Bronze Garage Plaque

by Ben N on December 1, 2024

I recently made a plaque for my garage out of solid silicon bronze.
I created a form in Fusion 360, making sure to give any vertical surfaces a draft angle of 5 degrees (maybe I’ll do a little more next time!) The CAD software can even generate the estimated MASS of the finished item, useful for knowing how much metal to melt.

The 3D print is tightly packed in sand which has a little moisture and clay mixed in – just enough that it holds shape when squeezed in a fist.

Casting uses a special box which is open of both the top and bottom called a flask. The two halves of it are called a Cope and Drag. The bottom half of the box is set over a board. Then the pattern is set in place, face up. I sprinkled in sand “riddling” it through a wire mesh screen. This makes sure there’s no lumps, just fine even sand.

The sand gets tightly rammed down in place, and then the box is flipped over, revealing the BACK of the pattern. This is covered with a separating agent, such as talcum powder. Then the other half of the box goes in place and gets filled and rammed with sand.


Next, the mold is split and space for the molten metal is carved into the sand. Then the original pattern is removed and the mold reassembled.

I heated silicon bronze (mostly scrap copper, and a bit of silicon and manganese) in a propane powered furnace. Once liquid, the vessel of metal is lifted out with special tongs and set into a pouring shank. I then pour the bronze into the mold, and pour out any extra into ingot molds.


Once cooled to solid, the metal is removed from the sand, and quenched in water to get back down to handling temperature. Any metal other than the casting itself is removed with a Sawzall, grinder, or bolt-cutter. It can then be sanded, wire-wheeled, or polished.

Since this was a sign with raised lettering, I sprayed on a coat of black gloss paint. After it dried, I sanded the surface until I was happy with the shine and texture.



I also drilled and counter-sunk the corners of the sign for screws.

While this is a nice decoration for my garage, it was really just an experiment and PRACTICE in making such a thing. My father passed away a few years ago, and I always liked those “In Memory of” bronze plaques. I’d like to make one for him, but as always, I need practice first!

When I get to making that, you’ll be the first to know!

-Ben Nelson

Original CAD file

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Upcoming Projects!

by Ben N on November 15, 2024

No, I haven’t disappeared off the Earth.
Just been very busy. My “day job” in working in media, and I live in Wisconsin. The advertising and political events leading up to the U.S. Presidential Election has been insane! My work has mostly been in live event production lately AT those political events. That means long hours, last-minute requests, and general stress and exhaustion…
Of course, I also got sick right after the election, finally recovering about now.

But in the time since I released my last major YouTube video, I HAVE still been working on a few things – just haven’t had time to edit them.

Some of the major projects include interviewing an Electric DeLorean builder, getting a combination lathe/mill with possible CNC controls, and installing a 2″ towing package on my 2013 Tesla Model S.

Not too long ago, Hoffman EV held an open house at their headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin. I was able to attend and got to chat with Geoffrey Hoffman. You might remember him from a video I shot two years ago about a previous DeLorean he converted. This new one has more range, quicker acceleration, and higher top speed. But no, it still doesn’t have a Flux Capacitor…
I also shot some video on an EV VW Thing and an electric race car built by the local University engineering department!
Look for those as upcoming videos!

I was also able to get a new tool! OK, it’s used, and it’s actually on loan from the Milwaukee Makerspace. But it’s in my garage and gives me the ability to turn or mill metal parts. The Smithy Granite is a combination lathe/mill and it has an aftermarket CNC package added to it.

It was quite the challenge transporting a machine like this back to my garage. Once I got it home, there was still quite a bit of setup, maintenance, and testing to do on it. I have been able to do some basic manual lathe and mill work on it. After reading the entire manual and re-watching quite a few YouTube videos, I cut some threads on brass round stock! Pretty cool to be able to do something like that, as I’d never done it before. I also tried out some basic milling moves on a piece of machinable plastic.

