Converting a Car Alternator into a Go Kart Motor

[@JesterOTL]

This reminds me of the early days of gas powered cars where my Dad would tell me about going to the junk yard and taking scrap cars to create stock cars, race them and improve them which later led to muscle cars and more innovation. It’s like we’re seeing it again only with EVs.

[@migascustomsounds3054]

My dad was a mechanic in Mexico. I saw him did so many engines n shit in our garage. Good times.he had a super B moppar and I dindt knew wat it was.

[@AndyKPOV]

My father did this. Had a 7 second n/a bug in the 60-70's. He told me all the crazy stories. Chainsaw boats, go karts. Building cars for all kinds of thing from drag racing to demo derby. Wish it was that easy now days. I felt awesome when I turn a vertical shaft motor to a horizontal shaft. Showed my dad and he was like yeah that's the stuff we did. It was a better time back then. As a mechanic and auto body tech I'd prefer the 50's

[@geog26]

Bateries aint cheap tho ....

[@gaudencioalejandria2126]

QAAAÀAAÀÀo

[@christophergrove4876]

MY father was a birdwatcher! *sigh*

[@Papasmurf7597]

As a VERY old mechanic. Its pleasant to see a person(no insult intended) who is a 'geek', but not afraid to get his hands dirty. Very interesting video. Thanks. I enjoyed it.

[@sir_john_hammond]

Person? What an insult... just kidding.

[@Tom-sc2vu]

@@sir_john_hammond I think he ment about the "geek" comment. Me personally I would take it as a compliment.

[@sir_john_hammond]

Thomas Furmanek yes, just poking fun at his choice of word order.

[@Tom-sc2vu]

@@sir_john_hammond after rereading papasmurfs statement I see what you are saying.

[@shiddy.]

old mechanic here too ... wish someone would have told us we're going extinct

[@327h7]

With young people like you, we can have hope for the future. Good luck kid .

[@LBCAndrew]

There's one of him to every hundred kids with no discipline who live in their cell phones who think communism is perfect and that it just hasn't been done properly yet. *sigh*

[@shel7135]

I can never understand dislikes on videos like this. Brilliant video and excellent craftsmanship sir!

[@Carnutzjoe]

To some, if it doesn’t use gas it’s bad!

[@MortifiedU]

Some folk think disliking will remove these types of videos from their suggested videos.. so most likely nothing personal against this guy or the cart..

[@lazyh-online4839]

I only considered disliking because he was sending Sparks from his Dremel right into the front alternator bearing, that alternator could turn into a big hunk of scrap metal very quickly if any of those Sparks make it past the seal on the bearings. I didn't dislike the video but I know several people who would for this reason and I wouldn't fault them for doing so.

[@gunner678]

Well actually continued usage of that construction as it is, would result in the catastrophic failure of the batteries, which would catch fire or even explode. Not pleasant. I know what you mean, but some negatives are probably down to that. It's a dangerous design.

[@trekkie9942]

Bad soldering jobs give me seizures.

[@JohnW1711stock]

This is really cool! I can see myself now, flying around the neighborhood on my cart! I built a few race cars, hot rods, and worked as pipe fitter, but, I never thought to use an alternator as a drive motor. This was great. Thanks for posting.

[@copernicus633]

What a brilliant and good man. Someone who actually likes to use his mind, create things and not afraid of work. Best wishes to you.

[@BradAcquilin]

Amen

[@noericardo1490]

Gaaaaaaaaay

[@kellynason1138]

as a senior citizen who worked in the auto industry my whole life, I thing its refreshing to see young people today with ingenuity, instead of sitting around on cell phones and complaining

[@ozzymd1]

A millennial with a brain !

[@baldeagle5297]

Hugh Jaanus Apt name. At least you're honest about it.

[@billbethel8375]

Hughie, sort of a figure of speech. There was a time in the civilized world, when people, were expected to go to school, get an education, peruse a working career, buy a home , raise a family. Then most would retire. The time spent working was referred to as your Work Life. Believe it or not , people wanted to work hard so they could have a home, a family. Not be living in their parents house til they were thirty five. Lives were , Birth.... School.... Work.... Death. We even wrote songs about it. Then it went all Beavis and Butthead as the norm

[@AnArmoredMarch]

@@billbethel8375 people still do this, it's just that nowadays we don't have the huge economic boom leftover from the war and the GI bill, in addition to lower wages when compared to productivity. It's not as easy to get by when you can't get a good job, and then if you do, you still can't afford a house and a family, let alone enough money to save for retirement

[@srod8818]

Tbh no old folks wanna take the time to reach anyone anymore.

[@johnwallis7423]

I discovered your video a few weeks ago and only had time to revert again today. Well thought out young man, I'm not an electricity wizard but I give you straight A's for innovation, it's excellent !!

[@minihaha3940]

Thank you , its refreshing to see a young man using his brain for his great project .well done

[@edwardh1003]

What a cool project. I would have loved to do this when I was young. I am impressed at the quality of your production too. Very clearly explained and demonstrated. I hope it inspires young engineering-minded people to get out and create something themselves. Thumbs up.

[@mikeofallon]

Good video! In 1957 I had a home-made gas go kart & our Dad built a really simple generator driven go kart with my younger brother. No mods needed on the generator. Three 2x4s made the "frame" & 2 axels - steering with feet. Dad made a 3rd battery post out of solder in the middle of a 12v battery. (Batteries then had visible straps connecting the cells, covered by a tar substance). So you could run on 6 volts (about 5 or 6 blocks) at good speed. Then switch cables to the other 6 volts for the trip home. I'd run on all 12 volts & it was almost too fast on that little kart w/ skinny solid rubber wheels!

