I was wondering if you guys had any ideas for controllers or accessories for electric skateboards. I recently finished and sold my first smartphone controller units (shameless plug there), but a lot of people exclaimed their interest in a handheld remote solution. I still stand by the integrity of what I made, but I was just wondering what kind of remote you guys are looking for, and how much it would cost.
I’ve been experimenting with components, and the things I can include in a remote include a voltmeter, RPM counter, speedometer, range remaining, etc… I was thinking of making a product that completely emulates the Boosted Board setup, minus the Low Power Bluetooth (so a proper, high power 2.4Ghz module). I was wondering if there still is a demand for such a device, what kind of features it should have, and what it should be priced at.
Those winning remotes with proper hardware to support openlrs would be great. Should only be some pcb design. No need for mechanical or software effort. would love to do this myself, but just too little time.
It would be nice to have a remote like the new one from evolve. With a tiny display, and enough customon buttons for lights and cruise controll. Usually micro usb port for updates.
How hard would it be to implement the same Bluetooth receiver and a Bluetooth remote like Boosted’s? Bluetooth would be easier to implement an on remote volt meter and different speeds settings.
I don’t think adding a LCD is really necessary. A speedometer is also not that important.
The number one feature should be 100% reliability with zero dropouts. Everything else is nice to have, but a luxury compared to reliability. The number of people that have SYF’d because of a controller\signal dropout is way too high.
In another thread about remotes, @chaka commented that a hybrid remote would be ideal; FHSS for throttle, AFH for everything else. I completely agree. I would prefer to avoid BT as the transmission protocol for throttle.
maybe a remote like te one boosted board has, with a cruise setting so u just hold a button to go at a set speed. Also, a little LCD with some key information like speed, volts, and temp of your ESC and motor. also a few buttons to switch on front and rear lights would be nice to have. also range is a good thing. If you can make this and make it look nice etc and work properly i’d gladly pay 50/70 bucks
Alright, here’s a little bit of my product brainstorming here for a remote:
Small, ergonomic
Rechargeable LiPo battery (what kind of battery life? how many hours?)
100mW 2.4Ghz transmitter for ultimate reliability and anti-jamming
Small display
Battery level/voltage
Speedometer (speedometer functionality can be used to limit acceleration)
Cruise control
Is Bluetooth Low energy really that unreliable?
How hard would it be to implement the same Bluetooth receiver and a Bluetooth remote like Boosted’s? Bluetooth would be easier to implement an on remote volt meter and different speeds settings.
I don’t think adding a LCD is really necessary. A speedometer is also not that important.
It’s not that unreliable, but a lot of people hear stories and are deathly afraid of a remote dropping out. I’m sure the same functionality can be made available with a 2.4Ghz module. And I think an LCD is overkill as well.
I’m thinking of splitting up the functionality across a powerful 2.4Ghz transmitter remote, and a Low Energy BT module. The remote will have only four functions: control the speed, view the power remaining, set speed mode (maybe acceleration too), and a cruise control.
The Bluetooth part will allow you to set the settings, view statistics (speed, range, max acceleration, all those fun stats that you could later share on this forum ;)), and it should also allow you to control the speed, just in case you forget your remote (you might as well add this feature since you have the BT module).
The hardest part right now is figuring out the actual mechanics of all of this… How do you implement a potentiometer into a remote that can snap back to the middle?
I like the ideas, but do you mean to make the bluetooth module seperate from the remote?
because if you’re gonna do that you might as wel just make an app for your phone to connect via bleutooth to the module on the board and don’t even bother with a separate module with an lcd screen. So all you get is just a normal remote, this way, people can buy the normal remote an receiver, and if they want the advanced options etc, they’d have to buy the app for like 5-10 bucks.
I do really like the idea of a cruisecontrol at a speed you can set yourself (maybe via the bluetooth?)
Another thought i had on this subject was to just give the receiver module some 5V outputs that you can switch on and off with the remote, this way, people can connect the stuff they want, (Horn, front and rear lights, a brake light even.)
The app could also be made to register where you rode the board, how fast you were going and all that usefull stuff. It shouldn’t be that hard to make it work with google maps or something (One would need mobile data for this)
If you haven’t got experience in making apps, i’ve got a buddy who might be able to help you out.
And try to give the remote a lanyard loop or atleast a hole to attach the loop to.
for some building tips on the remote check out: ‘‘greatscott elektric skateboard build part 3’’. He did a really great build with a wii nunchuck and an arduino nano.
