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members:tomgraelwicz [2011/11/30 23:57]
gralewicz
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-{{ :members:engine_compartment_2.jpg?200|}}Its fun to build and modify things... 
-Its more fun to do it in a way that hasn't been done (much) before! 
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-**Example:**  I have wanted to build an electric car for decades (Ok, so I called it a motorized go-kart originally :-)  
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-**Common Solution:**   Get a big DC motor (think fork lift) some thick wire (double O at least) and buy a bunch of expensive parts:  high current controller, fancy battery charger, good batteries, etc. 
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-**My solution:**  Take the 25HP 3 phase motor from an industrial air compressor, an AC drive from a locomotive (I think it was more of a street car but that's what the seller said it was from)  Some scrounged UPS batteries and individual battery chargers and you have an electric car unlike any other I  have found in the hemisphere (There is one a guy in Australia with something similar) 
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-**Example:**  Build a power wheels race car for the PPPRS racing series (check it out on Youtube, Flickr, or the web in general) 
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-**Common Solution:**  Find a power wheels car that you can almost fit into or on, upgrade the motor with a 1HP scooter motor, add some motorcycle sized batteries and drive! 
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-**My Solution:**  Take the smallest power wheels car we found on Craig's list and stretch it to fit little old me!  Stick a 6HP winch motor, 2 car sized batteries, and a fork lift motor controller and start doing wheelies (never did get it to do burn outs) 
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-[[http://www.flickr.com/photos/opacity/4864507655/]] 
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-You get the idea.  For me its more important to do it myself than to get it done fast or perfectly.  I added a garage and rec room to my house.  I hired someone to do the foundation (I didn't have the equipment and couldn't learn the skills in a reasonable time), the furnace (I don't have licenses) , and finish the sheet rock (I can finish sheet rock, but it takes for ever and never looks right.) 
-The good news is I built it (with a little help from friends) from brick walls to roof shingles and everything in between.  The bad news is it took me 7 years.  I really enjoyed those 7 years :-) 
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members/tomgraelwicz.1322697447.txt.gz · Last modified: 2011/11/30 23:57 by gralewicz