Toyota Prius and many related hybrid meta-links

Informational / howitworks and related pointers

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/idle.html
An easy way of forcing the engine in a Prius to start and idle, for inspection or diagnosis purposes. Works around the "Georgia problem". This method bears no risk to the transmission, whereas the more complex "inspection mode" may if misused.

http://www.ecrostech.com/prius/original/InitialContents.htm]
Some really well-designed presentations and discussion about how the Prius works, especially the planetary drivetrain.
[was: http://home.earthlink.net/~graham1/MyToyotaPrius/]

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/Nomograph-plus-PSD.gif
Minor rework of Graham's nomograph, extended to higher RPM [particularly on the negative side, reflecting high-speed coasting], and with a schematic of the planetary gearset thrown in.

http://john1701a.com/prius/prius.htm
One perceptive and knowledgeable owner's long-time logs, photo galleries, handouts/flyers/cards, link-nests, and lots of information. Almost every other Prius-related site out there points to him.

http://www.vfaq.net/
Several useful FAQs and checklists hosted by Tom Stangl.

http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/prius-technical-info/
Another tech rundown on the Prius [with help from Graham] from a New Zealand car dealer that specializes in hybrids.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/THS_ii_part_1.pdf and
http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/THS_ii_part_2.pdf
Mirror of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive description [two parts]. Was originally hosted at
  http://priuschat.com/forums/files/ths_ii_part_1.pdf and
  http://priuschat.com/forums/files/ths_ii_part_2.pdf
until some destructive asshole hacked the site and the whole "files" section got zorched. Fortunately, I had a backup copy, so here it is.

http://www.calcars.org/prius-evbutton-install.pdf
The original "EV-button" hack description. [1.4Mb]

http://www.trilug.org/~chilcote/ToyotaPrius/
Basic explanations of how the Prius works, and debunking of several popular myths.

http://www.alldata.com/tsb/Toyota/
Dead link.  Alldata USED to have a nice non-subscription mirror of Toyota TSBs, especially ones that describe known problems/issues/fixes with certain model-year cars. They've apparently gone mercenary and taken it down in favor of the new "alldatadiy" structure. Do WHAT yourself, huh? Nice way to help the community.

However, there's still ...

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/tsb/
NHTSA database of all TSBs and SSCs/recalls. Drill down through the forms to find info on the Prius or any other car -- the database is QUITE extensive. You can at least see what the TSBs are about, although getting the actual documents costs money and asks for personal information. My tax dollars paid for this nonsense?!

http://privatenrg.com/
Wayne Brown, one of the seminal Prius hackers, maintains a good info site that only *hints* at some of the amazing analytical work he's done.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/five-stages.txt
  [a rework of what was http://priuschat.com/forums/kb.php?mode=article&k=14
  which seems to have vanished in the meantime]
The five stages of Prius hybrid operation. Describes operational phases that the HSD system passes through while warming up.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/b-mode.html
In-depth explanation of the "B" shift-selector position and its purpose, uses, and quirks.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/warpstealth.html
Description of high-speed "glide" mode that uses no fuel, and how to find it. Another in a series of "prius subtleties, because people always ask" articles.

http://priuschat.com/forums/f/28970-service.html
What service items does your Prius really need, and when? The dynamic duo of Galaxee and her Dear Husband set it all out for you here. Beware of the "upsell" when you don't need it!

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/brakerust.jpg
The answer to a common complaint about Prius brakes feeling "grabby" or otherwise strange, particularly when nearing a stop at about 7 mph. The fix? Throw it in neutral to disable regen during a couple of stops.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/boost-hack/
Test-bench exploration of why regenerative braking can work at low motor RPM and still produce sufficient voltage to charge a high-voltage battery. Yay, inductance.

http://home.earthlink.net/~jkash1/
A *huge* and well-maintained collection of Prius articles, reviews, sites, news, etc by Mr. J. Kash, a history teacher. Link may be dead now.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/prius-curves.gif
http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/SAE-bsfc.gif
Power output, efficiency, and [theoretical] BSFC curves for the Prius internal combustion engine [ICE], taken from various sources. Illustrates the effects of optimal loading, about where that occurs with the THS, and how the throttle control algorithm makes every effort to optimize it.
http://www.tc.gc.ca/programs/environment/climate.../Final_29.gif
shows a more typical BSFC map [from this report] and the options for obtaining various fractions of engine output power. This places the sweet-spot around 1800-2000 RPM at high shaft load, which is also about the real-life truth for the Prius engine albeit at somewhat lower torque.

