I'd be elated. Imagine sitting in the office and having to register another Dodge, another Ford, another Dodge, another Ford, and on and on. And then Rob walks in and you know you will have some excitement for once.
in case you're reading this, you can loosen up hot glue with alcohol. just squirt some rubbing alcohol in there and it'll let go without any damage to the cells or electronics
instructions unclear. I stopped reading at. ''with alcohol'' and went to the pub. I don't know if it will do much to the glue but I am not complaining.
@@felio_ Only topped by installing insulation in his spider infested walls. I'm (unironically) eagerly waiting for the sequel "I put insulation in my ceiling".
Agreed on all points, and eagerly awaiting an update on the bus build! (even if just the closure dramatically hauling it to scrap if he's lost interest after... 2? 3? years??)
I've never driven a Reliant, but I did test drive a Twike once. "Less safe and more terrifying" sums up the experience nicely. The steering instability at anything over 50km/h was amazing, I had to use two hands to stabilise the damn thing. Also, it was twenty years ago, so it had the NiMH batteries - so no range to speak of. I can't understand people buying a Twike new for the exorbitant prices they asked good good. You'd be better off in all respects with a used Nissan Leaf plus a road bicycle for exercise.
@@SolarWebsite its actually bs that reliants are unsafe and terrifying (thanks topgear i guess...) its pretty hard to roll one and they drive totally fine, like a normal car .. they modified the one's in the show to make them roll easy
@@tezy0193he had a flying version in his back yard. It had 4ft rotors on either side, vertical takeoff. He said it cost less than a motorbike to run but they banned him from flying it due to "theres no highways in the sky". One unimaginative judge held the world back 100years 🤦 if he acted as immorally as elon or google he'd be that billionaire right now.
@@SolarWebsite Considering where most of the funding went, I think that he could have built something better for the price. I mean the cost for his repairs and buying used. The new price is just bananas (yea I know the 3 is out of production). There is typically something very important to factor into DIY projects: The DIY solution is not cheaper than buying. This is a trap common to woodworkers. Twike has created something so overpriced that DIY could actually be both cheaper and safer. The thing that keeps people like Aging Wheels going is the creation of things that aren't on the market, bespoke things. The electric Escape is a good example. It doesn't matter too much how expensive your DIY project is, if you're building something that doesn't exist commercially. I'm sure he knows all this which is why he's disturbed a bit by the price he paid to upgrade something well beyond its maximum value (aside from collectors speculations). All that is to say, companies like Twike are hurting the hell out of EV, green, what-have-you ecological markets with obscenely priced unsafe oddities, trying to fill a niche which is unironically better served by building your own.
Other CZcamsrs are quitting or struggling with an over ambitious upload schedule. Meanwhile I’m genuinely pleased when Aging Wheels pops up with a quality video every now and then. Genius!
Oh my god, that crash description was hilarious! The slow revelation from blinking in confusion just as you were sitting there in the ditch, stunned, toward fully understanding the crazy sequence of events that aligned themselves to cause it, and then to rewatching the panicked flapping with understanding... so good!
There's so many people addicted to hard drugs like heroin or alcohol. And they're playing Candy Crush in their smartphone while driving under the influence. And they of course drive huge cars they wouldn't even be able to control sober. And they will keep their driver's license even after they murder people with their SUV because taking a license away is almost impossible in the US. Haha 🌈
He should have just got a regular e-velomobile. Having to register and insure this thing is ridiculous. I don't even know why it has to be registered and insured. Though, most e-velomobiles have to be under a certain wattage determined by the state. In my state, I think ebikes are limited to 1hp. Velomobiles are very fast. Even though they are heavier than a bike, they have excellent aerodynamics. Legs alone can maintain 30-35mph.
@@SianaGearz they could try to make a Twike version of a pedal boat. It would not be that much different. I don;t know if it is smart to use it on more then a pond.
RC foam-built airplane assembly tip: Hot glued pieces can be de-laminated by applying over-the-counter pharmacy-grade 70% (or better) concentrate Isopropyl alcohol (not for human consumption!) to the weld joint using a soaked Q-tip(tm) AKA one of those cotton swabs glued to a paper stick thingies. The alcohol causes the hot glue to lose it's tight grip and the pieces separate! The process is used by us "foamy" airplane builders to re-glue parts back together when we make an assembly boo-boo... I use the technique when assembling plastic 3-d printed part joints... I hope this helps!
For weeks I put off mounting some table legs on the back of my table to keep it further from the wall. I had to use a holesaw to remove the mounting plate edges without weakening the structure, then find a suitable wood screw and some little touches. Somehow it was finished mere minutes of work later. I am highly suspicious of them. There's just no way it went so smoothly.
Windshield wiper.. I've used Rain-X and similar products for motorcycle helmet visor with good results. Should reduce the likelihood of never needing that wiper.
I have to say I really enjoy the fact that you show your screw ups during the process. It shows that yeah mistakes are part of the process and no matter how long you do this for its perfectly normal.
These videos in which Robert takes something complex and electric and then fixes and improves it are some of my favourite. Taking complex things and breaking them down into simple (sounding) steps is surely a sign of genius. The joy and fear during the test drive were a bonus... Must always remember to not panic.
