as advertised would be doing so for quite a while.? Glad I found out at the dock when I didn't need to move the vessel :-P
Thanks in advance for anything you guys can offer as advice.
-- Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
--
Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
-- Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
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Re: Repowering a 55' sailboat
Thank you for this information? Best regards, Larry Schmitz
On Monday, September 14, 2020, 10:53 AM, Mike Gunning <mike@...> wrote: Steve, I came up with a different calculation than Eric.? Without more details not sure I can share anything else.? She is a big boat and I am aware of several of that size that have been converted to electric. Note I am a vendor.? Mike? Electric Yacht These where my assumptions:
LOA???????????????????? 55ft
LWL???????????????????? 49ft
Displacement??? 50000lbs (1000lbs per foot)
?
Speed & Power QuietTorque 60.0LC 96V PMAC Motor System???????????????? ?????????????
Kts???????? Amps??? Watts?? (Calm Seas)
2.8???????? 10????????? 960???????
3.4???????? 20????????? 1920?????
4.0???????? 40????????? 3840????? 5kW generator to support this speed
4.5???????? 60????????? 5760?????
5.1???????? 80????????? 7680?????
5.7???????? 110??????? 10560??
6.2???????? 150??????? 14400??
6.8???????? 200??????? 19200??
7.3???????? 240??????? 23040??
7.9???????? 310??????? 29760??
8.5???????? 370??????? 35520??
9.1???????? 460??????? 44160??
9.6???????? 550??????? 52800?????????????????
Hull speed????????? 9.38??????
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Re: Repowering a 55' sailboat
Steve, I came up with a different calculation than Eric.? Without more details not sure I can share anything else.? She is a big boat and I am aware of several of that size that have been converted to electric. Note I am a vendor.? Mike? Electric Yacht These where my assumptions:
LOA???????????????????? 55ft
LWL???????????????????? 49ft
Displacement??? 50000lbs (1000lbs per foot)
?
Speed & Power QuietTorque 60.0LC 96V PMAC Motor System???????????????? ?????????????
Kts???????? Amps??? Watts?? (Calm Seas)
2.8???????? 10????????? 960???????
3.4???????? 20????????? 1920?????
4.0???????? 40????????? 3840????? 5kW generator to support this speed
4.5???????? 60????????? 5760?????
5.1???????? 80????????? 7680?????
5.7???????? 110??????? 10560??
6.2???????? 150??????? 14400??
6.8???????? 200??????? 19200??
7.3???????? 240??????? 23040??
7.9???????? 310??????? 29760??
8.5???????? 370??????? 35520??
9.1???????? 460??????? 44160??
9.6???????? 550??????? 52800?????????????????
Hull speed????????? 9.38??????
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Re: Motor not powering up
Larry, won't be at my boat till next week. Matthew brought up a good point. If you can't hear the contactor clicking/pulling in when you turn the key, it's busted.?? The contactor on my boat is a Tyco. Should be able to find a replacement easy enough.
Just so you know, I have the 48v thunderstruck kit and have had the same contactor problem- proper voltage on one pole and significantly reduced voltage on the other. Ended up replacing the contactor and she worked fine. My connections on the contactor were kinda loose when I went to diagnose it at first with the multi meter, but seems yours were tight.?
I think the contactor they provide with the kit could be low quality now that I read you are having the same problem. If you end up replacing it with a different kind let me know because I¡¯m thinking of getting a spare contactor the keep on board in case it happens again underway or in a foreign country.
Best, -Jack
Reading up it seems I could leave the throttle in (off position) run a screwdriver across the Line and Terminal contacts and should see the clearview showing the correct voltage to confirm the contactor is not fully engaged?? I'm unsure as to why it isn't simply 53V or 0V on the Terminal side to the controller.? Seems it would act like a physical switch and either be on or off...? But bridging the two with no load seems like it shouldn't hurt.
Larry
On Sun, Sep 13, 2020 at 2:13 PM Larry Brown via <elcapitanbrown= [email protected]> wrote: I went down to the boat yesterday to clean the bottom and figured I'd run the motor a little to keep that warm and fuzzy feeling?that I'm ready to go when I need to and no warmth or fuzz to be had.? Turning the key on to activate the Sevcon caused the sevcon green light to illuminate and the Clearview screen to come on.? However, the clearview shows 00 for voltage.? My battery monitor clearly shows the voltage at 54V (48V system).? When I check the lead going into the contactor to ground I get 53V but on the lead coming out of the contactor going to the controller I'm readying?approximate 10V.? I suspect this is the culprit?? Or is there a reason the lead between the contactor and the controller would read low???
