So I was lucky enough to pick up a very cheap Louboard 1.0. I bought it for a gag and to keep in the office for a fun commute to the local coffee shop.
See: https://www.louboard.com/product/lou-1/
But I actually love the size and weight. Its been a load of fun. But man it is slow!!! The single hub does NOT do hills, like not even a slight incline. The battery sag as well is real!!
So I’m thinking I need to throw in a VESC (or two) and maybe change the battery pack. I have experience in belt setups but I have no idea about hub motors. According to the louboards website it has a 1.5kw motor. I assume based off the fact it hardly moves that it is terrible.
So I want to upgrade to a new hub motor setup. The board is running 83mm wheels which I actually like on the nickel board setup. So Im looking for some help.
Can any one suggest:
- Single or dual setup?
- Quality hub motors with some grunt? (prefer high torque over top speed)
(prefer 83mm rather then 90mm) The new Predator Banshee hubs look pretty powerful.
The inners of the Louboard. The VESC’s are tight but it should fit where the original ESC is.
Original Louboard 1.5kw motor
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Well that’s a single drive hub motor with no reduction and freaking tiny size + closed design with no cooling whatsoever, this was to be expected.
Generally single drive hubs in small sizes are very weak.
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You are not going to fit a big enough battery to acomodate a dual drive. I’d say make a single belt drive.
6355 motor
15mm 15/36 or 16/36
1 Vesc
As big of a battery as you can fit (10s2p VTC6?)
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Or you can use different deck or different ESCs…sadly I dont know about any realible ESC with good brakes that would be small enough and comparable to VESC 
The idea with single 6355 is probably the best 
but you would have to change so many parts that it would be better to build a new board instead
I also love the deck and size of the Louboard A perfect commuter board.
I’d say go for a single setup like @BoostedBuilder said. Slap some kegels or flywheels on there and go for 10s2p with high quality cells.
No way 2p is going to fit in the existing battery slot.
Someone on Kickstarter said it’s 10s1p
I have a 1.0 (for my gf) and a 3.0, with one dead hub and maybe dead ESC.
I’m thinking about using a Meepo ESC, as it’s written on their website that you can push to start the board, like the Lou board who doesn’t have an on/off power switch.
Maybe also their 90mm hub, but it might be too big and get wheelbite.
Existing battery is 1p yes. 2p won’t fit in 1.0.
Lou already has the same ESC as Meepo, or at least similar, that cheap eBay one.
I was thinking of doing some upgrades but the space is limited and IMO it would be better to build a DIY board of this size, if you want a penny (nickel).
I will probably just upgrade the battery pack using better cells.
Will there be any other upgrades needed when you upgrade the battery pack on LOU 1.0? I mean can you keep all the other parts original?
And what would be the best option for the battery when upgrading the LOU 1.0?
(Im pretty inexperienced with electronics so Im just trying to get some info )
If using same type and number of cells in series (10s), it will be the same voltage as original one, that’s it.
If you want to charge that pack using the board charger you need to add a 10s BMS for charging.
Since there really is no room for a 2p pack, the next best thing is to use decent cells in the 1p pack, like sony VTC6.
fwiw, you may wish to fasten the plastic deck to the chassis with nut-and-bolt technology before attempting even the simplest driveway carve
(naked lou cut me lol)
rooting for you. I really want to heart that thing.
Okay. But when you build a pack using better cells, do you also need to get other new components? Better ESC?
I was looking at that Reddit post as well. There are some good ideas there but those are for the LOU 3.0 by the looks of it.
Sure, if you want to. I think the ESC is good enough… But if you have spare VESC…it is possible. Then you need to upgrade the remote as well.
Next thing, you’ll be upgrading the hub.
But why? This board ain’t worth it. As I said, at this point it is better to build your own small board. At least you’ll have space for bigger battery.
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So I quess I could build a better battery pack with better cells, have the same voltage and amps and it would work fine with original parts? Just have bigger battery capacity for longer work time.
Yes, longer ride times but also less voltage sag which means better performance.
You need cells with higher Amps rating, not the same though
That sounds great! So best option for an upgrade would be to build a 10s1p battery pack with better cells and get a 10s BMS for that to use the original charger?
Exactly. That’s my plan anyhow. Anything beyond that is just too much and not worth for this toy IMO.
But there are other things that need attention.
The swappable deck for example needs some work. It is bad design, borderline dangerous. They said the upgrade kit will be available but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
I also find that the charging port is not really safely mounted and the wires are exposed.
Also, bluetooth module and the wires from ESC should be more safely routed and mounted since they are just hanging in there and the vibrations might cause problems. Not to mention the rattling sounds they make…
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I think VTC5A cells would be better for this application
May be. But VTC5A are currently 25% more expensive than VTC6 and I really don’t think anyone would notice the difference. OK, maybe larger rider. But why would a larger rider get Lou 1.0 anyhow ???