SUGGESTION: I know this comment comes too late to save Past Robert from disaster, but maybe Future Robert can use this. (Because we all know Future Robert will find another project where he will need to build a new battery module.) WHEN YOU HAVE A LARGE PROJECT WITH A HIGH LIKELIHOOD OF SCREWUPS, use some markers to create a visual indicator of orientation and polarity. My suggestion would be to grab two markers (one red and one black) and color opposing corners of each module before a single bead of hot glue is extruded. If we grab a six-sided die and assume that the 1 face is the positive plane and the six face (because they're opposite of each other on a die) is the negative plane, the corner where the one, three, five faces meet gets a red corner big enough to see, and the two, four six face corner gets a black coloring. This should add minimal time to the project and be easy enough for a Tired, Overworked, Sleepy Robert to do with minimal screwups. BTW, this isn't an original idea. Doctors will go into a patient's room with a sharpie, and have the patient mark the area that requires surgery to avoid screwups. After all, it's much harder to reattach a leg that was wrongfully amputated than it is to get the correct leg marked ahead of time. Turns out, this simple little trick has VASTLY cut down on costly screwups in the OR. Much more costly screwups than hot-gluing battery modules in the wrong orientation.
You're really too hard on yourself; this is something a lot of us wouldn't even attempt, but you charge right in, and if I'm honest, it turned out great. As usual, I look forward to the next project that finds itself in your shop👍
@@agingwheelsmany spray paints can degrade polycarbonate, making it brittle and crack over time - I'd keep an eye on that long term if you aren't already doing that
I'm now really interested in what the 'normal' amount of twitchiness is for the steering. I'd like an update on what you try and how much/little it improves things. Missing out on making a video for the mahogany shelf is unfortunate; it would have been great to get a new Under Dunn.
You'll get an update on the steering and some other final touches in a little while! About two days into the shelf I realized I should've been recording the thing. Oh well.
There’s something deeply satisfying in watching you piece by piece address the stupidity in design you find in these oddball machines. The Butt Switch is rivaled only by the jumper shutoff cable. Twike rivals Coda in lousy electric vehicle design. Love these videos.
What's the issue with the jumper shutoff cable? The only takeaway I got is it was dismissed as vestigial incorrectly in the process of implementing a new system. You don't have to program a relay for the old solution...
If this was a completely homebrew project it would be one thing, but if you recall from the other Twike video this thing sold for $37K or more. For that I’d like a slightly more polished, less janky solution.
So many head scratcher decisions with the Twike. 1. Why is it a delta trike (single wheel in front) with a massive, inefficient boat-tail? It should be a streamlined tadpole trike like the Aptera. Delta trikes are just terrible in general 2. That tiller steering is horrendous. Normal bike handlebars would have been far superior. 3. On that same note, the backpedal brake is terrible as well. Should be a hand brake on the tiller or handlebars.
It was so satisfying watching your 12v battery slide into the home-made battery tray smoothly due to it being such a perfect fit. Well done on this project! It's a quirky car that fits nicely with your other odd vehicles.
Hey mate, FYI - a spray of IPA well release hot glue almost immediately. I don't know the mechanism that makes it work, but it works. The best thing is; as soon as the IPA evaporates, the adhesive strength returns. This means you don't need to worry about neighbouring joints being weakened.
From what I can tell, isopropyl sucks the moisture out of hot glue (ethylene-vinyl acetate) and causes rapid aging of the adhesion surface. Hot glue when it ages starts to lose its adhesion, so like using coffee on paper makes it look old, isopropyl ages the adhesion contact surface so that it just comes off.
@@Avetho Alcohol is also really good at wicking into tight spaces, so it likes to seep in more as it opens up a gap. Also works for getting 3D prints off a solid bed; put a bit around the rim and as soon as you can pry up a little bit it seeps in and detaches the rest.
@@Lizlodude And that would be why isopropyl also dries out skin so damn fast, it wicks into the pores and dries them out! Its funny, I never made the connection even after researching how EVA reacts to isopropyl, I'd have thought my chemistry-specialized mind would pick up on that quickly, but nope :P
The second he showed the single ground wire, it was obvious what they did. I've used this for safety systems where I knew something had to be electrically isolated from external power, but seeing as the 12VDC is always on, this *should* have been done via a relay in the first place (as Robert added). My guess it they were trying to keep costs and installation ease down with later 110/220 dual charging upgrade.
Quick tip for the canopy, use butyl tape to glue it down. Butyl tape will hold it in place, however, unlike sealant/glue, butyl tape will not set up and will remain pliable allowing for differing expansion and contraction between different materials. It's also a lot easier to apply as it's a tape, but can be molded as needs be. I'm a butyl tape convert.
@@Dimondminer11 they've used it to stick body kits, spoiler, etc onto vehicles for years. It'll bond to both surfaces but never totally cures, so remains flexible
@@Dimondminer11 top tip wear gloves. It's seriously good, you can use it straight off the roll, or you can squeeze it together like plasticine and squeeze it into panel gaps to seal them.
It's always amusing seeing the random gaps in people's knowledge. I spent this whole video watching you build a complex battery module that I wouldn't even have a clue how to _touch_ without killing myself, and understanding only a small fraction of the explanations of what you're doing, but then you got to the part where you accidentally hot-glued something together the wrong way and had no way to take it apart and I was like "...I'm 90% sure there's some very common household chemical that will melt that glue like butter; how does he not know this?"
This is a pretty quirky vehicle! I'm anxious to see what happens with the steering. So even if this wasn't worth it... it was a joy to watch. Glad the accident wasn't worse! Thanks for the fantastic videos, as always. I still don't understand the whole time travel thing and how you avoid most paradoxes but that is small potates. 😂
That battery was terrifying, I didn't notice the lack of BMS connections, what I did notice were all the series connected batteries that weren't separated. I obviously don't bother with the paralleled cells but not to separate the series is asking for trouble. But the BMS is far more important especially given the battery voltage. Surprised you did the same. Otherwise absolutely savage work don't take my comment the wrong way.
Yes I agree, series connected cells that are just separated by two layers of shrink tubing, in automotive applications... I had these type of packs short out on me before in electric scooters, near miss, lots of smoke.... Best to use the plastic separators if the packs will experience vibration during their service. Awesome vehicle though, hope you have a lot of fun with it. Shame on Trike that they shipped their own battery like you found it. No BMS and very bad cell to cell isolation.
