Cheap FOCer 2 (Group Buy Batch 2)

Hi guys, this is split from the Cheap FOCer 2 thread. You can read everything about the Cheap FOCer 2 here:

and here:

All the Cheap Focers from Batch 1 are now on their way and i have some more good news.

Right now i’m preparing to do a Batch 2 Group Buy but (there is always a but) im going to do a few things differently:

Soldering and packing the first few FOCers was fun at first but after 10 or 20 it became hard work.
Also its not too much fun working my ass of soldering for someone who could have done it themself and did not even leave a small tip for a completely soldered unit.
Its a DIY controller and that is one reason why it is so cheap. The other big reason for its value is that people like shaman and vedder give their time and knowlede to the community for free. Without them all this would not be possible.
Thats why i decided to send at least 1€ for every Cheap Focer you order to @shaman.

The price for one kit will still be 30€ plus shipping and i am still going to solder the IMU and flash the firmware via ST Link for free. I think its a great feature and what makes the Cheap FOCer v2 unique.
Also not everyone of you has the tools or skills to do this.

For every subsequent soldering step i’m going to charge you 5€ for my time.

MOSFETs (adding thermal paste and bending the legs included)
SMD stuff (5 Caps and one Inductor)
TH Stuff (6 Connectors and 2 elcos)
Beefing up MOSFET legs and traces
Adding wires (cost of wires not included)

Please tell me what you need, if not told otherwise i’m just going to send you a kit with all the components where you do all the steps yourself.

Remember, this is only for the SMT assembled JLCPCB board and the necessary components from LCSC. If you add some wires, this will get you a working v6 hardware controller. Everything else (heatsink, screws, case, etc) you have to order yourself.

Pricing is going to be in € from now on because we are in Europe and we need something to do the conversion on (should consult @Halbj613 on this ;). Feel free to do the conversion and send me USD, GBP, CHF or whatever.

I have to charge you a little bit more for shipping (7€ to most of Europe) because i have to buy package material and the post office already charges me 4.90CHF(4.55€ or 5.10USD) for sending 2 focers.
Also there is a maximum of 2 FOCers per package (maybe 3) if you want more i can send them in 2 separate shipments.

This time i send some of them (lets say 10pcs) internationally too, but please keep in mind that it may take a very long time to arrive.

Please try to use payment services like revolut or bank transfer. If you have not noticed, paypal is charging a large amount for every payment.
Why give them the money when there are free options and you can save the money or donate it.

The jlcpcb and lcsc order will be sent out when we are at 48pcs. It takes about 7-10 working days to arrive here.

Well thats all for now, write me a PM or post in this thread to be added to the list for Batch 2.

Special thanks to shaman and vedder for making all this possible. Please donate to them if you can.

Batch 2 (58 from 58 units reserved):

Gabi411 1 (solder IMU and SMD) [payment received]
enzymlefax 1 (complete, with cables) [payment received]
JR-Customs 2 (solder IMU and SMD) [payment received]
vbruun 1 (All the soldering except adding the wires) [payment received]
Prens 2 (only need to solder the IMU) [payment received]
fallingdown 2 (solder IMU and SMD) [payment received]
bullet69proof 2 (solder everything but the wires) [payment received]
benvelvet 1 (solder only IMU) [payment received]
davdBanner 2 (solder everything but the wires and elcos) [payment received]
Fixvid 3 (solder only IMU on 1PCB) [payment received]
Holbanner 2 (solder only IMU) [payment received]
Per 2 (solder only IMU) [payment received]
Anubis 3 (solder only IMU) [payment received]
Aresz 2 (Solder IMU, SMD, TH components) [payment received]
glyphiks 2 (solder only IMU) [payment received]
CNC 2 (solder only IMU) [payment received]
blase 2 (All the soldering except adding the wires) [payment received]
PetrHomolka 2 (solder only IMU) [payment received]
mecroskop23 2 (solder only IMU) [payment received]
Riversurfer 1 (Solder MOSFETs and SMD) [payment received]
shaman 4 (complete with heatsinks, no wires)
Chemakrema 2 (solder everything but the wires)
Flux 1 (solder only the IMU) [payment received]
qverty11 2 (solder only the IMU) [payment received]
deepsilence 2(solder SMD and IMU) [payment received]
bmaggot 2 (solder only the IMU) [payment received]
Dinnye 2 (solder only the IMU) [payment received]
Biker 2 (solder only the IMU) [payment received]
laschrocket12 2 (solder only the IMU) [payment received]
Martim 3 (solder only the IMU) [payment received]

Waiting List:
Wesley5n1p35 2 (everything soldered)
Axskin 2
JRMN 1
cir 3
Gettingonabit 2
pierrotds 1
Spesh 2
mildw4ve 2
donfrigo 2
Sandels 2
Fuzzler 1

16 Likes

So how much is it for one?

It depends how much customs duty i have to pay. The price for one will be in the 30 - 40$ range. Add around 5€ shipping for most of Europe.

