I got C5 number 2 going today.

What a hoot. People laugh when you drive by.

Unfortunately the drive sprocket on the gearbox slips. the teeth are very worn. Will try replacing the belt first.

Will have to ponder what to do.

I spent quite a bit of time cleaning and re-greasing the bearings on both C5s

Also investigated lead acid batteries from a great local shop called Battery Business. Not much change from $200. but they are deep cycle AGMs. Here is a 44AH model

I have also updated the to-do list for both as I find more problems.

C5 #2

What do you call a group of C5s?

Just picked up the 2nd C5 for repair from a customer.

Like the others, it had flat tires. I have pumped them up and they haven't gone flat.

I also need a battery for this one. Will see if I can build a pack from Lithium Headway cells. 3P4S. If I can find some spent lead acid batteries of the correct size and terminals, I may empty the lead and acid, and build a charger, batteries and BMS into the case.

This C5 has less corrosion however based on the floor repair, has been well used.

For #1 I bough a 1/2" UNF nut to lock the bearing cone in place. Unusual thread but it is correct.

I also bough some reproduction high vis flags.

To do:

• Replace BMX Tires with slicks from C5alive
• General clean up.
• Re-Fit mirrors. 
• Fit new decals when available from C5Alive
• Replace brake pads. $10 for 4.
• Replace all rusted steel screws with stainless.
• Worn drive gear. This could be a show stopper.
• Replace handlebar and clamp nut and bolt.
• Boot clips for both C5s
• Belts
• High Vis Rubbers from Chas

Very tidy.

RG wheel bearing arrangement for comparison with #1

Floor Repair. Nice job. Looks like a piece of plastic from a recycled C5

Mirror mount repair.

Handlebars - The padding is a bit abraded.

BMX Tires. Needs slicks.

Front brakes need new pads.

Controlling the Azure Dynamics Air Conditioning Compressor

Thanks to  Weisheimer from the EVTV forums for pointing me to the diagnostic software.

The Compressors ID is 0x439 as I had found by connecting only the compressor to a Can Spy.

Now I have the other piece of the puzzle. The compressor is controlled by can ID 0x410.

Below are the key messages controlling the compressor.

SIGNAL NAME, ID, NODE Start, Width, Res, Offset,Sign, Min, Max, Unit
target_compressor_speed  410 accm 8 8 60 0 False 0 15180 rpm
max_pwr_consumption      410 accm 0  8 0.1 0 False 0 25.3 kW
compressor_on_off       410 accm 46 1 1 0 False 0 1  Boolean
CASS_on_off              410 accm 43 1 1   0 False 0 1 Boolean
warmup_cycle_cntr_incr  410 accm 41 1 1   0 False 0 1  Boolean

And sent by the compressor
COMPRESSOR_STATUS     439 accm 56 2 1   0 False 0 3 enum ACTUAL_COMPRESSOR_SPEED 439 accm 48 8 60  0 False 0 15180 rpm
ACTUAL_POWER_CONSUMPTION 439 accm 40 8 0.1 0 False 0 25.3  kW

Are there any other Sinclair C5 owners in Sydney, or Australia?

Are there any other Sinclair C5 owners in Sydney, NSW or Australia.

Drop me a line to malcolm@faed.name.

Would be cool to meet up and go for a ride.

We so far have 3-4 C5s attending the Hunter Valley EV Prize on the 18th of August and Festival on the 27th of October. So far we will have an exhibition round on the track. A few more and perhaps we can race. :)

We will probably need a "Production" and "Modified" class based on talking to a few people.

If you have  C5 to sell, I can put you in touch with a buyer.

I also do C5 repairs and modifications. Contact malcolm@faed.name to discuss.

Sinclair C5 Restoriation

I have recently came across a Sinclair C5. They were created by prolific inventor Clive Sinclair.

I am fixing up one for a Vectrix owner and restoring one myself.
This is the first one up on the 'hoist' aka old wire basket frame.

