Installing HUI and Throttle

Now we have the latest build of the PropEL drive train installed and working the task (apart from extensive testing) is to get all the other components installed and integrated.

I bought some 70/8 lugs in the UK last week as they are not available on the island. We rewired the motor with new 70mm wire and tested… brilliant! We tested for about 3 hours at just over 1300 RPM. There was a bit of a chop on the sea to start with so was useful test.

Today we upgraded the throttle and HUI (Human User Interface) to the latest version.

The throttle was not much different to the previous version. Just adding an LED to show when power was active to the the drive train. Also very slight relocation of the Emergency Stop button to make it easier to press.

This is the first installed version of the HUI for the PropEL project. Up till now we have been using the Distributor/Installer test system as the interface to control the drive train. This works OK for initial testing of the system, but the person at the helm really needs to know the RPM of the motor especially for mooring.

People might think it strange that it's so necessary to have the RPM displayed, after all a lot of diesel motors don't have this. However, you can hear the change in pitch of a diesel motor, the electric drive is so quiet at low RPM that you don't hear anything!

See all posts about PropEL Electric Drive.