[DRIVING] Leaf to VW Type 2 Campervan

[ianlighting]

I hearby change my project status to DRIVING (fully legal and in use)

Whoop!

[marcexec]

Congratulations! A huge achievement for sure.
What's next?

[ianlighting]

Congratulations! A huge achievement for sure.
What's next?

Ha! Well since you ask…

Still to do:

3d print DNR controls to match vw style knobs (thanks Cera)
Work out why I can’t get android auto to display leafspy using current Obd dongle
Fuel filler flap to house Chademo port
Engine bay sheet to fill open space around motor
Body work and interior upgrade.
Find alternative approach to noisy brake vac pump.
I have an idea to do some CANbus for some charging indications.


But if you mean, what’s the next project after this is all done, well the wife reckons I will do another one, but I suspect I’m on the hook first for finishing a load of other home related tasks instead of living in the garage. But if I did… it would be something from the 50s to the 70s. Possibly another vw, but maybe not. And maybe I’d take my learnings and take another step down the rabbit hole with zombie etc. but I haven’t thought about it. At all. Honest…

[jerrykco]

Congratulations!

[marcexec]

iBooster for the brakes if you can mount one?
https://openinverter.org/wiki/Bosch_iBooster has a good few options nowadays and I'm advertising the page elsewhere, too.

[ianlighting]

iBooster for the brakes if you can mount one?
https://openinverter.org/wiki/Bosch_iBooster has a good few options nowadays and I'm advertising the page elsewhere, too.

Yeah, I know of them. And Cera’s T2 build used one that she wrote up, and I know Brat Industries has written up a how to on them aswell. So no excuses - just got to engage brain.

Although another approach came from Electric Classic Cars (YouTube). Their last split screen camper conversions, they told me don’t use either a vac pump or booster. Just upgraded brakes are good enough apparently - they use wilwood. So just what I need - more options…

[PEDR0]

Nice work, must be a great feeling when the logbook lands on the door mat

[alexbeatle]

Old radiator didn’t cut it when it got 30 degrees outside recently, so I’ve upgraded to a super widescreen version.

I’ll see how it copes with just my 2 fans, but there’s space to add another at each end if it needs more blow. Actually it’s suck so the air goes the same direction when moving.

IMG_8743.jpeg

Hi. Do you find it to cool sufficiently?

[ianlighting]

Nice work, must be a great feeling when the logbook lands on the door mat

Yep - mainly because if you decide the target is to become all official and legal, you know you are putting yourself in the hands of a obscure bureaucratic process that you may get wrong and be unable to resolve. So would have been v upsetting after months of work if they declined!

[ianlighting]

Hi. Do you find it to cool sufficiently?

Haven’t done a proper road test yet. Expect an update next week. We’re off to another festival 90 minutes away on Friday with 30 deg temps predicted again, so a good comparison test with my last trip.

[PEDR0]

Good test for the new rad

[ianlighting]

So now the engine / motor bay has an aluminium sheet installed. Intention is to reduce road water from getting into the bay to reduce risk of a 12v short. Plus it’s linked to the discussion I had with Terry about cooling.

Travelled on Friday about 70 miles, outside temp about 28 deg C. Generally the reported motor (incl PDM and inverter) coolant temp was in the 50s - 60s. Probably obvious to say this, but driving through a sequence of roundabouts on a section of dual carriageway generated the most heat due to the hard regen braking followed by fast acceleration, and then repeated multiple times shortly after. That had a peak of 75, but it quickly dropped back into the 60s.

I think my conclusion is the bigger radiator dissipated the heat more rapidly! No shit!

As to the effect of the aluminium sheet. Can’t really be conclusive, but I’m glad it’s there just to keep debris and wet out of the bay.

In a nod to the comments from Terry, since I had to make the cut out shape in the sheet larger in order to wiggle it into the awkward space around the motor, most of that extra wiggle space I put toward the rear, so that any positive air pressure from the T2s side scoops might get pushed down through that gap over the radiator below. Not possible to tell if that has any effect, but that’s the intention.

