New twin motor longboard project "Now running"

Looks great, goes more into the direction of an independant electric vehicle and not 'just' a motorized longboard. I think you could put just aboout anything on top and underneath with that solid frame, no real need for carbon fibre there, but then again it would be even more solid and most likely look awesome. Would love to build a deck with carbon fibre aswell, but for pricing reasons I go with glasfibre for now :)
 
I will try to get a picture for you of the front mount...........

The tube itself is crazy strong. The big quequestion is the quality of my welds.

Remember, bicycle frames are far thinner than this.

Matt
 
Here are some pictures of the top deck installed.

It is made up of two separate pieces of carbon fiber/plywood laminate. That means each piece has a thin layer of CF, then a thin layer of plywood, a thin layer of CF, then plywood, etc. The main deck is 1/8 inch thick while the rear kick up portion is 7mm thick (a bit over 1/4 inch). The thicker piece is needed for strength because of minimal under side support of that piece.

The kick up portion is screwed in place while the main deck is riveted down. I used rivets there for that aircraft look as well as weight savings.

The battery packs will fit up inside the frame rails with a second piece of CF under them similar to the top deck. That will make the batteries completely invisible.

The controllers will be mounted above the rear wheels one on each side. This will give them plenty of airflow and will add to the technical look of the board.

I sure hope it rides as well as it looks. With two 50mm motors on 6S, it should be good for over 3,000 watts peak (maybe far higher). So, it should be a handful.

Oh, the top of the deck is 4 inches high and the deck itself is 1 inch thick. So, it has 3 inches of clearance.

The pictures do not do it justice. The carbon fiber looks wonderful. Oh, the main deck CF is not glossy, it is a sandpaper like gritty surface (it is not decorative carbon fiber, it is industrial carbon). So, I do not think I will need grip tape. That would be great as I want the carbon fiber visible.

Matt
 

Attachments

  • CFtopdeck1.jpg
    CFtopdeck1.jpg
    56.3 KB · Views: 2,175
  • CFtopdeck2.jpg
    CFtopdeck2.jpg
    61.1 KB · Views: 2,175
  • CFtopdeck3.jpg
    CFtopdeck3.jpg
    59 KB · Views: 2,175
  • CFtopdeck4.jpg
    CFtopdeck4.jpg
    61.7 KB · Views: 2,175
I hope you won't ride backwards, cuz that looks like a professional ankle removal tool.

I like that you're building it all from ground up!
 
Looks amazing!
Front foot placement seems to be rather far back from the truck. Why did you decide to go with this arrangement, won't it affect turning leverage?
 
You may have a point about front foot placement. The board is larger than it looks. The width of the deck is 10 inches. So, even with your front foot far forward, leverage is still quite good. Of course, again, you may have a point. It is not the end of the world for me to correct that if needed, though. :)

Matt
 
Here some more pictures.

I added a front foot rest per the comments regarding the narrow nose. I did my best to get it to match the rear kicked up portion to try to eliminate the "Oops, I added this after the fact" look. :)

The ESCs are mounted on a carbon fiber plate at the rear. I am not 100% sure I like the look. I think it is a love it or hate it kind of look.

So, do you guys love it or hate it? I am considering remounting the ESCs parallel with the board rather than the "V" shape they are in.

What are your thoughts?

Matt
 

Attachments

  • rear1.jpg
    rear1.jpg
    56.1 KB · Views: 2,072
  • rear2.jpg
    rear2.jpg
    67.1 KB · Views: 2,072
  • rear3.jpg
    rear3.jpg
    62.1 KB · Views: 2,072
Well, the board is far from finished. However, I did just enough preliminary wiring and strapped a 6S pack to the deck and went for a late night ride. All I can say is HOLY FREAKING CRAP!!! Good grief this thing is a freakin BEAST!

I plugged in the pack stepped on and eased on the throttle. It chirped a touch, then launched. I thought I had a good idea of how hard it would pull. Well, I was wrong......... I tried everything from leaning forward to grabbing the nose of the board and it just has too much power. I love it! If I grab the nose and crouch down as far as I can, it still wheelies.