Looking at the contactor it looks like it's a sealed/waterproof unit (From the Thunderstruck kit, or at least water resistent).? All wires nuts are tight on their wire leads from both incoming wire?from the battery bank and outgoing wire to the controller and the two that run to the key switch.? It's in a dry spot and I've run the motor maybe a dozen times in the 2 years I've had the equipment.? (my project was on hold).? There is no apparent corrosion externally whatsoever so I'm not sure what could have caused it to fail.? We are not far away from the lightning capital of the country (Lakeland Fla) but I don't see any charred marks on anything, the solar charge controller is working fine.? Are contactors flaky parts or parts that I should always have a spare available for?? I really thought having such a simple system that's relatively new that was working as advertised would be doing so for quite a while.? Glad I found out at the dock when I didn't need to move the vessel :-P
Thanks in advance for anything you guys can offer as advice.
-- Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
--
Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
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Re: Motor not powering up
Just so you know, I have the 48v thunderstruck kit and have had the same contactor problem- proper voltage on one pole and significantly reduced voltage on the other. Ended up replacing the contactor and she worked fine. My connections on the contactor were kinda loose when I went to diagnose it at first with the multi meter, but seems yours were tight.?
I think the contactor they provide with the kit could be low quality now that I read you are having the same problem. If you end up replacing it with a different kind let me know because I¡¯m thinking of getting a spare contactor the keep on board in case it happens again underway or in a foreign country.
Best, -Jack
Reading up it seems I could leave the throttle in (off position) run a screwdriver across the Line and Terminal contacts and should see the clearview showing the correct voltage to confirm the contactor is not fully engaged?? I'm unsure as to why it isn't simply 53V or 0V on the Terminal side to the controller.? Seems it would act like a physical switch and either be on or off...? But bridging the two with no load seems like it shouldn't hurt.
Larry
On Sun, Sep 13, 2020 at 2:13 PM Larry Brown via <elcapitanbrown= [email protected]> wrote: I went down to the boat yesterday to clean the bottom and figured I'd run the motor a little to keep that warm and fuzzy feeling?that I'm ready to go when I need to and no warmth or fuzz to be had.? Turning the key on to activate the Sevcon caused the sevcon green light to illuminate and the Clearview screen to come on.? However, the clearview shows 00 for voltage.? My battery monitor clearly shows the voltage at 54V (48V system).? When I check the lead going into the contactor to ground I get 53V but on the lead coming out of the contactor going to the controller I'm readying?approximate 10V.? I suspect this is the culprit?? Or is there a reason the lead between the contactor and the controller would read low???
Looking at the contactor it looks like it's a sealed/waterproof unit (From the Thunderstruck kit, or at least water resistent).? All wires nuts are tight on their wire leads from both incoming wire?from the battery bank and outgoing wire to the controller and the two that run to the key switch.? It's in a dry spot and I've run the motor maybe a dozen times in the 2 years I've had the equipment.? (my project was on hold).? There is no apparent corrosion externally whatsoever so I'm not sure what could have caused it to fail.? We are not far away from the lightning capital of the country (Lakeland Fla) but I don't see any charred marks on anything, the solar charge controller is working fine.? Are contactors flaky parts or parts that I should always have a spare available for?? I really thought having such a simple system that's relatively new that was working as advertised would be doing so for quite a while.? Glad I found out at the dock when I didn't need to move the vessel :-P
Thanks in advance for anything you guys can offer as advice.
-- Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
--
Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
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Re: Motor not powering up
I checked that fuse. ?Removed I get no power on the Clearview nor green light on sevcon. ?So it is in tact. ?If when you go to your boat, if you take voltage measurements at the positive input to the sevcon and ground when key is on and it reads +48v then it must be my contactor. ?It's the only thing that makes sense to me.