[@66biker95]

I did essentially the same thing when I was in grade school in the 1960's, using a mini bike, gears and chain from an old Honda motorcycle, an alternator from a 1950's model Ford (I'm not sure what specific model or year) and a "Juice Box" car battery, and it worked. However, doing this in the 1960's, using 1950's parts, it was anything but efficient. It would take all day to charge the battery, but 10 minutes to use it up. _But I sure enjoyed those 10 minutes..._ :)

[@jackevans2386]

I can tell you now that austiwana is a Spherical Earther without even asking him. How do I know ? Because he's educated. How do I know he's educated ? Because he understands delta and star motor windings. But seriously . . . You gotta give it to this young guy. He has presented this project in such a cool style. There's no arrogance with any of his presentation. Love your work ! PS: I have no idea why this would attract so many thumbs down. I just don't get it.

[@fiskfarm]

Great job. So good to see someone of your generation being so creative and loving using your head and your hands. You give us older creators hope. Been enjoying creating and building all my life and I am 71 and still at it. I have subbed.

[@victorbunch7725]

Watch out u old fart some smart arse gonna think u were born-a-building! Lol, Coming from aold 75 yr-old builder/fixer,,, lol

[@ukgman]

The world needs more people like you. Don't be disheartened by negative comments. Keep going. Keep trying new things. Keep questioning. Do not allow anyone or anything to hold you back. And please, also look after yourself. Invest in some elbow length leather welding gloves for when you're working with that angle grinder. They are great tools, but very quickly make a mess of human flesh.

[@e1cycle]

Thanks for posting. It's really going to help me with a mobility cart for my wife. My plan is to use a quad rolling frame as the base with suspension, and the ability to get out in the yard, as well as shopping. I plan to use 2 - 12 volt standard car batterys in parallel for low center of gravity and more run time.

[@jonbigeffortthegoodness7437]

Heard of an electro mechanics chair,,,(copy, and assisted mobility,,,

[@georgerudawsky1083]

I love seeing someone fabricating something unique! Great job!

[@Sparkyspage]

My kids think I’m awesome because of you brother - you’re a gem 💎

[@BioCosmic--Dust]

Cool! Lots of good points about alternators, controllers, and over-discharge of the battery. Very nice bg music all the way through. Going to watch your drift trike video to see what points you make about battery management of the Li-po. Always interesting haha!

[@heavycurrent7462]

Heh heh heh

[@lt.schlechtnacht9414]

When I tried this out I found it alot easier to use old GM alternators rather than newer ones. I found that newer ones are a pain in the ass to disassemble, And on some brands the diod pack and brush assembly are in one piece so you have nowhere to solder some wires to to feed power to the rotor.

[@eastky1901]

Thank you for thoroughly explaining how to use delta configuration, and the controller to use. That part is always left out of vids. Now I know! Thanks

[@CNCmachiningisfun]

*NICE!!!!* I made an EBike with a 100 Amp alternator last year. It tears along at 18KPH on a 14V battery, and uses 15WH per KM. Watt's cool is that it is soooooo quiet, it is recharged by solar panels - and it is such a pleasure to ride :) . Keep up the good work bro.

[@AndrewBrowner]

15Watt hours? or 15 amp hours? big difference on a 12/14volt system

[@CNCmachiningisfun]

Howdee Andrew, 1 Amp hour at 14.5V - is 'watt' this bike consumes when it is traveling on a level path at 18KPH. It travels 4KM per 4AH battery, if I run them flat, but that's not such a good idea with these LiPo cells. I could make it go faster, with a higher DC supply voltage, but there comes a tradeoff between speed and range, so I have opted to settle for this rather sedate 18KPH speed :) .

[@donaldthrill5794]

Braking?

[@CNCmachiningisfun]

Braking is partly done by the alternator, but mostly by the bike's existing brakes.

[@CNCmachiningisfun]

+Perkins_RC76 If you can walk at 7 mph, I would like to see that. Maybe make a video of it? Maybe become an Olympic race walker? The true walking speed is closer to 3 MPH, so my 12 MPH bike is a LOT faster than mere walking speed :) .

[@scottiheadsa1709]

The world is yours, go get some 👍👍👍, you have great enthusiasm and so on expressing how it is good job champion

[@mikeemmons1079]

I have shared this with a friend who is an electrician, a huge nerd, and who is always looking for new projects. thanks.

[@CriticoolHit]

When joining wire ends untwist both ends and then slide one end into the other and twist them together. Essentially braiding the two ends together. Then apply solder and allow it to wick the entire way. Solder is not glue and using it to "adhere" one wire to the other creates a brittle joint that will come loose with vibration and time. Cool project though.

[@wellardbr]

"and then slide one into the other" - I know (I sense) you mean well, but this particular passage would need either more words or hopefully a YT video showing the technique. Thanks though.

[@nordic5490]

CriticoolHit lead solder should be fine. It thermal expansion and contraction that typically causes cracked solder joints, not mechanical vibration.

[@BTW...]

This guy is lucky he got the direction of each stator winding correct, because there is no way that 'start' and end' of each winding set can be determined by a simple continuity test. Too easy to have 2 in correct same direction and the 3rd in an opposing magnetic field orientation. This MATTERS, be it star or delta connected. So, solder if done correctly, might be good for a test, given the equipment to correctly determine this magnetic field directions isn't a garden variety instrument. BUT it's a pain... easier to use insulated screw tunnel connectors [the type electricians use in house wiring]. Once proved correct the far better way is to use a crimp connector, NOT dodgy solder as seen here, for the solid stator conductors to the flex cable. CRIMP connections if done correctly are always far better than solder in an automotive application prone to vibration like this. Frankly, the best way would be to take each stator winding to a 6 terminal block mounted on rear of the alternator rear housing and then bridge however you want [star or delta] and terminate the flex leads there.

[@markrainford1219]

A 40A fuse is designed to carry 40A not blow at 40A. Potentially it could carry 60A for nearly a minute.

