DIY Guide
What is this guide?
Updated: 12/21/2020
This guide has been written to supplement the electric vehicle component manuals, so please always refer to the manufacturers' manuals for the most up to date information. Converting a vehicle to electric is dangerous due to the high voltage and powerful components, therefore caution should be taken when working around dangerous voltages. If you are ever in doubt, please contact us or consult a licensed professional. This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to substitute the manufacturers' end user manuals or the work of a professional installer.
We will break the conversion process and work down into a several different sections. Within each section, we will do our best to cover everything, and most importantly we will try to explain the reasoning behind something if applicable. We will cover an overview of both the high voltage (HV) wiring, and the 12v system wiring. Later in the guide, we will discuss other components and how they are installed into the system.
If you have any questions, please feel free to use the button below to contact us and/or request a call back.
This guide has been written to supplement the electric vehicle component manuals, so please always refer to the manufacturers' manuals for the most up to date information. Converting a vehicle to electric is dangerous due to the high voltage and powerful components, therefore caution should be taken when working around dangerous voltages. If you are ever in doubt, please contact us or consult a licensed professional. This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to substitute the manufacturers' end user manuals or the work of a professional installer.
We will break the conversion process and work down into a several different sections. Within each section, we will do our best to cover everything, and most importantly we will try to explain the reasoning behind something if applicable. We will cover an overview of both the high voltage (HV) wiring, and the 12v system wiring. Later in the guide, we will discuss other components and how they are installed into the system.
If you have any questions, please feel free to use the button below to contact us and/or request a call back.
Table of Contents
Drivetrain
Wiring High Voltage (HV) System (Overview)
Wiring 12V System (Overview)
DC/DC Converter
Battery Charger and J1772 Port
HyPer 9 Motor and HyPer Controller
Orion 2 BMS (Battery Management System)
Systems Control Module (SCM)
Cooling System
HV Cable and Lugs
Wiring High Voltage (HV) System (Overview)
Wiring 12V System (Overview)
DC/DC Converter
Battery Charger and J1772 Port
HyPer 9 Motor and HyPer Controller
Orion 2 BMS (Battery Management System)
Systems Control Module (SCM)
Cooling System
HV Cable and Lugs
Drivetrain
For the purpose of this guide, we are going to assume the use of a pre-made motor adapter kit, which has been used on countless conversions for a long time. The adapter kit consists of two main parts - the adapter plate and the motor hub. The adapter plate physically connects the electric motor to your transmission, and the motor hub is press-fitted onto the motor shaft and has been designed to mimic the ICE's (Internal Combustion Engine) crankshaft. These two parts ensure that everything is perfectly centered, and also ensures that the critical distance is correct. The critical distance is the distance between crank flange where the flywheel seats and bolts to, to the surface of the block where the transmission bell housing mates to. So by buying the pre-made kit, all of the hard work of alignment and spacing taken care of.
One thing to note - the motor hub usually has a spot to press in a pilot bearing just as the original engine crankshaft utilized. This varies a lot per application, but when applicable, it is always important to use so that your transmission input shaft is properly supported.
One thing to note - the motor hub usually has a spot to press in a pilot bearing just as the original engine crankshaft utilized. This varies a lot per application, but when applicable, it is always important to use so that your transmission input shaft is properly supported.
In the photo above, you will see a motor hub installed onto a motor shaft. The motor shown above is a modified Impulse 9 from Netgain motors, and has a stubby shaft fitted with an end bell from a Warp 9 motor. *Note, if using a Hyper 9 motor, you will likely need the shaft collar spacer for Hyper 9 motors to ensure correct fitment. Please contact us for details to ensure you receive that part in your kit.* Always reference the instructions of your adapter kit manufacturer. To install the motor hub, first install a piece of machined keyway of the necessary length, remove the one or two shaft set screws, then heat the motor hub up to the adapter kit manufacturer's instructions. When the motor hub is at temperature, you should be able to slide the motor hub all the way onto the shaft until it bottoms out against the bearing or shaft collar if that is installed. You may need to use a block of wood and a rubber mallet to tap the motor hub down onto the shaft. Once finished, allow the hub to cool, which will tighten the hub to the shaft. Once cool, you should not be able to pull the hub off by hand, as it should be on very tight by now. Next, you will need to use a small very sharp, American made drill bit to create a small indentation in the shaft for each set screw to seat into. Be sure to use a bit much smaller than the set screw size so you do not damage the set screw threads! Drill a small indentation just so the set screw has a place to seat onto the shaft. Please see our motor hub install video coming very soon on our YouTube channel. Finally, use some medium strength removable thread locker and install the set screws.