Worth noting the VCU turns on the fan at 60 degrees. Not configurable, so potentially I could divorce the fan control to a separate isolated circuit to have it come on at lower temps.

I’ll continue to have my co-pilot read out temperatures on long hot journeys to check how it behaves, but I suspect I’m parking this item now until next summer.

[WillK]

Very tidy!

[alexbeatle]

Hi. I’m curious, what is your setup for defogging/defrosting front windshield?

[ianlighting]

Hi. I’m curious, what is your setup for defogging/defrosting front windshield?

Ha! Funny

Currently zero solution, but maybe I’ll get to that. I guess since it’s mainly a summertime vehicle it’s less of a routine problem for me than if it was a daily driver. It’s all been on a slight back burner for me recently, but have a huge list of stuff to do probably in the new year. Currently no heat source in there, so need to think about it.

[ianlighting]

Right then, my next priority jobs in no particular order…

Sort out my dashboard. I can 3D print the controls I need, but have some styling decisions to make first.

Mount Chademo port to my outside fuel flap. Should be doable, but need to extend HV cables.

Brake Ibooster - I really can’t stand my vac pump noise anymore.
I’ve used the model list from EV Create and gone cross eyed opening countless tabs on eBay. Think what I’m after is the Renault Zoe flavour because it seems to be the only variant that has a small mounted fluid container, plus a tube to a 2nd remote container, which is an arrangement that works best for the VW.
But it’s slightly frustrating finding one that includes the large plug, most of the UK sellers don’t include it. European sellers, mainly Lithuania for some reason are much better at including it. But then there’s more postage!


I’m looking all shiny now… (and the van’s not bad either!)

[marcexec]

Brake Ibooster

We have extended on the original list a bit: https://openinverter.org/wiki/Bosch_iBooster, BTW the Zoe needs a CAN connection.

[jerrykco]

looking all shiny now… (and the van’s not bad either!)

Looking very nice indeed!

[ianlighting]

We have extended on the original list a bit: https://openinverter.org/wiki/Bosch_iBooster, BTW the Zoe needs a CAN connection.

Ah! Thanks for that detail. CAN wasn’t in my plans right now. I’d wanted to just use the basic 12v only mode. In which case I can probably find a cheaper unit than the one I was looking at but will then need to work out a solution for the remote reservoir.

i don’t have any experience of fitting separate after market reservoirs so don’t know how well they can be expected to fit. Pretty sure leaky reservoirs would be a bad thing.

[ianlighting]

I now own a Renault Arkana ibooster. Never heard of an Arkana.

At £56 incl delivery I thought it was worth a punt. Marc helpfully told me that the Renault Zoe version needs CAN ack, so I realise this could be the same as it’s the same make. So I’ll just have to work that out if that’s how it turns out.

[Jacobsmess]

I'd expect so re: CAN ack but implementing something should be pretty simple. An ESP32 with can transceiver and CAN H and L would do it... or even wiring it into your current setup if there is some CAN H and L wires for comms would work. Just have to check for termination and that there's no issues with CAN conflicts

[ianlighting]

Did a basic test today.

Didn’t travel anywhere, just turned the van on, put new LED headlights on full high beam. Came back 4 hours later.

LeafSpy said I started on 95.7% / 167.03Ah. End on 95.2% / 166.10.

Also running was the coolant pump and brake vac pump. And traditional rear light filament bulbs.

I could have worked it out, but nice to see for real that energy consumption is so low.

[ianlighting]

Wired up the Renault Arkana Gen2 ibooster for a bench test. Seems to work. As suspected it does require CAN or it won’t move. Used pins 16 and 25 for CAN in addition to the other standard pins for basic mode as shown in the EV Create guide.

[Jacobsmess]

Could you also populate the Arkana entry on the table here? https://openinverter.org/wiki/Bosch_iBooster

Or post the data/photos and I can, cheers

[ianlighting]

Could you also populate the Arkana entry on the table here? https://openinverter.org/wiki/Bosch_iBooster

Or post the data/photos and I can, cheers

Its already in there, but yes I'll update the existing entry. I'll probably wait until I have it fully installed and working to avoid misleading anyone before its proven.