This video was perfect. The content, your self deprecating humor and technical expertise, hiccups and successes are presented in an incredibly entertaining and educational way. Excellent content!
I love you Rob, the way you explain things, the way you make mistakes and learn from them to create absolute masterpieces - it's all just amazing. Please never change
Hi, I recommend you spray Pledge (for different surfaces model) on your whole windshield. It works wonders to dispel rain and may even protect the windshield from the wiper scratching it. I use Pledge on my aircraft windows (glass and acrylic windows) and it works fantastic.
@@travisash8180If it has similar ingredients it should. The ones to look for are the sulfactant Pledge uses (Alkyl Polyglycoside) and likely the corrosion inhibitor (Dipotassium Phosphate) as those seem to be consistent across the aerosol and squeeze spray versions.
Get some N3 Nano and try it on a sample of acrylic. It's a super hard coating most of the epoxy+wood table builders on CZcams use. So it doesn't wreak havoc on epoxy... What about other plastics like acrylic, Lexan/polycarbonate, Delrin/acetal, urethane, polystyrene?
The beauty of working with hot glue is it can be removed with isopropyl alcohol. Since you’re working with battery add little bit at the time where a glue is touching a cell. If I remember correctly it works with high strength hot glue as well
A long Aging Wheels video, excellent a mug of tea and biscuits (cookies) required. Robert, don't ever change, your crazy projects are pure gold👍 Oh and so good to see you proudly wearing a Festival of the Unexceptional T-shirt 😊
I loved this video! I only partially understand the electrical bits (because I don't need it anytime soon), but you make it so interesting. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I look forward to your videos. Thanks!
You truly are a modern day hot-rodder. It used to be nuts, bolts, ported heads and hot cams, now it's hot glue, wires, battery packs and electronics. Well ok, some nuts and bolts too :) Keep it up, can't wait for the next one!
You speak English. I speak English. Yet for 95% of your vlog, you might as well have spoken Dutch. The bits I did get ? Enjoyed alot. Seriously with your knowledge. You should be making serious money. Hope you are. Good luck with the Twike and try not to die. Cheers
I love watching your videos. Not just because of you're knowledgable fun-ness, but because you're not afraid to show mistakes that you make and how you correct them. I've always believed that you learn more from mistakes than from doing everything perfectly.
Good work, and I really like how you come across as a mechanical Timelord jumping back and forth between past and future versions of yourself, the project and even whole videos.
Hi from Australia 🇦🇺 I stumbled across your channel due to a video on Ryobi Ride on mower info. I thoroughly enjoy the way you present your content. With humour, mistakes made and your knowledge. So now I’m just binging your content, knowing very little, but hoping to learn something whilst being entertained. Great job, I’ve subscribed and added likes. Today I learnt about Twike, that driving footage was entertaining & hilarious.
For the paint peeling back and the glue bead- one thing I've done in the past with similar issues on windshields is take some gloss black vinyl and strategically place it on the outside. If you do it right, it looks like it was supposed to be there and completely covers up any mistakes on the underside. Edit: I see you did it! Good job
I can not understand why did they not put the two steering wheels at the front with a wider back wheel for the go-forward bit - it makes the driving, handling and performance experience a lot better
Over thought, over designed, over fixed, over spent and over the top. Yup, I'm watching Aging Wheels. THIS is everything I anticipate from your channel. The thought and work you do amazes me. All packaged with a chuckle. Thank you to past, present and future you!!.
I remember being a passenger in a friend's Twike, it was the most terrifying experience of my life, and I've done a lot of dumb stuff. The steering is lethal and everything about was painful to my engineering sensibility. How they are still in business I have no idea.
The designers must be both crazy and high on 60s futurism, and then some. I mean, I fit that definition, but I'm still not insane enough to put that design into production. I watched AW's other Twike video and this one back to back, and my opinion of the Twike just kept on going down. It briefly went up when Robert said Twike sent him a list of things which could fix the steering, but then I saw your comment and did some thinking. I'm not half the engineer I'd like to be, but drawing a parallel with analog electronics, I don't think you can fix a bad design with damping. Also, the sheer length of the list of steering fixes Twike sent Robert reminds me of software where a long list of features or tweakables can be a sign that a different design would be much more suitable.
Depending on how much hot glue is involved, a lot of times you can break apart hot glue bonds with cold, especially if theres a large difference of thermal expansion between the hot glue and bonding material. Try throwing the battery pack into the freezer and then doing a quick snapping motion. If that doesn't work, you can try localizing the thermal expansion more by concentrating cold on just the glue by turning a can of compressed air upside down and getting the liquid propellant onto the glue.
I love that you full add in your “learning curve” moments, because we all go through them and usually there’s a lesson to be learned in some capacity, so sharing is helpful! Keep up the good work!
I like the level of mundane detail in your videos. It's more engaging and feels like we're there in the shop with you. I do most of my hobby work alone so it's kind of interesting to see how you use certain tools or make things because I'm usually not learning by working alongside other people.
What, no sponsorship?!? I just scrubbed through the timeline, and don't see any goofy Robert-twin / Factor-type adverts. YOUR ADS are the only ones I look forward to! Well, yours and Ryan Reynolds... I think Ryan's in good company.
I love your channel man. Every video you make is consistently great. I can't even imagine how much time & editing goes into producing these, and you do great work. Thank you!
I've been watching your videos for awhile. A lot has changed but not you or your videos so thank you for being something consitent for me to look back to
I love how you said "It's done now" and then list reasons it's not done. Because I do that all the time! I think it just makes me feel better to say that it's done, when I really just mean "it's functional." EDIT: I just watched that part again and there's not really more tasks to do, other than testing, and maybe a few related things. I would consider that 'done' also!