http://www.keveney.com/Atkinson.html
Animated illustration of how the original Atkinson variable-displacement engine work [and many other types -- great site]

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/valvetmg.png
Illustration of Toyota's Atkinson/Miller cycle, showing how they also optimize variable intake valve timing as well. Several running modes shown. Range 4 is where you want to be on the highway.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/vvt/
Investigation into Prius variable intake valve timing at highway speeds, smashing various prior theories about operation, and general details on how crank and cam sensors work. A veritable blizzard of scope traces.

http://www.engin.umd.umich.edu/vi/w4_workshops/Miller_W04.pdf
A really good paper/presentation on different "hybrid synergy" drivetrains and rationale.

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-12051.htm
NHTSA/DOT starter interlock and transmission safety standards NPRM for hybrids, that explains the whole rationale about "creep" force and directional cueing for a driver.

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-prius/links/Tech...4710/
[long URL!] Links to some ASA articles on servicing hybrids; good info for both independent auto techs and shadetree wrenchers. Slightly out of date, since it seems to mostly deal with the Classic prius.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/training/
Technical training information, primarily on the Prius but also covering basic 3-phase motors and inverters, with pointers to other hybrid training info freely available on the net. The Prius material alone can easily fill a full-day seminar, or more if coupled with hands-on demos and work in a shop. If you're not up to speed on hybrid service yet, here's where to look!

http://greenhybrid.com/
http://www.greencarcongress.com/hybrids/
Some more general hybrid news and forum sites.

http://www.altwheels.org/
Alt Wheels, a yearly Boston-local conference/show on alternative fuels, sustainable transportation and infrastructure, and lots of cool vehicles displayed on the MOT lawn. For '06 and beyond, it has moved to Boston City Hall Plaza.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/naked/
The "Naked Prius" tech exhibit takes top honors at AltWheels 2005! Shows the leadup and easily-removed parts, too.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/starthole/
How to fix a factory-assembly problem that can cause damage to the motor control harness, due to a starter blockoff-plate fitted backwards that places a sharp metal edge right next to some very important wiring.

http://www.toyoland.com/prius/toyota-prius-review.html
Prius discussions at Toyoland, a Toyota enthusiast site [run by Allpar]

http://www.autoshop101.com/autoshop15.html
Tons of good auto-tech info with heavy Toyota emphasis. In fact, all of autoshop101.com is very useful -- recommended reading for pros and weekend warriors alike. A notable item is "Understanding Toyota Wiring Diagrams". Much of this is original Toyota hybrid tech training material, evidently now released to the general public without subscription cost.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/prius-12V/
Details on the [3rd-gen] Prius 12 volt battery -- dimensions, type, the mounting area, voltage regulation, and quiescent drain. Please contribute to the knowledge here -- there has *got* to be a good aftermarket unit that will fit in this space and not cost $160 from the Toyota dealer! UPDATE -- there is one, see the second part of the page for the answer.

http://priuschat.com/forums/f/21501-keys.html
  was: priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=22210 until Jan 2008]
A thread revealing the existence of a means to completely reset the Prius' list of valid keys and program new ones, WITHOUT having to swap out any ECUs. Works through the THHT, aka Vetronix "Mastertech MTS3100" scantool.

Forums

[IMPORTANT NOTE regarding Priuschat:

   Since its changeover from IPB to vBulletin in Dec 2007 and the
   associated database migration, many of the old thread numbers have
   changed, causing externally and internally linked threads and
   articles to be broken now.  They are still in there somewhere
   and you can still do searches, they'll just turn up as different
   topic numbers anywhere from about 700 to 1400 numerically lower than
   the corresponding old ones.  No idea if/when this will be fixed.]

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/
Where a lot of the "hypermilers" hang out. Get your high-mileage technique pointers here -- for any vehicle, not just hybrids! No gimmicks, no cow-magnets or hydrogen bubblers or gas pills, just solid and proven results simply from improved driving skills.

http://www.livejournal.com/community/toyota_prius
LiveJournal community for Prius discussions.

Yahoo groups

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Prius-2G/messages/
One of several Prius groups, general topics, open archives, very active.

