My longboard build thread...

E

Easy-pd

10 W
Joined
Jun 8, 2015
Messages
87
Thought I'd start a build thread. This is from the perspective of a complete novice. I have basic tools (please don't cringe if I use them NOT for their intended purpose, but still get the job done 8) ), I have ZERO electrical skills and a tight budget.

I had a vague idea, found this site and the idea flowered, thanks to advice and input from guys on here.

I CAN ride a board though 8)

I have a pintail longboard tucked away. The trucks were taken from an old eboard that had died a death, not for any other reason than they carve and ride beautifully with the big wheels on them. This, along with the fact that I re sprayed an electrical bolt on the bottom last summer goes to show that it was meant to be, as I have only decided to do this recently

image.jpg3_zpsxhpjdz2m.jpg


This has an advantage that the rear truck has a bracket welded on with 4 holes that a mount can be bolted on. (Potentially, there are two mounts, so I could do a dual setup later down the line 8) )

image.jpg4_zpswb5zecoy.jpg


I have ordered (arrived today) a turnigy 236kv motor, a red brick 120a esc, a wii nunchuck, wii chuck and arduino, two zippy flightmax 5000 20c.

Still waiting on the motor pulley

I am not 100% sure HOW they fit together, i just know that they will from reading up.

The old motor mount is for a brushed 12v 100w motor that coughs and farts when an adult stands on it, so a new mount is needed to enable fitting a stronger motor


****WARNING***** any engineers, users of CNC lathes, or anyone with metalwork skills, look away now



I work in an opticians. When I was looking busy ordering the parts, i mean working, I was racking my brains trying to think where I could get a motor mount made.

Honestly, I say it was meant to be, but one of the guys asked me if they should throw out an old Polaroid demo unit. A unit made of aluminium!

image.jpg1_zpsloqrhoup.jpg


I, ahem, helped put it in the bin. I like this because the cross section is a sheet of aluminium with a reinforcing bar along the edge to (hopefully) keep rigidity (Al-u-min-yum over here where we speak properly :p )

I cut a 'sheet' out of the display unit with a jigsaw and started to roughly shape it using the old mount as a template and drill a hole for the truck

image.jpg3_zpshgz2sb61.jpg


I then used a file to finish and shape

image.jpg5_zpspg6ali1t.jpg


I have kept the other side of the mount as is for now, as I did not have the motor yesterday and am still waiting in the pulley to measure up and shape, hence the poor clearance under the board for now. The wheel has 60 teeth running a 15mm belt already, so i went for a motor pulley of 26 teeth from belting online, who have great service and fixed a screwed up order for me. I used a spreadsheet I found online to work out this should do 18-19mph? I would have used different gearing, but the wheelside pulley seems fairly fixed and I may as well use what's there anyway

The result for now is

image.jpg8_zpsqxblvjxr.jpg


Note the bottom cross section that is kind of a thick bar that I am hoping will stop the mount flexing during use. I am really pleased with this. I have never worked with metal before and it took a while.

Last night, I was tearing out hair with the arduino. Still not got it working :cry:

This thread may progress slowly, as I only tend to get one day a week to play with this project.

Please. Any mistakes I have made, or potential probs you spot, let me know before I finish the project, rather than let me find out the hard way!
 
Im sure you have evaluated the option to use the original motor bracket (like in this thread) but have good reasons not to. Allthou the bracket you did look good with the reinforcement bar, the exskate one is pretty heavy duty I believe. The old 100w motor probably weights as an 6374 outrunner at least.
 
At the time my motor had not arrived and I wanted to try, just for the hell of it. Now I have the motor and see it's not as bulky as I thought, I may still use the old bracket, as it has belt protection. All is not lost, as I could still use the 2nd mount for a dual motor set up later.

Not too sure yet, not got the time to play in my workshop. If I use the old mount, I expect I will need to lengthen the belt though, as I am changing gearing.
 
