Hey guys,
I am trying to get my first build off the ground as a christmas birthday for my girlfriend and need some advice.
Budget is $600.
Deck: Undeciddd, $50 reserved.
Trucks and Wheels: Caliber II trucks and 83mm flywheels with bearing and spacers from ebay. $60
Pulley: I have only looked at Enertion’s pulley systems. $42
Motor Mounts: I have all the tools and spare aluminum in my back shop to build this from scratch. $0 YAY!
Motor: I am currently looking at an SK3 Motor from hobbyking. Still not sure what kv motor to get, some help in this area would be appreciated. My Girlfriend weighs 130lbs and I weigh 160lbs but midtown Atlanta and the Georgia Tech Campus (where we will be riding) can be quite hilly.
ESC: I was hoping to find an VESC for under $100 but all options seem to be $150+ so I might just go with a Hobbyking 150A one. $75
Battery: I got 42 18650 panasonic cells for $200. This is where I wanted to spend the most money as I want this board to have good range/power performance. We have a plethora of RC chargers and voltage beepers at home (we fly RC) so no more money will be spent here since I’ll be doing the cell welding and wire soldering myself. In the future, I do want to get a BMS and portable charger just in case we run out of battery around school but that won’t be needed now. $200
Remote: Undecided, $50 reserved.
Anything that I am missing?
So far my shopping list totals ~$550 which is right under my budget, throw in shipping charges and other unforeseen things and I might be stretching my $600 but I think I have my bases covered…
Any help and input getting cost down or better parts is appreciated!
Thanks!
Edit:
Deck: Sector Nine Highline $51
Trucks: Caliber II forty-four midnight blue $46
Wheels: Blank 83mm flywheels with abec-7. $28
Battery: 10S4P NCR18650GA. $210
Esc: VESC from ???. $100
Motor: Sk3 or JLabs 192kv??? $80
Remote: enertion or jlabs??? $50
Pulleys: Enertion or similar metal pulley system. $40?
So far I’m just over $600. Shipping is driving prices up just enough. Still pretty satisfied.
You want to drive the board only once in your life?
→ You did forget a charger.
I would recommend you a VESC! It is totally worth it!
If it is hilly i would recommend a 6374 motor. Maybe you should pick the 149kv and when it is too slow then you should use a 190kv motor.
You have 42 cells which I would use as 10S4P with 2 spare cells.
To calculate the speed just use this calc:
Parts list looks good! I have some parts available that I think you would find useful and save some cash at the same time. You can check out my store here: https://electric-skateboard.market/store/polar
get your pulleys and 6374 190 kv motor from @jlabs and build a 10s4p battery with 40cells. And of course a VESC!
Awesome setup for that price!
You won´t have range or hill problems
You’ll find that most of the 150A ESCs (usually for RC cars) have a cell limit of 6S - mine does. So if you want to run more than 6S, you’ll have to get a VESC. Best of luck with the build!
We have a few chargers around the apartment, our research labs and work as we both fly RC and are aerospace engineers. It’s just a nerd thing. Lol
[quote=“DeathCookies, post:2, topic:13899, full:true”]
If it is hilly i would recommend a 6374 motor. Maybe you should pick the 149kv and when it is too slow then you should use a 190kv motor.
You have 42 cells which I would use as 10S4P with 2 spare cells.[/quote]
Why do you suggest that? Why not a 6S7P pack into a ~270ish kv motor? If I’m doing my math right, they should provide similar top speed. I do not remember really how to calculate max torque off the top of my head though and that could be where the difference lies…
Can you point me in the right direction? I would totally be down to make my own ESC as long as there are kits or at the very least pcbs for sale.
That looks like a really nice deck although I’m not sure she would like it! If it were for me though, I’d get it hahaha.
What do you recommend for a beginner? I’ve been riding skateboards since I was 10 but her, not so much…
When do you think you’ll have the 6374 available? It’s out of stock at the moment.
Are ABS 3D printed pulleys good enough? I thought they would be inefficient and might slip.
Otherwise I also have a chunk of ABS in the back I could machine…
Now, where would the fun in that be? Plus the ones for that price range have 1/2 the battery than what my build would and I dont expect the electronics to be that high quality either…
Thanks!
