Phil,
It sounds like a project well worth it's time involvement! The speed control is all that's ever been a handicap on an electric vehicle of any kind (for short trips)! When experimenters got the right components, such as are used in the controller of GM's Impact, the performance went from horse drawn carriage to sports car ! When we can get this down to a perfected standard for the ETs, they'll be more desirable than any IC engine powered mower! Keep up the good work!
Gary Woodard (Kenton, OH)
Phil Trice <pctrice purdue edu> wrote:
Neil et al,
I'll weigh in on this one. I have what someone described as a 'New Idea'
tractor. On this unit, the main traction motor runs all the time (constant
speed), and uses a clutch and three-speed transmission to control direction
& ground speed.
This has the advantage of being very simple, but not very efficient. What I
would like (and have plans) to do is to replace the motor with a
shunt-wound, variable speed motor and electronic controller. My ultimate
goal is to make mowing more efficient by making it unnecessary to use the
transmission & clutch to start, stop, and change direction & speed.
Does this sound ambitious?
-Phil Trice
West Lafayette, IN
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu
[mailto:owner-elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu]On Behalf Of Neil Dennis
Sent: Wednesday, January 09, 2002 4:03 PM
To: Elec-trak
Subject: (ET) speed control
Dunno, my JD90 has the constant speed motor and tranny, *lots* simpler.
It would be nice sometimes to have reverses without shifting but kinda
50 50 when you have to stop the motor then. Lots more effeicient than
theating those big resistors on the GE, I never seem to run anything but
"high" anyway.
I just bought a whole box of assorted trip-o-lett meters, all sizes,
mostly microamp scales, if anyone is interested ask for size, I'll look
- they will be cheap.
wombat