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On the left photo above, you will see a CanEV adapter plate ready to be installed. To install the adapter plate, you may need to lightly file a small chamfer on the inner edge of the center 4" hole. There is a 4" extruded section of aluminum on the motor (B-face motors such as HPEVS AC-34/35, AC-50/51, Warp motors, and HyPer motors). This extrusion is so your adapter plate can fit perfectly center on the motor. Use a rubber mallet and lightly tap the adapter plate onto the motor using an 'X' tapping pattern with the mallet. This will ensure the plate gets pressed on as evenly as possible. Make sure that the 4 adapter plate to motor holes are aligned as well as you do this. Once the plate is installed all of the way down, install your 4 bolts and be sure to use removable thread locker. Do NOT over-tighten as the bolts typically are screwing into aluminum threads.
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From here on out in the drivetrain, this setup should be exactly like the original ICE. In this case, we installed a lightweight aluminum racing flywheel. It is good practice to add thread locker to the flywheel bolts, and torque them to spec. You'll want to check the gap between your flywheel and adapter plate bolts as well, just to make sure it's clear from any interference, which it should be. Give the flywheel a spin by hand and make sure it isn't wobbling, and turning even and true.
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When installing the clutch disk, it's HIGHLY recommend standing your motor vertically. It will save you a large headache later on. Install your pressure plate as you would normally according to your ICE manuals, tighten and torque the pressure plate bolts to spec in a star pattern, and be sure to use some removable thread locker again as well.
When installing the whole assembly to your transmission, it should be just like a ICE, but just a lot less weight! Installing the whole assembly takes some time, but you have to make sure everything is aligned well. It is best to practice mating the motor and trans outside of the vehicle. Finally, install your driveshaft or CV axles.
When installing the whole assembly to your transmission, it should be just like a ICE, but just a lot less weight! Installing the whole assembly takes some time, but you have to make sure everything is aligned well. It is best to practice mating the motor and trans outside of the vehicle. Finally, install your driveshaft or CV axles.
Wiring High Voltage (HV) System (Overview)
This portion of the wiring will change depending on what components you're using, but generally it consists of several similar components.
- Main Contactor: This is your "ignition" of the vehicle so to speak. The contactor, and any relay or contactor for that matter, consists of the 'coil' and the 'contacts'. Its job is to close the circuit of the HV loop. Typically, only one contactor is needed on the positive or negative side, but follow the directions with your controller as it almost always tells you which side (positive or negative) of your HV pack. The contactor is typically supplied with most newer AC motor kits such as the Hyper 9, and the coil of the contactor simply needs to be connected to the designated pins on the controller.
When the contactor closes and powers-up the controller, there is a large inrush of current to fill up the input ripple capacitors inside the controller. This creates a damaging spark at the contactor’s contact tips when they close! In some instances, it can tack-weld the contacts shut, which makes them unable to open to disconnect HV battery power. More importantly, allowing an instantaneous connection to the HV battery pack will most likely destroy the capacitors, circuit board traces, and other components in the controller, resulting in catastrophic controller failure!
To prevent this, a precharge system is used. A precharger is basically a power resistor controlled via a small relay, that bridges across the contacts of the contactor for 1-3 seconds to gradually charge the controller’s caps, before the contactor closes (bypassing the precharge circuit). This eliminates the high inrush current, protecting both the controller and the contactor with a low current direct connection to the HV battery pack. This is typically integrated into modern controllers, but it is always good practice to check with your controller manufacturer to make certain your controller has a built in precharger.
-HV Main Pack Fuse: This is your main battery pack fuse, and the most common used are the Ferraz-Shawmut fuses. It is highly recommended to use with the matching fuse holder. If you have the HyPer 9 IS, use the 500A fuse. If you have the HyPer 9HV IS, use the 400A fuse.
HV Fuse
HV Fuse Holder
-Smaller HV Fuses: For smaller loads that run on high voltage such as your DC/DC Converter, a small HV rated fuse must be used. These small HV fuse holders are required as well. Link below to our 600VDC Ferraz Shawmut small fuses and matching fuse holder.
Small HV Fuse
Small HV Fuse Holder
-HV Pack Service Disconnect: It is always important to be able to disconnect your pack from your system. This service disconnect is used in many instances, from servicing your vehicle, to storing your vehicle for long periods of time. We have the 300A version of this disconnect available HERE.
The recommended disconnect is the Gigavac HBD41AA as shown below:
- Main Contactor: This is your "ignition" of the vehicle so to speak. The contactor, and any relay or contactor for that matter, consists of the 'coil' and the 'contacts'. Its job is to close the circuit of the HV loop. Typically, only one contactor is needed on the positive or negative side, but follow the directions with your controller as it almost always tells you which side (positive or negative) of your HV pack. The contactor is typically supplied with most newer AC motor kits such as the Hyper 9, and the coil of the contactor simply needs to be connected to the designated pins on the controller.