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Sep 14, 2020, at 7:48 AM, Bob Jennings <heatnh@...> wrote:
? Good point Matthew.? When I turn the key to power up my sevcon you can hear the contactor pulling in. If you're not hearing the click, it's not pulling in.? I'm not at my boat but I thought there's also an inline fuse between the contactor & control on the low voltage side.
Bob On Sun, Sep 13, 2020, 5:45 PM Matthew Geier < matthew@...> wrote: Is the contactor even pulling in ? I have a completely different system, but my contactor has a resistor across it (pre-charge) so when the contactor is open, there is a voltage there. The resistor is to trickle charge the input capacitors on the motor controller DC supply. Most designs have them. The resistors allow the capacitors to slowly ramp up volts instead of a large current suge through them when the contactor pulls in cold.
I have had a main contactor fail. They might look sealed, they are not. I assume moisture corroded the contacts or the connections to the coil corroded.
Definitely solid Green.? It's the only light I see on the sevcon too.
On Sun, Sep 13, 2020 at 3:07 PM Ryan Sweet < ryan@...> wrote: Are you sure the light on the sevcon isn¡¯t blinking an error condition? I would think it¡¯s low voltage error would trigger if there were only 10v coming from the contactor.? ? Reading up it seems I could leave the throttle in (off position) run a screwdriver across the Line and Terminal contacts and should see the clearview showing the correct voltage to confirm the contactor is not fully engaged?? I'm unsure as to why it isn't simply 53V or 0V on the Terminal side to the controller.? Seems it would act like a physical switch and either be on or off...? But bridging the two with no load seems like it shouldn't hurt.
Larry On Sun, Sep 13, 2020 at 2:13 PM Larry Brown via <elcapitanbrown= [email protected]> wrote: I went down to the boat yesterday to clean the bottom and figured I'd run the motor a little to keep that warm and fuzzy feeling?that I'm ready to go when I need to and no warmth or fuzz to be had.? Turning the key on to activate the Sevcon caused the sevcon green light to illuminate and the Clearview screen to come on.? However, the clearview shows 00 for voltage.? My battery monitor clearly shows the voltage at 54V (48V system).? When I check the lead going into the contactor to ground I get 53V but on the lead coming out of the contactor going to the controller I'm readying?approximate 10V.? I suspect this is the culprit?? Or is there a reason the lead between the contactor and the controller would read low???
Looking at the contactor it looks like it's a sealed/waterproof unit (From the Thunderstruck kit, or at least water resistent).? All wires nuts are tight on their wire leads from both incoming wire?from the battery bank and outgoing wire to the controller and the two that run to the key switch.? It's in a dry spot and I've run the motor maybe a dozen times in the 2 years I've had the equipment.? (my project was on hold).? There is no apparent corrosion externally whatsoever so I'm not sure what could have caused it to fail.? We are not far away from the lightning capital of the country (Lakeland Fla) but I don't see any charred marks on anything, the solar charge controller is working fine.? Are contactors flaky parts or parts that I should always have a spare available for?? I really thought having such a simple system that's relatively new that was working as advertised would be doing so for quite a while.? Glad I found out at the dock when I didn't need to move the vessel :-P
Thanks in advance for anything you guys can offer as advice.
-- Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
-- Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
--
Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
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Re: Motor not powering up
Good point Matthew.? When I turn the key to power up my sevcon you can hear the contactor pulling in. If you're not hearing the click, it's not pulling in.? I'm not at my boat but I thought there's also an inline fuse between the contactor & control on the low voltage side.
Bob
On Sun, Sep 13, 2020, 5:45 PM Matthew Geier < matthew@...> wrote: Is the contactor even pulling in ? I have a completely different system, but my contactor has a resistor across it (pre-charge) so when the contactor is open, there is a voltage there. The resistor is to trickle charge the input capacitors on the motor controller DC supply. Most designs have them. The resistors allow the capacitors to slowly ramp up volts instead of a large current suge through them when the contactor pulls in cold.
I have had a main contactor fail. They might look sealed, they are not. I assume moisture corroded the contacts or the connections to the coil corroded.
Definitely solid Green.? It's the only light I see on the sevcon too.
