2019 time to reflect / 2020 forecast

Like last year I would like to start this thread to get together what was your personal „big esk8 thing“ in 2019 and what you think, what new things will expect us in 2020.

Let me start with it.
2019 definitely is/was the year where esk8 events got to a serious level. There have been some great events worldwide and I’m sure that will just get better by next year.
2019 as well was the year of „more range“. While 2018 a 8p pack still was a big pack, in 2019 it was just good enough for a small commuter :sweat_smile:
Also against my expectations from end of 2018 ,builds got bigger and more heavy.
Bigger motors, bigger hubs, 9“ is the new standard for mtbs etc.
2019 as well was a big year for direct drives I think.

What I expect us to see in 2020?
From the mtb side I’m sure we get along with more 9-10“ wheel builds, some nice deck options not from mbs or trampa, which specially made to mount our electronics.
I also hope for more stylish top mount and modular battery boxes. Hint to @BigBen and @Sender at this point :wink::wink::wink:

But what I really expect for 2020 are HV escs.
And with escs I mean not only vesc based escs.
I‘m still a bit worried about 16-20s setups if people use them wrong, but I’m excited to see more options for programmable escs in future.

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Yes please

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For me 2020 is hopefully the year of finally going programmable (V)ESC, sensored SK3 motors (via an external AS5047), more than 8S with an easy charging solution (I’m still on LiPos despite my recent LiFePO4 experiment), and wide wheel 6” pneumatics (down from 6.5”) with wide hubs or a hub width adapter, and a finalised backpack electronics setup.

Also, getting my lightning powered murder board to have more socially acceptable behaviour (currently I won’t to hand it to anyone to test, even a seasoned esk8er due to the unpredictable / peaky throttle response and braking), this’ll probably be a combination of adding capacitors to my long phase leads, and finishing two projects, my wired remote and ride modes module / PPM modulator with the M5 stack I bought.

I’m getting a 3D printer early in the year, so I’ll try my hand at a couple of other projects brewing in my mind, namely better mudguards, better foot bindings, and a wired remote case to make it easier to hold (not necessarily in that order).

So on a personal note a lot of building and development, for the same reason hoping to add another arrow to my quiver which isn’t a development platform, so I can get more consistent esk8 time from day to day.

On a corporate note, I think up to 20S is going to be big, but secretly I’m also hoping for programmable ESCs that can handle high Amp like R/C car ESCs, and also hopefully we’ll finally have remotes that have rock solid signal authority and security.

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For me 2020 is scary. Looks like I am quitting this hobby. The new regulations in my country are punishing the electric riders very hard. Depends on the cops behavior…

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That’s the “one last thing” on my list, countries need to sort out legislation so esk8 is accepted and not exclude DIY.

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2020 Wishlist:

  • More events
  • New ESC hitting the market, after Enertion’s last attempt to survive this journey, we currently have a gap for high performance ESC. (One available to buy which won’t break our bank).
  • Better battery technology
  • Gear drive/direct drive standard, hopefully rolling out to those most affordable companies out there.
  • Better vesc remotes (one like the ones they have on hobbywing with a screen on the side)
  • Lower pricing as this industry keeps growing, hopefully scaled economy will be able to bring this down
  • Oh yeah, just like the post above, let’s hope we could win some legal wars around the world.
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That’s why I went with mtb from the beginning.
There is always the oportunitys to have a blast somewhere in the woods, but yeah fully understand your situation.
Let’s hope the best non the less.

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2019 has been the biggest year of esk8 for me.
Made new friends, went to Paris itsElectric and the Evolve cup in Devon. Even skated with Royalty. Made more enclosures than I ever have and have more still to make.
2020 will hopefully be the year to use all the great stuff that is on the cusp of being made right now. Reliable anti sparks, affordable reliable escs, gorgeous gear drives, superbly sexy trucks, stunning wheels and tyres, intelligent BMSs, smart remotes, purpose made decks both street and MTB and of course a whole plethora of underslung enclosures and yes @Andy87, perhaps even a top mount…
On a personal level, my day job is looking extremely shaky as the company struggles with adversity. Which may be a blessing in disguise…

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For me 2020 is the year where I’m able to finally finish my build. My build has sat there for over 12 months now because I just haven’t had the motivation to do it. Don’t get me wrong I love this stuff I just need to sit down and nut out the rest of the build. I would love to be able to use either this board or an e-bike (future build??) for commuting next year as my job is in the city.

For the wider esk8 industry, I think 2020 is when we will see really good electronics. This 20s controller with a TI controller from @jeffwuneo means we can move towards higher quality automotive grade motor drivers. For a while its gonna be a little dangerous to have people using 20S on a skateboard but I think this controller will be useful for a larger range of products: ebikes, escooters, EUC, even smaller 4 wheeled vehicles like egolf buggy or even a small car. I’d love to see a small differential developed for the big emtbs but I don’t have the time or expertise for that.

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Why, due to the track width always widening?

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More efficient method of driving two wheels in high torque scenarios. We can drive the two back (or front) wheels with a single larger motor. Overall keeps builds simpler and is more useful and means you don’t need a second ESC and stuff

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@BigBen how ever things going in 2020, I wish you just the best. Happy to support you a bit by taking off the one or other enclosure next year as well :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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Prince andrew?

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You rang?

Do you mean single axle?

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This year I went from just riding esk8s to building them. And it’s a fucking headache lol. Can’t wait for more vendors to make boards like LaCroix and bioboards that I can just buy and ride

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Ja ja … sensor wires …ja ja
Goals for 2020 I guess :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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Yeah exactly! I know Bajaboards have some sort of axle and diff setup but something that would be more suited to a smaller board

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The earl of Devon. And he let us tear up his lawn at this place.

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The forum switch and Enertion implosion seems to have dominated 2019 for the core members, lots of drama that is still flapping around.

Hoping for Esc options in 2020, stability for the community and more video interviews if Damon can find the time. So many good products on the horizon, just need testing and we should have a solid summer.

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The Baja has a lot of stuff our boards don’t have.
But I honestly wouldn’t compare a Baja to our boards, it’s closer to a go-kart.

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