First test drive completed October 8, 2009.

SUCCESS: First completed trip made without pedal assist on November 4th, 2010.

Using a Dell Clamshell Desktop Case as a motor case. November 13th, 2010.

New 1000 watt controller, and only 24 volts, it's pretty doggone zippy! Jan 11th, 2011.

Converting the motor drive to #35 chain. Jan 31st, 2011

24volts, 16 amp-hours. March 5, 2011

YouTube video of eTrike on the Seguin Riverwalk, April 3, 2011.

Boring out a 5/8 bore sprcket to 18mm to fit the 36v motor.

Made it to 7 miles, 13 mph on one charge! -August 2011.

As Frank Sinatra sang....

Regrets, I've had a few;
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption.

I planned each charted course;
Each careful step along the byway,
But more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

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I start Making the motor mount, and decide I need to cut out a section to allow for the fan belt.
I also have to grind down some screws to make the fit on the frame evenly.
Then I clamp the assembly in, and give it some juice, and IT WORKS! Click last picture below for video! Now, to actually bolt the motor to the frame.

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The ride down the Hill at Glen Cove was darn near stupid. I underestimated the power of gravity. Too bad I had to turn off the camera before I got to the bottom of the hill. I found it hard to steer with only one hand, so I turned off the camera, so that I could free the camera and use my left hand for the brake. Next time I go down that hill, I will be wearing a helmet.
Next modifications will be a higher tooth sprocket for the axle, and I may either try a dual motor setup, or just go ahead and order a 450 to 550 watt motor that is designed to be use in bicycle applications. Thanks again to Randy Carroll-Brad for the spreadsheet.

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October 15, 2009
I added a speedometer. $10 at Walmart. I added the second motor, and due to the braces being in the way of the chain, I had to move the motors up to the deck. I painted the deck, and replaced the 24 tooth sprocket with the 48 tooth sprocket on the axle. I thought I would try a cold weld, and I used PermaOxy 4 minute Multi-Metal Epoxy. I joined the hubs to the sprockets on Friday, and gave them 24 hours to cure. (So far, they have held up, but then my dual motor system is still too weak. I will most likely order a 500 KW motor soon. The 48 tooth axle would not fit with the axle brace, so I cut through the brace, added a U-bolt and a second metal strip in the middle of the U-bolt. I then taped it up to keep it from rattling. I probably should have drilled my holes at 90 degrees instead of 45. So, the bike is still more of an electric assist, and does not maintain speed. At least it takes a while to slow down. Although I can easily cruise at 8 mph on level ground, not having to do a lot of pedalling, I want it to be self powered, so I'll need a larger motor.
More to come.

Check this out. I found a "Users guide" for a three wheel electric tricycle. The instructions say this bike should NOT be used for stunts, jumping, racing or competition. Duhh!

I think I need a bit more power.

Here is a go cart using a nice motor mount and a golf cart motor.
Update: October 2010.
OK, it has been a year sitting in the garage. I bought a new motor, 1000 watts, using 36 volts, and about 700 watts using 24 volts. I also decided to make a jackshaft, and use the old geared pulley from the scooter. I think I messed up the motor when I removed the #25 chain sprocket, because it just doesn't have the power I thought it would. My crude jackshaft assembly also seems to bind, and using the geared pulley causes the motor to be spun when there is not power, and that probably did some damage. Next, I obtained two pillow block bearings, and a #25 sprocket with 25 teeth to put on the jackshaft. I remounted the original "one way bearing" on the motor, but the motor seems to be stuck. I also made a motor mount that I can use to tighten the chain on the motor if necessary. It uses two aluminum plates. I will order a new 1000 watt motor. Should be installed before the last week of October.
I'm not sure I want to keep it at 36 volts. It would top in at 50 mph. Using 24 volts, and running at 2200 rpm, I would hit a top speed over 38 mph. So, I have ordered a 45 tooth sprocket for the jackshaft, and recalculated. The second calculation shows I should be doing 17 mph at top end.