On Sun, Sep 13, 2020 at 3:07 PM Ryan Sweet < ryan@...> wrote: Are you sure the light on the sevcon isn¡¯t blinking an error condition? I would think it¡¯s low voltage error would trigger if there were only 10v coming from the contactor.? ? Reading up it seems I could leave the throttle in (off position) run a screwdriver across the Line and Terminal contacts and should see the clearview showing the correct voltage to confirm the contactor is not fully engaged?? I'm unsure as to why it isn't simply 53V or 0V on the Terminal side to the controller.? Seems it would act like a physical switch and either be on or off...? But bridging the two with no load seems like it shouldn't hurt.
Larry On Sun, Sep 13, 2020 at 2:13 PM Larry Brown via <elcapitanbrown= [email protected]> wrote: I went down to the boat yesterday to clean the bottom and figured I'd run the motor a little to keep that warm and fuzzy feeling?that I'm ready to go when I need to and no warmth or fuzz to be had.? Turning the key on to activate the Sevcon caused the sevcon green light to illuminate and the Clearview screen to come on.? However, the clearview shows 00 for voltage.? My battery monitor clearly shows the voltage at 54V (48V system).? When I check the lead going into the contactor to ground I get 53V but on the lead coming out of the contactor going to the controller I'm readying?approximate 10V.? I suspect this is the culprit?? Or is there a reason the lead between the contactor and the controller would read low???
Looking at the contactor it looks like it's a sealed/waterproof unit (From the Thunderstruck kit, or at least water resistent).? All wires nuts are tight on their wire leads from both incoming wire?from the battery bank and outgoing wire to the controller and the two that run to the key switch.? It's in a dry spot and I've run the motor maybe a dozen times in the 2 years I've had the equipment.? (my project was on hold).? There is no apparent corrosion externally whatsoever so I'm not sure what could have caused it to fail.? We are not far away from the lightning capital of the country (Lakeland Fla) but I don't see any charred marks on anything, the solar charge controller is working fine.? Are contactors flaky parts or parts that I should always have a spare available for?? I really thought having such a simple system that's relatively new that was working as advertised would be doing so for quite a while.? Glad I found out at the dock when I didn't need to move the vessel :-P
Thanks in advance for anything you guys can offer as advice.
-- Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
-- Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
--
Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
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Re: Motor not powering up
Is the contactor even pulling in ? I have a completely different system, but my contactor has a resistor across it (pre-charge) so when the contactor is open, there is a voltage there. The resistor is to trickle charge the input capacitors on the motor controller DC supply. Most designs have them. The resistors allow the capacitors to slowly ramp up volts instead of a large current suge through them when the contactor pulls in cold.
I have had a main contactor fail. They might look sealed, they are not. I assume moisture corroded the contacts or the connections to the coil corroded.
Definitely solid Green.? It's the only light I see on the sevcon too.
On Sun, Sep 13, 2020 at 3:07 PM Ryan Sweet < ryan@...> wrote: Are you sure the light on the sevcon isn¡¯t blinking an error condition? I would think it¡¯s low voltage error would trigger if there were only 10v coming from the contactor.? ? Reading up it seems I could leave the throttle in (off position) run a screwdriver across the Line and Terminal contacts and should see the clearview showing the correct voltage to confirm the contactor is not fully engaged?? I'm unsure as to why it isn't simply 53V or 0V on the Terminal side to the controller.? Seems it would act like a physical switch and either be on or off...? But bridging the two with no load seems like it shouldn't hurt.
Larry On Sun, Sep 13, 2020 at 2:13 PM Larry Brown via <elcapitanbrown= [email protected]> wrote: I went down to the boat yesterday to clean the bottom and figured I'd run the motor a little to keep that warm and fuzzy feeling?that I'm ready to go when I need to and no warmth or fuzz to be had.? Turning the key on to activate the Sevcon caused the sevcon green light to illuminate and the Clearview screen to come on.? However, the clearview shows 00 for voltage.? My battery monitor clearly shows the voltage at 54V (48V system).? When I check the lead going into the contactor to ground I get 53V but on the lead coming out of the contactor going to the controller I'm readying?approximate 10V.? I suspect this is the culprit?? Or is there a reason the lead between the contactor and the controller would read low???