[@STRUTZKOFF]

Uh not normally. A 40 amp fuse can carry about 32 continuously

[@deankay4434]

@@STRUTZKOFF As a retired ASE Master Tech, I can tell you that fuses are thermal devices. So they can open at 32 amp in a hot engine bay or 48 amps in a cooler cabin. These are sensitive to temperature and not so much current. I have a two page sheet that cover newer fuses starting with the ATC/ATO and up, but explains how they work, where they get their names, usage and a temperature chart from ACDelco.

[@thecloneguyz]

@@STRUTZKOFF Fuses protect against surges not against continuous power

[@lazyh-online4839]

@@thecloneguyz there's fuses for both continuous power and for surges, that's why some fuses are called fast blow fuses and summer called slow blow fuses.

[@Alex.R16]

All I gotta say is if we had people like you good sir in charge of this country leading, we’d be in a much better place!

[@jlucasound]

That was excellent on so many levels. Great job and fascinating to watch. Thanks man!!!

[@TheNirana]

It is indeed fascinating ! Keep up the good work!

[@gregrichey840]

Cool project! I am an electrician and I have always been told that the motors we wire are wye delta induction motors. The induction winding is wye because the voltage is better over a longer distance but the the actual run winding is delta because it delivers more torque. I would think torque would be desired on your drift trike. I am anxious to see it.

[@cahitabdullahmisirli8424]

Hi, can you explane me has alternator a brushed dc motor or brushless dc motor? in vids. 3:05 he said we put brush to the place but he used brushless speed controller. If I use alternator, What kind of speed controller I should use?

[@mississaugadave7270]

@@cahitabdullahmisirli8424 Alternators are a milestone piece of technology, and uses some clever technologies to achieve what they do. A typical DC brushed motor uses an arrangement of permanent magnets on the stator (around the outside) with two or more electromagnets rotating on the central shaft, and whose polarity is switched to ensure each electromagnet opposes the stator magnets. With me so far? An alternator, on the other hand, just flips the concept inside out. Now you have coils for the outside stator with an electromagnet on the central shaft which gets DC power through a pair of slip rings and brushes - the rotor's magnetic/electric polarity is not switched with rotation as it does when using commutators. When vehicles used generators for power, the speed of the engine would cause wildly-variable output voltages that were difficult to properly regulate. The alternator changed that, varying rotor speed was no longer a problem because very precise voltage-regulation is done by simply varying the voltage going to the rotor electromagnet. The strength of the rotor's magnetic field controls the energy induced into the stator's windings, and can precisely control the output power. In this project, the DC power level of the alternator's rotor would be held constant, while the stator windings would be sequenced with varying speed and power levels to spin the output shaft accordingly.

[@sailpopcaffeinecandy863]

This is great. My alternator happened to be the 6-wire, like his. His video got it all figured out

[@OldGlory1776]

As a mechanic, I'm so glad to see a person such as yourself being creative and making something out of relatively nothing. When others your age are infatuated with call of duty in their parents basement, you'll be building a great life yourself. well done, and don't let up!

[@napoleonbonaparte5774]

People this guys age would probably love to be doing stuff like this. Not everyone has 15k worth of tools and place to do it though. COD? Costs a $150 console and a free game. Lot easier to get into.

[@tom3056]

Well, I guess you could say that is one alternate way to power a go kart.

[@jep1662]

Tom Carrick lmao

[@electricharmonyac7354]

😃🤣

[@EnkiMMXII]

Ba dum, Tshh

[@MrChristianbowman82]

Isn’t this the part where some idiot says “I see what you did there”! 😂

[@tom3056]

MrChristianbowman82 yeah probably

[@afreezaphorogiancossack2194]

Thank you for showing us your cool project! I have just become curious about how much you can really use an alternator as a motor practically and this video is encouraging. So thanks!

[@sodiumvapor13]

Sweet project! A side note for the alternator: You can also leave the diode bridge attached and have the DC output feed back into the field windings of the rotor. That way you don't have to have an external DC supply.

[@JM-yx1lm]

Bullshit dude. Do you not know the purpose of a diode?? Ya, they only allow electricity to flow in ONE direction. That is the sole purpose of diodes.

[@lazyh-online4839]

@@JM-yx1lm which is why you hook up the input wires between the diodes and the stator, not on the outside of the diodes. The connection on the outside of the diodes is what would lead to the rotor, and this output from the diodes leading to the input of the rotor NEEDS to be dc, which is why the diodes are actually beneficial. This idea would work just fine and is actually a pretty creative idea for regen braking too if you have some switching regulators, proper controllers, and protection circuitry in place.

[@abuxxx3607]

@@JM-yx1lm you easily used BS when in fact you don't know what he mean or you just had a very little understanding on how the system was wired.

[@chrisbroesky2932]

You all don't know what your talking about. You wire the diode in series with the bridge rectifier opposite of the primary phase Feild winding. The other fields you wire in parallel. Besides the resistor on the commutator only puts out 5 milliamps. 😜

[@mountainsong5472]

@@JM-yx1lm Diodes have many purposes, unidirectional current flow (under 'normal' conditions) is only one property (although a universal one). LED, zener, tunnel, schottky... and some of these are useful precisely /because/ they conduct in a 'reverse' direction.

[@kamikazeyamamoto4545]

Great job dude. Your new title is "Alternator Meister." Drive safely.

[@frankronquillo4549]

Ok...you got my courisity and just now subscribed.EXCELLENT WORK HERE BUDDY... AND LEFT NO QUESTIONS TO PONDER ON FOR THE VIEWERS OUT THERE .THANKS SO MUCH TO SEE YOUR TALENTS,EFFORTS,AND YOUR PRIDE TAKING PLACE HERE .I CAN ALREADY VISION JUST WHAT MORE TO EXPECT ,ITS GOING TO BE A FUN RIDE FROM HERE ON .KEEP UP YOUR CREATIVITY,AND KEEP FACILITATING THESE AWESOME VIDEOS..... Frank from Phx.Az.