The turkeys making noises at 22:04 at the moment you explain the silliness that is "plugging in the Twike to make sure it's not charging" was great and I hope that was just a happy accident.
You might add active balancing- that will balance cell groups even when the battery is in use. I did that for my aging eBike battery, where one cell group has less capacity than the others. Gives more range with an imperfect battery. Nice job on constructing the battery and other improvements.
Electric car battery setup now seems so easy after watching a number of your video. Thank you for showing to the world that it's not just old carburated engines that are simply, electric cars can be simple and easy to maintain at home as well.
These videos are always nice, you explain everything so good that even I can understand it, and just the way they are edited is so pleasing :D Keep up the amazing work!
That buzzer on the turn signal is actually a thing on buses (over heresville it's a thing on Gillig buses, albeit short, but I've heard it on Solaris trackless trolleys the last time I was "back east" in Hungary). Speaking of silly European tech, I'm now wondering if the two-step throttle switch is supposed to do the old-style SiFa scheme-which the Hennigsdorf-built MX (read M10) cab-motors for the interurbans around Budapest have too. Push the plunger all the way down to step the power controller (20+3-step servo wheel to cut-in various resistors via contactors) forward, middle step to hold the current "notch", and release to step back towards coast. Digital implementation is hard to clock, I imagine, but that might be it; "half beans" and "full beans" just seems less plausible.
You've built a battery powered rollercoaster that has no effective brakes and that is twice as scary as one! I love it! Glad you made it out in one piece after the Steve-Austin-esq crash. Thanks for the entertainment. 😂😂
"Good news! I got the Twike registered!" I can only image the poor sods at the DMV seeing Rob walk in and wonder what fresh hell he's bringing now :D
I'd be elated. Imagine sitting in the office and having to register another Dodge, another Ford, another Dodge, another Ford, and on and on. And then Rob walks in and you know you will have some excitement for once.
in case you're reading this, you can loosen up hot glue with alcohol. just squirt some rubbing alcohol in there and it'll let go without any damage to the cells or electronics
I was coming here to check that someone said this!
instructions unclear. I stopped reading at. ''with alcohol'' and went to the pub. I don't know if it will do much to the glue but I am not complaining.
@@sirBrouwerRemember that it can take more then one try!
@@NicklasUlvnas Sure I will keep on trying. Luckily I can walk to the pub.
I was thinking Isopropylic Alcohol, but yeah, rubbing alcohol is quite enough to do the trick, either of those works a charm to loosen hot glue.
27:05 “a friend who’s really good at identifying connectors” is definitely Alec from technology connections
he fixed it and crashed it so he can fix it again🤣🤣
29:20 The face of the realization you just sunk nearly 10k into a deathtrap that sucks in every imaginable way, and may actually die for content.
At least it didn't lock the steering when he was doing 25 down the road with no brakes
I love how deeply you went into all this. These fix videos are my absolute favorite of all the ones you do. I can’t wait until the next one!
There's not a single bad video from this man. I watched him build a chicken coop like it was a movie.
@@felio_ Only topped by installing insulation in his spider infested walls. I'm (unironically) eagerly waiting for the sequel "I put insulation in my ceiling".
I was going to type almost the exact same message @hyralt, I'm not saying I'm a smart man, but they do say great minds think alike.
Agreed on all points, and eagerly awaiting an update on the bus build! (even if just the closure dramatically hauling it to scrap if he's lost interest after... 2? 3? years??)
I like it when he spends way too much time on small things that should be a quick fix
It's like a Reliant, except somehow less safe and more terrifying
I've never driven a Reliant, but I did test drive a Twike once. "Less safe and more terrifying" sums up the experience nicely. The steering instability at anything over 50km/h was amazing, I had to use two hands to stabilise the damn thing. Also, it was twenty years ago, so it had the NiMH batteries - so no range to speak of.
I can't understand people buying a Twike new for the exorbitant prices they asked good good. You'd be better off in all respects with a used Nissan Leaf plus a road bicycle for exercise.
@@SolarWebsite its actually bs that reliants are unsafe and terrifying (thanks topgear i guess...) its pretty hard to roll one and they drive totally fine, like a normal car .. they modified the one's in the show to make them roll easy
You have no idea what you're talking about.
@@tezy0193he had a flying version in his back yard. It had 4ft rotors on either side, vertical takeoff. He said it cost less than a motorbike to run but they banned him from flying it due to "theres no highways in the sky". One unimaginative judge held the world back 100years 🤦 if he acted as immorally as elon or google he'd be that billionaire right now.
@@SolarWebsite Considering where most of the funding went, I think that he could have built something better for the price. I mean the cost for his repairs and buying used. The new price is just bananas (yea I know the 3 is out of production). There is typically something very important to factor into DIY projects: The DIY solution is not cheaper than buying. This is a trap common to woodworkers. Twike has created something so overpriced that DIY could actually be both cheaper and safer. The thing that keeps people like Aging Wheels going is the creation of things that aren't on the market, bespoke things. The electric Escape is a good example. It doesn't matter too much how expensive your DIY project is, if you're building something that doesn't exist commercially. I'm sure he knows all this which is why he's disturbed a bit by the price he paid to upgrade something well beyond its maximum value (aside from collectors speculations). All that is to say, companies like Twike are hurting the hell out of EV, green, what-have-you ecological markets with obscenely priced unsafe oddities, trying to fill a niche which is unironically better served by building your own.
Other CZcamsrs are quitting or struggling with an over ambitious upload schedule. Meanwhile I’m genuinely pleased when Aging Wheels pops up with a quality video every now and then. Genius!
Life is hard for everyone right now. Plenty of non-youtubers struggling with burnout but still gotta pay the bills somehow.