Sorry for the delayed reply, This is a late night project during the week days as I don’t want her finding out about her gift!
you basically have to decide about your system first:
6s or 10s (or something in between, but thats only common if you use lipos in combos like 3 3s in series for 9s)
6s: cheaper, but not so efficient because of of heat losses due to higher Amps. Use a 6s car esc - VESC will overheat.
10s: a bit more expensive, but the best system available for esk8s. Perfect for VESC - Use a 190kv motor.
Single system 6374 Motor, dual go with two 6355.
Printed pulleys are ok for the wheels. For motor pulleys, use alu or steel.
The Esc option is the one most important piece of the puzzle.
Yes, it is more important than even the battery.
Don’t skimp on the heart and soul of your build.
Get a quality Vesc from an established Vendor.
Chaka Vescs are top quality and come with a warranty.
This is not only an matter of quality and performance, it is also a matter of safety.
And since this build is for your girlfriend, safety is your number 1 concern.
You will get the same topspeed but indeed the torque is much less on a 6S! Also the ESC stays cooler with more voltage (like 12S)[quote=“PXSS, post:10, topic:13899”]
Can you point me in the right direction? I would totally be down to make my own ESC as long as there are kits or at the very least pcbs for sale.
[/quote]
Just search on this forum or maybe i can sell you a broken VESC of mine for a good price. (I do have the fried chip as replacement but did not find the time to repair it myself)[quote=“PXSS, post:10, topic:13899”]
What do you recommend for a beginner? I’ve been riding skateboards since I was 10 but her, not so much…
JLabs:
[/quote]
That is up to you.
A smaller board is better for slow speeds where a longer board is more stable in high speed.[quote=“PXSS, post:10, topic:13899”]
Are ABS 3D printed pulleys good enough? I thought they would be inefficient and might slip.Otherwise I also have a chunk of ABS in the back I could machine…
[/quote]
Many people here have printed their own pulleys. The hold up some time fine but not for ever. You could prototype your board with a ABS pulley but i would recommend you a reliable metal pulley
You could always paint it. But really I like this deck its compact but the wheelbase is pushed to the limit and the concave give your feet a nice locked in feeling. Even at 20mph+!
my 44" pintail is really stable at speed but its a pain to drag around campus.
Jet has some really awesome boards for the prices, just don’t get a flat no name board, its another world!
I’m thinking something like the yuneec ego. I know a few people who commute to work every day using that board, it is reliable, has a good warranty, is engineered well, and is a great starter eboard. Just saying a broke college student might not want to choose to diy an eboard as it is an expensive hobby. I could also understand having the itch to build an eboard, as i think everyone on this forum can relate. Just making sure this dude has considered that option.
I think the ego would be ok for someone who just wants a board that “works”…
But new it still costs $600! and v2 only goes 12mph, I remember seeing a v1 at the beach and I caught up in no time!
I’m a college student also, which is why I built my first board.
single drive, vesc, lipo, rc charger, rc mini remote, pick your mounting kit and I have a board that can do 25mph+ (didn’t think I would even want this but now its normal ) and 12 miles per battery.(x2 swappable) Plus I learned a ton from building it! and all for less then $600!
Custom boards win in every way because you build what you want!
But I will admit, building is addictive, and that gets expensive!
Thanks for all the input!
I’ve been doing some research on VESCs and am thinking of building my own.
Does anyone know where I could get the BOM and PCB or if it’s sold as a kit?
As far as the 10S vs 6S, I think for my first board, I will stick to true and tried and go with a 10S pack, if I feel like it’s lacking or drawing too much from the cells, I can always add more in parallel as long as I plan the layout right.
Not sure I fully agree with low kv = more torque as there are quite a few variables you can change there. I will agree that a higher voltage system is more efficient.
I will take you up on that offer. Will PM you.
I agree, I would not spend $600 for a board that just works when I can make something much better…
E-boards can be an expensive hobby but I do not plan to make more than 2 boards.
One for her and one for me, maybe a third mountain board but that would be it.
) and 12 miles per battery.(x2 swappable) Plus I learned a ton from building it! and all for less then $600!