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/2007_Prius/messages/
Another of several Prius groups -- general topics, open archives. Covers 2004 - 2007 and beyond; the group name tends to track the current model year [in case this link falls out of date].
*Note: there was a precursor group, 2004-prius [not 2004_prius], but that's been buried by spam and nobody uses it anymore.

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Prius_Technical_Stuff/
Non-public archives but a group well worth simply joining if terms like "IGBT half-bridge" and "crankshaft reluctor" get you hot. Many of my own ramblings and experiments have crossed this group over the years, and are findable in the archives.

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/priusplus/messages/
Banter about the CalCars pluggable-hybrid prototype, from inception of the project. Open archives. Good techie content here and there.

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/priusmods/messages/
One of the earlier modder groups; fairly inactive now.

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/MA-hybrids/messages/
Northeast-oriented list. Fairly inactive; its members are too busy hanging out on all the other lists and forums.

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Mk1_prius/
Owners' group for the ORIGINAL (NHW10 model) Prius in Japan, and some Aus/NZ exports, 1998-1999. Many are still on the road.

Teardowns

http://www.transportation.anl.gov/pdfs/HV/2.pdf
http://www.ornl.gov/~webworks/cppr/y2001/rpt/121813.pdf
http://www.osti.gov/bridge/servlets/purl/890029-WIfqPO/890029.PDF
U.S. government-funded studies of the Prius at Argonne and Oak Ridge. Useful data, and really drives home how Toyota is completely kicking our asses from an engineering standpoint because we couldn't figure out how to build it ourselves.
The 890029.PDF link is a more final report, and includes several good pictures from inside the Prius inverter and driveline.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/ginv/
A deep investigation into the Prius inverter, covering how it's assembled and beginning extensive analysis of the electronics. Ongoing project.

http://priuschat.com/forums/f/29957-engine.html
Some shots of a disassembled 1.5L engine block during a resealing job.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/brkjob/
Discussion/pictorial of Prius brake cleaning and service, not that it's nearly as necessary as in non-hybrid cars! But yearly cleanout and particular attention to keeping the front caliper slide-pins free to move is a good idea nonetheless. Includes details on how the rear drums self-adjust the shoes.

http://www.chrisdragon.com/downloads/Stereo%20Acc...Prius,%20v1.03.pdf
    [long URL!] -- seems to have fallen victim to domain squatting, so here's a backup copy:
http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/chris-dragon-dash.pdf An excellent guide to carefully removing the dashboard panels and MFD to get to and behind the stereo. If you're going to do work around the dash in general, read through this first. And boycott Dotster when shopping for domain registrars.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/bodyecu/
Details on removing and disassembling the "body ECU" and main connector block from under the dashboard.

http://priuschat.com/forums/f/30593-bladder.html
An expose' of the gas tank bladder, done by Galaxee's hubby after he replaced a tank that had been hopelessly overfilled to the point of ruining the EVAP stuff.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/DAS_Accel_pedal_renovation.pdf
Backup hosted copy of Doug Schaefer's document on renovating the NHW11 (Classic) accelerator pedal after it starts exhibiting the sluggishness "big hand" syndrome. The NHW20 uses non-contact Hall-effect sensors and is thus immune to this problem.

http://www.ipernity.com/doc/florians/album/32724
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31809458@N00/sets/72157594564180400/
Florian Steiper's failed 2002 transaxle, which he disassembled to reveal some burnt motor windings. There have been a few instances of this in 2001 and 2002 "Classic" Priuses, and the jury is still out on whether this is from an inherent design flaw, overlooked maintenance, or just some unlucky owners.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/prilock/
Removal and cleanout of the Prius driver's door lock cylinder, which is much easier than expected and does NOT involve extensive door panel disassembly.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/tb/
A pictorial essay on the Prius electric throttle body and how to test it.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/mfd/
Finding and fixing a common fault in the display screens of some '04 and '05 Priuses. Requires fairly small-scale work, but should be within the capability of most electronics hobbyists.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/pix/prius-rheo.jpg
The innards of the dash-lights "rheostat" in the Prius. It's actually a low-side PWM unit with a couple of other control leads that tells the MFD to go full-bright or dim. A proper LED brightness booster for the frequently complained-about steering wheel button backlight would have to deal with this as either a control input or its negative supply rail.

Also see the nest page below for details on the A/C blower controller.