When the contactor closes and powers-up the controller, there is a large inrush of current to fill up the input ripple capacitors inside the controller. This creates a damaging spark at the contactor’s contact tips when they close! In some instances, it can tack-weld the contacts shut, which makes them unable to open to disconnect HV battery power. More importantly, allowing an instantaneous connection to the HV battery pack will most likely destroy the capacitors, circuit board traces, and other components in the controller, resulting in catastrophic controller failure!
To prevent this, a precharge system is used. A precharger is basically a power resistor controlled via a small relay, that bridges across the contacts of the contactor for 1-3 seconds to gradually charge the controller’s caps, before the contactor closes (bypassing the precharge circuit). This eliminates the high inrush current, protecting both the controller and the contactor with a low current direct connection to the HV battery pack. This is typically integrated into modern controllers, but it is always good practice to check with your controller manufacturer to make certain your controller has a built in precharger.
-HV Main Pack Fuse: This is your main battery pack fuse, and the most common used are the Ferraz-Shawmut fuses. It is highly recommended to use with the matching fuse holder. If you have the HyPer 9 IS, use the 500A fuse. If you have the HyPer 9HV IS, use the 400A fuse.
HV Fuse
HV Fuse Holder
-Smaller HV Fuses: For smaller loads that run on high voltage such as your DC/DC Converter, a small HV rated fuse must be used. These small HV fuse holders are required as well. Link below to our 600VDC Ferraz Shawmut small fuses and matching fuse holder.
Small HV Fuse
Small HV Fuse Holder
-HV Pack Service Disconnect: It is always important to be able to disconnect your pack from your system. This service disconnect is used in many instances, from servicing your vehicle, to storing your vehicle for long periods of time. We have the 300A version of this disconnect available HERE.
The recommended disconnect is the Gigavac HBD41AA as shown below:
Wiring 12V System (Overview)
This is definitely the most complex part of the entire vehicle, but luckily we have our Systems Control Module (SCM) to help! The SCM greatly simplifies all of this wiring, and integrates almost every relay you'd need, all into one package. As a standard practice, we recommend to always solder connections well, and use heat shrink tubing over it for insulation and protection. This is absolutely the best way to make a connection. The SCM manual can be found by clicking the button below.
Typically when converting a car, we will keep almost all of the 12v system intact, and will simply add on what we need to it. This ensures that lights, signals, and all of the other electronics should still function, especially on classic cars. This will still use your existing fuse box of the vehicle, and ensure that you don't have to wire every light yourself, which would be a lot of extra work! You may have to get into the wiring around your brake lights and brake light switch if you're doing some fancier "OEM like" features with regen, but more about that later in the "regen" section of this guide.
SCM Main Power, Cooling Fan, Coolant Pump: On the SCM main power connector, the +12v and GND (chassis ground) must be connected to your 12v battery and fused as shown above. Always follow the schematic key or follow the gauge of wire included with your SCM. In this instance, this input is what powers mostly your fan and coolant pump. The cooling fan output wire can then be run to the (+) input of your cooling fan, and the coolant pump output wire can then be run to the (+) input of your coolant pump. If using Tesla modules, we highly recommend you use the Tesla coolant pump, available on our store. These pumps are the only ones we have tested so far that actually have enough power to push coolant through the Tesla modules. The coolant pump and the cooling fan can both be connected to a local solid GND on the car, and that's it! Just need one wire for each, no need to run 4 wires across the car switching relays.
Ignition: For your ignition system, the SCM makes it very simple! Given that all of your wiring is correct, as soon as you apply +12v to the SCM ignition input pin M1, the SCM will initiate the ignition sequence. All that is needed is to tap into your key ignition switch if you intend to use that, and ensure that whichever terminal you connect to will send +12v out in the ON position. Always check your wiring with a meter before connecting it to the SCM! Your inertia switch has two wires, these are normally closed in normal operation. You will then put this switch in between your key switch and the SCM pin M1. Wire the inertia switch in series, meaning the +12v from the ignition switch must go through one wire of the inertia switch, and then go out the other side to the SCM ignition input pin M1. In the instance of a collision, the inertia switch will open, and will break the connection and shut down your system.
SCM User Inputs: The SCM has several user inputs depending on what features you added to your unit. The manual specifies what inputs do what, but all of the inputs can be activated by simply switching them to ground. For example, you can disable the preheater system by switching pin M5 to ground, or turn on the A/C system by switching M4 to ground. These inputs are not activated when they are not connected to ground, or simply "floating".
The other connections are straight forward, just follow the manual and let us know if you have any questions. Always be sure to add fusing wherever applicable. For examples of where to add fusing and what fuses to use, please refer to our wiring schematic above.
