Manuals and Information

Lead Batteries Nickel Batteries Chargers BMS Controllers Motors Other Comp Tech Corner History & Info Fun

NOTE: Many of these items are no longer available from their original sources. They are reproduced here for the education and information of the entire electric vehicle hobbyist community. However, it is not my intent to violate anyone's legal rights to these documents. If you are the copyright owner and object to the availability of any document, please notify me and I'll remove it promptly.

Lead-Acid Batteries
Lee Hart's basic lead-acid battery charging instructions html
Lee Hart's lead-acid battery care basics
How your batteries are like your dog
html
Storage Battery Maintenance and Principles (US Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Denver CO) pdf
Rapid Charging of AGM Batteries (paper from Hawker Energy; ca. 1998) pdf
BCI group sizes html
East Penn Deka Dominator (gel) and Intimidator (AGM) Batteries - principles, features, charging instructions pdf
Hawker Genesis Electric Vehicle Application Handbook (4th edition, Jan 1998) pdf
Curtis Muhlestein's spreadsheet comparing Odyssey brand batteries xls
Golf car battery comparison html
Nawaz Qureshi's chart estimating state of charge from open circuit voltage & specific gravity html

Nickel-Based Batteries
Nickel Cadmium Principles of Operation (originally published by the nonprofit Arizona Solar Center) pdf
Saft STM range brochure (EV nicads ca. 1998)
Courtesy of Ricky Suiter
pdf
Saft advanced battery sellsheet packet (nicad, NiMH, and lithium ion ca. 1998)
Courtesy of Ricky Suiter
pdf
Saft STM1 (single cell) range technical data sheet pdf
Saft STM5 (6-volt monoblock) range brief data sheet pdf
Saft STM5 capacity, self-discharge, cycle life, and specific power graphs (hi-res for printers) jpeg
Saft STM5 capacity, self-discharge, cycle life, and specific power graphs (low-res for browsers) jpeg
Saft STM5-100/140MR/MRE Reduced Maintenance Monoblock Technical Manual (2001) pdf
Saft STM5-180 Monoblock Technical Manual (V1004) pdf
Saft STM5-100 detailed charging instructions (based on amp-hour monitoring) pdf
Danish EV committee report on Saft STM5 failures pdf
Connecticut DOE's evaluation of nicad-fitted Solectria Forces (2004) pdf
Eagle-Picher NiFe (Nickel-Iron) battery brochure (Sept 1993) pdf
Edison NiFe (nickel-iron) battery manual (Alkaline Storage Battery Bulletin 850, date unknown, early 1900s)
Originally scanned and published by Elden Durand
pdf
Chrysler TEVan charger firmware for Saft NiCd & Eagle-Picher NiFe Batteries
Courtesy of Rod Hower
zip

Chargers
Bonn charger (DIY version by Lee Hart) pdf
Brusa NLG4 charger range (discontinued) tech data pdf
Brusa NLG4 version B operation manual (Aug 1997) pdf
Brusa NLG4 version B operation manual (Feb 2003) pdf
Brusa NLG4 version C operation manual (Nov 1999) pdf
Brusa NLG4 Saft STM5 (NiCd) option manual pdf
Brusa NLG4 to BC29 amp hour counter interface for Saft STM5 (NiCd) option gif
Brusa NLG4 monitor and control utilities (MSDOS) zip
Comuta-Car and late Citicar (Vanguard) automatic charger schematic jpg
Cybortronics CYB1200-120 charger manual pdf
K&W BC-20 manual pdf
Lester model 9868 (120 / 12 volt) automatic charger wiring diagram pdf
Zivan K2 manual
Scanned by Chuck Hursch
pdf
Mark Hanson's DIY charger using a microwave oven transformer - 84 and 48 volt versions pdf (84 volt)
pdf (48 volt)

Battery Monitoring and Management
Brusa BC-29 amp-hour counter (discontinued) manual pdf
Brusa BCM98 amp-hour counter manual pdf
Cruising Equipment E-Meter manual pdf
Cruising Equipment amp-hour meter (ancient history) manual pdf
Curtis 900R battery "fuel gauge" manual
Courtesy of Gail Lucas
pdf
Battery "fuel gauge" from ICE temperature gauge
Courtesy of Rod Hower
pdf
Tim Wong's battery monitoring system
PDF courtesy of Rod Hower
pdf
Mark Hanson's battery monitoring system pdf
Revolt EV battery monitoring system
(C)2008 Revolt Custom Electric Vehicles - Released under TAPR Open Hardware License and provided by Rod Hower
pdf
Lee Hart's Batt-Bridge battery imbalance alarm html
Lee Hart's zener diode battery regulators - step by step (also see here)
Illustrated cookbook procedure - author unknown
pdf
AIR Lab Vreg battery regulators by Ed Ang - description, specifications, installation instructions
Courtesy of Rod Hower
pdf
Lee Hart's Battery Balancer control board & relay board schematics (see updates here)
Courtesy of Rod Hower
pdf (control)
pdf (relays)
EVIL Bus specification - a proposed standard for EV battery management systems
By Lee Hart, John Lussmyer, Ralph Merwin, and Roger Stockton - supplied by Rod Hower
pdf
Vclamp - undervoltage circuit for A123 lithium cells
Courtesy of Rod Hower
pdf

