started to get boring during the pandemic and did some research on electric longboards.
I’m still having a longboard (Apollo Fidji) laying around, so wanted to give it a try.
Goal:
Learn some new skills, trying to make use of my 3D printer that is just sitting on the shelf and having fun. Best case, the longboard will give me a decent distance (7-10km) and speed (max. 25km/h).
Just cruising some level and smooth bike ways, no serious slope and no off-road driving.
This will definitively be no “hard core” or “high end” build.
I’m not avoiding pre-build boards or bolt-on kits for financial reasons - I’m just an enthusiast in building stuff (I guess like everyone else here). But please don’t judge if I’m trying to safe some money here and there as I’m not sure if I will succeed at all
Known deficits:
I’m a halfway engineer, but didn’t spend too much time in electrical engineering classes - so most of it is honestly just try and error. And sorry if you find some typos, English is not my mother tongue.
Now the specs so far:
Battery
ICR18650-HE4 25000mAh 20A
10S2P configuration
Probably some cheap BMS (10S), bypassing for discharging. Limiting power via VESC.
Controller
VESC 4.12
Flipsky VX1 remote
Board
I’m starting from a regular Apollo Fidji board I had laying around
Wheels are 72mm, so I can already see that it will be critical for the clearance
Motor / Motor mount
Was really interested in the possibilities, but for simplicity I will go for a belt drive for the moment
As far as I can make sense on how all is linked together, I can still go for a different setup by changing the trucks (but for sure with the VESC limitation for one motor)
Motor itself wasn’t decided yet, will wait for the mounting kit to arrive first
Enclosure
Will be a DIY approach based on Fusion 360 and my cheap 3D printer
Should make sure batteries are boxed safely in case there’s contact with the ground. Besides that, should not cover the whole board - anyway, just a first draft. I’m pretty sure I’m too optimistic with the space.
Attached a first draft on how it may look like
Width: 80mm, Length 300mm, Height 40.3mm, taking the shape of the board, should hopefully work out with the flex of the board if I have some rubber/foam to seal the connection between enclosure and board
Misc
Will go for a XT90S socket for connecting/disconnecting power
That’s it so far - besides the board, none of the components have arrived yet. So for sure the housing might get adjustments as soon as I have a chance to take real measurements.
I’m no expert but I’ve heard a few things about those separate port BMSs.
"Well yesterday, a viewer and I finally received our separate port BMS from Daly, and the amp rating was not as advertised on the listing. The separate port can only handle 10 amps! "
Also not familiar with the VESC 4.12. Do they have anti spark functionality built in? Sparking on startup is not a huge deal, although it can degrade bullet connectors after many of those sparks. And its not the nicest thing to do to an ESC. Theres always the anti spark variant of the XT90. Might be worth looking into.
i have a board with similar specs. same wheels size also a 4.12 vesc single motor and a 10s2p battery though mine has a higher capacity but a much lower discharge rating. even so you should be expecting a range easily surpassing 10km and depending on the gearing 25km probably won’t be ur top speed. when my board is fully charged i regularly reach 20km/h. given the speed you listed i am guessing you are from the eu. care for telling us which country you are from?
@kavic5150: Will check your link, maybe I can make use of it. Concerning the spark: I want to go for the XT90S - should be the anti-spark plug. Read somewhere in some e-scooter/e-longboard builts about it, should be sufficient.
@d-kay: Great to hear you have similiar specs. Maybe I need to readjust a bit concerning the gear ratio or just go ahead with 20km/h - might anyway feel pretty fast (my current speed experiences are just by pushing). I’m located in Germany.
Was checking again some dimensions concerning the VESC - seems like I need some more space. Luckily, my enclosure design is modular, so I just had to remodel the last bit. Anyway, will wait for the “final draft” concerning the VESC and Plug housing area as soon as the parts have arrived.
What do you mean with “printing looking thing”?
The pictures attached? That’s my sketch for the enclosure below the deck, housing the battery, bms and esc.
Small update - got the VESC 4.12, batteries and couldn’t wait to print the enclosure. Partially things are pretty tight, but I’m optimistic I can get also the BMS inside.
Now waiting for a spot welder and BMS to arrive to complete the battery. Additional small parts also on the way (charger, NRF module, bullet connectors, xt90s,…).
Remote, Belt Kit and Motor are on its way, will probably take some time.
2 days ago, finally all parts arrived. In the meantime, I finished the battery and realized all my dimensions were very theortical - with all the wiring and heatshrink, things were very very tight. So decided to partially reprint some of the tighter areas - however, board is currently looking like a frankenstein.
As expected, clearance was very little to the ground. So I also removed the trucks and mounted them to the bottom of the deck. Board feels a bit unstable, maybe I need to get some stronger truck-bushings. Anyway - I’m super excited. Need to tweak some more settings in the VESC application. Maybe in the weekend.
Gave it a first drive today - was fun! Can’t say anything about performance and so on as I’ve never driven any other electric longboard before. Anyway, much fun!
Lost a screw due to vibrations, will require to reprint some parts in the next days, fully charge the battery etc.
One question - didn’t find anything yet: But is someone aware if I can make use of the NRF 51822 bluetooth module and the Flipsky VX1 at the same time? If I see the schematics right, both of them will require the UART (?) RX/TX connection. Will the conflict or are the devices separated by an ID, like on a bus system?
yo yo yo! Building, or at least attempting, to put together a board of my own. Is there any reason why you went with the slightly older 4.12 vesc over the 4.2? I’m kinda torn between the two my self
Initially, I was planning to get the 4.20 due to form factor and (depending on offer) included heatsink.
Same as you, I’m new to building these kind of Longboards. So I’m not aware of existing overheating issues on the 4.12.
Anyway, during order process, I accidentally purchased the 4.12, which gave me a hard time to figure out how to handle the different dimensions.
Anyway, running fine so far - did only do some short test rides but didn’t face any heat issues or breakdowns.
Btw, during the test ride I was able to easily accelerate up to 27km/h - not going 100% yet.
Not sure if I will ever try the 100% in near future as 27 felt already super fast.