The CNC aspect off all this is a little more complicated. I was able to get the CNC controller to communicate with and power the motors. Unfortunately, there seems to be an issue with the software for the x-axis control. The manufacturer is called FlashCutCNC. They are still around, but this software and hardware is OLD! I contacted their support department and was flat-out told that this is no longer supported and that my only option would be to upgrade all the hardware and software. Essentially just buy a complete new CNC system. Knowing what that cost was, it is NOT an option.
I’ll keep chipping away at the CNC system. It would be an absolute blast if I could get it working right!

Even just under the manual controls, having easy access to a lathe and mill greatly expands what I can do on a project. I hope to be able to make a few parts to finish off some old projects.

I also got a 2″ hitch for the Tesla Model S!
This is a Torklift Stealth. Torklift has been making hitches for eco-friendly cars for some time now. I have had their products on our Chevy Volt PHEV and the Mitsubishi iMiEV.
The 2″ hitch wil let me tow or install a bike rack or carrier tray. Probably the main use though will be pulling a 6×10′ utility trailer. No more having to waste gas to move bulky/heavy objects!

Installing the hitch on the car was actually relatively straight-forward. The hardest part really was removing and reinstalling all the plastic panels under the car.

Although the hitch was easy, the wiring was NOT.
I have a Tekonsha ZCI wiring harness, and as of yet, I don’t have it working right. Previously, I had installed one of these on somebody else’s Model Y, and that install went very well. It turns out that HOW the Model S activates the tail lights vs turn signals vs brake light, it actually makes it REALLY hard to work properly with ANY trailer lighting harness. The car was simply NOT designed for it.

I’ll get the video of the hitch installation posted soon, but may have to wait a while for more info on the wiring!

I also received a new 400V inverter board in the mail. This is a replacement/upgrade for the board I was working with on my Tesla V2L project. I accidentally wrecked the original board while I was trying to customize it. This new board is rated for 8,000 watts! We’ll see how much I can actually get out of it, but in theory, I should be able to do vehicle-to-vehicle charging!

Anyways, I just wanted to give you an update on a few projects that HAVE been going on, even if videos about them are not out yet. Look for some of those videos soon!

Until then, stay charged up!
-Ben Nelson

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Vehicle to Load (V2L) Bare Board Experimentation

by Ben N on August 29, 2024

One feature missing from a Tesla sedan is Vehicle-to-Load! V2L means that you can draw Alternating Current (AC) Power from the car to use while camping, in a blackout, or however else you would like to use it. Vehicles like the Ford F150 Lightning and the Hyundai EV6 have this feature.

So, what would it take to ADD this feature to a car which does NOT have it, such as my 2013 Tesla Model S? I’ve been pondering this for a while. In fact, I even had some successful tests of doing the same with my Mitsubishi iMiEV. (See those videos HERE.) Unfortunately, that needed a large external solar inverter and a specially-made CHAdeMO connection.

For the Tesla, I’d love something that could look like it actually came from the manufacturer. When I was troubleshooting the Supercharging feature on the car, I discovered that there was some extra space under the back seat, and it would be fairly easy to connect to the battery pack at the High Voltage Junction Box, (also under the back seat.)

What I would need is an inverter which could take in EV Battery Pack voltage, and output 120VAC, all WITHOUT being a large/heavy/bulky solar inverter. After kicking around a few ideas and trying to find the right thing, I found a particular inverter board on AliExpress. These board are essentially sold as PART of an inverter. A full inverter would need a case, fusing, cooling fans, etc. But the important thing is that I found one that will take in high voltage DC in a range of about 300V-450V, and output 120VAC.

I just got the board in the mail today.
First thing I would need is a source of high-voltage DC. So, I used the same solution as when I was testing a Nissan Leaf Motor – running 240V power to a bridge rectifier. The rectifier converts the 240VAC to about 338VDC. I then connected that to the DC INPUTS on the inverter board.

Making sure not to touch anything (as none of this was inside a protective enclosure,) I tested the output with my multimeter, and saw that the board was producing 220VAC! But I had ordered the 120V version!
Hmm. The next thing to look for was any sort of jumper or potentiometer on the board. I powered it down, waited for the LEDs to go out and test that there was no longer any high-voltage DC present. Then I inspected the board and found a tiny brass adjustment screw. I gave it a few twists counterclockwise, then powered up the board and tested the output again. This time it showed 172VAC. Still not what I was looking for, but I was glad to see the output was adjustable and I was going in the right direction.