SCM Main Power, Cooling Fan, Coolant Pump: On the SCM main power connector, the +12v and GND (chassis ground) must be connected to your 12v battery and fused as shown above. Always follow the schematic key or follow the gauge of wire included with your SCM. In this instance, this input is what powers mostly your fan and coolant pump. The cooling fan output wire can then be run to the (+) input of your cooling fan, and the coolant pump output wire can then be run to the (+) input of your coolant pump. If using Tesla modules, we highly recommend you use the Tesla coolant pump, available on our store. These pumps are the only ones we have tested so far that actually have enough power to push coolant through the Tesla modules. The coolant pump and the cooling fan can both be connected to a local solid GND on the car, and that's it! Just need one wire for each, no need to run 4 wires across the car switching relays.
Ignition: For your ignition system, the SCM makes it very simple! Given that all of your wiring is correct, as soon as you apply +12v to the SCM ignition input pin M1, the SCM will initiate the ignition sequence. All that is needed is to tap into your key ignition switch if you intend to use that, and ensure that whichever terminal you connect to will send +12v out in the ON position. Always check your wiring with a meter before connecting it to the SCM! Your inertia switch has two wires, these are normally closed in normal operation. You will then put this switch in between your key switch and the SCM pin M1. Wire the inertia switch in series, meaning the +12v from the ignition switch must go through one wire of the inertia switch, and then go out the other side to the SCM ignition input pin M1. In the instance of a collision, the inertia switch will open, and will break the connection and shut down your system.
SCM User Inputs: The SCM has several user inputs depending on what features you added to your unit. The manual specifies what inputs do what, but all of the inputs can be activated by simply switching them to ground. For example, you can disable the preheater system by switching pin M5 to ground, or turn on the A/C system by switching M4 to ground. These inputs are not activated when they are not connected to ground, or simply "floating".
The other connections are straight forward, just follow the manual and let us know if you have any questions. Always be sure to add fusing wherever applicable. For examples of where to add fusing and what fuses to use, please refer to our wiring schematic above.
DC/DC Converter
The DC/DC Converter takes high voltage and converts it down to 14VDC to power your 12v system, and also charge your 12v starting battery. This is the equivalent of an alternator in an ICE vehicle. Our SCM also has a function called the '12v Watchdog' which monitors your 12v battery constantly, and will automatically recharge it whenever necessary. When converting a vehicle to electric, the BMS, and other devices usually have minor parasitic drains, and the 12V Watchdog circuit in the SCM easily solves this issue, and ensures your vehicle can simply 'take care of itself'.
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The left photo above is our Elcon 1kW DC/DC Converter, and in the right photo above is the included connector for the start signal of the converter. For the signaling setup of this converter, all that is needed is to plug the loose 4 pin connector as shown above, into the 4 pin connector of the converter, and connect the green wire shown to SCM pin M2.
Included and shown above, is the HV input harness and connector for the converter. In order for the SCM to use all of its features correctly, the DC/DC converter must have HV input continuously. The SCM will control the converter and only start it up when it's needed. Follow our wiring schematic to see what points the converter connects to your HV, and please note the fuse shown on the input side of the converter. Please always ensure your HV fuses are rated for DC pack voltage. Always be sure to check that the proper polarity is present at this connector before plugging it into the converter so you do not damage it. It is good practice to have your main pack disconnect off, plug in your converter, and then turn on your disconnect once you have verified that your wiring is correct. This ensures that you are not plugging in the connector with any potential loads present.
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Shown above is the HV input port of the converter. Once you have double checked all of your wiring and followed all directions, you may plug in the connector into the converter. Be sure that the green locking tap it pulled back toward the wires exiting the connector, and ensure that the orange HV connector seats all the way as shown in the right image above. Once it is seated all the way, give it a light tug to check that it is locked in, then push in the green locking tab as shown above.
The two output terminals of the DC/DC converter are shown above. The left terminal must be connected to chassis ground of your vehicle. The right terminal should be directly connected to the positive terminal of your 12v battery through a fuse. Please see the wiring schematic for fusing information and minimum wire gauge sizes required.
Battery Charger and J1772 Port
Your battery charger, also called an OBC (on-board charger), accepts the AC mains input from your source, and converts that to the proper DC voltage to charge your battery pack. All of our Elcon chargers will accept both 240VAC and 120VAC, but for the best power output, it must be powered by 240VAC. This 240VAC comes into the vehicle via the J1772 port using the SAE J1772 protocol. This protocol was essentially just designed to make sure you're never connecting or disconnecting the J1772 plug when power is present. It also performs a "handshake" between the BMS and the EVSE (charging station) so the BMS can then tell your charger how much current it can pull so it won't trip the breaker for the EVSE.
An example 'dialog' between the EVSE, BMS, and charger would look something like this:
EVSE: Thanks for plugging in! I have 25 amps available for you to charge at.