Update - October 24, 2010
The 45 tooth sprocket came in and the first thing I noticed was there wasn't a set screw to hold the sprocket to my jackshaft. I decided to use my JB Weld trick that I first used with the shaft I made for the gear pulley systems. I scored some lines on a couple of large washers, on the #40 sprocket, and on the #25 sprocket. I mixed up some JB Weld, and applied. I put the system on a temporary 1/2 inch bolt while it dried. I made sure that it didn't get stuck to the temporary bolt, I just want it to all act as one piece. After a few hours, I just had to see how it worked. The #40 chain was a bit loose (I eventually took out another link). I have a motor mount being custom made for me, so I bolted the motor in as I had done previously. I jacked the system up to get the wheels off the ground. I hooked up the motor to one 12 volt battery, bypassing the controller. It works. A little noisy, and both chains are in need of tightening, but I do think this will do the trick.
I should have a running trike before the end of October 2010. Then I will start with a fresh plywood piece and drill just the holes I need.
The batteries can't pull the amps needed, so I popped the cap on the sealed batteries, and found the caps. I filled a nose spray bottle with distilled water, and refilled the dry cells. I put one on the charger for a few minutes, and tested the volts, and it went up quite a bit. I will let it stay on overnight.
October 26: It works! The batteries charged, but only enough to get me a few houses down the street. I think I am going to have to invest in a new set of batteries. By the time I got my camera, there was only enough juice to get me down the driveway, but it is easy to see that with stronger batteries, it will be just about right. Watch the clip in AVI format or "MOV" format.
I did some work on the way the jackshaft mounts to the platform. I used some 1 X 4 pine to make the jackshaft higher, which removed almost all of the slack in the chain. The chain slightly rubs against the frame, and I am not sure whether I want to let it wear the frame down, or go ahead and use my grinder and take a small section of the frame out. I replaced the toggle On/Off switch with a regular light switch, and moved the controller away from the edge.
Now, I have to decide what kind of batteries I want to use.
A nice educational site I found is this one.

And, I have to say that I wish I would have seen Randy Scott's Trike. He has already converted a trike in Houston, and has posted the info on the EV Album . He made some great choices on Battery, motor, and made a jackshaft from a bike axle.

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November 3rd, 2010: The New motor mount is in. It was designed before the jackshaft was added, so I may have to take the whole thing apart and at some time and mount the jackshaft underneath. I need to get a new mounting board. This one is Swiss Cheese from the changes I have made. I added a new base plate to put under the motor mount, as I believe the plywood was allowing too much movement of the motor. I tested it out with a one of the 12 volt batteries that was almost dead, and it was good enough to go down the driveway using only 12 volts without a controller. I will pick up some batteries tomorrow.

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November 4, 2010
I picked up three 12 volt, 8 amp hour batteries at Altex. I gave it a try with two batteries (24v). And.... Success! Left image above is the MOV format, right image is AVI format.
I came back, and hooked up the third battery. It was a little too fast. Tricycles do not have the feel that a bicycle does. In fact, fast is not fun on a trike. I then hooked up just two batteries to see if it would go around the block on 24v. It did it.
Next, I will make a new platform, and move the jackshaft to the underside of the platform. But I may enjoy riding for a few days. I also picked up a "smart charger" today, and I hope to keep these batteries in good condition for a while. Next on the agenda, I plan to build a quadricycle.

November 13, 2010:
I decided to use a thicker plywood for the base, and the plywood came from an old desk, so it had a layer of Formica on top. The #40 chain rubbed a little on the frame, so when I mounted the jackshaft, I wanted to move the jackshaft forward, leaving more room for the motor.
I was able to use two of the bolts that hold the jackshaft not only through the plywood, but start them on the metal frame, so that these bolts hold the platform frame, the plywood and the jackshaft pillow bearings all at the same time. I also lengthened the #40 chain, and now the chain actually has one of the trike frames inside the chain loop.
My old computer died, and I believe in "re-purposing" things rather than tossing them in the trash. Looking at the "clamshell" case, I thought it would make a great "engine compartment" for my trike. Plus, the Dell case will look cool, I think, and I now think I may even make the old computer start button functional for the electric system on the motor. The locking case will be nice to keep people from lifting my batteries while I am inside a store. I may add the obligatory "basket" to the top later. I still need to order a 36v, 1000 watt controller, as the 24v, 250 watt controller no longer works.

"Yellow Trike EV, Version 2.0

By the way, DON'T use "Goo Gone" to clean a plastic case. The "Goo Gone" melts the plastic!
Later, I found that black Bar-B-Que pit paint covers up the goo-gone mess.

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Version 2.0
January 11, 2011.

I decided the case would open easier facing the rear of the computer case to the front of the trike.

I added the 1000 watt controller, and used Oxy4 super epoxy on the 44 tooth sprocket. I gave it a try. Good start, but I only went 10 feet before I popped the #25 chain, so I took a link out and removed the slack from the chain between the motor and jackshaft.

