On the quest to replace my bicycle and for the fun of shredding, I am planning to convert my drop through Loaded Tan Tien board. Of course, I have thoroughly over-researched all options and am now trying to figure out, what is the best place to start for a first build.
I would love to do a Direct Drive (not Hub) setup, as I believe it’s the future, but it still seems to be, well, the future. So, a more affordable setup that I can ride to trash might be better to get started.
I have come up with few alternative set-ups, and would love to hear your feedback.
Which is best to get started?
Is any inconsistent? (Like, is it dumb to save on ESC? Should rather save on wheels?)
Here are the setups:
Simple Single $355
$60 190kv 6354 2.5kw motor
$80 10s2p 18650, Samsung 30Q (30A, 1.2kw, 222Wh)
$20 simple BMS for charging 10s
$0 Top mount existing trucks (Paris 7")
$50 Standard gears etc (Under rear mount motor)
$45 Simple ESC 30A + remote
$70 85mm Kegel Oranatan
$30 Enclosures + Wires etc
Good Single$625
$90 190kv 6374 3.2kw motor
$140 10s3p 18650, Sony VTC5A (90A, 3.3kw, 288Wh)
$30 simple BMS for charging 10s
$50 under mount 10-Calibers
$50 Standard gears etc (back mount motor)
$85 VESC 50A
$30 remote
$100 97mm flywheel
$50 Enclosures + Wires etc
Cheap Double Belt/Hub $400+
$140 + 40 ship belt with trucks and wheels 2x1500W, 180/270kw
You clearly took the time to be clear with the options, could you post where you were planning to source the materials? Specifically the batteries, I would recommend Samsung 25R over VTV5A for a cheap cell.
@Stan8 and @Komamtb
For a cheap build (where the ESC is the limiting factor), I planned to use the Samsung Q30 cells -> they sell for $3-4 depending on amount. They are tested and economical (3Ah energy and 15A power).
But for a more powerful build, I wanted to use the Sony VTC5A, because they have an amazing 30A discharge rating and only sacrifice a bit of energy at 2.6Ah, costing about $4.5. Of course, if they were cheaper, I’d just get the Samsung T40 INR 21700s (4Ah, 30A, $7.5).
The thing about a VESC - in a cheap build a decent VESC + remote cost as much as the motor and batteries together - I am not sure if that makes sense in a simple build. Please enlighten me, what am I missing? Also, what is better about the flipsky $50 remote over a random $30 Aliexpress remote?
People were having problems with those $30 remotes disconnecting and possibly causing crashes, idk the Flipsky one seems nice enough to me, although I may upgrade the battery.
Not quite sure about your complaint about prices of parts… Nice things are expensive.
Oh boy, that sounds dangerous. Now I understand why people spend on these. Thank you!
I agree - nice things cost. But I am trying to stick to the 80/20 principle and get what gets the job done. Nice to haves upgrades are for a Mark II build
Unfortunately, I do not have a spot welder. I was hoping to find someone with one in my lab. Else I’ll have to get some questionable holders and wire them up or do the unspeakable and solder them.
I kinda want to do it myself, but well, I would also prefer it to be spot welded. Tried to pm you. but apparently you can only pm 2 people a day as a new user… So, pm me, please.
Awesome! Thank you for the tip. They also have the 40Ts for a reasonable price. Does anyone have experience with shipping and import taxes to the US with them?
yeah the shipping is 30 euros and takes about a month. there is a 1% IST fee from your bank for paying with euros, so they offer a 1% discount through US visas or whatever. just be aware the fee will post a few days after the transaction.
Totally unnecessary to ship batteries from the EU to the US. I use IMRbatteries for most of my cell purchases. liionwholesale is also a good US source but they tend to be out of stock more often than IMR is.
There’s a number of guys, myself included, in the US who can spotweld you a pack, I would highly recommend that over soldering it yourself. The cost savings is hard to justify when accounting for the heat damage you’re doing to the cells reducing their capacity/life.
Edit* Also I would agree that saving on wheels and spending more on a VESC vs a cheap yingli ESC or even hobbywing, is a good idea. I ran a set of 97mm amazon flywheel clones for a year and they’re still totally fine, definitely not as soft as the real deal even tho they claim to be 78A.
Thanks for the advice on investing in ESC rather than wheels.
I agree with your comment on the (un)necessity of importing batteries. However, the option to get the U tags pre-welded onto them makes it possible for me to build any pack I desire without having to rely on any third party, which I like. Even with tags and shipping, NKON still seems to be cheaper than IMR (for 100 pc Samsung 30Q)
I would love to keep the deck dropped through. That makes it difficult. I have not found any other build with a low deck that I liked. I am thinking about getting Hub/DD motors or mounting the motors over the deck with more distance and using a chain as drivetrain. Also considering to have the battery pack, BMS and VESC on top of the board upfront. Would love to hear if anyone has done something like this (couldn’t find it)?