[@Lumencraft-]

Very cool. The camera work was good too.

[@karolkvasnak3124]

less handsome guy in picture will be even better 8))

[@MLFranklin]

This is really cool. Great content, well edited. You have a great way of explaining things. My son was super inspired when he saw this video. We have built a gas go-kart in the past and the kids hacked a scooter and made a low speed high torque trike out of the parts, but this is pretty cool and economical. Excellent video, Please keep up the good work!

[@alocal1334]

I agree... I'm a little behind on the electronics but I hope this young man keeps up the good work and stays humble. the world could use a few more leaders like this guy.

[@peterskove3476]

Great stuff, my fumbling accidentally hit thumbs down , sorry

[@connordziadul6048]

Perfect idea. One of my alternator ball bearings was making my car sound like a tank. The recycling refund was $10 Canadian, so I figure it would be a waste to scrap it... So here I am

[@thejerseyj1636]

Smart, good looking, and apparently healthy. I am an old dog so I didn't catch a lot of what you were saying. But it was cool to watch and very refreshing to see a young person with such positive qualities.

[@robrichert8830]

Punchable face, eh?

[@piracyisillegal]

Got to say I never thought of doing this really cool idea definitely thumbs up

[@elpidiogonzalezsanchez8926]

No no no he never showed the rotor of the alternator, the alternator has permanent magnets, why he did not show the rotor, their is more to it

[@saleemkader2126]

I have watched many videos alternator to bldc motor most of them had 3 wire or 4 wires coming out of the coil which did not help me as i had 6 like yours. Thank you for excellent video with step by step instructions.

[@MyName-cj4em]

I wish that dude was my neighbor 😁

[@bergrud]

I just imagined having him standing with the same face he have all the time in front of camera, just looking at me waving.

[@davidlewis3169]

You must be an electrical engineer, amazing

[@nowthatsfunny1]

omg you're a genius! I thought...theres no way this kids American then I saw the kpm and figured you live in Canada. Students here in America would never figure this stuff out in a lifetime of schooling. You're really amazing.

[@quebecredneck666]

I am in Canada and I noticed it was in Kph too . LOL

[@lachlanharrigan6781]

Awesome work! Can't wait to see the drift trike build! You have very nice quality videos and it is easy to understand what's going on. Well done😀

[@philso7872]

Your battery terminal most likely melted because the screw/bolt was not sufficiently tight. This causes the joint to have a high resistance. The power lost in the high resistance joint (R * I^2) will cause heating in the joint. At higher currents a loose joint can get hot enough to catch fire. If you can rotate the lug/wire on the bolt using just your fingers, it is too loose.

[@bbstacker70]

I bet he is smart enough to know that. I'm for the high discharge rate.

[@philso7872]

@@bbstacker70 the motor and controller wires all have much smaller cross section than the battery terminal so they would burn up before the battery terminal. He also only shows one terminal burnt. If it was high current through the battery, both terminals would be similarly burnt.

[@FBPrepping]

...And that´s why we don´t use car batteries, designed to provide a huge load for a short period of time, to provide continuous power, people. Buddy, thanks for uploading this!. I loved the simplicity of what you just did. I´m thinking seriously now in trying an alternator to power a small enduro, but using AGM instead of conventional lead acid...

[@LMF5000]

You should connect a brushed DC speed controller between the lipo and the field winding. It gives you a very easy, simple and cheap way to vary the field current and thus the magnetic "gearing". High field current gives you high torque but low speed (due to big back-emf). Good for starting off and climbing hills. Low field current is for lower torque and significantly higher speed. Would make the setup better performing for very little extra cost and complexity. At these levels of power and voltage even an ESC designed for an R/C model can be used, and a simple "servo tester" can be used to provide the ESC with the "throttle" signal.

[@SquillyMon]

Is this why many motors have a centrifugal switch? I knew position 1 was for torque and position 2 was for high speed but I didn't know the theory behind how it worked. But I think my example demonstrates what you are explaining. Im on the verge of a Eureka moment when it comes to electricity, I just need to keep trying. Im a master at engines and mechanical things, just not electricity yet.

[@LMF5000]

@@SquillyMon It might be, but depends on what kind of motor and implementation. Some AC motors, like large ones for air conditioner compressors, have a start capacitor they use to initially spin up the shaft. Once they reach close to running speed, the centrifugal switch takes the start capacitor out of the circuit (best research it on google books because hard to explain without diagrams). On some DC motors that switch can do many things - for example the field coil and rotor coil could be wired in parallel for starting (so high field current and high torque), then switched to series at higher speed (so lower current, lower back-emf and hence higher possible speed). These days I don't think centrifugal switches are that popular. You can do a lot more using electronic control, which makes a mechanical switch kind of obsolete except in special cases.

[@SquillyMon]

Understood... The last example I saw was on a clothes dryer... I'm familiar with the capacitor start motors i.e. on my large Air Compressors. I literally dream about one day being able to think outside the box with electricity the way I can with machines/engines etc... Mechanical Mastery I've got. Electricity?...not even close. Can you recommend any books or videos that might be able to give me a good foundation for electricity? I consider no material too simple...in fact, since I'm a simpleton, I'd like to start with simple. I actually just read from a book from the 1800's about Teslas many theories, A/C-D/C current, poly-phase motors etc...but it started to get over my head in a jiffy. Also another book from 1962 targeted for teaching 4H GIRLS about electricity!! LOL, They were actually quite informative... I don't care where the info comes from because its all good stuff in my opinion. As long as my curiosity fuels my desire for knowledge, I know I will become more proficient, because you have to stay curious!