Then, the bike would only go about 10 feet before the fuse would blow. I replaced the 20 amp fuse with a 40 AMP circuit breaker, and the bike went further, but I broke the chain again. With both my link clips somewhere in the gravel driveway, I went inside, and made out an order for all the parts necessary to convert all the #25 chain sprockets and chains to #35, which is almost three times stronger.

Then I got this crazy idea that I could use duct tape to hold my chain together. It worked!

So, I took the video while the sun was still out and it was about 38 degrees outside, so I didn't ride too long. In fact, it was so cold, I didn't want to make a second movie. But I after I made the video, I went all the way around the block, and hit a top speed of 14.7 miles per hour (According to my Schwinn digital Speedometer).

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First image is avi, second image is mov, and third is mov taken on Jan 16th.
January 20th, 2011.
I just had to try it as a 36 volt system. I had my Schwinn digital speedometer working, so I hooked up a third battery to make it 36 volts instead of 24 volts. I could feel a huge difference in acceleration. I went down Donegan Street, turned left on San Marcos Street, then gave it a try. That section of street is fairly short, and I made it to the turn very quick. I quickly got back around to Donegan, and held the throttle down, and watched the digital numbers start climbing. At 19.4 miles per hour, the trike felt like it was getting unstable. After I returned, I quickly converted it back to 24 volts. I will now add a fourth battery, and make the battery pack 2 X 2, meaning I will have twice as many amp-hours, but only 24 volts maximum. If the trike uses 16 amps at full power, in theory, I could ride for an hour at full speed. That should be good for an evening ride.

January 27th, 2011.
I ordered some #35 chain, some motor sprockets, chain connectors, and a 30 tooth sprocket for the jackshaft. OOPS! I forgot that the motor sprocket REQUIRES a one-way bearing (sometimes called a clutch bearing). Without it, you cannot pedal the bike with the motor off. The motor shaft is 1/2 inch bore, and finding this same sprocket for a #35 chain instead of the #25 chain is starting to be a challenge. I may have to order the clutch bearing separately, then drill out the sprocket I have to accommodate the outer diameter of the clutch bearing.

January 30th, 2011.
I found a 1/2 inch one way clutch bearing at Purvis Bearing. The shaft on the motor is 12 millimeters. I was going to use a copper tube to make the motor shaft 1/2 inch instead of 12mm, and I tried to grind the shaft down. The shaft was very hard, so that plan didn't work out. That millimeter or so of diameter makes a lot of difference in the grab of the clutch. So, I got out my Oxy4 epoxy, and coated the shaft, and let it dry over night. The next morning, I spun the motor and shaft with a 12 volt battery, and used a file on the shaft to smooth the surface. It seems to be working. Also gave it a few passes with several different grits of sandpaper while is spun, and now the clutch bearing does as intended. Spins free one direction, catches the shaft going the other way. The outer diameter of the bearing is 3/4 inch, so I will have to bore out the 5/8" bore sprocket when it arrives. Seems my supplier is having to put up with a large snow storm, and I have 78 degree weather, and my trike is not operational.

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January 31, 2011
The 11 tooth, 3/4 inch bore sprocket came in today. I had to fit some #40 sandpaper around a shaft and spin it inside the sprocket until the clutch bearing would fit inside. Then I put some of the Perma-Oxy 4 minute epoxy inside the sprocket and aligned the outside edges of the sprocket and clutch bearing. I used a large washer to keep the whole sprocket assembly pushed to the end of the motor shaft, and gave the washer a bit of epoxy and made it a permanent part of the sprocket. The sprocket assembly will be kept on the shaft with the horseshoe clip.

For the jackshaft end, the 30 tooth sprocket has no center to tighten down to my 1/2 inch bolt on the jackshaft, so I used epoxy to attach the 30 tooth sprocket to a 20 tooth sprocket that did have a center with set screws.

If I decide to to increase my speed at a later date, I just need to move the chain to the 20 tooth sprocket.

February 7, 2011
Well, that plan didn't work so well.
The one-way bearing shredded the epoxy coating. But, I did manage to replace the platform with new plywood, and made the opening smaller than on the version 2.0. I also painted it black, and painted the metal part of the sides of the platform. I made sure that my bolt holes were in alignment. It took about 1 second to destroy the epoxy coating. So, the good news is that I located a a 12 X 18 X 26 one-way bearing. It should be here by this weekend. I believe the 18 mm outer bearing should fit inside the 3/4 inch sprocket and it will be easier to epoxy them together, if necessary. The first picture in this series shows how out of alignment the #25 chain was. I also added a key switch. That will come in handy when I take the trike to the store.

