https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=MechanicalCat 2026-05-19T10:15:35Z User contributions MediaWiki 1.42.3 https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Steering&diff=1529 2025-07-07T15:13:21Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>==Geometry==<br /> ===Camber===<br /> [[File:Camber.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> A moderate amount of negative camber will give your racer better tyre contact when the tyre is being distorted during agressive cornering.<br /> Around 2-5 degrees is probably a sensible starting point.<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Caster/Trail===<br /> [[File:Caster.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> A moderate amount of caster angle / trail will help your steering naturally return to the centre, and assist with understeer (push).<br /> When combined with Kingpin Inclination and scrub radius, caster will also allow racers with a rigid frame to lift their inside rear tyre while cornering, which is beneficial with a live axle to avoid understeer. It should be noted this does make steering heavier, as you are partly lifting your own weight with each turn. (Image Credit - super7thheaven.co.uk)<br /> Around 2-5 degrees of (forward pointing) caster and 10-30mm of trail (steering axis ahead of wheel centre) is probably a sensible starting point.<br /> <br /> Most mobility scooters are designed with zero caster (vertical kingpins). When transplanting such steering gear onto a hacky it is advisable to tilt the axle assembly to add a modest amount of caster, otherwise the steering will likely be extremely twitchy.<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Toe In/Out===<br /> Toe is likely not too important to Hacky Racers. Some toe in generally makes steering more stable, and toe out generally makes steering more agressive. Excessive amounts of toe in either direction will lead to tyre wear.<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Kingpin Inclination / Scrub Radius===<br /> [[File:Kingpin Geometry.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> When combined with caster, KPI can help in lifting the rear wheel to improve cornering on live axle racers. See Caster/Trail section<br /> In a simple steering setup, Kingpin inclination may also be how you achieve camber, so around 2-5 degrees again is a sensible starting point.<br /> <br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Ackermann Geometry===<br /> [[File:AckermannRadius.jpg|thumb|left]]<br /> When cornering, your inside wheel needs to follow a tighter radius than your outside wheel. This can be achieved through Ackerman geometry, which through a simple mechanism, turns your inside wheel more aggressively than your outside wheel. Image credit - Vehicle Steering Systems - glue-it.co.uk<br /> The typical general rule is that your steering arms should be attached at a slight angle, so if extended from the king pin, they would cross at the centre of the rear axle. (Image Credit - TomIII- Photobucket)<br /> [[File:AckermannDia.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> This is simple to achieve on rear facing steering arms, which can simply be angled inwards slightly. However, if your steering arms are forward facing, they should be angled outwards. If this would interfere with your tyres, the same effect can be achieved by crossing the tie rods on the pitman arm by the same distance that an angled steering arm would produce.<br /> [[File:AckermannForwardFacingPitman.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Problems===<br /> *Understeer: You hit the barriers front-first.<br /> *Oversteer: You hit the barriers back-end-first.<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Resources===<br /> *[https://www.greenpower.co.uk/node/409 Greenpower Steering Systems]<br /> *[https://www.makerprojectlab.com/making-the-kitty-grabs-back-electric-go-kart/ Making the Kitty Grabs Back Electric Go Kart]<br /> *[http://mechanicalcat.org/hacky-racers/hacky-racers-front-axle/ Mechanical Cat's scratch-built hacky]<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> {{FooterFB}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Knowledge Base]]</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Steering&diff=1528 2025-07-07T15:13:01Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>==Geometry==<br /> ===Camber===<br /> [[File:Camber.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> A moderate amount of negative camber will give your racer better tyre contact when the tyre is being distorted during agressive cornering.<br /> Around 2-5 degrees is probably a sensible starting point.<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Caster/Trail===<br /> [[File:Caster.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> A moderate amount of caster angle / trail will help your steering naturally return to the centre, and assist with understeer (push).<br /> When combined with Kingpin Inclination and scrub radius, caster will also allow racers with a rigid frame to lift their inside rear tyre while cornering, which is beneficial with a live axle to avoid understeer. It should be noted this does make steering heavier, as you are partly lifting your own weight with each turn. (Image Credit - super7thheaven.co.uk)<br /> Around 2-5 degrees of (forward pointing) caster and 10-30mm of trail (steering axis ahead of wheel centre) is probably a sensible starting point.<br /> <br /> Most mobility scooters are designed with zero caster (vertical kingpins). When transplanting such steering gear onto a hacky it is advisable to tilt the axle assembly to add a modest amount of caster, otherwise the steering will likely be extremely twitchy.<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Toe In/Out===<br /> Toe is likely not too important to Hacky Racers. Some toe in generally makes steering more stable, and toe out generally makes steering more agressive. Excessive amounts of toe in either direction will lead to tyre wear.<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Kingpin Inclination / Scrub Radius===<br /> [[File:Kingpin Geometry.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> When combined with caster, KPI can help in lifting the rear wheel to improve cornering on live axle racers. See Caster/Trail section<br /> In a simple steering setup, Kingpin inclination may also be how you achieve camber, so around 2-5 degrees again is a sensible starting point.<br /> <br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Ackermann Geometry===<br /> [[File:AckermannRadius.jpg|thumb|left]]<br /> When cornering, your inside wheel needs to follow a tighter radius than your outside wheel. This can be achieved through Ackerman geometry, which through a simple mechanism, turns your inside wheel more aggressively than your outside wheel. Image credit - Vehicle Steering Systems - glue-it.co.uk<br /> The typical general rule is that your steering arms should be attached at a slight angle, so if extended from the king pin, they would cross at the centre of the rear axle. (Image Credit - TomIII- Photobucket)<br /> [[File:AckermannDia.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> This is simple to achieve on rear facing steering arms, which can simply be angled inwards slightly. However, if your steering arms are forward facing, they should be angled outwards. If this would interfere with your tyres, the same effect can be achieved by crossing the tie rods on the pitman arm by the same distance that an angled steering arm would produce.<br /> [[File:AckermannForwardFacingPitman.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Problems===<br /> *Understeer: You hit the barriers front-first.<br /> *Oversteer: You hit the barriers back-end-first.<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Resources===<br /> *[https://www.greenpower.co.uk/node/409 Greenpower Steering Systems]<br /> *[https://www.makerprojectlab.com/making-the-kitty-grabs-back-electric-go-kart/ Making the Kitty Grabs Back Electric Go Kart]<br /> *[mechanicalcat.org/hacky-racers/hacky-racers-front-axle/ Mechanical Cat's scratch-built hacky]<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> {{FooterFB}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Knowledge Base]]</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Steering&diff=1527 2025-07-07T15:12:32Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>==Geometry==<br /> ===Camber===<br /> [[File:Camber.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> A moderate amount of negative camber will give your racer better tyre contact when the tyre is being distorted during agressive cornering.<br /> Around 2-5 degrees is probably a sensible starting point.<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Caster/Trail===<br /> [[File:Caster.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> A moderate amount of caster angle / trail will help your steering naturally return to the centre, and assist with understeer (push).<br /> When combined with Kingpin Inclination and scrub radius, caster will also allow racers with a rigid frame to lift their inside rear tyre while cornering, which is beneficial with a live axle to avoid understeer. It should be noted this does make steering heavier, as you are partly lifting your own weight with each turn. (Image Credit - super7thheaven.co.uk)<br /> Around 2-5 degrees of (forward pointing) caster and 10-30mm of trail (steering axis ahead of wheel centre) is probably a sensible starting point.<br /> <br /> Most mobility scooters are designed with zero caster (vertical kingpins). When transplanting such steering gear onto a hacky it is advisable to tilt the axle assembly to add a modest amount of caster, otherwise the steering will likely be extremely twitchy.<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Toe In/Out===<br /> Toe is likely not too important to Hacky Racers. Some toe in generally makes steering more stable, and toe out generally makes steering more agressive. Excessive amounts of toe in either direction will lead to tyre wear.<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Kingpin Inclination / Scrub Radius===<br /> [[File:Kingpin Geometry.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> When combined with caster, KPI can help in lifting the rear wheel to improve cornering on live axle racers. See Caster/Trail section<br /> In a simple steering setup, Kingpin inclination may also be how you achieve camber, so around 2-5 degrees again is a sensible starting point.<br /> <br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Ackermann Geometry===<br /> [[File:AckermannRadius.jpg|thumb|left]]<br /> When cornering, your inside wheel needs to follow a tighter radius than your outside wheel. This can be achieved through Ackerman geometry, which through a simple mechanism, turns your inside wheel more aggressively than your outside wheel. Image credit - Vehicle Steering Systems - glue-it.co.uk<br /> The typical general rule is that your steering arms should be attached at a slight angle, so if extended from the king pin, they would cross at the centre of the rear axle. (Image Credit - TomIII- Photobucket)<br /> [[File:AckermannDia.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> This is simple to achieve on rear facing steering arms, which can simply be angled inwards slightly. However, if your steering arms are forward facing, they should be angled outwards. If this would interfere with your tyres, the same effect can be achieved by crossing the tie rods on the pitman arm by the same distance that an angled steering arm would produce.<br /> [[File:AckermannForwardFacingPitman.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Problems===<br /> *Understeer: You hit the barriers front-first.<br /> *Oversteer: You hit the barriers back-end-first.<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Resources===<br /> *[https://www.greenpower.co.uk/node/409 Greenpower Steering Systems]<br /> *[https://www.makerprojectlab.com/making-the-kitty-grabs-back-electric-go-kart/ Making the Kitty Grabs Back Electric Go Kart]<br /> *[mechanicalcat.org/hacky-racers/hacky-racers-front-axle/] Mechanical Cat's scratch-built hacky<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> {{FooterFB}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Knowledge Base]]</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Steering&diff=1526 2025-07-07T10:17:43Z

<p>MechanicalCat: /* Caster/Trail */</p> <hr /> <div>==Geometry==<br /> ===Camber===<br /> [[File:Camber.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> A moderate amount of negative camber will give your racer better tyre contact when the tyre is being distorted during agressive cornering.<br /> Around 2-5 degrees is probably a sensible starting point.<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Caster/Trail===<br /> [[File:Caster.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> A moderate amount of caster angle / trail will help your steering naturally return to the centre, and assist with understeer (push).<br /> When combined with Kingpin Inclination and scrub radius, caster will also allow racers with a rigid frame to lift their inside rear tyre while cornering, which is beneficial with a live axle to avoid understeer. It should be noted this does make steering heavier, as you are partly lifting your own weight with each turn. (Image Credit - super7thheaven.co.uk)<br /> Around 2-5 degrees of (forward pointing) caster and 10-30mm of trail (steering axis ahead of wheel centre) is probably a sensible starting point.<br /> <br /> Most mobility scooters are designed with zero caster (vertical kingpins). When transplanting such steering gear onto a hacky it is advisable to tilt the axle assembly to add a modest amount of caster, otherwise the steering will likely be extremely twitchy.<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Toe In/Out===<br /> Toe is likely not too important to Hacky Racers. Some toe in generally makes steering more stable, and toe out generally makes steering more agressive. Excessive amounts of toe in either direction will lead to tyre wear.<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Kingpin Inclination / Scrub Radius===<br /> [[File:Kingpin Geometry.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> When combined with caster, KPI can help in lifting the rear wheel to improve cornering on live axle racers. See Caster/Trail section<br /> In a simple steering setup, Kingpin inclination may also be how you achieve camber, so around 2-5 degrees again is a sensible starting point.<br /> <br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Ackermann Geometry===<br /> [[File:AckermannRadius.jpg|thumb|left]]<br /> When cornering, your inside wheel needs to follow a tighter radius than your outside wheel. This can be achieved through Ackerman geometry, which through a simple mechanism, turns your inside wheel more aggressively than your outside wheel. Image credit - Vehicle Steering Systems - glue-it.co.uk<br /> The typical general rule is that your steering arms should be attached at a slight angle, so if extended from the king pin, they would cross at the centre of the rear axle. (Image Credit - TomIII- Photobucket)<br /> [[File:AckermannDia.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> This is simple to achieve on rear facing steering arms, which can simply be angled inwards slightly. However, if your steering arms are forward facing, they should be angled outwards. If this would interfere with your tyres, the same effect can be achieved by crossing the tie rods on the pitman arm by the same distance that an angled steering arm would produce.<br /> [[File:AckermannForwardFacingPitman.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Problems===<br /> *Understeer: You hit the barriers front-first.<br /> *Oversteer: You hit the barriers back-end-first.<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Resources===<br /> *[https://www.greenpower.co.uk/node/409 Greenpower Steering Systems]<br /> *[https://www.makerprojectlab.com/making-the-kitty-grabs-back-electric-go-kart/ Making the Kitty Grabs Back Electric Go Kart]<br /> *http://mechanicalcat.org/hacky-racers/hacky-racers-front-axle/<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> {{FooterFB}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Knowledge Base]]</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Steering&diff=1525 2025-07-07T10:16:55Z

<p>MechanicalCat: /* Resources */ Add link to mechanicalcat</p> <hr /> <div>==Geometry==<br /> ===Camber===<br /> [[File:Camber.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> A moderate amount of negative camber will give your racer better tyre contact when the tyre is being distorted during agressive cornering.<br /> Around 2-5 degrees is probably a sensible starting point.<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Caster/Trail===<br /> [[File:Caster.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> A moderate amount of caster angle / trail will help your steering naturally return to the centre, and assist with understeer (push).<br /> When combined with Kingpin Inclination and scrub radius, caster will also allow racers with a rigid frame to lift their inside rear tyre while cornering, which is beneficial with a live axle to avoid understeer. It should be noted this does make steering heavier, as you are partly lifting your own weight with each turn. (Image Credit - super7thheaven.co.uk)<br /> Around 2-5 degrees of (forward pointing) caster and 10-30mm of trail (steering axis ahead of wheel centre) is probably a sensible starting point.<br /> <br /> Most mobility scooters are designed with zero caster (vertical kingpins). When transplanting such steering gear onto a hacky it is advisable to add a modest amount of caster, otherwise the steering will likely be extremely twitchy.<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Toe In/Out===<br /> Toe is likely not too important to Hacky Racers. Some toe in generally makes steering more stable, and toe out generally makes steering more agressive. Excessive amounts of toe in either direction will lead to tyre wear.<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Kingpin Inclination / Scrub Radius===<br /> [[File:Kingpin Geometry.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> When combined with caster, KPI can help in lifting the rear wheel to improve cornering on live axle racers. See Caster/Trail section<br /> In a simple steering setup, Kingpin inclination may also be how you achieve camber, so around 2-5 degrees again is a sensible starting point.<br /> <br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Ackermann Geometry===<br /> [[File:AckermannRadius.jpg|thumb|left]]<br /> When cornering, your inside wheel needs to follow a tighter radius than your outside wheel. This can be achieved through Ackerman geometry, which through a simple mechanism, turns your inside wheel more aggressively than your outside wheel. Image credit - Vehicle Steering Systems - glue-it.co.uk<br /> The typical general rule is that your steering arms should be attached at a slight angle, so if extended from the king pin, they would cross at the centre of the rear axle. (Image Credit - TomIII- Photobucket)<br /> [[File:AckermannDia.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> This is simple to achieve on rear facing steering arms, which can simply be angled inwards slightly. However, if your steering arms are forward facing, they should be angled outwards. If this would interfere with your tyres, the same effect can be achieved by crossing the tie rods on the pitman arm by the same distance that an angled steering arm would produce.<br /> [[File:AckermannForwardFacingPitman.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Problems===<br /> *Understeer: You hit the barriers front-first.<br /> *Oversteer: You hit the barriers back-end-first.<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Resources===<br /> *[https://www.greenpower.co.uk/node/409 Greenpower Steering Systems]<br /> *[https://www.makerprojectlab.com/making-the-kitty-grabs-back-electric-go-kart/ Making the Kitty Grabs Back Electric Go Kart]<br /> *http://mechanicalcat.org/hacky-racers/hacky-racers-front-axle/<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> {{FooterFB}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Knowledge Base]]</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Steering&diff=1524 2025-07-07T10:09:19Z

<p>MechanicalCat: /* Caster/Trail */ Add a note that caster helps prevent twitchy steering.</p> <hr /> <div>==Geometry==<br /> ===Camber===<br /> [[File:Camber.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> A moderate amount of negative camber will give your racer better tyre contact when the tyre is being distorted during agressive cornering.<br /> Around 2-5 degrees is probably a sensible starting point.<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Caster/Trail===<br /> [[File:Caster.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> A moderate amount of caster angle / trail will help your steering naturally return to the centre, and assist with understeer (push).<br /> When combined with Kingpin Inclination and scrub radius, caster will also allow racers with a rigid frame to lift their inside rear tyre while cornering, which is beneficial with a live axle to avoid understeer. It should be noted this does make steering heavier, as you are partly lifting your own weight with each turn. (Image Credit - super7thheaven.co.uk)<br /> Around 2-5 degrees of (forward pointing) caster and 10-30mm of trail (steering axis ahead of wheel centre) is probably a sensible starting point.<br /> <br /> Most mobility scooters are designed with zero caster (vertical kingpins). When transplanting such steering gear onto a hacky it is advisable to add a modest amount of caster, otherwise the steering will likely be extremely twitchy.<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Toe In/Out===<br /> Toe is likely not too important to Hacky Racers. Some toe in generally makes steering more stable, and toe out generally makes steering more agressive. Excessive amounts of toe in either direction will lead to tyre wear.<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Kingpin Inclination / Scrub Radius===<br /> [[File:Kingpin Geometry.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> When combined with caster, KPI can help in lifting the rear wheel to improve cornering on live axle racers. See Caster/Trail section<br /> In a simple steering setup, Kingpin inclination may also be how you achieve camber, so around 2-5 degrees again is a sensible starting point.<br /> <br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Ackermann Geometry===<br /> [[File:AckermannRadius.jpg|thumb|left]]<br /> When cornering, your inside wheel needs to follow a tighter radius than your outside wheel. This can be achieved through Ackerman geometry, which through a simple mechanism, turns your inside wheel more aggressively than your outside wheel. Image credit - Vehicle Steering Systems - glue-it.co.uk<br /> The typical general rule is that your steering arms should be attached at a slight angle, so if extended from the king pin, they would cross at the centre of the rear axle. (Image Credit - TomIII- Photobucket)<br /> [[File:AckermannDia.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> This is simple to achieve on rear facing steering arms, which can simply be angled inwards slightly. However, if your steering arms are forward facing, they should be angled outwards. If this would interfere with your tyres, the same effect can be achieved by crossing the tie rods on the pitman arm by the same distance that an angled steering arm would produce.<br /> [[File:AckermannForwardFacingPitman.jpg|thumb|right]]<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Problems===<br /> *Understeer: You hit the barriers front-first.<br /> *Oversteer: You hit the barriers back-end-first.<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ===Resources===<br /> *[https://www.greenpower.co.uk/node/409 Greenpower Steering Systems]<br /> *[https://www.makerprojectlab.com/making-the-kitty-grabs-back-electric-go-kart/ Making the Kitty Grabs Back Electric Go Kart]<br /> <br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> {{FooterFB}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Knowledge Base]]</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1523 2025-07-07T10:01:02Z

<p>MechanicalCat: /* BOM */</p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FatManAndRobin.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9T to 74T<br /> }}<br /> <br /> == Construction ==<br /> Chassis uses the front crossmember from a severely crash-damaged '8mph' 4-wheeled mobility scooter which was fished entire from a skip. The front crossmember includes steering and suspension components. Bespoke mild steel sections are welded to make the front and rear of the chassis.<br /> <br /> Front track has been widened up to the maximum allowed, to enhance stability. The front axle is positioned well rearwards - under the driver's knees - to further improve stability. The scooter's original front springs and dampers are fitted but, since the total laden weight of this hacky is perhaps only 1/3 the gross weight of the source vehicle, they don't move much in use so are unlikely to have much effect on handling.<br /> <br /> Steering handlebars and head-tube are from a 'PUKY' child's cycle.<br /> <br /> The single rear wheel is from the crash-damaged scooter but is mounted on a bespoke axle.<br /> <br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk with cable caliper.<br /> <br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE, removable for transport.<br /> <br /> Theme is constructed from 6mm builder's ply, with LDPE foamboard decorations.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Presently: Vevor 2000W brushless motor with a 9T sprocket driving the rear axle via T8F chain and a 74T chainwheel. Rear wheel is 10&quot; rim with 3&quot; tyre giving an approximate dia of 16&quot;. Gearing comes to approximately 10,400 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 25mph - which is perhaps 20% higher than would be ideal but the limited choices of T8F gears means it is difficult to gear down further.<br /> <br /> Previously: The original powertrain used the original transaxle. The crash damage included the destruction of one of the half-shafts on the transaxle, which is how this hacky was originally forced to be a three-wheeler. So the original transaxle, complete with mahoosive 24V brushed motor, was mounted offset on the chassis so that the remaining wheel was centred. Initially the remains of the broken half-shaft were locked which, via the diff, doubles the output speed on the remaining half-shaft giving a theoretical no-load speed of 16mph at 24V and 32mph at 48V. This was found to be vastly over-geared so instead the diff was locked, giving in theory about 16mph at 48V, with subsequent timed runs suggesting about 18mph. The brushed motor takes well over 100A from 48V so a current-limiting motor controller (based on an Arduino Nano and a Porter 10 from 4QD) was employed. The Porter usefully also incorporates regen. Mechanical braking was via the emergency stop-brake which is mounted on the motor itself - this wears quickly in use but was never required because of the powerful regen braking from the controller which allowed the kart to be driven entirely on the throttle - including emergency braking. The kart was extremely reliable and the motor survived many races despite being run at twice its rated voltage and rpm, often almost continuously flat-out for 10 minute races. Even with this &quot;mere&quot; brushed motor and ~100kg of driver, the kart was very competitive, demonstrating that brushed motors shouldn't be dismissed. However, when a reverse switch became mandatory a c/o relay was fitted (with a lock-out to prevent it switching when drive power was on). This became a frequent source of failure. The unreliability of reverse eventually forced a changeover to brushless power. With hindsight, a reliable solid-state c/o relay wouldn't have been too difficult to engineer from FETs.<br /> ==Electrics==<br /> Generic 2000W ESC. 12S of 10Ah hobby-grade LiPo, housed in a padded and vented ammunition box. 100A emergency switch with removable knob. Thumb-lever throttle and momentary reverse-switch mounted on the handlebars.<br /> ==Performance of a Trike==<br /> The single rear wheel has some advantages and disadvantages. The obvious question is whether stability is significantly reduced when cornering, but for the most part this trike corners remarkably similarly to a four-wheeler. The worst-case instability scenario is when accelerating out of a corner, occasionally causing a wheel to lift briefly. A more significant issue is that the single rear wheel has less area on the ground and so less grip for forwards drive than two wheels would have, which can be a problem on very muddy circuits. On the other hand several successful four-wheelers also send power to only one wheel - which will have even less weight on it than a trike's single wheel does. The advantages of a trike are that no mechanism is required to prevent the scrubbing losses and understeer associated with having a pair of wheels on a solid axle, and three wheels offer less loss through rolling resistance than four.<br /> ==Driving==<br /> Only Joules is quite an energetic drive. The rider's weight is best moved substantially forwards while cornering to keep the centre of mass within the widest part of the base triangle, increasing stability and maximising the grip of the steered wheels. Weight should be moved rearwards when accelerating to maximise grip of the driven rear wheel. Just as with most four-wheelers, weight should also be moved to the inside when cornering. The current driver (the eponymous 'Fat Man') is therefore grateful that races are now only five minutes duration.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> All good trikes have two at the front, one at the back. So this copy of Del Boy's SuperVan has to be going backwards.<br /> ==BOM==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot; <br /> |-<br /> ! Only Joules And Forces<br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (ACTUAL)<br /> | £222.35<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (FMV)<br /> | £374.03<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | PART<br /> | <br /> | ACTUAL&lt;br /&gt;COST<br /> | FMV<br /> | QTY<br /> | TOTAL<br /> | SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> | Accident-damaged scooter<br /> | Rascal 8mph 24V moby scooter. Wrecked. Chassis bent.&lt;br /&gt;Steering crushed. Transaxle snapped. Missing its electronics.&lt;br /&gt;And a wheel. And both brakes. And the seat.<br /> | £3.99<br /> | £0.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £0.00<br /> | Centre Mobility, Aberaeron. Fished from skip.&lt;br /&gt;Paid with a box of chocs. FMVs for parts listed&lt;br /&gt;separately<br /> |-<br /> | Motor<br /> | Vevor<br /> | £98.57<br /> | £98.57<br /> | 1<br /> | £98.57<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Controller<br /> | eBike 2kW cheapie<br /> | £27.51<br /> | £27.51<br /> | 1<br /> | £27.51<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Throttle<br /> | E-bike hall-effect trigger<br /> | £8.00<br /> | £8.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £8.00<br /> | ebay: electricbikecomponents<br /> |-<br /> | Front suspension arms<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter. Bent but with usable parts.<br /> | <br /> | £50.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £50.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Chassis<br /> | Bits and pieces of steel<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Wheels<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter<br /> | £0.00<br /> | £33.00<br /> | 3<br /> | £99.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Knobbly rear tyre<br /> | Generic cheapie<br /> | £12.99<br /> | £12.99<br /> | 1<br /> | £12.99<br /> | ebay: petrolscooter<br /> |-<br /> | Knobbly front tyres<br /> | Generic cheapie<br /> | £10.70<br /> | £10.70<br /> | 2<br /> | £21.40<br /> | ebay: petrolscooter<br /> |-<br /> | Rear bearings<br /> | Pillow bearing blocks<br /> | £6.67<br /> | £6.67<br /> | 2<br /> | £13.34<br /> | ebay: hendersonbearings<br /> |-<br /> | Chainwheel<br /> | 74T / 8mm Mini Moto<br /> | £13.22<br /> | £13.22<br /> | 1<br /> | £13.22<br /> | ebay: carhouseuk<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for body<br /> | 6mm builder's ply 3/4 sheet<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for seat<br /> | 10mm builder's ply 1/4 sheet<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Steering head<br /> | Puky child's bike.<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Garage sale, June 2008. At the big white house, the one behind Moylgrove garden centre.<br /> |}<br /> <br /> == Previous Names ==<br /> This hacky was originally un-signwritten, painted blue, and named &quot;niboR&quot; (all in a doomed attempt to not have anything to do with that bleedin' TV show.) Unfortunately, it was frequently pointed out that the vehicle is in fact a Regal so the name - for a Regal permanently going backwards - should be lageR.<br /> <br /> The name was later changed to FatManAndRobin to more closely associate the name to the theme. Unfortunately, it was frequently... etc.<br /> <br /> Eventually, the constructor gave in and embraced the Trotters theme.<br /> <br /> == Race Results ==<br /> {{VehicleResultsTable}}{{clear}}<br /> ----{{FooterFB}}</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1514 2025-06-06T11:08:04Z

