Nissan Leaf Motor Bench Test Spinning the Motor - Thunderstruck VCU
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Published 2020-11-13
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The Thunderstruck Vehicle Control Unit is a device that replaces the car's electronic components that send appropriate signals to the inverter to properly run the motor. This allows you to connect a different battery, throttle, and gear selector to the motor than what would have been in a Nissan Leaf.
This was my first real testing with this setup. At this point, I was still having an issue with the throttle and needed to change some software settings to get it correct. The motor was also NOT performing regenerative braking, due to the fact that it was powered by a source which could not "re-absorb" the energy. (It was only a one-way path from AC to DC with the rectifier.)
The next video covers software adjustments and regenerative braking.
00:00 Intro
1:55 Liquid Cooling Overview
3:39 Close up look at wiring to VCU
6:13 Wiring connections on back of Inverter - CAN wires, etc.
9:14 Battery Pack voltage too low!
10:41 Can I run it from AC instead? Bridge Rectifier.
13:09 Spinning the motor for the first time
14:49 Spinning a Clutch Disc
15:25 Spinning the Original Leaf Gearbox input shaft
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Components used in this video:
Thunderstruck VCU: www.thunderstruck-ev.com/dilithium-vcu.html
VCU Manual: www.thunderstruck-ev.com/images/companies/1/DD_VCU…
Bosch Water Pump: amzn.to/2Un6Br6
Bench power supply: amzn.to/2Iwof9l
3/4 radiator hose: amzn.to/2UobgJi
1995 Geo Tracker Clutch: amzn.to/2K3awHz
Hall effect scooter throttle: amzn.to/3eY0lzh
Bridge Rectifier: amzn.to/3koXVLd
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All Comments (21)
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Ben, good simple bench test! There are many things this motor could be used for.
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Nice work. Brave to use unfiltered rectified AC. I had Leaf VIN 155 back in 2011 and was probably the first that decoded most of the CAN messages. There is a CAN Messages spreadsheet out there that was based off my original spreadsheet I shared with the community. To this day I still get access requests on my original google doc..
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I love that you were able to cobble together DC power like you did with just a rectifier and 240VAC with no battery or even a capacitor. This is awesome.
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Thank you for this nice presentation. I always find it a bit cute how much you Americans enjoy having a 220 V outlet. Here in Europe you have three-phase AC with 400 V in every apartment or house (3 x 230 V, 120° phase shifted, usually with at least 64 A per phase).
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I am looking for a Leaf too. Great project demo :) Keep up the good work!
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Glad to see an update on your project Ben.
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Hi Ben, Thanks for that video again. I am watching your channel once in a while and that is so relaxing and informative - in contrast to millions of useless videos on YT. Please Go on for very very long! :)
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excellent video, simple no thrills but very effective, thank you so much for taking the time to learn us
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Great! i bought a 2019 LEAF a few months ago. Nice to see what is actually going on behind the scenes with it.
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Great video! Was wondering about this motor, i hear it all the time
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Hi Ben Very clear explained as usual Thanks
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If only you said: “FULL BRIDGE RECTIFIER!!!” like Mehdi of ElectroBoom :) This is great stuff! I can’t wait to see the tractor run with that motor. So much more power/torque than the original engine.
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Hey Benjamin, I've just watched this video again. It's awesome to see the engineering contained within the Leaf. I bought a used Leaf (one of the first Japanese models 2011) which has been imported to the UK and the car is amazing. My interest in Leaf's is in putting one in a boat. The electric motor conversions that many boat owners install, have really expensive outboards that are tiny compared to the Leaf's. Also the number of spare parts from used Leaf's mean that having spares available is not cost prohibitive. The Thunderstruck kit is awesome.
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Thank you Ben.. You've been an insporation with your GeoMetro EV video. I plan to convert a Suzuki mini pickup to an EV. Ive got all the components from China.
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Nice video series!
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Love the little shield bug (?) on the motor toward the end. :)
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Just discovered your channel. I have a ‘49 Jeep that would be fun to convert to electric one day. For now I’m really enjoying just understanding what the major components on an EV are, what they look like disassembled and how they work. (I also have a MiniCooper EV with an incomprehensible engine bay full of EV goodness. Now I can begin to see what it all is) thanks again!
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Wow....Great work & explanation Sir...!
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What a great video. I'm seriously considering using a Leaf drivetrain in my conversion.
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Absolutely fascinating !!