Looking at the contactor it looks like it's a sealed/waterproof unit (From the Thunderstruck kit, or at least water resistent).? All wires nuts are tight on their wire leads from both incoming wire?from the battery bank and outgoing wire to the controller and the two that run to the key switch.? It's in a dry spot and I've run the motor maybe a dozen times in the 2 years I've had the equipment.? (my project was on hold).? There is no apparent corrosion externally whatsoever so I'm not sure what could have caused it to fail.? We are not far away from the lightning capital of the country (Lakeland Fla) but I don't see any charred marks on anything, the solar charge controller is working fine.? Are contactors flaky parts or parts that I should always have a spare available for?? I really thought having such a simple system that's relatively new that was working as advertised would be doing so for quite a while.? Glad I found out at the dock when I didn't need to move the vessel :-P
Thanks in advance for anything you guys can offer as advice.
-- Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
-- Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
--
Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
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Re: Motor not powering up
Definitely solid Green.? It's the only light I see on the sevcon too.
On Sun, Sep 13, 2020 at 3:07 PM Ryan Sweet < ryan@...> wrote: Are you sure the light on the sevcon isn¡¯t blinking an error condition? I would think it¡¯s low voltage error would trigger if there were only 10v coming from the contactor.? ? Reading up it seems I could leave the throttle in (off position) run a screwdriver across the Line and Terminal contacts and should see the clearview showing the correct voltage to confirm the contactor is not fully engaged?? I'm unsure as to why it isn't simply 53V or 0V on the Terminal side to the controller.? Seems it would act like a physical switch and either be on or off...? But bridging the two with no load seems like it shouldn't hurt.
Larry On Sun, Sep 13, 2020 at 2:13 PM Larry Brown via <elcapitanbrown= [email protected]> wrote: I went down to the boat yesterday to clean the bottom and figured I'd run the motor a little to keep that warm and fuzzy feeling?that I'm ready to go when I need to and no warmth or fuzz to be had.? Turning the key on to activate the Sevcon caused the sevcon green light to illuminate and the Clearview screen to come on.? However, the clearview shows 00 for voltage.? My battery monitor clearly shows the voltage at 54V (48V system).? When I check the lead going into the contactor to ground I get 53V but on the lead coming out of the contactor going to the controller I'm readying?approximate 10V.? I suspect this is the culprit?? Or is there a reason the lead between the contactor and the controller would read low???
Looking at the contactor it looks like it's a sealed/waterproof unit (From the Thunderstruck kit, or at least water resistent).? All wires nuts are tight on their wire leads from both incoming wire?from the battery bank and outgoing wire to the controller and the two that run to the key switch.? It's in a dry spot and I've run the motor maybe a dozen times in the 2 years I've had the equipment.? (my project was on hold).? There is no apparent corrosion externally whatsoever so I'm not sure what could have caused it to fail.? We are not far away from the lightning capital of the country (Lakeland Fla) but I don't see any charred marks on anything, the solar charge controller is working fine.? Are contactors flaky parts or parts that I should always have a spare available for?? I really thought having such a simple system that's relatively new that was working as advertised would be doing so for quite a while.? Glad I found out at the dock when I didn't need to move the vessel :-P
Thanks in advance for anything you guys can offer as advice.
-- Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
-- Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
-- Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
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Re: Motor not powering up
Are you sure the light on the sevcon isn¡¯t blinking an error condition? I would think it¡¯s low voltage error would trigger if there were only 10v coming from the contactor.?
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On Sep 13, 2020, at 11:51, Larry Brown <elcapitanbrown@...> wrote:
? Reading up it seems I could leave the throttle in (off position) run a screwdriver across the Line and Terminal contacts and should see the clearview showing the correct voltage to confirm the contactor is not fully engaged?? I'm unsure as to why it isn't simply 53V or 0V on the Terminal side to the controller.? Seems it would act like a physical switch and either be on or off...? But bridging the two with no load seems like it shouldn't hurt.
Larry On Sun, Sep 13, 2020 at 2:13 PM Larry Brown via <elcapitanbrown= [email protected]> wrote: I went down to the boat yesterday to clean the bottom and figured I'd run the motor a little to keep that warm and fuzzy feeling?that I'm ready to go when I need to and no warmth or fuzz to be had.? Turning the key on to activate the Sevcon caused the sevcon green light to illuminate and the Clearview screen to come on.? However, the clearview shows 00 for voltage.? My battery monitor clearly shows the voltage at 54V (48V system).? When I check the lead going into the contactor to ground I get 53V but on the lead coming out of the contactor going to the controller I'm readying?approximate 10V.? I suspect this is the culprit?? Or is there a reason the lead between the contactor and the controller would read low???