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After the conversion to #35 chain, the next things on my "to do list" are to take it all apart, make a better platform, use a drill press to make the motor mount holes. The holes are not perfectly aligned, and therefore the motor sits at a slight angle, and that makes the chain "hum" at low speed. So, soon we will have version 3.0. Stay tuned.
February 26 and 27, 2011
I charged up all three batteries, and hooked them up as a 36 volt power supply. I ran a long wire from one of the batteries to a volt meter strapped to the handlebar. The power loss after 2 miles was significant. Set the difference between the "3.1 miles" and "4.38 miles" movies below.
I stuck my foot in front of the drive wheel, and it did not have enough power to run over my foot. When full charged, that would have been impossible. After allowing the trike to sit for a while, the power came back up. I suspected an overheating motor. I removed the 1000 watt motor, and installed the old scooter motor, (estimated at 300 watts) and also upgraded to the #35 chain at the same time. With 36 volts, it had quite a bit of power, but also lost power and a short trip around the block. I suspect that one of the batteries must be causing the circuit to go bad. Thanks for the tip, Mark!
I charged up all three batteries, and gave it a try with just 24 volts of power. It hit 10 miles an hour, which surprised me. The best part is that it continued to run for over three miles, and did not slow down as before. I am thinking that I could get two more 8 amp-hour 12 volt batteries and get it to run five or six miles on a charge. To make this ride last over an hour is going to take some much bigger batteries. I also need to make a better chain tensioner system. This one is too noisy. I'm not sure I want to do that for this trike, as the ride is really not comfortable, and on a sloped street, the trike feels like it is going to topple over.
Apologies for the video - holding a camera means I have no brakes, or if I use the brakes, the camera has to stray to other subjects. But you can see the top speed using 24 volts on the 400 watt motor is nearly 10 miles per hour.
I think I will save up and start making plans for the quadricycle.
March 5th, 2011

I bought a 4th 12 volt, 8 amp-hour battery, and hooked up the batteries in two sets of parallel, so now I have twice the amp-hours, and 24 volts. I put connectors in the wiring so I could remove the batteries in pairs, and charge them one pair at a time. As singles they each took about 3 hours to charge. Each pair took about 3 hours to charge. Now, I will charge one pair in the evening, and the second pair during night time, and the next morning they are all ready.

This arrangement also gave me a range of 4.6 miles, but I did a little more coasting, and eased off the throttle. I let it sit for a few minutes, and it was able to go for a short block, and I had to pedal a bit. I'm pretty sure it would get me to the store to pick up a few things and back, if I wanted to.
According to my calculations, if I want to make this go for an hour, I would have to have more than 30 amp-hours. Maybe the best bet would be a bank of 4 six volt golf cart batteries would be able to do that. It would be easier to wire that configuration. All four batteries in series.
I also put a new 10 inch, 1/2 inch bolt on the jack-shaft. The original 8 inch bolt caused the #40 chain sprocket to slip because it was positioned over the threads. Now it will be on solid steel. I also think some Locktite may be a good idea.
March 22nd, 2011
I decided to make the Positive battery cables the same gage as the Negative, so I made new connectors. I will give them a try tomorrow. The bike has been in my "office" for a year, and I needed a place to store it when not in use. I found a bicycle rack, attached it to a 2 X 4 and screwed the 2 X 4 to one of the beams in the ceiling of the garage. The trike can be lifted easily, dropped down easy. I ran a metal tube between the rear wheels, and the computer case made it fit tight, so the "fingers" of the pully system fit tight. I levelled the trike out, and placed a small spring clamp on the line to keep the rear end up. Now the car fits under it and the trike is no longer in the way.

I still would like to make this a little more quiet, and I am pretty sure that taking all the slack out of the chains would do a lot.

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March 24, 2011 I used a 2 X 4 to mount the motor, and used deck screws to mount it to the base. No more rattle from the chains and the tensioner. The trike rode with a lot less chain noise, and the only sound was the electric motor. NICE!

On March 30th, I rode the bike from my house to the new Seguin Riverwalk. I really need to take a video of my Trike going along this great new feature in downtown Seguin. It is really shaping up to be a thing of beauty. I am pretty sure the city won't allow vehicles on the walk after it is officially opened.

