First build: 12S, Single 6374, Hi5ber Zenith

[SteveS]

Hard Parts:
Hi5ber Zenith carbon fiber deck, with Vicious grip tape
Caliber II 44 blackout trucks
ABEC 11 Flywheel 90 mm 78A wheels
ACER Racing ceramic bearings
Psychotiller custom enclosure
Psychotiller motor mount

Electrical/Electronic Parts:
VESC
BadWolf-enclosed GT2B remote
2 x Rhino 4900 mAh 6S batteries
Turnigy SK3 192kv 6374 motor


First, I want to publicly thank Chaka and Psychotiller, both of whom provided beautiful parts and exceptional customer service. Their help was critical to my success; this was my first build, I have no prior experience with electronics, and I have only a high school knowledge of electricity.


I did a few things I think are a little unusual. First, to get 12S efficiency and power somewhat conveniently, without needing an expensive 12S balance charger, I wired the batteries like this:






I connect the plain XT90 to the VESC and use the XT90-S anti-spark connector with a loop key. Of course, the loop key puts the batteries in series and acts as a power switch. To charge, I remove the loop key and disconnect the VESC and charge the batteries at 6S, with a parallel charge harness and IMAX charger.


Second, to reasonably conveniently access the connectors, I put a hole in Psychotiller's enclosure.




And use a Jeep body plug to plug the hole. The hole is a little tight, so I might expand the hole and plug it with a Ford body plug, instead. But this is it for now.




Finally, for safety and vibration insulation, I put the batteries in LiPo charging bag. This picture was before I changed to XT90 connectors.




The result, before finalizing wiring, flipping the motor mount (for protection), and raising the motor's position (for clearance).






Results:
I'm extremely happy with the result. With 15/36 gearing, the top speed is over 30 mph and it rips up 15% hills, which are as steep as I encounter. At 14.5 pounds, it's not as light as I'd hoped, but that's the price of power, range, and the comfort of big wheels, so I can live with it. My only point of comparison is a Boosted Dual+, which just didn't have enough range for my commute (so I returned it inside the 30-day return period). This board is cheaper, faster, lighter, climbs hills better, has (much) better range, and a more reliable remote connection. It's really better in every way except charging convenience and braking (due to one wheel drive).

Build your own, gents!

 

[psychotiller]

I can't see your pictures! I like pictures

 

[SteveS]

I can't see your pictures! I like pictures

Ugh, I can see them. Let me try to figure this out . . .

[Edit: Should be good now]

 

[okp]

great build.

your motor is way too close to the ground. I think it would need more clearance.

 

[SteveS]

great build.

your motor is way too close to the ground. I think it would need more clearance.

Thanks. Regarding motor height, that picture was taken during assembly; I raised it before I rode it.

 

[torqueboards]

Looks great nice Did you just drill the bolts into the carbon fiber?

 

[SteveS]

Looks great nice Did you just drill the bolts into the carbon fiber?

Yes, pilot holes and wood screws. I've probably had the enclosure on and off 6 times now and the holes are holding up perfectly. Almost feels like machine screws and nuts now!

This is a pleasant surprise, actually. I figured I'd use wood screws temporarily, then epoxy in brad holes to use with machine screws, but the wood screws work great.

 

[verruckt]

Killer build.

Where did you get the (15mm?) 36t wheel pulley and how are you attaching it to your drive wheel?

 

[whitepony]

man, hi5ber looks so beautiful!! nice build the case looks really sturdy!

did you dampen the board <-> case connection with anything? if not, isnt it rattling a little on rough ground?

 

[SteveS]

Killer build.

Where did you get the (15mm?) 36t wheel pulley and how are you attaching it to your drive wheel?

Thanks. Yes, it's more than wide enough for the 15mm belt and it's a lovely one-piece interlocking fit with ABEC hubs. But I didn't identify the seller because he doesn't want to sell these as parts.

 

[SteveS]

man, hi5ber looks so beautiful!! nice build the case looks really sturdy!

did you dampen the board <-> case connection with anything? if not, isnt it rattling a little on rough ground?