A running prototype. Not sure if I can adjust the esc. It scares the sht out of me and try's to throw me off the back. Or is that normal?

image_zpshvcxirg2.jpg
 
No, it's throwing me off accelerating :shock:

I'm also finding that when set up, pushing to start is easy, but when the battery is connected, there is resistance and a push off is not so easy?
 
Easy-pd said:
No, it's throwing me off accelerating :shock:

I'm also finding that when set up, pushing to start is easy, but when the battery is connected, there is resistance and a push off is not so easy?
Click to expand...

That's usually an ESC setting. For some reason, your ESC is providing additional resistance beyond the normal resistance from a belt/pulley setup.

What's actually causing it on the ESC itself.. I'm not too sure.. but I'm pretty sure that's your issue. I've experience that a few times with the older dual APS/Flier style ESCs I use to use.

As for the acceleration it depends.. It's definitely a bit different from regular riding.. Heavy foot on the front of the board to prevent the board from pulling out underneath you.

Also when I brake I tend to lean back a bit. I adjust it so I can tap the brakes for a second and it shaves speed off. If I need to brake completely. I hold onto it.
 
First, I'd change to a real car ESC. Plane ESCs do not handle low speed very well, not as well as car ESCs. They also do not brake like car ESCs.

How are you able to use the pistol Tx with that ESC?
 
The tx is just plug and play with the esc. Couldn't get the nunChuck to work, but this feels nice in the hand.

If no joy when I get time to play with this esc, how can I tell which one is a car one? Most just seem to be listed as 'brushless esc' with no description as to what they are for. Which budget ones do you recommend?
 
Here's Hobbyking's list:

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__418__182__Speed_Controllers-Car_ESC.html

Here's RCJuice's list:

http://www.rcjuice.com/car-escs/
 
Easy-pd said:
Which budget ones do you recommend?
Click to expand...

The most common 6S ESCs are the following:
6S 120A FVT
6S 150A Hobbywing XE-Run
6S 150A HobbyKing Car ESC

The most common 12S ESCs are VESC, TorqueBoards Sensored 12S ESC and APS ESCs.

The FVT seems like a recent winner. Hobbywing XE-Run seems higher quality than HK 150A Car ESC.
 
Thanks for that, but I have had some minor success.

Well, it's up and running. I set the esc to slow acceleration, although I may try auto tomorrow. The acceleration was down to the tx. I didn't realise there were dials to adjust the trigger range on top. I had it set to 'all or nothing!'

I have to say so far, it is brutal and a hell of a ride. I have only risked 3/4 throttle which got me 16mph according to iPhone gps. 16 mph feels like warp speed. I can feel a little wobble, but the board has a high centre of gravity, due to large wheels and the trucks. I love the ride of them though, so am toying with the idea of those drop through decks to drop the COG down.

Couple questions for the experts:

When I accelerate, the front trucks try to lift and wheelie. This is a longboard and it is trying to take off! I notice all builds have rear motors, but thought of changing the trucks so the motor is at the front and pulling, rather than pushing. Will this be a problem?

Next step is some sort of aluminium case and lose the bungees! I really want a power switch, rather than plug and sparks to start, but they are rated low amps. I read I need a MOSFET and then I can use any switch? Can anyone point me to an idiots guide to how to fit/solder this? I have looked up a MOSFET and would not have a clue where it goes.

Only 5 minutes ride time and I am bitten by the bug....
 
Edit:
erwincoumans said:
I am using a 150AMP circuit breaker, and I use it also to switch the board ON/OFF. It is waterproof, so it sits exposed under the board.
It is ~USD$ 28. I'm using it with up to 12S (a few Volt above its rating of 48 V).

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001PT7XBE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00
Click to expand...

Original reply:
I asked about front wheel drive on the boards and the reply was that is was more responsive.