<p>MechanicalCat: Added race results</p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FatManAndRobin.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9T to 74T<br /> }}<br /> <br /> == Construction ==<br /> Chassis uses the front crossmember from a severely crash-damaged '8mph' 4-wheeled mobility scooter which was fished entire from a skip. The front crossmember includes steering and suspension components. Bespoke mild steel sections are welded to make the front and rear of the chassis.<br /> <br /> Front track has been widened up to the maximum allowed, to enhance stability. The front axle is positioned well rearwards - under the driver's knees - to further improve stability. The scooter's original front springs and dampers are fitted but, since the total laden weight of this hacky is perhaps only 1/3 the gross weight of the source vehicle, they don't move much in use so are unlikely to have much effect on handling.<br /> <br /> Steering handlebars and head-tube are from a 'PUKY' child's cycle.<br /> <br /> The single rear wheel is from the crash-damaged scooter but is mounted on a bespoke axle.<br /> <br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk with cable caliper.<br /> <br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE, removable for transport.<br /> <br /> Theme is constructed from 6mm builder's ply, with LDPE foamboard decorations.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Presently: Vevor 2000W brushless motor with a 9T sprocket driving the rear axle via T8F chain and a 74T chainwheel. Rear wheel is 10&quot; rim with 3&quot; tyre giving an approximate dia of 16&quot;. Gearing comes to approximately 10,400 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 25mph - which is perhaps 20% higher than would be ideal but the limited choices of T8F gears means it is difficult to gear down further.<br /> <br /> Previously: The original powertrain used the original transaxle. The crash damage included the destruction of one of the half-shafts on the transaxle, which is how this hacky was originally forced to be a three-wheeler. So the original transaxle, complete with mahoosive 24V brushed motor, was mounted offset on the chassis so that the remaining wheel was centred. Initially the remains of the broken half-shaft were locked which, via the diff, doubles the output speed on the remaining half-shaft giving a theoretical no-load speed of 16mph at 24V and 32mph at 48V. This was found to be vastly over-geared so instead the diff was locked, giving in theory about 16mph at 48V, with subsequent timed runs suggesting about 18mph. The brushed motor takes well over 100A from 48V so a current-limiting motor controller (based on an Arduino Nano and a Porter 10 from 4QD) was employed. The Porter usefully also incorporates regen. Mechanical braking was via the emergency stop-brake which is mounted on the motor itself - this wears quickly in use but was never required because of the powerful regen braking from the controller which allowed the kart to be driven entirely on the throttle - including emergency braking. The kart was extremely reliable and the motor survived many races despite being run at twice its rated voltage and rpm, often almost continuously flat-out for 10 minute races. Even with this &quot;mere&quot; brushed motor and ~100kg of driver, the kart was very competitive, demonstrating that brushed motors shouldn't be dismissed. However, when a reverse switch became mandatory a c/o relay was fitted (with a lock-out to prevent it switching when drive power was on). This became a frequent source of failure. The unreliability of reverse eventually forced a changeover to brushless power. With hindsight, a reliable solid-state c/o relay wouldn't have been too difficult to engineer from FETs.<br /> ==Electrics==<br /> Generic 2000W ESC. 12S of 10Ah hobby-grade LiPo, housed in a padded and vented ammunition box. 100A emergency switch with removable knob. Thumb-lever throttle and momentary reverse-switch mounted on the handlebars.<br /> ==Performance of a Trike==<br /> The single rear wheel has some advantages and disadvantages. The obvious question is whether stability is significantly reduced when cornering, but for the most part this trike corners remarkably similarly to a four-wheeler. The worst-case instability scenario is when accelerating out of a corner, occasionally causing a wheel to lift briefly. A more significant issue is that the single rear wheel has less area on the ground and so less grip for forwards drive than two wheels would have, which can be a problem on very muddy circuits. On the other hand several successful four-wheelers also send power to only one wheel - which will have even less weight on it than a trike's single wheel does. The advantages of a trike are that no mechanism is required to prevent the scrubbing losses and understeer associated with having a pair of wheels on a solid axle, and three wheels offer less loss through rolling resistance than four.<br /> ==Driving==<br /> Only Joules is quite an energetic drive. The rider's weight is best moved substantially forwards while cornering to keep the centre of mass within the widest part of the base triangle, increasing stability and maximising the grip of the steered wheels. Weight should be moved rearwards when accelerating to maximise grip of the driven rear wheel. Just as with most four-wheelers, weight should also be moved to the inside when cornering. The current driver (the eponymous 'Fat Man') is therefore grateful that races are now only five minutes duration.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> All good trikes have two at the front, one at the back. So this copy of Del Boy's SuperVan has to be going backwards.<br /> ==BOM==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot; <br /> |-<br /> ! Only Joules And Forces<br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (ACTUAL)<br /> | £200.95<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (FMV)<br /> | £352.63<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | PART<br /> | <br /> | ACTUAL&lt;br /&gt;COST<br /> | FMV<br /> | QTY<br /> | TOTAL<br /> | SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> | Accident-damaged scooter<br /> | Rascal 8mph 24V moby scooter. Wrecked. Chassis bent.&lt;br /&gt;Steering crushed. Transaxle snapped. Missing its electronics.&lt;br /&gt;And a wheel. And both brakes. And the seat.<br /> | £3.99<br /> | £0.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £0.00<br /> | Centre Mobility, Aberaeron. Fished from skip.&lt;br /&gt;Paid with a box of chocs. FMVs for parts listed&lt;br /&gt;separately<br /> |-<br /> | Motor<br /> | Vevor<br /> | £98.57<br /> | £98.57<br /> | 1<br /> | £98.57<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Controller<br /> | eBike 2kW cheapie<br /> | £27.51<br /> | £27.51<br /> | 1<br /> | £27.51<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Throttle<br /> | E-bike hall-effect trigger<br /> | £8.00<br /> | £8.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £8.00<br /> | ebay: electricbikecomponents<br /> |-<br /> | Front suspension arms<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter. Bent but with usable parts.<br /> | <br /> | £50.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £50.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Chassis<br /> | Bits and pieces of steel<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Wheels<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter<br /> | £0.00<br /> | £33.00<br /> | 3<br /> | £99.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Knobbly rear tyre<br /> | Generic cheapie<br /> | £12.99<br /> | £12.99<br /> | 1<br /> | £12.99<br /> | ebay: petrolscooter<br /> |-<br /> | Rear bearings<br /> | Pillow bearing blocks<br /> | £6.67<br /> | £6.67<br /> | 2<br /> | £13.34<br /> | ebay: hendersonbearings<br /> |-<br /> | Chainwheel<br /> | 74T / 8mm Mini Moto<br /> | £13.22<br /> | £13.22<br /> | 1<br /> | £13.22<br /> | ebay: carhouseuk<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for body<br /> | 6mm builder's ply 3/4 sheet<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for seat<br /> | 10mm builder's ply 1/4 sheet<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Steering head<br /> | Puky child's bike.<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Garage sale, June 2008. At the big white house, the one behind Moylgrove garden centre.<br /> |}<br /> == Previous Names ==<br /> This hacky was originally un-signwritten, painted blue, and named &quot;niboR&quot; (all in a doomed attempt to not have anything to do with that bleedin' TV show.) Unfortunately, it was frequently pointed out that the vehicle is in fact a Regal so the name - for a Regal permanently going backwards - should be lageR.<br /> <br /> The name was later changed to FatManAndRobin to more closely associate the name to the theme. Unfortunately, it was frequently... etc.<br /> <br /> Eventually, the constructor gave in and embraced the Trotters theme.<br /> <br /> == Race Results ==<br /> {{VehicleResultsTable}}{{clear}}<br /> ----{{FooterFB}}</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1506 2025-05-29T11:07:22Z