After repeating this procedure a few times, I got the output to test at exactly 120VAC.

Next, I connected a low-current 120VAC LED light bulb. Sure enough, it lit up just fine.

So, these tests seem to show that I’m on the right path for an inexpensive piece of equipment which would be appropriate for a DIY V2L setup.

I also took a look at the car for where I might want to connect an exterior outlet. I’d love to be able to re-use the charging port, similar to how the EV6 does, but based on how things are connected internally in the Model S, that might not be an option.

I noticed that on the opposite side of the car, there is a reflector which takes up the matching space as the charge port door. Of course, it’s fixed and just part of the taillight assembly. I removed the taillight and was then able to remove the reflector. With it gone, it looked like there was enough space to install a weather-proof electric outlet. With a little modification, I think I could even 3d print a spring-loaded bracket to hold the reflector to make it open and close. Essentially, I would duplicate the charge port, but on the other side of the car, and this would be for the V2L power outlet.

Well, that’s my idea for now. I also have a 120V-capable Variable Frequency Drive on order. That should make it easy to output 120 OR 240, and have it be easily selectable between the two. That would mean I could even use my car to charge OTHER electric cars!

But you’ll find out more about that when I get it.

Until then, stay charged up!
-Ben Nelson

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Low-Tech Off-Grid Shed Lighting

by Ben N on August 14, 2024

For some time now, I’ve thought about adding some basic lighting to my tool-shed. My garage has plenty of power (and even a solar array!) but the shed does NOT have regular 120V power running to it.

I’ve also worked on a few projects making use of Ryobi batteries, both the 18V and 40V versions.

It seemed to me that for as much and as often as I need lighting in my shed, a very simple battery-based system would work well.

I had already created some CAD files for a Ryobi 18V-based emergency backup power light, so I simply repurposed that and made a few modifications to use as a wall-mount battery holder. The main changes were to add tabs for screw holes, and a backer plate to help hold the electric contacts in place.

I printed this out of PLA plastic on my Ender 3 S1 3D printer. I simply set it to go at night, and it was ready the next morning. After removing the supports, I was ready to build the electrical components in the plastic shell.

At the heart of this design is the shape, which holds the battery in place. Where the end of the battery lines up, there are indentations on the 3D print to hold electrical contacts. I used Keystone 209 clips to make the electrical connection. https://amzn.to/46Lh2ci
I soldered a short piece of black wire to one of the clips and the end of an inline automotive fuse holder to the other. https://amzn.to/3M40hj1
The other end of the fuse holder goes to a DC rated switch. 20mm is a common size for switch mounting holes, so I designed the print to allow for popping one of those switches right in place. https://amzn.to/3YKhTYM
Another short wire comes off the output of the switch.
From there a pair of wire nuts connects the negative of the battery and the output of the switch to some lamp cord running to a light bulb holder. I love WAGO lever nuts. They are easy to use and allow for simple addition and removal of wires to a group. https://amzn.to/3YKhTYM
The fused wire goes on the positive side of the 3d print for the battery, and the plain black wire goes on the negative.

In the bulb holder, we are NOT just using any light bulb! To start with, we want an LED bulb, as they are so energy efficient. Another feature not talked about often enough is that they are durable! In a location like a shed, I am likely to accidentally hit a bulb with a shovel or other tool at some point. If you have ever had to clean up a shattered CFL bulb, you know what I’m talking about!

The other thing is that it will NOT be a typical 120VAC light bulb. Nope, we need one that can run on 18VDC. Fortunately, there are already LOTS of bulbs out there designed for 12V systems for automobiles, RVs, and camping trailers. Many of those bulbs will run fine on a Ryobi 18V battery, but the easiest thing to do is simply find a bulb with a WIDE DC INPUT RANGE. These LeMeng brand bulbs work great and will run on anywhere from 10-30VDC! https://amzn.to/4dFwPvp

I screwed the 3D print to the wall of my shed. Two of those screws went through the backer plate to help hold the 209 clips in place. The power switch faces towards the door for easy access. The bulb is mounted above the door, so it’s shining towards what I want to look at.