[@LMF5000]

No idea about books of the level you're looking for (I'm a mechanical engineer, not electrical, so my own textbooks are rather simplistic). The howstuffworks website was useful to me to get learning the basics but there are other, more dedicated websites that will teach you in greater detail. Here's one that describes the various methods of starting a single-phase AC motor (one of which is the capacitor system I mentioned in my other comment): circuitglobe.com/starting-methods-of-a-single-phase-induction-motor.html Lots of good resources and info on that site. It's technical and complete, but not too complicated to follow along.

[@SquillyMon]

I really appreciate you taking time to respond, I will check it out!

[@rolandgs6590]

Huge inspiration dude thumbs up!

[@Tom-sc2vu]

Awesome work. I like to think of myself as mechanically inclined, but the information you have given is just over my head.

[@da33ie]

Awsome video, and outstanding engineering skills and ability. Your work is inspiring and second to non! Lets hope more young men and women become as creative and talented

[@HandyDan]

Awesome video, I too think it's great to see young minds at work. Keep at this and hopefully you become a better Engineer than we have today!

[@theautodidacticman_]

Can you somehow energize a large generator head so it could be used as a drive motor like you did with the alternator? There’s no videos on KZbin about that topic.

[@TheRealRaMar]

MOM.. IM GOING TO BORROW YOUR ALTERNATOR REAL QUICK! I'LL PUT IT BACK!

[@Josh-py2in]

For anyone looking for easy, cheap and burnouts. Just use a Toyota gear reduction starter, and dont use a controller, use a Ford starter solenoid instead, And a classic car horn button for the throttle. As soon as you hit the horn button, your kart will be sideways and scare the shit out of you. This method is by no means reliable, and probably unsafe, but it worked well for me and didn't require and modifications.

[@jakeprosser-WATER-HEATERS]

These parts can replace buying the module controller, motor, and throttle?

[@aldur6650]

@William Giglio Would be nice .. id like to get more info on it.. .can you direct me to it? i'' appreciate it... so far i got some alternators converted already...

[@lazyh-online4839]

@@jakeprosser-WATER-HEATERS you're replacing a throttle controller and motor, with a button and on/off switch and motor.

[@zagami4742]

The controller is converting DC to AC , alternators are essentially 3 phase AC motors. Hence the name alternator

[@fishesfromtupperware]

Didn't know that gas soldering iron held enuf heat for big wires! Great vid! Thanks!

[@harleyme3163]

brazing is pretty strong but its definetelty not welding :-)

[@thema1998]

After over a year, I finally chose to take this video off Watch Later. It's cool how you turned a *car* alternator into a motor for your electric go kart.

[@DaarkCloud]

Oh wow! Great alternative use for an alternator! You are very smart and adorable, and I will be subscribing.

[@JohnBobRoger]

Outstanding young man....Canadian ? I say that without reading below because he talks so clear and logical.

[@foxxyytofficial]

Hey, austiwawa what about an upgrade on this project? you can grab a 12v brushed controller on asian wholesale sites (doesn't need to be rc-related) use the 3s lipo on the controller and the controller on the field coils because if you change the voltage/tension on them it changes the revolutions/volt ratio(known as Kv ratio) using 12v on the rotor means max torque (idk about 4s lipo) and if you lower that tension/voltage, the eletromagnetic rotor will be easier to run and it will go faster

[@lazyh-online4839]

You don't need a 12v controller for that, just any ESC with a BEC would work. You would have higher rpm but also lower torque and from what I understand it'll be harder to turn because the back emf that the controller relies on would be reduced.

[@mrbmp09]

@@lazyh-online4839 I dont think just any standard 3 phase AC ESC will control just a voltage on 1 phase. You do need a brushed controller for that.

[@doriansolares1266]

Buen vídeo, adaptación del motor, cableado eléctrico, fusible, alimentación. Saludos

[@julieogutierrez3246]

Hello Austin, I really enjoy and learn a lot from your videos you have a great virtud to explain and teach others what you know and that is a gift that use to benefit others, I appreciate you thank you, now I have a question, what tool do you use to make the tread on the rear wheel shaft? I have seen it before but know I’m in the need of one like that one, what is the name of that tread maker? Also wish of the motors are stronger and or faster?. Thank you.

[@Ed-ty1kr]

Yep. People don't realize that although an alternator is an electric motor for the most part. There is still a 6 diode pack that prevents current back feed. Also called a rectifier. Essentially a diode only allows current to flow in one direction. A/C or alternating current is what an electric motor produces once spun. Alternating current is electrons moving back and forth at a specific frequency. Since batteries need direct or D/C current. A diode is used on an alternating current flow, to only allow the movement of electrons in one direction, and block the reverse directional flow. Thereby creating direct or D/C current output by the electric motor, which is now an alternator, if spun by some form of propulsion. Gas or diesel powered engine, wind blowing over a propeler, water flowing over a paddle wheel, enriched uranium 235 placed in close proximity to more uranium 235 with a specific critical mass and a moderator like graphite or heavy water to slow the flow of neutrons to generate heat and then steam to turn a turbine, or even someone peddling a bike with a chain ran to the alternator. Anyhow... outstanding engineering my man. Except for that minor restriction issue. But overall that is a minuscule adjustment, which is all part of the perfection process.

[@MrBobman49]

So you missed the part where he removed the diodes?

[@thapelomashaomasemola7922]

Hahahahahaa lol imagine enriched uranium under the seat, maybe 10 grams wont be as lethal

[@gingerbread2875]

Ed Well said and nicely critized.