Looking at the contactor it looks like it's a sealed/waterproof unit (From the Thunderstruck kit, or at least water resistent).? All wires nuts are tight on their wire leads from both incoming wire?from the battery bank and outgoing wire to the controller and the two that run to the key switch.? It's in a dry spot and I've run the motor maybe a dozen times in the 2 years I've had the equipment.? (my project was on hold).? There is no apparent corrosion externally whatsoever so I'm not sure what could have caused it to fail.? We are not far away from the lightning capital of the country (Lakeland Fla) but I don't see any charred marks on anything, the solar charge controller is working fine.? Are contactors flaky parts or parts that I should always have a spare available for?? I really thought having such a simple system that's relatively new that was working as advertised would be doing so for quite a while.? Glad I found out at the dock when I didn't need to move the vessel :-P
Thanks in advance for anything you guys can offer as advice.
-- Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
-- Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
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Re: Motor not powering up
Reading up it seems I could leave the throttle in (off position) run a screwdriver across the Line and Terminal contacts and should see the clearview showing the correct voltage to confirm the contactor is not fully engaged?? I'm unsure as to why it isn't simply 53V or 0V on the Terminal side to the controller.? Seems it would act like a physical switch and either be on or off...? But bridging the two with no load seems like it shouldn't hurt.
Larry
On Sun, Sep 13, 2020 at 2:13 PM Larry Brown via <elcapitanbrown= [email protected]> wrote: I went down to the boat yesterday to clean the bottom and figured I'd run the motor a little to keep that warm and fuzzy feeling?that I'm ready to go when I need to and no warmth or fuzz to be had.? Turning the key on to activate the Sevcon caused the sevcon green light to illuminate and the Clearview screen to come on.? However, the clearview shows 00 for voltage.? My battery monitor clearly shows the voltage at 54V (48V system).? When I check the lead going into the contactor to ground I get 53V but on the lead coming out of the contactor going to the controller I'm readying?approximate 10V.? I suspect this is the culprit?? Or is there a reason the lead between the contactor and the controller would read low???
Looking at the contactor it looks like it's a sealed/waterproof unit (From the Thunderstruck kit, or at least water resistent).? All wires nuts are tight on their wire leads from both incoming wire?from the battery bank and outgoing wire to the controller and the two that run to the key switch.? It's in a dry spot and I've run the motor maybe a dozen times in the 2 years I've had the equipment.? (my project was on hold).? There is no apparent corrosion externally whatsoever so I'm not sure what could have caused it to fail.? We are not far away from the lightning capital of the country (Lakeland Fla) but I don't see any charred marks on anything, the solar charge controller is working fine.? Are contactors flaky parts or parts that I should always have a spare available for?? I really thought having such a simple system that's relatively new that was working as advertised would be doing so for quite a while.? Glad I found out at the dock when I didn't need to move the vessel :-P
Thanks in advance for anything you guys can offer as advice.
-- Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
-- Larry Brown S/V Trident Palm Harbor, FL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~ ? ? ~ ? ? ~ ? ? ? ? ?~~ ? ? ? ? ? ~ ~ ? ? ? ? ? ~~_/) ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ~ ? ? ? ?~ ? ? ?~ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?_/) ? ? ? ? ?~
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Re: Repowering a 55' sailboat
Eric,
That is an incredibly helpful reply! I'm going to spending some time reading more of your posts on the channel.?
Your guess on displacement is spot on. With full fuel tanks and the diesel motor in place, it was a bit under 50,000 lbs. It's been as low as 45,000 pounds, and I'll likely shed a bit of weight as I draw down the diesel. But 25 tons is great for calculations. As I get it running, I'll be sure to feed back all the technical details to you and the group for one more set of data points. :-)
I'll be digesting this info and starting to include it in my future calculations and plans.?
Once again, thank you so much for your wonderful reply. I pray I'll be able to be as helpful on this list sometime in the future with some conversion experience under my belt!