I inserted the battery into the wall holder and turned on the switch. POOF! LIGHT!
Nice and simple!

Could I have instead purchased a commercially-built Ryobi area light? Yes, I could, but new items get expensive fast, and I really wanted something designed for permanent installation in my shed. Also, the cost of DIY was minimal – just a few dollars in parts.

I also COULD have installed a purchased solar light, or perhaps even figure out how to solar-charge the Ryobi battery. Again, there’s additional cost and complexity. It also assumes the shed is located in a sunny area. Part of this project is to design something which can also be used at my friend’s off-grid property, deep in the woods. Solar really doesn’t work well where his shed is located.

Even a single Ryobi battery has enough power to easily run several lights. These bulbs take no more than 300mA of current. That means that one light will run for OVER 3 hours for every one amp-hour of capacity of a battery. For example, a popular 4AH battery will run a bulb more than 12 hrs.
In my case, I just want to be able to flick on the lights, find a tool or stored item I am looking for, and then turn the lights back off again. So, one charged battery might last 6 months!

I’m a big fan of low-tech and simple. A battery going straight to a bulb is about as simple as a flashlight. But it’s always there in my shed when I need it!

Until next time, stay charged-up!
-Ben Nelson

PS: If you want to make your own, the STL file is posted at: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6729458

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Bronze Bowl

by Ben N on January 22, 2024

About a month ago, I got a propane forge. It’s designed primarily for blacksmithing, but once I realized that it could get hotter than the melting point of brass and bronze, I had to give METAL CASTING a try!

A few little casts gave me some great experiences fast! I especially like how the Trilobites turned out!
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4LSYJHodiI)

I’ve made numerous small parts so far, including a trigger guard for a flintlock pistol, a bottle opener, and a bronze spoon!

Since I was building up my skills, I figured that a BOWL might be the next most complicated thing.

My wife has several small orange bowls which she inherited from her mother. They are a great retro orange color. Unfortunately, they are just plain ceramic, and they DO break.

I thought I’d try using one of them as a pattern for a bronze casting. The bowl is a neat shape and even though I can only cast a pretty small amount of metal right now, I SHOULD be able to heat just large enough of a volume to make one.

I’m creating sand-casts. These are simply molds in which a person packs sand around an object to leave an impression in it. The mold is split open, The original pattern removed, the mold is closed up again, and molten metal is poured in the empty space.

For the metal, I’m using 95% salvaged/recycled Copper and 5% elemental Silicon. This is a “Silicon Bronze” and is pretty close to an alloy which bronze sculptors like to use.

I created the sand-mold, melted the bronze, and poured it into the sand-mold. Unfortunately, I didn’t estimate the volume correctly. There just simply wasn’t enough metal to fill it up.

Back to the drawing board….
I made a new sand mold, cut up my failed casting and melted it AND some additional material in the forge. Then I tried casting #2.

This time, the mold filled all the way up, BUT… after examining it I saw that it really wasn’t a great casting. There were numerous odd-shaped voids visible on both the inside and the outside of the bowl. So, this bowl wouldn’t be great for actually eating food out of, but it could still make a great art piece.

I have a 2″ sanding disc that I can put in my cordless drill. I used that and increased the grit of sand-paper starting at 40 grit and working my way up to 2000. I was able able to mount the bowl in my wood lathe. By spinning the bowl AND sanding it with my cordless drill, I was able to get the interior pretty smooth!
I finished it by shining with some Mother’s Chrome Polish.

I wanted to leave the exterior of the bowl rough. I also really like the type of patina created by applying Liver of Sulfur. That’s an oxidizer which will darken brass and bronze. I heated the bowl with a propane torch and then daubbed on the L.O.S. with a shop rag. The bowl turned a dark gray.

In a weird accidental discovery, I realized that I had given the interior of the bowl an amazing rainbow finish! Bronze will change colors depending on how it is heated. By chance, I got this incredible finish. Unfortunately, it was only surface deep, and I found I couldn’t keep the rainbow. I re-polished the inside back to a golden shine.
I’ll have to do some further experiments to be able to take advantage of these tempering colors in the future!

