VK3CKC's eLecTricks Trike Design and Build.

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Feb 20, 2013
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Axedale, Victoria, Australia
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axerail.coffeecup.com
I have been holding off posting build details until it was well under way. It is happening slowly but it is happening.

I built my Warrior a few years ago as an experiment for suitability for something I had in mind. I then hung various bits and pieces on it and modified it a bit. This build is a specific purpose build and will have a number of innovations/additions such as:

Parking brake.
Easy to make front wheel kingpins.
Suspension on all three wheels.
More car-like steering.
Amateur radio transceivers and antennas.
Plenty of electronic “gizmology” to attract younger generations.
Mid drive with a variation of the “Hilgo” transmission system. See:
video by Harry Lieben.
Bafang BBS01 e-Asst motor.
WS2812 LED lighting for everything except headlight.
A solar panel doing double duty as a roof.

That’s a start. Now that I’ve said it, I hope I see it through to the end. The ultimate aim is to fit a velomobile body. I have started a gallery album as it all unfolds. The Warrior will be used as a test bed for some things.

Kevin - VK3CKC
 
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Interesting design to moving the chain for gear changes using a linear movement and two cables. I have been having this challenge for my build. May I use your design?
 
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Interesting design to moving the chain for gear changes using a linear movement and two cables. I have been having this challenge for my build. May I use your design?
Push-pull cabling for gear changing is how Rohlhoff and Nuvinci do it. 🆒
 
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Interesting design to moving the chain for gear changes using a linear movement and two cables. I have been having this challenge for my build. May I use your design?
It's not my design. Read background information from Harry Lieben at: http://hilgovelo.blogspot.com/2017/ There is another page available from 2017 on the same page about lighting v. flags that may be of interest.

Having found out about it a few months ago I did a quick lashup to see how easy it would be to duplicate. Easy - and so is the gear change. It is now incorporated in my build although there are a few positioning tweaks to be made for the idlers and chain tensioner. Read the link info and decide for yourself. Also look at the Drymer-Sinner web site for more info.
 
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A sort of slight divergence from the new build in designing lighting to test on my modified Warrior. For the technically inclined, it consists of an Arduino microcontroller and WS2812 RGB LEDs. Each LED strip consists of 8 LEDs so, for the moment, there are left and right indicators and a flashing taillight with a solid bright red for stop. Nothing flash (no pun intended) in that, but it is easily customisable in virtually any way you can imagine. Just change the source code and add or remove LEDs. Much more to come.

for the time being, it will run easily of the e-Assist battery's USB outlet but will have to go over to its own stiff supply as I add to it.

After it is all bedded down, it will be an easy duplication for the eLecTricks trike. Now you should get a bit of a hint as to why I chose the name.

Kevin - VK3CKC
 

Radical Brad

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Always fun to add bling like that to a ride!
If later, you need any help doing some really fast PWM stuff, let me know. AVR assembly is my first language, even over English for the most part!
One of the 144 Pin XMegas would be a perfect choice if you decide to go beyond the Duino, lots of IO, plenty of PWM and timers.

Brad

A sort of slight divergence from the new build in designing lighting to test on my modified Warrior. For the technically inclined, it consists of an Arduino microcontroller and WS2812 RGB LEDs. Each LED strip consists of 8 LEDs so, for the moment, there are left and right indicators and a flashing taillight with a solid bright red for stop. Nothing flash (no pun intended) in that, but it is easily customisable in virtually any way you can imagine. Just change the source code and add or remove LEDs. Much more to come.

for the time being, it will run easily of the e-Assist battery's USB outlet but will have to go over to its own stiff supply as I add to it.

After it is all bedded down, it will be an easy duplication for the eLecTricks trike. Now you should get a bit of a hint as to why I chose the name.

Kevin - VK3CKC
 
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Always fun to add bling like that to a ride!
If later, you need any help doing some really fast PWM stuff, let me know. AVR assembly is my first language, even over English for the most part!
One of the 144 Pin XMegas would be a perfect choice if you decide to go beyond the Duino, lots of IO, plenty of PWM and timers.

Brad
HUH! ?????

fast PWM stuff ?, ....AVR assembly ?,..... 144 Pin XMegas ?,..... the Duino ?, ......lots of IO ?, ...... PWM and timers ?
I knew it, Brad is only visiting our planet !



