OV9

Marv wrote: Thu Jun 09, 2022 8:47 pm That's a real shame

dan wrote: Thu Jun 09, 2022 10:06 pm I never would have bought one and I bet you wouldn't either

ZedLeg wrote: Fri Jun 10, 2022 10:02 am How's your Westfield doing Nef? Still doing the aero experiments?

Nefarious wrote: Fri Jun 10, 2022 2:17 pm

ZedLeg wrote: Fri Jun 10, 2022 10:02 am How's your Westfield doing Nef? Still doing the aero experiments?

All hunky dorry, but it hasn't been out in a while. It had a couple of weeks TLC to renew some sensors, fix an oil leak, and address a couple of other niggles, but then I got distracted by racecar stuff and haven't had it out since! I think that was 8 months ago!

Aero project-wise - the latest stage is a little stuck on 2 fronts - firstly the DRS. It's all made, but the central locking actuators I was using aren't strong enough, and I haven't managed to find anything electric that's got the right combination of force, throw and speed. I started looking at doing something with pneumatics, but don't really want to have to add a compressor, so thinking about some kind of vacuum accumulator that works of manifold pressure (vacuum also has the advantage of being dry so it doesn't rust internally like regular pneumatics). I also considered doing something with hydraulics, tapping into the engine oil system (3+ bar of perfectly usable pressure), but my in-build stupidity warning chip isn't entirely comfortable with running a long, potentially vulnerable line the length of the car that could piss all the engine's lubricant out in 15 seconds. A bright idea will probably occur to me at 3am one night!

The second sticky bit is the manufacture of some more carbon fibre fins/plates. Specifically ones to better guide air over the tricky rear arch section. They have proved *very* hard to make accurately, even making up mock-ups in ABS. It's a complicated 3D bend, and needs to be 100% accurate. I just haven't been happy enough with my bucks to be willing to invest the time in making them up in CF. Basically, I did it twice, got pissed off, threw it all in a pile in the corner of the workshop and haven't got round to looking at it again!

You have just reminded me though that I *do* have new pieces for the front arches that just need bolting on, so that can be a nice shooting-fish-in-a-barrel job for a day with everything else is fighting back at me!

Nefarious wrote: Fri Jun 10, 2022 2:17 pm

ZedLeg wrote: Fri Jun 10, 2022 10:02 am How's your Westfield doing Nef? Still doing the aero experiments?

All hunky dorry, but it hasn't been out in a while. It had a couple of weeks TLC to renew some sensors, fix an oil leak, and address a couple of other niggles, but then I got distracted by racecar stuff and haven't had it out since! I think that was 8 months ago!

Aero project-wise - the latest stage is a little stuck on 2 fronts - firstly the DRS. It's all made, but the central locking actuators I was using aren't strong enough, and I haven't managed to find anything electric that's got the right combination of force, throw and speed. I started looking at doing something with pneumatics, but don't really want to have to add a compressor, so thinking about some kind of vacuum accumulator that works of manifold pressure (vacuum also has the advantage of being dry so it doesn't rust internally like regular pneumatics). I also considered doing something with hydraulics, tapping into the engine oil system (3+ bar of perfectly usable pressure), but my in-build stupidity warning chip isn't entirely comfortable with running a long, potentially vulnerable line the length of the car that could piss all the engine's lubricant out in 15 seconds. A bright idea will probably occur to me at 3am one night!

The second sticky bit is the manufacture of some more carbon fibre fins/plates. Specifically ones to better guide air over the tricky rear arch section. They have proved *very* hard to make accurately, even making up mock-ups in ABS. It's a complicated 3D bend, and needs to be 100% accurate. I just haven't been happy enough with my bucks to be willing to invest the time in making them up in CF. Basically, I did it twice, got pissed off, threw it all in a pile in the corner of the workshop and haven't got round to looking at it again!

You have just reminded me though that I *do* have new pieces for the front arches that just need bolting on, so that can be a nice shooting-fish-in-a-barrel job for a day with everything else is fighting back at me!

Nefarious wrote: Fri Jun 10, 2022 2:17 pm

ZedLeg wrote: Fri Jun 10, 2022 10:02 am How's your Westfield doing Nef? Still doing the aero experiments?

I also considered doing something with hydraulics, tapping into the engine oil system (3+ bar of perfectly usable pressure), but my in-build stupidity warning chip isn't entirely comfortable with running a long, potentially vulnerable line the length of the car that could piss all the engine's lubricant out in 15 seconds. A bright idea will probably occur to me at 3am one night!

drcarlos wrote: Wed Jun 15, 2022 4:04 pm https://bluewireautomotive.com/collecti ... er-systems ??

Lots of force and they are fast from memory, throw might be easier to achieve with a pivot though.

Nefarious wrote: Thu Jun 16, 2022 2:53 pm

drcarlos wrote: Wed Jun 15, 2022 4:04 pm https://bluewireautomotive.com/collecti ... er-systems ??

Lots of force and they are fast from memory, throw might be easier to achieve with a pivot though.

That's very close to what I started with. The little ones aren't strong enough, the big ones are too bulky (unless I remote mount them and use rods to actuate), but the biggest problem is that they're non-latching/holding (i.e. not designed to hold force in the extended position). You can rig them so the motor is kept working to hold them in position, but you'd burn them out very quickly.
I could rig a mechanical latching mechanism to overcome this, but that runs the risk of failing in the open position - i.e. you arrive at a corner expecting downforce, there isn't any, and you end up in the kitty litter.

In general, the electric linear solenoids all run into similar problems - they're fast and (can be) strong, but the force curve is all wrong (i.e. the force diminishes with throw), so they're at their weakest when you need them to be still pretty strong.