<p>MechanicalCat: /* Powertrain */</p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FatManAndRobin.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9T to 74T<br /> }}<br /> <br /> == Construction ==<br /> Chassis uses the front crossmember from a severely crash-damaged '8mph' 4-wheeled mobility scooter which was fished entire from a skip. The front crossmember includes steering and suspension components. Bespoke mild steel sections are welded to make the front and rear of the chassis.<br /> <br /> Front track has been widened up to the maximum allowed, to enhance stability. The front axle is positioned well rearwards - under the driver's knees - to further improve stability. The scooter's original front springs and dampers are fitted but, since the total laden weight of this hacky is perhaps only 1/3 the gross weight of the source vehicle, they don't move much in use so are unlikely to have much effect on handling.<br /> <br /> Steering handlebars and head-tube are from a 'PUKY' child's cycle.<br /> <br /> The single rear wheel is from the crash-damaged scooter but is mounted on a bespoke axle.<br /> <br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk with cable caliper.<br /> <br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE, removable for transport.<br /> <br /> Theme is constructed from 6mm builder's ply, with LDPE foamboard decorations.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Presently: Vevor 2000W brushless motor with a 9T sprocket driving the rear axle via T8F chain and a 74T chainwheel. Rear wheel is 10&quot; rim with 3&quot; tyre giving an approximate dia of 16&quot;. Gearing comes to approximately 10,400 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 25mph - which is perhaps 20% higher than would be ideal but the limited choices of T8F gears means it is difficult to gear down further.<br /> <br /> Previously: The original powertrain used the original transaxle. The crash damage included the destruction of one of the half-shafts on the transaxle, which is how this hacky was originally forced to be a three-wheeler. So the original transaxle, complete with mahoosive 24V brushed motor, was mounted offset on the chassis so that the remaining wheel was centred. Initially the remains of the broken half-shaft were locked which, via the diff, doubles the output speed on the remaining half-shaft giving a theoretical no-load speed of 16mph at 24V and 32mph at 48V. This was found to be vastly over-geared so instead the diff was locked, giving in theory about 16mph at 48V, with subsequent timed runs suggesting about 18mph. The brushed motor takes well over 100A from 48V so a current-limiting motor controller (based on an Arduino Nano and a Porter 10 from 4QD) was employed. The Porter usefully also incorporates regen. Mechanical braking was via the emergency stop-brake which is mounted on the motor itself - this wears quickly in use but was never required because of the powerful regen braking from the controller which allowed the kart to be driven entirely on the throttle - including emergency braking. The kart was extremely reliable and the motor survived many races despite being run at twice its rated voltage and rpm, often almost continuously flat-out for 10 minute races. Even with this &quot;mere&quot; brushed motor and ~100kg of driver, the kart was very competitive, demonstrating that brushed motors shouldn't be dismissed. However, when a reverse switch became mandatory a c/o relay was fitted (with a lock-out to prevent it switching when drive power was on). This became a frequent source of failure. The unreliability of reverse eventually forced a changeover to brushless power. With hindsight, a reliable solid-state c/o relay wouldn't have been too difficult to engineer from FETs.<br /> ==Electrics==<br /> Generic 2000W ESC. 12S of 10Ah hobby-grade LiPo, housed in a padded and vented ammunition box. 100A emergency switch with removable knob. Thumb-lever throttle and momentary reverse-switch mounted on the handlebars.<br /> ==Performance of a Trike==<br /> The single rear wheel has some advantages and disadvantages. The obvious question is whether stability is significantly reduced when cornering, but for the most part this trike corners remarkably similarly to a four-wheeler. The worst-case instability scenario is when accelerating out of a corner, occasionally causing a wheel to lift briefly. A more significant issue is that the single rear wheel has less area on the ground and so less grip for forwards drive than two wheels would have, which can be a problem on very muddy circuits. On the other hand several successful four-wheelers also send power to only one wheel - which will have even less weight on it than a trike's single wheel does. The advantages of a trike are that no mechanism is required to prevent the scrubbing losses and understeer associated with having a pair of wheels on a solid axle, and three wheels offer less loss through rolling resistance than four.<br /> ==Driving==<br /> Only Joules is quite an energetic drive. The rider's weight is best moved substantially forwards while cornering to keep the centre of mass within the widest part of the base triangle, increasing stability and maximising the grip of the steered wheels. Weight should be moved rearwards when accelerating to maximise grip of the driven rear wheel. Just as with most four-wheelers, weight should also be moved to the inside when cornering. The current driver (the eponymous 'Fat Man') is therefore grateful that races are now only five minutes duration.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> All good trikes have two at the front, one at the back. So this copy of Del Boy's SuperVan has to be going backwards.<br /> ==BOM==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot; <br /> |-<br /> ! Only Joules And Forces<br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (ACTUAL)<br /> | £200.95<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (FMV)<br /> | £352.63<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | PART<br /> | <br /> | ACTUAL&lt;br /&gt;COST<br /> | FMV<br /> | QTY<br /> | TOTAL<br /> | SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> | Accident-damaged scooter<br /> | Rascal 8mph 24V moby scooter. Wrecked. Chassis bent.&lt;br /&gt;Steering crushed. Transaxle snapped. Missing its electronics.&lt;br /&gt;And a wheel. And both brakes. And the seat.<br /> | £3.99<br /> | £0.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £0.00<br /> | Centre Mobility, Aberaeron. Fished from skip.&lt;br /&gt;Paid with a box of chocs. FMVs for parts listed&lt;br /&gt;separately<br /> |-<br /> | Motor<br /> | Vevor<br /> | £98.57<br /> | £98.57<br /> | 1<br /> | £98.57<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Controller<br /> | eBike 2kW cheapie<br /> | £27.51<br /> | £27.51<br /> | 1<br /> | £27.51<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Throttle<br /> | E-bike hall-effect trigger<br /> | £8.00<br /> | £8.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £8.00<br /> | ebay: electricbikecomponents<br /> |-<br /> | Front suspension arms<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter. Bent but with usable parts.<br /> | <br /> | £50.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £50.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Chassis<br /> | Bits and pieces of steel<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Wheels<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter<br /> | £0.00<br /> | £33.00<br /> | 3<br /> | £99.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Knobbly rear tyre<br /> | Generic cheapie<br /> | £12.99<br /> | £12.99<br /> | 1<br /> | £12.99<br /> | ebay: petrolscooter<br /> |-<br /> | Rear bearings<br /> | Pillow bearing blocks<br /> | £6.67<br /> | £6.67<br /> | 2<br /> | £13.34<br /> | ebay: hendersonbearings<br /> |-<br /> | Chainwheel<br /> | 74T / 8mm Mini Moto<br /> | £13.22<br /> | £13.22<br /> | 1<br /> | £13.22<br /> | ebay: carhouseuk<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for body<br /> | 6mm builder's ply 3/4 sheet<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for seat<br /> | 10mm builder's ply 1/4 sheet<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Steering head<br /> | Puky child's bike.<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Garage sale, June 2008. At the big white house, the one behind Moylgrove garden centre.<br /> |}<br /> == Previous Names ==<br /> This hacky was originally un-signwritten, painted blue, and named &quot;niboR&quot; (all in a doomed attempt to not have anything to do with that bleedin' TV show.) Unfortunately, it was frequently pointed out that the vehicle is in fact a Regal so the name - for a Regal permanently going backwards - should be lageR.<br /> <br /> The name was later changed to FatManAndRobin to more closely associate the name to the theme. Unfortunately, it was frequently... etc.<br /> <br /> Eventually, the constructor gave in and embraced the Trotters theme.</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1505 2025-05-29T11:06:26Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FatManAndRobin.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9T to 74T<br /> }}<br /> <br /> == Construction ==<br /> Chassis uses the front crossmember from a severely crash-damaged '8mph' 4-wheeled mobility scooter which was fished entire from a skip. The front crossmember includes steering and suspension components. Bespoke mild steel sections are welded to make the front and rear of the chassis.<br /> <br /> Front track has been widened up to the maximum allowed, to enhance stability. The front axle is positioned well rearwards - under the driver's knees - to further improve stability. The scooter's original front springs and dampers are fitted but, since the total laden weight of this hacky is perhaps only 1/3 the gross weight of the source vehicle, they don't move much in use so are unlikely to have much effect on handling.<br /> <br /> Steering handlebars and head-tube are from a 'PUKY' child's cycle.<br /> <br /> The single rear wheel is from the crash-damaged scooter but is mounted on a bespoke axle.<br /> <br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk with cable caliper.<br /> <br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE, removable for transport.<br /> <br /> Theme is constructed from 6mm builder's ply, with LDPE foamboard decorations.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Current: Vevor 2000W brushless motor with a 9T sprocket driving the rear axle via T8F chain and a 74T chainwheel. Rear wheel is 10&quot; rim with 3&quot; tyre giving an approximate dia of 16&quot;. Gearing comes to approximately 10,400 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 25mph - which is perhaps 20% higher than would be ideal but the limited choices of T8F gears means it is difficult to gear down further.<br /> <br /> Previously: The original powertrain used the original transaxle. The crash damage included the destruction of one of the half-shafts on the transaxle, which is how this hacky was originally forced to be a three-wheeler. So the original transaxle, complete with mahoosive 24V brushed motor, was mounted offset on the chassis so that the remaining wheel was centred. Initially the remains of the broken half-shaft were locked which, via the diff, doubles the output speed on the remaining half-shaft giving a theoretical no-load speed of 16mph at 24V and 32mph at 48V. This was found to be vastly over-geared so instead the diff was locked, giving in theory about 16mph at 48V, with subsequent timed runs suggesting about 18mph. The brushed motor takes well over 100A from 48V so a current-limiting motor controller (based on an Arduino Nano and a Porter 10 from 4QD) was employed. The Porter usefully also incorporates regen. Mechanical braking was via the emergency stop-brake which is mounted on the motor itself - this wears quickly in use but was never required because of the powerful regen braking from the controller which allowed the kart to be driven entirely on the throttle - including emergency braking. The kart was extremely reliable and the motor survived many races despite being run at twice its rated voltage and rpm, often almost continuously flat-out for 10 minute races. Even with this &quot;mere&quot; brushed motor and ~100kg of driver, the kart was very competitive, demonstrating that brushed motors shouldn't be dismissed. However, when a reverse switch became mandatory a c/o relay was fitted (with a lock-out to prevent it switching when drive power was on). This became a frequent source of failure. The unreliability of reverse eventually forced a changeover to brushless power. With hindsight, a reliable solid-state c/o relay wouldn't have been too difficult to engineer from FETs.<br /> ==Electrics==<br /> Generic 2000W ESC. 12S of 10Ah hobby-grade LiPo, housed in a padded and vented ammunition box. 100A emergency switch with removable knob. Thumb-lever throttle and momentary reverse-switch mounted on the handlebars.<br /> ==Performance of a Trike==<br /> The single rear wheel has some advantages and disadvantages. The obvious question is whether stability is significantly reduced when cornering, but for the most part this trike corners remarkably similarly to a four-wheeler. The worst-case instability scenario is when accelerating out of a corner, occasionally causing a wheel to lift briefly. A more significant issue is that the single rear wheel has less area on the ground and so less grip for forwards drive than two wheels would have, which can be a problem on very muddy circuits. On the other hand several successful four-wheelers also send power to only one wheel - which will have even less weight on it than a trike's single wheel does. The advantages of a trike are that no mechanism is required to prevent the scrubbing losses and understeer associated with having a pair of wheels on a solid axle, and three wheels offer less loss through rolling resistance than four.<br /> ==Driving==<br /> Only Joules is quite an energetic drive. The rider's weight is best moved substantially forwards while cornering to keep the centre of mass within the widest part of the base triangle, increasing stability and maximising the grip of the steered wheels. Weight should be moved rearwards when accelerating to maximise grip of the driven rear wheel. Just as with most four-wheelers, weight should also be moved to the inside when cornering. The current driver (the eponymous 'Fat Man') is therefore grateful that races are now only five minutes duration.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> All good trikes have two at the front, one at the back. So this copy of Del Boy's SuperVan has to be going backwards.<br /> ==BOM==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot; <br /> |-<br /> ! Only Joules And Forces<br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (ACTUAL)<br /> | £200.95<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (FMV)<br /> | £352.63<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | PART<br /> | <br /> | ACTUAL&lt;br /&gt;COST<br /> | FMV<br /> | QTY<br /> | TOTAL<br /> | SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> | Accident-damaged scooter<br /> | Rascal 8mph 24V moby scooter. Wrecked. Chassis bent.&lt;br /&gt;Steering crushed. Transaxle snapped. Missing its electronics.&lt;br /&gt;And a wheel. And both brakes. And the seat.<br /> | £3.99<br /> | £0.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £0.00<br /> | Centre Mobility, Aberaeron. Fished from skip.&lt;br /&gt;Paid with a box of chocs. FMVs for parts listed&lt;br /&gt;separately<br /> |-<br /> | Motor<br /> | Vevor<br /> | £98.57<br /> | £98.57<br /> | 1<br /> | £98.57<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Controller<br /> | eBike 2kW cheapie<br /> | £27.51<br /> | £27.51<br /> | 1<br /> | £27.51<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Throttle<br /> | E-bike hall-effect trigger<br /> | £8.00<br /> | £8.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £8.00<br /> | ebay: electricbikecomponents<br /> |-<br /> | Front suspension arms<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter. Bent but with usable parts.<br /> | <br /> | £50.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £50.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Chassis<br /> | Bits and pieces of steel<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Wheels<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter<br /> | £0.00<br /> | £33.00<br /> | 3<br /> | £99.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Knobbly rear tyre<br /> | Generic cheapie<br /> | £12.99<br /> | £12.99<br /> | 1<br /> | £12.99<br /> | ebay: petrolscooter<br /> |-<br /> | Rear bearings<br /> | Pillow bearing blocks<br /> | £6.67<br /> | £6.67<br /> | 2<br /> | £13.34<br /> | ebay: hendersonbearings<br /> |-<br /> | Chainwheel<br /> | 74T / 8mm Mini Moto<br /> | £13.22<br /> | £13.22<br /> | 1<br /> | £13.22<br /> | ebay: carhouseuk<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for body<br /> | 6mm builder's ply 3/4 sheet<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for seat<br /> | 10mm builder's ply 1/4 sheet<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Steering head<br /> | Puky child's bike.<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Garage sale, June 2008. At the big white house, the one behind Moylgrove garden centre.<br /> |}<br /> == Previous Names ==<br /> This hacky was originally un-signwritten, painted blue, and named &quot;niboR&quot; (all in a doomed attempt to not have anything to do with that bleedin' TV show.) Unfortunately, it was frequently pointed out that the vehicle is in fact a Regal so the name - for a Regal permanently going backwards - should be lageR.<br /> <br /> The name was later changed to FatManAndRobin to more closely associate the name to the theme. Unfortunately, it was frequently... etc.<br /> <br /> Eventually, the constructor gave in and embraced the Trotters theme.</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1504 2025-05-29T08:39:36Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FatManAndRobin.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9T to 74T<br /> }}<br /> <br /> == Construction ==<br /> Chassis uses the front crossmember from a severely crash-damaged '8mph' 4-wheeled mobility scooter which was fished entire from a skip. The front crossmember includes steering and suspension components. Bespoke mild steel sections are welded to make the front and rear of the chassis.<br /> <br /> Front track has been widened up to the maximum allowed, to enhance stability. The front axle is positioned well rearwards - under the driver's knees - to further improve stability. The scooter's original front springs and dampers are fitted but, since the total laden weight of this hacky is perhaps only 1/3 the gross weight of the source vehicle, they don't move much in use so are unlikely to have much effect on handling.<br /> <br /> Steering handlebars and head-tube are from a 'PUKY' child's cycle.<br /> <br /> The single rear wheel is from the crash-damaged scooter but is mounted on a bespoke axle.<br /> <br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk with cable caliper.<br /> <br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE, removable for transport.<br /> <br /> Theme is constructed from 6mm builder's ply, with LDPE foamboard decorations.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Current: Vevor 2000W brushless motor with a 9T sprocket driving the rear axle via T8F chain and a 74T chainwheel. Rear wheel is 10&quot; rim with 3&quot; tyre giving an approximate dia of 16&quot;. Gearing comes to approximately 10,400 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 25mph - which is perhaps 20% higher than would be ideal but the limited choices of T8F gears means it is difficult to gear down further.<br /> <br /> Previously: The original powertrain used the original transaxle. The crash damage included the destruction of one of the half-shafts on the transaxle, which is how this hacky was originally forced to be a three-wheeler. So the original transaxle, complete with mahoosive 24V brushed motor, was mounted offset on the chassis so that the remaining wheel was centred. Initially the remains of the broken half-shaft were locked which, via the diff, doubles the output speed on the remaining half-shaft giving a theoretical no-load speed of 16mph at 24V and 32mph at 48V. This was found to be vastly over-geared so instead the diff was locked, giving in theory about 16mph at 48V, with subsequent timed runs suggesting about 18mph. The brushed motor takes well over 100A from 48V so a current-limiting motor controller (based on an Arduino Nano and a Porter 10 from 4QD) was employed. The Porter usefully also incorporates regen. Mechanical braking was via the emergency stop-brake which is mounted on the motor itself - this wears quickly in use but was never required because of the powerful regen braking from the controller which allowed the kart to be driven entirely on the throttle - including emergency braking. The kart was extremely reliable and the motor survived many races despite being run at twice its rated voltage and rpm, often almost continuously flat-out for 10 minute races. Even with this &quot;mere&quot; brushed motor and ~100kg of driver, the kart was very competitive, demonstrating that brushed motors shouldn't be dismissed. However, when a reverse switch became mandatory a c/o relay was fitted (with a lock-out to prevent it switching when drive power was on). This became a frequent source of failure. The unreliability of reverse eventually forced a changeover to brushless power. With hindsight, a reliable solid-state c/o relay wouldn't have been too difficult to engineer from FETs.<br /> ==Electrics==<br /> Generic 2000W ESC. 12S of 10Ah hobby-grade LiPo, housed in a padded and vented ammunition box. 100A emergency switch with removable knob. Thumb-lever throttle and momentary reverse-switch mounted on the handlebars.<br /> ==Performance of a Trike==<br /> The single rear wheel has some advantages and disadvantages. The obvious question is whether stability is significantly reduced when cornering, but for the most part this trike corners remarkably similarly to a four-wheeler. The worst-case instability scenario is when accelerating out of a corner, occasionally causing a wheel to lift briefly. A more significant issue is that the single rear wheel has less area on the ground and so less grip for forwards drive than two wheels would have, which can be a problem on very muddy circuits. On the other hand several successful four-wheelers also send power to only one wheel - which will have even less weight on it than a trike's single wheel does. The advantages of a trike are that no mechanism is required to prevent the scrubbing losses and understeer associated with having a pair of wheels on a solid axle, and three wheels offer less loss through rolling resistance than four.<br /> ==Driving==<br /> Only Joules is quite an energetic drive. The rider's weight is best moved substantially forwards while cornering to keep the centre of mass within the widest part of the base triangle, increasing stability and maximising the grip of the steered wheels. Weight should be moved rearwards when accelerating to maximise grip of the driven rear wheel. Just as with most four-wheelers, weight should also be moved to the inside when cornering. The current driver (the eponymous 'Fat Man') is therefore grateful that races are now only five minutes duration.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> All good trikes have two at the front, one at the back. So this copy of Del Boy's SuperVan has to be going backwards.<br /> ==BOM==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot; <br /> |-<br /> ! Only Joules And Forces<br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (ACTUAL)<br /> | £200.95<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (FMV)<br /> | £352.63<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | PART<br /> | <br /> | ACTUAL&lt;br /&gt;COST<br /> | FMV<br /> | QTY<br /> | TOTAL<br /> | SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> | Accident-damaged scooter<br /> | Rascal 8mph 24V moby scooter. Wrecked. Chassis bent.&lt;br /&gt;Steering crushed. Transaxle snapped. Missing its electronics.&lt;br /&gt;And a wheel. And both brakes. And the seat.<br /> | £3.99<br /> | £0.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £0.00<br /> | Centre Mobility, Aberaeron. Fished from skip.&lt;br /&gt;Paid with a box of chocs. FMVs for parts listed&lt;br /&gt;separately<br /> |-<br /> | Motor<br /> | Vevor<br /> | £98.57<br /> | £98.57<br /> | 1<br /> | £98.57<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Controller<br /> | eBike 2kW cheapie<br /> | £27.51<br /> | £27.51<br /> | 1<br /> | £27.51<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Throttle<br /> | E-bike hall-effect trigger<br /> | £8.00<br /> | £8.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £8.00<br /> | ebay: electricbikecomponents<br /> |-<br /> | Front suspension arms<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter. Bent but with usable parts.<br /> | <br /> | £50.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £50.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Chassis<br /> | Bits and pieces of steel<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Wheels<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter<br /> | £0.00<br /> | £33.00<br /> | 3<br /> | £99.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Knobbly rear tyre<br /> | Generic cheapie<br /> | £12.99<br /> | £12.99<br /> | 1<br /> | £12.99<br /> | ebay: petrolscooter<br /> |-<br /> | Rear bearings<br /> | Pillow bearing blocks<br /> | £6.67<br /> | £6.67<br /> | 2<br /> | £13.34<br /> | ebay: hendersonbearings<br /> |-<br /> | Chainwheel<br /> | 74T / 8mm Mini Moto<br /> | £13.22<br /> | £13.22<br /> | 1<br /> | £13.22<br /> | ebay: carhouseuk<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for body<br /> | 6mm builder's ply 3/4 sheet<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for seat<br /> | 10mm builder's ply 1/4 sheet<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Steering head<br /> | Puky child's bike.<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Garage sale, June 2008. At the big white house, the one behind Moylgrove garden centre.<br /> |}<br /> == Previous Names ==<br /> This hacky was originally un-signwritten, painted blue, and named &quot;niboR&quot; (all in a doomed attempt to not have anything to do with that bleedin' TV show.) Unfortunately, it was frequently pointed out that the vehicle is in fact a Regal so the name - for a Regal permanently going backwards - should be lageR.<br /> <br /> The name was later changed to FatManAndRobin to more closely associate the name to the theme. Unfortunately, it was frequently... etc.<br /> <br /> Eventually, the constructor gave in and embraced the Trotters theme. The current name was chosen partly because - brace yourself - only Joules and forces [do] work.</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1503 2025-05-29T08:30:49Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FatManAndRobin.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9T to 74T<br /> }}<br /> <br /> == Construction ==<br /> Chassis uses the front crossmember from a severely crash-damaged '8mph' 4-wheeled mobility scooter which was fished entire from a skip. The front crossmember includes steering and suspension components. Bespoke mild steel sections are welded to make the front and rear of the chassis.<br /> <br /> Front track has been widened up to the maximum allowed, to enhance stability. The front axle is positioned well rearwards - under the driver's knees - to further improve stability. The scooter's original front springs and dampers are fitted but, since the total laden weight of this hacky is perhaps only 1/3 the gross weight of the source vehicle, they don't move much in use so are unlikely to have much effect on handling.<br /> <br /> Steering handlebars and head-tube are from a 'PUKY' child's cycle.<br /> <br /> The single rear wheel is from the crash-damaged scooter but is mounted on a bespoke axle.<br /> <br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk with cable caliper.<br /> <br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE, removable for transport.<br /> <br /> Theme is constructed from 6mm builder's ply, with LDPE foamboard decorations.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Current: Vevor 2000W brushless motor with a 9T sprocket driving the rear axle via T8F chain and a 74T chainwheel. Rear wheel is 10&quot; rim with 3&quot; tyre giving an approximate dia of 16&quot;. Gearing comes to approximately 10,400 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 25mph - which is perhaps 20% higher than would be ideal but the limited choices of T8F gears means it is difficult to gear down further.<br /> <br /> Previously: The original powertrain used the original transaxle. The crash damage included the destruction of one of the half-shafts on the transaxle, which is how this hacky was originally forced to be a three-wheeler. So the original transaxle, complete with mahoosive 24V brushed motor, was mounted offset on the chassis so that the remaining wheel was centred. Initially the remains of the broken half-shaft were locked which, via the diff, doubles the output speed on the remaining half-shaft giving a theoretical no-load speed of 16mph at 24V and 32mph at 48V. This was found to be vastly over-geared so instead the diff was locked, giving in theory about 16mph at 48V, with subsequent timed runs suggesting about 18mph. The brushed motor takes well over 100A from 48V so a current-limiting motor controller (based on an Arduino Nano and a Porter 10 from 4QD) was employed. The Porter usefully also incorporates regen. Mechanical braking was via the emergency stop-brake which is mounted on the motor itself - this wears quickly in use but was never required because of the powerful regen braking from the controller which allowed the kart to be driven entirely on the throttle - including emergency braking. The kart was extremely reliable and the motor survived many races despite being run at twice its rated voltage and rpm, often almost continuously flat-out for 10 minute races. Even with this &quot;mere&quot; brushed motor and ~100kg of driver, the kart was very competitive, demonstrating that brushed motors shouldn't be dismissed. However, when a reverse switch became mandatory a c/o relay was fitted (with a lock-out to prevent it switching when drive power was on). This became a frequent source of failure. The unreliability of reverse eventually forced a changeover to brushless power. With hindsight, a reliable solid-state c/o relay wouldn't have been too difficult to engineer from FETs.<br /> ==Electrics==<br /> Generic 2000W ESC. 12S of 10Ah hobby-grade LiPo, housed in a padded and vented ammunition box. 100A emergency switch with removable knob. Thumb-lever throttle and momentary reverse-switch mounted on the handlebars.<br /> ==Performance of a Trike==<br /> The single rear wheel has some advantages and disadvantages. The obvious question is whether stability is significantly reduced when cornering, but for the most part this trike corners remarkably similarly to a four-wheeler. The worst-case instability scenario is when accelerating out of a corner, occasionally causing a wheel to lift briefly. A more significant issue is that the single rear wheel has less area on the ground and so less grip for forwards drive than two wheels would have, which can be a problem on very muddy circuits. On the other hand several successful four-wheelers also send power to only one wheel - which will have even less weight on it than a trike's single wheel does. The advantages of a trike are that no mechanism is required to prevent the scrubbing losses and understeer associated with having a pair of wheels on a solid axle, and three wheels offer less loss through rolling resistance than four.<br /> ==Driving==<br /> FatManAndRobin is quite an energetic drive. The rider's weight is best moved substantially forwards while cornering to keep the centre of mass within the widest part of the base triangle, increasing stability and maximising the grip of the steered wheels. Weight should be moved rearwards when accelerating to maximise grip of the driven rear wheel. Just as with most four-wheelers, weight should also be moved to the inside when cornering. The current driver (the eponymous 'Fat Man') is therefore grateful that races are now only five minutes duration.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> All good trikes have two at the front, one at the back. Clearly, then, Del Boy's SuperVan required some minor modifications resulting in the rear window becoming the windscreen and the bonnet becoming the boot. You know it makes sense.<br /> ==BOM==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot; <br /> |-<br /> ! Only Joules And Forces<br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (ACTUAL)<br /> | £200.95<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (FMV)<br /> | £352.63<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | PART<br /> | <br /> | ACTUAL&lt;br /&gt;COST<br /> | FMV<br /> | QTY<br /> | TOTAL<br /> | SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> | Accident-damaged scooter<br /> | Rascal 8mph 24V moby scooter. Wrecked. Chassis bent.&lt;br /&gt;Steering crushed. Transaxle snapped. Missing its electronics.&lt;br /&gt;And a wheel. And both brakes. And the seat.<br /> | £3.99<br /> | £0.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £0.00<br /> | Centre Mobility, Aberaeron. Fished from skip.&lt;br /&gt;Paid with a box of chocs. FMVs for parts listed&lt;br /&gt;separately<br /> |-<br /> | Motor<br /> | Vevor<br /> | £98.57<br /> | £98.57<br /> | 1<br /> | £98.57<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Controller<br /> | eBike 2kW cheapie<br /> | £27.51<br /> | £27.51<br /> | 1<br /> | £27.51<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Throttle<br /> | E-bike hall-effect trigger<br /> | £8.00<br /> | £8.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £8.00<br /> | ebay: electricbikecomponents<br /> |-<br /> | Front suspension arms<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter. Bent but with usable parts.<br /> | <br /> | £50.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £50.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Chassis<br /> | Bits and pieces of steel<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Wheels<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter<br /> | £0.00<br /> | £33.00<br /> | 3<br /> | £99.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Knobbly rear tyre<br /> | Generic cheapie<br /> | £12.99<br /> | £12.99<br /> | 1<br /> | £12.99<br /> | ebay: petrolscooter<br /> |-<br /> | Rear bearings<br /> | Pillow bearing blocks<br /> | £6.67<br /> | £6.67<br /> | 2<br /> | £13.34<br /> | ebay: hendersonbearings<br /> |-<br /> | Chainwheel<br /> | 74T / 8mm Mini Moto<br /> | £13.22<br /> | £13.22<br /> | 1<br /> | £13.22<br /> | ebay: carhouseuk<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for body<br /> | 6mm builder's ply 3/4 sheet<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for seat<br /> | 10mm builder's ply 1/4 sheet<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Steering head<br /> | Puky child's bike.<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Garage sale, June 2008. At the big white house, the one behind Moylgrove garden centre.<br /> |}<br /> == Previous Names ==<br /> This hacky was originally un-signwritten, painted blue, and named &quot;niboR&quot; (all in a doomed attempt not to have anything to do with that bleedin' TV show.) Unfortunately, it was frequently pointed out that the vehicle is in fact a Regal so the name - for a Regal permanently going backwards - should be lageR.<br /> <br /> The name was later changed to FatManAndRobin to more closely associate the name to the theme. Unfortunately, it was frequently... etc.<br /> <br /> Eventually, the constructor gave in and embraced the Trotters theme. The current name was chosen partly because - brace yourself - only Joules and forces [do] work.</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1502 2025-05-29T07:54:27Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FatManAndRobin.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9T to 74T<br /> }}<br /> <br /> == Construction ==<br /> Chassis uses the front crossmember from a severely crash-damaged '8mph' 4-wheeled mobility scooter which was fished entire from a skip. The front crossmember includes steering and suspension components. Bespoke mild steel sections are welded to make the front and rear of the chassis.<br /> <br /> Front track has been widened up to the maximum allowed, to enhance stability. The front axle is positioned well rearwards - under the driver's knees - to further improve stability. The scooter's original front springs and dampers are fitted but, since the total laden weight of this hacky is perhaps only 1/3 the gross weight of the source vehicle, they don't move much in use so are unlikely to have much effect on handling.<br /> <br /> Steering handlebars and head-tube are from a 'PUKY' child's cycle.<br /> <br /> The single rear wheel is from the crash-damaged scooter but is mounted on a bespoke axle.<br /> <br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk with cable caliper.<br /> <br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE, removable for transport.<br /> <br /> Theme is constructed from 6mm builder's ply, with LDPE foamboard decorations.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Current: Vevor 2000W brushless motor with a 9T sprocket driving the rear axle via T8F chain and a 74T chainwheel. Rear wheel is 10&quot; rim with 3&quot; tyre giving an approximate dia of 16&quot;. Gearing comes to approximately 10,400 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 25mph - which is perhaps 20% higher than would be ideal but the limited choices of T8F gears means it is difficult to gear down further.<br /> <br /> Previously: The original powertrain used the original transaxle. The crash damage included the destruction of one of the half-shafts on the transaxle, which is how this hacky was originally forced to be a three-wheeler. So the original transaxle, complete with mahoosive 24V brushed motor, was mounted offset on the chassis so that the remaining wheel was centred. Initially the remains of the broken half-shaft were locked which, via the diff, doubles the output speed on the remaining half-shaft giving a theoretical no-load speed of 16mph at 24V and 32mph at 48V. This was found to be vastly over-geared so instead the diff was locked, giving in theory about 16mph at 48V, with subsequent timed runs suggesting about 18mph. The brushed motor takes well over 100A from 48V so a current-limiting motor controller (based on an Arduino Nano and a Porter 10 from 4QD) was employed. The Porter usefully also incorporates regen. Mechanical braking was via the emergency stop-brake which is mounted on the motor itself - this wears quickly in use but was never required because of the powerful regen braking from the controller which allowed the kart to be driven entirely on the throttle - including emergency braking. The kart was extremely reliable and the motor survived many races despite being run at twice its rated voltage and rpm, often almost continuously flat-out for 10 minute races. Even with this &quot;mere&quot; brushed motor and ~100kg of driver, the kart was very competitive, demonstrating that brushed motors shouldn't be dismissed. However, when a reverse switch became mandatory a c/o relay was fitted (with a lock-out to prevent it switching when drive power was on). This became a frequent source of failure. The unreliability of reverse eventually forced a changeover to brushless power. With hindsight, a reliable solid-state c/o relay wouldn't have been too difficult to engineer from FETs.<br /> ==Electrics==<br /> Generic 2000W ESC. 12S of 10Ah hobby-grade LiPo, housed in a padded and vented ammunition box. 100A emergency switch with removable knob. Thumb-lever throttle and momentary reverse-switch mounted on the handlebars.<br /> ==Performance of a Trike==<br /> The single rear wheel has some advantages and disadvantages. The obvious question is whether stability is significantly reduced when cornering, but for the most part this trike corners remarkably similarly to a four-wheeler. The worst-case instability scenario is when accelerating out of a corner, occasionally causing a wheel to lift briefly. A more significant issue is that the single rear wheel has less area on the ground and so less grip for forwards drive than two wheels would have, which can be a problem on very muddy circuits. On the other hand several successful four-wheelers also send power to only one wheel - which will have even less weight on it than a trike's single wheel does. The advantages of a trike are that no mechanism is required to prevent the scrubbing losses and understeer associated with having a pair of wheels on a solid axle, and three wheels offer less loss through rolling resistance than four.<br /> ==Driving==<br /> FatManAndRobin is quite an energetic drive. The rider's weight is best moved substantially forwards while cornering to keep the centre of mass within the widest part of the base triangle, increasing stability and maximising the grip of the steered wheels. Weight should be moved rearwards when accelerating to maximise grip of the driven rear wheel. Just as with most four-wheelers, weight should also be moved to the inside when cornering. The current driver (the eponymous 'Fat Man') is therefore grateful that races are now only five minutes duration.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> All good trikes have two at the front, one at the back. Clearly, then, Del Boy's SuperVan required some minor modifications resulting in the rear window becoming the windscreen and the bonnet becoming the boot. You know it makes sense.<br /> ==BOM==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot; <br /> |-<br /> ! Only Joules And Forces<br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (ACTUAL)<br /> | £200.95<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (FMV)<br /> | £352.63<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | PART<br /> | <br /> | ACTUAL&lt;br /&gt;COST<br /> | FMV<br /> | QTY<br /> | TOTAL<br /> | SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> | Accident-damaged scooter<br /> | Rascal 8mph 24V moby scooter. Wrecked. Chassis bent.&lt;br /&gt;Steering crushed. Transaxle snapped. Missing its electronics.&lt;br /&gt;And a wheel. And both brakes. And the seat.<br /> | £3.99<br /> | £0.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £0.00<br /> | Centre Mobility, Aberaeron. Fished from skip.&lt;br /&gt;Paid with a box of chocs. FMVs for parts listed&lt;br /&gt;separately<br /> |-<br /> | Motor<br /> | Vevor<br /> | £98.57<br /> | £98.57<br /> | 1<br /> | £98.57<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Controller<br /> | eBike 2kW cheapie<br /> | £27.51<br /> | £27.51<br /> | 1<br /> | £27.51<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Throttle<br /> | E-bike hall-effect trigger<br /> | £8.00<br /> | £8.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £8.00<br /> | ebay: electricbikecomponents<br /> |-<br /> | Front suspension arms<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter. Bent but with usable parts.<br /> | <br /> | £50.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £50.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Chassis<br /> | Bits and pieces of steel<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Wheels<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter<br /> | £0.00<br /> | £33.00<br /> | 3<br /> | £99.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Knobbly rear tyre<br /> | Generic cheapie<br /> | £12.99<br /> | £12.99<br /> | 1<br /> | £12.99<br /> | ebay: petrolscooter<br /> |-<br /> | Rear bearings<br /> | Pillow bearing blocks<br /> | £6.67<br /> | £6.67<br /> | 2<br /> | £13.34<br /> | ebay: hendersonbearings<br /> |-<br /> | Chainwheel<br /> | 74T / 8mm Mini Moto<br /> | £13.22<br /> | £13.22<br /> | 1<br /> | £13.22<br /> | ebay: carhouseuk<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for body<br /> | 6mm builder's ply 3/4 sheet<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for seat<br /> | 10mm builder's ply 1/4 sheet<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Steering head<br /> | Puky child's bike.<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Garage sale, June 2008. At the big white house, the one behind Moylgrove garden centre.<br /> |}<br /> == Previous Names ==<br /> This hacky was originally un-signwritten, painted blue, and named &quot;niboR&quot; (all in a desperate attempt not to have anything to do with that bleedin' TV show.) Unfortunately, it was frequently pointed out that the vehicle is in fact a Regal so the name - for a Regal permanently going backwards - should be lageR.<br /> <br /> The name was later changed to FatManAndRobin to more closely associate the name to the theme. Unfortunately, it was frequently... etc.<br /> <br /> Eventually, the constructor gave in and embraced the Trotters theme. The current name was chosen partly because - brace yourself - only Joules and forces [do] work.</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1501 2025-05-29T07:51:16Z

<p>MechanicalCat: Renamed the kart</p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FatManAndRobin.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9T to 74T<br /> }}<br /> <br /> == Construction ==<br /> Chassis uses the front crossmember from a severely crash-damaged '8mph' 4-wheeled mobility scooter which was fished entire from a skip. The front crossmember includes steering and suspension components. Bespoke mild steel sections are welded to make the front and rear of the chassis.<br /> <br /> Front track has been widened up to the maximum allowed, to enhance stability. The front axle is positioned well rearwards - under the driver's knees - to further improve stability. The scooter's original front springs and dampers are fitted but, since the total laden weight of this hacky is perhaps only 1/3 the gross weight of the source vehicle, they don't move much in use so are unlikely to have much effect on handling.<br /> <br /> Steering handlebars and head-tube are from a 'PUKY' child's cycle.<br /> <br /> The single rear wheel is from the crash-damaged scooter but is mounted on a bespoke axle.<br /> <br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk with cable caliper.<br /> <br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE, removable for transport.<br /> <br /> Theme is constructed from 6mm builder's ply, with LDPE foamboard decorations.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Current: Vevor 2000W brushless motor with a 9T sprocket driving the rear axle via T8F chain and a 74T chainwheel. Rear wheel is 10&quot; rim with 3&quot; tyre giving an approximate dia of 16&quot;. Gearing comes to approximately 10,400 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 25mph - which is perhaps 20% higher than would be ideal but the limited choices of T8F gears means it is difficult to gear down further.<br /> <br /> Previously: The original powertrain used the original transaxle. The crash damage included the destruction of one of the half-shafts on the transaxle, which is how this hacky was originally forced to be a three-wheeler. So the original transaxle, complete with mahoosive 24V brushed motor, was mounted offset on the chassis so that the remaining wheel was centred. Initially the remains of the broken half-shaft were locked which, via the diff, doubles the output speed on the remaining half-shaft giving a theoretical no-load speed of 16mph at 24V and 32mph at 48V. This was found to be vastly over-geared so instead the diff was locked, giving in theory about 16mph at 48V, with subsequent timed runs suggesting about 18mph. The brushed motor takes well over 100A from 48V so a current-limiting motor controller (based on an Arduino Nano and a Porter 10 from 4QD) was employed. The Porter usefully also incorporates regen. Mechanical braking was via the emergency stop-brake which is mounted on the motor itself - this wears quickly in use but was never required because of the powerful regen braking from the controller which allowed the kart to be driven entirely on the throttle - including emergency braking. The kart was extremely reliable and the motor survived many races despite being run at twice its rated voltage and rpm, often almost continuously flat-out for 10 minute races. Even with this &quot;mere&quot; brushed motor and ~100kg of driver, the kart was very competitive, demonstrating that brushed motors shouldn't be dismissed. However, when a reverse switch became mandatory a c/o relay was fitted (with a lock-out to prevent it switching when drive power was on). This became a frequent source of failure. The unreliability of reverse eventually forced a changeover to brushless power. With hindsight, a reliable solid-state c/o relay wouldn't have been too difficult to engineer from FETs.<br /> ==Electrics==<br /> Generic 2000W ESC. 12S of 10Ah hobby-grade LiPo, housed in a padded and vented ammunition box. 100A emergency switch with removable knob. Thumb-lever throttle and momentary reverse-switch mounted on the handlebars.<br /> ==Performance of a Trike==<br /> The single rear wheel has some advantages and disadvantages. The obvious question is whether stability is significantly reduced when cornering, but for the most part this trike corners remarkably similarly to a four-wheeler. The worst-case instability scenario is when accelerating out of a corner, occasionally causing a wheel to lift briefly. A more significant issue is that the single rear wheel has less area on the ground and so less grip for forwards drive than two wheels would have, which can be a problem on very muddy circuits. On the other hand several successful four-wheelers also send power to only one wheel - which will have even less weight on it than a trike's single wheel does. The advantages of a trike are that no mechanism is required to prevent the scrubbing losses and understeer associated with having a pair of wheels on a solid axle, and three wheels offer less loss through rolling resistance than four.<br /> ==Driving==<br /> FatManAndRobin is quite an energetic drive. The rider's weight is best moved substantially forwards while cornering to keep the centre of mass within the widest part of the base triangle, increasing stability and maximising the grip of the steered wheels. Weight should be moved rearwards when accelerating to maximise grip of the driven rear wheel. Just as with most four-wheelers, weight should also be moved to the inside when cornering. The current driver (the eponymous 'Fat Man') is therefore grateful that races are now only five minutes duration.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> All good trikes have two at the front, one at the back. Clearly, then, Del Boy's SuperVan required some minor modifications resulting in the rear window becoming the windscreen and the bonnet becoming the boot. You know it makes sense.<br /> ==BOM==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot; <br /> |-<br /> ! Only Joules And Forces<br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (ACTUAL)<br /> | £200.95<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (FMV)<br /> | £352.63<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | PART<br /> | <br /> | ACTUAL&lt;br /&gt;COST<br /> | FMV<br /> | QTY<br /> | TOTAL<br /> | SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> | Accident-damaged scooter<br /> | Rascal 8mph 24V moby scooter. Wrecked. Chassis bent.&lt;br /&gt;Steering crushed. Transaxle snapped. Missing its electronics.&lt;br /&gt;And a wheel. And both brakes. And the seat.<br /> | £3.99<br /> | £0.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £0.00<br /> | Centre Mobility, Aberaeron. Fished from skip.&lt;br /&gt;Paid with a box of chocs. FMVs for parts listed&lt;br /&gt;separately<br /> |-<br /> | Motor<br /> | Vevor<br /> | £98.57<br /> | £98.57<br /> | 1<br /> | £98.57<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Controller<br /> | eBike 2kW cheapie<br /> | £27.51<br /> | £27.51<br /> | 1<br /> | £27.51<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Throttle<br /> | E-bike hall-effect trigger<br /> | £8.00<br /> | £8.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £8.00<br /> | ebay: electricbikecomponents<br /> |-<br /> | Front suspension arms<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter. Bent but with usable parts.<br /> | <br /> | £50.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £50.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Chassis<br /> | Bits and pieces of steel<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Wheels<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter<br /> | £0.00<br /> | £33.00<br /> | 3<br /> | £99.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Knobbly rear tyre<br /> | Generic cheapie<br /> | £12.99<br /> | £12.99<br /> | 1<br /> | £12.99<br /> | ebay: petrolscooter<br /> |-<br /> | Rear bearings<br /> | Pillow bearing blocks<br /> | £6.67<br /> | £6.67<br /> | 2<br /> | £13.34<br /> | ebay: hendersonbearings<br /> |-<br /> | Chainwheel<br /> | 74T / 8mm Mini Moto<br /> | £13.22<br /> | £13.22<br /> | 1<br /> | £13.22<br /> | ebay: carhouseuk<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for body<br /> | 6mm builder's ply 3/4 sheet<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for seat<br /> | 10mm builder's ply 1/4 sheet<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Steering head<br /> | Puky child's bike.<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Garage sale, June 2008. At the big white house, the one behind Moylgrove garden centre.<br /> |}<br /> == Previous Names ==<br /> This hacky was originally un-signwritten, painted blue, and named &quot;niboR&quot; (all in a desperate attempt not to have anything to do with that bleedin' TV show.) Unfortunately, it was frequently pointed out that the vehicle is in fact a Regal so the name - for a Regal permanently going backwards - should be lageR.<br /> <br /> The name was later changed to FatManAndRobin. Unfortunately, it was frequently... etc.<br /> <br /> Eventually, the constructor gave in and embraced the Trotters theme. The current name was chosen partly because - brace yourself - only Joules and forces [do] work.</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1498 2025-05-29T07:01:33Z