Controllers and Inverters
Auburn Scientific MPC/MPWC600 DC motor controller manual (rev 6, Feb 1998) pdf
Brusa AMC-200 / 300 operation manual (German only) pdf
Brusa AMC-220 / 320 / 325 operation manual pdf
Brusa AMC-220 / 320 / 325 RS422 to PC RS232 adapter schematic (for programming inverter) jpeg
Brusa AMC-220 / 320 / 325 programming and monitoring utilities (MSDOS) zip
Curtis 1205R / 1209R / 1221R Regenerative Series Motor Controller manual
Courtesy of Douglas Hartley and Roger Stockton
pdf
Curtis 1221B series motor controller schematic, ca. 1992
RE by Otmar Ebenhoech and Rich Rudman
pdf
DC Power DCP-600 DC controller installation wiring diagram pdf
DC Power DCP-600 DC controller manual and installation diagram pdf
GE EV-1 SCR DC Motor Controller Maintenance Manual (1982; in 2 parts, total 10.7mb)
Courtesy of Rod Hower
pdf (part 1)
pdf (part 2)
GE EV-1 SCR DC motor controller installation and application notes by Roger Stockton
As posted on the EVDL
pdf
GE EV-10 SCR DC motor controller manual (January 1983; 35mb)
Scanned by Rod Hower
pdf
PMC DCC-96 DC controller schematic (circa 1979) - 34 x 21cm 300 dpi GIF & scalable PDF gif  pdf
Solectria BRLS240 brushless DC controller schematic
Courtesy of Dale Ulan
pdf
Mark Hanson's DIY DC motor controller as used in his E-Porsche
Microcontroller firmware source here. NOTE: Significant electronics background is required to build this circuit
pdf
Lee Hart's rectactor controller circuit pdf
Capt Glenn Roach's Battery Blaster -- double-powering a series motor with two DC controllers
Courtesy of Gail Lucas
pdf

Motors
ADC DC series motors EV applications brochure (1992)
Includes data for 6,7" L91-4003, 8" 203-06-4001, & 9.1" FB1-4001, and torque curves for FB1-4001
Courtesy of Adrian DeLeon
pdf
Solectria / Brusa AC Induction Motor Specifications (1994) pdf
Specialty Motors N1CPM-139T Treadmill Motor (EV accessory drive) Torque Curves
Courtesy of Rod Hower
pdf

Other components
Ruggedizing an Iota power supply for use as a DC:DC converter
By Lee Hart
html
Vacuum for power brakes - finding and using a GM supplemental pump html

Tech Corner
Various projects for EV hardware hackers, and data for engineers
Mark Hanson's EV and AE Collection -- includes motor controllers, chargers, and battery monitor html
Voltage tripler circuit for 28-32 volt contactors
Courtesy of Rod Hower - amendments by Cor van de Water
jpeg
ascii
Tech article: IGBT gate drive and handling short circuit conditions
Courtesy of Rod Hower
pdf

EV History & General Information
Inside a DC Controller with Lee Hart html
Debunking the Smokestack Myth -- EVs really are cleaner
Courtesy of Chip Gribben
pdf
The EV Acquisition Continuum - Options based on expertise, time, and financial resources
With contributions from Mike Harvey
pdf
Tips for Economical EV Operation from the owner's manual for Jet Industries vehicles
Courtesy of R M Milliron and Darin Cosgrove
pdf
How Plasma Boy Got His Name - the story of John Wayland's near disaster
Edited short version
html
How Plasma Boy Got His Name - the story of John Wayland's near disaster
Complete version - 8 1/2 pages!
pdf
Fisher Ranger APU, a purpose-built generator trailer for EVs, ca. 1995 pdf
Batteries Included: article about the GM Impact from Discover Magazine, March 1992 pdf
Consumer Reports, Oct 1975: Citicar SV-48 and Elcar 2000 pdf
Car & Driver, March 1994: The Electric Tropica
A surprisingly positive review of Bob Beaumont's prototype
pdf
Solectria EV Component Catalog, 1994 (with price list) pdf
Solectria Force EV (commercial conversion), 1994 - description and price list pdf
Solectria Sunrise - from Boston to New York on One Charge, October 1997 html

Just For Fun
Lee Hart's Dickensian story for the holiday season, A Christmas Car html
Lee Hart as Shel Silverstein: Edison Stout Who Would Not Check His Batteries Out html
Lee Hart's parody of MTA by the Kinston Trio, The Man Who Never Recharged html
Lee's electrified sendup of Bobby "Boris" Pickett's The Monster Mash html