:-)
Steve
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Re: Repowering a 55' sailboat
Hello Eric,? Thank you for the technical info. Every bit helps. I converted my 40ft sailboat with out any real investigation. I bought the 10kw thunderstruck kit. I ended up with a 3 to 1 reduction to keep it in a good power to rpm.? ?It turned out well. I started with 4 agm 12v 220ah? universal lead batteries which we connected in series. This was good but not enough range. I then built a 48v 360 ah battery lifepo4? I used 90ah 3.2v cylinder cells 4p4s? with appropriate sized bus bars. I use the ant bms to monitor during charge/ discharge. I am very pleased with the range and performance. I did have to add some lead to replace some of the weight to keep my water line from changing.? ?I would not go back to diesel to power my boat. We are building 48v systems for our own projects and friends. Not available commercially. but always willing to share what we know and absorb what we don t? ?best regards Larry
?Terminalift LLC 9444 Mission Park Place Santee, CA 92071 Ph: (619) 562-0355 F: (619) 562-2060
On Sunday, September 13, 2020, 09:34:48 AM PDT, Eric via groups.io <ewdysar@...> wrote:
Hi Steven, Welcome to the group! ?I can see that you¡¯ve done your homework and come up with a plan based on traditional sources. ?What we (the people in this group) have found over the last 10 years, is that the traditional powering models and calculators aren¡¯t quite right for electric conversions. ?The Dave Gerr book is a great resource, and I respect him greatly, but we¡¯ve seen time and again, that our end results are not close to his predictions (typically we need much less power than his formulae suggest). ?In conversation with Dave, he accepted that his work is more applicable to power boats operating at faster speeds. What we have found is that displacement is the most accurate indicator of how much power a boat needs. ?A rough rule of thumb for a properly designed electric marine drive is that 1kW/ton of displacement will deliver 90+% of hull speed, 1kW/1000# of displacement will deliver hull speed. ?Another observation is that increasing speed by 1kt (while staying under the 90% hull speed, the flatter part of the speed chart) requires twice the power. ?Conversely, halving one¡¯s power should slow one down by about a knot. Since you did not provide a displacement for your boat, I did a quick search and found that many 55¡¯ sailboats come in between 40,000 and 55,000 pound displacement. ?Given that, I did some quick calcs based on an assumed displacement of 50,000 pounds, or 25 tons. ?Personally, I am in the 1kW/ton camp (my boat achieves 95% hull speed at that power), so that would indicate a 25kW system for your boat. ? Working further with my displacement assumption, I would predict the following results:
- 25kW = 8.5kts
- 12.5 kW = 7.5kts
- 6.2 kW = 6.5kts
- 3.1 kW = 5.5kts
- 1.6 kW = 4.5kts
This estimated table shows the influence of your long waterline. Given these numbers, we can start sizing the motor, batteries and wiring. ?Most of the folks here have stayed with 48V systems for safety, ABYC considers up to 50V as low voltage, and greater than 50V as high voltage, ?High voltage systems should follow the additional requirements listed in ABYC TE-30. ?But with your max power draw of 25kW, a 48V system would pull 520A which isn¡¯t very practical or safe. ?Going to 96V brings your max load to 260A, getting better. ?And choosing 144V should keep your max power below 180A. ?144V components are readily available, i.e. motors, controllers, chargers, the DIY electric car guys have been running around this voltage for decades. ?Given your boat, I would choose 144V too. Personally, I find that 100Ah traction banks are pretty much the minimum for electric boats, and you may find that a pack that size gets worked harder that you might like. ?My pack is 160Ah and seems pretty good. ?But going with your planned 14.4kWh bank, we can see that 90% discharge could drive your boat for 8 hrs at better than 4kts, giving a battery only range of more than 30 nm. ?Even at 6kts, you should be able to run for more than 2 hrs on batteries alone. Ok, this response has turned out longer than I expected, but it should give you some new info to digest. ? I converted my boat to electric in 2010 and have been very pleased with how it has turned out. I have posted here extensively with detailed performance observations and predicted performance of other boats.Feel free to contact me here or off-list for more, if you like. Fair winds and following seas, Eric 1964 Cheoy Lee Bermuda 30, 5.5kW drive, 8kWh LiFePO4 battery bank Marina del Rey, CA PS. ?I am not a vendor, just a hobbyist/satisfied owner.
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Mike Gunning
Matthew Geier