Yes you can use a transistor. A transistor doesnt entirely shut off though. There will always be some milliamps leaking from the battery. This means that you will drain the battery when not in use and this is bad in the long haul (more charge cycles).
The main reason to use a transistor is that they are small. You can get a 150A mosfet in a to220 package. For wiring: read and check the datasheet, test the setup on a breadboard with a surge protected power supply first. Do not test this on a breadboard with lipos and engine, a breadboard isnt made for that kind of amperage! Just try to switch a lightbulb or something.

The second option is using a relay switch. These can become big quickly.

The third option is a manual switch able to handle 100+ A as you can guess, this is not common and when searching for this you will find "loss of power switches" (dont know english word) that are meant for houses.
There was a small one on amazon which ill link to in edit.

Edit2: Use of a switch that cannot handle the amps is dangerous, the current can weld the switch shut in the on position. Dedicated emergency breakers run 3 switches next to each other and it tests itself for this, if one of the 3 fails to disconnect a warning comes on and the machine will be shut down until the breaker is fixed.
 
Thanks. I am looking at the circuit breaker. I think there is added security of an instant push off and circuit protection if I understand correctly.

I took it for a ride today. A-maze-ing!!

Bitten by the bug, just need to build an enclosure now. Nothing really got hot, just a bit warm. Maybe did 3 miles. Gets a bit rattly on bumpy roads, so going to check the trucks and wheels.

I really want an aluminium enclosure to match the trucks and mount. Any suggestions?
 
Turned from a build thread into a questions thread....

The lipos are in series? (2 3s batteries connected to double the voltage to 6s)

I have brought a connector that connects the balance port of the two 3 cell packs to make it into a single 6s balance plug. Can I charge the batteries in series with this plug, or do I need to disconnect them each time I charge?

My charger takes a 6s balance plug.

Any tips to keep stability at speed. I cannot go over 16 or 17 mph without wobble starting to creep in. Would a drop deck help if clearance is ok?
 
Yes, a circuit breaker has some protections that you wouldnt get otherwise. The protection might trigger when you are trying to go uphill too fast/steep. This can save your engine from burning through.

For rattling you can get softer wheels (86A is harder than 78A for example), get bigger wheels, or get pneumatic wheels (which are bigger and softer).

Your engine kinda needs 6S. So yes, you should connect in series.
Yes if you have such an adapter that makes your 2x3S a legit 6S battery. (it probably has "twin 3S to 6S" written on it)
I advise you to bring both to the same voltage before you connect them and charge them as a pair, or your balance charger will need to work extra hard.

Low center of gravity = stability. A drop deck accomplishes this.
Against wobble you can also fix the trucks more. Doing this will increase your turning radius.
 
I will tighten tomorrow. Balancing the lipo, as one arrived quite out of balance. Takes ages.

Another question:

My motor has the following specs:

Turns: 10T
Voltage: 10S Lipoly
RPM/V: 236kv
Internal resistance: 0.019 Ohm
Max Loading: 60A
Max Power: 1850W
Shaft Dia: 6.0mm
Bolt holes: 25mm
Bolt thread: M4
Weight: 530g
Motor Plug: 4mm Bullet Connector

As it is 60a 'max loading' does that mean 60a is the biggest draw on the board and I can use a circuit breaker rated at 60a or above?

I have found a lipo and electronics case. I am going to order a 3.5" aluminium hdd enclosure.
 
Easy-pd said:
As it is 60a 'max loading' does that mean 60a is the biggest draw on the board and I can use a circuit breaker rated at 60a or above?
Click to expand...

That means the company recommends no more then 60a max to the motor. You can use a circuit breaker way above the 60 amp rating. Ex. If you are looking into the 150A/300A Circuit Breakers those are fine to use.

I used them in the past but realized that some of them broke over time. Not sure why.. I had one that lasted 6 months or longer and swapped it with new ones and the 2 new ones only lasted for 1 month each before breaking. Maybe it's because I drop my deck from waist high.
 
Been reading up. Can I use a car relay of some sort with a normal switch? Would it be relatively easy for an electrical novice? Still not liking the plug and spark method, it just doesn't seem right....
 
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