BMS: Okay, thanks for letting me know. I have a 32A charger, but I'll let it know to throttle back current to 25A.
(The BMS then communicates with the charger over CAN bus, and let's it know it will operate at reduced power and not pull more than 25A from the EVSE.)
An example 'dialog' between the EVSE, BMS, and charger would look something like this:
EVSE: Thanks for plugging in! I have 25 amps available for you to charge at.
BMS: Okay, thanks for letting me know. I have a 32A charger, but I'll let it know to throttle back current to 25A.
(The BMS then communicates with the charger over CAN bus, and let's it know it will operate at reduced power and not pull more than 25A from the EVSE.)
Shown above is a basic CAN bus network configuration. The network consists of 'nodes', where every node is essentially equal, unlike some other communication systems where you have a 'master/slave' configuration. The CAN bus protocol requires a 120ohm termination resistor on each physical end of the CAN bus between CAN High and CAN Low. All nodes in this network must have a common ground, which would be chassis ground of the vehicle. Please make sure this, and all CAN bus connections are good quality connections. CAN bus lines should be run far from electrically noisy components when possible, and not near HV cable that is unshielded. For wiring these CAN bus lines, it's important to either use shielded wiring or by making a twisted pair of different color wires. This can easily be done using a standard power drill and a partner to hold the other end of wire.
Below we will cover both the 6.6kW and 3.3kW chargers, please note the image annotations that will denote which charger the photo is showing.
Below we will cover both the 6.6kW and 3.3kW chargers, please note the image annotations that will denote which charger the photo is showing.
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This is the only signaling connector you will need to use with your Elcon charger. You may have other small connectors coming out of the charger depending on your charger model, but you can ignore them as you will likely not need those in your setup. There are two pairs of wires that are on this harness, one is labeled "14V 60W power supply" and the other is labeled "CAN High: Red CAN Low: Black". For the 14V power supply pair, connect the black wire to a solid chassis ground of the vehicle, and connect the red wire of this pair to SCM pin M6. With the other pair of wires for CAN bus, connect CAN high and low to CAN high and low of your CAN bus. The Elcon chargers can be programmed at any CAN speed, but by default we have Elcon program them to 500kbps, which is the default CAN speed of the Orion BMS and HyPer Controllers. This signaling connector of the Elcon charger has a 120ohm CAN bus termination resistor built in.
CAN Bus note: If you are using an Orion BMS, CAN 1 has one integrated CAN bus termination resistor built in. As mentioned above, you need a 120ohm CAN termination resistor at each physical end of your CAN bus network. In this case, it is easiest to have the Orion BMS be on one end of the CAN bus using CAN 1 of the Orion, and the Elcon charger be on the other physical end of your CAN bus network. This means you will have your termination resistors all taken care of, and you will not need to add any additional ones on CAN 1. All of your other devices on the CAN bus can be added in between these two components.
CAN Bus note: If you are using an Orion BMS, CAN 1 has one integrated CAN bus termination resistor built in. As mentioned above, you need a 120ohm CAN termination resistor at each physical end of your CAN bus network. In this case, it is easiest to have the Orion BMS be on one end of the CAN bus using CAN 1 of the Orion, and the Elcon charger be on the other physical end of your CAN bus network. This means you will have your termination resistors all taken care of, and you will not need to add any additional ones on CAN 1. All of your other devices on the CAN bus can be added in between these two components.
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This is the charger's HV input connector, which will need to be wired to the J1772 port. At the back of this connector, you will see three letters, 'A', 'B', and 'C'. The connections for these are as follows, and please reference the photo below of the J1772 port cables:
6.6kW Charger HV Input J1772 Port
'A' (Black) 240VAC 'N' (Black)
'B' (Yellow w/green stripe) Ground 'PE' (Yellow w/green stripe) **NOTE: Add an extra 16 gauge wire in this connection and connect to chassis ground.
'C' (White) 240VAC 'L' (Red)
3.3kW Charger HV Input J1772 Port
Black 240VAC 'N' (Black)
Green | Ground 'PE' (Yellow w/green stripe) **NOTE: Add an extra 16 gauge wire in this connection and connect to chassis ground.
White 240VAC 'L' (Red)
For both charger types, you will need to cut off the AC plug that would plug into a household outlet if you want to use a J1772 port with your vehicle. Simply wire the J1772 port according to the chart above and photo below, and replace the household-style plug with your J1772 port connections.
6.6kW Charger HV Input J1772 Port
'A' (Black) 240VAC 'N' (Black)
'B' (Yellow w/green stripe) Ground 'PE' (Yellow w/green stripe) **NOTE: Add an extra 16 gauge wire in this connection and connect to chassis ground.