We are all F@rked!@@PsRohrbaugh
sometimes I just sit on CZcams refreshing for hours just waiting for him to post a new video. life is pointless without these videos.
Oh my god, that crash description was hilarious! The slow revelation from blinking in confusion just as you were sitting there in the ditch, stunned, toward fully understanding the crazy sequence of events that aligned themselves to cause it, and then to rewatching the panicked flapping with understanding... so good!
I can not imagine how terrifying this thing would be to drive in traffic.
I've ridden an actual pedal power recumbent in traffic. Terrifying. But more stable than this, and easier to leap out of while screaming.
There's so many people addicted to hard drugs like heroin or alcohol. And they're playing Candy Crush in their smartphone while driving under the influence. And they of course drive huge cars they wouldn't even be able to control sober. And they will keep their driver's license even after they murder people with their SUV because taking a license away is almost impossible in the US. Haha 🌈
As bad as people are and as little as they pay attention...
Wow
He should have just got a regular e-velomobile. Having to register and insure this thing is ridiculous. I don't even know why it has to be registered and insured. Though, most e-velomobiles have to be under a certain wattage determined by the state. In my state, I think ebikes are limited to 1hp.
Velomobiles are very fast. Even though they are heavier than a bike, they have excellent aerodynamics. Legs alone can maintain 30-35mph.
its not meant for NA hell traffic
Since you made Twike the company aware of this. Let's see if they would want to see the upgrades you did.
Their willingness to see the upgrades is countered by their likely unwillingness to cross the ocean on a Twike.
I've been emailing back and forth with them. They're a great group of people!
@@SianaGearz they could try to make a Twike version of a pedal boat. It would not be that much different. I don;t know if it is smart to use it on more then a pond.
@@sirBrouwer I think it would be a rather smart thing to do, they might attract some Starnberger See resident customers with deep pockets.
@@SianaGearz I know that the Dutch navy is in search of a new boat. and we can cycle as the best.
RC foam-built airplane assembly tip:
Hot glued pieces can be de-laminated by applying over-the-counter pharmacy-grade 70% (or better) concentrate Isopropyl alcohol (not for human consumption!) to the weld joint using a soaked Q-tip(tm) AKA one of those cotton swabs glued to a paper stick thingies.
The alcohol causes the hot glue to lose it's tight grip and the pieces separate!
The process is used by us "foamy" airplane builders to re-glue parts back together when we make an assembly boo-boo... I use the technique when assembling plastic 3-d printed part joints...
I hope this helps!
Well that's a new one, so hot glue in aviation then!
That is RADIO-CONTROLLED MODEL AIRPLANES...
Gotta say I'm an automotive engineer and I utterly love your videos. You are dedicated and slightly mad, YOU ROCK!
A project that took more time and money than anticipated?! Inconceivable!
I had a supervisor who said
If you want a good estimate
(take your best guess and) multiply by 3,
If you want a scientific estimate multiply by pi
That shelf was worth the effort. It's beautiful and functional.
I can totally see spending 3 weeks on it, that's just the way custom projects go
For weeks I put off mounting some table legs on the back of my table to keep it further from the wall.
I had to use a holesaw to remove the mounting plate edges without weakening the structure, then find a suitable wood screw and some little touches.
Somehow it was finished mere minutes of work later. I am highly suspicious of them. There's just no way it went so smoothly.
It makes the whole thing look even more like a tiny, retro-future yacht.
Aye, though I don't understand why he hinged it instead of just making it two pieces with a simple joint in the middle
Hope Twike reaches out again and will help you identify what you can delete of that massive old charger box so you only have what's needed.
Glad the " crash " was no big deal, but I LOVE the look of panic on his face !! 😂😂😂
I got a good laugh. Thanks
Windshield wiper.. I've used Rain-X and similar products for motorcycle helmet visor with good results. Should reduce the likelihood of never needing that wiper.
Yeah that stuff is actually insane. When I first put that stuff on my 99 grand cherokee's windshield I didn't need to use my wiper at all above 50mph.
@@Dimondminer11 He'll just need to drive faster than 50mph while raining!
I have to say I really enjoy the fact that you show your screw ups during the process. It shows that yeah mistakes are part of the process and no matter how long you do this for its perfectly normal.
These videos in which Robert takes something complex and electric and then fixes and improves it are some of my favourite. Taking complex things and breaking them down into simple (sounding) steps is surely a sign of genius. The joy and fear during the test drive were a bonus... Must always remember to not panic.
SUGGESTION: I know this comment comes too late to save Past Robert from disaster, but maybe Future Robert can use this. (Because we all know Future Robert will find another project where he will need to build a new battery module.)
WHEN YOU HAVE A LARGE PROJECT WITH A HIGH LIKELIHOOD OF SCREWUPS, use some markers to create a visual indicator of orientation and polarity. My suggestion would be to grab two markers (one red and one black) and color opposing corners of each module before a single bead of hot glue is extruded. If we grab a six-sided die and assume that the 1 face is the positive plane and the six face (because they're opposite of each other on a die) is the negative plane, the corner where the one, three, five faces meet gets a red corner big enough to see, and the two, four six face corner gets a black coloring. This should add minimal time to the project and be easy enough for a Tired, Overworked, Sleepy Robert to do with minimal screwups.
BTW, this isn't an original idea. Doctors will go into a patient's room with a sharpie, and have the patient mark the area that requires surgery to avoid screwups. After all, it's much harder to reattach a leg that was wrongfully amputated than it is to get the correct leg marked ahead of time. Turns out, this simple little trick has VASTLY cut down on costly screwups in the OR. Much more costly screwups than hot-gluing battery modules in the wrong orientation.