Articles

http://priuschat.com/forums/f/10132-marathon.html
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05220/550484.stm
http://hybridcars.about.com/od/news/a/100mpgrecord.htm
http://greenhybrid.com/discuss/live-updates.3041.html
110 MPG and a 1400-mile tank in a stock Prius: A small bunch of dedicated crazy geeks spent a weekend in Pittsburgh to shatter previous mileage records. These forum threads detail the whole "Marathon" story and point to related items. Extreme pulse-n-glide.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/press/aug2007.html
Various press about hypermiling and/or Hybridfest, summer 2007.

http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/showthread.php?t=2773
http://www.insightcentral.net/KB/faq-quicktips.html
http://hybridcars.about.com/od/ownership/a/pulseandglide.htm
http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/prius-rally-hints.txt
More articles relating to "pulse-n-glide" and other high-mileage hints. See the last of these, prius-rally-hints, if you're planning on entering any sort of mileage competitions in a Prius.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/mpghints.html
Pointers for getting better mileage from *any* vehicle, not just hybrids.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/hp-color.gif
Power generally required to overcome air resistance at different vehicle speeds.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/sweet/
Observations on a Prius "sweet spot" engine efficiency range, yielding improved MPG at mid and higher speed ranges with proper application.

http://amasci.com/amateur/traffic/traffic1.html
The seminal articles on "traffic waves" and how leaving generous following distance helps EVERYONE on the road. The Prius, and the styles its drivers tend to learn and adopt for better mileage, are very compatible with the jam-busting techniques described here.

http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=3840324
ABC News interviews Wayne Mitchell about hypermiling techniques. Wayne is the "block heater guy", who has traveled all over the country installing engine-block heaters for many other owners just because it's a good thing to use for increasing overall MPG -- even in warm weather. It still puts energy into the system, from the wall rather than from burning fuel.

http://www.drdriving.org/articles/musings.htm
Analysis of driving psychology and road-rage. This site is full of excellent related articles. What are YOU thinking behind the wheel?

"Godfather of the Hybrid" : article from Caltech's Engineering & Science magazine on Victor Wouk and his early research into electric propulsion and mixed gas/electric systems. http://www.autofieldguide.com/articles/100302.html
Article about the introduction of the 2004 Prius, noting the many design improvements and Toyota's business model for production.

http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=4&article_id=8695
Prius land speed record tests at Bonneville, by a team from Toyota and Car & Driver.

http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=19&article_id=7066
Car & Driver review of the 2004 Prius.

http://www.artsautomotive.com/Hybrid.htm
Fun article on hybrid service and features by the folks at Art's Automotive, a service shop in Berkeley CA that loves hybrids.

http://www.priusownersgroup.com/
Russell Frost's blog, news, and other items-of-interest site. He sells various portable GPS units, too.

http://www.autonerdz.com/
The "creative lab scope technique" page, endorsing out-of-the-box thinking when diagnosing automotive problems with scopes and similar equipment. Sign-up required for the actual articles. There is also a forum area.

http://www.mr2.com/TEXT/synth_oil.txt
Article about synthetic oil and engine life.

http://www.officer.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=19&id=27281
Good reasons to run higher tire pressure in police vehicles.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/valvestem/
A serious WARNING about inferior aftermarket valve stems that could crack and leak in a relatively short time. Affects all cars, especially newer ones that are supplied with higher-pressure tires.

http://ecodrive.org/
European campaign to promote "ecodriving", or better techniques for improving MPG and safety with driving style. Training efforts are already underway in the Netherlands.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/worktruck/
A pictorial essay about how well a Prius handles large loads, especially with mods to distribute the weight better.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/toyota-tis-sucks.txt
A rant engendered by a rather horrendous "web experience" at Toyota's service-manuals subscription site.

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jk/at_010320.htm
Good explanation of ABS, traction control, and vehicle stability control.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/nest/
The hatch area of a third-gen Prius turns easily into a cozy and relatively private sleeper-berth, and there's even a way to run the ventilation system on very low power without needing the rest of the car turned on.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/prius-log/intro.html
Hobbit's running Prius diary/blog/whatever. Points to a number of the mods and hacks listed here, and places them in a back-story and timeline. In perpetual flux, and often out of date with the present. If nothing else, it describes the purchase rationale and process when this whole thing started.

http://www.omninerd.com/2006/07/16/articles/57
MPG experiments with a Jeep Wrangler, along with a good general discussion of OBD II, factors affecting MPG [or not], and an extensive link-farm at the end.

