Showing posts with label power electronics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label power electronics. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

BMW C Evolution Breakdown on the Freeway - Controller Problem

Last tuesday, heading to work on the freeway, going uphill at 110 km/h on the left lane, I experienced a severe breakdown having no more response from the throttle and the LCD display illuminated in red with yellow and red warnings. I had to pull over quickly to the right lane and could safely stop at the upcoming freeway exit





My warning lights on, I stopped and restarted the scooter turning it OFF and ON again, but that did not have any effect :(
I tried this procedure several times and decided to get off the bike and safely call the BMW Assistance which indicated to call the Police because I was on the freeway - they are the ones dealing with this kind of situation -
"A towing truck should be on its way and you should be towed within half an hour" the Police said





I finally waited 40 minutes before I could be towed and brought back to Boulogne, at the BMW Motorrad shop next to where I live; I walked to my parking and went to work with the LEAF ASAP, arriving two hours later than usual ...

The shop took care of my scooter almost right away and called me in the afternoon saying its had been fixed, through a firmware upgrade touching the power electronics - I must admit that I was a bit sceptical when I heard this at first - and test rode it fine for 13 km on the same freeway

The next morning, happy to pick up the bike, I had the warning light and engine sign, in yellow this time instead of red, they were surprised and so was I ... I asked them if they checked the "error log" (?) of the bike and they said they did not see anything but decided to replug it into the diagnosys tool right away and see what it says. Then they told me it was a power electronics fault and that I should leave them the bike until it is fixed ...







They will have to deal with a French representative in touch with Germany for any repair touching the electric components of the scooter and it could take some time; The repairs would be performed in the only shop certified to do that with two specially trained mechanics in Paris 17th district (BMW Motorrad Tocqueville)
It seems to be the first failure of this type among the few C Evolution on the road right now

The dealer agreed to lend me the demo C Evolution for the day, having test rides booked the other days, so I used to commute it and brought it back at 7 PM;



Talking to one of the salesmen, he told me he would see with the shop (seperate location in Boulogne) if they could speed up the repair or at least give me some more info on the on going process

The next day I used the LEAF to go to work again and was happy to receive a call from this same salesman telling me BMW France would lend me a C Evolution during the repair period and I should get it the coming week; Few minutes later the shop called to announce they received the replacement scooter for me and I could pick it up the next day at the shop opening; I requested a full charge to be performed ...

And the next morning, after signing a one month contract, I left with a brand new 1000 km old identical scooter and I rode it since then ...





Thanks BMW France for lending me (one of) your demo C Evolution !  :)





Tuesday, August 6, 2013

SMA Solar Technology Circuit Board Assembly at SMA's German Factory

The making of SMA inverters circuit boards at their factory in Germany





ABOUT SMA
Energy that Changes

SMA Solar Technology AG is a global leader in the development, production and sales of PV inverters and, as an energy management group, offers innovative key technologies for future power supply structures. SMA is represented in all important photovoltaics markets in 19 countries on four continents. The company has a staff of over 5,500 and reached a sales volume of EUR 1.7 billion in 2011.

Inverters are the heart of every PV plant
Technologically, the inverter is the most important component of a PV plant. It converts the direct current generated in the photovoltaic cells into alternating current compliant with the grid requirements -- for self-consumption or feed-in to the power distribution grid. As an intelligent system manager, it also monitors both the PV array and the power distribution grid. SMA inverters already perform important grid management functions, which are becoming increasingly important as electricity production from renewable sources grows. SMA has been developing leading technological solutions and pioneering trends in this area for years and is driving future-oriented topics. For instance, these include intelligent energy management at a household level, grid integration of solar power and connecting storage facilities for more effective use of renewable energy.

For all Performance Classes and Plant Sizes
SMA has an extensive range of products, which offers the right inverters for all module types and plant sizes; for small residential systems as well as large scale plants, grid-connected installations as well as stand-alone and backup systems all over the world. Plant monitoring and visualization products as well as energy management solutions complete the portfolio.In addition to this, SMA customers worldwide benefit from comprehensive services: from support in installation and commissioning of PV plants to quick and uncomplicated device replacement service in Germany and worldwide, and the free SMA Service Line for technical questions. The company also provides training for plant planners, installers, electrically qualified persons and anybody interested in solar power in seminars as part of the SMA Solar Academy.

SMA has received numerous awards for its product solutions and exceptional corporate culture. In 2011 and 2012, the company achieved first place in the German "Great Place to Work®" competition in the category for companies with over 5,000 employees.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

EVTV Friday Show - November 30, 2012

- Azure Dynamics DMOC 645. What's inside. How do you flash it.
- Azure Dynamics eTransit Connect. Ours arrives. Nice vehicle.
- Speedster Nippon - getting closer. Lots of little stuff.






LA Auto Show:

BMWi Carbon Structure

Fiat 500e

Chevrolet Spark 

AutoBlog Green wrote an article about EVTV's raid to Azure Dynamics 


Now Jack wants to study in depth the inverter / controller used by Azure Dynamics in their eTransit Connect 

tells us about Siemens induction motors he got from them

He also wants to create VCU (Vehicle Control Unit) that would work for all EV drive conversions

Siemens induction motor torque / power graphs


Azure Dynamics eTransit Connect purchased by Jack for 6,000 USD only, because it had not gone through the final validation step 

It is brand new & works perfectly 







Speedster Nippon progress

Jack is studying a lighter way to cool the controlled using a computer series of fan system

The instrumentation is almost done


Upfront the SE Series CALB battery cells have been covered with a plexiglass sheet 


Jack shows us the "Speedster" & "Electric" signs he had specifically made for conversions; You can buy them on the online store and invert the two: "Electric Speedster" or 'Speedster Electric"




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