Hey, I’m looking to build my first electric longboard and am looking for some advice/review from more experienced people before I pull the trigger on all my purchases. I’ve done a lot of research on this forum and in general, but I still don’t feel like I fully know what I’m doing. My goal for this first build is just to have something that works, I don’t necessarily care that much about the top speed or torque as long as it can make it up a decently sized hill. If this works, I may just try to reuse most of the parts and buy more powerful batteries/motors for future builds. My budget is average, don’t want to spend a ton but am willing to pay more if necessary to get better parts. For reference I weigh about 150lbs so I’m not a super heavy guy.
So here is my plan categorized based on the part:
Longboard itself: Likely just going to buy a used one on kijiji, not too concerned about the quality I have a couple nice ones that I would prefer to just keep the way they are. So the wheels will likely be 70mm, I figure if I need more clearance room I can buy larger wheels if necessary.
Motor: Leaning towards this one: https://www.banggood.com/N5065-320KV-1820W-Outrunner-Brushless-Motor-For-Electric-Scooter-Skate-Board-DIY-Kit-p-1270024.html rmmds=search&stayold=1&cur_warehouse=CN
320kV, from what I’ve heard ideally you want between 200-300kV so I figure 320 should be okay if I’m not aiming for a high top speed (although I believe the kV is more of an indication of the motors power, so please let me know if this will not provide enough torque – again I’m pretty light)
ESC: This is the one I’m having the most trouble deciding. I kinda want to buy a VESC from Enertion even though it is pretty expensive, since I could reuse it for future builds. I have Linux so I think I can manage the installation and tweaking of the VESC. One other concern I have with this is that I heard Enertion shipping can take a very long time (I live in Canada).
The other option I was looking into was the Maytech VESC which is cheaper, but I heard is more unreliable. I don’t think I need FOC mode so maybe it would be a better choice to get this.
Batteries: I’m looking mainly at buying two of these: https://www.banggood.com/DC-12V-8000mAh-Super-Rechargeable-Protable-Lithium-ion-Battery-Pack-p-969148.html?rmmds=search&cur_warehouse=CN
I’m confused about the C rating about these however. I read all the battery guides and the consensus seemed to be that lithium ion is slightly better than lipo and will last longer? These also come with a charger so it seems like a good deal. If I run these in series it will provide 24V which I read is usually sufficient, and the 8000mAh is a good capacity. There’s no C rating I can see but I guess that its mainly for lipo and not lion batteries.
Drivetrain: From the drivetrain guide, it seemed a 5mm pitch was the best way to go, so I’m looking at buying these parts:
Pinion- https://www.ebay.ca/itm/HTD-5M-15T-16W-5-6-6-35-8-10-12-7mm-Bore-Pitch-5mm-Timing-Belt-Drive-Pulley-15T/252402866384?hash=item3ac46218d0:m:mqPLXSwNb81pLApP7iWEZCw Spur - https://www.ebay.ca/itm/HTD-5M-36T-16W-5-20mm-1-4-1-2-Bore-Pitch-5mm-Synchronous-Timing-Belt-Pulley/262472824293 Belt - https://www.ebay.ca/itm/270-5M-HTD-Timing-Belt-54-Teeth-Cogged-Rubber-Geared-Closed-Loop-15mm-Wide/262536854413?hash=item3d206a7b8d:g:spEAAOSwIgNXkH8i
I’m not really sure how to mount this to the trucks, I read some guides saying I need to weld it but I’d like to avoid that if not absolutely necessary.
As an alternative, perhaps it would be better for a beginner to buy a drivetrain kit with a mount like this and avoid the issue of welding stuff on altogether? https://www.amazon.ca/XCSOURCE-Electric-Skateboard-Longboard-OS915/dp/B073GXFV2L/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1530030403&sr=8-2&keywords=electric+longboard+motor+mount
Overall, I’m hoping I can get some pointers in the right direction, and if anyone has the time perhaps serving as mentor of sorts that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.