Mike's Cabrio Build

[Mike]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

Now that the electrics are almost complete I thought "Not far to go now" - Big mistake!
I've just made a list of things I have to do prior to IVA- 26 items and still getting longer!

OK, some are quite small, but this list seems to have a half life - I do them all, but then find half as many more still to do!!!!!!

[Mike]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

A bit of fun...................

The electrics have not given me much pleasure, but this is a piece of pure "fun".

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The BMW M50 engine has its own integral wiring loom, which can (and has been) transferred and connected to my Cabrio car wiring loom. Within the engine loom there is a diagnostic port, for plugging into a computer and checking the engine management system.
It will throw up quite a few error codes when first tested as several sensors are not required in my Cabrio, but it will allow me to have the fundamental sensors checked, and the basic engine management system itself.

Well, its a bit of fun to think so.......................!

[Mike]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

June was always going to be about major social events rather than my Marlin. An elder family member reaching 90, and having a large family party, and next weekend we will be special as we go down to Cambridge to see our son graduate at the end of his geography degree.

This weekend has just been incredibly special too. Le Mans 2013......wow, how lucky can a man be?



Three lads from my uni days (I'm 55 today, but it still feels like yesterday that we shared a house together) met up in Le Mans to camp together and watch the race. That was a great prospect in itself, but it just got better and better.
Maz has been looked upon favourably in his career, and had the opportunity of aquiring an Aston Martin DB9, AND ALSO an Aston Martin Rapide (4 door version of the DB9) which has 4 proper seats, and 500HP under the bonnet!!!!!.

Just as we are proud to be members of the Marlin Owners Club, so he is with the Aston Martin Owners Club.
This year is the centenary year for Aston Martin, so of course they are looking for ways to mark the occassion: and what better way than having 100 Aston Martin owners parade their cars around a full lap of Le Mans on Race Day prior to the race!
Maz obviously jumped at the opportunity, so there we were on Race Day, in car number 48, having a blast around the Full Le Mans circuit in an Aston Martin - with everyone taking it in turn to gun it down the Mulsanne straight - absolutley brilliant! We took the obligatory phone video, and at one point you can here the acceleration make me wince as my internal organs were rearranged into the back of the seat!

All of this followed another fabulous experience when we were invited to join a calvalcade of special British Classic cars from St. Saturnin in to Le Mans on Friday, which was timed to arrive at Le Mans to watch the Parade de Pilotes.
They say everyone has 5 minutes of fame - and those two rides in the Aston were truly an experience of a liftetime. The streets were lined 2-3 deep with spectators as we left St Saturnin towards Le Mans, and they would all cheer when Maz carefully pulled up both flappy paddles to engage neutral, and then floor the accelerator - what a cacophony of sound!!!!




Maz with his Aston Martin Rapide at St Saturnin Classic Car show (approximately 10 miles from Le Mans)

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If anyone is considering going to Le Mans in the future, this is a very good Classic car show to visit on the Friday before Race Day. Well recommended

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The race is truly a test of endurance - its quite weird, watching a race from 3pm to 12pm, going to sleep for 7 hours, and waking up to hear them still lapping round, and then getting back to the stands at 9am, and there is still another 6 hours of racing! Then around 11am you can sense the teams feel they have survived the night, and begin to think about going racing! Unbelivable!!

Fred and myself on the Start Finish straight

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Lining up for the Parade Lap with the other 99 Astons
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Alfa Romeo 8C - winner in 1931/2/3/4 : Often cited as the inspiration behind the Marlin design

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The Audi No.2 car co-driven by Alan McNish
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Pit Lane Access on Firday am

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It is comforting to see that these are just glorified kit cars really!!

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Sadly the weather, which had been very showery on small localised parts of the circuit, (and made for exciting unpredictable racing), played havoc with braking points and general car control, and within 15 minutes of the start had led to an accident which claimed the life of one of the Aston Martin GTE Am drivers. A true reminder of how dangerous motor sport is.
Although Aston Martin Racing were encouraged by Alan Simonson's family to continue racing it cast a long shadow over their, and our, weekend. And the finally irony was the showery weather then robbed the Astons of victory in the GTE Pro class as, first the race leader crashed in car 97 with only a couple of hours to go, and finally their car 99 lost out in the last hours under Safety Car conditions, and then a final shower, allowing Porsche to take a One -Two, with Aston coming third - shame: the win would have been the icing on the cake.

Finally, as another pleasant little surprise I spotted a Marlin Roadster parked up in our camp site:

Marlin at Le Mans 2013:

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It is owned by an MOC member, and had been driven down to Le Mans by his son, (Stephen? - sorry I am dreadful remembering names), and is used once a year to go hill climbing in the South West.

[lizbillings]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

Would make a good outing for your Marlin next year?

[Mike]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

Hi Liz

Yes, that has been discussed.
The problem is that we have had such a fantastic experience this year with going round the circuit on Race day that going back again could be a disappointment - even if I did go in my Marlin.

So, we are considering an alternative of going to the Belgian GP at Spa, and then on to having a lap around the old Nurburgring which apparently anyone can turn up and take their own car around for €24.

Maybe in two or three years time, it would be nice to go down to Le Mans in a convoy of Marlins?

[Mike]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

Thread 93 has been updated with more photos.

[danny_nelson]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

Looks like a cracking weekend Mike.