[@allanwinwood2658]

Well Ed, don't you 'wanna' look like a smart ass! What were you "pulling", during the early section of video where the author removes the diodes? and.... "D/C Current" Ed? Try "D.C." (indicating abbreviation for Direct Current) or just "Direct Current". Your suggestion of a "Direct/Current Current" is a flog!! and.... Also Ed, your statement "A/C or alternating current is what an electric motor produces once spun" is BULLSHIT, FAKE and a total CROCK OF SH*T. A DC motor (yes Einstein, THEY ARE ELECTRIC MOTORS), when spun via an external power source will produce D.C. (Direct Current), suitable for charging a battery or powering other suitable electrical equipment, via voltage regulation. So, get your facts right and leave the author in the video alone, for a video/project well done.

[@lambcordeirobrazilzenhoooc9870]

@@gingerbread2875 Escuse me Ginger How Many Diode do You remove, four or Six,. You are Very smart Man... You are Welcome here to Brazil, the battery is 48 Volts... How Many Ampéres.. This engine Work Very good on 12 Volts.... When Possíble answer for me , i m live in Brazil... TKS i m appreciatt your attenttion and Feedback... Namastê...

[@kornshadow097]

People in comments whom called this video lazy.... Rather than typing all day... Stop being lazier and "make a video" :) I'd watch. Make the world less lazy and more productive.

[@omskariyazmaraikayer913]

What I like about this video is that its got the right amount of blah , blah and video . Great idea.

[@oldtruckersneverdie3916]

This kid is going somewhere!

[@bpark10001]

You did not explain how you got the relative polarities of the 3 windings correct. It does matter!

[@davezimmerman6253]

Brian Park he got lucky

[@wellardbr]

Brian Park, so it seems you have a little googling to fill in the gap. Please share with us afterwards, we are the lazy ones.

[@ldopa123]

It doesn't matter. If you get it wrong, the motor will spin backward. If that happens, swap any two phases and it will spin forward.

[@dokterzorro]

It is plain to see the logical order of the wires in their physical arrangement. No big mystery there. Even if you get one wrong it'll be easy to correct and no damage will occur from that.

[@preddy09]

Since there are three windings/phases, when one is reversed, the direction will reverse. No matter how you wire it only one coil could possibly be reversed because the other two will always be properly oriented, so it's never a problem other than rotation direction.

[@lynettehoad4114]

Awesome so just do what I would do for my rc's cheers for making that clear mate :) nice n tidy build you have done well !

[@codz_5269]

You should put regenerative braking on it by connecting a bldc motor to the chain with a voltage stabiliser circuit and battery charger that way the current draw from the bldc motor will load the chain and force it to slow down Edit: maybe not a bldc motor but a big enough motor with a high output

[@jordanjohnson2590]

Codz_526 you could just use the alternator for that, just need a controller built for it

[@lazyh-online4839]

I thought about doing that with an Arduino mega, you can use the Arduino mega as a bldc controller with the right code, and then when you press the brake have it switched to a different set of code that instead of putting constant voltage to the rotor and alternating the current to the windings, it switches to a variable voltage to the rotor based on how hard you're pressing the brake pedal, while the output from the statter windings goes through a switching regulator to keep it at a steady level for the battery, this could be made even simpler by hooking up the controller output between the diode and the statter so you don't have to take out the diodes, that way the output is already rectified to DC and you can just switch it off externally so it's not draining the power that you're trying to feed into the motor. Sorry if this doesn't make sense I can be explained it if you want me to.

[@drooskeedoo3388]

When he's talking to the camera it reminds me of talking to someone in Elder Scrolls Oblivion

[@CptAwwsome]

The uncanny valley is lovely this time of year

[@Expedient_Mensch]

Reminds me of a ThunderBird marionette.

[@muthemba5557]

You have a passion .work for it for you have proved to have a lot of knowledge in that field. Keep up the good job. Honestly I've worked on motors but never thought of alternator conversion which sounds interesting.

[@BrunoPOWEEER]

Yeahh awesome video explaining all important details about re-wiring the motor windings, I like that you also mentioned the wye and delta configuration, it does make difference depending on the application. SUBSCRIBED to your channel mate, if there are any questions about making 18650 packs just drop me a message. *you'll need a good 5 or 6 cells in parallel minimum to deliver that current. A very common mistake is assuming is designing the pack around the "rated continuous current per cell" claimed by the 18650 manufacturers, if you get a "10A cell" and discharge at 10A continuous it will get EXTREMELY HOT, damage/cook random cells inside your pack. Your controller will likely handle 14s or 52v nominal, you'll get a better top speed and a lot more POWAAAAAAAHHH

[@sieve5]

I love you bruno! plz give an update on the feasibility of the electric road bike as a diy commuter

[@BrunoPOWEEER]

sieve5 hahaaa thaaaaanks mate!!! Yes it's feasible converting a road bike, it's nice cause it's so light so it accelerates faster but I ALWAYS recommend people to convert MTB and use as a commuter. The reason is you're actually averaging much faster speeds and too speed too so you really need suspension and a fatter tyre. Potholes at 50kmh or faster on a skinny road bike you're lucky if you don't get pinch flat or hurt your wrist. Fat bike is AWESOME super fun but a bit overkill. Everyone likes different things, I still riding my road bike sometimes just for fun haha =]

[@v8hotrodlincoln]

That is actually what “sets” the phasing of a motor or alternator... how the windings are wired and in what configuration...

[@Baldys_projects]

ElectricBike defiantly right on the li-ion batteries 6 sets parallel but if he has thr cash he can get samsung 25r 18650 batteries they are 20a continuous discharge 3 or 4 10s or 12s packs in parallel would be a great setup.

[@Microwave_Dave]

Was the entire battery hot, or just the terminal? Dirty or loose terminals can cause localised overheating due to their higher resistance. I've had a couple of wiring harnesses partially melt due to dirty battery terminals, and one which melted because it wasn't screwed in tight. That higher resistance might also be limiting your output power. Another thing to consider, your motor controller states up to 45A output but doesn't mention the input current. It won't be 100% efficient and will depend a lot on your input voltage and the way the controller is designed. Also, fuses don't always blow at exactly their rated current. There's usually at least 10% tolerance and some will easily supply 20-30% extra for a minute or so before they blow. They're good protection from short circuits but aren't very precise.