<p>MechanicalCat: Name change</p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FatManAndRobin.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9T to 74T<br /> }}<br /> <br /> == Only Joules And Forces ==<br /> This hacky is being renamed: ''Only Joules And Forces''. Because - groan - &quot;Only Joules and forces [do] work&quot;.<br /> <br /> Admin for the name change may take a while.<br /> <br /> == Construction ==<br /> Chassis uses the front crossmember from a severely crash-damaged '8mph' 4-wheeled mobility scooter which was fished entire from a skip. The front crossmember includes steering and suspension components. Bespoke mild steel sections are welded to make the front and rear of the chassis.<br /> <br /> Front track has been widened up to the maximum allowed, to enhance stability. The front axle is positioned well rearwards - under the driver's knees - to further improve stability. The scooter's original front springs and dampers are fitted but, since the total laden weight of this hacky is perhaps only 1/3 the gross weight of the source vehicle, they don't move much in use so are unlikely to have much effect on handling.<br /> <br /> Steering handlebars and head-tube are from a 'PUKY' child's cycle.<br /> <br /> The single rear wheel is from the crash-damaged scooter but is mounted on a bespoke axle.<br /> <br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk with cable caliper.<br /> <br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE, removable for transport.<br /> <br /> Theme is constructed from 6mm builder's ply, with LDPE foamboard decorations.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Current: Vevor 2000W brushless motor with a 9T sprocket driving the rear axle via T8F chain and a 74T chainwheel. Rear wheel is 10&quot; rim with 3&quot; tyre giving an approximate dia of 16&quot;. Gearing comes to approximately 10,400 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 25mph - which is perhaps 20% higher than would be ideal but the limited choices of T8F gears means it is difficult to gear down further.<br /> <br /> Previously: The original powertrain used the original transaxle. The crash damage included the destruction of one of the half-shafts on the transaxle, which is how this hacky was originally forced to be a three-wheeler. So the original transaxle, complete with mahoosive 24V brushed motor, was mounted offset on the chassis so that the remaining wheel was centred. Initially the remains of the broken half-shaft were locked which, via the diff, doubles the output speed on the remaining half-shaft giving a theoretical no-load speed of 16mph at 24V and 32mph at 48V. This was found to be vastly over-geared so instead the diff was locked, giving in theory about 16mph at 48V, with subsequent timed runs suggesting about 18mph. The brushed motor takes well over 100A from 48V so a current-limiting motor controller (based on an Arduino Nano and a Porter 10 from 4QD) was employed. The Porter usefully also incorporates regen. Mechanical braking was via the emergency stop-brake which is mounted on the motor itself - this wears quickly in use but was never required because of the powerful regen braking from the controller which allowed the kart to be driven entirely on the throttle - including emergency braking. The kart was extremely reliable and the motor survived many races despite being run at twice its rated voltage and rpm, often almost continuously flat-out for 10 minute races. Even with this &quot;mere&quot; brushed motor and ~100kg of driver, the kart was very competitive, demonstrating that brushed motors shouldn't be dismissed. However, when a reverse switch became mandatory a c/o relay was fitted (with a lock-out to prevent it switching when drive power was on). This became a frequent source of failure. The unreliability of reverse eventually forced a changeover to brushless power. With hindsight, a reliable solid-state c/o relay wouldn't have been too difficult to engineer from FETs.<br /> ==Electrics==<br /> Generic 2000W ESC. 12S of 10Ah hobby-grade LiPo, housed in a padded and vented ammunition box. 100A emergency switch with removable knob. Thumb-lever throttle and momentary reverse-switch mounted on the handlebars.<br /> ==Performance of a Trike==<br /> The single rear wheel has some advantages and disadvantages. The obvious question is whether stability is significantly reduced when cornering, but for the most part this trike corners remarkably similarly to a four-wheeler. The worst-case instability scenario is when accelerating out of a corner, occasionally causing a wheel to lift briefly. A more significant issue is that the single rear wheel has less area on the ground and so less grip for forwards drive than two wheels would have, which can be a problem on very muddy circuits. On the other hand several successful four-wheelers also send power to only one wheel - which will have even less weight on it than a trike's single wheel does. The advantages of a trike are that no mechanism is required to prevent the scrubbing losses and understeer associated with having a pair of wheels on a solid axle, and three wheels offer less loss through rolling resistance than four.<br /> ==Driving==<br /> FatManAndRobin is quite an energetic drive. The rider's weight is best moved substantially forwards while cornering to keep the centre of mass within the widest part of the base triangle, increasing stability and maximising the grip of the steered wheels. Weight should be moved rearwards when accelerating to maximise grip of the driven rear wheel. Just as with most four-wheelers, weight should also be moved to the inside when cornering. The current driver (the eponymous 'Fat Man') is therefore grateful that races are now only five minutes duration.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> All good trikes have two at the front, one at the back. Clearly, then, Del Boy's SuperVan required some minor modifications resulting in the rear window becoming the windscreen and the bonnet becoming the boot. You know it makes sense.<br /> ==BOM==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot; <br /> |-<br /> ! Fat Man and Robin<br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (ACTUAL)<br /> | £200.95<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (FMV)<br /> | £352.63<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | PART<br /> | <br /> | ACTUAL&lt;br /&gt;COST<br /> | FMV<br /> | QTY<br /> | TOTAL<br /> | SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> | Accident-damaged scooter<br /> | Rascal 8mph 24V moby scooter. Wrecked. Chassis bent.&lt;br /&gt;Steering crushed. Transaxle snapped. Missing its electronics.&lt;br /&gt;And a wheel. And both brakes. And the seat.<br /> | £3.99<br /> | £0.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £0.00<br /> | Centre Mobility, Aberaeron. Fished from skip.&lt;br /&gt;Paid with a box of chocs. FMVs for parts listed&lt;br /&gt;separately<br /> |-<br /> | Motor<br /> | Vevor<br /> | £98.57<br /> | £98.57<br /> | 1<br /> | £98.57<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Controller<br /> | eBike 2kW cheapie<br /> | £27.51<br /> | £27.51<br /> | 1<br /> | £27.51<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Throttle<br /> | E-bike hall-effect trigger<br /> | £8.00<br /> | £8.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £8.00<br /> | ebay: electricbikecomponents<br /> |-<br /> | Front suspension arms<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter. Bent but with usable parts.<br /> | <br /> | £50.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £50.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Chassis<br /> | Bits and pieces of steel<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Wheels<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter<br /> | £0.00<br /> | £33.00<br /> | 3<br /> | £99.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Knobbly rear tyre<br /> | Generic cheapie<br /> | £12.99<br /> | £12.99<br /> | 1<br /> | £12.99<br /> | ebay: petrolscooter<br /> |-<br /> | Rear bearings<br /> | Pillow bearing blocks<br /> | £6.67<br /> | £6.67<br /> | 2<br /> | £13.34<br /> | ebay: hendersonbearings<br /> |-<br /> | Chainwheel<br /> | 74T / 8mm Mini Moto<br /> | £13.22<br /> | £13.22<br /> | 1<br /> | £13.22<br /> | ebay: carhouseuk<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for body<br /> | 6mm builder's ply 3/4 sheet<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for seat<br /> | 10mm builder's ply 1/4 sheet<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Steering head<br /> | Puky child's bike.<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Garage sale, June 2008. At the big white house, the one behind Moylgrove garden centre.<br /> |}</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Ford_KAsket&diff=1497 2025-05-27T15:07:35Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=Placeholder.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=Ford KAsket - a coffin<br /> |FirstRace=Scrumpy Cup 2022<br /> |CurrentStatus=Available for guest drivers<br /> |Motor=Pair converted alternators. Later Vevor 2kW brushless.<br /> |ESC=Generic 1500W eBike controller X2 plus Arduino controller. Later generic 2000W eBike controller X1.<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain with various gearings - sometimes unequal to each wheel.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Construction==<br /> Chassis, steering, axles are all scratch-built from mild steel. Similar to MecCarNo but with heavier-gauge parts - particularly M16 for front stub axles and kingpins rather than the M12 used on MecCarNo.<br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk(s) with cable caliper.<br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE.<br /> The chassis is extremely low to the ground - perhaps 50mm clearance - allowing the kart to be narrow but remain stable in corners.<br /> The theme bodywork is constructed from 10mm builder's ply, with genuine coffin parts for decoration.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Drive was initially by two converted alternators using two 1500W eBike controllers. A single throttle thumblever was input to an Arduino, which monitored the current used by each controller. The Arduino allocated throttle settings out to the two controllers and also turned on or off the field currents of the motors, to attain best performance.<br /> The two motors each drove one rear wheel. Each wheel was braked by a standard cycle disk, with cable-operated caliper. A single brake lever operated both. Wheels are standard 4&quot; split-rim mobility-scooter items with standard mobility tyres (front) and 4.10-4 Minimoto knobblies (rear). Rear wheel dia approx 10&quot;.<br /> The kart was intended to experiment with the following benefits potentially afforded by two motors:<br /> *No diff required, and no scrubbing losses. This wasn't successful: the extra motor weighs as much as a diff, and its losses appeared to outweigh the modest losses from a typical diff. The complexity of an extra brake was required - whereas a solid axle requires only one. If a brake is fitted to its input then a diff also requires only one disk.<br /> *If the motors are geared differently, then the low-geared motor can be prioritised to give maximum acceleration but it can also be disabled (with zero field current) at high speed, leaving the high-geared motor to take the kart to a higher top speed. This feature was automated by the Arduino, with the only user control being the single throttle. This was even less successful: these eBike controllers throw an error when the field current is turned off and require power-cycling at standstill for them to restart, stymieing the feature.<br /> *If full power is demanded, but at a speed where a single motor would be unable to draw enough current to make full use of the fuse-limit, then current can be allocated to both motors. This was somewhat successful, but the same could be achieved simply by fitting a bigger single motor (and a current-limiting controller) instead.<br /> For subsequent races the axle was made solid, and driven by a single Vevor 2000W brushless motor with 2000W eBike controller. Gearing was 11T to 64T giving about 11700 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 22mph.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> Transportation space constraints required low-profile bodywork, so a low surrounding wall of plywood was fitted, in the shape of a truncated coffin. Coloured mahogany and decorated with some genuine coffin fittings. Some genuine 'Ford' blue-oval and 'KA' boot-badges, with 'sket' CNC'd from mirrored plastic sheet appended, provided the name.<br /> <br /> == BOM ==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot;<br /> !KAsket<br /> !<br /> !<br /> !<br /> !<br /> !<br /> |-<br /> |GRAND TOTAL<br /> |£294.30<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |-<br /> |PART<br /> |<br /> |ACTUAL<br /> COST<br /> |QTY<br /> |TOTAL<br /> |SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> |Wheels<br /> |Commonplace 4.00-8 aluminium hubs<br /> |£10.00<br /> |4<br /> |£40.00<br /> |Various ebay sellers secondhand<br /> |-<br /> |Motor<br /> |Vevor<br /> |£98.57<br /> |1<br /> |£98.57<br /> |AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> |Controller<br /> |eBike 2kW cheapie<br /> |£27.51<br /> |1<br /> |£27.51<br /> |AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> |Throttle<br /> |E-bike hall-effect trigger<br /> |£8.00<br /> |1<br /> |£8.00<br /> |ebay: electricbikecomponents<br /> |-<br /> |Chassis<br /> |Scratch built, steel<br /> |£25.00<br /> |1<br /> |£25.00<br /> |Estimate<br /> |-<br /> |Floorpan<br /> |Plywood<br /> |£5.00<br /> |1<br /> |£5.00<br /> |Estimate<br /> |-<br /> |Front tyres<br /> |With s/h wheels<br /> |£0.00<br /> |2<br /> |£0.00<br /> |<br /> |-<br /> |Rear tyres<br /> |Mini Moto knobblies<br /> |£13.50<br /> |2<br /> |£27.00<br /> |ebay: petrolscooter<br /> |-<br /> |Rear bearings<br /> |Pillow bearing blocks<br /> |£6.67<br /> |3<br /> |£20.01<br /> |ebay: hendersonbearings<br /> |-<br /> |Chainwheel<br /> |64T / 8mm Mini Moto<br /> |£13.22<br /> |1<br /> |£13.22<br /> |ebay: carhouseuk<br /> |-<br /> |Chain<br /> |8mm Mini Moto T8F<br /> |£7.99<br /> |1<br /> |£7.99<br /> |ebay: bonesmx<br /> |-<br /> |Ply for seat<br /> |10mm builder's ply 1/4 sheet<br /> |£5.00<br /> |1<br /> |£5.00<br /> |Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> |Steering head<br /> |Scrap cycle<br /> |£5.00<br /> |1<br /> |£5.00<br /> |From junk pile<br /> |-<br /> |Rose joints<br /> |M10 rose joints<br /> |£3.00<br /> |4<br /> |£12.00<br /> |ebay<br /> |}<br /> <br /> ==Other Lessons==<br /> At constant cruise the eBike controller of the non-prioritised motor tended to overheat. The Arduino was throttling it to prevent excessive fuse current, but FETs produce more heat when constantly switching (PWM'ing at part-throttle) rather than when turned on (at full throttle). So any design which drives a controller for a long duration at part-power should over-spec the controller.<br /> ==Race Results==<br /> {{VehicleResultsTable}}<br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> -----<br /> {{FooterFB}}<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category:Racers]]</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=MecCarNo&diff=1496 2025-05-27T15:05:57Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=MecCarNo.ForWiki.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Thomas Beaver<br /> |Theme=Meccano<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Semi-retired<br /> |Motor=Modified alternator<br /> |ESC=Generic eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain T8F<br /> |Contact=<br /> }}<br /> <br /> == Construction ==<br /> Chassis, steering, axles are all scratch-built from mild steel. Structurally similar to KAsket, but lighter. Bumpers are 12mm MDPE fished out of a skip at [posh exhibition centre location redacted] while racing indoors there.<br /> <br /> == Previous InCarNation of MecCarNo ==<br /> MecCarNo first raced under the theme &quot;The Colour Of Tragic&quot; at 2019's Makers Central... but creating themed bodywork to match that pun proved too challenging.<br /> <br /> http://mechanicalcat.org/wp-content/uploads/GoingSideways.mp4?_=1<br /> <br /> == Powertrain and Axles ==<br /> Drive is by a converted alternator powered by a generic eBike controller. Transmission is T8F chain. Wheels are standard plastic sack-truck wheels with standard &quot;4mph&quot; mobility scooter tyres. Rear rims are reinforced to accept drive direct to the spokes. Brakes are a single cycle brake mounted on the solid rear axle. Front rims are bored-out to take ball races. Front axle is a solid bar with two M12 bolts welded upright to form kingpins, then mounted on the chassis at the desired caster angle. The uprights/swivels are threaded and screw onto the uprights. They are both retained by, and rotate on, the M12 thread.<br /> <br /> == Theme ==<br /> The theme bodywork is oversize Meccano parts constructed from 12mm builder's ply, with 3DP threaded nuts and bolts for assembling the Meccano pieces together.<br /> <br /> == BOM ==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot;<br /> !MecCarNo<br /> !<br /> !<br /> !<br /> !<br /> !<br /> |-<br /> |GRAND TOTAL<br /> |£192.63<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |-<br /> |PART<br /> |<br /> |COST<br /> |QTY<br /> |TOTAL<br /> |SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> |Wheels<br /> |Sack-truck wheels<br /> |£6.79<br /> |4<br /> |£27.16<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Motor<br /> |Alternator<br /> |£13.00<br /> |1<br /> |£13<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Controller<br /> |eBike cheapie<br /> |£30.00<br /> |1<br /> |£30<br /> |Estimate<br /> |-<br /> |Throttle<br /> |E-bike hall-effect<br /> |£8.00<br /> |1<br /> |£8.00<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Chassis<br /> |Scratch built, steel<br /> |£10.00<br /> |1<br /> |£10.00<br /> |Estimate<br /> |-<br /> |Seat<br /> |Scrap office chair-back<br /> |£0.00<br /> |1<br /> |£0.00<br /> |From junk pile<br /> |-<br /> |Tyres<br /> |S/h from scooter<br /> |£5.00<br /> |4<br /> |£20.00<br /> |Estimate<br /> |-<br /> |Bearings rear<br /> |Pillow bearing blocks<br /> |£6.67<br /> |2<br /> |£13.34<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Bearings front<br /> |12x24x6<br /> |£3.23<br /> |4<br /> |£12.92<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Chainwheel<br /> |Mini Moto<br /> |£13.22<br /> |1<br /> |£13.22<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Chain<br /> |8mm Mini Moto T8F<br /> |£7.99<br /> |1<br /> |£7.99<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Steering head<br /> |Scrap cycle<br /> |£5.00<br /> |1<br /> |£5.00<br /> |From junk pile<br /> |-<br /> |Rose joints<br /> |M8 rose joints<br /> |£3.00<br /> |4<br /> |£12.00<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Sundry<br /> |Fasteners etc<br /> |£20.00<br /> |1<br /> |£20.00<br /> |Estimate<br /> |}<br /> <br /> ==Race Results==<br /> {{VehicleResultsTable}}<br /> ==Links==<br /> The build process, including the unusual steering system and the alternator conversion, is documented at: [https://mechanicalcat.org/hacky-racers/ mechanicalcat.org/hacky-racers/]{{clear}}</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=MecCarNo&diff=1495 2025-05-27T13:35:22Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=MecCarNo.ForWiki.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Thomas Beaver<br /> |Theme=Meccano<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Semi-retired<br /> |Motor=Modified alternator<br /> |ESC=Generic eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain T8F<br /> |Contact=<br /> }}<br /> <br /> == Construction ==<br /> Chassis, steering, axles are all scratch-built from mild steel. Similar to KAsket. Bumpers are 12mm MDPE fished out of a skip at [posh exhibition centre location redacted] while racing indoors there.<br /> <br /> == Previous InCarNation of MecCarNo ==<br /> MecCarNo first raced under the theme &quot;The Colour Of Tragic&quot; at 2019's Makers Central... but creating themed bodywork to match that pun proved too challenging.<br /> <br /> http://mechanicalcat.org/wp-content/uploads/GoingSideways.mp4?_=1<br /> <br /> == Powertrain and Axles ==<br /> Drive is by a converted alternator powered by a generic eBike controller. Transmission is T8F chain. Wheels are standard plastic sack-truck wheels with standard &quot;4mph&quot; mobility scooter tyres. Rear rims are reinforced to accept drive direct to the spokes. Brakes are a single cycle brake mounted on the solid rear axle. Front rims are bored-out to take ball races. Front axle is a solid bar with two M12 bolts welded upright and mounted on the chassis at the desired caster angle.<br /> <br /> == Theme ==<br /> The theme bodywork is oversize Meccano parts constructed from 12mm builder's ply, with 3DP threaded nuts and bolts for assembling the Meccano pieces together.<br /> <br /> == BOM ==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot;<br /> !MecCarNo<br /> !<br /> !<br /> !<br /> !<br /> !<br /> |-<br /> |GRAND TOTAL<br /> |£192.63<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |-<br /> |PART<br /> |<br /> |COST<br /> |QTY<br /> |TOTAL<br /> |SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> |Wheels<br /> |Sack-truck wheels<br /> |£6.79<br /> |4<br /> |£27.16<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Motor<br /> |Alternator<br /> |£13.00<br /> |1<br /> |£13<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Controller<br /> |eBike cheapie<br /> |£30.00<br /> |1<br /> |£30<br /> |Estimate<br /> |-<br /> |Throttle<br /> |E-bike hall-effect<br /> |£8.00<br /> |1<br /> |£8.00<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Chassis<br /> |Scratch built, steel<br /> |£10.00<br /> |1<br /> |£10.00<br /> |Estimate<br /> |-<br /> |Seat<br /> |Scrap office chair-back<br /> |£0.00<br /> |1<br /> |£0.00<br /> |From junk pile<br /> |-<br /> |Tyres<br /> |S/h from scooter<br /> |£5.00<br /> |4<br /> |£20.00<br /> |Estimate<br /> |-<br /> |Bearings rear<br /> |Pillow bearing blocks<br /> |£6.67<br /> |2<br /> |£13.34<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Bearings front<br /> |12x24x6<br /> |£3.23<br /> |4<br /> |£12.92<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Chainwheel<br /> |Mini Moto<br /> |£13.22<br /> |1<br /> |£13.22<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Chain<br /> |8mm Mini Moto T8F<br /> |£7.99<br /> |1<br /> |£7.99<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Steering head<br /> |Scrap cycle<br /> |£5.00<br /> |1<br /> |£5.00<br /> |From junk pile<br /> |-<br /> |Rose joints<br /> |M8 rose joints<br /> |£3.00<br /> |4<br /> |£12.00<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Sundry<br /> |Fasteners etc<br /> |£20.00<br /> |1<br /> |£20.00<br /> |Estimate<br /> |}<br /> <br /> ==Race Results==<br /> {{VehicleResultsTable}}<br /> ==Links==<br /> The build process, including the unusual steering system and the alternator conversion, is documented at: [https://mechanicalcat.org/hacky-racers/ mechanicalcat.org/hacky-racers/]{{clear}}</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=MecCarNo&diff=1494 2025-05-27T13:31:14Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=MecCarNo.ForWiki.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Thomas Beaver<br /> |Theme=Meccano<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Modified alternator<br /> |ESC=Generic eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain T8F<br /> |Contact=<br /> }}<br /> <br /> == Construction ==<br /> Chassis, steering, axles are all scratch-built from mild steel. Similar to KAsket. Bumpers are 12mm MDPE fished out of a skip at [posh exhibition centre location redacted] while racing indoors there.<br /> <br /> == Previous InCarNation of MecCarNo ==<br /> MecCarNo first raced under the theme &quot;The Colour Of Tragic&quot; at 2019's Makers Central... but creating themed bodywork to match that pun proved too challenging.<br /> <br /> http://mechanicalcat.org/wp-content/uploads/GoingSideways.mp4?_=1<br /> <br /> == Powertrain and Axles ==<br /> Drive is by a converted alternator powered by a generic eBike controller. Transmission is T8F chain. Wheels are standard plastic sack-truck wheels with standard &quot;4mph&quot; mobility scooter tyres. Rear rims are reinforced to accept drive direct to the spokes. Brakes are a single cycle brake mounted on the solid rear axle. Front rims are bored-out to take ball races. Front axle is a solid bar with two M12 bolts welded upright and mounted on the chassis at the desired caster angle.<br /> <br /> == Theme ==<br /> The theme bodywork is oversize Meccano parts constructed from 12mm builder's ply, with 3DP threaded nuts and bolts for assembling the Meccano pieces together.<br /> <br /> == BOM ==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot;<br /> !MecCarNo<br /> !<br /> !<br /> !<br /> !<br /> !<br /> |-<br /> |GRAND TOTAL<br /> |£192.63<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |-<br /> |PART<br /> |<br /> |COST<br /> |QTY<br /> |TOTAL<br /> |SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> |Wheels<br /> |Sack-truck wheels<br /> |£6.79<br /> |4<br /> |£27.16<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Motor<br /> |Alternator<br /> |£13.00<br /> |1<br /> |£13<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Controller<br /> |eBike cheapie<br /> |£30.00<br /> |1<br /> |£30<br /> |Estimate<br /> |-<br /> |Throttle<br /> |E-bike hall-effect<br /> |£8.00<br /> |1<br /> |£8.00<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Chassis<br /> |Scratch built, steel<br /> |£10.00<br /> |1<br /> |£10.00<br /> |Estimate<br /> |-<br /> |Seat<br /> |Scrap office chair-back<br /> |£0.00<br /> |1<br /> |£0.00<br /> |From junk pile<br /> |-<br /> |Tyres<br /> |S/h from scooter<br /> |£5.00<br /> |4<br /> |£20.00<br /> |Estimate<br /> |-<br /> |Bearings rear<br /> |Pillow bearing blocks<br /> |£6.67<br /> |2<br /> |£13.34<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Bearings front<br /> |12x24x6<br /> |£3.23<br /> |4<br /> |£12.92<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Chainwheel<br /> |Mini Moto<br /> |£13.22<br /> |1<br /> |£13.22<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Chain<br /> |8mm Mini Moto T8F<br /> |£7.99<br /> |1<br /> |£7.99<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Steering head<br /> |Scrap cycle<br /> |£5.00<br /> |1<br /> |£5.00<br /> |From junk pile<br /> |-<br /> |Rose joints<br /> |M8 rose joints<br /> |£3.00<br /> |4<br /> |£12.00<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Sundry<br /> |Fasteners etc<br /> |£20.00<br /> |1<br /> |£20.00<br /> |Estimate<br /> |}<br /> <br /> ==Race Results==<br /> {{VehicleResultsTable}}<br /> ==Links==<br /> The build process, including the unusual steering system and the alternator conversion, is documented at: [https://mechanicalcat.org/hacky-racers/ mechanicalcat.org/hacky-racers/]{{clear}}</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=MecCarNo&diff=1493 2025-05-27T13:23:05Z