[listerjp2]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

John Brice and myself have been numerous times in our Marlins. Last year we went to the Le Mans Classic which is like Le Mans use to be 10 years ago. We even went into the Pits and spoke to a lot of the Drivers during the race. Some pictures attached.

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As you can see we went with a few mates with a MK1 E Type, Stag, 2 Marlin Roadsters (Mine and John's), S2000 and a Berli.

The Van held all the big stuff and was wired so we had a fridge for the bear over the 4 days.

Adrian

[Mike]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

Despite the lack of postings I am still beavering away. Did I say I had nearly finished my electrics - well I should not have!

Although I tested each circuit as I went, I have found since trial fitting the dash I have a few things not working, and it has taken ages to find out why. They all come back to my lack of understanding of someone elses loom, and making assumptions that turn out to be false. I've come to the conclusion there is no logic to wiring colours - you just have to use the trace colours to determine their connections, and nothing else! The fact that Red/Black was switched live in a previous wire, does not mean it will be in the next!

Yesterday was about making the Dip/Main beam work the way Ford intended - not the way I assumed they should work! - except I've wired my Dip to come on with the Main for better driving at speed down our country roads.

Today I have taken hours to work out the wiring for my window switches which I've taken out of a Mondeo: but by testing the continuity with the switch at rest, and in the Up and Down position I was eventually able to work out what went where, and hey presto I have working electric windows.

Tomorrow, I want to understand why my ignition light no longer comes on - it used to - but I can't say I really understand where it gets an earth through the alternator when the engine is not running? Should I be able to test for continuity to earth?

[Robert in Cumbria]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

Hi Mike, I understand the frustration! I am currently rebuilding a Quad for Michael and many unexpected things are happening with the electrics.

Regarding the 'Ignition Light' which should really be called a 'non-charge warning light', one side should go to 12V ignition controlled live, the other side go to the small connection 'WL' on the alternator, when the alternator isn't charging, the warning lamp is provided with a path to earth through the field windings, when the alternator is charging AT BATTERY VOLTS the lamp will go out completely, because equilibrium has been reached. If the lamp is still on dimly, the alternator is not outputting sufficient volts, probably sign of leaky diodes. The feed of 12V through the field winding to earth is what energises the alternator. If the bulb blows, or a bad connection, no charging. Or that's how it used to be, who knows with all the electronic gismos nowadays!!!


Will the headlamp bulbs enjoy two filaments on together? I was always told never to do that because the bulbs will overheat... That was why twin headlamp cars were developed, was my understanding.

[Mike]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

Ignition light problem easily found - I'd pulled the wire out of the back of the warning light! Another £10 to put right!
However, having checked for continuity, I do not appear to be getting an earth through the alternator windings.
Hopefully it is just a bad contact, and will re-establish once in use?

Alternators do not have brushes do they, so how is this problem fixed?

Robert, interesting point about having both filaments on - I'll let you know if I start to get bulb failures. If I do, it will be easy enough to remove the bridge across the relays............and more expense to add driving lights!

[chris_cussen]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

Alternators do have brushes, but unlike dynamos they are either mounted on slip rings or at the rear of the alternator. They don't wear very quickly as unlike a dynamo they do not go across commutator segments but run on a plain smooth surface.
Effectively the rectification of the AC from the dynamo to DC is perfromed by swapping onto a new commutator segment. In alternators its done by a diode bridge.

Another thing to note is that the alternator usually uses the current flowing through the ignition warning light to energise its coils. If its disconnected the the alternator does not come on line. Or as I found out if you use a LED for the warning light that does not deliver enough current and needs a shunt resistor to power up the alternator.

[Robert in Cumbria]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

The alternator brushes are not carrying much current either, unlike dynamo brushes.

Chris, Interesting point about the LED warning lamp... I had put it down to the fact that an LED is a diode, current flowing one way but not the other? Energises the lamp but not the alternator? Not hot on electronics!

When alternators first came out we experimented with them by winding string round the pulley and pulling vigorously, then connecting the field to live... It instantly stopped the pulley rotating as the field activated and the electrical load was applied, quite painful on the fingers when the string snatched! Alternators take a lot of turning under load.

Mike, how will this stand with the IVA, the headlamp beam tester may pick up 110 Watts brightness? Would a switch on the second filament not be advisable? The advantage of driving lamps is they can be aimed to fill in poor areas of illumination, dip beam will only fill in the closer view, which frankly, at speed I am not too concerned about, middle distance is my area of interest at night. Not trying to stem your innovation, it's fascinating but simply looking at the practicalities of the idea.

[chris_cussen]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

You do have to have the LED the right way round, otherwise it doesn't light up. The current through an indicator LED is about 2mA, but through a normal indicator bulb is about 250mA, which is why you need a shunt to provide sufficient current to energise the alternator.

Operationally the current flows through the LED when you turn the ignition on, but once the alternator comes on-line then the voltage on both side of the LED is the same and it goes out.

I used something like this, http://www.cbsonline.co.uk/product/T..._Version_PANL3 as my warning lamps, but all the LEDs are in a straight line.

[Mike]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

My ignition warning light is an LED, and it had tested working.
The problem was that I had broken the wire out of the back of it whilst trying to fit my dash.

However, while trying to identify the problem I tested the wire to the alternator for continuity which showed nothing, so I'm not sure if a new LED light is the final solution. But what can go wrong with an alternator winding connection - particularly when it has not been used?