'C' (White) 240VAC 'L' (Red)
3.3kW Charger HV Input J1772 Port
Black 240VAC 'N' (Black)
Green | Ground 'PE' (Yellow w/green stripe) **NOTE: Add an extra 16 gauge wire in this connection and connect to chassis ground.
White 240VAC 'L' (Red)
For both charger types, you will need to cut off the AC plug that would plug into a household outlet if you want to use a J1772 port with your vehicle. Simply wire the J1772 port according to the chart above and photo below, and replace the household-style plug with your J1772 port connections.
For the J1772 signaling connections, you will find two small wires that come out of the J1772 port. One will be blue and labeled 'PP' (Proximity Pin), and the other green and labeled 'CP' (Control Pilot). Exiting the main output port of the SCM (in the bottom left-hand corner), you will find a white wire with brown stripe and white wire with an orange stripe. These wires come directly from the Orion BMS J1772 control outputs. Connect the white wire with orange stripe to the J1772 port 'CP' wire, and connect the white wire with the brown stripe to the J1772 port 'PP' wire. Be sure to enable J1772 protocol in the Orion BMS software for your battery profile. Also, there are many threaded holes available on the charger, make sure to connect the body of the charger to chassis ground of the vehicle through a good quality connection, and using 16 or 18 gauge wire for this is fine.
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In the left photo above, you will see the charger DC output connectors attached to a 50A Anderson connector. Depending on the charger model or output current, you may or may not have an Anderson connector attached. Please note, it is not at all mandatory. The red cable must be connected to your battery main pack positive, and the black must be connected to battery main pack negative. Always ensure your main pack disconnect is off so there is no voltage present until testing. Please refer to our wiring schematic, and double check your wiring and polarity with a multimeter. When you have verified that your wiring is correct, plug the connectors into the charger.
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In the two photos above, you will see the Elcon 3.3kW charger HV Input plug. Once you have your J1772 port wired up to the supplied plug as mentioned in the steps above, this is where that plug will insert into.
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On the left photo above, you will see the Signal Harness output port (left) and the HV DC output (right). On the right photo above, the grey Anderson-style connector is your HV DC output from the charger. This must be connected to your battery pack as shown in our EV Conversion Schematic. It is good practice to maintain the use of that Anderson style plug to easily be able to remove your charger if you needed to, or unplug the charger form the battery pack, so we recommend picking up a matching grey 50A Anderson connector, which can be found at many online electronics retailers, and even Amazon.
HyPer 9 Motor and HyPer Controller
The HyPer 9 manual is very well written, and provides a simple step by step guide. There are a few connections that need to be made from the SCM to the HyPer Controller, so be sure to check out the SCM manual pin-outs for those instructions.
The HyPer 9 manuals and other resources can be found on our downloads page HERE.
The HyPer 9 manuals and other resources can be found on our downloads page HERE.
Orion 2 BMS (Battery Management System)
The Orion BMS is in our opinion, the most robust and safest BMS on the market today. It's constructed with high quality components, has strict quality control standards, and has an advanced thermal management system. We do not recommend using Tesla modules with anything other than an Orion BMS to ensure the safest EV Conversion possible. Please refer to the Orion BMS documentation for complete information and warnings about installing your Orion BMS into your system. That can be found by clicking HERE.
There are 3 segments of the Orion BMS: Main I/O connector, voltage taps, and the current sensor/thermistor connector.
Main I/O Connector: Your SCM will have an Orion BMS Main I/O harness preinstalled. Simply plug it into the white port on the short side of the BMS unit, and that's all that is needed. The SCM will take care of the rest.
Voltage taps: Please use the Orion BMS documentation for more information. We HIGHLY recommend using the Orion BMS tap validator tool to check the wiring of your voltage tap harnesses to avoid damaging your BMS unit. These are available for weekly rental, please contact us for details.
This is what will be measuring the voltage of the individual cells of your lithium pack. We will be assuming the use of Tesla Modules in this application, and each Tesla module consists of 6 cell groups of cells paralleled. Each paralleled group of cells acts as one giant cell. For the purposes of this, we will just refer to each cell group as a 'cell'. The Orion BMS is split into cell groups of 12, so with 5 Tesla modules, you would have 30 cells populating on your 36 cell BMS and 6 cell slots unused. For example if you're splitting the battery pack into 3 and 2 modules as most do in VW Beetle conversions, your first group of 3 modules would use BMS group 1 (12 cells) and BMS group 2. You would then have to terminate the rest of group 2 because the BMS requires this for a long cable (across the car) or a long busbar as well. For the most accurate BMS results, always do this, and you can terminate the cell group by tying all extra cell taps to your last cell positive. For example, cell group 2 are cells 13-24, so since cells 13-18 are actually used, you'll connect taps 19-24 all to tap 18. For more information on this, please review the Orion BMS documentation. Cells 25-36 would then be run to the other 2 modules if you decide to split the battery back as mentioned. You can attach the voltage taps to the modules easily with the use of a Stealth EV voltage tap board. This allows you to easily wire up your BMS voltage taps onto the available connector, along with the BMS thermistors.