On the exterior of the bowl, I polished it down with #0000 extra-fine steel wool. This removes the oxidation from the higher parts of the surface, creating a bright highlight against the darker low areas. It provides a nice contrast on the rough sand-cast exterior.

Overall, I’m very happy with the bowl!
It even sounds good!
Any why not? Bronze is the traditional metal of bells!


The one big limitation that I have right now is how MUCH metal I can cast. The propane forge is NOT designed to hold crucibles. So, I can only fit a very small one inside.

I hope to soon get a melting furnace! The PROPER piece of equipment for metal will allow me to be able to melt much more at once. This opens the door for larger pieces or to be able to make multiple castings at once!

Needless to day, I’ve been watching a lot of metal casting videos on YouTube lately.
My favorite metal-casting YouTube channels are:
https://www.youtube.com/@lundgrenbronzestudios
and https://www.youtube.com/@robinson-foundry

The Lundgren Bronze Studio videos are especially good, as the host not only shows all the steps, but also his mistakes and everything else in the learning process. Good stuff.

Well, I’ve been having a lot of fun casting metal. Being able to take scrap materials and completely transform them into something else is absolute ALCHEMY!
While I’m not turning lead into gold, scrap copper, tin, and silicon into art is a pretty close second!

Until next time, stay charged up!
-Ben Nelson

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Tiny Gold Bar! (Brass Casting)

December 22, 2023

I just made a gold bar! Well, it’s gold colored at least… I’ve long been interested in both blacksmithing and metal-casting. I recently got a gas blacksmithing forge. This 3-burner is great for general heating of iron bar stock for blacksmithing.https://amzn.to/3RU4GsAJust turn on the gas, light it, wait a few minutes, and you have a […]

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The Incredible, Flexible, Ryobi 18V Battery

November 29, 2023

We sometimes take things for granted. One of those things is the modern cordless tool battery. Back in the day, we had to make do with CORDED power drills and the like. But a lithium tool battery is SO MUCH MORE USEFUL than simply powering a drill. Modern lithium batteries are much LIGHTER than lead […]

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See you at the Energy Fair!

June 19, 2023

Hello friends! I’ll be at the Midwest Renewable Energy Association Fair this weekend, near Stevens Point, Wisconsin! At 2:00 PM on Saturday, you can see me in the Red Tent giving a presentation about how you can power your home with your electric car! The Energy Fair really is a fantastic event, and I hope […]

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Stick Shift for Electric Car

June 14, 2023

While I love our 2023 Chevy Bolt EV overall, it IS missing something…Can I fix it with a DIY solution? https://www.youtube.com/shorts/p-DfLzuQ7PM One thing a bit unusual about the later version of the Chevy Bolt is that it does NOT have a traditional gear selector. Instead, it has a number of “power-window-style” switches to pick the […]

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Ryobi Automatic Emergency Light

April 3, 2023

Check out the video above for a quick look at the project. The video below shows you in detail how to build it! Recently, I had been thinking about emergency lighting. In the case of a blackout, the first thing a person needs is light, even if it’s just to get to your junk drawer […]

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Bolt vs Volt Seats

March 12, 2023

I WANT to love the 2023 Chevy Bolt EV, but the one thing stopping me is the driver’s seat. It’s narrow, and the left side of it digs into my hip and left leg. It’s borderline painful. Not what a person wants when they have bought a brand new car! Could I replace the seat […]

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A Pleasant Charging Experience

March 1, 2023

The other day, I had something that is unfortunately not as common as it should be: a pleasant charging experience. First, let’s back up a moment and say that the VAST MAJORITY of all electric car charging is done at home. Plug the car in, walk away, DONE! It’s about as much work as plugging […]

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Chevy Bolt EV Cheaper than a Honda Civic!?

January 9, 2023

When will electric cars be as cheap as gas cars? That’s the question I recently got on Facebook. The poster continued suggesting how inexpensive some gas cars can be. It seems to me that anytime somebody tries to compare one car to another on price, they compare it to what they THINK a Honda Civic […]

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We got a BRAND NEW Electric Car!