<p>MechanicalCat: Added video link (external)</p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=MecCarNo.ForWiki.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Thomas Beaver<br /> |Theme=Meccano<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Modified alternator<br /> |ESC=Generic eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain T8F<br /> |Contact=<br /> }}<br /> <br /> == Construction ==<br /> Chassis, steering, axles are all scratch-built from mild steel. Similar to KAsket. Bumpers are 12mm MDPE fished out of a skip at [posh exhibition centre location redacted] while racing indoors there.<br /> <br /> == Previous InCarNation of MecCarNo ==<br /> MecCarNo first raced under the theme &quot;The Colour Of Tragic&quot; at 2019's Makers Central... but creating themed bodywork to match the pun proved too challenging.<br /> <br /> http://mechanicalcat.org/wp-content/uploads/GoingSideways.mp4?_=1<br /> <br /> == Powertrain and Axles ==<br /> Drive is by a converted alternator powered by a generic eBike controller. Transmission is T8F chain. Wheels are standard plastic sack-truck wheels with standard &quot;4mph&quot; mobility scooter tyres. Rear rims are reinforced to accept drive direct to the spokes. Brakes are a single cycle brake mounted on the solid rear axle. Front rims are bored-out to take ball races. Front axle is a solid bar with two M12 bolts welded upright and mounted on the chassis at the desired caster angle.<br /> <br /> == Theme ==<br /> The theme bodywork is oversize Meccano parts constructed from 12mm builder's ply, with 3DP threaded nuts and bolts for assembling the Meccano pieces together.<br /> <br /> == BOM ==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot;<br /> !MecCarNo<br /> !<br /> !<br /> !<br /> !<br /> !<br /> |-<br /> |GRAND TOTAL<br /> |£192.63<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |-<br /> |PART<br /> |<br /> |COST<br /> |QTY<br /> |TOTAL<br /> |SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> |Wheels<br /> |Sack-truck wheels<br /> |£6.79<br /> |4<br /> |£27.16<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Motor<br /> |Alternator<br /> |£13.00<br /> |1<br /> |£13<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Controller<br /> |eBike cheapie<br /> |£30.00<br /> |1<br /> |£30<br /> |Estimate<br /> |-<br /> |Throttle<br /> |E-bike hall-effect<br /> |£8.00<br /> |1<br /> |£8.00<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Chassis<br /> |Scratch built, steel<br /> |£10.00<br /> |1<br /> |£10.00<br /> |Estimate<br /> |-<br /> |Seat<br /> |Scrap office chair-back<br /> |£0.00<br /> |1<br /> |£0.00<br /> |From junk pile<br /> |-<br /> |Tyres<br /> |S/h from scooter<br /> |£5.00<br /> |4<br /> |£20.00<br /> |Estimate<br /> |-<br /> |Bearings rear<br /> |Pillow bearing blocks<br /> |£6.67<br /> |2<br /> |£13.34<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Bearings front<br /> |12x24x6<br /> |£3.23<br /> |4<br /> |£12.92<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Chainwheel<br /> |Mini Moto<br /> |£13.22<br /> |1<br /> |£13.22<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Chain<br /> |8mm Mini Moto T8F<br /> |£7.99<br /> |1<br /> |£7.99<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Steering head<br /> |Scrap cycle<br /> |£5.00<br /> |1<br /> |£5.00<br /> |From junk pile<br /> |-<br /> |Rose joints<br /> |M8 rose joints<br /> |£3.00<br /> |4<br /> |£12.00<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Sundry<br /> |Fasteners etc<br /> |£20.00<br /> |1<br /> |£20.00<br /> |Estimate<br /> |}<br /> <br /> ==Race Results==<br /> {{VehicleResultsTable}}<br /> ==Links==<br /> The build process, including the unusual steering system and the alternator conversion, is documented at: [https://mechanicalcat.org/hacky-racers/ mechanicalcat.org/hacky-racers/]{{clear}}</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=MecCarNo&diff=1492 2025-05-27T13:12:57Z

<p>MechanicalCat: Added image</p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=MecCarNo.ForWiki.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Thomas Beaver<br /> |Theme=Meccano<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Modified alternator<br /> |ESC=Generic eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain T8F<br /> |Contact=<br /> }}<br /> <br /> == Construction ==<br /> Chassis, steering, axles are all scratch-built from mild steel. Similar to KAsket. Bumpers are 12mm MDPE fished out of a skip at [posh exhibition centre location redacted] while racing indoors there.<br /> <br /> == Powertrain and Axles ==<br /> Drive is by a converted alternator powered by a generic eBike controller. Transmission is T8F chain. Wheels are standard plastic sack-truck wheels with standard &quot;4mph&quot; mobility scooter tyres. Rear rims are reinforced to accept drive direct to the spokes. Brakes are a single cycle brake mounted on the solid rear axle. Front rims are bored-out to take ball races. Front axle is a solid bar with two M12 bolts welded upright and mounted on the chassis at the desired caster angle.<br /> <br /> == Theme ==<br /> The theme bodywork is oversize Meccano parts constructed from 12mm builder's ply, with 3DP threaded nuts and bolts for assembling the Meccano pieces together.<br /> <br /> == BOM ==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot;<br /> !MecCarNo<br /> !<br /> !<br /> !<br /> !<br /> !<br /> |-<br /> |GRAND TOTAL<br /> |£192.63<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |-<br /> |PART<br /> |<br /> |COST<br /> |QTY<br /> |TOTAL<br /> |SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> |Wheels<br /> |Sack-truck wheels<br /> |£6.79<br /> |4<br /> |£27.16<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Motor<br /> |Alternator<br /> |£13.00<br /> |1<br /> |£13<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Controller<br /> |eBike cheapie<br /> |£30.00<br /> |1<br /> |£30<br /> |Estimate<br /> |-<br /> |Throttle<br /> |E-bike hall-effect<br /> |£8.00<br /> |1<br /> |£8.00<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Chassis<br /> |Scratch built, steel<br /> |£10.00<br /> |1<br /> |£10.00<br /> |Estimate<br /> |-<br /> |Seat<br /> |Scrap office chair-back<br /> |£0.00<br /> |1<br /> |£0.00<br /> |From junk pile<br /> |-<br /> |Tyres<br /> |S/h from scooter<br /> |£5.00<br /> |4<br /> |£20.00<br /> |Estimate<br /> |-<br /> |Bearings rear<br /> |Pillow bearing blocks<br /> |£6.67<br /> |2<br /> |£13.34<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Bearings front<br /> |12x24x6<br /> |£3.23<br /> |4<br /> |£12.92<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Chainwheel<br /> |Mini Moto<br /> |£13.22<br /> |1<br /> |£13.22<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Chain<br /> |8mm Mini Moto T8F<br /> |£7.99<br /> |1<br /> |£7.99<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Steering head<br /> |Scrap cycle<br /> |£5.00<br /> |1<br /> |£5.00<br /> |From junk pile<br /> |-<br /> |Rose joints<br /> |M8 rose joints<br /> |£3.00<br /> |4<br /> |£12.00<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Sundry<br /> |Fasteners etc<br /> |£20.00<br /> |1<br /> |£20.00<br /> |Estimate<br /> |}<br /> <br /> ==Race Results==<br /> {{VehicleResultsTable}}<br /> ==Links==<br /> The build process, including the unusual steering system and the alternator conversion, is documented at: [https://mechanicalcat.org/hacky-racers/ mechanicalcat.org/hacky-racers/]{{clear}}</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=File:MecCarNo.ForWiki.jpg&diff=1491 2025-05-27T13:12:11Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>MecCarNo on the track at 2022 Scrumpy Cup</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=MecCarNo&diff=1490 2025-05-27T13:10:24Z

<p>MechanicalCat: Expanded the entry</p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=Placeholder.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Thomas Beaver<br /> |Theme=Meccano<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Modified alternator<br /> |ESC=Generic eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain T8F<br /> |Contact=<br /> }}<br /> <br /> == Construction ==<br /> Chassis, steering, axles are all scratch-built from mild steel. Similar to KAsket. Bumpers are 12mm MDPE fished out of a skip at [posh exhibition centre location redacted] while racing indoors there.<br /> <br /> == Powertrain and Axles ==<br /> Drive is by a converted alternator powered by a generic eBike controller. Transmission is T8F chain. Wheels are standard plastic sack-truck wheels with standard &quot;4mph&quot; mobility scooter tyres. Rear rims are reinforced to accept drive direct to the spokes. Brakes are a single cycle brake mounted on the solid rear axle. Front rims are bored-out to take ball races. Front axle is a solid bar with two M12 bolts welded upright and mounted on the chassis at the desired caster angle.<br /> <br /> == Theme ==<br /> The theme bodywork is oversize Meccano parts constructed from 12mm builder's ply, with 3DP threaded nuts and bolts for assembling the Meccano pieces together.<br /> <br /> == BOM ==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot;<br /> !MecCarNo<br /> !<br /> !<br /> !<br /> !<br /> !<br /> |-<br /> |GRAND TOTAL<br /> |£192.63<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |-<br /> |PART<br /> |<br /> |COST<br /> |QTY<br /> |TOTAL<br /> |SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> |Wheels<br /> |Sack-truck wheels<br /> |£6.79<br /> |4<br /> |£27.16<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Motor<br /> |Alternator<br /> |£13.00<br /> |1<br /> |£13<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Controller<br /> |eBike cheapie<br /> |£30.00<br /> |1<br /> |£30<br /> |Estimate<br /> |-<br /> |Throttle<br /> |E-bike hall-effect<br /> |£8.00<br /> |1<br /> |£8.00<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Chassis<br /> |Scratch built, steel<br /> |£10.00<br /> |1<br /> |£10.00<br /> |Estimate<br /> |-<br /> |Seat<br /> |Scrap office chair-back<br /> |£0.00<br /> |1<br /> |£0.00<br /> |From junk pile<br /> |-<br /> |Tyres<br /> |S/h from scooter<br /> |£5.00<br /> |4<br /> |£20.00<br /> |Estimate<br /> |-<br /> |Bearings rear<br /> |Pillow bearing blocks<br /> |£6.67<br /> |2<br /> |£13.34<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Bearings front<br /> |12x24x6<br /> |£3.23<br /> |4<br /> |£12.92<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Chainwheel<br /> |Mini Moto<br /> |£13.22<br /> |1<br /> |£13.22<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Chain<br /> |8mm Mini Moto T8F<br /> |£7.99<br /> |1<br /> |£7.99<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Steering head<br /> |Scrap cycle<br /> |£5.00<br /> |1<br /> |£5.00<br /> |From junk pile<br /> |-<br /> |Rose joints<br /> |M8 rose joints<br /> |£3.00<br /> |4<br /> |£12.00<br /> |ebay<br /> |-<br /> |Sundry<br /> |Fasteners etc<br /> |£20.00<br /> |1<br /> |£20.00<br /> |Estimate<br /> |}<br /> <br /> ==Race Results==<br /> {{VehicleResultsTable}}<br /> ==Links==<br /> The build process, including the unusual steering system and the alternator conversion, is documented at: [https://mechanicalcat.org/hacky-racers/ mechanicalcat.org/hacky-racers/]{{clear}}</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Ford_KAsket&diff=1489 2025-05-27T10:42:28Z

