Alan Lincoln - My Dad 1930-2016

A significant reason for this blog existing at all, apart from motivating me to complete the Zero build, was to also share the build progress with my Dad. 

Over the last four years the blog, as well as being public, was a personal news update - something we could share and talk about. Dad could see the progress (check my work :) ) on a daily/weekly basis, or watch the videos of the various road trips to Scotland or across Europe.

Dad died on 24th October 2016 on the last day of a family holiday.

It feels like the right thing to do to also record his passing here.

Just after the car was completed in 2013 I took Dad out for a run. 

I'm not sure he knew what he was letting himself in for! I hadn't spun the Zero at this point so possibly I was a little over confident in it's ability to stick to the road.

One of my favourite pictures of Dad back in the late 1940s or early 50s on his motorcycle: coat, tie and turn-ups as was his style.

Alan Lincoln 1930-2016

Husband, Brother, Father, Grandfather

Master builder, Joiner, Model maker & All round scratch builder of almost anything (especially from wood)

My Dad

Radio hack - bluetooth transmitter

The new wireless intercom allows a media input channel via bluetooth.

The radio is intended to be useful but also: too boring to nick and have minimum of openings/semi weatherproof. The quickest way of adding a bluetooth output appears to be modding it slightly.

Around a fiver buys me a rechargeable bluetooth Tx which charges from a 5v USB supply.

As soon as it sees USB power the unit starts up in pairing mode without the need for an on/off switch. I don't need the battery (nor want a LIPO in the car) so that is removed and I'll just drive it from the USB power input.

Plenty of room inside the Blaupunkt Melbourne 180 - its the shortened version and has no mechanical CD drive. It has both SD card and USB file inputs - the latter means there is 5v on the circuit board easily traceable from the existing front panel socket and on reasonably sized solder pads.

Patched in mini USB cable on the back of the front panel to feed GND and 5v

Mini Phono patched into the rear C1 connector giving me a line level audio feed.

Even though it is called line level this radio drives it through the volume knob, so still some gain control via the radio.

...all assembled, hot glued in place and hot glued strain reliefs on the new wires. The bluetooth module stuck to the front panel which hopefully helps its range. When the radio turns on, so does the bluetooth module which immediately looks for an existing pairing then streams whatever the radio outputs.

Update - later addition of a ground loop isolator to suppress audio interference

Final mod - a 15mm grommet on the volume knob so its easier to get a grip on when driving and especially when wearing gloves.

Aux Switches change - Savage out

All Change on the Aux panel.

The savage switches are no more, replaced with some robust stainless halo illuminated ones.

These have a 12v illumination, and two single pole switches - one normally open (NO) and one normally closed (NC), requiring a slightly different dimmer circuit.

Circuit

The load side now also needs a diode to prevent it being driven from the side light side of the circuit but letting it power the LED when on.

When off
  Side lights will light the switches dimly via the resistor
  Load is isolated from any illumination due to the diode

When on
  Side lights are disconnected from the switch on the NC side
  Load takes power from +ve
  Load feeds bright Illumination direct through the diode

(Assuming the switch is open before close)

The diode and resistor incorporated in these inline bundles attached to the load wire, all wrapped with shrink tubing once installed.

Before

Nothing wrong with the looks, just fell out with the switches themselves..

After

Retro dymo style labels instead of button logos.
The lighter socket is also gone, replaced with a 2x 5v USB unit (see footnote).

It was dark in the garage, meaning flash, meaning the colours where somewhat skewed - the switches illuminate blue dimly when lights are turned on, and brightly when the switch itself is turned on.

Before the Aux panel goes back in the radio needs a modification so it also transmits on bluetooth..

Update - The twin built in USB socket I found turned out to be no good. 

It's slightly over voltage, delivering ~5.4V and on power down sends some nasty spike through the USB lines. My Satnav especially didn't like it and would hard power off rather than just going to sleep as normal. Removed later.

Mystery part for next little project

Tool and mystery part ordered for the next job...

This marine clamshell vent part I'm hoping will look better than a grommet. The sort of thing that looks potentially easy to make; but not sure if I could get that clean a component shape/finish for under £3 DIY.

Brushed finish clock surround & Shift light

The glare from the clock surround just has to go, and while I'm there installing a couple of warning lamps in the space between the speedo and tacho.

Before for reference:

Brushed Stainless

Temporary tool created from scrap to ensure the sandpaper runs square on each pass:

The process: clamp one end of the dash surround and then straight passes with the tool using the edge of the bench as a guide. Just have to be careful to always drop the sandpaper on to the piece completely vertically for each stroke.

Reflections from my garage lighting now looking suitably reduced which is the effect I am after.

Offered up with clocks re-installed.

The red LED will be a shift light, and the blue  a secondary brighter turn-indicator tel-tale. There is an indicator lamp in the tachometer - its just too small and dim to see when driving and really easy to leave indicators on.

Happy with that - relatively simple process and hopefully prevents or at least reduces spot/sun reflections with the diffused finish. I'm undecided over lacquering the panel - now it is brushed and notwithstanding it's stainless steel it  is probably more susceptible to rusting - I may just leave it and see what it does through weathering.

Loom additions for new warning LEDs

Adjusted the stock GBS plug and play loom to drive the new warning lamps - spliced in the needed 4x lines. The shift light signal switches on ground and the indicators on 12v. The indicator feed is already joined with diodes to prevent crosstalk - so spliced into the loom after the diodes to get a single 12v feed for whichever indicator is lit.