Toyota

http://techinfo.toyota.com/public/main/main.html
Technical Information System [TIS], where online service manuals reside [on a paid subscription basis]. An absolutely horrendous site design that relies way too heavily on scripting bells-n-whistles, and assumes that everyone happily runs IE with no security turned on.

http://tistechstream.com/
Techstream, the next generation of Toyota's dealer scantool that integrates OBDII and OEM diagnostics with internet links to Techinfo via wireless infrastructure in and around the service bay. Ruggedized laptop-based. Rumored to be based on an OTC/SPX scantool product rebranded for Toyota. Evidently, Vetronix has lost their hold on this market.

techinfo-erg.html   (local copy)
Emergency response guides for various Toyota hybrid and alt-fuel vehicles, aimed at teaching first-responders about hybrid vehicle rescue safety and how to not cut the orange wires. These guides are nice technical rundowns on the vehicles themselves, and well worth reading. Bottom line is that fuel tanks and airbag squibs are far more hazardous than HV batteries and wiring.

http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/tech/environment/ths2/
Discussion of THS-II design. [This actually begins a whole sequence]

http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/tech/environment/ths2/system.html
Discussion of THS-II controls.

http://www.hybridsynergydrive.com/en/sitemap.html
Toyota's "hybrid synergy drive information terminal", english version.

http://www.tytlabs.co.jp/eindex.html
Toyota R&D Labs. [english]

Dealers / vendors

http://www.sigmaauto.com/
Lots of cool accessories for the Prius and other cars. Extensive lighting section, including interesting LED modules from Japan.

http://www.tamagawa-seiki.com/english/products/sensor/singlsynm.html
http://www.tamagawa-seiki.com/pdfe/1579n2e.pdf
Info on the Tamagawa-Seiki position resolvers used in the Prius BLDC motors, which bring sine and cosine information back into the hybrid ECU. Includes a little bit about the AU6802N1 "smartcoder" support chip, two of which sit on the hybrid controller. This product family is aimed at the hybrid automotive market, and it's quite amusing to see a picture of an Estima right there on top of their car applications overview page!

http://ecrostech.com/Products/MiniScanner/Intro.htm
Mini-scanner site, for the Classic Prius only. Also by graham1.

http://hybridinterfaces.ca/
The CAN-View site, detailing a very cool CANbus monitoring product that displays on the built-in screen *and* accepts touchscreen control commands. For '04+ Prius, with and without Nav. A really nice bit of integration engineering, not to mention the ability to pull out and display all that "geek info".

http://autobeyours.com/
A salvage dealer and car-repair outfit specializing in rebuilding crashed Priuses and/or parting them out. Great source of discounted parts, both working and nonworking, depending on availability. This guy has done some completely amazing recovery of hopeless-looking wrecks, and has gotten into fixing inverters down to the component level, reverse-engineering ECUs, installing PHEV conversions, you name it.

http://www.metrotpn.com/ProductCollection.aspx?CollectionID=25
Metro Toyota has several add-ons for the Prius, including engine block heaters [but you have to ask Jesse specifically for those]. Bulk buys of block heaters often happen via Priuschat -- search the forums.

http://lusciousgarage.com/
Carolyn Coquilette's shop, specializing in hybrid diagnostics, repair, maintenance, and modifications [including PHEV]. A very interesting and environmentally-conscious approach to automotive servicing, and a fun blog.

http://www.scangauge.com/ [US]
http://www.scangauge.net/ [Europe]
Small format OBDII [now incl. CAN] scan-tool and digital gauge kit designed to install right on a dashboard. Generic parameters only, although a feature called XGAUGE to display manufacturer-specific enhanced info is under development. The newer Scangauge II can also read DTCs and reset the MIL.

http://scantool.net/
http://autoenginuity.com/
Sites for a few of many commercial laptop-based OBDII scantools. Some of these are designed for the professional and claim to include all the factory-OEM features and parameter-awareness as the "official" tools. This is still not entirely true, but they're making progress.

http://www.ghg.net/dharrison/canscan.htm
More OBDII tools, specifically for CAN.

http://obd-2.com/
Another OBDII tool, but with very poor support. Sorry, Alex.

http://coastaletech.com/
Coastal Electronic Technologies -- various Prius add-on products. Frequent complaints about poor customer service / response. Some items listed, such as the engine-run and friction-braking indicator for the gen 3 Prius, have so far been vapor.

