Top Five Specifications:
Coming into this project, my main specification was that the battery functioned on my bike. After some consideration and timeline issues, I have chosen to only make the enclosure for the battery. With that in mind, I would still like the enclosure to fit on my bike. I would also like the enclosure to fit the batteries and circuits I’m using. Moving from function to form, I would like the design to match my bike. This is obviously pretty subjective but I think I’ll know if it matches or not. I would also like the enclosure to be comfortable when riding, i.e. not rubbing on my legs when pedaling. Finally, I want the enclosure too be fairly lightweight, something under ~3-5 pounds. I will be prioritizing both the external and internal form factor because if the design fails either of these criteria, then it is essentially nothing more than a paper weight to me!
Top Five Constraints:
The largest constraint for this project will be time. This design is going to take multiple iterations which means more time. Furthermore, multiple iterations are going to use more materials and so my second constraint is going to be money. I am imagining that this design is going to be in part 3D printed and so printer availability on campus could be an issue. I have a personal issue with sticking to my first idea and so if the first design doesn’t work, I think I might have a problem coming up with new ideas. One large constraint in terms of form is the size of the enclosure. It is going to be tight fitting all the batteries and circuits in the enclosure and still keeping the enclosure in a small form factor for the bike. I think the toughest constraint is time. I have so much going on in other classes (mostly projects) and so my free time has been spread thin. I’m really excited to make this design and so I think I’ll find the time to work on it.
2 Comments. Leave new
Its great to see you building your own battery pack for your ebike.
I had one concern, making your own battery is tricky and Li-ion and Li-polymer batteries are known to go up in flames if handled or wired incorrectly. So please be careful about that as well.
Overall, looking forward to your final product.
Awesome that your are electrifying your bike, based on the CAD you included, are you planning on styling the battery case after a gas tank? or will you keep a more traditional brick-battery shape? You could cover it in the same aluminum can material with little rivets to give it a retro look. Will the batteries/boards be accessible in the case or do you plan to fully seal it? Will you be trying to waterproof the case? If the battery is considerably large it might be difficult to print. Excited to see how it turns out!