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Which Nikola to choose?


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20 minutes ago, meepmeepmayer said:

Looking nice! Do you by chance feel like opening the right side panel and and taking detailed pictures of all the electronics and batteries? Just asking for.. a friend;)

i will for sure, because im going to be doing some customization today :)

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5 hours ago, Rywokast said:

in other exciting news... despite there being copious amounts of double sided foam tape surrounding the batteries, apparently none of it is used to hold the batteries in.. all still has the paper on it, that being the case when i stood it up the left hand side battery fell out and the XT30 connector attempted to yank itself apart but failed and instead produced a huge spark which melted it... fantastic, have to replace that now

Am I looking right? Is the shrink tubing missing?
Why does the cable have to be stripped so far?
5mm instead of 15 would have been enough, then no extra shrink tubing is needed.

 

SharedScreenshot.jpg

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1 hour ago, buell47 said:

Am I looking right? Is the shrink tubing missing?
Why does the cable have to be stripped so far?
5mm instead of 15 would have been enough, then no extra shrink tubing is needed.

SharedScreenshot.jpg

You obviously aren't familiar with Gotway build standards :laughbounce2:

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Wow what a bummer! It's like they don't know wtf they are manufacturing there.

Good news is, if you look at the top space, looks like there's enough space so one could add another 20 cells and build a custom 2400Wh Nikola!:dribble:The current pack on top there must be 2 layers of 20 cells each (probably one of the ready-made packs used in the Tesla), and you could add another layer. One of the MCM5 battery packs is flat 20 cells and might fit in there, you would just need some extra cables and connectors. Or you could have your own custom 60 cell pack built that fits in there.

And that's before even thinking about cramming more battery into the lower spaces.

Sweet!

Edited by meepmeepmayer
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4 hours ago, meepmeepmayer said:

Wow what a bummer! It's like they don't know wtf they are manufacturing there.

Good news is, if you look at the top space, looks like there's enough space so one could add another 20 cells and build a custom 2400Wh Nikola!:dribble:The current pack on top there must be 2 layers of 20 cells each (probably one of the ready-made packs used in the Tesla), and you could add another layer. One of the MCM5 battery packs is flat 20 cells and might fit in there, you would just need some extra cables and connectors. Or you could have your own custom 60 cell pack built that fits in there.

And that's before even thinking about cramming more battery into the lower spaces.

Sweet!

Yeah, it's basically the same physical layout as the 100-volt Nikola Plus, which I assumed it would be.

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3 minutes ago, meepmeepmayer said:

That is the only non-stupid option to do this battery size. But you never know with these manufacturers...

The real question that was answered here: Is there enough space up there for a (custom) 800Wh pack? And the answer is yes! Why live with 2100Wh if you can have 2400Wh!;)

I imagine cost is the primary reason. Becomes a very very expensive "16-inch" wheel.

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Agreed. Cost for Gotway:D This is just a Tesla battery put into the top with the standard 3 pack connector scheme as used on the Monster and 100V Nikola, so zero extra effort for them.

800Wh up there would have meant a new shape battery pack was needed, or they make it from 4 packs where the 4th is from the MCM5 which means extra BMS cost and they need to figure out how to connect 4 packs. Extra effort/cost for Gotway.

If you're wondering why I'm posting this stuff, I'm just dreaming of the possibilities:wub:

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12 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

You obviously aren't familiar with Gotway build standards :laughbounce2:

haha actually it looks like it but no it's there it's just clear the connections are legit is just when the battery fell out the connector came just about unplugged but not fully which caused it to arc and fuse itself together burning all of the connections.. I don't have any xt30 connectors on hand sadly so I'll get some from an electronics store today and solder them on.. really fkn tight in there those wires are pulled tight extremely difficult to work in there but I don't wanna pull the entire thing apart for just that

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I couldn't repair it last night so I went ahead and did some of the work on the body and got the pedals prepped... hopefully I will fully finish it tonight after work :blink1:

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alright shes back up and running... i got some XT connectors but there is seriously like two inches of cable its ridiculous how tight they are so i just said bugger it and soldered them together... it doesnt matter anyways because it was a connector connected to a splitter connected to another connector linking the batteries.. so if i ever needed to take out the battery or unplug it i still can, just unplug it from where it splits.. shells and pedals are done so ill have it back together tonight to take it out for the first test spin... the 3d printed parts and little details will be another day. i also ensured those damn batteries will not be pulled out again the next time i have to take off the shell

Edited by Rywokast
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22 hours ago, buell47 said:

Am I looking right? Is the shrink tubing missing?
Why does the cable have to be stripped so far?
5mm instead of 15 would have been enough, then no extra shrink tubing is needed.

 

SharedScreenshot.jpg

The soldering tab on the XT60 connector is external, so it does require shrink tubing (or other shielding) in any case. To me that looks like a normal, healthy solder joint for the connector.

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5 hours ago, Rywokast said:

RIP super high gloss destined for scuff town

20190811_205506.jpg

freshly painted

20190812_040104.jpg

pedals sanded and painted

20190813_014107.jpg

im trying to decide whether to use the voltage readout like put in a clear window for it, or whether i should just block it off... i wont ever actually read it but at the same time it looks pretty cool lol.. hmmmm, also i was going to paint the little rubber screw covers white because grey just seems random, but then i realised that it is actually the walmart logo and i dont want to be the walmart logo so theyre getting dyed black lol

Looks nice so far, but you won't be able to see the LEDs now???

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3 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

Looks nice so far, but you won't be able to see the LEDs now???

I should be able to the shell maintains its translucency,, but I don't use side LEDs ever anyways.. I considered moving the volt meter to the front but I have no clue how you get this thing apart right now lol the batteries are all linked and the connectors are inside the shell but they're all so taut that I can't even reach them, no idea how they assembled it like that tbh gonna have to watch some disassembly videos when I have to change the tire because I don't know how I access those lmao they're all pretty tight I can't pull them out.. unless there is some way to remove the front and rear panels that I don't know of yet?

20190813_102627~01.jpg

Edited by Rywokast
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8 hours ago, ir_fuel said:

You used a spray can to paint?

I think this will look really cool :) 

the sides I sanded off the gloss with 220 then wet sanded with 600 and used four coats of acrylic enamel matte from a spray can,, doesn't look like it but they're still translucent I can see my hand perfectly behind it.. pedals are airbrushed matte black then just a couple light coats of clear to protect the paint from chipping

Edited by Rywokast
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in case anybody was wondering, you can dye plastic or rubber just like you can fabric.. using any synthetic dye do a concentration of about double whats recommended, first clean with alcohol or acetone.. any grime or fingerprints oils etc can make it appear blotchy, if you sand with like 800 very lightly it will make the process much faster, but i didnt want to do that i want to keep the smooth texture.. anyways put it in a pot with boiling water and keep the water at ~90-100 while stirring ocassionally for around 30 mins or longer depending on the colour you started from, just check it occasionally but make sure its dried off when you check, the colour wet will appear much darker than what it actually is

20190813_185453.jpg

20190813_201502.jpg

Edited by Rywokast
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