Beginner Question Thread! 2023 Edition

To be honest, having an external pair of XT-90ies that connect the main battery to the ESC that would allow you to unplug the main battery and plug an external one instead would be really cool. It’s just that running packs in parallel means less load on each pack, leading to an increase in overall range than just using one, and then swapping to the other.

It certainly would be the safest, and most versatile option if you have the space for it!

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This is true, but that’s a lot of safety risk for this gain. I guess it depends how hard you’re running the packs and what their current capabilities are.

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Considering I have some pretty strict space constraints I’m not sure I’ll have enough room to fit 2 more xt90s in the enclosure, one panel mounted is already pushing it.

Gonna definitely fuse both packs just in case.

I do like the idea of a “select a pack” pair of xt90s though. That way technically you wouldn’t have to worry about packs being the same voltage ever, and would also be able to have multiple smaller packs that you can swap externally if the inner one is depleted.

Do I personally ever see this use case coming up? Possibly? If I am gonna be riding further then I will most likely plan ahead but it would help with the more on the fly instances where you don’t expect to need the range and would need time to charge both packs.

Now that I type it out I do like that idea better honestly. I still want to find a way to remove the human error, because you would still have to worry about disconnecting the internal pack before connecting the external.

I do have some ideas though…

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Question about 3 link trucks. Their turn-to-lean ratio looks very interesting, but most content is focused on the track experience. Any particular reason these trucks would be ill-suited for city slicking/light offroading? The suspended axle gives me pause but considering it is 16mm steel I’m sure it would hold up for riders on the lighter end of the spectrum. Could a curb drop snap em?

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You could always do Trampa style and have an XT90 jumper outside the enclosure.

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Here is the idea:

Let me know what you guys think. I think with some slight modification of the captured loopkey design it would work very well.

Is the external battery removable, or simply in a separate enclosure, but fixed?

Removable, was planning on making a separate battery box for the second one that would be strapped to the top of the other when needed.

You’re way overthinking this.

Ditch the loopkey entirely. Have a male

XT90 come out of the enclosure on short 12AWG wires, which runs the ESC(s). Have a female XT90S plug in the side of the enclosure which is the main battery. Plug that together to turn it on. OR, strap another battery to it, and plug the ESC into the strapped on battery’s female XT90S.

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So that would just be the main battery leads hanging out of some holes in the enclosure that you would just plug into the male XT90? Then swap to the other battery when needed? I understand that this is technically simpler but if I go with the above design then everything will be low profile to the enclosure which is a goal of mine. I also just like the idea of a slider to switch between batteries.

No, more like this

Except different, and only one of those jumpers, and it’s attached at one end, and can’t be removed. And probably dyed black instead of vomit beige.

And not one of those horrible enclosures pictured here.

Y’all got a preferred brand of closed cell neoprene foam? Or any other recs for gasket material? I got about a 5mm gap that needs filling, I think adhesive backed would be preferred and I can leave it on the deck

How do I maintain hub motors for maximum lifespan?

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Don’t ride in the rain, done.

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You could have two loop key receptacles, one for each battery. Only carry one loop key, and that way, you can only power off one battery at a time, and it only takes a couple seconds to switch.

That way, they’re in parallel and only one can be connected at a time.

Edit: looks like you have a path forward already

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3 char

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If you ride in bad conditions, open them up and see if they need cleaning. It is easier to clean off a light layer of rust vs letting it get so rusty it almost won’t come apart. You can also clean out the bearings and add new grease but that would be maintenance done after a lot of use or after a year of use.

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I layer 3mm EVA foam. It squishes down to basically nothing under enough pressure, so I tend to overfill the gap and let the bolts squish it nice and snug. Works very well for me.

I hate sticking anything like that to the deck though. I always stick it onto the enclosure flange. Depending on your enclosure that might not be an option, like some of the eboosted enclosures don’t really have a substantial flange at the ends so i’d reluctantly stick to the deck in that situation.

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I’m working with my first set of gears atm. In the process of arbor pressing out jbwelded pinions from a motor shaft, I mared the bottom face of the pinion.

I removed the marks and then did a few passes with a green pad. All that’s shiney is not gold.

These are steel mod 2 spur pinions from an unridden @moon drive set. How do I get back to black?

Does the black oxide finish matter if well lubed in the spec’d motul grease?

If finish does matter, will a hot dip in oil be worth the heat changes to the pinion? (It was already cooked with a hand butane torch to loosen jbweld)

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you could use “cold blue” to get a similar effect.
I don’t have any experience with moon’s stuff, but as long as the drives are reasonably sealed, IMO you probably don’t need to go to the trouble.

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