This C5 needed and still needs a few things done to it.
Here are the repairs I did yesterday:

• Remove RH rear wheel and found the bearing cone was on backwards, and it also needs a lock nut. There was a rusty stain in the hub cap cover so I am guessing it had fallen off and had been resting there. I need to acquire a lock nut. It turns out to be 1/2" UNF
• LH Drive sprocket is cracked, but still functional. Need to locate a replacement at some point.
• Light and indicator switch brackets are very rusty. There might be enough of them left to strip them and re-paint.
• There are rust stains on the plastic in places. I need to locate a suitable cleaner that will be OK on the plastic.
• The front wheel brake calliper was very loose, and the pads worn. I tightened the calliper bolt and lock nut and replaced the pads. All working well now.
• The RH front indicator is has the top broken off. There might be a spare with the owner.
• The chain was quite rusty, but some oil sorted that out in short order. It now runs smoothly.
• The LED Instrument panel is missing. There may be a spare with the owner. Thanks to the schematic diagrams on C5Alive I have been able to get the motor running by inserting a wire jumper into the instrument panel socket bridging pins 1 and 7. The pin arrangement is [1B34567890]. B is a locating pin. 0 is pin 10. This connected +5v to the relay drive transistor.
• Both rear view mirrors were supplied with the C5 however the bolts were rusty and the plastic shear pins had... well... sheared. I drilled the location where the shear pins were located and inserted some screws. I will get some 3mm plastic screws so the they can shear if the mirrors get knocked.
• To run the C5 under battery power, it needs either factory battery covers, or a replacement arrangement all together. I will look at LiFePo4 options. 

To Do: updated 1/6/2013

• RH Wheel lock nut - Done - Sourced from a council cleanup bike
• Front Indicator light reassembly or replacement. - Land Rover Indicators installed
• LED Instrument panel or replacement with Cycleanalyst or similar. - Swapped from #2
• Install plastic shear pins on the mirrors.- Installed stainless screws
• Purchase misc. stainless steel nuts bolts and screws to replaced rusted. - Done
• Replace damaged and missing decals. Available from C5Alive - Done with spares on hand
• Rust kill and paint switch brackets - Swapped from #2
• Replace cracked headlight lens.- Swapped from #2
• High Vis Rubbers from Chas - Not really reqired
• Replaced front wheel with Aloy/Steel  wheel.

RH wheel removed showing the drum brake assembly.

RH wheel reassembled. Missing lock nut.

The rear of the C5 with the boot (trunk) removed.

Drive sprocket. Note the cracks. Might need replacing in the not too distant future.

LH Axel and gearbox.

Indicator Switch + rusty bracket

Light switch + rusty bracket

Terminals of control box.

BMW Fly by wire accelerator for an E30 - Win!

A guy I work with was a BMW mechanic and was parting out an E39 vehicle.

It was one of the first with fly by wire.

In a stroke of German luck, the fly by wire accelerator fits the E30 almost perfectly. No need for a clumsy Curtis throttle pot, and a few days work.

If you get one, try and get one from a manual vehicle. Mine is from an auto and has a kick down detent near the end of its travel.

The BMW part number for the auto is 259160-10
See here for explanation of operation.
See here for pinouts

This looks to be the correct assembly from a manual vehicle.

Make sure you get the backing plate that attaches to the floor. The one I have has a tongue that attaches to the plate on the floor. The mounting hole wont quite line up with the stud on the floor so some modification will be required to the backing plate or the mount.
Be sure to get the connector and a good length of wire as well.

I need a 5 pointed security Torx driver to disassemble it and see if I can remove the detent.

backing plate (top) and  pedal assembly.

Probably the correct parts. Check they are from a manual RHD. (Not USA)

01 Accelerat.pedal module, manual gearbox 1 10/2001    35426786282 $133.58

02 Adapter plate, accelerator pedal module 1 09/1999 10/2001 35426772702 $8.45

Old vs New

Floor fits perfectly. The mounting stud is a little low.