January 6, 2023

We just bought a BRAND NEW Electric Car! What did we get? It’s a 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV! This electric car has a 66kWh battery and is rated for 259 miles of range. The one we purchased is the 2LT trim level, which includes leather seats, fancier rims, and a birds-eye-view camera system. It also […]

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SHOCKFLO EVSE Review

December 22, 2022

I recently got the chance to try out the SHOCKFLO 16A dual-voltage electric car charging unit. It’s very inexpensive,($160 as of this writing,) but is it any good? Let’s take a look! The very first thing that I noticed is that it feels solid. The body of the unit has a nice textured finish. The […]

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3D-Printing Time-Lapse

November 6, 2022

While I’m no master of C.A.D. or 3D-Printing, I sure think those time-lapses of 3D prints look AMAZING. So, I decided to figure out how I could do it with my own 3D Printer. A while back, I bought an Ender 3 S1 printer. (https://amzn.to/3fGq0Bt)A friend of mine runs a small electronics business and had […]

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Thrift Store Solar+Storage!

October 16, 2022

Wow, what a week it’s been! The real highlight was stumbling on the thrift store score of the century… Let me start off saying that it was an unusual set of circumstances. The job I was going to be working on earlier this week was cancelled last minute. That job was more than an hour […]

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Ryobi 3D Printed Lamp Holder

April 3, 2022

And here’s the lampshade that I made to go with it. You can find the 3D model for the Ryobi Bulb Holder at: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5331517 The hub for the lampshade now includes clips to snap on to the lightbulb: https://www.tinkercad.com/things/fRzEAO9mrK8 I’m still tinkering with the lampshade brim file, and will make an update here when I […]

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Greenworks Electric Chainsaw

March 12, 2022

See the entire review of this chainsaw at: https://300mpg.org/greenworks-80v-chainsaw-review/ Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Buzz it up Share on Linkedin Share via MySpace share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tumblr it Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post Tell a friend

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CHAdeMO Relay Hack, Switch, and Testing

November 11, 2021

Continuing work on my CHAdeMO Vehicle to Home project… On the Mitsubishi iMiEV electric car, it’s totally possible to activate power to the CHAdeMO port WITHOUT needing to use CAN bus signals. It can be done completely analog, with just a few simple 12V signals. Part of the reason why is that the relay which […]

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Converting Tractor Hydraulics from engine to Electric

August 10, 2021

Tractors are mechanically complicated.Besides a transmission, there’s also the connection for the Power Take-Off (PTO) and an engine-driven pump which powers the hydraulics. Since there’s no longer an engine, we’ll have to replace the source of power for the hydraulics. Probably the easiest way to do this is with an electric motor and pump salvaged […]

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Solar Trailer: Tilt Lock Redesign

August 5, 2021

My first test tow of the trailer went well, but one thing I still wasn’t happy with was the mechanism for locking the angle of the panels. So, it was time for a redesign! The major thing seemed to be the fact that the tilt lock only had two points of contact. That meant that […]

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Building a Solar Trailer, Part 1

August 1, 2021

Recently, I had a day or two available to work while waiting on things for other projects. For some time, I had the idea of a “Solar Trailer” in the back of my mind. I had seen a number of commercially-built solar trailers go up for auction, but at prices more than I could afford!So, […]

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Tractor Work Resumes

June 6, 2021

After a long hiatus, I’m working on the Electric Tractor Conversion again.This past year was a bad one, with COVID, a couple of deaths in the family, and other issues. One of the most difficult for working on the tractor was probably the fact that I was cut off from my typical resources for working […]

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February Solar Electric Bill

March 7, 2021

How much did electricity cost me this month when I have solar panels? And how long do they take to cover their own cost? Find out in this video! What does this month’s electric bill come to? February is a dark month. We still have many days of solid gray clouds, although not as much […]

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Towing a camping trailer with a Tesla

February 20, 2021

When I was at Fully Charged LIVE, one of the more interesting displays was a private owner of a Tesla Model X and Casita travel trailer showing off his rig. Mike Zuteck gave me a tour of his towing setup. As he’s in the aeronautics industry, he was especially interested in modifying his trailer to […]