Now, I must say, it is very docile if I am careful with the throttle. So, it is not uncontrollable. But, my throttle finger is, shall we say, a bit over ambitious. I did not fall (thank the Lord). I am 42 years old. I do not need to break my arm playing with this thing. But, I have to say, it is VERY exciting. Now I see what the draw is to these things.........

Also, 25mph is freaking FAST on a board! Sheesh, I am glad it is not geared any faster.

I need to get my harness made and the lower deck done so I can get this thing truly finished and rideable.

I will post my findings when I have more info for you.

Matt
 
My board experience dates back to my childhood and that was very limited. I have alot of EV experience with my ebikes. I also have a huge amount of RC experience. So, I totally get the electric part of the equation. But, the standing up in the breeze part of it is really new. There is more of a sense of flight with the board than there is with a bike because you are standing well over the board with nothing to hold onto---- very exhilerating!

Well, now I need to finish the lower deck and solder together the main harness for my six 3S packs. Once that is done, the board will be pretty much finished. At that point I can focus on programming the controllers for greater control of the power.

I am looking forward to butt-boarding it. I plan on making foot pegs and handholds that I can easily remove so it can be converted one way or the other.

It sure is a good thing this DX3 is so easy to program. I plan on setting the throttle end point to 50% for my kids.

Matt
 
recumpence said:
But, the standing up in the breeze part of it is really new. There is more of a sense of flight with the board than there is with a bike because you are standing well over the board with nothing to hold onto---- very exhilerating!

Bingo! that is the magic of longboarding!

you should get a regular longboard and give gravity a try also.
 
I agree.

So, I did some testing today. The motors pull 1,300 watts each with my cautions riding. So, I assume 3,000 watts combined is about what this board is capable of.

I have gotten used to leaning into the acceleration naturally. I have also gotten used to leaning based on corner speed and steering with my ankles (toes up or down). I had been trying to steer with my body lean, not ankle position. So, I think I am getting the hang of it. Also, 20mph is not freaking me out nearly as much anymore. Of course, 25mph is another story. It looks like (at least with my current setup) 25mph is the max this board likes from a stability standpoint.

Oh, I am encountering my first technical problem. My motor mount plates are bending from the torque. So, I will be machining new ones this weekend.

Matt
 
sk8norcal said:
recumpence said:
But, the standing up in the breeze part of it is really new. There is more of a sense of flight with the board than there is with a bike because you are standing well over the board with nothing to hold onto---- very exhilerating!

Bingo! that is the magic of longboarding!

you should get a regular longboard and give gravity a try also.

I agree Skateboarding is Great.. I'm nearly 44 & I still love It! not in the half pipes now though :oops:

@ recumpence, I've used the mambas & other Car RC controllers in the passed.. and i really like the castle stuff & the software adjustabilty.. What I have read and the one I'm using at the moment on my first home built E board is that HV controllers that are not car escs (think my alien 120 is based on a plane) offer settings for braking that are not proportional.. low middle high .. or 10-20 -50% etc.
I want.. A bit of trigger gives you a bit of brake lots gives you lots.. not sure if firm ware upgrades could offer this. I trust the big mambas are proportional?

Thanks

Jon
 
Hey Jon,

Yes, you are correct. The airplane based ESCs use non-proportional brakes. These Mambas have proportional brakes. They are also programmable for braking maximum.

I use the HV160 aircraft controllers for my e-bike systems. They work great, but do not have good brakes. The braking as well as punch control are the reasons I went with the Mambas.

Matt
 
Matt, you just said it all .. I have an old eightball chinese type board that has propo brakes .. its crap apart from that . I also have a metroboard which is a great consumer product but to ride hard the three step brake is like what I have on my home build I will have natter to bruno & see what he says. I do like 10s with my alien 63 though & the big mamba is 8.. see how we go .. all good fun

Jon
 
Just go up in KV and you can stay down at 8S. I am at 6S and having a ball (too much power).

Oh, I am already 1/2 way done with the new motor mounts.

I love this thing. It took all of 5 minutes to remove both rear wheels, belts, motors, hubs, and motor mounts. It is sooo easy to work on.

Matt
 
Back
Top