This is my official entry to the esk8 builder challenge.
I had a few goals that I wanted to achieve with this build:
- Travel Friendly - has to look as close to a regular longboard as it can as to attract the least attention at airports. Battery must also be modular and under 99wh
- As low as it can go - double drop for high speed stability
To achieve the first goal, I had to go the hub motor + integrated deck route. No motors sticking out + the least amount of visible cables + integrated deck = looks like a (thicc) longboard to me! For the battery, I utilized @Winfly’s excellent hardware compression packs. With his packs, I was able to break down a 12s4p into 6 modules of 2s4p battery packs, each being just 88wh.
To make it modular, I soldered some XT30 connectors to the ends of each module.
I chose this connector because it’s small enough that it doesn’t eat up that much space and each pin supports 30 amps, for a total of 60.
To make balance leads modular, I soldered some 2 pin jst plugs to the braid, one in the middle and one on the positive end.
Adding in some insulation.
Test fitting onto the hummie deck.
To mount the enclosure, I used some white tape to mark where I would drill holes onto the enclosure.
To make sure I get even spacing between the screws, I folded a strip of plastic into three equal parts and used that as a guide on where to mark.
I did have to make some modifications to the deck with my router. First, the unity doesn’t fit:
I had to route an inch or so to fit it.
Next, I had to route some wheel wells to deal with the wheel bite.
Lastly I routed the top of the deck so the baseplate “blends in” onto the deck.
A few more details with the electronics that I’d like to highlight:
Motor cable extensions
Foam strips for anti vibration
Modular charging circuitry
Test run:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtT5iKQB_9WmNXDJoSA63dkJzNZYkKZiFphCeo0/