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Massive DC Forklift Motor

December 1, 2020

Forklift motors have been popular for a long time in DIY Electric Vehicle Conversions. They tend to be Series-Wound DC motors, which offer tremendous torque at low speeds and are common enough that that can often be found at junk yards. A few years ago, my friend, Tom, and I scrapped out a 6,000 lb […]

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August Solar Electric Bill

October 1, 2020

Today, I opened my August electric bill. It was NOT what I expected! So, I’m a little late. I got my bill nearly a month ago. However, personal and family matters have kept me busy from making videos lately. So, the bill sat until now, when I finally got a chance to open it on […]

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CHRGET Universal Mobile Charger

June 13, 2020

I was recently contacted by the folks at CHRGET. They said they were coming out with a new EVSE, and asked if they could send me one for review. Of course, I said yes! *Full Disclosure – Why would they send me one for free? Well, they would want the advertising, as they are doing […]

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Liquid Cooling for Nissan Leaf motor

May 24, 2020

I’m getting ready to bench test the Nissan Leaf motor, but both the motor and inverter use LIQUID COOLING! I doubt the motor and inverter will make much heat at all when bench testing. However, since I have to figure this out sometime anyways, I thought I would get it taken care of right now. […]

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April 2020 Electric Bill

May 15, 2020

At this time of year, it’s always fun to open my electric bill, to see how much money the power company OWES ME! Last month, I had a credit of over eleven dollars. This month, we have had more sunny days, and the sun is getting higher in the sky. So, I expect even better […]

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Welding frame rails / Rolling the Tractor

May 13, 2020

Converting this International Harvester 300 Utility tractor to electric has had a few challenges. One of them is that the engine is structural and connects the front axle (and everything connected to it) to the transmission. I found a relatively quick and easy answer when I discovered that some other tractors have frame rails that […]

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Nissan Leaf Transmission Tear Down

March 17, 2020

I recently disassembled a Nissan Leaf driveline. That was essentially just taking apart the main components of the charger, inverter, motor and gearbox. After doing that, several viewers requested seeing inside the gearbox. I was also interested in seeing inside and was curious if I could use part of it to mate with the motor […]

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Nissan Leaf Electric Motor from Junk Yard

February 19, 2020

Pretty excited that I just picked up a Nissan Leaf Motor! Yesterday, I drove to Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin to Diamond Auto parts to pick up not just a motor, but also the gearbox and inverter for a Nissan Leaf. The Leaf motor packs quite a bit of power into a small package, and they […]

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Suzuki SV650 Electric Motorcycle

February 9, 2020

One of the joys of going to FULLY CHARGED LIVE (Feb 1 & 2, 2020 in Austin, Texas, USA) was meeting people in the real world who I otherwise only knew via the internet. Robert Powell is one such person. We met up with him before the event opened and got a chance to see […]

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Chevy Volt Dent Repair

January 3, 2020

After installing the new doors on the Volt, it was road-worthy, but I still didn’t like the dent in the back fender. There were a few dings above the rear door as well. So, I set to work to figure out how to pull out the dents. I had already played around a bit with […]

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Fixing a Crashed Chevy Volt

December 28, 2019

I just purchased a Chevy Volt!While I’m excited about that, the only reason I got it was because it was cheap. And it was cheap because it needed a bunch of work… Not long ago, an acquaintance of mine was driving his 2012 Chevy Volt when a deer hit him. (No, he didn’t hit the […]

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Prepping to remove the Loader

November 20, 2019

I removed the sheet metal “Hood” of the tractor to get a quick look at the engine. Pretty simple under there, but both the loader arm AND the loader frame really block working on it. Clearly the loader has to come off right away. In the front, the loader is bolted to the tractor with […]

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Tractor Arrives!