This is what you get if you order a basic kit:

All the parts that will come with the kit (can be soldered by me for a fee if requested):

This is what a finished FOCer with wires look like:

CFOCer 2 installed in my onewheel:

Dual CFOCer 2 installed in my mountainboard (no heatsinks yet):

What you could use as a heatsink (100x60x5 is just 1€):

Or this aluminium case for only 7€:

Or this beauty:

It is possible to stack 2 units in one box for a dual setup:


Old info from Batch 1:


So far we have orders for 48 pieces (keeping 2 as a reserve):

Remieknaapen 2 (if we get over 10 :wink: ) [payment received] [sent]
quixfz 2 (just the PCBs + Parts without FETs) [payment received] [sent]
Flux 1 (solder only SMD components) [payment received] [sent]
pierrotds 1 (solder only SMD components) [payment received] [sent]
Karltrex 1 (solder only the IMU) [payment received] [sent]
enzymlefax 2 (with cables) [payment received] [sent]
Chemakrema 3
Giga 4 (3 with IMU only) [payment received] [sent]
Bionic24 2 (solder only SMD components) [payment received] [sent]
MadMaxDK 2 [payment received] [sent]
Fatglottis 3 (pcbs and parts) [payment received] [sent]
tinp123 2 [payment received] [sent]
pjotr47 6 [payment received] [sent]
RobinRubin 2 [payment received] [sent]
Morpheus 2 (solder only SMD components) [payment received] [sent]
AngryTrucker 2 (solder only the IMU) [payment received] [sent]
Luke 1 [payment received] [sent]
Phille 2 [payment received] [sent]
JodeHaan 2 (solder only the IMU) [payment received] [sent]
litaeon 2 (with cables) [payment received] [sent]
Charclo 1 [payment received] [sent]
pmg 1 (solder only SMD components) [payment received] [sent]
doomy 2

If we get over 10pcs and i have to pay the customs duty (which i probably will) the price for a smt assembled jlcpcb + lcsc parts will end up at around 30€ this does not include heatsink, cables etc.

I can solder the IMU or all the parts for you if you can’t do it yourself. I don’t charge you anything for it.

Shipping is about 7€ to most of Europe. You can check here:
https://service.post.ch/vsc/ui/sending-type

I will send out the order for jlcpcb and LCSC this Monday the 18 of May please tell me how many you need until then. Shipping from china to me should take around 7 - 10 working days. When i have all the parts it should take me around a week to assemble and send them out.

The cheap FETs are already low in supply, so i hope they will restock or i order alternatives. If there are not enough components i only order as many as i can get working FOCers out of them. First come first serve.


Great initiative Doomy. Can you arrange the BMI160 IMU for both of mine also?

Thanks, yes its with the BMI160, they all are. If you dont want the IMU tell me.

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Are these currently supported by the vesc tool

Also where can you get the enclosure/heat sink for

Yes they are compatible. Firmware is currently custom.

Here is the parts list:

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Nice in the first post of the cheap focer shaman said they were not comparable with the vesc tool

Did he make it comparable in the end

Also are you offering a service to put them together?

Yes its compatible with the VESC Tool for configuration

Check the readme on https://github.com/shamansystems/Cheap-FOCer-2

If you want to update the firmware you can download it from there until it is integrated in the project.

Yes i can solder the IMU and other parts if you need that.

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Sadly dimensions are to big for me

Thanks though for the help
Really awesome project

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Awesome initiative! I’m in for two. Preferably as assembled as possible. I have a soldering iron, but horrible soldering skills :joy:.

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Great initiative @doomy, thanks for it!

BTW, as there are 21 orders now, will it affect the price for one jlcpcb + LCSC set (for one vesc, I mean)? I saw your previous price estimation, it’s 30 - 40$. But now, since there are more people, could you please kindly update your estimation?

Hey Antooon,

Sure thing, with over 20pcs i can safely say that it wont be more than 30$. Thats really damn cheap for a working v6 type controller with IMU included. I still cannot say for sure now because DHL sends the bill for customs after the package arrives. In my experience its around 10% plus a fee of 10-20$ per package received.

hi @doomy are these as simple as a normal vesc or should you really have some decent knowledge in electronics if you go in for these

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@Halbj613 you interface with these just like a normal vesc after it is fully assembled.

6 Likes

@doomy You can sign me up for 2✌🏻

Hey there guys,

Tomorrow early morning i will send out our order for 25 pieces of the cheap focer v2.

These are the calculations for our total costs:

jlcpcb 25 pcs with shipping 294.58
lcsc 25 pcs with shipping 219.26
customs 10 % 51.00
dhl fee ~40.00


TOTAL 605.84

So if everything works out as planned one focer will cost 28.85$ and we will end up with 4 extra focers.

I did not include expenses like package material, solder etc. and as i said i will not charge you for my labor of soldering and sending them out to you.

The payment information will be sent to you in a PM. Please use Revolut or Bank Transfer if possible. If you insist on using Paypal choose (Friends and Family) please.

Cheers!

hi @doomy if you can put it together for me i am in for 2 might lower the cost a tenny bit more
thanks

Thats great! I will do a new calculation once we get over 30pcs

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I am in for 6 please.

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