<p>MechanicalCat: Added BOM. Updated summary.</p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=Placeholder.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=Ford KAsket - a coffin<br /> |FirstRace=Scrumpy Cup 2022<br /> |CurrentStatus=Available for guest drivers<br /> |Motor=Pair converted alternators. Later Vevor 2kW brushless.<br /> |ESC=Generic 1500W eBike controller X2 plus Arduino controller. Later generic 2000W eBike controller X1.<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain with various gearings - sometimes unequal to each wheel.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Construction==<br /> Chassis, steering, axles are all scratch-built from mild steel. Similar to MecCarNo but with heavier-gauge parts - particularly M16 for front stub axles and kingpins rather than the M12 used on MecCarNo.<br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk(s) with cable caliper.<br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE.<br /> The chassis is extremely low to the ground - perhaps 50mm clearance - allowing the kart to be narrow but remain stable in corners.<br /> The theme bodywork is constructed from 10mm builder's ply, with genuine coffin parts for decoration.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Drive was initially by two converted alternators using two 1500W eBike controllers. A single throttle thumblever was input to an Arduino, which monitored the current used by each controller. The Arduino allocated throttle settings out to the two controllers and also turned on or off the field currents of the motors, to attain best performance.<br /> The two motors each drove one rear wheel. Each wheel was braked by a standard cycle disk, with cable-operated caliper. A single brake lever operated both. Wheels are standard 4&quot; split-rim mobility-scooter items with standard mobility tyres (front) and 4.10-4 Minimoto knobblies (rear). Rear wheel dia approx 10&quot;.<br /> The kart was intended to experiment with the following benefits potentially afforded by two motors:<br /> *No diff required, and no scrubbing losses. This wasn't successful: the extra motor weighs as much as a diff, and its losses appeared to outweigh the modest losses from a typical diff. The complexity of an extra brake was required - whereas a solid axle requires only one. If a brake is fitted to its input then a diff also requires only one disk.<br /> *If the motors are geared differently, then the low-geared motor can be prioritised to give maximum acceleration but it can also be disabled (with zero field current) at high speed, leaving the high-geared motor to take the kart to a higher top speed. This feature was automated by the Arduino, with the only user control being the single throttle. This was even less successful: these eBike controllers throw an error when the field current is turned off and require power-cycling at standstill for them to restart, stymieing the feature.<br /> *If full power is demanded, but at a speed where a single motor would be unable to draw enough current to make full use of the fuse-limit, then current can be allocated to both motors. This was somewhat successful, but the same could be achieved simply by fitting a bigger single motor (and a current-limiting controller) instead.<br /> For subsequent races the axle was made solid, and driven by a single Vevor 2000W brushless motor with 2000W eBike controller. Gearing was 11T to 64T giving about 11700 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 22mph.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> Transportation space constraints required low-profile bodywork, so a low surrounding wall of plywood was fitted, in the shape of a truncated coffin. Coloured mahogany and with some genuine coffin fittings. Some genuine 'Ford' blue-oval and 'KA' boot-badges, with 'sket' CNC'd from mirrored plastic sheet appended, provided the name.<br /> <br /> == BOM ==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot;<br /> !KAsket<br /> !<br /> !<br /> !<br /> !<br /> !<br /> |-<br /> |GRAND TOTAL<br /> |£294.30<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |-<br /> |PART<br /> |<br /> |ACTUAL<br /> COST<br /> |QTY<br /> |TOTAL<br /> |SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> |Wheels<br /> |Commonplace 4.00-8 aluminium hubs<br /> |£10.00<br /> |4<br /> |£40.00<br /> |Various ebay sellers secondhand<br /> |-<br /> |Motor<br /> |Vevor<br /> |£98.57<br /> |1<br /> |£98.57<br /> |AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> |Controller<br /> |eBike 2kW cheapie<br /> |£27.51<br /> |1<br /> |£27.51<br /> |AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> |Throttle<br /> |E-bike hall-effect trigger<br /> |£8.00<br /> |1<br /> |£8.00<br /> |ebay: electricbikecomponents<br /> |-<br /> |Chassis<br /> |Scratch built, steel<br /> |£25.00<br /> |1<br /> |£25.00<br /> |Estimate<br /> |-<br /> |Floorpan<br /> |Plywood<br /> |£5.00<br /> |1<br /> |£5.00<br /> |Estimate<br /> |-<br /> |Front tyres<br /> |With s/h wheels<br /> |£0.00<br /> |2<br /> |£0.00<br /> |<br /> |-<br /> |Rear tyres<br /> |Mini Moto knobblies<br /> |£13.50<br /> |2<br /> |£27.00<br /> |ebay: petrolscooter<br /> |-<br /> |Rear bearings<br /> |Pillow bearing blocks<br /> |£6.67<br /> |3<br /> |£20.01<br /> |ebay: hendersonbearings<br /> |-<br /> |Chainwheel<br /> |64T / 8mm Mini Moto<br /> |£13.22<br /> |1<br /> |£13.22<br /> |ebay: carhouseuk<br /> |-<br /> |Chain<br /> |8mm Mini Moto T8F<br /> |£7.99<br /> |1<br /> |£7.99<br /> |ebay: bonesmx<br /> |-<br /> |Ply for seat<br /> |10mm builder's ply 1/4 sheet<br /> |£5.00<br /> |1<br /> |£5.00<br /> |Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> |Steering head<br /> |Scrap cycle<br /> |£5.00<br /> |1<br /> |£5.00<br /> |From junk pile<br /> |-<br /> |Rose joints<br /> |M10 rose joints<br /> |£3.00<br /> |4<br /> |£12.00<br /> |ebay<br /> |}<br /> <br /> ==Other Lessons==<br /> At constant cruise the eBike controller of the non-prioritised motor tended to overheat. The Arduino was throttling it to prevent excessive fuse current, but FETs produce more heat when constantly switching (PWM'ing at part-throttle) rather than when turned on (at full throttle). So any design which drives a controller for a long duration at part-power should over-spec the controller.<br /> ==Race Results==<br /> {{VehicleResultsTable}}<br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> -----<br /> {{FooterFB}}<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category:Racers]]</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1389 2025-01-20T18:21:01Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FatManAndRobin.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9T to 74T<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Construction==<br /> Chassis uses the front crossmember from a severely crash-damaged '8mph' 4-wheeled mobility scooter which was fished entire from a skip. The front crossmember includes steering and suspension components. Bespoke mild steel sections are welded to make the front and rear of the chassis.<br /> <br /> Front track has been widened up to the maximum allowed, to enhance stability. The front axle is positioned well rearwards - under the driver's knees - to further improve stability. The scooter's original front springs and dampers are fitted but, since the total laden weight of this hacky is perhaps only 1/3 the gross weight of the source vehicle, they don't move much in use so are unlikely to have much effect on handling.<br /> <br /> Steering handlebars and head-tube are from a 'PUKY' child's cycle.<br /> <br /> The single rear wheel is from the crash-damaged scooter but is mounted on a bespoke axle.<br /> <br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk with cable caliper.<br /> <br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE, removable for transport.<br /> <br /> Theme is constructed from 6mm builder's ply, with LDPE foamboard decorations.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Current: Vevor 2000W brushless motor with a 9T sprocket driving the rear axle via T8F chain and a 74T chainwheel. Rear wheel is 10&quot; rim with 3&quot; tyre giving an approximate dia of 16&quot;. Gearing comes to approximately 10,400 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 25mph - which is perhaps 20% higher than would be ideal but the limited choices of T8F gears means it is difficult to gear down further.<br /> <br /> Previously: The original powertrain used the original transaxle. The crash damage included the destruction of one of the half-shafts on the transaxle, which is how this hacky was originally forced to be a three-wheeler. So the original transaxle, complete with mahoosive 24V brushed motor, was mounted offset on the chassis so that the remaining wheel was centred. Initially the remains of the broken half-shaft were locked which, via the diff, doubles the output speed on the remaining half-shaft giving a theoretical no-load speed of 16mph at 24V and 32mph at 48V. This was found to be vastly over-geared so instead the diff was locked, giving in theory about 16mph at 48V, with subsequent timed runs suggesting about 18mph. The brushed motor takes well over 100A from 48V so a current-limiting motor controller (based on an Arduino Nano and a Porter 10 from 4QD) was employed. The Porter usefully also incorporates regen. Mechanical braking was via the emergency stop-brake which is mounted on the motor itself - this wears quickly in use but was never required because of the powerful regen braking from the controller which allowed the kart to be driven entirely on the throttle - including emergency braking. The kart was extremely reliable and the motor survived many races despite being run at twice its rated voltage and rpm, often almost continuously flat-out for 10 minute races. Even with this &quot;mere&quot; brushed motor and ~100kg of driver, the kart was very competitive, demonstrating that brushed motors shouldn't be dismissed. However, when a reverse switch became mandatory a c/o relay was fitted (with a lock-out to prevent it switching when drive power was on). This became a frequent source of failure. The unreliability of reverse eventually forced a changeover to brushless power. With hindsight, a reliable solid-state c/o relay wouldn't have been too difficult to engineer from FETs.<br /> ==Electrics==<br /> Generic 2000W ESC. 12S of 10Ah hobby-grade LiPo, housed in a padded and vented ammunition box. 100A emergency switch with removable knob. Thumb-lever throttle and momentary reverse-switch mounted on the handlebars.<br /> ==Performance of a Trike==<br /> The single rear wheel has some advantages and disadvantages. The obvious question is whether stability is significantly reduced when cornering, but for the most part this trike corners remarkably similarly to a four-wheeler. The worst-case instability scenario is when accelerating out of a corner, occasionally causing a wheel to lift briefly. A more significant issue is that the single rear wheel has less area on the ground and so less grip for forwards drive than two wheels would have, which can be a problem on very muddy circuits. On the other hand several successful four-wheelers also send power to only one wheel - which will have even less weight on it than a trike's single wheel does. The advantages of a trike are that no mechanism is required to prevent the scrubbing losses and understeer associated with having a pair of wheels on a solid axle, and three wheels offer less loss through rolling resistance than four.<br /> ==Driving==<br /> FatManAndRobin is quite an energetic drive. The rider's weight is best moved substantially forwards while cornering to keep the centre of mass within the widest part of the base triangle, increasing stability and maximising the grip of the steered wheels. Weight should be moved rearwards when accelerating to maximise grip of the driven rear wheel. Just as with most four-wheelers, weight should also be moved to the inside when cornering. The current driver (the eponymous 'Fat Man') is therefore grateful that races are now only five minutes duration.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> All good trikes have two at the front, one at the back. Clearly, then, Del Boy's SuperVan required some minor modifications resulting in the rear window becoming the windscreen and the bonnet becoming the boot. You know it makes sense.<br /> ==BOM==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot; <br /> |-<br /> ! Fat Man and Robin<br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (ACTUAL)<br /> | £200.95<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (FMV)<br /> | £352.63<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | PART<br /> | <br /> | ACTUAL&lt;br /&gt;COST<br /> | FMV<br /> | QTY<br /> | TOTAL<br /> | SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> | Accident-damaged scooter<br /> | Rascal 8mph 24V moby scooter. Wrecked. Chassis bent.&lt;br /&gt;Steering crushed. Transaxle snapped. Missing its electronics.&lt;br /&gt;And a wheel. And both brakes. And the seat.<br /> | £3.99<br /> | £0.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £0.00<br /> | Centre Mobility, Aberaeron. Fished from skip.&lt;br /&gt;Paid with a box of chocs. FMVs for parts listed&lt;br /&gt;separately<br /> |-<br /> | Motor<br /> | Vevor<br /> | £98.57<br /> | £98.57<br /> | 1<br /> | £98.57<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Controller<br /> | eBike 2kW cheapie<br /> | £27.51<br /> | £27.51<br /> | 1<br /> | £27.51<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Throttle<br /> | E-bike hall-effect trigger<br /> | £8.00<br /> | £8.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £8.00<br /> | ebay: electricbikecomponents<br /> |-<br /> | Front suspension arms<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter. Bent but with usable parts.<br /> | <br /> | £50.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £50.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Chassis<br /> | Bits and pieces of steel<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Wheels<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter<br /> | £0.00<br /> | £33.00<br /> | 3<br /> | £99.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Knobbly rear tyre<br /> | Generic cheapie<br /> | £12.99<br /> | £12.99<br /> | 1<br /> | £12.99<br /> | ebay: petrolscooter<br /> |-<br /> | Rear bearings<br /> | Pillow bearing blocks<br /> | £6.67<br /> | £6.67<br /> | 2<br /> | £13.34<br /> | ebay: hendersonbearings<br /> |-<br /> | Chainwheel<br /> | 74T / 8mm Mini Moto<br /> | £13.22<br /> | £13.22<br /> | 1<br /> | £13.22<br /> | ebay: carhouseuk<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for body<br /> | 6mm builder's ply 3/4 sheet<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for seat<br /> | 10mm builder's ply 1/4 sheet<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Steering head<br /> | Puky child's bike.<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Garage sale, June 2008. At the big white house, the one behind Moylgrove garden centre.<br /> |}</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1388 2025-01-20T18:02:34Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FatManAndRobin.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9T to 74T<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Construction==<br /> Chassis uses the front crossmember from a severely crash-damaged '8mph' 4-wheeled mobility scooter which was fished entire from a skip. The front crossmember includes steering and suspension components. Bespoke mild steel sections are welded to make the front and rear of the chassis.<br /> <br /> Front track has been widened up to the maximum allowed, to enhance stability. The front axle is positioned well rearwards - under the driver's knees - to further improve stability. The scooter's original front springs and dampers are fitted but, since the total laden weight of this hacky is perhaps only 1/3 the gross weight of the source vehicle, they don't move much in use so are unlikely to have much effect on handling.<br /> <br /> Steering handlebars and head-tube are from a 'PUKY' child's cycle.<br /> <br /> The single rear wheel is from the crash-damaged scooter but is mounted on a bespoke axle.<br /> <br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk with cable caliper.<br /> <br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE, removable for transport.<br /> <br /> Theme is constructed from 6mm builder's ply, with LDPE foamboard decorations.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Current: Vevor 2000W brushless motor with a 9T sprocket driving the rear axle via T8F chain and a 74T chainwheel. Rear wheel is 10&quot; rim with 3&quot; tyre giving an approximate dia of 16&quot;. Gearing comes to approximately 10,400 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 25mph - which is perhaps 20% higher than would be ideal but the limited choices of T8F gears means it is difficult to gear down further.<br /> <br /> Previously: The original powertrain used the original transaxle. The crash damage included the destruction of one of the half-shafts on the transaxle, which is how this hacky was originally forced to be a three-wheeler. So the original transaxle, complete with mahoosive 24V brushed motor, was mounted offset on the chassis so that the remaining wheel was centred. Initially the remains of the broken half-shaft were locked which, via the diff, doubles the output speed on the remaining half-shaft giving a theoretical no-load speed of 16mph at 24V and 32mph at 48V. This was found to be vastly over-geared so instead the diff was locked, giving in theory about 16mph at 48V, with subsequent timed runs suggesting about 18mph. The brushed motor takes well over 100A from 48V so a current-limiting motor controller (based on an Arduino Nono and a Porter 10 from 4QD) was employed. The Porter usefully also incorporates regen. Mechanical braking was via the emergency stop-brake which is mounted on the motor itself - this wears quickly in use but was never required because of the powerful regen braking from the controller which allowed the kart to be driven entirely on the throttle - including emergency braking. The kart was extremely reliable and the motor survived many races despite being run at twice its rated voltage and rpm, often almost continuously flat-out for 10 minute races. Even with this &quot;mere&quot; brushed motor and ~100kg of driver, the kart was very competitive, demonstrating that brushed motors shouldn't be dismissed. However, when a reverse switch became mandatory a c/o relay was fitted (with a lock-out to prevent it switching when drive power was on). This became a frequent source of failure. The unreliability of reverse eventually forced a changeover to brushless power. With hindsight, a reliable solid-state c/o relay wouldn't have been too difficult to engineer from FETs.<br /> ==Electrics==<br /> Generic 2000W ESC. 12S of 10Ah hobby-grade LiPo, housed in a padded and vented ammunition box. 100A emergency switch with removable knob. Thumb-lever throttle and momentary reverse-switch mounted on the handlebars.<br /> ==Performance of a Trike==<br /> The single rear wheel has some advantages and disadvantages. The obvious question is whether stability is significantly reduced when cornering, but for the most part this trike corners remarkably similarly to a four-wheeler. The worst-case instability scenario is when accelerating out of a corner, occasionally causing a wheel to lift briefly. A more significant issue is that the single rear wheel has less area on the ground and so less grip for forwards drive than two wheels would have, which can be a problem on very muddy circuits. On the other hand several successful four-wheelers also send power to only one wheel - which will have even less weight on it than a trike's single wheel does. The advantages of a trike are that no mechanism is required to prevent the scrubbing losses and understeer associated with having a pair of wheels on a solid axle, and three wheels offer less loss through rolling resistance than four.<br /> ==Driving==<br /> FatManAndRobin is quite an energetic drive. The rider's weight is best moved substantially forwards while cornering to keep the centre of mass within the widest part of the base triangle, increasing stability and maximising the grip of the steered wheels. Weight should be moved rearwards when accelerating to maximise grip of the driven rear wheel. Just as with most four-wheelers, weight should also be moved to the inside when cornering. The current driver (the eponymous 'Fat Man') is therefore grateful that races are now only five minutes duration.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> All good trikes have two at the front, one at the back. Clearly, then, Del Boy's SuperVan required some minor modifications resulting in the rear window becoming the windscreen and the bonnet becoming the boot. You know it makes sense.<br /> ==BOM==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot; <br /> |-<br /> ! Fat Man and Robin<br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (ACTUAL)<br /> | £200.95<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (FMV)<br /> | £352.63<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | PART<br /> | <br /> | ACTUAL&lt;br /&gt;COST<br /> | FMV<br /> | QTY<br /> | TOTAL<br /> | SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> | Accident-damaged scooter<br /> | Rascal 8mph 24V moby scooter. Wrecked. Chassis bent.&lt;br /&gt;Steering crushed. Transaxle snapped. Missing its electronics.&lt;br /&gt;And a wheel. And both brakes. And the seat.<br /> | £3.99<br /> | £0.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £0.00<br /> | Centre Mobility, Aberaeron. Fished from skip.&lt;br /&gt;Paid with a box of chocs. FMVs for parts listed&lt;br /&gt;separately<br /> |-<br /> | Motor<br /> | Vevor<br /> | £98.57<br /> | £98.57<br /> | 1<br /> | £98.57<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Controller<br /> | eBike 2kW cheapie<br /> | £27.51<br /> | £27.51<br /> | 1<br /> | £27.51<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Throttle<br /> | E-bike hall-effect trigger<br /> | £8.00<br /> | £8.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £8.00<br /> | ebay: electricbikecomponents<br /> |-<br /> | Front suspension arms<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter. Bent but with usable parts.<br /> | <br /> | £50.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £50.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Chassis<br /> | Bits and pieces of steel<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Wheels<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter<br /> | £0.00<br /> | £33.00<br /> | 3<br /> | £99.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Knobbly rear tyre<br /> | Generic cheapie<br /> | £12.99<br /> | £12.99<br /> | 1<br /> | £12.99<br /> | ebay: petrolscooter<br /> |-<br /> | Rear bearings<br /> | Pillow bearing blocks<br /> | £6.67<br /> | £6.67<br /> | 2<br /> | £13.34<br /> | ebay: hendersonbearings<br /> |-<br /> | Chainwheel<br /> | 74T / 8mm Mini Moto<br /> | £13.22<br /> | £13.22<br /> | 1<br /> | £13.22<br /> | ebay: carhouseuk<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for body<br /> | 6mm builder's ply 3/4 sheet<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for seat<br /> | 10mm builder's ply 1/4 sheet<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Steering head<br /> | Puky child's bike.<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Garage sale, June 2008. At the big white house, the one behind Moylgrove garden centre.<br /> |}</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1380 2025-01-15T21:37:46Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FatManAndRobin.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9T to 74T<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Construction==<br /> Chassis uses the front crossmember from a severely crash-damaged '8mph' 4-wheeled mobility scooter which was fished entire from a skip. The front crossmember includes steering and suspension components. Bespoke mild steel sections are welded to make the front and rear of the chassis.<br /> <br /> Front track has been widened up to the maximum allowed, to enhance stability. The front axle is positioned well rearwards - under the driver's knees - to further improve stability. The scooter's original front springs and dampers are fitted but, since the total laden weight of this hacky is perhaps only 1/3 the gross weight of the source vehicle, they don't move much in use so are unlikely to have much effect on handling.<br /> <br /> Steering handlebars and head-tube are from a 'PUKY' child's cycle.<br /> <br /> The single rear wheel is from the crash-damaged scooter but is mounted on a bespoke axle.<br /> <br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk with cable caliper.<br /> <br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE, removable for transport.<br /> <br /> Theme is constructed from 6mm builder's ply, with LDPE foamboard decorations.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Current: Vevor 2000W brushless motor with a 9T sprocket driving the rear axle via T8F chain and a 74T chainwheel. Rear wheel is 10&quot; rim with 3&quot; tyre giving an approximate dia of 16&quot;. Gearing comes to approximately 10,400 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 25mph - which is perhaps 20% higher than would be ideal but the limited choices of T8F gears means it is difficult to gear down further.<br /> <br /> Previously: The original powertrain used the original transaxle. The crash damage included the destruction of one of the half-shafts on the transaxle, which is how this hacky was originally forced to be a three-wheeler. So the original transaxle, complete with mahoosive 24V brushed motor, was mounted offset on the chassis so that the remaining wheel was centred. Initially the remains of the broken half-shaft were locked which, via the diff, doubles the output speed on the remaining half-shaft giving a theoretical no-load speed of 16mph at 24V and 32mph at 48V. This was found to be vastly over-geared so instead the diff was locked, giving in theory about 16mph at 48V, with subsequent timed runs suggesting about 18mph. The brushed motor takes well over 100A from 48V so a current-limiting motor controller (a Porter 10 from 4QD) was employed. This usefully also incorporates regen. Mechanical braking was via the emergency stop-brake which is mounted on the motor itself - this wears quickly in use but was never required because of the powerful regen braking from the controller which allowed the kart to be driven entirely on the throttle - including emergency braking. The kart was extremely reliable and the motor survived many races despite being run at twice its rated voltage and rpm, often almost continuously flat-out for 10 minute races. Even with this &quot;mere&quot; brushed motor and ~100kg of driver, the kart was very competitive, demonstrating that brushed motors shouldn't be dismissed. However, when a reverse switch became mandatory a c/o relay was fitted (with a lock-out to prevent it switching when drive power was on). This became a frequent source of failure. The unreliability of reverse eventually forced a changeover to brushless power. With hindsight, a reliable solid-state c/o relay wouldn't have been too difficult to engineer from four FETs.<br /> ==Electrics==<br /> Generic 2000W ESC. 12S of 10Ah hobby-grade LiPo, housed in a padded and vented ammunition box. 100A emergency switch with removable knob. Thumb-lever throttle and momentary reverse-switch mounted on the handlebars.<br /> ==Performance of a Trike==<br /> The single rear wheel has some advantages and disadvantages. The obvious question is whether stability is significantly reduced when cornering, but for the most part this trike corners remarkably similarly to a four-wheeler. The worst-case instability scenario is when accelerating out of a corner, occasionally causing a wheel to lift briefly. A more significant issue is that the single rear wheel has less area on the ground and so less grip for forwards drive than two wheels would have, which can be a problem on very muddy circuits. On the other hand several successful four-wheelers also send power to only one wheel - which will have even less weight on it than a trike's single wheel does. The advantages of a trike are that no mechanism is required to prevent the scrubbing losses and understeer associated with having a pair of wheels on a solid axle, and three wheels offer less loss through rolling resistance than four.<br /> ==Driving==<br /> FatManAndRobin is quite an energetic drive. The rider's weight is best moved substantially forwards while cornering to keep the centre of mass within the widest part of the base triangle, increasing stability and maximising the grip of the steered wheels. Weight should be moved rearwards when accelerating to maximise grip of the driven rear wheel. Just as with most four-wheelers, weight should also be moved to the inside when cornering. The current driver (the eponymous 'Fat Man') is therefore grateful that races are now only five minutes duration.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> All good trikes have two at the front, one at the back. Clearly, then, Del Boy's SuperVan required some minor modifications resulting in the rear window becoming the windscreen and the bonnet becoming the boot. You know it makes sense.<br /> ==BOM==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot; <br /> |-<br /> ! Fat Man and Robin<br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (ACTUAL)<br /> | £200.95<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (FMV)<br /> | £352.63<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | PART<br /> | <br /> | ACTUAL&lt;br /&gt;COST<br /> | FMV<br /> | QTY<br /> | TOTAL<br /> | SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> | Accident-damaged scooter<br /> | Rascal 8mph 24V moby scooter. Wrecked. Chassis bent.&lt;br /&gt;Steering crushed. Transaxle snapped. Missing its electronics.&lt;br /&gt;And a wheel. And both brakes. And the seat.<br /> | £3.99<br /> | £0.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £0.00<br /> | Centre Mobility, Aberaeron. Fished from skip.&lt;br /&gt;Paid with a box of chocs. FMVs for parts listed&lt;br /&gt;separately<br /> |-<br /> | Motor<br /> | Vevor<br /> | £98.57<br /> | £98.57<br /> | 1<br /> | £98.57<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Controller<br /> | eBike 2kW cheapie<br /> | £27.51<br /> | £27.51<br /> | 1<br /> | £27.51<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Throttle<br /> | E-bike hall-effect trigger<br /> | £8.00<br /> | £8.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £8.00<br /> | ebay: electricbikecomponents<br /> |-<br /> | Front suspension arms<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter. Bent but with usable parts.<br /> | <br /> | £50.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £50.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Chassis<br /> | Bits and pieces of steel<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Wheels<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter<br /> | £0.00<br /> | £33.00<br /> | 3<br /> | £99.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Knobbly rear tyre<br /> | Generic cheapie<br /> | £12.99<br /> | £12.99<br /> | 1<br /> | £12.99<br /> | ebay: petrolscooter<br /> |-<br /> | Rear bearings<br /> | Pillow bearing blocks<br /> | £6.67<br /> | £6.67<br /> | 2<br /> | £13.34<br /> | ebay: hendersonbearings<br /> |-<br /> | Chainwheel<br /> | 74T / 8mm Mini Moto<br /> | £13.22<br /> | £13.22<br /> | 1<br /> | £13.22<br /> | ebay: carhouseuk<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for body<br /> | 6mm builder's ply 3/4 sheet<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for seat<br /> | 10mm builder's ply 1/4 sheet<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Steering head<br /> | Puky child's bike.<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Garage sale, June 2008. At the big white house, the one behind Moylgrove garden centre.<br /> |}</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=MecCarNo&diff=1379 2025-01-15T19:22:12Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=Placeholder.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Thomas Beaver<br /> |Theme=Meccano<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Modified alternator<br /> |ESC=Generic eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain T8F<br /> |Contact=<br /> }}</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=MecCarNo&diff=1378 2025-01-15T19:21:57Z

<p>MechanicalCat: Created page with &quot;{{Racer |ProfilePic=Placeholder.jpg |BuiltBy=Thomas Beaver |Theme=Meccano |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019 |CurrentStatus=Active |Motor=Modified alternator |ESC=generic eBike controller |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S) |Transmission=Chain T8F |Contact= }}&quot;</p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=Placeholder.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Thomas Beaver<br /> |Theme=Meccano<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Modified alternator<br /> |ESC=generic eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain T8F<br /> |Contact=<br /> }}</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Ford_KAsket&diff=1377 2025-01-15T18:22:19Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=Placeholder.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=Ford KAsket - a coffin<br /> |FirstRace=Scrumpy Cup 2022<br /> |CurrentStatus=Resting<br /> |Motor=Various<br /> |ESC=Generic 1500W eBike controller X1 or X2 plus Arduino controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain with various gearings - sometimes unequal to each wheel.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Construction==<br /> Chassis, steering, axles are all scratch-built from mild steel. Similar to MecCarNo but with heavier-gauge parts - particularly M16 for front stub axles and kingpins rather than the M12 used on MecCarNo.<br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk(s) with cable caliper.<br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE.<br /> The chassis is extremely low to the ground - perhaps 50mm clearance - allowing the kart to be narrow but remain stable in corners.<br /> The theme bodywork is constructed from 10mm builder's ply, with genuine coffin parts for decoration.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Drive was initially by two converted alternators using two 1500W eBike controllers. A single throttle thumblever was input to an Arduino, which monitored the current used by each controller. The Arduino allocated throttle settings out to the two controllers and also turned on or off the field currents of the motors, to attain best performance.<br /> The two motors each drove one rear wheel. Each wheel was braked by a standard cycle disk, with cable-operated caliper. A single brake lever operated both. Wheels are standard 4&quot; split-rim mobility-scooter items with standard mobility tyres (front) and 4.10-4 Minimoto knobblies (rear). Rear wheel dia approx 10&quot;.<br /> The kart was intended to experiment with the following benefits potentially afforded by two motors:<br /> *No diff required, and no scrubbing losses. This wasn't successful: the extra motor weighs as much as a diff, and its losses appeared to outweigh the modest losses from a typical diff. The complexity of an extra brake was required - whereas a solid axle requires only one. If a brake is fitted to its input then a diff also requires only one disk.<br /> *If the motors are geared differently, then the low-geared motor can be prioritised to give maximum acceleration but it can also be disabled (with zero field current) at high speed, leaving the high-geared motor to take the kart to a higher top speed. This feature was automated by the Arduino, with the only user control being the single throttle. This was even less successful: these eBike controllers throw an error when the field current is turned off and require power-cycling at standstill for them to restart, stymieing the feature.<br /> *If full power is demanded, but at a speed where a single motor would be unable to draw enough current to make full use of the fuse-limit, then current can be allocated to both motors. This was somewhat successful, but the same could be achieved simply by fitting a bigger single motor (and a current-limiting controller) instead.<br /> For subsequent races the axle was made solid, and driven by a single Vevor 2000W brushless motor with 2000W eBike controller. Gearing was 11T to 64T giving about 11700 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 22mph.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> Transportation space constraints required low-profile bodywork, so a low surrounding wall of plywood was fitted, in the shape of a truncated coffin. Coloured mahogany and with some genuine coffin fittings. Some genuine 'Ford' blue-oval and 'KA' boot-badges, with 'sket' CNC'd from mirrored plastic sheet appended, provided the name.<br /> ==Other Lessons==<br /> At constant cruise the eBike controller of the non-prioritised motor tended to overheat. The Arduino was throttling it to prevent excessive fuse current, but FETs produce more heat when constantly switching (PWM'ing at part-throttle) rather than when turned on (at full throttle). So any design which drives a controller for a long duration at part-power should over-spec the controller.</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Ford_KAsket&diff=1376 2025-01-15T18:11:19Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=Placeholder.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=Ford KAsket - a coffin<br /> |FirstRace=Scrumpy Cup 2022<br /> |CurrentStatus=Resting<br /> |Motor=Various<br /> |ESC=Generic 1500W eBike controller X1 or X2 plus Arduino controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain with various gearings - sometimes unequal to each wheel.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Construction==<br /> Chassis, steering, axles are all scratch-built from mild steel. Similar to MecCarNo but with heavier-gauge parts - particularly M16 for front stub axles and kingpins rather than the M12 used on MecCarNo.<br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk(s) with cable caliper.<br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE.<br /> The chassis is extremely low to the ground - perhaps 50mm clearance - allowing the kart to be narrow but remain stable in corners.<br /> The theme bodywork is constructed from 10mm builder's ply, with genuine coffin parts for decoration.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Drive was initially by two converted alternators using two 1500W eBike controllers. A single throttle thumblever was input to an Arduino, which monitored the current used by each controller. The Arduino allocated throttle settings out to the two controllers and also turned on or off the field currents of the motors, to attain best performance.<br /> The two motors each drove one rear wheel. Each wheel was braked by a standard cycle disk, with cable-operated caliper. A single brake lever operated both.<br /> The kart was intended to experiment with the following benefits potentially afforded by two motors:<br /> *No diff required, and no scrubbing losses. This wasn't successful: the extra motor weighs as much as a diff, and its losses appeared to outweigh the modest losses from a typical diff. The complexity of an extra brake was required - whereas a solid axle requires only one. If a brake is fitted to its input then a diff also requires only one disk.<br /> *If the motors are geared differently, then the low-geared motor can be prioritised to give maximum acceleration but it can also be disabled (with zero field current) at high speed, leaving the high-geared motor to take the kart to a higher top speed. This feature was automated by the Arduino, with the only user control being the single throttle. This was even less successful: these eBike controllers throw an error when the field current is turned off and require power-cycling at standstill for them to restart, stymieing the feature.<br /> *If full power is demanded, but at a speed where a single motor would be unable to draw enough current to make full use of the fuse-limit, then current can be allocated to both motors. This was somewhat successful, but the same could be achieved simply by fitting a bigger single motor (and a current-limiting controller) instead.<br /> For subsequent races the axle was made solid, and driven by a single Vevor 2000W brushless motor with 2000W eBike controller.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> Transportation space constraints required low-profile bodywork, so a low surrounding wall of plywood was fitted, in the shape of a truncated coffin. Coloured mahogany and with some genuine coffin fittings. Some genuine 'Ford' blue-oval and 'KA' boot-badges, with 'sket' CNC'd from mirrored plastic sheet appended, provided the name.<br /> ==Other Lessons==<br /> At constant cruise the eBike controller of the non-prioritised motor tended to overheat. The Arduino was throttling it to prevent excessive fuse current, but FETs produce more heat when constantly switching (PWM'ing at part-throttle) rather than when turned on (at full throttle). So any design which drives a controller for a long duration at part-power should over-spec the controller.</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Ford_KAsket&diff=1375 2025-01-15T18:10:28Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=Placeholder.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=Ford KAsket - a coffin<br /> |FirstRace=Scrumpy Cup 2022<br /> |CurrentStatus=Resting<br /> |Motor=Various<br /> |ESC=Generic 1500W eBike controller X1 or X2 plus Arduino controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain with various gearings - sometimes unequal to each wheel.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Construction==<br /> Chassis, steering, axles are all scratch-built from mild steel. Similar to MecCarNo but with heavier-gauge parts - particularly M16 for front stub axles and kingpins rather than the M12 used on MecCarNo.<br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk(s) with cable caliper.<br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE.<br /> The chassis is extremely low to the ground - perhaps 50mm clearance - allowing the kart to be narrow but remain stable in corners.<br /> The theme bodywork is constructed from 10mm builder's ply, with genuine coffin parts for decoration.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Drive was initially by two converted alternators using two 1500W eBike controllers. A single throttle thumblever was input to an Arduino, which monitored the current used by each controller. The Arduino allocated throttle settings out to the two controllers and also turned on or off the field currents of the motors, to attain best performance.<br /> The two motors each drove one rear wheel. Each wheel was braked by a standard cycle disk, with cable-operated caliper. A single brake lever operated both.<br /> The kart was intended to experiment with the following benefits potentially afforded by two motors:<br /> *No diff required, and no scrubbing losses. This wasn't successful: the extra motor weighs as much as a diff, and its losses appeared to outweigh the modest losses from a typical diff. The complexity of an extra brake was required - whereas a solid axle requires only one. If a brake is fitted to its input then a diff also requires only one disk.<br /> *If the motors are geared differently, then the low-geared motor can be prioritised to give maximum acceleration but it can also be disabled (with zero field current) at high speed, leaving the high-geared motor to take the kart to a higher top speed. This feature was automated by the Arduino, with the only user control being the single throttle. This was even less successful: these eBike controllers throw an error when the field current is turned off and require power-cycling at standstill for them to restart, stymieing the feature.<br /> *If full power is demanded, but at a speed where a single motor would be unable to draw enough current to make full use of the fuse-limit, then current can be allocated to both motors. This was somewhat successful, but the same could be achieved simply by fitting a bigger single motor (and a current-limiting controller) instead.<br /> For subsequent races the axle was made solid, and driven by a single Vevor 2000W brushless motor with 2000W eBike controller.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> Transportation space constraints required low-profile bodywork, so a low surrounding wall of plywood was fitted, in the shape of a truncated coffin. Coloured mahogany and with some genuine coffin fittings. Some genuine 'Ford' blue-oval and 'KA' boot-badges, with 'sket' appended, provided the name.<br /> ==Other Lessons==<br /> At constant cruise the eBike controller of the non-prioritised motor tended to overheat. The Arduino was throttling it to prevent excessive fuse current, but FETs produce more heat when constantly switching (PWM'ing at part-throttle) rather than when turned on (at full throttle). So any design which drives a controller for a long duration at part-power should over-spec the controller.</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Ford_KAsket&diff=1374 2025-01-15T18:02:43Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=Placeholder.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=Ford KAsket - a coffin<br /> |FirstRace=Scrumpy Cup 2022<br /> |CurrentStatus=Resting<br /> |Motor=Various<br /> |ESC=Generic 1500W eBike controller X1 or X2 plus Arduino controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain with various gearings - sometimes unequal to each wheel.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Construction==<br /> Chassis, steering, axles are all scratch-built from mild steel. Similar to MecCarNo but with heavier-gauge parts - particularly M16 for front stub axles and kingpins rather than the M12 used on MecCarNo.<br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk(s) with cable caliper.<br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE.<br /> The chassis is extremely low to the ground - perhaps 50mm clearance - allowing the kart to be narrow but remain stable in corners.<br /> The theme bodywork is constructed from 10mm builder's ply, with genuine coffin parts for decoration.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Drive was initially by two converted alternators using two 1500W eBike controllers. A single throttle thumblever was input to an Arduino, which monitored the current used by each controller. The Arduino allocated throttle settings out to the two controllers and also turned on or off the field currents of the motors, to attain best performance.<br /> The two motors each drove one rear wheel. Each wheel was braked by a standard cycle disk, with cable-operated caliper. A single brake lever operated both.<br /> The kart was intended to experiment with the following benefits potentially afforded by two motors:<br /> *No diff required, and no scrubbing losses. This wasn't successful: the extra motor weighs as much as a diff, and its losses appeared to outweigh the modest losses from a typical diff. The complexity of an extra brake was required - whereas a solid axle requires only one. If a brake is fitted to its input then a diff also requires only one disk.<br /> *If the motors are geared differently, then the low-geared motor can be prioritised to give maximum acceleration but it can also be disabled (with zero field current) at high speed, leaving the high-geared motor to take the kart to a higher top speed. This feature was automated by the Arduino, with the only user control being the single throttle. This was even less successful: these eBike controllers throw an error when the field current is turned off and require power-cycling at standstill for them to restart, stymieing the feature.<br /> *If full power is demanded, but at a speed where a single motor would be unable to draw enough current to make full use of the fuse-limit, then current can be allocated to both motors. This was somewhat successful, but the same could be achieved simply by fitting a bigger single motor (and a current-limiting controller) instead.<br /> For subsequent races the axle was made solid, and driven by a single Vevor 2000W brushless motor with 2000W eBike controller.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> Transportation space constraints required low-profile bodywork, so a low surrounding wall of plywood was fitted, in the shape of a truncated coffin. Coloured mahogany, with some genuine coffin fittings.<br /> ==Other Lessons==<br /> At constant cruise the eBike controller of the non-prioritised motor tended to overheat. The Arduino was throttling it to prevent excessive fuse current, but FETs produce more heat when constantly switching (PWM'ing at part-throttle) rather than when turned on (at full throttle). So any design which drives a controller for a long duration at part-power should over-spec the controller.</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Ford_KAsket&diff=1373 2025-01-15T17:57:16Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=Placeholder.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=Ford KAsket - a coffin<br /> |FirstRace=Scrumpy Cup 2022<br /> |CurrentStatus=Resting<br /> |Motor=Various<br /> |ESC=Generic 1500W eBike controller X1 or X2 plus Arduino controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain with various gearings - sometimes unequal to each wheel.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Construction==<br /> Chassis, steering, axles are all scratch-built from mild steel. Similar to MecCarNo but with heavier-gauge parts - particularly M16 for front stub axles and kingpins rather than the M12 used on MecCarNo.<br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk(s) with cable caliper.<br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE.<br /> The chassis is extremely low to the ground - perhaps 50mm clearance - allowing the kart to be narrow but remain stable in corners.<br /> The theme bodywork is constructed from 10mm builder's ply, with genuine coffin parts for decoration.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Drive was initially by two converted alternators using two 1500W eBike controllers. A single throttle thumblever was input to an Arduino, which monitored the current used by each controller. The Arduino allocated throttle settings out to the two controllers and also turned on or off the field currents of the motors, to attain best performance.<br /> The two motors each drove one rear wheel. Each wheel was braked by a standard cycle disk, with cable-operated caliper. A single brake lever operated both.<br /> The kart was intended to experiment with the following benefits potentially afforded by two motors:<br /> *No diff required, and no scrubbing losses. This wasn't successful: the extra motor weighs as much as a diff, and its losses appeared to outweigh the modest losses from a typical diff. The complexity of an extra brake was required - whereas a solid axle requires only one. If a brake is fitted to its input then a diff also requires only one disk.<br /> *If the motors are geared differently, then the low-geared motor can be prioritised to give maximum acceleration but it can also be disabled (with zero field current) at high speed, leaving the high-geared motor to take the kart to a higher top speed. This feature was automated by the Arduino, with the only user control being the single throttle. This was even less successful: these eBike controllers throw an error when the field current is turned off and require power-cycling at standstill for them to restart, stymieing the feature.<br /> *If full power is demanded, but at a speed where a single motor would be unable to draw enough current to make full use of the fuse-limit, then current can be allocated to both motors. This was somewhat successful, but the same could be achieved simply by fitting a bigger single motor (and a current-limiting controller) instead.<br /> For subsequent races the axle was made solid, and driven by a single Vevor 2000W brushless motor with 2000W eBike controller.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> Transportation space constraints required low-profile bodywork, so a low surrounding wall of plywood was fitted, in the shape of a truncated coffin. Coloured mahogany, with some genuine coffin fittings.</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Ford_KAsket&diff=1372 2025-01-15T17:55:40Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=Placeholder.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=Ford KAsket - a coffin<br /> |FirstRace=Scrumpy Cup 2022<br /> |CurrentStatus=Resting<br /> |Motor=Various<br /> |ESC=Generic 1500W eBike controller X1 or X2 plus Arduino controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain with various gearings - sometimes unequal to each wheel.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Construction==<br /> Chassis, steering, axles are all scratch-built from mild steel. Similar to MecCarNo but with heavier-gauge parts - particularly M16 for front stub axles and kingpins rather than the M12 used on MecCarNo.<br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk(s) with cable caliper.<br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE.<br /> The chassis is extremely low to the ground - perhaps 50mm clearance - allowing the kart to be narrow but remain stable in corners.<br /> The theme bodywork is constructed from 10mm builder's ply, with genuine coffin parts for decoration.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Drive was initially by two converted alternators using two 1500W eBike controllers. A single throttle thumblever was input to an Arduino, which monitored the current used by each controller. The Arduino allocated throttle settings out to the two controllers and also turned on or off the field currents of the motors, to attain best performance.<br /> The two motors each drove one rear wheel. Each wheel was braked by a standard cycle disk, with cable-operated caliper. A single brake lever operated both.<br /> The kart was intended to experiment with the following benefits potentially afforded by two motors:<br /> *No diff required, and no scrubbing losses. This wasn't successful: the extra motor weighs as much as a diff, and its losses appeared to outweigh the modest losses from a typical diff. The complexity of an extra brake was required - whereas a solid axle requires only one. If a brake is fitted to the crownwheel - a diff also requires only one disk.<br /> *If the motors are geared differently, then the low-geared motor can be prioritised to give maximum acceleration but it can also be disabled (with zero field current) at high speed, leaving the high-geared motor to take the kart to a higher top speed. This feature was automated by the Arduino, with the only user control being the single throttle. This was even less successful: these eBike controllers throw an error when the field current is turned off and require power-cycling at standstill for them to restart, stymieing the feature.<br /> *If full power is demanded, but at a speed where a single motor would be unable to draw enough current to make full use of the fuse-limit, then current can be allocated to both motors. This was somewhat successful, but the same could be achieved simply by fitting a bigger single motor (and a current-limiting controller) instead.<br /> For subsequent races the axle was made solid, and driven by a single Vevor 2000W brushless motor with 2000W eBike controller.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> Transportation space constraints required low-profile bodywork, so a low surrounding wall of plywood was fitted, in the shape of a truncated coffin. Coloured mahogany, with some genuine coffin fittings.</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Ford_KAsket&diff=1371 2025-01-15T17:50:08Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=Placeholder.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=Ford KAsket - a coffin<br /> |FirstRace=Scrumpy Cup 2022<br /> |CurrentStatus=Resting<br /> |Motor=Various<br /> |ESC=Generic 1500W eBike controller X1 or X2 plus Arduino controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain with various gearings - sometimes unequal to each wheel.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Construction==<br /> Chassis, steering, axles are all scratch-built from mild steel. Similar to MecCarNo but with heavier-gauge parts - particularly M16 for front stub axles and kingpins rather than the M12 used on MecCarNo.<br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk(s) with cable caliper.<br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE.<br /> The chassis is extremely low to the ground - perhaps 50mm clearance - allowing the kart to be narrow but remain stable in corners.<br /> The theme bodywork is constructed from 10mm builder's ply, with genuine coffin parts for decoration.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Drive was initially by two converted alternators using two 1500W eBike controllers. A single throttle thumblever was input to an arduino, which monitored the current used by each controller. The arduino allocated throttle settings out to the two controllers and also turned on or off the field currents of the motors, to attain best performance.<br /> The two motors each drove one rear wheel. Each wheel was braked by a standard cycle disk, with cable-operated caliper. A single brake lever operated both.<br /> The kart was intended to experiment with the following benefits potentially afforded by two motors:<br /> *No diff required, and no scrubbing losses. This wasn't successful: the extra motor weighs as much as a diff, and its losses appeared to outweigh the modest losses from a typical diff.<br /> *If the motors are geared differently, then the low-geared motor can be disabled (zero field current) at high speed, leaving the high-geared motor to take the kart to a higher top speed. This feature was automated by the arduino, with the only user control being the simple throttle. This was even less successful: these eBike controllers throw an error when the field current is turned off and require power-cycling at standstill for them to restart, stymieing the feature.<br /> *If full power is demanded, but at a speed where a single motor would be unable to draw enough current to make full use of the fuse-limit, then current can be allocated to both motors. This was somewhat successful, but the same could be achieved simply by fitting a bigger single motor (and a current-limiting controller) instead.<br /> For subsequent races the axle was made solid, and driven by a single Vevor 2000W brushless motor with 2000W eBike controller.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> Transportation space constraints required low-profile bodywork, so a low surrounding wall of plywood was fitted, in the shape of a truncated coffin. Coloured mahogany, with some genuine coffin fittings.<br /> ==Performance==<br /> With two motors acceleration was rapid at all speeds. At constant cruise the eBike controllers tended to overheat - probably because the arduino was throttling both of them to prevent excessive fuse current, and FETs produce more heat when constantly switching (PWM'ing at part-throttle) rather than when turned on (at full throttle).</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Ford_KAsket&diff=1370 2025-01-15T17:48:28Z

