The Arcade Mark I, conceived of and constructed in the winter of 2018, was a concerted effort to reinvinegrette the retro market with passion and old joy. Serving also to re-purpose an unwanted old dining table from a neighbour.
A short video does exist...
Due to the intense RnD, and subsequent frenzy to reach development stages little documentation was kept by way of pictures.
The Arcade Mark II was the first commercially available production arcade device,
which now resembled more of an Arcade Cocktail Table™.
Short video:
A very robust wooden coffee table, circa 1990's, served as the frame upon which was integrated a complete arcade system with outboard arcade sticks.
The table top houses a 24inch lcd recessed and slightly angled towards the viewer. A drawer mounted to the front side provides access to an integrated amplifier and four usb ports.
A tempered glass panel provides protection for the screen and electronics should any spills occur.
With two arcade projects completed research took on a tangient. E-bikes (not my term) continue to grow rapidly in popularity of across the world. Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles, to define my strict remit, are permitted within particular guidelines;
Gov.uk advice provides these guidelines to the laws surrounding strapping an motor to a bike :
"An EAPC must have pedals that can be used to propel it.
It must show either:
- the power output
- the manufacturer of the motor
It must also show either:
- the battery’s voltage
- the maximum speed of the bike
Its electric motor:
- must have a maximum power output of 250 watts
- should not be able to propel the bike when it’s travelling more than 15.5mph (25Km/ph)
You can ride an electric bike in England, Scotland and Wales if you’re 14 or over, as long as it meets certain requirements.
These electric bikes are known as ‘electrically assisted pedal cycles’ (EAPCs). You do not need a licence to ride one and it does not need to be registered, taxed or insured."
By way of a very large hammer and even larger wrench this frame accommodated an extra inch or so between the rear drop outs. This allows the slightly fatter hub wheel to fit. Next, I attempt to change the thing behind the pedals, which I learnt is called a bottom bracket. Turns out it was fused with its housing on this ol' rusty bike. No amount of oil, no size of wrench would remove the right side. Luckily this was only a nuisance since the pedal assistance system, which provides feedback to propel you upon pedaling, requires only to remove the pedals and pedal arms.
The battery, a Hailong style 36v 12ah, fits by way of a battery mount. This can fitted to the bike by two screws, unfortunately the screwholes on the battery mount will not line up with a standard bottle mount, so in this case a combination of one m5 battery holder screw and some heavy duty cable ties. Cable ties are actually very suitable for this job since they allow some limited elasticity, which will help cushion the weight of all that battery.
To equip the handlebars for powered travel the grips, brakes and old gears were replaced with; a display / throttle and brakes which include a cutoff signal switch. I replace only the right gear lever since "The Vintage" will not require any extreme gears. Also, it helps subdue the cable mess.
So now there are many electrical cables hanging about the bike, there should be... Motor wires , Battery Mount wires , Brake wires (in addition to brake cables, gonna need some cable tidyness up there), Throttle and Display wires. With this design the wires are run down past the battery mount and and then up to the central triangle bag.
The Boss Convert Entry Level Mountain Bike. The kind that has a yellow warning sticker hidden on the suspension telling you not to take it too seriously. A low cost steel frame, 26 inch tyre, run of the mill, no downhill, mountain bike. Bought brand new from a reputed manufacturer.
Installed on this is a 250 watt limited gearless hub motor, in addition to a larger capacity battery. With this added capacity "Boss" is capable capable of an estimated 15-28 miles assisted cycling in a single charge.
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With a much larger controller space, and a battery mount attached via hose clips (or jubilee clips as sometimes known) this is a far more solid build. Extra comforts and features like a jumbo, spring dampened, saddle and a handlebar mounted phone clamp make longer rides more pleasurable. There's also bag space on the handlebars and in the controller bag.
Safety is improved with a rear view mirror, horn and lights powered from the main battery. With all these add-ons, larger battery and a cheap steel frame this bike has some considerable weight. 170mm disc brakes are very capable under this added strain, although I find they can take a little warming up in poor weather.
The culmination of my EAPC (check the glossary) knowledge is a fresh new custom built electric bike. Due in part to a chance local stock clearance I picked up a U.K. manufactured aluminium bike frame and began investigating....
Theres a brief video for this one too...
A bicycle;