http://www.carchip.co.uk/
Big Brother data recorders for your OBDII.

http://priuschat.com/shop/product_info.php/cPath/6/products_id/21
BT Tech chassis stiffening plate for the 3rd-gen Prius. Easy bolt-in upgrade for the stock "U" channel brace, which does much more to resist longitudinal twisting.

http://www.attstraining.com/
Automotive Tech Training, offering in-depth, hands-on hybrid training classes for independent auto techs to come up to speed on hybrid principles, repair, diagnosis, safety, etc. Helping to dispel the myth that all hybrids must go back to the dealers for service, and leading the way to a time when full or at least mostly electric propulsion will be the everyday norm in the bays. $$. Good link-nest to tool companies and other useful auto-tech info.
Related links: [not implemented yet, check back soon]
    http://www.attstraining.com/udhev/links.html or
    http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/udhev-links.html
    [same file]

http://www.auto-careers.org/
Craig van Batenburg's instruction center for repair techs. $$$.

Project sites and other fun pages

http://99mpg.com/
Mike Dabrowski's extensive resource about the Honda Insight, his MIMA modifications, electric cars, tech training, and many other hybrid and alt-fuel projects and inventions. He is the true guru of the Honda Insight, which is still the fuel-economy leader after all this time.

[*Note: there are many references to "techno-fandom.org/~hobbit" from here down -- a justifiable bias, since they document all *my* hacks.]

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/pwe/
An amusingly simple wiring hack to enable the power windows in a Prius without turning on the rest of the car. Also contains some details on safely removing the dashboard vents and panels without breaking them.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/imeter/
Details on building an analog battery current meter to read flow into and out of the hybrid pack. Uses the stock Toyota hall-effect sensor.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/squirt/
A very simple "engine is running and consuming fuel" indicator, described by a very silly webpage. This has since been merged into an instrument panel.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/tachack/
How to install an aftermarket tachometer into a Prius, including notes on how tachometers work, how to test and calibrate them, and how to hack one to be compatible with the car's signal levels if necessary.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/bp/
Working prototype for a hydraulic-brake-pressure monitor, that helps determine when you're no longer regenerating.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/warmair/
An experimental hack to redirect engine air intake from a warm air source rather than a cold one, with the intent of increased winter economy. Some controlled-test results are posted underneath. See also: "heatgames" ...

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/heatgames/
Winter preparation: an improved version of the above warm-air intake, plus a detailed account of removing the cowl above the engine and installing a block-heater from above. If you're thinking that the big piece that the wipers fit onto is scary, it isn't! These pages make cowl removal easy.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/ect/
A circuit to read the raw output voltage from the engine coolant temperature thermistor, and convert it through a "linearizer" to a reasonably close mapping from degrees C to volts.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/tpms/
A strange but functional tire-pressure warning system, based on wheel rotation speed differences. Provides a rather entertaining display.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/gps/
A simple and robust way to mount a GPS power cradle using the vent-panel as a base, which puts it in a good position for both driver visibility and receiving a wide sky's worth of satellite data.

http://www.kluge.net/~felicity/pics/
Installing cruise control, hybrid gatherings, and other stuff.

http://www.priups.com/misc/intro.htm
One of several efforts to use the Prius as a home generator / UPS.

http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/prius/priups.html
Another UPS / generator project.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/pix/prius-ferrups.jpg
Yet another method of tying in a UPS. The 450VA Best Ferrups has 66 Ah at 12V inside, way more than the Prius battery itself. The right answer, however, is to stop messing around with this feeble 12V nonsense and build a 10kW or more inverter that feeds directly off the HV battery.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/tds-priups/
Crocking together a collection of parts to charge a spare Prius hybrid pack and run a UPS from it, during some slack time at Tour de Sol. It made a great albeit slightly dangerous demo.

http://www.kusnetz.net/prius/
Mac Mini integration to onboard display screen.

http://homepage.mac.com/inachan/prius/index_e.html
http://priusmania.net/
http://priusdiy.fc2web.com/
Mostly-Japanese sites; pointers to several other Japanese-only sites. Worth a look even if you don't read Japanese; the project pix tell quite a bit about what people there are hacking on. The latter site is where "Ken@Japan" details his SuperMID instrumentation projects.

http://www.robintree.com/prius/startup.html
Robin Mitchell looks at how much 12 volt power is needed to boot a Prius. Conclusion: jump boxes or booster batteries need to be able to supply ~ 30A without sagging. It would be interesting to repeat the experiment with the DC/DC output disconnected and see more of the running steady-state!