Thanks. I don't have anything between the deck and enclosure. I don't notice any squeaks or rattles as I ride, which I'm inclined to attribute to a combination of the deck being very stiff and the bottom of the deck being slightly curved, which keeps the enclosure under some tension.

 

[psychotiller]

Love the build!
Why did you turn the motor mount upside down again? The rounded part of the motor mount is slightly larger than your motor for a reason you know? It's to protect your motor from making contact with the asphalt. :wink:

 

[SteveS]

Why did you turn the motor mount upside down again? The rounded part of the motor mount is slightly larger than your motor for a reason you know? It's to protect your motor from making contact with the asphalt. :wink:

Actually, I figured that out when I took the picture with my dog in it! I flipped it and raised the motor before the first ride.

 

[verruckt]

Killer build.

Where did you get the (15mm?) 36t wheel pulley and how are you attaching it to your drive wheel?

Thanks. Yes, it's more than wide enough for the 15mm belt and it's a lovely one-piece interlocking fit with ABEC hubs. But I didn't identify the seller because he doesn't want to sell these as parts.

Aaaand the search continues for the elusive 15mm drive wheel pulley / wheel mount combo.

I tried to purchase similar parts from the Metroboard guy and he refuses to sell parts to anyone who can't prove they own one of his boards already...

Hoping someone with the necessary skills will recognize a business opportunity...

Again- awesome build!

 

[whitepony]

Aaaand the search continues for the elusive 15mm drive wheel pulley / wheel mount combo.

hm, torqueboard (diyelectricskateboard.com) definitely has 15mm motor pulleys and his drive wheels were quite a bit wider than 9mm too!

 

[LEVer]

Very sexy. 8) Glad you found your setup.

 

[verruckt]

Aaaand the search continues for the elusive 15mm drive wheel pulley / wheel mount combo.

hm, torqueboard (diyelectricskateboard.com) definitely has 15mm motor pulleys and his drive wheels were quite a bit wider than 9mm too!

Yeah I went to Torque first... he said his were 12mm - he explained that running dual rear 15mm pulleys makes fitment too tight.

I have tried both 15mm and 9mm belts on a single motor setup, and found the 9mm setup lacking when it came to braking performance (it slipped all the time). My 15mm setup never slips, even under hard braking (this is how I ride - lots of traffic - you may not brake as much as I do).

My post isn't meant to be a complaint in any sense. I know that machining parts is time consuming and expensive. If the market isn't there for 15mm then I don't blame them. But I do believe that a single large 63mm motor setup running a 15mm belt is going to prove to be the answer for most people.

My apologies to SteveS - I didn't mean to hijack his thread! I believe his setup is probably the best price for performance system anyone could put together right now. I'm jealous I can't find that one part!!!!

 

[bobfandango]

Hard Parts:
Hi5ber Zenith carbon fiber deck, with Vicious grip tape
Caliber II 44 blackout trucks
ABEC 11 Flywheel 90 mm 78A wheels
ACER Racing ceramic bearings
Psychotiller custom enclosure
Psychotiller motor mount

Electrical/Electronic Parts:
VESC
BadWolf-enclosed GT2B remote
2 x Rhino 4900 mAh 6S batteries
Turnigy SK3 192kv 6374 motor

I like your build SteveS, if only because I'm in the process of building up one that is nearly identical! I've got one of Chaka's freeride boards on order that will be 12S4P, and already ordered the same motor, wheels, bearings and trucks (though, 50 degree) that you're using.

I'm in the process of ordering the balance of parts at this point. I had originally intended to go with psychotiller's mount, but they are sold out on longhairedboy... Do anyone know of another source?

You mention that your gear ratio is working well. How much do you weigh and what kind of hills do you encounter? I'm shopping for 15mm wide pulleys now, and may end up having some wheel pulleys printed... makexyz is not terribly expensive. But I'm still not 100% settled on what ratio to shoot for. I'm 220 lbs and there are some hills around. I'm thinking 16T and 40 to 44T on the wheels.