November 15, 2019

Today’s excitement is that the tractor arrived!When we went to look at the International Harvester 300 Utility tractor, one of the appealing things about it was that the seller offered to be able to deliver it.So, today, I’m waiting for the tractor to show up on a gooseneck trailer. The seller, Wayne, showed up right […]

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Winter Projects

November 13, 2019

Winter hit hard and fast here in south-eastern Wisconsin, with 6 inches of snow in October and it’s 6℉ as I write this in early November. So, that means it’s time to button down our winter projects! CRASHED MITSUBISHI IMIEV AUCTIONIn the last video update, I mentioned a crashed Mitsubishi iMiEV that was up for […]

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October Electric Bill and Time of Use

November 12, 2019

I just got my October electric bill! Let’s look inside and see what it comes to. Since I have solar on my garage, my electric bill is far less than it used to be. I typically look forward to getting my bill and taking my best guess as to what it will come to. Overall, […]

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Ford 8N Tractor for Electric Conversion?

October 29, 2019

Today, I stopped over at a friend’s farm property to check out a couple of tractors. I’ve recently been researching which tractors might make good candidates for an electric conversion, but what I really needed to do is just go out and see some. A family friend, Linda, had two old tractors on her property. […]

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DIY Teardrop Trailer Tour

October 9, 2019

About 15 years ago, I built a teardrop trailer. At the time, I never dreamed I would tow it with an electric car! But here we are, living in the future! A teardrop is a retro style of camping trailer with a shape, you guessed it, like a teardrop. These were popular after World War […]

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Tesla Implant!

October 1, 2019

I recently met up with John Olson. He implanted himself with an RFID chip which would allow him to unlock and drive his Tesla Model 3 just by holding his hand up to his car! I met him at the Milwaukee Makerspace for a video interview. One of the reasons we met there was that […]

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Solar Savings – August 2019

September 9, 2019

I just got my electric bill for this past month. Let’s open it up and see what it comes to! August was relatively cool, so we didn’t use the air-conditioning much. That’s important, as what I PAY for electricity is simply the difference between how much I make with the solar and how much I […]

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Wheelie Poppin’ Tractor for Junk Parade!

September 2, 2019

This year, I made it. I got my overpowered piece of junk electric tractor into The World’s Greatest Junk Parade! Last year, I took this old GE Elec-Trak frame and added a forklift motor and 6 Nissan Leaf Cell Modules. The driveline was a little complicated, and I didn’t get it working in time for […]

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Lithium Battery Communications

August 26, 2019

I just got my laptop to communicate with the Valence lithium batteries in the Ford Ranger EV pickup truck! The truck’s instrumentation is pretty basic – just a “Miles to Go” and “Percent Charged” meter, which were designed to work with lead-acid batteries. I wanted to be able to communicate directly with the lithium batteries […]

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Electric ATV Repair and Upgrade

August 11, 2019

Not long ago, a neighbor was cleaning out his garage. Among the things he was getting rid of was an old kids electric ATV. It was in poor condition, but looked like a fun “fixer-upper”! My daughter is also now eight-years old and has outgrown her Solar-Powered PowerWheels. So, a Razor brand ATV looked like […]

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Electric Truck Lithium Battery Upgrade

August 10, 2019

I upgraded the Electric Ford Ranger to Lithium Batteries!The truck had Group 24 Lead-Acid batteries in the bed. The batteries pulled from the Smith electric truck are Valence brand Group 27 batteries designed as 12V replacements. So, the logical thing to do was simply pull out the lead and put in the lithium in it’s […]

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July 2019 Electric Bill

August 8, 2019

I just got my July electric bill. Time to open it on camera so that you and I get to see what it is at the same time! In July, we finally started getting some nice summer days! (June was surprisingly rainy and cloudy!) But along with the sun was HEAT. We used our central […]

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Battery Pack Disassembly

April 18, 2019

Once we finally made it back from North Carolina, we needed to unload the batteries. While we had a forklift to LOAD the batteries, we didn’t have one at my place and had to resort to an engine hoist, furniture dollies, and finally, steel pipes. Getting 2,000 pounds of batteries off the trailer was no […]

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Removing the Batteries from the Smith Electric Truck

April 15, 2019

Well, it’s been an adventure so far…I was originally asked by my friend, Seth, to accompany him on a road trip to buy a commercial electric truck. The Copart auction had already taken place. He just had to drive 900 miles to get the truck and drag it back home. In the highlight of the […]

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