There are 3 segments of the Orion BMS: Main I/O connector, voltage taps, and the current sensor/thermistor connector.
Main I/O Connector: Your SCM will have an Orion BMS Main I/O harness preinstalled. Simply plug it into the white port on the short side of the BMS unit, and that's all that is needed. The SCM will take care of the rest.
Voltage taps: Please use the Orion BMS documentation for more information. We HIGHLY recommend using the Orion BMS tap validator tool to check the wiring of your voltage tap harnesses to avoid damaging your BMS unit. These are available for weekly rental, please contact us for details.
This is what will be measuring the voltage of the individual cells of your lithium pack. We will be assuming the use of Tesla Modules in this application, and each Tesla module consists of 6 cell groups of cells paralleled. Each paralleled group of cells acts as one giant cell. For the purposes of this, we will just refer to each cell group as a 'cell'. The Orion BMS is split into cell groups of 12, so with 5 Tesla modules, you would have 30 cells populating on your 36 cell BMS and 6 cell slots unused. For example if you're splitting the battery pack into 3 and 2 modules as most do in VW Beetle conversions, your first group of 3 modules would use BMS group 1 (12 cells) and BMS group 2. You would then have to terminate the rest of group 2 because the BMS requires this for a long cable (across the car) or a long busbar as well. For the most accurate BMS results, always do this, and you can terminate the cell group by tying all extra cell taps to your last cell positive. For example, cell group 2 are cells 13-24, so since cells 13-18 are actually used, you'll connect taps 19-24 all to tap 18. For more information on this, please review the Orion BMS documentation. Cells 25-36 would then be run to the other 2 modules if you decide to split the battery back as mentioned. You can attach the voltage taps to the modules easily with the use of a Stealth EV voltage tap board. This allows you to easily wire up your BMS voltage taps onto the available connector, along with the BMS thermistors.
In one cell group of 12 with the Orion BMS, you would use Orion '1-' to connect to the most negative '-' of the 6 cells as shown on the voltage tap board graphic. Next, you will need to use the following '1+' through 6 to measure all of the cells of the first module. Make sure this is module number 1 of your pack, which will be the most negative point of your pack (also referred to as main pack negative). Then on the next voltage tap board, you will not need the '-' as shown on the voltage tap board graphic and in the photo above (our module #2). Since the modules are going to be connected in series, simply connect Orion tap 7-12 to cells 1-6.
Current sensor/thermistor connector: The BMS comes with 8 thermistors for measuring temperature of the battery pack, and has expandable modules to add more. We recommend just attaching one thermistor per module, and the unused leftover ones can be disabled and ignored in the Orion BMS software utility. There are 4 terminals available on the voltage tap board for thermistors. T1 corresponds to the thermistors on the coolant input side, and T2 corresponds to the thermistor on the coolant output side. Each Orion BMS thermistor consists of a probe that has two wires. In order to wire the Orion thermistor directly to the Tesla module, you won't need the Orion BMS thermistor. Simply cut it off with a few inches of wire, and solder each wire to T2 and T2. Polarity does not matter for the thermistors, but it is important to use T2 so you will receive the output temperature of the coolant. If you want to have more temperature coverage at the input and output sides of each module, please contact us about the Orion BMS thermal expansion modules.
The current sensor/thermistor harness has a plug that plugs directly into the Orion BMS current sensor. Once that is done, just slide your current sensor onto one of your HV cables, direction does not matter for now. The BMS has an auto-detect feature you can enable that will check to see if the current sensor is on backwards. If it is, then you can just check a box in the software that 'flips' the current sensor readings.
Current sensor/thermistor connector: The BMS comes with 8 thermistors for measuring temperature of the battery pack, and has expandable modules to add more. We recommend just attaching one thermistor per module, and the unused leftover ones can be disabled and ignored in the Orion BMS software utility. There are 4 terminals available on the voltage tap board for thermistors. T1 corresponds to the thermistors on the coolant input side, and T2 corresponds to the thermistor on the coolant output side. Each Orion BMS thermistor consists of a probe that has two wires. In order to wire the Orion thermistor directly to the Tesla module, you won't need the Orion BMS thermistor. Simply cut it off with a few inches of wire, and solder each wire to T2 and T2. Polarity does not matter for the thermistors, but it is important to use T2 so you will receive the output temperature of the coolant. If you want to have more temperature coverage at the input and output sides of each module, please contact us about the Orion BMS thermal expansion modules.