<p>MechanicalCat: Created page with &quot;{{Racer |ProfilePic=Placeholder.jpg |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver |Theme=Ford KAsket - a coffin |FirstRace=Scrumpy Cup 2022 |CurrentStatus=Resting |Motor=Various |ESC=Generic 1500W eBike controller X1 or X2 plus Arduino controller |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S) |Transmission=Chain with various gearings - sometimes unequal to each wheel. }} ==Construction== Chassis, steering, axles are all scratch-built from mild steel. Similar to MecCarNo but with heavier-gauge parts - particularly...&quot;</p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=Placeholder.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=Ford KAsket - a coffin<br /> |FirstRace=Scrumpy Cup 2022<br /> |CurrentStatus=Resting<br /> |Motor=Various<br /> |ESC=Generic 1500W eBike controller X1 or X2 plus Arduino controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain with various gearings - sometimes unequal to each wheel.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Construction==<br /> Chassis, steering, axles are all scratch-built from mild steel. Similar to MecCarNo but with heavier-gauge parts - particularly M16 for front stub axles and kingpins rather than the M12 used on MecCarNo.<br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk(s) with cable caliper.<br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE.<br /> The chassis is extremely low to the ground - perhaps 50mm clearance - allowing the kart to be narrow but remain stable in corners.<br /> The theme bodywork is constructed from 10mm builder's ply, with genuine coffin parts for decoration.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Drive was initially by two converted alternators using two 1500W eBike controllers. A single throttle thumblever was input to an arduino, which monitored the current used by each controller. The arduino allocated throttle settings out to the two controllers and also turned on or off the field currents of the motors, to attain best performance.<br /> The two motors each drove one rear wheel. Each wheel was braked by a standard cycle disk, with cable-operated caliper. A single brake lever operated both.<br /> *The kart was intended to experiment with the following benefits potentially afforded by two motors:<br /> *No diff required, and no scrubbing losses. This wasn't successful: the extra motor weighs as much as a diff, and its losses appeared to outweigh the modest losses from a typical diff.<br /> *If the motors are geared differently, then the low-geared motor can be disabled (zero field current) at high speed, leaving the high-geared motor to take the kart to a higher top speed. This feature was automated by the arduino, with the only user control being the simple throttle. This was even less successful: these eBike controllers throw an error when the field current is turned off and require power-cycling at standstill for them to restart, stymieing the feature.<br /> *If full power is demanded, but at a speed where a single motor would be unable to draw enough current to make full use of the fuse-limit, then current can be allocated to both motors. This was somewhat successful, but the same could be achieved simply by fitting a bigger single motor (and a current-limiting controller) instead.<br /> For subsequent races the axle was made solid, and driven by a single Vevor 2000W brushless motor with 2000W eBike controller.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> Transportation space constraints required low-profile bodywork, so a low surrounding wall of plywood was fitted, in the shape of a truncated coffin. Coloured mahogany, with some genuine coffin fittings.<br /> ==Performance==<br /> With two motors acceleration was rapid at all speeds. At constant cruise the eBike controllers tended to overheat - probably because the arduino was throttling both of them to prevent excessive fuse current, and FETs produce more heat when constantly switching (PWM'ing at part-throttle) rather than when turned on (at full throttle).</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1369 2025-01-15T16:43:06Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FatManAndRobin.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9T to 74T<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Construction==<br /> Chassis uses the front crossmember from a severely crash-damaged '8mph' 4-wheeled mobility scooter which was fished entire from a skip. The front crossmember includes steering and suspension components. Bespoke mild steel sections are welded to make the front and rear of the chassis.<br /> <br /> Front track has been widened up to the maximum allowed, to enhance stability. The front axle is positioned well rearwards - under the driver's knees - to further improve stability. The scooter's original front springs and dampers are fitted but, since the total laden weight of this hacky is perhaps only 1/3 the gross weight of the source vehicle, they don't move much in use so are unlikely to have much effect on handling.<br /> <br /> Steering handlebars and head-tube are from a 'PUKY' child's cycle.<br /> <br /> The single rear wheel is from the crash-damaged scooter but is mounted on a bespoke axle.<br /> <br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk with cable caliper.<br /> <br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE, removable for transport.<br /> <br /> Theme is constructed from 6mm builder's ply, with LDPE foamboard decorations.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Vevor 2000W brushless motor with a 9T sprocket driving the rear axle via T8F chain and a 74T chainwheel. Rear wheel is 10&quot; rim with 3&quot; tyre giving an approximate dia of 16&quot;. Gearing comes to approximately 10,400 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 25mph - which is perhaps 20% higher than would be ideal but the limited choices of T8F gears means it is difficult to gear down further.<br /> ==Electrics==<br /> Generic 2000W ESC. 12S of 10Ah hobby-grade LiPo, housed in a padded and vented ammunition box. 100A emergency switch with removable knob. Thumb-lever throttle and momentary reverse-switch mounted on the handlebars.<br /> ==Performance of a Trike==<br /> The single rear wheel has some advantages and disadvantages. The obvious question is whether stability is significantly reduced when cornering, but for the most part this trike corners remarkably similarly to a four-wheeler. The worst-case instability scenario is when accelerating out of a corner, occasionally causing a wheel to lift briefly. A more significant issue is that the single rear wheel has less area on the ground and so less grip for forwards drive than two wheels would have, which can be a problem on very muddy circuits. On the other hand several successful four-wheelers also send power to only one wheel - which will have even less weight on it than a trike's single wheel does. The advantages of a trike are that no mechanism is required to prevent the scrubbing losses and understeer associated with having a pair of wheels on a solid axle, and three wheels offer less loss through rolling resistance than four.<br /> ==Driving==<br /> FatManAndRobin is quite an energetic drive. The rider's weight is best moved substantially forwards while cornering to keep the centre of mass within the widest part of the base triangle, increasing stability and maximising the grip of the steered wheels. Weight should be moved rearwards when accelerating to maximise grip of the driven rear wheel. Just as with most four-wheelers, weight should also be moved to the inside when cornering. The current driver (the eponymous 'Fat Man') is therefore grateful that races are now only five minutes duration.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> All good trikes have two at the front, one at the back. Clearly, then, Del Boy's SuperVan required some minor modifications resulting in the rear window becoming the windscreen and the bonnet becoming the boot. You know it makes sense.<br /> ==BOM==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot; <br /> |-<br /> ! Fat Man and Robin<br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (ACTUAL)<br /> | £200.95<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (FMV)<br /> | £352.63<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | PART<br /> | <br /> | ACTUAL&lt;br /&gt;COST<br /> | FMV<br /> | QTY<br /> | TOTAL<br /> | SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> | Accident-damaged scooter<br /> | Rascal 8mph 24V moby scooter. Wrecked. Chassis bent.&lt;br /&gt;Steering crushed. Transaxle snapped. Missing its electronics.&lt;br /&gt;And a wheel. And both brakes. And the seat.<br /> | £3.99<br /> | £0.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £0.00<br /> | Centre Mobility, Aberaeron. Fished from skip.&lt;br /&gt;Paid with a box of chocs. FMVs for parts listed&lt;br /&gt;separately<br /> |-<br /> | Motor<br /> | Vevor<br /> | £98.57<br /> | £98.57<br /> | 1<br /> | £98.57<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Controller<br /> | eBike 2kW cheapie<br /> | £27.51<br /> | £27.51<br /> | 1<br /> | £27.51<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Throttle<br /> | E-bike hall-effect trigger<br /> | £8.00<br /> | £8.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £8.00<br /> | ebay: electricbikecomponents<br /> |-<br /> | Front suspension arms<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter. Bent but with usable parts.<br /> | <br /> | £50.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £50.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Chassis<br /> | Bits and pieces of steel<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Wheels<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter<br /> | £0.00<br /> | £33.00<br /> | 3<br /> | £99.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Knobbly rear tyre<br /> | Generic cheapie<br /> | £12.99<br /> | £12.99<br /> | 1<br /> | £12.99<br /> | ebay: petrolscooter<br /> |-<br /> | Rear bearings<br /> | Pillow bearing blocks<br /> | £6.67<br /> | £6.67<br /> | 2<br /> | £13.34<br /> | ebay: hendersonbearings<br /> |-<br /> | Chainwheel<br /> | 74T / 8mm Mini Moto<br /> | £13.22<br /> | £13.22<br /> | 1<br /> | £13.22<br /> | ebay: carhouseuk<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for body<br /> | 6mm builder's ply 3/4 sheet<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for seat<br /> | 10mm builder's ply 1/4 sheet<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Steering head<br /> | Puky child's bike.<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Garage sale, June 2008. At the big white house, the one behind Moylgrove garden centre.<br /> |}</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1368 2025-01-15T16:38:06Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FatManAndRobin.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9T to 74T<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Construction==<br /> Chassis uses the front crossmember from a severely crash-damaged '8mph' 4-wheeled mobility scooter which was fished entire from a skip. The front crossmember includes steering and suspension components. Bespoke mild steel sections are welded to make the front and rear of the chassis.<br /> <br /> Front track has been widened up to the maximum allowed, to enhance stability. The front axle is positioned well rearwards - under the driver's knees - to further improve stability. The scooter's original front springs and dampers are fitted but, since the total laden weight of this hacky is perhaps only 1/3 the gross weight of the source vehicle, they don't move much in use so are unlikely to have much effect on handling.<br /> <br /> Steering handlebars and head-tube are from a 'PUKY' child's cycle.<br /> <br /> The single rear wheel is from the crash-damaged scooter but is mounted on a bespoke axle.<br /> <br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk with cable caliper.<br /> <br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE, removable for transport.<br /> <br /> Theme is constructed from 6mm builder's ply, with LDPE foamboard decorations.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Vevor 2000W brushless motor with a 9T sprocket driving the rear axle via T8F chain and a 74T chainwheel. Rear wheel is 10&quot; rim with 3&quot; tyre giving an approximate dia of 16&quot;. Gearing comes to approximately 10,400 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 25mph - which is perhaps 20% higher than would be ideal but the limited choices of T8F gears means it is difficult to gear down further.<br /> ==Electrics==<br /> Generic 2000W ESC. 12S of 10Ah hobby-grade LiPo, housed in a padded and vented ammunition box. 100A emergency switch with removable knob. Thumb-lever throttle and momentary reverse-switch mounted on the handlebars.<br /> ==Performance of a Trike==<br /> The single rear wheel has some advantages and disadvantages. The obvious question is whether stability is significantly reduced when cornering, but for the most part this trike corners remarkably similarly to a four-wheeler. The worst-case instability scenario is when accelerating out of a corner, occasionally causing a wheel to lift briefly. A more significant issue is that the single rear wheel has less area on the ground and so less grip than two wheels would have, which can be a problem on very muddy circuits. On the other hand several successful four-wheelers also drive only one wheel - which will have even less weight on it that a trike's single wheel does. The advantages of a trike are that no mechanism is required to prevent the scrubbing losses and understeer associated with having a pair of wheels on a solid axle, and three wheels offer less loss through rolling resistance than four.<br /> ==Driving==<br /> FatManAndRobin is quite an energetic drive. The rider's weight is best moved substantially forwards while cornering to keep the centre of mass within the widest part of the base triangle, increasing stability and maximising the grip of the steered wheels. Weight should be moved rearwards when accelerating to maximise grip of the driven rear wheel. Just as with most four-wheelers, weight should also be moved to the inside when cornering. The current driver (the eponymous 'Fat Man') is therefore grateful that races are now only five minutes duration.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> All good trikes have two at the front, one at the back. Clearly, then, Del Boy's SuperVan required some minor modifications resulting in the rear window becoming the windscreen and the bonnet becoming the boot. You know it makes sense.<br /> ==BOM==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot; <br /> |-<br /> ! Fat Man and Robin<br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (ACTUAL)<br /> | £200.95<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (FMV)<br /> | £352.63<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | PART<br /> | <br /> | ACTUAL&lt;br /&gt;COST<br /> | FMV<br /> | QTY<br /> | TOTAL<br /> | SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> | Accident-damaged scooter<br /> | Rascal 8mph 24V moby scooter. Wrecked. Chassis bent.&lt;br /&gt;Steering crushed. Transaxle snapped. Missing its electronics.&lt;br /&gt;And a wheel. And both brakes. And the seat.<br /> | £3.99<br /> | £0.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £0.00<br /> | Centre Mobility, Aberaeron. Fished from skip.&lt;br /&gt;Paid with a box of chocs. FMVs for parts listed&lt;br /&gt;separately<br /> |-<br /> | Motor<br /> | Vevor<br /> | £98.57<br /> | £98.57<br /> | 1<br /> | £98.57<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Controller<br /> | eBike 2kW cheapie<br /> | £27.51<br /> | £27.51<br /> | 1<br /> | £27.51<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Throttle<br /> | E-bike hall-effect trigger<br /> | £8.00<br /> | £8.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £8.00<br /> | ebay: electricbikecomponents<br /> |-<br /> | Front suspension arms<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter. Bent but with usable parts.<br /> | <br /> | £50.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £50.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Chassis<br /> | Bits and pieces of steel<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Wheels<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter<br /> | £0.00<br /> | £33.00<br /> | 3<br /> | £99.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Knobbly rear tyre<br /> | Generic cheapie<br /> | £12.99<br /> | £12.99<br /> | 1<br /> | £12.99<br /> | ebay: petrolscooter<br /> |-<br /> | Rear bearings<br /> | Pillow bearing blocks<br /> | £6.67<br /> | £6.67<br /> | 2<br /> | £13.34<br /> | ebay: hendersonbearings<br /> |-<br /> | Chainwheel<br /> | 74T / 8mm Mini Moto<br /> | £13.22<br /> | £13.22<br /> | 1<br /> | £13.22<br /> | ebay: carhouseuk<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for body<br /> | 6mm builder's ply 3/4 sheet<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for seat<br /> | 10mm builder's ply 1/4 sheet<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Steering head<br /> | Puky child's bike.<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Garage sale, June 2008. At the big white house, the one behind Moylgrove garden centre.<br /> |}</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1367 2025-01-15T15:13:49Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FatManAndRobin.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9T to 74T<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Construction==<br /> Chassis uses the front crossmember from a severely crash-damaged '8mph' 4-wheeled mobility scooter which was fished entire from a skip. The front crossmember includes steering and suspension components. Bespoke mild steel sections are welded to make the front and rear of the chassis.<br /> <br /> Front track has been widened up to the maximum allowed, to enhance stability. The front axle is positioned well rearwards - under the driver's knees - to further improve stability. The scooter's original front springs and dampers are fitted but, since the total laden weight of this hacky is perhaps only 1/3 the gross weight of the source vehicle, they don't move much in use so are unlikely to have much effect on handling.<br /> <br /> Steering handlebars and head-tube are from a 'PUKY' child's cycle.<br /> <br /> The single rear wheel is from the crash-damaged scooter but is mounted on a bespoke axle.<br /> <br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk with cable caliper.<br /> <br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE, removable for transport.<br /> <br /> Theme is constructed from 6mm builder's ply, with LDPE foamboard decorations.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Vevor 2000W brushless motor with a 9T sprocket driving the rear axle via T8F chain and a 74T chainwheel. Rear wheel is 10&quot; rim with 3&quot; tyre giving an approximate dia of 16&quot;. Gearing comes to approximately 10,400 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 25mph - which is perhaps 20% higher than would be ideal but the limited choices of T8F gears means it is difficult to gear down further.<br /> ==Electrics==<br /> Generic 2000W ESC. 12S of 10Ah hobby-level LiPo, housed in a padded and vented ammunition box. 100A emergency switch with removable knob. Thumb-lever throttle and momentary reverse-switch mounted on the handlebars.<br /> ==Performance==<br /> The single rear wheel has some advantages and disadvantages. The obvious risk is reduced stability when cornering, but for the most part this trike corners remarkably similarly to a four-wheeler. The worst-case instability scenario is when accelerating out of a corner, occasionally causing a wheel to lift briefly. A further disadvantage is that the single rear wheel has less area on the ground and so less grip than two wheels would have, which can be a problem on very muddy circuits. The advantage is that no diff is required to prevent the scrubbing losses and understeer associated with having a pair of wheels on a solid axle.<br /> ==Driving==<br /> FatManAndRobin is quite an energetic drive. The rider's weight must be moved vigorously toward the inside of any corner to prevent lifting of the inside wheel. Weight should also be moved forwards while cornering to keep the centre of mass within the widest part of the base triangle, to further reduce tendency to topple and to maximise the grip of the steered wheels. Weight should be moved rearwards when accelerating to maximise weight on, and grip of, the driven rear wheel. The current driver (the eponymous 'Fat Man') is therefore grateful that races are now only five minutes duration.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> All good trikes have two at the front, one at the back. Clearly, then, Del Boy's SuperVan required some minor modifications resulting in the rear window becoming the windscreen and the bonnet becoming the boot. You know it makes sense.<br /> ==BOM==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot; <br /> |-<br /> ! Fat Man and Robin<br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (ACTUAL)<br /> | £200.95<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (FMV)<br /> | £352.63<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | PART<br /> | <br /> | ACTUAL&lt;br /&gt;COST<br /> | FMV<br /> | QTY<br /> | TOTAL<br /> | SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> | Accident-damaged scooter<br /> | Rascal 8mph 24V moby scooter. Wrecked. Chassis bent.&lt;br /&gt;Steering crushed. Transaxle snapped. Missing its electronics.&lt;br /&gt;And a wheel. And both brakes. And the seat.<br /> | £3.99<br /> | £0.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £0.00<br /> | Centre Mobility, Aberaeron. Fished from skip.&lt;br /&gt;Paid with a box of chocs. FMVs for parts listed&lt;br /&gt;separately<br /> |-<br /> | Motor<br /> | Vevor<br /> | £98.57<br /> | £98.57<br /> | 1<br /> | £98.57<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Controller<br /> | eBike 2kW cheapie<br /> | £27.51<br /> | £27.51<br /> | 1<br /> | £27.51<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Throttle<br /> | E-bike hall-effect trigger<br /> | £8.00<br /> | £8.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £8.00<br /> | ebay: electricbikecomponents<br /> |-<br /> | Front suspension arms<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter. Bent but with usable parts.<br /> | <br /> | £50.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £50.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Chassis<br /> | Bits and pieces of steel<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Wheels<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter<br /> | £0.00<br /> | £33.00<br /> | 3<br /> | £99.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Knobbly rear tyre<br /> | Generic cheapie<br /> | £12.99<br /> | £12.99<br /> | 1<br /> | £12.99<br /> | ebay: petrolscooter<br /> |-<br /> | Rear bearings<br /> | Pillow bearing blocks<br /> | £6.67<br /> | £6.67<br /> | 2<br /> | £13.34<br /> | ebay: hendersonbearings<br /> |-<br /> | Chainwheel<br /> | 74T / 8mm Mini Moto<br /> | £13.22<br /> | £13.22<br /> | 1<br /> | £13.22<br /> | ebay: carhouseuk<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for body<br /> | 6mm builder's ply 3/4 sheet<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for seat<br /> | 10mm builder's ply 1/4 sheet<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Steering head<br /> | Puky child's bike.<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Garage sale, June 2008. At the big white house, the one behind Moylgrove garden centre.<br /> |}</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1366 2025-01-15T15:09:06Z