Opting for a 36V system.
Update July 2011. I decided that I need the 36 volt motor, and in order to make it work, I need to make my own sprocket. I need a 12mm inside bore clutch bearing, so that the sprockets can freewheel, and I need a #35 chain because the #25 is just not strong enough. I decided to use my "milling machine" - my drill press, some tape, and some sandpaper. The drill press worked slow at first, but I read a post that you have to make the sandpaper fit snug to get some bite. It took a couple of hours, and I checked the fit often. I may have to repeat this process, as after the parts have cooled down, the fit is not as snug as I would like for it to be. There are two set pins on the sprocket, and soon I will rebuild the entire motor assembly and the jackshaft, and change it around, and make room for two more batteries in the "Dell engine compartment". Note, I have two 36v motors, and the test shaft in the middle is from the older motor. The shaft got nicked when the chain broke. The shaft size will be the same.
I think the 36v will be better on the hills, and I will have to learn to keep it under 20 mph.

July 21, 2011 The bigger motor can get up to a speed of 22 miles per hour with only 24 volts of power. It also runs out of juice quicker. Since I had two sets of pillow block bearings, I decided to add a second jackshaft, and double the ratio. This means I'll only have a top speed of 11 miles per hour, but I think the motor will run more efficiently. I put a new platform down, and started playing with the arrangement of motors, jackshafts, and batteries. I may have to go without the Dell computer case, but I will work on getting making it all fit inside, as I like having the parts out of sight. Besides, I just added a new Electric E-TRIKE logo to the case.

Here is my first projected arrangement. Nothing bolted down yet. Maybe I can get it done over the weekend.

Update August 20 2011. I put down a new base, using two sheets of 5/8 inch plywood. I made one sheet smaller than the other to give me a place anchor the sides. The Dell clamshell won't give me enough room for six batteries. I arranged the batteries, made a wiring diagram and put the batteries in. Very dismal performance. After two miles, the e-Trike slowed down. I headed to the garage and found that one of the batteries was already down to 9.2 volts. That was the battery from the original scooters, and it had showed a charge of 12.6 volts the day before. One bad battery was pulling down the team. I went back to the four battery configuration, and the speed went back up, but by then it was getting hot. I think I will put the e-trike back up on the bike rack and wait for a little cooler weather before doing anything. I know I need to replace that bad battery as well. 100 degrees in the garage even with two fans running is just not comfortable. This can wait. I'll also need to make a new wiring harnesess when we resume this project.
Update August 27, 2011.
10 gau Hottest day of the year! What am I doing in my garage? I made new wiring for the batteries. Now, all the wiring is 12 gauge. I added a basket to the top. I replaced the battery that failed with a 7.5 AH from Tractor Supply. I added a chain tensioner, using a #40 freewheeling sprocket. I used a curved piece from a garage door opener to hold the tensioner. This should help to keep the chain from trying to jump off the sprocket, and reduce chain noise.
I also put down a strip of velcro to keep the lid closed. I drove down to the Guadalupe River, and made it back up the steep hill twice, then drove downtown, and around the block several times, and it starting slowing at about 6.5 miles. I headed back. and made it home without doing any pedaling. The odometer showed 7.194 miles.
The tensioner really helps eliminate some of the noise, and the Velcro works well for keeping the lid down. But it is still too darn hot to enjoy it. I recharge three batteries (12v X 3) at one time, so will charge one set in the evening, and the other overnight. Notice the curved metal bar used to hold the tensioner sprocket (in the second and third photos below). It came from a garage door opener.

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What's next?
The recharging took almost 6 hours on each set. To get more range I will need to replace the 3 packs of 12 volt, 8 Ah SLED (approximately 24 Ah per pack) batteries with Lithium=Ion or NiMH batteries, but that would be very expensive,so my next choices will be either:

1) 4 ( maybe 5) six volt 58Ah (or similar) golf cart batteries, depending on how inexpensivly I can get them.

2) Buy used Toyota Prius NiMH batteries. At 3.3 volts per battery, I would need 8 batteries. A whole new ball game with that one.

3) A small Honda 4 stroke generator that puts out DC current instead of AC, making the e-Trike a Series Hybrid.

4) Power the e-Trike with unobtanium :-).

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This e_Trike has been like a very long episode of "Stuck with Hackett" on the Science Channel.

You know, I'm looking forward to finishing this project, and starting my quadricycle. That is a scale replica, but I think I would like to make a full size replica of the car used by Horatio Jackson in 1903 to make the first Transcontinental road trip. It was a 1903 Winton, and he made the trip in 63 days.
Wouldn't it be fun to retrace that route in an electric version? If you have Netflix, watch the PBS program by Ken Burns. You'll be amazed.

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