Lexus GS450H VCU Support Thread

[Isaac96]

From my perspective you could put together customized versions which drop into various vehicles, like E46 BMWs as there is sufficient documentation to build a Plug-and-Play solution from the control side of things. However, even with that variables like BMS, contactor setup, etc are enough variance that this is not easy to be done for the end user without having knowledge and access to certain tools.

As a result I think it opens up a marker for an integrator to put this all together and make some cash off that while still allowing it to be a pretty cheap conversion. Except for the damn oil pump...places on eBay are removing them from the transmission...

-Matt

Right, so if Damien wants to create an interface which is similar to the Huebner one then a third party can take it from there (the customization probably involves the most back-and-forth with clients, Damien already gets burned out with the clients he has).

So the simple CAN control, voltage limits, pedal interface, throttle limits and such would be in the universal interface, then the specific CAN bus or special I/O gets done on one-off basis. No, I won't do that (unless I use the product in the future).

-Isaac

[Jack Bauer]

Thing is folks, Damien doesn't actually WANT to do any of this. He's quite happy with the the thing the way it is. Problem is if we ever expect it to go beyond a niche of technically savy people or (the increasingly rare) breed who will educate themselves on a subject then it needs to be more user friendly.

When I say no one is interested in doing this its not a blame game its just the way it is. Sure, I can make a 2 hour video showing how to download and setup arduino, grab the firmware from the github and manually calibrate the throttle for example. Bitter experience tells me though that for every question I answer 5 more are asked.

[Bassmobile]

what I'm proposing is a wifi based front end that lets these things be done much easier and shows status of various functions etc.

Front-end software engineer here. And I am happy and eager to help with web interface, front-end, design, testing, etc.
Still trying to forensically piece together (aka dive in) on the simplest bits of getting what IS there, to compile and run on my own VCU.

[Jack Bauer]

Ok that's fantastic. Thank you:) V3 is the simplest running version.

[xp677]

Except for the damn oil pump...places on eBay are removing them from the transmission...

There would be a market for someone to create an adapter plate to allow for external aftermarket oil pumps.

The reason the OEM pump is so expensive is because the bearings fail, sadly, $10 of bearings are causing people to ditch their pumps, driving up the price of replacements. There would be another market in repairing OEM oil pumps, or buying back broken ones to recondition and resell.


Regarding software development, I feel that the inverter control code is rather well self-contained, needing only a few external variables (torque value, direction/gear), and outputting a small selection of variables for rpm, temperature, etc. it should not need any special integration into an interface. However, if I can be of assistance, let me know!


One thing to bear in mind is that the serial buffer on the SAM microcontroller is shared between the ports, this means that sending too much data over any serial port will disrupt the inverter communications, I find that sending large diagnostic packets, with heading, labels, etc, over serial is enough to kick the inverter out of "ready" state. I did write a fix for this which will automatically re-ready the inverter should this happen (previous versions would only do this on startup) to allow you to continue driving, however, the inverter gets rather unhappy if this happens continuously, and it does affect the inverter output.

For this reason, I suggest limiting the serial data string as far as possible. Only send what is needed, and decode on the receiving end. For my project, I wrote a Windows program to decode the data and display it in a table.

[Jack Bauer]

Deep dive into the system and necessary parts to use the GS450h drivetrain in an evconversion :


Cue Thunderbirds music :

5.....

4....

3....

2....

1....

DAMIEN! YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!

[Kevin Sharpe]

Deep dive into the system and necessary parts to use the GS450h drivetrain in an evconversion :

Fabulous

[Kevin Sharpe]

There would be a market for someone to create an adapter plate to allow for external aftermarket oil pumps.

Open Inverter throws up a lot of business opportunities and it's something I work on with the participants of the New Electric courses. Important to understand that people can make a great deal of money from open source

[xp677]

To elaborate on the Back-EMF of the units, this has previously been tested, the results are below:


(Look at the LS600h line)

Full speed of approx 10,230rpm can be achieved with an input of approx 260V, assuming no load.

650V is the voltage used in the inverter in the Lexus, and is the highest known safe voltage to run the inverter at.

[Jack Bauer]

Fully accept that, problem is you understand what it means most people looking at it as an option don't and get scared off.

[xp677]

I've updated the wiki, and added a note to every occurance of the word "650v". I also added a bold text that drives this point home.

Might be worth noting that the GS450h page is no longer linked on the wiki main page.

[Jack Bauer]

Perfect thanks:)

[Kevin Sharpe]

Might be worth noting that the GS450h page is no longer linked on the wiki main page.

Yeah, I'm not sure if the reorganisation has been completed;

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=739&p=11967#p11967

[Mobert]

Today i measured the bellhousing bolt pattern.
For those who want to add a third mtor or want attach a ICE as Range Extender or want to use the transmission as e-CVT.
Accuracy should be within 0,02 mm.

[Kevin Sharpe]

Today i measured the bellhousing bolt pattern.

Fabulous, thank you

[mdrobnak]

Today i measured the bellhousing bolt pattern.
For those who want to add a third mtor or want attach a ICE as Range Extender or want to use the transmission as e-CVT.
Accuracy should be within 0,02 mm.

PLTeec4.jpg

Awesome! Thanks! Definitely will be useful for me.

[Kevin Sharpe]

I have updated the drawing after some remarks and updates found in the software.

Can you add this wiring diagram to the GS450H wiki? I don't think Damien has seen it listening to comments in his latest video.

[Jack Bauer]

So the unobtanium inverter interface plug is actually available from Toyota. Just ordered two from my friendly main dealer parts dept. 8.34 Euros each. Will have them in next week. Toyota part number : 9098012A02

[xp677]

That's great news. Do we have a part number on the pins, gaskets, etc as well, or are they included?

[Kevin Sharpe]

That's great news. Do we have a part number on the pins, gaskets, etc as well, or are they included?

Just to save Damien some time answering your question I tried entering the part number on www.toyota.com and that lead me to this info after a few seconds

[Jack Bauer]

Ok so bit of confusion here. Seems the part number we want is 90980-12630 according to this manual :
https://www.toyota-tech.eu/wire_harness_rm/RM06H0E.pdf
Page 127. Problem is my toyota parts guy says its an unknown number. The hunt continues ...

[Jack Bauer]

Slow progress. Toyota part number : 82998-12440 gives a 160mm long pre crimped wire with gasket to fit the plug. Is available from Toyota parts.

[TFirenza]

Is this the one? been searching with no luck atm

d

[xp677]

Just to save Damien some time answering your question I tried entering the part number on www.toyota.com and that lead me to this info after a few seconds

This is very interesting, I did not know that you could search for parts on the Toyota website.

Slow progress. Toyota part number : 82998-12440 gives a 160mm long pre crimped wire with gasket to fit the plug. Is available from Toyota parts.

Also to note is that there are two sizes of pin used in this connector.


90980-12630 is discontinued, 90980-12A02 is available from Japan for approx £3.

[Eflyers]

Is this the one? been searching with no luck atm

d

In the USA, it looks like this is PN: G9260-47010 (check on the back of your plug for the PN). It might be available in the USA, at least, through Toyota dealers online parts departments, like this one: https://parts.lexusofpembrokepines.com/ ... g926047010
I've located plugs like this one as a repair part for an otherwise damaged and unusable $500-700USA(new price) wiring harness. They were not that common, but they were available. This plug may also fit the Gen 3 inverters used in the Prius C (USA), Yaris, and others.