Newbie Longboard Build + Questions

Hey guys,

I am currently looking at building my first electric longboard. Although I have some engineering (University) background, this will be the first project I have undertaken without any supervision and therefore thought it would be best to ask the experts as to whether or not my current build/plan will work. Little bit of background: I live in a reasonably hilly area (New Zealand), don't have any set budget so I'm happy to spend money if needed but as with most people I would prefer to keep the overall costs down.

So far I have got a pretty good idea of what I think will work but I am still deciding between two options for a few of the main components. So here is my current list of the major components:

1. Batteries
Looking at getting two of these batteries listed on HobbyKing and running them in series.
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewitem.asp?idproduct=19499
With a balance charger something along the lines of this:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__83361__HobbyKing_174_8482_HK_GT2B_3CH_2_4GHz_Transmitter_and_Receiver_w_Rechargable_Li_i_US_Warehouse_.html

2. Motor - Single motor (for now anyway)
Up until yesterday I was sure on getting this motor listed on HobbyKing (assuming that running a 10S motor on 8S is fine. Can potentially switch to 10S as well)
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__18126__Turnigy_Aerodrive_SK3_5065_236kv_Brushless_Outrunner_Motor.html
However yesterday I was looking at Alienpower motors and found the Alien 5065 sensored outrunner motor 220kv (Not sure if the link I have posted works, site went down while writing this)
http://alienpowersystem.com/shop/brushless-motors/alien-5065-sensored-outrunner-brushless-motor-220kv-2200w/
My question is whether the extra money being spent on the Alienpower motor will be worth it in this application given it has a slightly lower KV rating (remembering I want to be able to get up some steady hills) and that it is sensored.

3. ESC - VESC or HobbyKing ESC
So from what I have heard the VESC is a top of the range ESC for electric skateboards. However I have also heard it has some problems with shutting down when it gets too hot. Although this is clearly a good feature to protect the ESC, as I am living in a hilly area I don't really want to have it regularly shutting down on me. This would be fine going up hills as at this stage I'm happy in having to carry my board around every now and then but am not keen for this to happen while breaking downhill. I've also read somewhere that you should pick an ESC with a current rating of 150A+ (which VESC doesn't currently have) which seems counter intuitive as the motors I am looking at are only rated at 60A.
So my question is whether or not the VESC is likely to overheat given the motor setup I have listed. I have also seen that VESC 5.0 is currently in development and from what I can see it looks like it is nearly finished so I am also wondering whether it may be a good idea to start with a HobbyKing ESC and switch to VESC 5.0 when it is released as VESC does seem like a very good controller.

4. Gears
Haven't properly looked into exactly products yet but am looking at 16T to 40T with 70mm wheels

5. Transmitter and Receiver
Again haven't properly looked into this yet but am planning on either using the HobbyKing one listed below or just making my own with arduinos (most likely HobbyKing one to save a lot of time, just want to get on this thing )
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__83361__HobbyKing_174_8482_HK_GT2B_3CH_2_4GHz_Transmitter_and_Receiver_w_Rechargable_Li_i_US_Warehouse_.html

6. Motor Mount
Again this is something I'll be looking into with more depth once I have made a definitive decision on my motor however at this stage I want to make it non-intrusive to my trucks (so preferably no welding). I am wondering whether anyone knows if laser cutting an acrylic mount would suffice as I have easy access to one at my University.

Sorry for the large number of questions, have tried to keep it as succinct as possible but I would really appreciate any comments/improvements on what has been posted. I'm sure a quite a few of these posts pop up but would very much like to be able to order parts with the knowledge that there is a good chance they will work well together.

Thanks in advance,
Blair

1. Batteries OK
2. SK3 motors are good enough and I don't think alien motors are any better. SK3 motors also come in different KV, just pick the right one. (There is a topic on this forum on how to calculate KV)
3. What exactly is HobbyKing ESC?
4. Gears depend on your motor mount and KV
5. G2TB is a good start
6. Acrylic is a no-no. It breaks very easy. 3D printed PETG might be good alternative. Search for topics by @Idea on this forum.

Hey,

Sorry I wasn't too clear on the ESC. By HobbyKing ESC I just meant an ESC from HobbyKing. However after looking for a few examples that I could use the majority of the ones that seemed suitable were at similar prices to the VESC. However I did find one (linked below) that does seems reasonably good. However it only has an ON/OFF braking system and I'm unsure whether that is sufficient for an electric longboard build.

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__24179__Turnigy_dlux_80A_HV_Brushless_Speed_Controller_OPTO_AUS_Warehouse_.html

In addition to rmrf above,

2) SK3 is best, but all the sk range works. Basically every motor you buy for skateboards is an older or newer version of the sk motors.

3) I would go VESC or FVT esc. the FVT is the cheapest option for up to 6s that is well proven, and the VESC the last one you will ever need.

6) Don't use acrylic. Most of the flat materials for cheap laser cutting are not great (PC won't cut nicely, acrylic is too brittle, etc) 3d printing can work, but is not the strongest solution either so needs larger designs. Best bet would be to use a cnc router and cut one from aluminium/PC/acetal/nylon or another industrial material.

Sweet thanks for the help guys.
Have gone with the SK3 motor and the VESC.
Will look into getting a motor mount properly made when all the parts arrive. Knew the acrylic was a long shot but I was hopeful as that would save a lot of time and cost

Be very careful with VESC, use lab power supply at 12V for initial test and motor calibration.