[@Stanton_High]

Microwave Dave i was thinking the same thing about the terminal. Not a normal failure mode.

[@austiwawa]

Interesting. The one battery was warm but the terminal was burning hot. I did notice that three of my terminals were loose so this could have been the cause of what happened.

[@mrsurname9217]

Yes it is definitely the terminal that was loose.

[@AndrewBrowner]

the battery should be fine if you were doing

[@philso7872]

Check that all of the electrical connections are tight before you apply power. The bolted connections like on your battery should be tight enough that finger pressure cannot make them rotate around the bolt. Crimped connections should be pull-tested. This was part of the standard QC procedures at the two places I worked at that manufactured large 3-phase motor controllers.

[@heathhudson]

Don't want to come off a creepy but I swear we are from the same city/town, I recognize the figure 8, lol. My buddy lived in the one off the other street. I moved to Arizona for work and I needed something to keep my boys busy and I thing we have a project now, thank you.

[@Tactical-Black]

good idea used alternators are cheap

[@harleyme3163]

if you say so... but uh.. an alternater isn't an electric motor considering it was made for the sole purpose of GENERATING electricity. a proper dc motor would be much much better, with a lot more torque.

[@diypumpchanneljedovcela4069]

Harley Me turns out that theese alternators are quite efficient even when used as motors.

[@MilesPrower1992]

@@harleyme3163 if you want to buy me a big enough dc motor you are welcome to

[@lazyh-online4839]

@@harleyme3163 so tell me, what exactly are the design differences between the motor and alternator that are important to take note of?

[@pappy451]

i wonder , could you install an unmodified alternator to charge the battery as you ride ? a self charging go kart ? now THAT would be cool

[@Linkyboy]

The input would be equal to the output, minus energy lost to wire resistance, friction, and heat, so either the go-kart wouldn't move or the speed would be inhibited at the rate of recharge.

[@pappy451]

thanks for the reply !

[@bkostella412]

@@Linkyboy if you were to use a large amount of capacitance.. couldn't the alternator create an excess charge from the rotation of the belt system and wheel rotation caused by momentum?

[@Linkyboy]

@@bkostella412 If we're talking about regenerative braking then yes, you could regain some energy, this basically what electric cars do already. We could just configure the single alternator to swap "modes" and convert the rolling energy back into battery charge. But if we're talking about recharging the batteries by putting a second alternator then we're trying to create an infinite energy system and the reality is that the resistance of the second alternator would stop the first one from accomplishing anything. The only way to input energy into that system would be if it was rolling down hill.

[@kkfoto]

Perpetual motion would be beyond cool, lol

[@georgerudawsky1083]

Refreshing to see a young person with fabrication skills. Great job!

[@harryhenderson334]

You are genius my friend !" Thank you!"

[@julies1ify]

I didnt understand any of this but it was awesome !

[@Firemedicbill911]

Great job son, from another old mechanic.

[@mr.cliffordjohnson6304]

Awesome video man......very nice

[@williampenland1146]

Mr. Clifford Johnson is

[@jon_raymond]

Left handed for the win!

[@Wills420913]

I finally understand what a 3 phase motor is thanks bro great video

[@CreatingCreations]

Awesome project. Btw I got the keychain, thanks.

[@malcolmborrie]

Creating Creations o Òff roaderes

[@malcolmborrie]

High performers off roadres

[@tavomotors9814]

Hello good morning friend to know what type of alternator you used what features is the alternator and which brand thank you

[@ivanrossetti2027]

Dove si Coperativa l'acceleratore grazie bel progetto complimenti per i tuoi video

[@tarstarkusz]

I seriously doubt this will work for very long. Stock alternators can't use much power either. This is likely an 80 amp alternator, which is less than a kilowatt. The bearings are not designed for this kind of torque either.

[@Rags4224]

I thought this was an original idea from me and been saving up for a couple years to do it thinking I was gonna make this new great invention to minimize pollution and greenhouse gases haha guess not lol.

[@ethanwebb7912]

Do it anyways

[@bretts707]

Why 12v to the brushes and 48v to the controller? Is it because it was a 12v alternator and the brushes have to be fed 12v while the 3phase part can handle more? Great work!

[@foxxyytofficial]

Basically the 12V on the brushes its because with more power on the rotor, stronger is the magnetic field and will give more torque And the 48V on the stator is because it can handle more volts as well

[@abdullaalomar1705]

we want more videos like this

[@abdullaalomar1705]

thank you for the like

[@jamescrabb8766]

There is, as usual, all lot of complaints and theory flying around about how much better everyone else could have done this, perhaps. This young guy came up with the idea for this project, made it work, and seems to be thinking about how to make it better. If there is someone in the Boo Bird section who can do it better, do it. Make a video, show what and how you did it and how simple it is, then you will have proved something. In the mean time it's just noise and smoke. Theory is what you think will happen. Fact is what happens.

[@wellardbr]

Down here in Brazil, a buddy of mine went bananas when I forwarded him this video, as he has a "donor" bike that he wants to convert to electric. Alas, no money for fancy, imported motors. This how-to is a gift for third-world McGivers... Kudos big time!

