hood

As I mentioned previously,I replaced the hood while I was installing the PA kit. I don't have many photos, but basically I drilled out the over 150 rivets ,removed the hood, and placed it on a piece of particle board 4 feet square, on top of the sheet of new material. I then cut a piece of plywood to put on top that covered the entire surface, leaving just enough room to drill through all the holes in the old hood. I then applied all the weight I could find to flatten the hood, and taped it down with wide scotch tape. I drilled through all the holes, then marked the outline with a scribe, which simultaneously cut the tape. I also traced around the old hood with a sharpie, which gave me a more visible line for sawing the piece on the bandsaw. After roughing it out on the saw, I filed the entire perimeter down to the scribe line.

I constructed a makeshift table the same heighth as the band saw, so I could manipulate the workpiece while still being close enough to see what I was doing.

I also made up a simple jig to prebend the hood, so it wouldn't be as stressed as the first piece that I had forced into place without pre-bending. It was alot of work, but the sheet of Al. was only $100.00 and I was pleased with the results. Having the hood off made it easier to install the wiring for the motor as well. I did a few other things while I had it back down the basement.

Previously the handlebar had been restrained by a piece of coathanger that swiveled out of the way, which you sometimes hit your knee on, and which frequently allowed the handlebars to get away, slamming the cyclocomputer into the seat. I simply made an Al bracket with a v shape to trap the ends of a loop of bungee cord, and riveted it to the dashboard. It works great, ...the handlebar is always secure.

This is an Al. peg that I tuned down on the lathe to attach the bungee cords on the canvas cover to. The cover came with white plastic screws for this purpose, and I didn't like the way they looked. I drilled and tapped the pegs, and used 5mm bolts with washers from the inside of the vm to attach them. Another task was the design and construction of a trailer hitch.

I drilled and tapped two 6mm holes in the swing arm, and bolted the hitch on. Since the swing arm is steel, I can always weld a couple nuts on if the threads pull out of the square tubing. It seemed like there was enough meat there, and so far it's been fine. You can see all the aluminum dust on top of the swing arm from filing the required clearance for the trailer. I used the pattern from the other side for the click box, and just kept enlarging it till I was sure the trailer couldn't hit the side of the tail.

Last pa trip

The last time I used the power assist was on a trip to Home depot for some 8 foot fascia boards. The trailer shown below has numerous possibilities. Not only does it work for lumber, but it is designed to carry up to eight 18 gallon rubbermaide totes. (Very handy for groceries etc.) It has even been used to transport a small refigerator, and a dishwasher.

It rained heavily while I was in the store, and lightly the whole way home. (about 10 miles each way.) I also got some other smaller items and stowed them insidethe AW.The power assist was helpful pulling the trailer up hills. (Given the realms of possibility this was a relatively light load anyway) When I got home, I unloaded and plugged it into the battery charger.

Later in the day, it smelled like something was burning in the garage. The floor of the AW was very hot under the seat. I unplugged the charger, and went to sleep. The next day, I drilled out the rivets in the floor plate to see what had happened in there. I had eliminated the screw on cover, thinking that the need for battery access would be rare, and though David E. had sent a bulletin about insuring adequate ventilation during charging, I wasn't too concerned, because monitoring of previous charging cycles had revealed no heat biuld up.

The battery pack that blew up was one of the two eqipped with the temp sensor lead, but not the one I had used with the charger. I don't know if the problem was because of the battery box getting wet in the heavy rain, or if it was just my failure to provide adequate ventillation. Having had no previous problems, I am inclined to believe it was the moisture.

I removed the mess, and the other three batteries, which other than being coated with nasty black dust were essentially unscathed, and cleaned it up the best I could. I put the foam blocks back in, in place of the batteries, and riveted the floor back on. The Ride for Roswell (a charity ride for a cancer hospital in Buffalo where I spend (and have spent) alot of time.) was rapidly approaching, and I had been considering removing the motor for the ride. With the fried battery I decided to leave them all out and minimize the weight since use of the PA for the ride just didn't seem right to me. (I could have just left the "key" for the main cut off switch at home, but then Leah would have had the extra weight to drag around.)

I made up a roof rack for the AW with folding loading ramps (14 feet long extended) The ramps attach to the rear of the roof rack with a bolt through the mating halves of a hinge. They are made of thinwall steel u-channel, and enable me to load and unload the AW from the roof without any assistance. ( unless the motor is removed.) The motor prevented the AW from rolling down the back window while repositioning my grasp. With the motor removed I needed to have Leah support it briefly (all but effortless) while I adjusted my hand hold.

I used heavy duty wire ties on each of the wheels to secure the AW to the rack. This worked fine,although I should probably use a safety rope from the front bumper to the front of the AW "just incase." It would suck to have it blow off at 65 mph and get flattened by a semi. (my imagination is far too graphic.)

The ride was fun, and started from Baird Point on the campus of UB. I rode the Versatile, and Leah rode the Alleweder. We did the 20 mile route, which utilized a paved bike path half the way, and went by fast. (so many bikes to pass.)
Since I raised over $1,000.00 ($1975 to be exact) I was treated to a massage after the ride that was over way too fast. Leah and I also had access to the "extra mile club tent", where we received a bunch of tickets for a chinese auction, unlimited nourishment opportunities, and a bag of goodies including a top of the line New Era hat sporting the extra mile club logo. All very nice. It was fun to have the chance to expose many avid cyclists to the existence of velomobiles. They are still so rare in North America that many people don't even know they exist. Practical human powered transportation is out there. With or without the power assist the FAW is a practical means of transportation. With the power assist to speed climbing the primary disadvantage as compared to a regular bike is alleviated. I guess that's it for now. I should write up something for the hood replacement, but I didn't get many photos, so it would likely be pretty dull.

Power Assist

Well, It's been ages since I have tried to undertake some input. I guess a photo is always a good place to start. Let's see if I can still remember how to find one.

Here's a shot of the front of the AW with the motor in place. I replaced the hood at the same time I was installing the PA kit, so it was easy to get at the inside parts. The motor works great. I've used it to go up what would likely be impossible hills . It's kind of addictive. Anything that is steep enough to slow you down just melts away. It makes pulling the trailer a breeze. The range is not quite what I had hoped. A couple more batteries would help. (The kit came with four.) Going to work (23 miles) there is plenty of juice to assist on every incline, and accellerate quickly in traffic. (There isn't too much traffic at 10:30 PM anyway....but like I said, it's addictive.) Coming home I have to be a little more conservative, as there is alot more climbing. I have only used it back and forth to work a couple times, and was able to recharge there both times. More often it is used for running errands. On short trips you can run the motor just about all the time. Without the speed cut-off it gets up to about 28MPH on the flats with my meager physical contribution. You still get a workout, you just go faster.
Here's a picture of the battery compartment before the explosion. ( I'll get to that.) I moved the fuse outside the box, and ran the charger and temp. sensor leads through rubber grommets as well. The batteries are wired together in paralel , and charge simultaneously. The "smart charger" plugs into a sensor to prevent overcharging. Two of the batteries were equipped with the mating plug. One of them still is. the other one.....well, you'll see. But not today. I have to get some sleep.