Hi, everyone! CalCars is now working on our forth conversion of a Prius
into a PHEV. This one is owned by Sven Thesen, long-time CalCars
volunteer, working on clean vehicles at Pacific Gas & Electric. Its
first public appearance will be in the AAA booth at the San Francisco
Auto Show, starting November 19. This conversion process, an advanced
version of what we did at the Maker Faire last spring
(http://www.calcars.org/makerfaire.html), will also double as a testbed
for completion of the documentation of our "Do It Yourself (with an
Engineer or Electrician) Prius Conversion Project" (see
http://www.eaa-phev.org/wiki/PriusPlus). Most work will occur in my
garage in Corte Madera (Marin County), off highway 101 10 miles north of
the Golden Gate Bridge.

The conversion process will begin at my home this coming Saturday
afternoon, November 4. Tom Driscoll (who has designed the physical
layout) and I cannot accomplish these ambitious goals alone, and will
need help as listed below. Though we will definitely need others as
well, this will be a great opportunity for anyone intending to do their
own conversion to learn about the process first-hand (any future how-to
workshops are likely to cost something). This message is going to
appropriate mailing lists, to those who have expressed interest in doing
a conversion, and to people who have previously helped or offered to
help on CalCars projects (some of whom I may miss due to poor contact
info organization).

Until we have a project manager, please email offerings to me, Ron
Gremban (rgremban@...), or, if you need more immediacy, call me
at 415 924-9409 Pacific time. Please paste these questions into your
response and answer them for myself and the new project manager:
1. Provide home and/or work location and contact info (phone numbers,
when to use each, & email)
2. What task(s) (below) are you volunteering to work on, where, and when?
3. What is your time availability? (provide as many details as possible)
4. What are your relevant skills? (please provide even if you
previously did so)
5. What relevant tools can you bring? (I have all necessary
electronics and most mechanical tools, but not enough for many people to
work simultaneously)
6. Do you need, or can you provide, overnight hospitality in or near
Marin County? (I don't have a guest room)

* Overnight hospitality in or near Marin County for out-of-town volunteers
** project management (both on- and off-site -- needed very badly: Tom
was project manager for the Maker Faire conversion, but has recently had
to step down due to increased employment commitments, and I am too busy
with technical details)
^ scheduling of people, tasks, and procurement
^ facilitating problem areas (missing help, parts arrivals, etc.)
* fabrication of mechanical parts (after sufficient instruction, can be
done remotely, optimally by Nov 5)
^ aluminum battery box frame
^ various ABS and plexiglass plastic parts
^ making sketches or mechanical drawings of these parts to match
Tom's verbal descriptions
* completion of the logic circuit board (from an existing etched PCB;
best done in Corte Madera Nov 4-5)
^ selecting, stuffing, and soldering the correct components into the
board
^ making the necessary board modifications, then verifying that the
documentation is accurate
^ testing the board
* measuring, documenting, and building a new set of low-power cables
(best done in Corte Madera Nov 4-5)
* measuring, documenting, and building a set of high-power cables (half
can be done remotely, some by Nov 5)
* installation of parts and cables into the electronics box (best done
in Corte Madera Nov 4-5)
* Two CAN-View installations (must be done in Corte Madera after the
parts arrive, hopefully Sunday, Nov 12)
* Battery and charger installation (must be done in Corte Madera once
the parts arrive, hopefully Sunday, Nov 12)
* Photography and video clips of key operations (must be done in Corte
Madera as work progresses)
* Formalization of our parts lists, including verifying accuracy, part
numbers, suppliers, etc.
* Tech writing, to turn our notes, drawings, parts lists, and
explanations into a coherent set of plans (can be off-site starting Nov
4-5, but presence during the conversion work would be very helpful)

Thanks very much in advance,

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ron Gremban, rgremban@...
California Cars Initiative, a nonprofit organization:
http://www.CalCars.org
Moderator & Technical Lead
http://www.priusplus.org
PRIUS+ PHEV Conversion Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/priusplus
Newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calcars-news
Do-it-yourself PHEVs: http://www.eaa-phev.org
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++