DIY Speedy Beast! Evolve GTX, Low RKP, P45B, TB 6374

[SanguineDrone]

Hey guys, just wanted to share a homebrew I’ve been rocking all summer.
I know it hardly qualifies as a beast compared to some of the death traps on here, but for me this is endgame speed/power.

My all time favorite board to take out is the Evolve GTR, but I wanted more battery, higher top speed, and an option for RKP, so I built this one up from scratch. I wanted to keep the soft bamboo deck, low ride height and general form factor of the GTR.

I wanted a low ride height and used 85mm Caguamas, but I kept scraping the bottom on EVERYTHING (you’ll see that). Ended up with 100mm Boa Constrictors.
The drop through and split angle RKP trucks make it super easy to fly at high speeds; I can cruise at 38mph+, stay relaxed and keep confidence through road chudder.

I didn’t keep meticulous notes but you’ll get the idea:
Evolve GTX Deck
DIY Fiberglass Enclosure
Boardnamics 220mm split angle RKP, Krank 84a/87/90a Cone/Barrel boardside
Boardnamics 36T Kegel Pulley, 16T Motor Pulley, BN XL motor mounts
TorqueBoards 6374 190kv
12s4p P45B, LLT BMS
MakerX DV6s & VX4

I printed a compression mold out of ABS, vapor smoothed, popped out 3 fiberglass sections (for flex). They align with the original Evolve GTX screw holes. Spray painted and masked off a slot for LEDs to shine through.

Molicel P45B 12s4p, LLT BMS etc… screw fishpaper, hope this works out.

Quick explanation, drove the LEDs with a trinket m0, kept brightness slightly below 100%, and ran off the DV6s 5v out. I added a watchdog timer to reset the m0 in case of the trinket throwing a brownout error. I catch this in software, but it happens again immediately after and sends it into error standby. So I added a watchdog timer. Happens often with roll start.

Some glamor shots

The only thing I miss is the evolve style trigger remote!

I’m also looking for a set of pneumatics and pulleys that will fit. Has to be about 150mm or smaller. Also open to airless or something similar.
I’m looking into the omni eskate 150mm ones, but I’m not sure if they will fit on the BN axel? Are they the same width after I replace the bearing?

[Evwan]

@SanguineDrone

12s4p P45B, LLT BMS

@SanguineDrone

I’m going to be brutially honest here, you have over 24 hours of read time on this forum, you should know that battery construction like this does not survive the vibration and forces of an esk8. This is dangerous at best.

I would highly recommend reading through a good chunk of this thread and finding out how and why we build esk8 packs in a very specific way.

The battery builders club

Batteries are dangerous if not treated right. Nobody want to have a fire at home or lose a board due to a wrong battery design. This thread should be a summary of clean safe battery packs as well as a place where you can come and ask questions all about how best to build your own pack. Feel free to upload pictures in progress and ask our opinion about the layout, weld quality or what ever you not sure is right done or not. @moon if I remember right you had a punch of pictures from well made p…

[Bavioze]

Love the diy you did on the enclosure, always good to see people make stuff themselves.

I would suggest some safety measures on the battery too like @Evwan sais.

How are the mounts working out? I know someone who mounted them like this aswell, but never heard whether it worked out.

[haven]

@SanguineDrone

screw fishpaper, hope this works out.

[poastoast]

@SanguineDrone

endgame fire and safety hazard

ftfy

that battery is so dangerous

@SanguineDrone

screw fishpaper, hope this works out.

there’s no way you said that
you put all the white to make the board pretty you forgot to put effortninto the basics

@SanguineDrone

compared to some of the death traps on here

with some very few exceptions, boards that are shared on here are much less desthraps compared to yours.

[Evwan]

digging your own grave when your insurance company sees this

[patrickcleary]

This build looks cool, and I dig what you did with the LEDs. Sick custom enclosure, too.

But as others are saying, this battery is halfway to being an impossible-to-extinguish firebomb. It’s a hazard for you (it could cut out without warning) and to those around you (poor construction = ticking time bomb). This means everyone living in the houses and/or apartments adjacent + any flamable structure you take it into.