German <> English Wire Colour Codes

WIRE COLORS
English .......................DIN (German)
Black . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sw
Blue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bl
Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Br
Green . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gn
Gray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gr
Orange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Or
Pink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rs
Purple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vi
Red . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rt
Turquoise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tk
White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ws
Yellow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ge

Wiring Sizes: Metric - AWG

.5mm = 20AWG
.75mm = 18AWG
1.0mm = 16AWG
1.5mm = 14AWG
2.5mm = 12AWG
4mm = 10AWG

Azure Dynamics Vacuum Pump

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Details from an eBay listing:

Surplus, Ford / Continental Double Diaphragm Electric Vacuum Pump 12VDC. Ford# A426C.
This pump was originally intended for use in Azure Dynamics Transit Connect electric vehicles.
It is much quieter than the older Delco pumps. Great for use in electric vehicles, diesel trucks, and racing vehicles. These do not have anti-vibration grommets or mounting brackets.

• Full load: approximately 182 watts
• At Vacuum: approximately 104 watts 
• Appears to have about a 3/8" hose barb connection
• Weighs 5 lbs. 8oz.
• Maxes out at over 25 in of hg

Unfortunately this too is way too heavy. The Hella / Vovlo vacuum pumps I have used before are much lighter and use less power.

Bosch A426C

Volvo Vacuum Pump

Azure Dynamics Water Pump - Reverse Engineering

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This was not so much reverse engineering as a LOT of Google searching.

I came across the following information about the pump.

It is a CWA-50 .
The motor is a 12 v induction motor.

They are also used in the inter coolers of various vehicles.

If interest in the AZD schematic, and the below spec sheet, the line to the pump is labelled PWM. 

I finally came across a manufacturers data sheet for the unit in German. Translated Here.
Importantly, if you connect the PWM pin to +12v, the pump will run continuously at maximum.

Azure Dynamics Air Conditioning Compressor - Reverse Engineering

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The Air Conditioning compressor is going to be a bit more tricky to get going as it is controlled by CAN Bus.

It is labelled as AM64-19D623-AB

Supplier Code BLUJB. I have seen these detailed online a BJVJB also.

The electronics listen for a particular message and when received, performs the command within the message. The tricky part is, is that in a vehicle there are several hundred messages being transmitted on the bus by many devices every second making it difficult to locate the correct message.

I have asked on a few forums for someone to capture he CAN bus messages while turning the air conditioning on and off.

Here is what we know so far.
Like the water heater, it is the same as used in the i-MiEV.

My compressor at least has the incorrect wire colours on the control connector, but does have the correct pin positions on the connector.
I have been able to capture the status messages being sent from the compressor. using an AVR-CAN spying on the network with only the compressor connected. The message sent is from node ID 0x439. This was matched to  messages from 0x439 / dec 1081 from a CAN log uploaded on the EVTV forums by Jack

The AC compressor send the following messages:
439 0300000000000000 when off and 
439 0000000000000000 when on.

Below are the schematics and a few photos. The PCBs are all immersed in a gelatinous goo. Messy stuff. This is probably to increase the insulation between high voltage points, and protect the HV circuits from humidity and moisture.

From the photos it can be seen the HV +ve is Orange with a white stripe. -ve is Orange with a Black stripe.

i-MiEV

AZD Schematic

Data Sheet

Input Pins

Internal View 

HV Input Section + is farthest from the camera

Azure Dynamics Water Heater - Reverse Engineering

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I worked out that the water heaters that were used in the Transit Connect van happen to be the same Mitsubishi unit that are used in the i-MiEV.

The unit is labelled Mitsubishi CKA411A001

Below are the schematics and photos of both.
There are 4 x PTC heaters controlled by 4 x input connections. Presumably these are 12 volt.

There are also 2 temp. sensors. One on the water input and one on the output of the heater block.

This may all be academic as the heater unit weighs a ton and I want something lighter like these MES units from Metric Mind

Azure Dynamics

i-MiEV

The Heater

Below are various internal photos