It seems like I’ve been constantly getting nowhere with replacing the battery terminal nut. Everything I’ve purchased for battery terminals has been too small. I have a variety of nuts on order, but they won’t be here for a few days.

While cleaning up the garage over the weekend, I came across a little 24 piece tap and die set. I considered that maybe I had stripped the threading in the nut, and decided to try tapping it. I could get the CitiCar back on the road quicker, and the nut was already useless at this point.

I grabbed a little table vice to hold the nut in place, and opened up the tap and die set. I rolled my eyes as soon as I realized the set was in metric. I probably got this when I was building the Tricolour RepRapPro 3D printer based on plans from the UK. I may eventually end up buying a larger set that also includes both metric and SAE.

I first tried a 9 milometer tap. I could feel the bite as I slowly bit through the metal. Once I was able to freely spin the tap, I tried putting the bolt on the terminal.

Unfortunately, I came up with the same results as every other attempt over the past few days. Too small. I went ahead and tried the 10 millimetre tap. It was much harder, but … success! The bolt slid on the battery terminal just fine. I was able to connect all of the battery cables.

I went ahead and charged all the batteries for our next adventure in the CitiCar. In the meantime, I started looking at how to hook up the EVSE with a transformer that could connect to a public charger and convert the power to 120 volts. From here, the plan was to connect my five individual battery chargers.

I was quickly blocked as soon as I plugged the EVSE into an outlet. The charger was blinking to indicate that it was protecting from a low/high voltage. I checked that the circuit was wired correctly. I also verified the voltage was in range at 124 volts. I tried outlets around the house on other circuits. I even plugged it into the back of my computers APS power supply to ensure a clean cycle of power.

I cut the bottom edge off of another Chevy volt battery module. Although I had a hiccup with the EVSE, a few things are progressing fairly well today.

I think Teddy and I will be able to visit the park and grab some Ice Cream tomorrow.

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Other News

Some button cell batteries arrived. I was able to fix Teddy’s talking ball. I replaced the battery in my calipers, but the digital readout wouldn’t turn on. I took a closer look and found that one of the contacts looked as if it would touch both the positive and negative parts of the battery. It looked like it was bent down and curved a little. I thought it was a spring when I first saw it. I flipped it up on its side. It matched the curve of the battery and… it broke off.

I remember it was only a few bucks. It still works manually. Perhaps I should invest in something with more quality the next time I go looking for one.

Products

Irwin Industrial Tools 26313 Metric Tap and Hex Die Set, 24-Piece

Megear Level 1-2 EV Charger(100-240V,16A) Portable EVSE Home Electric Vehicle Charging Station Compatible with Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf, Fiat, Ford Fusion (NEMA6-20 with Adapter for NEMA5-15)

EV Charger Power Converter

4A Fully Automatic Microprocessor Controlled Battery Charger/Maintainer

NEW Lithium Ion Chevy Volt 48vdc 2kwh 50ah battery Golf Cart Off Grid Solar EV

DEAL INDUSTRIES INC. 61-501 Receptacle Tester with GFCI, Black

WEN 423DPV 3-Inch Cast Iron Drill Press Vise

Winkeyes 0-6 Inch Digital Vernier Caliper with Inch/MM Conversion Large LCD Screen and Stainless Steel Body Vernier Caliper Tool for Small DIY and Homework, Coin Battery included, 150mm

Pet Qwerks Talking Babble Ball Interactive Pet Toy – Wisecracks & Makes Funny Sounds, Electronic Ball that Talks & Makes Noises – Avoids Boredom & Keeps Your Dog Active

LOOPACELL AG13 LR44 L1154 357 76A A76 Button Cell Battery 10 Pack

RepRapPro Tricolour