If this just affected you, that’d be bad. And if only your neighbors, worse still. But it also hurts every competent DIYer who’s unable to charge or use their PEV in a place that’s banned them. For example, my office won’t let me charge my esk8 anywhere on campus because a cheap scooter caught fire in a cubicle a few years back.

Don’t be that guy. As-is, this pack looks like a one-way ticket to Thatguyville.

Strongly-worded because I don’t want you to get hurt & I know you can do better

[ablairlamb]

Ahhh this battery duuude. Cmon now

I like quirky DIY stuff like your own enclosure and such, but that pack has like 1.5/10 effort towards keeping it safe. You gotta pull that and make it safer. You had to have known posting that here is like a bucket of chum in a shark tank.

[SanguineDrone]

I realize that abrasion between the heatshrink could short a P group.
The cells are sitting on a plush layer of foam, and I check them occasionally.
I’ve built several packs before and I want to see how this turns out.
I understand the risk and am keeping an eye on it. If they show wear I’ll just pull them and wrap the P groups. Right now I’m around 700mi.

[poastoast]

@SanguineDrone

I’ve built several packs before and I want to see how this turns out.

1: this is concerning
2; it wont end well

you’re risking your property and more on like

.2mm of plastic

note, a foam bed only mitigates 1 axis of movement,

[SanguineDrone]

They are okay, but I’d prefer them to be under the deck. Unfortunately that just won’t work with this setup.
It’s possible to step into the motors on accident, or if you have bell bottom pants to get those caught up.
But in terms of clearance and keeping your motors and belts away from damage, they’re great.

[Shadowfax]

@SanguineDrone

screw fishpaper, hope this works out.

LOL. Literally all you would have to do to make this not a fire hazard is wrap the center P-groups with fish paper or tesa tape.

This is such a stupid corner to cut.

[patrickcleary]

@SanguineDrone

I realize that abrasion between the heatshrink could short a P group.
The cells are sitting on a plush layer of foam, and I check them occasionally.

1. It doesn’t seem to me that you understand why your pack it problematic. Honest question - do you know why we’re giving you a hard time about it?

@SanguineDrone

I understand the risk

2. Respectfully, I don’t find this statement credible. Seems you’re in the Dunning-Kruger zone. And you’re not just playing with your life, but the lives of others too.

@SanguineDrone

If they show wear

3. See 1.

[Bavioze]

You could make a backramp maybe like the stooge decks.

[poastoast]

not to mention, adding to this, the balance leads are also prone so wear and are just as much a concern as the 0 isolation.

[patrickcleary]

Correct.

That’s why I ask the genuine question - “does @SanguineDrone know why this pack is problematic?”

'Cause there are at least a half dozen other things that constitute risks to life & property. Abrasion of balance leads & cell heatshrink are just two examples.

[SanguineDrone]

@Bavioze

You could make a backramp maybe like the stooge decks.

I could figure something like that, or I could shift the back trucks about .5in and re-drill holes, that would let the motors clear the tail too. But I’ve just been alright running it like this, it doesn’t really bother me anymore.

[SalamToU]

"Significant and aggressive" e-bike fire on TTC subway car sparks safety concerns

Ill just leave this here

[frame]

[Sobrik3t]

I know some of the responses in here probably feel a bit dickish, and my friends here could learn to soften their tone when giving feedback, but I want you understand that they’re coming down hard on you because they’ve seen the end results of these types of builds and they’re tired of being ignored and then watching people get hurt or worse.

Think about it this way: it may take you an afternoon or even a whole weekend to rebuild your battery with better insulation, strain relief, etc. And who knows, maybe you’re right and you could operate this thing with no issues for its natural life. But the downsides of doing the work on the battery are losing a little bit of time out of your weekend, and the downsides of NOT overhauling the battery are potentially death or the loss of your home. I think it just makes sense to take their advice here, even if it isn’t necessarily delivered as cordially as it could be, and I urge you to take what they say at face value.

Plus @BillGordon gives free sloppy to people who build good batteries, so you know, if you’re into that it’s there