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LED headlights?

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John RA Benson

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Nov 12, 2015, 11:17:55 AM11/12/15
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Anyone see these or try them out? I thought LED headlights weren't highway approved yet, but it looks like these are. Looks like less draw, better light.
 
 
cheers
JRAB

David Shields

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Nov 12, 2015, 12:08:54 PM11/12/15
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Dear JRAB:
 
I could not open the attached file, but I'm certainly interested in new headlights. I haven't licked my brake problems yet either.
 
Thanks for posting.
 
David Shields
 

From: jr...@e-m-w.com
To: 91...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [914ev] LED headlights?
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2015 08:17:17 -0800
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Joe O'Brien

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Nov 12, 2015, 12:29:57 PM11/12/15
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914world.com had a great thread for improving the brakes.  Mostly around the larger master cylinder and improved pads (this was the path I took).

                Joe

David Shields

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Nov 12, 2015, 3:26:14 PM11/12/15
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Thanks Joe.
 
David Shields
 

Subject: RE: [914ev] LED headlights?
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2015 09:30:13 -0800

Mark Brems

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Nov 16, 2015, 6:42:34 PM11/16/15
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Great that they don't need an external in-line ballast, like some LED highlight
bulbs do. What is the cost?

--

David Shields

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Nov 16, 2015, 11:57:50 PM11/16/15
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Thank you gentlemen. They are $185 each.
 

Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2015 15:42:33 -0800
Subject: Re: [914ev] LED headlights?
From: mcb...@gmail.com
To: 91...@googlegroups.com

David Shields

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Nov 22, 2015, 7:34:45 AM11/22/15
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I fried my negative ground plate and killed my auxiliary  battery in one fell swoop on Wed. I have it back up and running though. Autozone replaced the 18 month old battery for free so I'm a fan of their company. I have been driving this car almost daily and didn't see this coming.
 
Something weird is going on. It melted the Plexiglas under the ground plate and welded a couple of nuts and washers together. It was easy to fix but I have to wonder what is going on. Fortunately this issue was on the 12 volt system, not the 120 volt system or I would have burned the car and garage down.
 
I usually would not put a fuse on the negative side of a circuit but I'm going to shop for parts today. It can't hurt and I suspect the surge came from my DC-DC converter.
 
Any thoughts?
 
David Shields

 

Subject: RE: [914ev] LED headlights?
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2015 09:30:13 -0800

Ben Apollonio

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Nov 22, 2015, 1:58:07 PM11/22/15
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Yikes! Glad the damage was minor. Don't discount the ability of low voltage to create a fire, even with a fuse; all you need is localized heat and something combustible. You would probably do well to figure out *why* it fried instead of just throwing a fuse at it.

Not sure what your ground plates looks like or where it is physically in relation to your battery, but a couple of ideas:
1. Loose connection in your ground plate during heavy load (or charging current). Which lugs were welded?
2. Positive wire harness abraded against chassis - in the default configuration, it's unfused until you get to the fuse box under the steering wheel. I put a 50A breaker on mine (DC rated). Fusing the negative is equally effective and might be easier to wire.
3. If the DC/DC 'surged' that badly, it's probably toast. Does it power on and make 13.8V?

-Ben

On Nov 22, 2015, at 7:34 AM, David Shields <dshie...@hotmail.com> wrote:

> I fried my negative ground plate and killed my auxiliary battery in one fell swoop on Wed. I have it back up and running though. Autozone replaced the 18 month old battery for free so I'm a fan of their company. I have been driving this car almost daily and didn't see this coming.
>
> Something weird is going on. It melted the Plexiglas under the ground plate and welded a couple of nuts and washers together. It was easy to fix but I have to wonder what is going on. Fortunately this issue was on the 12 volt system, not the 120 volt system or I would have burned the car and garage down.
>
> I usually would not put a fuse on the negative side of a circuit but I'm going to shop for parts today. It can't hurt and I suspect the surge came from my DC-DC converter.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> David Shields
>
>
> From: joe.o...@cox.net
> To: 91...@googlegroups.com
> Subject: RE: [914ev] LED headlights?
> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2015 09:30:13 -0800
>
> 914world.com had a great thread for improving the brakes. Mostly around the larger master cylinder and improved pads (this was the path I took).
> Joe
>
> From: 91...@googlegroups.com [mailto:91...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of David Shields
> Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2015 9:09 AM
> To: 914 EV Googlegroups <91...@googlegroups.com>
> Subject: RE: [914ev] LED headlights?
>
> Dear JRAB:
>
> I could not open the attached file, but I'm certainly interested in new headlights. I haven't licked my brake problems yet either.
>
> Thanks for posting.
>
> David Shields
>
> From: jr...@e-m-w.com
> To: 91...@googlegroups.com
> Subject: [914ev] LED headlights?
> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2015 08:17:17 -0800
> Anyone see these or try them out? I thought LED headlights weren't highway approved yet, but it looks like these are. Looks like less draw, better light.
>
> https://www.waytekwire.com/datasheet/47874.pdf
>
> cheers
> JRAB
>
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David Hale

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Nov 22, 2015, 5:47:03 PM11/22/15
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Is this the standard ElectroAuto kit? I can't picture what you mean exactly when you just say under the ground plate; maybe you could share a schematic and point out the problem area.