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/maint50k/
Changing the PSD transaxle fluid in an '04, using the seekrit undocumented top fill plug. Shows shifting the inverter around without draining its coolant, to access items under it. Some other minor but useful maintenance items are discussed here too.

http://www.eaa-phev.org/wiki/Prius_Modifications
[was: www.seattleeva.net/index.php/User:Rjf_Prius_Modifications]
More Prius links and discussion from the point of view of an Insight owner. Documents easter-egg dances for user-settable things such as reverse beep. Check out the rest of eaa-phev.org too, it's quite interesting as another plug-in Prius mod clearinghouse, and getting more extensive all the time.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/dcty/
Simple guide to removing the lamps in the door "courtesy" lights in order to avoid excess 12V battery drain. Includes a means of amply compensating for the safety aspect of disabling the lights with "reflective bling".

http://evnut.com/prius.htm
Darelldd's extensive Prius mods/hints/fun pages, from the perspective of a guy who's been driving solar-charged EVs for several years and is really into LED lamp replacements and many other energy-saving projects. Darell is also quite active on Priuschat.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/pix/quad-rings.jpg
Some silly "photochopper's concept" ideas (ahem) on how to paint up the plastic trim rings for different effects. Frankly, it seems like simply pulling them off is the best approach.

http://culturegarage.com/2008...thats-ok-just-buy-a-hybrid/
[long URL]   Funny Prius pseudo-ads by David Krulik, involving hookers and dead bodies.

http://www.priuscar.com/
Another personal collection of hacks to a 2002 Prius.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/meta1/
Collages of three years' worth of "slideshow" -- reflecting all the fun to be had with hybrid vehicles, their tech, and the community around them.

http://www.ag.auburn.edu/users/gparmer/efi/myfaq.htm
http://www.ag.auburn.edu/users/gparmer/efi/glossary.htm
http://diy-efi.org/
Interesting DIY EFI stuff.

http://www.planetfall.com/~jeff/obdii/
Home-made OBDII interface info.

http://www.bgsoflex.com/megasquirt.html
http://www.msefi.com/
Links and support for "MegaSquirt", a complete, open-source EFI system that you can build, calibrate, and tweak yourself. Unrelated to the Prius specifically, but great reading for learning about fuel-injection systems in general.

http://jerryrig.com/convert/
One person's EV conversion chronicle.

CANbus miscellany

http://www.vassfamily.net/ToyotaPrius/CAN/cindex.html
Attila's CAN project.

http://www.can232.com/
can232 / serial converter dongle[s] ; USB soon.

http://www.kvaser.com/can/protocol/
Low-level CAN protocol documentation from Kvaser.
Their (outdated) copy of the original BOSCH spec can be directly accessed here:
    http://www.kvaser.com/cgi-bin/files/can2spec.zip
Other files in their download area hide behind a similar syntax if you don't want to deal with their silly intrusive request form.

http://www.semiconductors.bosch.de/en/20/can/3-literature.asp
The original CAN protocol and other documentation from Bosch.

http://www.can-cia.org/
CAN in Automation news and standards/specifications site.

http://www.campbellsci.ca/CampbellScientific/Catalogue/SDM-CAN_Man.pdf
CAN chipsets and stuff.

Patents

http://freepatentsonline.com/6131680.html
Effectively the "master" Prius driveline patent. Covers all possible operational modes and control of the engine-plus-two-motors system.

http://freepatentsonline.com/6057671.html
Battery charging control.

http://freepatentsonline.com/6465988.html
Canceling battery "memory effect" via infrequent wider charge/discharge cycles.

http://freepatentsonline.com/5914575.html
Regenerative drivetrain torque control, including engine jake-braking mode.

http://freepatentsonline.com/6164734.html
Electronically-controlled braking system.

http://freepatentsonline.com/6231134.html
Braking control in general.

http://freepatentsonline.com/6086166.html
Regenerative/electronic braking fail-safe mechanisms.

http://freepatentsonline.com/6161640.html
Engine start/stop via the two motors and power split device.

Other patents

http://freepatentsonline.com/6834737.html
Hydraulic energy storage for hybrid vehicles [concept].