<p>MechanicalCat: Add performance notes</p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FatManAndRobin.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9T to 74T<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Construction==<br /> Chassis uses the front crossmember from a severely crash-damaged '8mph' 4-wheeled mobility scooter which was fished entire from a skip. The front crossmember includes steering and suspension components. Bespoke mild steel sections are welded to make the front and rear of the chassis.<br /> <br /> Front track has been widened up to the maximum allowed, to enhance stability. The front axle is positioned well rearwards - under the driver's knees - to further improve stability. The scooter's original front springs and dampers are fitted but, since the total laden weight of this hacky is perhaps only 1/3 the gross weight of the source vehicle, they don't move much in use so are unlikely to have much effect on handling.<br /> <br /> Steering handlebars and head-tube are from a 'PUKY' child's cycle.<br /> <br /> The single rear wheel is from the crash-damaged scooter but is mounted on a bespoke axle.<br /> <br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk with cable caliper.<br /> <br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE, removable for transport.<br /> <br /> Theme is constructed from 6mm builder's ply, with LDPE foamboard decorations.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Vevor 2000W brushless motor with a 9T sprocket driving the rear axle via T8F chain and a 74T chainwheel. Rear wheel is 10&quot; rim with 3&quot; tyre giving an approximate dia of 16&quot;. Gearing comes to approximately 10,400 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 25mph - which is perhaps 20% higher than would be ideal but the limited choices of T8F gears means it is difficult to gear down further.<br /> ==Electrics==<br /> Generic 2000W ESC. 12S of 10Ah hobby-level LiPo, housed in a padded and vented ammunition box. 100A emergency switch with removable knob. Thumb-lever throttle and momentary reverse-switch mounted on the handlebars.<br /> ==Performance==<br /> The single rear wheel has some advantages and disadvantages. The obvious risk is reduced stability when cornering, but for the most part this trike corners remarkably similarly to a four-wheeler. The worst-case instability scenario is when accelerating out of a corner, occasionally causing a wheel to lift briefly. A further disadvantage is that the single rear wheel has less area on the ground and so less grip than two wheels would have, which can be a problem on very muddy circuits. The advantage is that no diff is required to prevent the scrubbing losses and understeer associated with having a pair of wheels on a solid axle.<br /> ==Driving==<br /> FatManAndRobin is quite an energetic drive. The rider's weight must be moved vigorously toward the inside of any corner to prevent lifting of the inside wheel. Weight should also be moved forwards while cornering to keep the centre of mass within the widest part of the base triangle, to further reduce tendency to topple and to maximise the grip of the steered wheels. Weight should be moved rearwards when accelerating to maximise weight on, and grip of, the driven rear wheel. The current driver (the eponymous 'Fat Man') is therefore grateful that races are now only five minutes duration.<br /> ==Theme==<br /> All good trikes have two at the front, one at the back. Clearly, then, Del Boy's SuperVan required some minor modifications resulting in the rear window becoming the windscreen and the bonnet becoming the boot. You know it makes sense.<br /> ==BOM==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot; <br /> |-<br /> ! Fat Man and Robin<br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (ACTUAL)<br /> | £200.95<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (FMV)<br /> | £352.63<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | PART<br /> | <br /> | ACTUAL&lt;br /&gt;COST<br /> | FMV<br /> | QTY<br /> | TOTAL<br /> | SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> | Accident-damaged scooter<br /> | Rascal 8mph 24V moby scooter. Wrecked. Chassis bent.&lt;br /&gt;Steering crushed. Transaxle snapped. Missing its electronics.&lt;br /&gt;And a wheel. And both brakes. And the seat.<br /> | £3.99<br /> | £0.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £0.00<br /> | Centre Mobility, Aberaeron. Fished from skip.&lt;br /&gt;Paid with a box of chocs. FMVs for parts listed&lt;br /&gt;separately<br /> |-<br /> | Motor<br /> | Vevor<br /> | £98.57<br /> | £98.57<br /> | 1<br /> | £98.57<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Controller<br /> | eBike 2kW cheapie<br /> | £27.51<br /> | £27.51<br /> | 1<br /> | £27.51<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Throttle<br /> | E-bike hall-effect trigger<br /> | £8.00<br /> | £8.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £8.00<br /> | ebay: electricbikecomponents<br /> |-<br /> | Front suspension arms<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter. Bent but with usable parts.<br /> | <br /> | £50.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £50.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Chassis<br /> | Bits and pieces of steel<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Wheels<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter<br /> | £0.00<br /> | £33.00<br /> | 3<br /> | £99.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Knobbly rear tyre<br /> | Generic cheapie<br /> | £12.99<br /> | £12.99<br /> | 1<br /> | £12.99<br /> | ebay: petrolscooter<br /> |-<br /> | Rear bearings<br /> | Pillow bearing blocks<br /> | £6.67<br /> | £6.67<br /> | 2<br /> | £13.34<br /> | ebay: hendersonbearings<br /> |-<br /> | Chainwheel<br /> | 74T / 8mm Mini Moto<br /> | £13.22<br /> | £13.22<br /> | 1<br /> | £13.22<br /> | ebay: carhouseuk<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for body<br /> | 6mm builder's ply 3/4 sheet<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for seat<br /> | 10mm builder's ply 1/4 sheet<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Steering head<br /> | Puky child's bike.<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Garage sale, June 2008. At the big white&lt;br /&gt;house, the one behind Moylgrove garden centre.<br /> |}</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1365 2025-01-15T14:53:46Z

<p>MechanicalCat: Add BOM</p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FatManAndRobin.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9T to 74T<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Construction==<br /> Chassis uses the front crossmember from a severely crash-damaged '8mph' 4-wheeled mobility scooter which was fished entire from a skip. The front crossmember includes steering and suspension components. Bespoke mild steel sections are welded to make the front and rear of the chassis.<br /> <br /> Front track has been widened up to the maximum allowed, to enhance stability. The front axle is positioned well rearwards - under the driver's knees - to further improve stability. The scooter's original front springs and dampers are fitted but, since the total laden weight of this hacky is perhaps only 1/3 the gross weight of the source vehicle, they don't move much in use so are unlikely to have much effect on handling.<br /> <br /> Steering handlebars and head-tube are from a 'PUKY' child's cycle.<br /> <br /> The single rear wheel is from the crash-damaged scooter but is mounted on a bespoke axle.<br /> <br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk with cable caliper.<br /> <br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE, removable for transport.<br /> <br /> Theme is constructed from 6mm builder's ply, with LDPE foamboard decorations.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Vevor 2000W brushless motor with a 9T sprocket driving the rear axle via T8F chain and a 74T chainwheel. Rear wheel is 10&quot; rim with 3&quot; tyre giving an approximate dia of 16&quot;. Gearing comes to approximately 10,400 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 25mph - which is perhaps 20% higher than would be ideal but the limited choices of T8F gears means it is difficult to gear down further.<br /> ==Electrics==<br /> Generic 2000W ESC. 12S of 10Ah hobby-level LiPo, housed in a padded and vented ammunition box. 100A emergency switch with removable knob. Thumb-lever throttle and momentary reverse-switch mounted on the handlebars.<br /> ==Driving==<br /> FatManAndRobin is quite an energetic drive. The rider's weight must be moved vigorously toward the inside of any corner to prevent lifting of the inside wheel. Weight should also be moved forwards while cornering to keep the centre of mass within the widest part of the base triangle, to further reduce tendency to topple and to maximise the grip of the steered wheels. Weight should be moved rearwards when accelerating to maximise weight on, and grip of, the driven rear wheel. The current driver (the eponymous 'Fat Man') is therefore grateful that races are now only five minutes duration.<br /> ==BOM==<br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot; <br /> |-<br /> ! Fat Man and Robin<br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> ! <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (ACTUAL)<br /> | £200.95<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | GRAND TOTAL (FMV)<br /> | £352.63<br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> | <br /> |-<br /> | PART<br /> | <br /> | ACTUAL&lt;br /&gt;COST<br /> | FMV<br /> | QTY<br /> | TOTAL<br /> | SOURCE<br /> |-<br /> | Accident-damaged scooter<br /> | Rascal 8mph 24V moby scooter. Wrecked. Chassis bent.&lt;br /&gt;Steering crushed. Transaxle snapped. Missing its electronics.&lt;br /&gt;And a wheel. And both brakes. And the seat.<br /> | £3.99<br /> | £0.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £0.00<br /> | Centre Mobility, Aberaeron. Fished from skip.&lt;br /&gt;Paid with a box of chocs. FMVs for parts listed&lt;br /&gt;separately<br /> |-<br /> | Motor<br /> | Vevor<br /> | £98.57<br /> | £98.57<br /> | 1<br /> | £98.57<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Controller<br /> | eBike 2kW cheapie<br /> | £27.51<br /> | £27.51<br /> | 1<br /> | £27.51<br /> | AliExpress<br /> |-<br /> | Throttle<br /> | E-bike hall-effect trigger<br /> | £8.00<br /> | £8.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £8.00<br /> | ebay: electricbikecomponents<br /> |-<br /> | Front suspension arms<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter. Bent but with usable parts.<br /> | <br /> | £50.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £50.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Chassis<br /> | Bits and pieces of steel<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Wheels<br /> | Came with accident-damaged scooter<br /> | £0.00<br /> | £33.00<br /> | 3<br /> | £99.00<br /> | Estimate<br /> |-<br /> | Knobbly rear tyre<br /> | Generic cheapie<br /> | £12.99<br /> | £12.99<br /> | 1<br /> | £12.99<br /> | ebay: petrolscooter<br /> |-<br /> | Rear bearings<br /> | Pillow bearing blocks<br /> | £6.67<br /> | £6.67<br /> | 2<br /> | £13.34<br /> | ebay: hendersonbearings<br /> |-<br /> | Chainwheel<br /> | 74T / 8mm Mini Moto<br /> | £13.22<br /> | £13.22<br /> | 1<br /> | £13.22<br /> | ebay: carhouseuk<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for body<br /> | 6mm builder's ply 3/4 sheet<br /> | £10.00<br /> | £10.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £10.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Ply for seat<br /> | 10mm builder's ply 1/4 sheet<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Davies Builders Merchants<br /> |-<br /> | Steering head<br /> | Puky child's bike.<br /> | £5.00<br /> | £5.00<br /> | 1<br /> | £5.00<br /> | Garage sale, June 2008. At the big white&lt;br /&gt;house, the one behind Moylgrove garden centre.<br /> |}</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1364 2025-01-15T14:42:31Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FatManAndRobin.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9T to 74T<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Construction==<br /> Chassis uses the front crossmember from a severely crash-damaged '8mph' 4-wheeled mobility scooter which was fished entire from a skip. The front crossmember includes steering and suspension components. Bespoke mild steel sections are welded to make the front and rear of the chassis.<br /> <br /> Front track has been widened up to the maximum allowed, to enhance stability. The front axle is positioned well rearwards - under the driver's knees - to further improve stability. The scooter's original front springs and dampers are fitted but, since the total laden weight of this hacky is perhaps only 1/3 the gross weight of the source vehicle, they don't move much in use so are unlikely to have much effect on handling.<br /> <br /> Steering handlebars and head-tube are from a 'PUKY' child's cycle.<br /> <br /> The single rear wheel is from the crash-damaged scooter but is mounted on a bespoke axle.<br /> <br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk with cable caliper.<br /> <br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE, removable for transport.<br /> <br /> Theme is constructed from 6mm builder's ply, with LDPE foamboard decorations.<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Vevor 2000W brushless motor with a 9T sprocket driving the rear axle via T8F chain and a 74T chainwheel. Rear wheel is 10&quot; rim with 3&quot; tyre giving an approximate dia of 16&quot;. Gearing comes to approximately 10,400 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 25mph - which is perhaps 20% higher than would be ideal but the limited choices of T8F gears means it is difficult to gear down further.<br /> ==Electrics==<br /> Generic 2000W ESC. 12S of 10Ah hobby-level LiPo, housed in a padded and vented ammunition box. 100A emergency switch with removable knob. Thumb-lever throttle and momentary reverse-switch mounted on the handlebars.<br /> ==Driving==<br /> FatManAndRobin is quite an energetic drive. The rider's weight must be moved vigorously toward the inside of any corner to prevent lifting of the inside wheel. Weight should also be moved forwards while cornering to keep the centre of mass within the widest part of the base triangle, to further reduce tendency to topple and to maximise the grip of the steered wheels. Weight should be moved rearwards when accelerating to maximise weight on, and grip of, the driven rear wheel. The current driver (the eponymous 'Fat Man') is therefore grateful that races are now only five minutes duration.</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1363 2025-01-15T14:37:53Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FatManAndRobin.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9T to 74T<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Construction==<br /> Chassis uses the front crossmember from a severely crash-damaged '8mph' 4-wheeled mobility scooter which was fished entire from a skip. The front crossmember includes steering and suspension components. Bespoke mild steel sections are welded to make the front and rear of the chassis.<br /> <br /> Front track has been widened up to the maximum allowed, to enhance stability. The front axle is positioned well rearwards - under the driver's knees - to further improve stability. The scooter's original front springs and dampers are fitted, but since the total laden weight of this hacky is perhaps only 1/3 the gross weight of the source vehicle, they don't move much in use and, probably, have little effect on handling.<br /> <br /> Steering handlebars and head-tube are from a 'PUKY' child's cycle.<br /> <br /> The single rear wheel is from the crash-damaged scooter but is mounted on a bespoke axle.<br /> <br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk with cable caliper.<br /> <br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE, removable for transport.<br /> <br /> Theme is constructed from 6mm builder's ply, with LDPE foamboard decorations.<br /> <br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Vevor 2000W brushless motor with a 9T sprocket driving the rear axle via T8F chain and a 74T chainwheel. Rear wheel is 10&quot; rim with 3&quot; tyre giving an approximate dia of 16&quot;. Gearing comes to approximately 10,400 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 25mph - which is perhaps 20% higher than would be ideal but the limited choices of T8F gears means it is difficult to gear down further.<br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> ==Electrics==<br /> Generic 2000W ESC. 12S of 10Ah hobby-level LiPo, housed in a padded and vented ammunition box. 100A emergency switch with removable knob. Thumb-lever throttle and momentary reverse-switch mounted on the handlebars.<br /> <br /> ==Driving==<br /> FatManAndRobin is quite an energetic drive. The rider's weight must be moved vigorously toward the inside of any corner to prevent lifting of the inside wheel. Weight should also be moved forwards while cornering to keep the centre of mass within the widest part of the base triangle, to further reduce tendency to topple and to maximise the grip of the steered wheels. Weight should be moved rearwards when accelerating to maximise weight on, and grip of, the driven rear wheel. The current driver is therefore grateful that races are now only five minutes duration.</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1362 2025-01-15T14:26:57Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FatManAndRobin.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9T to 74T<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Construction==<br /> Chassis uses the front crossmember from a severely crash-damaged '8mph' 4-wheeled mobility scooter which was fished entire from a skip. The front crossmember includes steering and suspension components. Bespoke mild steel sections are welded to make the front and rear of the chassis.<br /> <br /> Front track has been widened up to the maximum allowed, to enhance stability. The front axle is positioned well rearwards - under the driver's knees - to further improve stability. The scooter's original front springs and dampers are fitted, but since the total laden weight of this hacky is perhaps only 1/3 the gross weight of the source vehicle, they don't move much in use and, probably, have little effect on handling.<br /> <br /> Steering handlebars and head-tube are from a 'PUKY' child's cycle.<br /> <br /> The single rear wheel is from the crash-damaged scooter but is mounted on a bespoke axle.<br /> <br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk with cable caliper.<br /> <br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE, removable for transport.<br /> <br /> Theme is constructed from 6mm builder's ply, with LDPE foamboard decorations.<br /> <br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Vevor 2000W brushless motor with a 9T sprocket driving the rear axle via T8F chain and a 74T chainwheel. Rear wheel is 10&quot; rim with 3&quot; tyre giving an approximate dia of 16&quot;. Gearing comes to approximately 10,400 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 25mph - which is perhaps 20% higher than would be ideal but the limited choices of T8F gears means it is difficult to gear down further.<br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> == Electrics ==<br /> Generic 2000W ESC. 12S of 10Ah hobby-level LiPo, housed in a padded and vented ammunition box. 100A emergency switch with removable knob. Thumb-lever throttle and momentary reverse-switch mounted on the handlebars.</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1361 2025-01-15T14:25:54Z

<p>MechanicalCat: /* Powertrain */</p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FatManAndRobin.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9T to 74T<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Construction==<br /> Chassis uses the front crossmember from a severely crash-damaged '8mph' 4-wheeled mobility scooter which was fished entire from a skip. The front crossmember includes steering and suspension components. Bespoke mild steel sections are welded to make the front and rear of the chassis.<br /> <br /> Front track has been widened up to the maximum allowed, to enhance stability. The front axle is positioned well rearwards - under the driver's knees - to further improve stability. The scooter's original front springs and dampers are fitted, but since the total laden weight of this hacky is perhaps only 1/3 the gross weight of the source vehicle, they don't move much in use and, probably, have little effect on handling.<br /> <br /> Steering handlebars and head-tube are from a 'PUKY' child's cycle.<br /> <br /> The single rear wheel is from the crash-damaged scooter but is mounted on a bespoke axle.<br /> <br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk with cable caliper.<br /> <br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE, removable for transport.<br /> <br /> Theme is constructed from 6mm builder's ply, with LDPE foamboard decorations.<br /> {{clear}}<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Vevor 2000W brushless motor with a 9T sprocket driving the rear axle via T8F chain and a 74T chainwheel. Rear wheel is 10&quot; rim with 3&quot; tyre giving an approximate dia of 16&quot;. Gearing comes to approximately 10,400 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 25mph - which is perhaps 20% higher than would be ideal but the limited choices of T8F gears means it is difficult to gear down further.<br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> == Electrics ==<br /> Generic 2000W ESC. 12S of 10Ah hobby-level LiPo, housed in a padded and vented ammunition box. 100A emergency switch with removable knob. Thumb-lever throttle and momentary reverse-switch mounted on the handlebars.</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1360 2025-01-15T14:22:47Z

<p>MechanicalCat: Expanded</p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FatManAndRobin.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9T to 74T<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Construction==<br /> Chassis uses the front crossmember from a severely crash-damaged '8mph' 4-wheeled mobility scooter which was fished entire from a skip. The front crossmember includes steering and suspension components. Bespoke mild steel sections are welded to make the front and rear of the chassis.<br /> <br /> Front track has been widened up to the maximum allowed, to enhance stability. The front axle is positioned well rearwards - under the driver's knees - to further improve stability. The scooter's original front springs and dampers are fitted, but since the total laden weight of this hacky is perhaps only 1/3 the gross weight of the source vehicle, they don't move much in use and, probably, have little effect on handling.<br /> <br /> Steering handlebars and head-tube are from a 'PUKY' child's cycle.<br /> <br /> The single rear wheel is from the crash-damaged scooter but is mounted on a bespoke axle.<br /> <br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk with cable caliper.<br /> <br /> Bumpers are 12mm HDPE, removable for transport.<br /> <br /> Theme is constructed from 6mm builder's ply, with LDPE foamboard decorations.<br /> {{clear}}<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Vevor 2000W brushless motor with a 9T sprocket driving the rear axle via T8F chain and a 74T chainwheel. Rear wheel is 10&quot; rim with 3&quot; tyre giving an approximate dia of 16&quot;. Gearing (using 9T sprocket) comes to approximately 10,400 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 25mph - which is perhaps 20% higher than would be ideal but the limited choices of T8F gears means it is difficult to gear down further.<br /> {{clear}}<br /> <br /> == Electrics ==<br /> Generic 2000W ESC. 12S of 10Ah hobby-level LiPo, housed in a padded and vented ammunition box. 100A emergency switch with removable knob. Thumb-lever throttle and momentary reverse-switch mounted on the handlebars.</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1359 2025-01-15T14:11:30Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FatManAndRobin.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9T to 74T<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Construction==<br /> Front suspension and steering are from a severely crash-damaged '8mph' 4-wheeled mobility scooter which was fished from a skip. Track has been widened up to the maximum allowed, to enhance stability. The front axle is positioned well rearwards - under the driver's knees - to further improve stability. The scooter's original suspension units are fitted, but since the total laden weight of this hacky is perhaps 1/3 the gross weight of the source vehicle, they don't move much in use.<br /> The single rear wheel is from the same crash-damaged scooter but is mounted on a bespoke axle.<br /> Braking is rear-wheel only by a standard cycle disk with cable caliper.<br /> {{clear}}<br /> ==Powertrain==<br /> Vevor 2000W brushless motor with a 9T sprocket driving the rear axle via T8F chain and a 74T chainwheel. Rear wheel is 10&quot; rim with 3&quot; tyre giving an approximate dia of 16&quot;. Gearing (using 9T sprocket) comes to approximately 10,400 motor revs per mile. Motor's no-load speed is 4300rpm, giving a theoretical speed of 25mph - which is perhaps 20% higher than would be ideal but the limited choices of T8F gears means it is difficult to gear down further.<br /> {{clear}}</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1358 2025-01-15T13:47:45Z

<p>MechanicalCat: </p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FatManAndRobin.jpg<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9/10/11 to 74<br /> }}</div>

MechanicalCat https://hackyracers.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Only_Joules_and_Forces&diff=1357 2025-01-15T13:45:43Z

<p>MechanicalCat: Created page with &quot;{{Racer |ProfilePic=FILE:FatManAndRobin.jpg |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019 |CurrentStatus=Active |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S) |Transmission=Chain 9/10/11 to 74 }}&quot;</p> <hr /> <div>{{Racer<br /> |ProfilePic=FILE:[[FatManAndRobin.jpg]]<br /> |BuiltBy=Ian Beaver<br /> |Theme=The three-wheeled van from Only Fools And Horses<br /> |FirstRace=Makers Central 2019<br /> |CurrentStatus=Active<br /> |Motor=Vevor 2000W brushless<br /> |ESC=Generic 2000W eBike controller<br /> |Battery=48V Li-Ion (2x 6S)<br /> |Transmission=Chain 9/10/11 to 74<br /> }}</div>

MechanicalCat