For a permanent fix to the black paint on canopy, use windshield replacement primer, it's black and it's perfect for acrylic.
Yeah, I was wondering why he didn't use that. Maybe it eats at polycarbonate or causes it to craze?
The use of regular rattle can paint on the canopy was such a rookie mistake. As soon as I did it I wondered what I was thinking
@agingwheels a learning experience I would call it, looks great with the tape though, gives it contrast and fitting with the age of the vehicle 😀
You're really too hard on yourself; this is something a lot of us wouldn't even attempt, but you charge right in, and if I'm honest, it turned out great. As usual, I look forward to the next project that finds itself in your shop👍
@@agingwheelsmany spray paints can degrade polycarbonate, making it brittle and crack over time - I'd keep an eye on that long term if you aren't already doing that
I'm now really interested in what the 'normal' amount of twitchiness is for the steering. I'd like an update on what you try and how much/little it improves things.
Missing out on making a video for the mahogany shelf is unfortunate; it would have been great to get a new Under Dunn.
You'll get an update on the steering and some other final touches in a little while!
About two days into the shelf I realized I should've been recording the thing. Oh well.
At least the videos you DO make are friggin awesome :P Much love!!!@@agingwheels
That shelf is nothing short of a masterpiece. Good job on that.
I love that the people from Twike watched and responded to your video.
There’s something deeply satisfying in watching you piece by piece address the stupidity in design you find in these oddball machines. The Butt Switch is rivaled only by the jumper shutoff cable. Twike rivals Coda in lousy electric vehicle design. Love these videos.
What's the issue with the jumper shutoff cable? The only takeaway I got is it was dismissed as vestigial incorrectly in the process of implementing a new system. You don't have to program a relay for the old solution...
If this was a completely homebrew project it would be one thing, but if you recall from the other Twike video this thing sold for $37K or more. For that I’d like a slightly more polished, less janky solution.
So many head scratcher decisions with the Twike.
1. Why is it a delta trike (single wheel in front) with a massive, inefficient boat-tail? It should be a streamlined tadpole trike like the Aptera. Delta trikes are just terrible in general
2. That tiller steering is horrendous. Normal bike handlebars would have been far superior.
3. On that same note, the backpedal brake is terrible as well. Should be a hand brake on the tiller or handlebars.
It definitely feels “drawn” rather than “designed.”
It was so satisfying watching your 12v battery slide into the home-made battery tray smoothly due to it being such a perfect fit. Well done on this project! It's a quirky car that fits nicely with your other odd vehicles.
Hey mate, FYI - a spray of IPA well release hot glue almost immediately.
I don't know the mechanism that makes it work, but it works.
The best thing is; as soon as the IPA evaporates, the adhesive strength returns. This means you don't need to worry about neighbouring joints being weakened.
I love that you are these projects on cars that I will probably never see in person, let alone own. Knowledge for its own sake. Love it.
You can also detach hot glue (at 10:00) by saturating the glue in isoprpyl alcohol. it somehow just releases the glue's bond.
I was about to comment the same! Good to see I wasn't disappointed by my fellow viewers 😅
From what I can tell, isopropyl sucks the moisture out of hot glue (ethylene-vinyl acetate) and causes rapid aging of the adhesion surface. Hot glue when it ages starts to lose its adhesion, so like using coffee on paper makes it look old, isopropyl ages the adhesion contact surface so that it just comes off.
@@Avetho Neat! thanks!
@@Avetho Alcohol is also really good at wicking into tight spaces, so it likes to seep in more as it opens up a gap. Also works for getting 3D prints off a solid bed; put a bit around the rim and as soon as you can pry up a little bit it seeps in and detaches the rest.
@@Lizlodude And that would be why isopropyl also dries out skin so damn fast, it wicks into the pores and dries them out! Its funny, I never made the connection even after researching how EVA reacts to isopropyl, I'd have thought my chemistry-specialized mind would pick up on that quickly, but nope :P
love that mad laughter at needing to plug the twike into itself to get it to work
The second he showed the single ground wire, it was obvious what they did. I've used this for safety systems where I knew something had to be electrically isolated from external power, but seeing as the 12VDC is always on, this *should* have been done via a relay in the first place (as Robert added). My guess it they were trying to keep costs and installation ease down with later 110/220 dual charging upgrade.
29:35 Love the laugh, it's giddiness with a touch of genuine fear and a face to match.
I understood about 0% of the electronics you spoke of, but I had to keep watching for your humor! Good stuff.
This is me agreeing 100%.
Just found this guy & he’s entertaining & addictive.
Quick tip for the canopy, use butyl tape to glue it down. Butyl tape will hold it in place, however, unlike sealant/glue, butyl tape will not set up and will remain pliable allowing for differing expansion and contraction between different materials. It's also a lot easier to apply as it's a tape, but can be molded as needs be.
I'm a butyl tape convert.
Wait butyl tape acts as a glue? I didn't know this that would be so much easier to deal with than standard sealant.
@@Dimondminer11 they've used it to stick body kits, spoiler, etc onto vehicles for years. It'll bond to both surfaces but never totally cures, so remains flexible
@@generaldisarray wow i never knew this. That will help me quite a bit when i go to do some resealing on my camper
@@Dimondminer11 top tip wear gloves. It's seriously good, you can use it straight off the roll, or you can squeeze it together like plasticine and squeeze it into panel gaps to seal them.
@@generaldisarray is that the same as what used to be used on windshields?
I've used it but don't remember
9:22 That editing with the snap was so smooth. I rewatched it 4 times.
It's always amusing seeing the random gaps in people's knowledge. I spent this whole video watching you build a complex battery module that I wouldn't even have a clue how to _touch_ without killing myself, and understanding only a small fraction of the explanations of what you're doing, but then you got to the part where you accidentally hot-glued something together the wrong way and had no way to take it apart and I was like "...I'm 90% sure there's some very common household chemical that will melt that glue like butter; how does he not know this?"