Lastly, care to share your VESC settings?

Thanks!

 

[SteveS]

Hard Parts:
Hi5ber Zenith carbon fiber deck, with Vicious grip tape
Caliber II 44 blackout trucks
ABEC 11 Flywheel 90 mm 78A wheels
ACER Racing ceramic bearings
Psychotiller custom enclosure
Psychotiller motor mount

Electrical/Electronic Parts:
VESC
BadWolf-enclosed GT2B remote
2 x Rhino 4900 mAh 6S batteries
Turnigy SK3 192kv 6374 motor

I like your build SteveS, if only because I'm in the process of building up one that is nearly identical! I've got one of Chaka's freeride boards on order that will be 12S4P, and already ordered the same motor, wheels, bearings and trucks (though, 50 degree) that you're using.

I'm in the process of ordering the balance of parts at this point. I had originally intended to go with psychotiller's mount, but they are sold out on longhairedboy... Do anyone know of another source?

You mention that your gear ratio is working well. How much do you weigh and what kind of hills do you encounter? I'm shopping for 15mm wide pulleys now, and may end up having some wheel pulleys printed... makexyz is not terribly expensive. But I'm still not 100% settled on what ratio to shoot for. I'm 220 lbs and there are some hills around. I'm thinking 16T and 40 to 44T on the wheels.

Lastly, care to share your VESC settings?

Thanks!

At 15:36, my gear ratio is lower than ideal in that it has a theoretical top speed of about 37 mph, but I don't have any interest in (or nerve for!) going over 30. It hustles my 155 pounds up 15% hills, but I still might try to find a 14T motor pulley.

I'd be happy to share my VESC settings. If you send me your email address, I think it's possible to simply send a file with all the settings . . .

 

[Leonard]

Love the look of the carbon deck. I am building a similar setup, same motor and 15 mm belt but I wanted torque so I bought 12/36 pulleys. After reading your messages I'm thinking that maybe I did a mistake and 14/36 would have been a better choice.

 

[RogerD]

Very nice build. I'd be very interested in hearing your measured total range and top speed. Thinking of building a board like yours but currently trying to correlate the effect of higher voltage, lower mah setups vs lower voltage higher capacity setups.

I agree 30mph is more than enough. My numbers say my boards will do 30, but with me on it the max is 24 on the flats, which is more than enough. Mate of mine came off his around that speed and has ripped his shoulder muscles. 14 months of healing ahead...

 

[SteveS]

Very nice build. I'd be very interested in hearing your measured total range and top speed. Thinking of building a board like yours but currently trying to correlate the effect of higher voltage, lower mah setups vs lower voltage higher capacity setups.

I don't know if I'll ever hit its top speed. It was still accelerating hard when I released the trigger at 28mph and I don't think I'll ever go faster. Range depends on conditions and riding, of course, but I seem to be able to get about 12 miles out of a charge doing the same type of riding as I was when I was getting 5 miles on my Boosted Dual+.

I'd think range is proportional to Wh, with slightly more range at higher voltages due to higher efficiency. Perhaps more knowledgeable members will correct me if that's not right. At any rate, My Boosted had 99 Wh and this board has 44.4v x 4.9ah = 218 Wh.

 

[chaka]

Sweet build Steve! Great idea sticking those lipos in a lipo safe. Hitting some big numbers with that sk3, love those motors! My personal best on a single 192kv is 36mph and it didn't even get that hot.

 

[joeyan310]

good build

how much do you think you spent?

how does it feel to brake at 30mph with one wheel?

 

[SteveS]

good build

how much do you think you spent?

how does it feel to brake at 30mph with one wheel?

Thanks. I haven't done a careful tally, but I probably have about $1,000 in this build. The only issue I find with braking (at any speed) is there just isn't as much traction with one wheel as with two. Particularly if my weight isn't on the driven wheel, it's possible to lock/reverse spin on braking.