Hi All! I’ve been lurking here for a while now. And now planning to build my first DIY electric skateboard. First a small introduction about me. My name is Igor, 25, from the Netherlands (Eindhoven). I do have experience building RC planes and drones.
Now my plan for an electric skateboard, I want it to be relatively cheap (€250-300) if possible, 10-15 km range, and a max speed of around 20-25 km/h. Preferably lightweight/portable, size of a regular skateboard/cruiser board.
I already have a charger that charges up to 6S batteries.
I’m a HobbyKing platinum member, so I get some discounts.
I’ve got workshops and a 3D printer to make parts/mounts/cases, maybe even the deck.
Motor: SK3 - 6364-245kv - (or a lower KV one? Tips/advise please. Hobbykings says 10s Lipo, how do they perform on 6s? +/- €70
ESC: FVT 120A - Cheap, programmable - €45
Batteries: 2 x 3Cell LiPo +/- 5000-6000 mAh from Hobbyking +/- €50
TX & RX:http://www.ebay.com/itm/262779892776 - €15,50
Deck: Cheap deck (second hand, new) or DIY deck.
Trucks: Not sure yet, Anyone experience with cheap trucks?
Wheels: Not sure yet, what size? Cheap?
Motor mount & Pulleys: Diy, or anyone with experience with ebay mounts? I find them for around 15-20$. And what pulleys to use?
Hopefully the low prices help out with your low budget If you do get any of the taobao products, please do let me know, as I’m also planning on getting them and would love a second opinion!
Your motor at 245kv 6s should be fine, just don’t plan on going up hills with it.
Trucks - Caliber II or clones (35-50€)
Mount - @torqueboards OR selfmade mount (self made is cheaper, some have been known to 3D print mounts but I don’t know how reliable they are)
Pulleys - wheel pulley can be 3D printed cheap, motor pulley needs to be aluminum or steel - belt can be found very cheap around 6€ usually
Wheels - decent flywheel clones from sizes 76-97mm can be found on eBay usually around 20€
The esc is good for it’s price, I have the same right now and very smooth acceleration.
I’ve also the same controller and receiver, working fine and so cheap!
If you want cheap trucks I should look for these:
You can choose one side turning service, diameter 18mm mostly and the turning distance.
If you should use a cheap mount like this make sure you drill small holes in your trucks were the 3 srews has to be, then it works well:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/391673829971
I got flywheel clones from alliexpress, only 30€ for 4 wheels but the price is constantly changing so if you wait a couple days it will be very cheap again: http://s.aliexpress.com/iErMbyey
For the wheelpulley I should suggest these:
For the motorpulley I should suggest this one:
For the motor I should use a 50mm motor, the 63mm motors won’t fit on these motormounts so they will become much more expensive.
I should go for a 50mm which is available in the EU.
I’m running sk3-236kv and sk3-320kv, both 50mm diameter and running fine.
You should perfectly go with a sk3-280kv, will give you 30km/h max speed.
I’m still in doubt about the motor and the trucks.
What would you choose, and why? (I see these motors being used by others)
I do live in a flat area, not much climbing to do. Max speed +/- 25km/h, will use 6s battery.
SK3 - 5065-236kv
SK3 - 6364-190kv
SK3 - 6364-213kv
SK3 - 6364-245kv
I’ve used the 245kv on a single setup with VESC before on 8S. It was a perfect match! I also tried it on 6S, but it didn’t have any guts for climbing hills at all, but still moved me along on flats. I’m sure a car ESC like the one you found would do better with it at that lower voltage though, and given you live in a flat area, you should be fine. I wouldn’t go with any of the lower kv options, as I feel they won’t give you any more torque since you are running a relatively low voltage.
Am I gonna notice the difference between those motors? I mean, I see people using the 5065 motors and they reach the same speeds as I am hoping to reach. Will a bigger motor be more powerfull/more efficient?
And the torque / KV can be influenced by the gear ratio right? Or are there more things I have to look at?
Anyone able to give me some advice on which motor to choose and why? I’ll be running it on 6S.
For instance, this guy (instructables) is using a SK3 - 5055-280kv. Why would I buy a bigger motor? A lot of other builds are using a SK3 - 6364-245kv for instance. Am I getting more speed, torque or distance?
So far I did order the transmitter+receiver, the trucks. Planning on buying the 83mm flywheel clones, the fvt 120A car esc, 2* 5000mah 3s lipo’s and building the deck by myself.
The kv on the motor stands for RPM/Volts. The higher the kv, the higher the speed. These high speed motors do sacrifice torque however, and the general recommendation is to stay between the 190kv-250kv range, with 190kv on 10s being a fantastic (but more expensive than some alternative) option.
I’ll be running 6S, so I’ve got a lower voltage. Choosing for around 245KV, or maybe even higher would be a better option?
It’s confusing, since I can still influence this by changing the gear ratio of the pulleys right? And does a 63mm motor give more power (torque) than a 50mm motor? Since the KV can be similar.
I’m planning on running 6s 236kv and I’ll let you know how it works. I don’t know about 63mm vs 50mm, but 63mm results in a more expensive and harder to fit motor.
If you do get any of the taobao products, please do let me know, as I’m also planning on getting them and would love a second opinion!