This was actually fascinating. Reminds me of the kinds of "We can rebuild it, we have the technology" phrase.
This is a pretty quirky vehicle! I'm anxious to see what happens with the steering.
So even if this wasn't worth it... it was a joy to watch. Glad the accident wasn't worse!
Thanks for the fantastic videos, as always. I still don't understand the whole time travel thing and how you avoid most paradoxes but that is small potates. 😂
That battery was terrifying, I didn't notice the lack of BMS connections, what I did notice were all the series connected batteries that weren't separated. I obviously don't bother with the paralleled cells but not to separate the series is asking for trouble. But the BMS is far more important especially given the battery voltage. Surprised you did the same. Otherwise absolutely savage work don't take my comment the wrong way.
Yes I agree, series connected cells that are just separated by two layers of shrink tubing, in automotive applications... I had these type of packs short out on me before in electric scooters, near miss, lots of smoke.... Best to use the plastic separators if the packs will experience vibration during their service.
Awesome vehicle though, hope you have a lot of fun with it.
Shame on Trike that they shipped their own battery like you found it. No BMS and very bad cell to cell isolation.
This video was perfect. The content, your self deprecating humor and technical expertise, hiccups and successes are presented in an incredibly entertaining and educational way.
Excellent content!
I love you Rob, the way you explain things, the way you make mistakes and learn from them to create absolute masterpieces - it's all just amazing. Please never change
Hi, I recommend you spray Pledge (for different surfaces model) on your whole windshield. It works wonders to dispel rain and may even protect the windshield from the wiper scratching it. I use Pledge on my aircraft windows (glass and acrylic windows) and it works fantastic.
Would Mr Sheen work ?
@@travisash8180If it has similar ingredients it should. The ones to look for are the sulfactant Pledge uses (Alkyl Polyglycoside) and likely the corrosion inhibitor (Dipotassium Phosphate) as those seem to be consistent across the aerosol and squeeze spray versions.
Get some N3 Nano and try it on a sample of acrylic. It's a super hard coating most of the epoxy+wood table builders on CZcams use. So it doesn't wreak havoc on epoxy... What about other plastics like acrylic, Lexan/polycarbonate, Delrin/acetal, urethane, polystyrene?
Have you tried Plexus spray? It is made for protecting aircraft windows. I use it to keep my headlights from fading.
The beauty of working with hot glue is it can be removed with isopropyl alcohol. Since you’re working with battery add little bit at the time where a glue is touching a cell.
If I remember correctly it works with high strength hot glue as well
in all fairness, that IS a really nice shelf. the staining you chose looks really good w/ the white.
A long Aging Wheels video, excellent a mug of tea and biscuits (cookies) required. Robert, don't ever change, your crazy projects are pure gold👍 Oh and so good to see you proudly wearing a Festival of the Unexceptional T-shirt 😊
I loved this video! I only partially understand the electrical bits (because I don't need it anytime soon), but you make it so interesting. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I look forward to your videos. Thanks!
You truly are a modern day hot-rodder. It used to be nuts, bolts, ported heads and hot cams, now it's hot glue, wires, battery packs and electronics. Well ok, some nuts and bolts too :) Keep it up, can't wait for the next one!
You speak English. I speak English. Yet for 95% of your vlog, you might as well have spoken Dutch. The bits I did get ? Enjoyed alot.
Seriously with your knowledge. You should be making serious money. Hope you are. Good luck with the Twike and try not to die. Cheers
I love watching your videos. Not just because of you're knowledgable fun-ness, but because you're not afraid to show mistakes that you make and how you correct them. I've always believed that you learn more from mistakes than from doing everything perfectly.
Good work, and I really like how you come across as a mechanical Timelord jumping back and forth between past and future versions of yourself, the project and even whole videos.
Amazing job Robert! Love the passion, craftsmanship, technical skills, and dedication.
Hi from Australia 🇦🇺
I stumbled across your channel due to a video on Ryobi Ride on mower info.
I thoroughly enjoy the way you present your content. With humour, mistakes made and your knowledge.
So now I’m just binging your content, knowing very little, but hoping to learn something whilst being entertained.
Great job, I’ve subscribed and added likes.
Today I learnt about Twike, that driving footage was entertaining & hilarious.
For the paint peeling back and the glue bead- one thing I've done in the past with similar issues on windshields is take some gloss black vinyl and strategically place it on the outside. If you do it right, it looks like it was supposed to be there and completely covers up any mistakes on the underside.
Edit: I see you did it! Good job
And now i want you to electrify a morgan three-wheeler to show that the correct trike is a reverse trike.
I can not understand why did they not put the two steering wheels at the front with a wider back wheel for the go-forward bit - it makes the driving, handling and performance experience a lot better
Over thought, over designed, over fixed, over spent and over the top. Yup, I'm watching Aging Wheels. THIS is everything I anticipate from your channel. The thought and work you do amazes me. All packaged with a chuckle. Thank you to past, present and future you!!.
We appreciate your "sacrifice" working on and restoring this quirky little trike. Thanks.
I remember being a passenger in a friend's Twike, it was the most terrifying experience of my life, and I've done a lot of dumb stuff. The steering is lethal and everything about was painful to my engineering sensibility. How they are still in business I have no idea.
The designers must be both crazy and high on 60s futurism, and then some. I mean, I fit that definition, but I'm still not insane enough to put that design into production. I watched AW's other Twike video and this one back to back, and my opinion of the Twike just kept on going down. It briefly went up when Robert said Twike sent him a list of things which could fix the steering, but then I saw your comment and did some thinking. I'm not half the engineer I'd like to be, but drawing a parallel with analog electronics, I don't think you can fix a bad design with damping. Also, the sheer length of the list of steering fixes Twike sent Robert reminds me of software where a long list of features or tweakables can be a sign that a different design would be much more suitable.
