WE are talking about three hundred bucks. Not a heart transplant.
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$300 isn’t much, that’s a new vesc.
I’ve dumped over $10k into this hobby and I’ve even considered leaving DIY
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You could also give up on life, but it’s not recommend. I’d keep skating.
Maybe look for used prebuilts, and buy them if they’re real cheap. I can’t help myself if I see a cheap faulty used evolve GT, especially since I’ve made an enclosure mould for them.
Got 100 escooter batteries from a local e waste recycler which worked out brilliant.
Think creatively when it comes to being a tightarse, and work towards having numerous boards. You might even learn as much from diy E-skate as you do from going to school anyway. Hang on to your dead VESC’s. When I was your age, I stockpiled all my blown up car audio amps until I was smart enough to know how to repair them.
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This little prebuilt has been relatively cheap, remarkably reliable and extremally enjoyable. Little mods bring me big joy. And it’s always rideable AF!
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Totally understand your frustration. About 7 years ago I just quit cause my DIY skills were quite poor, there were no good reliable parts, and my board was trying to self destruct and kill me. Huge part of my problems was that I was trying to build a crazy powerful mountainboard.
I got back into DIY ESK8 2 years ago with a simple cruiser, and so far it’s been an amazing journey. Focusing on riding skills and slowly upgrading the board.
My advice would be to turn down the power, like way down. Don’t try running 100a vesc at full 100. Run it at 50 or even 30, only push it if you can afford it. Use simple easily fixable solutions, if threaded inserts don’t work - use countersunk through the deck, they never fail.
Personally I wish I’d got back into ESK8 sooner. But it’s ok to take a break, you can get back later when you have more money and the parts are better.
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I’m a junior to and had the same issue, if you live in an area with a good marketplace community just make your board safely rideable or sell for way more then its worth it to someone you know wont hurt themselves and build an electric motorcycle, their easier to maintain you can ride them in harsher conditions you don’t have to worry about cutouts ect… their the perfect low maintenance high school commuters + passenger pegs for your freinds.
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ALSO I HAVE NO MONEY
I’ve been running 110a on my 6374💀. It’s a rocket ship tho
looks like it blew. a dead VESC isn’t the end of the world (even though it sure feels like it)
you might be without a board for a month or two. Maybe all winter. it’s okay though, you’ll ride again someday.
if you love it, you shouldn’t think about quitting. quitting things is for when you get zero enjoyment anymore, and it sounds like you still love riding.
That battery looks pretty well made, I’m sure it’s still got plenty of life left.
seriously, if all you need is a new VESC, don’t quit, improve!
might take time to get the funds together but you’ll get there.
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Nice 
What current did vesc auto detect?
I think huge part of prebuilt boards being reliable, is that they are usually in 25-50a range.
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From my experience most hills will take about 50-60a from a 12s (per motor)
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I think skill in building is kinda just a prerequisite at any power level IMO. My Hummieovan is running 30a/side and has been on the bench for over a week while I figure stuff out because I’m not very good at building these still learning to DIY properly.
But @jack.luis how reliable has Rocinante been for you? IIRC it’s been pretty bullet proof.
That board is substantially more powerful and reliable than anything I’ve ever built. Probably because the guy who built it knows what he’s doing.
Now, having said that, any given build will be a bit more reliable if you tune the settings down.
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Yeah it’s approaching 3 years of abuse now.
Every major job done on it:
-Switched to jump drives from BN drives due to green loctite failing, this was maybe 2 years ago
-The ANT smart BMS failed to stop idle drain from the buck converter so I had to rebuild the battery (rebuilt it identically but with a ZBMS)
-Switch to Tito Duality from Tampa Precision channels
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If you are considering quitting ESK8, I suggest you put your thoughts down on paper. Just get a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle of it and list the PRO’s in one column and the CON’s in the other column.
I also use ESK8 as my primary mode of transportation in the City. I have a good car, but it just mostly sits in my garage. Traffic, cost of gas, and parking are real negatives to driving in the City. I can ride my board to almost anywhere in the City in 1/2 the time it takes to drive and park. So using ESK8 for transportation in the City is a big PRO for me.
Also, I save a lot of $$$$ not having to buy gas and pay for parking. Plus, riding my board vs: sitting in traffic in a car is a no-brainer. I enjoy my commute to work, going to the grocery store, etc. on my board.
However, there are a few CONs to ESK8 as well. Falling and injuries can be a big CON if you are not careful. This CON can be mitigated by ALWAYS wearing a helmet and protective gear. Even after 4 years of riding almost daily, I still believe it is a matter of WHEN my next fall will be (not IF). So wearing protective gear is a must.
Another CON is that boards do break down (but so do cars). As mentioned above, if you don’t have the skills for DIY and if you don’t enjoy DIY, then just buy a good used pre-built board on E-Bay or Craigslist. I have a WowGo AT2 and a LyCoan Carbon in my stable and I’ve never had an issue with either of them (even after 2,000 miles).
Personally, I think the PRO’s way outweigh the CON’s of ESK8. I’ve had my falls, and I’ve blown-up ESC’s also. Everyone has. But IMO, the key is to get up one more time than you fall - and keep riding.
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Dont listen to scum that tell you to quit.
If you want to ride, even if you have to take a break for a while before coming back to it, you’ll begin to love it again once you rediscover your rythm.
You’ll be ok.
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From what I have learned, nothing is stupid reliable. So I overbuild with capacity, then ask little. This is how I commute. And, I only go max for a spurt, fifteen mph. There is a vast difference between using esk8 for thrills, vs, getting your body to places on time.
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I have a few skates that are very reliable. It depends on your goals. Most people’s goal isn’t reliability.
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I get this is a old post.
hope you are still riding.
My question is what do you need to get riding again?
I have a workshop filled with parts and some completes.
Whats needed?
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