High voltage, low patience

The HV bench test is finally happening. I’ve got most of the components I need, half of them are wired up, and getting to this point was more of an adventure than it had any right to be.

The Kelly controller saga

My first attempt to order the Kelly motor controller was through a Canadian supplier. A day or two after I placed the order, they emailed me to say they weren’t working with American customers anymore — tariffs had made it too complicated. They refunded me, no drama.

I found one other supplier and placed a second order. Not long after, I got a message from them — not through any official channel, just a side message — letting me know that while tariffs were running around 52%, they could mark the package value at ~$100 instead of the actual ~$600. I’d Venmo them ~$50 to cover the reduced tariff and we’d all be better off.

I said no. I’m not getting fined or arrested over a hobby car. I offered to pay $318 through normal channels, they accepted, and that was that.

It’s just frustrating that this is the situation American hobbyists are in right now. Not much I can do about it except refuse to participate in the sketchy parts.

What’s on the bench

With the controller finally on its way, I’ve got a solid lineup of HV components ready for the bench test:

• Kelly motor controller
• High-voltage contactor
• HV fuse
• HV cable
• Current sensor (this one came in earlier)
• Prius accelerator pedal (a well-documented donor part that shows up in EV conversions everywhere)

The whole point of the bench test is to get everything working together before a single wire goes through the chassis. If there’s a problem with the wiring or a component is behaving unexpectedly, I’d much rather find out on the workbench than buried inside a 50-year-old car.

Programming the controller

Before I could wire anything up, I needed to configure the Kelly controller, which requires a serial connection to a laptop. I bought a serial-to-USB adapter on Amazon.

The connector was obviously the wrong form factor — it wouldn’t fit. So I pulled the shielding off with pliers, which came off way more easily than it had any right to, and left it like that.

It connected. The controller is configured and ready to go.

Today’s wiring

Today I screwed down the HV components and started connecting things. The first real HV cable went in as a jumper directly on the motor, which felt like a meaningful step after months of sourcing parts and reading documentation.

I got about halfway through before I ran out of copper ring connectors and, honestly, stamina. This kind of work takes a lot of focus — you’re constantly thinking about polarity, routing, what connects where and in what order — and there’s a point where you start making mistakes if you keep pushing. I hit that point and called it.

Half wired is still further than I was this morning.

The missing piece

The HV bench isn’t the only thing I’ve been working on. Back in March I mentioned that the adapter plate and coupler setup for the WarP9 motor wasn’t adding up — I wasn’t sure I had the right parts to physically connect the motor to the crankshaft.

I started calling machine shops. Three different shops in the area, and all three of them pointed me to the same machinist. He was terse on the phone, which I actually took as a good sign — he didn’t have time for small talk because he knew what he was doing.

I’ve ordered both sides of the coupler, but I still need to take some measurements before I can bring anything to him. If he can manufacture the connecting piece, the WarP9 finally has a path to the drivetrain. That’s a significant if, but it’s the most promising lead I’ve had on this problem since March.

What’s next

Copper ring connectors are on order so I can finish the bench wiring. The 6-pin harness for the Prius pedal should be here tomorrow, which will help with getting that part of the system tested. Once everything’s connected, I can do the first real power-on test of the full HV setup — BMS, contactor, controller and motor all running together.

I also need to get those measurements so I can get to the machinist.

And yes, the Android Auto ignition wire and DIN latch are still on the list. They’ll get done eventually. Probably.

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