[@jmcsoldo]

Hi there! When I was stuck in a foreign country for a few months and needed a way to get around, I built one of those 2 stroke bicycle motor kits. All in all, it cost me about $350 for everything out the door including the new mountain bike. Granted, I had built 4 before that time on beach cruisers and I need a few simple tools which I brought with me, but it got me around at 28 MPH and I maybe spent $10 in gas and oil over 6 months. The engines advertise 120 MPG. I'm 185 lbs but I've seen 70+ MPG on mine which could be argued that was low geared for my application. Tell your buddy about that! Upgrades are endless and mostly bolt-on. I thought about going hybrid with my personal beach cruiser at home by adding an electric front hub but placing a battery on a bike is not preferred. Not to mention, I want to be able to cruise at 35-40 MPH and those hubs typically only get you up to 25 MPH max so it would really only be a "hybrid assist" for takeoffs and going up hills. The electric front hub as a standalone is an easy option to get you 20-ish miles at 25 MPH (best case depending on motor/battery combo) but a good kit will surpass $350 out the door with the battery. Weigh your options.

[@stevethompson8525]

He could probably put more juice through the coils.

[@sleddheddious755]

Calm down, it's just a go cart.

[@bobbymarcum772]

I have decided that for many people, the crafting and distribution of retarded and ignorance-laden criticism is a hobby, as well as an art form. Hence, the ubiquitous nature and continual increase of the retardedness as these inept, useless wards of the welfare state blunder and doze their way through life trying to outdo themselves in an idiotic fashion. There is little probability any of the commentators you refer to could operate the camera for such a video, much less complete the project therein.

[@Gixie-R]

Its great to see the younger gen still playing with stuff, My kids who are 22 now, Ones into fiddling with stuff just like his dad, The other.... He struggles to match socks... This sorta stuffs not even got a place in his head. (My boys are twins and sooooo different) You got a god head in your shoulders lad, Dont waste it. (and dont make someone else rich with your ability)

[@thomasmurray7550]

Look, I'm old. I want one of these to give to my grand kids. Can I just buy one?

[@fourtyseven8068]

Nice job my friend! One day a young person like yourself is going to go in his garage and throw the current laws of thermodynamics out the window and create perpetual motion.

[@brotdw2]

This is one of the reasons I love KZbin!!!

[@DaddyEric222]

Quick tip for the 18650's (i've been dismantling things with 18650s in them for a while) If you take the laptop battery and use the 18650's in those you'll have plenty of capacity but you'll need to put quite a few in parallel to get to a sustained 40-45Amp output. I find usually laptop batteries have cells ranging from 2-6amp max output but the capacity is usually between 2.0-2.7AH. If you go for power tool batteries the story is very different. A small ryobi battery will have 5 cells in series. These will only have a capacity of 1.3-1.5AH but will be able to supply 20-25Amps each! So with the Ryobi batteries you could have a setup such as 12s 3p And with the laptop batteries it would need to be about 12s 8p Or just go buy the new LG cells that are 3.5AH and 10amp output.

[@th3d3wd3r]

Even 8p of recycled laptop batteries would be pushing it. You'd have hideous balance problems too. Better just use like you say, power tool batteries, hobby lipo (provides the most oomph for sure) or buy brand new 18650 cells. For range, i'd go with the latter, for drag racing, hobby lipo every time

[@th3d3wd3r]

Oh, I did just build a 21s8p with sony vtc6 cells. Spicy little battery hahaa

[@DaddyEric222]

th3d3wd3r you can’t have balance problems with cells in parallel. They will always equalize themselves. If one is much weaker you will have a problem with the other cells having to charge the bad cell. But that’s easily fixed by just putting similar capacity cells together. I hate LiPo personally. The majority of the Lipo i’ve owned puff within a year, and they are a bit scarier than li-ion

[@th3d3wd3r]

All well and good if he's going to run a go kart at 3.7v ~ 4.2v. He's going to need a good few cells in series to get 48v Some Lipo is crap, others not so much. The 16Ah 6s multistars are cells of legend

[@wheeliedart]

Eric Fling Eric do you mind tutoring a little on that subject? I've got some experience with 18650 cells and enough around right now to learn on. I have a bike project also and plenty of cordless tools and no shortage of electronics to power. I would think enough on hand to learn a few things anyway.

[@danilorosich]

Don't use 18650s, use li-ion battery packs from electric cars like the ford focus or the nissan leaf. I got 1.2kwh of li-ion batteries for only $180, which still hold 98 percent of their capacity.

[@isaacinmon4086]

Danilo Rosich that would be wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy to big for a co cart not to mention this are made up of 18650s usually so he would have to take it apart anyways because those operate at like 200 plus volt or so

[@danilorosich]

They primarily consist of large li-ion cells that look like lipo cells. They are not that large, and only weigh 18 lbs....

[@WindyJAMiller]

Hi, where did you get such a pack from please?

[@danilorosich]

www.ebay.com/itm/Lithium-Ion-Li-ion-Battery-Module-16V-32V-48V-4-cell-68Ah-2P4S-1kWh/222586156558?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 My pleasure!

[@patbutete1722]

18650s can be had for next to nothing....

[@ingbtc]

Very well done, not too much talking, good video quality and good subject too. Thumbs up!

[@Diabolical-Tyrant]

Bruh why this dude looking like an engineering version of DanTDM

[@gsxr1kmatt]

Neat idea, but not enough why. Can you elaborate more on the motor setup? The purpose of the brushes, the wires you soldered to that, what wires from your motor go where on the battery packs or power supplies.

[@preddy09]

It's exactly the same working principle as a brushless dc motor(3-phase), except in a BLDC you have magnets in the rotor but here you have to magnetize the rotor instead by simple connecting the rotor to a DC source.

[@scottlumsden7122]

Great project and refreshing to see a young man working with his hand to adaptively create this project. Cheers

[@SlaterGator]

theres some fuckin smart people on this flat/round earth!

[@elcuh4270]

If the earth is round why are phone like this / and not like this )

[@joeazzopardi4800]

supernation HD

[@AlphaTroniks]

J Slater yeah

[@gphilipc2031]

Fat Earth.

[@kevinatspeed]

"some" = only 5% of the population. The other 95% are dumb as rocks.