Beginner Question Thread! 2023 Edition

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Littelfuse/0997020.WXN?qs=qI%2BDxnNls188g1lAAM3PWQ%3D%3D

These will work.

And they fit these inline holders:

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Littelfuse/0FHM0001ZXJ-RED?qs=XOCb41Wt9oSfJvSakkdBFA%3D%3D&countrycode=CA&currencycode=CAD

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Skip the belt covers completely. They cause more issues than they can solve by trapping debris close to the belt for longer than the debris would be near the belt without it.

Also you don’t really need tires for winter. Urethane wheels can work in the winter too just with more unintended slides. You also get more road sludge thrown up at your pants as an added benefit of thane in the winter.

Someone else chime in about if there is any way to reduce noise when using a belt drive though. I still haven’t gotten my belt system running/ put together yet and don’t care about noise

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alignment

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Not sure about fuse holder though, I’d just solder the wires to it.

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belt tension

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Thanks a lot for the advice MD. I think I’ll simplify it and put a scooter hub wheel on it.

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Thanks for clarifying that AC!

Please explain.

What would be the sweet spot? Tight, loose or somewhere in between. Remember I’ve never done belts.

My sliding days are behind me with my longboards. Roll thane all the while. Though loved the grip of rubber 105mm eovans last winter. Also had pneumatics on my direct drives for a bit and it makes more sense on shitty winter roads. This is just for winter.

What has worked for me is this:

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Yeah, I’d agree with what has been said before, belt tension and alignment are important for reducing noise.

This is a terrible idea, but has anyone tried adding some kind of lubricant to belts to try to make them run quieter? I’ve always wondered what would happen besides excessive skipping.

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No — but I have noticed when I’ve gone through just-the-right-consistency powdery-river-silt (like what’s left after a flood recedes, it dries, and gets weathered some), it caused excessive pulley wear — without a noticeable increase in noise.

Being new to this forum I’m having trouble telling which responses are to my querry and which ones require responding to. I don’t want to be rude by failing to respond when someone takes the time to share their knowledge with me. It’s weird, I’ll see a 1 next to my account icon and click on it then I see everyone who has responded in one way or another but I can’t figure out who the new 1 came from.

Maybe I’m just trippin. Anyway, thanks again! I’m learning quick.

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So I have a couple waterproofing questions:

First, I just installed a heatsink into the top of my pelican case lid, put butyl tape around the edges and bolts. Issue I see at the moment is that once I install my ESC there will be the exposed mounting holes from being able to mount another type of ESC. Should I just put a very thin line of butyl tape around the edge of the ESC and call it good? Or will that affect the ability for the ESC to make contact with the thermal paste?



Second, I am planning to have an external second battery for this board, is it OK to just have an XT90 panel mounted with a TPU plug or should I try to have something more waterproof for a plug?

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I used hub motors and the most basic thane wheels throughout winter on my build. Didn’t really have any issues but I did use main roads that would get cleared faster. Went through some patches of snow as well as thicker sections of road snow whenever it was better to use the sidewalk for certain roads.(The nasty stuff that is black and was plowed off the road. )

I wasn’t dumb enough to try off-roading in the snow though. I think I hit ice patches on several occasions but I just made sure to change nothing on how I was riding if I thought I was on ice. Biggest issue was my poor pants and shoes getting coated in a nasty combination of salt and road gunk. The salt also caused one of my hub motors to get extra rusty faster than normal

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You’re good, I post on here when working or putting off doing something on my board. Also I’ve been here a few months and right now my inbox is a mess from people quoting me. Sometimes it is easier to read all the new replies on the specific thread.

Personally, I’d just fill the holes with some extra epoxy after using epoxy to attach the case and heat sink. Although the enclosure I’m using is cheap enough that I don’t mind destroying it if I ever need the VESC in a different enclosure. If you need the other holes, you can drill out the epoxy from them carefully.

Filling the holes will ever so slightly reduce how well it can cool but I doubt you will notice a difference. Another thing you can do is coat the VESC in conformal coating. Adds extra water proofing but you can still solder it off. Just don’t breathe in the smoke when it burns off unless you hate your lungs.

I’m not sure if it is 100% water proof, but you can coat the other side of the plug (half that is inside the housing) with a silicone to reduce the chance of water getting in through the plug. Might even want to make a plug cover with a male connector to keep plugged into it while not in use to further block water from getting in.

Any silicone from a hardware store should work although personally I bought the stuff that comes in squeezable tubes since I will never use enough for the large tubes that require a caulk gun to use. Just make sure you let it cure fully before riding

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I would put a grub screw and some Loctite in the extra holes if they’re threaded.

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Think I’m gonna end up going with this idea. I think I may have some lying around. Shouldn’t need to worry about the ones threading into the ESC if I use loctite on those as well.