Got a Chance to Ride, Inspired to TBM_4-2-c "tbmduino"

I haven't ridden the bike for a long time, like all of August, so long I was a bit nervous, but once on I really appreciated the experience, and got a strong desire to optimize the experience. Leaving the gauge in place/not yanking it off the bike to go inside is next on the list.

Working full time is exactly that, takes all the time. But it might be making the bike an escape again. I really enjoyed riding it, and also really enjoyed finishing up/routing the "TBMduino", TBM_4-2-c. I think I'll call it "TBMduino", because this version has a full Arduino circuit on board, rather than supporting a Boarduino. I really enjoyed routing and finishing the layout, not unlike riding the bike itself.

LED Strip as Daytime Running Lights (DLR)

Took a very rare ride at high noon on an errand, putting the LEDs to the test as DLRs (daytime running lights).

It was a bright clear day, and the LEDs were less than impressive. Some lens/mirrors are likely in play on an Audi light.

The "good" news is the HID isn't that much better.

For the really bright days, a bunch of mirrors might be the best bet.

Also, for DLR use, a flashing circuit/relay might be a good idea to gain attention and save some power.

"Audi" LED Lights as a DRL

While away I got inspired by the oncoming headlights of newer Audi's running LEDs under the headlights. Using the iPhone as my search and buying engine, I found a 12 inch/12 light segment for $6.99, shipping included.

Included was a 3M sticky backing and wire, so I was unable to resist trying it out. The raw LEDs are embedded in a clear rubber plastic trim piece with a little 4 pin on the end. It looks like segments can be chained together.

The results are impressive, at least in the garage:

LED Only

LED and HID Hi Beam

LED and HID Lo Beam

The power draw for the LED is stated as 2.35 amps at 12 volts, a pretty significant 28 Watts (Power = Amps * Volts). The HID light itself is supposed to be 35 Watts. Recall a stock Halogen lamp is 55 Watts, 65 on Hi.

I'll try getting a shot of the light in the daylight.

Spinning a Board for TBM

I started documenting my hardware and decided to use Eagle Cad. This has quietly led to actually laying out a board that I hope to have made. The board is much like
my prototype, requiring a separate Boarduino.

Checking the site, I might just try to add the Boarduino to my board directly, as eagle cad files/schematics are available.

Riding Nekkid w/TBM 4.2.s

After some quick test rides and some code adjustments, I rode Tronbike to work today sans lower fairings - hence the "Nekkid" part. I sort of like the look, and am wondering if an elaborate array of cable covers and directed air tubing could be formed to make an exposed battery pack look "cool".

The save-on-shutdown circuit is proving finicky, and my reset code would only reset the odometer, but not the watt hrs gauge. I am liking the "watts per mile" meter, the only reasonable number collected so far being 127 Wh/mile.

I also reset the pack size from 3300 Watt-Hours to 1100 Watt-Hours so the % remaining will be more useful. The Killawatt is showing about 600W-Hr used in todays commute, very close to the numbers the TBM recorded (when added together for both directions due to shutdown switch annoyances).

Bike Doping Analysis

I am finally catching up on the accusation/rumors/suggestions that Fabian Cancellara was using electrically assisted race bikes for his recent victories in the Paris-Roublaix and Ronde van Vlaaderen. An avid cyclist, my regular group made comment, I assumed immediately the batteries are such that it would be a waste of energy to haul them around.

Some articles:
http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/4415/Fabian-Cancellaras-so-called-motorized-doping-debunked.aspx
http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/4412/Saxo-Bank-denies-its-riders-used-motorised-bikes.aspx

You Tube Video explaining the controversy, and how it works:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nd13ARuvVE

A product, Gruber Assist available since 2008 (I want one, just because I AM TRONBIKES!) - what awesome advertising, sort of evil I guess.

Specs:

100 watts for 90 minutes, 900g + battery pack, Gruber has a table of battery capacity

Pro riders churn out 500-600 watts in regular hard efforts, likely more peak. Cancellara is a horse, lets assume 800 for the accelerations, a 10% boost would
indeed help - as the late Edmund R. Burke of "Cycling Science" once published, time-trial athletes with 10% better times put out 11% more power. So in theory,
any additional power to a rider is significant - a 100 watt boost = 100 watts faster!

The big question to me is, would the weight of the system be worth hauling along for distance before putting it to use - would the system help?

The Gruber people have a big chart (though a bit confusing, maybe backwards?) for a hybrid bike pulling different amperages, with the resulting range - for some reason, maybe its backwards(? sending email) the bike runs farther when running faster in this chart - I'll send email on this.

Paris-Roubaix  =262 km/hr averaging 32.9 km/hr (http://www.steephill.tv/classics/paris-roubaix/), but its really flat, like 490 ft peak (http://www.runsaturday.com/Maps/3462).

Assuming the system is invisible, we can only assume additional work to haul
this around is due to gravity. With a peak of 490 ft, lets triple this in my test model to 1500 feet, about 500meters.

Gravity pulls (acceleration) at 9.81 m/s^2, Force = Mass * Acceleration, and work is force through a distance expressed as joules

Work = (9.81 m/s^2 * Mass) * 500m

Mass = weight of system, and beyond the motor itself, the weight is batteries, with power storage usually noted in Amp-Hours, lets use the 900g number

Work = 9.81 m/s^2 * 1kg * 500m = 4905 m2 kg/s2 = 4905 Joules = 4905 Watts - sec of work. A watt-sec is not power, but a unit of capacity/work that requires
energy.

With 100% efficiency, 5000 W-sec = 5000 W-sec/3600s = 1.4 W-hr expended to haul this extra 1 Kg system around by gravity alone. A single 18650 Li-Ion battery
can store up to 3000 mAh at 3.7 volts - enough to cover most of the weight of the system - each 18650 itself only weighs about 50g

1 Watt - Hour = Volts * Amps * Time = 3.7 Volts * 3 A-hr = 11.1 Watt - Hour

Gruber calls out capacities up to 10 Ah, which would weigh 10 Ah=3000Mah * X batts, X=10Ah/3Ah = 3.33 batteries, * 0.50g = 170g...very light


Working off the chart, 12 Amps
10Amps-Hr/12Amps = 0.83 Hr = 50 minutes, as on the Gruber chart. Paris-Roubaix was about 6.5 hours long.

100 watts for 50 minutes = 100 watt (50/60) hours = 83 Watt-Hours, only 8 batteries, not much weight penalty

So far I'm not convinced Cancellara was bike doping(or would need too), but I am convinced bike doping could be a real advantage in a flat race like Paris-Roubaix if any of my calculations above are right using the "perfectly efficient" energy conversions I am assuming. I'll sleep on the generic model parts above and maybe generate a spreadsheet to model possible scenarios more closely.

Tronbike - Batteries Out

Its been a few years, and the AGMs are starting to go. I'm taking them out of the bike to reorder them in the chain, and maybe make some improvements to the mounting cage. I'd also like to add some good terminal covers.

On my external charger, each looked fine, carrying a full charge. I really need to test them when depleated/under load. About that Arduino voltmeter...