Depending on how much hot glue is involved, a lot of times you can break apart hot glue bonds with cold, especially if theres a large difference of thermal expansion between the hot glue and bonding material. Try throwing the battery pack into the freezer and then doing a quick snapping motion. If that doesn't work, you can try localizing the thermal expansion more by concentrating cold on just the glue by turning a can of compressed air upside down and getting the liquid propellant onto the glue.
I love that you full add in your “learning curve” moments, because we all go through them and usually there’s a lesson to be learned in some capacity, so sharing is helpful! Keep up the good work!
Anyone realise he said rear rindow at 2:30 i just noticed. Its kinda funny aha. Great vid love em
Squirt some isopropyl onto hot glue joints to break them, it might take a few squirts and some gentle massaging but it usually makes hot glue let go.
I think it would be appropriate to say that the Twike is the only 'muscle' car hybrid.
I'll see myself out.
13:27 the "aww that ones all weird" gave me a good chuckle lol.
This was maximally entertaining to watch. Hope you recover some of the costs and continue making these amazing videos!
FYI in my experience using hot gule, you can release it by using 99% isopropyl alcohol as a mild solvent, it's not perfect but it does help a lot.
Use alcohol on the hotglue.. Lifehack!
Your projects are always a lot of fun to watch. And your technical explanations are easily some of the best on youtube.
I like the level of mundane detail in your videos. It's more engaging and feels like we're there in the shop with you. I do most of my hobby work alone so it's kind of interesting to see how you use certain tools or make things because I'm usually not learning by working alongside other people.
It came together quite nicely, the time and effort you spent is definitely evident!
What, no sponsorship?!? I just scrubbed through the timeline, and don't see any goofy Robert-twin / Factor-type adverts. YOUR ADS are the only ones I look forward to! Well, yours and Ryan Reynolds... I think Ryan's in good company.
I love your channel man. Every video you make is consistently great. I can't even imagine how much time & editing goes into producing these, and you do great work. Thank you!
Bravo! Well done... what a journey. The hinged back shelf is brilliant!
I've been watching your videos for awhile. A lot has changed but not you or your videos so thank you for being something consitent for me to look back to
Really appreciate and enjoy the depth you go into about battery systems. Always great videos and informative.
Thanks for the video, I usually learn something and always enjoy watching!
Super glad you were able to get this done, an awesome project, and I love both the videos.
I absolutely love the Twike. I have always loved them. Im just glad that now there are ones old enough to import.
I love how you said "It's done now" and then list reasons it's not done.
Because I do that all the time!
I think it just makes me feel better to say that it's done, when I really just mean "it's functional."
EDIT: I just watched that part again and there's not really more tasks to do, other than testing, and maybe a few related things. I would consider that 'done' also!
As always love your videos. Not the least being a clever fabricator but also the humor and enjoyment you get out of your projects. 💯
You pull off being informative and entertaining at the same time really well, this was a pleasure to watch, subbed.
The turkeys making noises at 22:04 at the moment you explain the silliness that is "plugging in the Twike to make sure it's not charging" was great and I hope that was just a happy accident.
You might add active balancing- that will balance cell groups even when the battery is in use. I did that for my aging eBike battery, where one cell group has less capacity than the others. Gives more range with an imperfect battery. Nice job on constructing the battery and other improvements.
Your videos are always both entertaining and fascinating. Thank you for what you do and for sharing it with us.
Thanks. You've brightened my day! 👍
Electric car battery setup now seems so easy after watching a number of your video. Thank you for showing to the world that it's not just old carburated engines that are simply, electric cars can be simple and easy to maintain at home as well.
I love this just as much as the earlier video, and I still want one. 🙂 Thanks for taking us on the journey!
I honestly find all of this EV nitty-gritty stuff fascinating, so this was a fun watch
Thank you for consistently making such enjoyable videos over the years. Always a treat.
These videos are always nice, you explain everything so good that even I can understand it, and just the way they are edited is so pleasing :D
Keep up the amazing work!
This was very entertaining. Thanks for the content we literally cannot get anywhere else!!
That buzzer on the turn signal is actually a thing on buses (over heresville it's a thing on Gillig buses, albeit short, but I've heard it on Solaris trackless trolleys the last time I was "back east" in Hungary).
Speaking of silly European tech, I'm now wondering if the two-step throttle switch is supposed to do the old-style SiFa scheme-which the Hennigsdorf-built MX (read M10) cab-motors for the interurbans around Budapest have too. Push the plunger all the way down to step the power controller (20+3-step servo wheel to cut-in various resistors via contactors) forward, middle step to hold the current "notch", and release to step back towards coast. Digital implementation is hard to clock, I imagine, but that might be it; "half beans" and "full beans" just seems less plausible.
The sheer joy on his face at like the half hour mark was great.
You've built a battery powered rollercoaster that has no effective brakes and that is twice as scary as one! I love it! Glad you made it out in one piece after the Steve-Austin-esq crash. Thanks for the entertainment. 😂😂
i enjoyed the video. it's immensely entertaining to see odd vehicle repair (mistakes and all). keep up the good work. 👍😃
I really enjoyed watching this! I love that it was a longer video!
I love all your videos but the build ones are my favorite. Stoked to see you working on projects again.
Great job on the video! Thanks for making it.
Of all the CZcams channels I'm subscribed to, there are very few I watch without skipping through.. Yours is one of the few 😄
this thing is nutty. good work. that shelf is BEAUTIFUL!
Love your videos, you are one of the few that show how great he is as well as when he F's up.