Clocks loom is a bit of a spider - opened up - adjusted - and re-bound as neatly as I can.

No dropper resistors for my LEDS since they have them built in - their current draw at 12v checked at 15ma.

New loom branches:

     Shift light:  Red = 12v, Blue = Shift
     Indicator light: Yellow = Indicator, Black = GND

Tested the indicator circuit which works fine, it will need a daylight test to check on brightness need to tweak the ECU shift light setting to test that.


Update -
Initially set the shift light on a conservative 5,000 revs, well short of the 7,000 redline/cutoff.

During one acceleration test I lit the shift light, and checking on return (Emerald ECU has a max revs memory feature) the tacho showed about 6,200 max rpm. So shift light on somewhere between 5,000-5,500 is probably about right for my road driving.

Has to light in time for me to shift up before hitting the redline otherwise its pointless.

End of season - To-Do list

Getting towards the end of the good weather and driving season with a certain autumn feel now in the air. I'm starting to compile the winter to-do list. Some are already started with parts ordered and just waiting for enough bad-weather that dash/off is unlikely to remove any driving opportunity:

1. Intercom II

The new intercom approach, financed by a little selling on eBay, is a combined shooting ear-muff + motorcycle bluetooth intercom hack. Intended to avoid shouting between driver and passenger. The radio will also have a simple Bluetooth transmitter added.

2. USB Power

Replacing the existing single 'lighter socket' with a couple of purpose built twin USB power outlets

The front socket is permanently used for camera and sat-nav anyway.

3. Aux Panel buttons upgrade

The savage switches will be coming out to be replaced by something more robust.

4. Suspension height + brake disc paint.

That feeling when the seat bolts bottom out on roads with a high camber needs correcting with a turn on the rear adjustable coil-overs to stiffen things up a little. It's probably a combination of the springs settling and me getting heavier - or driving faster :) . I think I'll paint the slightly rusty/visible parts of the brake discs while the wheels are off.

5. Wideband Lambda

Some discussion on Facebook + identification of a new (to me) piece of Wideband lambda kit. It can null out some inaccuracies caused by installation, loom driven voltage variances, and looks interesting. Intending to swap out the narrowband (parts not yet purchased for this one)

6. Clocks surround + Shift light
I must get around to removing the stainless clocks surround and changing the mirror finish. I think just a brushed one will do the trick and stop it reflecting the sun right into my eyes. This post on Mitch's Blog reminded me. Installing a combination shift light and indicator tale-tale while the dash is apart.

None are must haves - just tinkering/upgrading.

That should keep me busy!

Silencer refurbished, re-installed and back to nominal performance

GBS did a good job on the silencer.

Keith confirmed over the phone they could sort it out so I took it up last weekend, had a chat with Richard, handed over the offending item and meandered back through Lincolnshire. 

Got to have a wander around my namesake City - Lincoln, it's Cathedral and medieval quarter.

The refurbished silencer was back on my doorstep by Wednesday!

The silencer rear end cap had been removed, interior pipe re-worked, wadding re-packed, re-assembled and cleaned into the bargain.

Re installed on the car today: new exhaust gasket, manifold, lambda probe re-installed and then the silencer. This time no exhaust jointing compound - 1. because it was so hard to part last time 2. the old tube of the stuff had gone off.

I replaced the rear bracket padding - the old pad was made from fuel pipe offcut which must have lasted 10k miles now - a little worse for wear but seems to work so replaced it with the same thing.

Quick run to my parents - around 70 mile round trip to test.
Everything back as it should be - engine and exhaust sounds & no rattle at any rev range, power or idling.

15100 miles on the clock - lets see how long she stays like it this time.

Running repairs - Silencer

The silencer has developed a nasty rattle around 2,000-2,300rpm, and on overrun, first noticed it on the Barcelona run last year.

Finally got to the point where I have had enough and it needs to be resolved permanently.

Spot the missing item from the left hand side of my Zero:

The manifold had to come off too - there was just no budging the manifold/silencer joint on the car, or even off the car.

After lots of advice from the RhoCar club on possibly approaches - '2b cruising'  helped out. Application of two pairs of hands, rubber mallets, gravity, heat and brute force did the trick - silencer now separated from the manifold and no damage done.

Next step is to return the silencer to the supplier to see what they can do.

15k miles & 7k rpm

Out for a bit of a run today, left her in 2nd a little too long and found out the ECU rev limiter is working fine! A puff of white smoke from the exhaust and no more power as the engine saves itself from over revving.

Once home the ECU memory feature indicates the 7,000 max revs from its previous run.
I suppose thats one way to know the tachometer is correctly calibrated!

Milestone 15,001 miles on the clock now.

The red tape pointers on the speedo are typical continental European speeds 50, 90 & 120kph, to save me trying to read the tiny kph font on the clock when driving.

The digit decals on my smiths clocks lifting from their black backgrounds after too much hot weather running over the years.

Update - re revs, looks like no harm done, subsequent 80mile run shows no problems and everything running as normal, I guess put it down to driver error, thinking about installing an in my face shift light...

Spin-off

Nothing to do with the car itself.

A spin-off use for some left overs from the cooling system.

An off cut of silicone tubing, section cut out, makes a perfect sprung heat proof 'pot handle grabber' for the kitchen...