That said, I did once have a problem which sounds similar, with the original DC-DC that EA supplied. It burned several wires and blew some fuses, and the problem was attributed to the DC-DC. Which converter are you using?

Dave

David Shields

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Nov 23, 2015, 8:49:31 AM11/23/15
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I' using  55 amp DC-DC converter from EV Source. It's my prime suspect for the power spike. It's my 3rd converter and has been one of the biggest problems I've had with this car.
 
I'm going to put 60 amp fuses on every wire leading to and from the converter and try to isolate the problem.
 
Here's a crude picture of the ground plate.
 
 
 
 

 

From: astrono...@gmail.com
Subject: Re: [914ev] Power Spike
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 2015 14:47:01 -0800
To: 91...@googlegroups.com
Ground Plate.jpg

David Shields

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Nov 23, 2015, 8:56:10 AM11/23/15
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Thanks Ben. Please refer to my recent post.
 
The converter seems fine, which is unbelievable.
 
The *why* is what worries me too.
 
I'm going to put (4) fuses on the DC- converter. Two wires in and two wires out. Maybe I can isolate the problem.
 
Both lugs got welded. The positive wires show no sign of abrasion.
 
> Subject: Re: [914ev] Power Spike
> From: bap...@gmail.com
> Date: Sun, 22 Nov 2015 13:58:04 -0500
> To: 91...@googlegroups.com
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to 914ev+un...@googlegroups.com.

David Shields

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Nov 23, 2015, 6:22:49 PM11/23/15
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My recent problems were caused by the DC-DC converter.
 
The folks at EV Source have been most helpful. I may not switch to an alternator after all.
 

Subject: Re: [914ev] Power Spike
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 2015 14:47:01 -0800
To: 91...@googlegroups.com

Mark Brems

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Nov 24, 2015, 5:18:46 PM11/24/15
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I go get a beer, and just stand and look at it for a while,
and let my brain play with it. The pieces of the puzzle 
usually assemble themselves.

David Shields

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Nov 24, 2015, 5:51:25 PM11/24/15
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That's excellent advice Mark.
 
I've driven the car since the incident. I have the main and 12 volt power sources disconnected while I make it a better fix.  I worked on it for a couple of hours today.
 
In a couple of days (after Thanksgiving), I'll hook everything back up and put a meter on the DC-DC converter. I am going to put 60 amp fused on the lines into and out of the converter, both negative and positive. I figure it can't hurt and it will certainly make my heart rate go down.
 
Failing that the folks at EV Source have been most accommodating. They have offered to test the converter.
 
David Shields
 

Date: Tue, 24 Nov 2015 14:18:45 -0800

Subject: Re: [914ev] Power Spike

David Hale

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Nov 26, 2015, 12:08:46 AM11/26/15
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Your DC-DC looks exactly like mine which went bad, but I think I may have had a different problem. When I look at the photos (attached) it looks like it's the AC wires that fried.

IMG_1138.JPG

David Shields

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Nov 26, 2015, 8:33:56 AM11/26/15
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I certainly hope it's the DC-DC converter as it's under warranty. I have the mess cleaned up and I drove the vehicle a short distance yesterday without a DC-DC converter. That's a prescription for disaster in the long term but not a big deal in the neighborhood.
 
I'm going to mail the converter back to the manufacturer tomorrow. They have offered to test it.
 
DC-DC converters have proved to be the most difficult part of the conversion process for me. I may ultimately switch to an alternator as they are more efficient than DC-DC converters.
 
So you like astronomy Dave? So do I.
 
David Shields
 

Date: Wed, 25 Nov 2015 21:08:44 -0800

Subject: Re: [914ev] Power Spike


Your DC-DC looks exactly like mine which went bad, but I think I may have had a different problem. When I look at the photos (attached) it looks like it's the AC wires that fried.


Peter Thompson

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Nov 26, 2015, 9:24:49 PM11/26/15
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I also had a DC-DC converter go south - for no clear reason. However, after adding in fuses and replacing it with a new unit, no problems.  It could very well have ingested something that caused a short inside the converter (that's my latest thoughts on my near disaster) - or it's just a piece of junk not used to being in a hostile environment (e.g. vibration, heat).  In any case, I made sure that all of the connections were solid, and any place that had a chance of letting the magic smoke out got a fuse.

Cheers, Peter

David Shields

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Nov 27, 2015, 9:38:18 AM11/27/15
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Thanks Peter.
 
That's my plan exactly. I'm mailing the DC-DC converter back to the manufacturer today. I've already bought some fuses.
 

Date: Thu, 26 Nov 2015 18:24:48 -0800

Subject: Re: [914ev] Power Spike
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