The current sensor/thermistor harness has a plug that plugs directly into the Orion BMS current sensor. Once that is done, just slide your current sensor onto one of your HV cables, direction does not matter for now. The BMS has an auto-detect feature you can enable that will check to see if the current sensor is on backwards. If it is, then you can just check a box in the software that 'flips' the current sensor readings.
Systems Control Module (SCM)
The installation of our SCM into your conversion is fairly straight forward. Please click HERE to go to the SCM page, and scroll to the bottom to find the latest wiring schematic and SCM manual. Please let us know if you have any other questions regarding the SCM and its installation.
Cooling System
A basic conversion's cooling system will generally look just like the flow chart shown above. The process starts in the coolant reservoir, and if using the SCM preheater option, you will use our reservoir with built in preheater. The Tesla coolant pump then pumps out coolant to the first 5 port manifold. The job of this manifold is to split the coolant flow into 5 equal lines, and must go to the coolant INPUT port of each module. For example, your coolant will come into the manifold, and split to module 1 coolant input, module 2 coolant input, module 3 coolant input, module 4 coolant input, and module 5 coolant input. The other 5 port manifold is put in place to evenly receive all 5 coolant lines evenly. This manifold will be connected to module 1 coolant output, module 2 coolant output, module 3 coolant output, module 4 coolant output, and module 5 coolant output ports. There will then be one coolant line that will exit your receiving manifold and continue to your controller chill plate. After going through the chill plate, the coolant will go through the factory radiator, and then return to the reservoir. It is also possible to put the radiator in between the coolant pump and first manifold as well.
In the photo of the Tesla module above, which is laying flat with the terminals facing up, the port on the left-hand side is the coolant input port, also outlined in blue. You can tell this is the coolant input port because the extruded aluminum inlet is lower than the outlet on the right side. Highlighted in red on the right-hand side is the coolant output port, which you can also see the extruded aluminum outlet is higher than the other side. Be sure to follow the diagram above and connect the inlet and outlet ports correctly, as well as connecting the Orion BMS thermistor to 'T2/T2' which is on the coolant output side of the module. We also have tesla coolant quick connect fittings available HERE, which ensure you have the best coolant connection.
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The blue hose in the left photo above is our favorite coolant hose to use around the modules and manifolds. It's silicone heater hose, and the excellent flexibility is great for entering and exiting a tight-fit battery box. We typically build our manifolds outside of the battery box(es) separately, so the blue heater hose makes for an excellent aesthetic addition to your battery pack. The blue silicone heater hose also fits very well with the Nylon 'Tee' and 'Elbow' fittings that we use and sell to build the manifolds. In the right photo above, this is the strong rubber heater hose that we use to run longer lengths, such as under the vehicle. This hose is excellent for this purpose as it is very strong and resilient to the elements.
Blue silicone heater hose can be found HERE.
Blue silicone heater hose can be found HERE.
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In the photos above, you will see our 3/8" Nylon barbed Tee fitting on the left, and our 3/8" Nylon barbed Elbow fitting on the right. Both of which fit perfect with the blue 3/8"ID silicone heater hose mentioned above. These fittings available in our web store.
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The Tesla Coolant Pump that is available on our store will include the matching connector pre-wired and labeled for you. You will just need to connect the blue wire on the coolant pump harness to SCM pin P4, and connect the black wire to chassis ground. If you already have the coolant pump, the connector kit is also available in our store as well. In the photo above, you will find the pin out diagram. The only connections that are needed are Pin#1 (+12v) and Pin#2 (Ground), and the pump will run. The pump will take a few seconds to start up since it has its own built in controller. Please avoid running the pump dry.
Tesla Coolant Pump is available HERE and includes the connector kit pre-wired.
If you already have a Tesla Coolant Pump that's the same style, the connector kit is available HERE.
Tesla Coolant Pump is available HERE and includes the connector kit pre-wired.
If you already have a Tesla Coolant Pump that's the same style, the connector kit is available HERE.
HV Cable and Lugs
In the photo above is our go-to cable for our conversions. We use 2/0 AWG, which will handle most conversions unless you're pulling extremely high currents. This cable is bright orange to signify High Voltage to first responders, highly flexible, and American made. It can by found by clicking HERE.
For cable lugs, we have thick walled, heavy duty American made lugs in all different sizes available in our 'Wiring Components' section HERE. You'll find straight, left and right elbow, and butt contactors as well. All heavy duty, and American made.
For cable lugs, we have thick walled, heavy duty American made lugs in all different sizes available in our 'Wiring Components' section HERE. You'll find straight, left and right elbow, and butt contactors as well. All heavy duty, and American made.
For battery box connectors, we recommend our 90° flange-style power connector set as shown above. It's perfect for mounting onto your battery box to run HV lines securely and safe from the elements. These can be found on our store HERE.