I did understand one thing, AVR.... means 'Apple Valley Roamers' ...right ?
My RV club. (RV = recreational vehicle)
"AVR assembly" ... means when all the club members get together for a meeting :D
 
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HUH! ?????

fast PWM stuff ?, ....AVR assembly ?,..... 144 Pin XMegas ?,..... the Duino ?, ......lots of IO ?, ...... PWM and timers ?
I knew it, Brad is only visiting our planet ! :D
You're right - and it seems like he came from the same planet I did. Never able to finish one project before new ones start to pile up in the grey stuff.

Grey stuff? That is the virtual design/build stuff that exists in abundance on that hitherto unidentified planet. There' some of it always following us around.

Kevin - VK3CKC
 
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axerail.coffeecup.com
Always fun to add bling like that to a ride!
If later, you need any help doing some really fast PWM stuff, let me know. AVR assembly is my first language, even over English for the most part!
One of the 144 Pin XMegas would be a perfect choice if you decide to go beyond the Duino, lots of IO, plenty of PWM and timers.

Brad
Who knows where the meanderings will take me? I have a few firm ideas that I want to explore and I need to use a few things I purchased for the purpose. I have the lighting all worked out and have started to fit to the Warrior.

I have a night ride coming up at the end of April and it all needs to be in position by then. Pics when available.

Kevin - VK3CKC
 
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I have now come out of hibernation while writing an Arduino sketch (program file) for the lighting for my new trike, will be trialled on my existing Warrior to sort out any bugs or design changes. There have already been some along the way.

Anyway, the sketch provides for simultaneous operation/control of Left/Right turn indicators, flashing Tail light with solid colour for Brake light, Hazard flashing of the Turn indicators with dashboard repeating of these functions. There is also a bright white Reversing light and a bright white Interior light, basically for velomobile purposes. The Brake light is operated while the Brake is applied. All this from a single Arduino Uno or Nano. Just add the necessary switches and the required WS2812 LED strips.

If you want to access the source code, you can get it by creating a login to https://groups.io/g/pedalradio and navigating to the Files section. If you are interested in such things, you may consider joining the group.
 
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The first test of the Arduino-controlled lighting was a success. I managed to get it set up for a night ride on April 26. The display lighting was rigged up temporarily for the test. I still have things I want to do with the programming.

I used 3 x 8-LED RGB (red, green, blue) WS2812B LED modules strung together in series for the rear lighting. I only used tail, indicators and hazard flashers with dashboard repeaters and indicator buzzer so that I could keep a convenient check on their operation. This was easily powered by a USB battery pack for the 5 hours of use on the night. It would have powered them for more than twice that time.

I also used 3 x 1 metre strips in series (90 RGB LEDs) for what I'll call display lighting, strung up one side and back the other with around 20 different display patterns in all colours. Most attention grabbing. I have an on-board, 12V, 9AH SLA battery for other purposes and rigged up a simple 7805 (5V, 1.5A) voltage regulator to run these LEDs for the 5 hours. This was from a separate Arduino , but will be incorporated with the other lighting eventually. These lights were, by far, the brightest display lighting on the ride that consisted of 100+ riders.

I will endeavour to extract and post some video images some time this week.

On to the next part of the build but I have to rig up something of a control panel on the Warrior so that I can keep adding to it. This will be to limit modifications during the new build and allowing for additions beforehand.
 
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Splendid stuff indeed. I wish I knew my way around "How-do-I-Know" (aka Arduino) scripting.
I cheated and bought a ready-made Xanes unit that Incorporates turn indicators and a rear-light/flasher with illuminated wi-fi remote control.

It is nowhere near as impressive as your rig sounds but its pre-packaged and weatherproof.
Can't wait to see what yours looks like, we "need" pictures. ;)
 
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Hi Danny

I used to say to people who said they didn't know how to do something, "You probably couldn't swim once." I had nowhere to go for those who replied with, "I still can't."

It is only cause and effect. Beyond knowing how to get started, someone has been there before and done something similar that you can modify. There are scores of How-to videos, pdf references, kits, etc., available via the Internet. There is also this Forum.

Jump in and learn how to swim.
 
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Hi Danny

I used to say to people who said they didn't know how to do something, "You probably couldn't swim once." I had nowhere to go for those who replied with, "I still can't."

It is only cause and effect. Beyond knowing how to get started, someone has been there before and done something similar that you can modify. There are scores of How-to videos, pdf references, kits, etc., available via the Internet. There is also this Forum.

Jump in and learn how to swim.
I hear you.
I used to write fairly sophisticated Windows Apps in Delphi so I know how to program to a reasonable degree.
I have an Arduino kit and an IDE but that's where it ends.
Arduino and the IOT have left me a bit cold and I suspect it is because it mixes bread-boarding with pure programming and not just GUI based applications.
I admit I need to apply myself to it a little more. :)
 
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