Thursday, February 5, 2009

Manual Safety Disconnect

I already have a circuit breaker installed in the control box to cut the power if anything goes wrong and there is a power spike.

But I also wanted something I can control. If I park the car and start charging it, I want to be able to disconnect the battery without opening the bonnet (hood).

Gav over at KiwiEV has hooked a choke cable to his circuit breaker to cut the power manually, but he then has to open the bonnet to reset the breaker. Here's where my solution comes to the fore:
















A pair of Anderson Plugs, mounted to drawer runners and activated by a cable and returned using a spring. Pulling the cable breaks the connection and "safes" the car. Letting the spring pull the handle back "powers" the car and lets you drive again.

If I make a little catch on the cable, I'll be able to pull and lock the handle "open" and leave it there indefinitely, then hop in, release the handle (just like a park brake), turn the ignition and drive away.

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