Backstory: I just got into ESK8 about a month ago and now my son is wanting to get in on the action. I use an Onsra with 6" Pneumatics right now. I had some extra wheels lying around from my Onsra, so I figured “Hey I can make a board for him and shave some cost on pulleys, wheels, and bearings.”
As for why DIY, I really wanted to control every aspect of the board to be as safe as possible. I also hope that it’s a lifelong thing we can enjoy and DIY will allow me to upgrade for faster parts, the older he gets.
As my first DIY things have gone smoother than I expected.
Parts List
Talon w/ eBoosted Enclosure
Propulsion Boards DKP Trucks
Propulsion Boards Motor Mounts
10s5p P26A Battery Built by Me
FocBox Unity
Flipsky 6354 140KV x 2
Flipsky VX1
Evolve 6” Tires w/ 47T Pulley
Onsra 115mm Tires w/ 45T Pulley
LLT 10s Smart BMS
RideNebula Anti Sink Plate
YZ Power 5A Charger
Davega
In Depth Pictures Below!
Original Build Pictures
1. Got all the parts in
Prep work included: Poorly drilling enclosure holes. Drilling Charge, Power, and Motor wire cut outs.
6. Final Touches
Never soldered before but bought a $20 Soldering Iron and some 60/40 Solder for the VX1 Wire. Electrical Tape to protect it.
Set up the VESC Tool to run motor detection and ensure battery percentage worked.
Applied grip tape.
I would limit the maximum speed by setting “Duty Cycle Maximum” to something less than 95%, like, say, 50%. Then set “Duty Cycle Current Limit Start” to 10% less than whatever the first one is set for so 40% in this case. That will limit the maximum speed the board will reach under its own power to something really low. Increase these numbers to raise it. At 6S & 140Kv, you’re already limiting this a lot in the first place. (Even at 95% / 85%)
This is really high for a seven year old. 15A or less should be more than sufficient.
Yes, using a low “motor max” will do this.
You should have done more research before buying an MBoards battery.
For all of these I’m going to try and summarize my understanding.
Set Duty Cycle Max to 50%
Set Duty Cycle Limit Start to 40%
Battery Cont Discharge 15A
Max Motor AMP 15A to match battery?
I get confused on Motor AMP and Battery AMP. Should these be set within regard to each other in a normal circumstances? IE: Max Cont Discharge for a pack is 100A then in a dual motor build you should set max motor amp to 50A each? If not what would happen if you set the motors to 65A each with a 100A pack?
Was the reason I went with low KV and 6s as I understood it would have less top speed, better torque for hills since it’s single motor, and run cooler. He’s like 20-25Kg so I imagine range will still be pretty nice for him in the 3p format.
it is just very poor quality and it is sold to people who don’t know better. It’s really just a waste of money. batteryhookup.com has really good stuff for cheap if you want a deal/
@Mawzie as a General guide:
Motor amps limits the low speed power, the amount of “off the line” torque.
Battery amps limit the power available when going speed.
Hidden somewhere in the vesc there is also an option to limit watts. IMO this is a better way to limit available power on a beginner board as a Watt limit feels much more linear and keeps the power constant as the battery level or speed changes.
Depends on the riding, and the pack. If your pack is going to be subjected to any kind of flexing, then there is a reasonable likelyhood that the welds inside the pack may break, or something may pinch and cause a short. That would be really bad.
If its just one of his brick shaped packs, and it will not be subjected to any flex (stiff deck, stiff enclosure, etc.) then its unlikely (though not impossible) that it might catch fire.
Really they are just poorly constructed packs, and every time you use or charge it you are going to be rolling the dice.
Built one for my son too (he’s 9), it’s a great feeling to ride with him.
Only thing I did was limit the speed by creating a VESC Tool profile. He can currently ride safely up to 30 km/h.
Regarding acceleration and braking we have normal settings, didn’t feel a need to do anything as a VESC is already pretty controllable.
When I was a kid I was trying downhills and sometimes falling hard at higher speeds due to terrible boards and speed wobbles. Never wore a helmet or any other protection; different times and places…
Thanks that’s a helpful way of understanding it! I’ll see if I can’t find it!
Big oof. I don’t think it’ll be subjected to too much flex for now at least. He’s really light as of now but as he grows into it I can see this being an issue.
It doesn’t matter very much how much flex it is. Only if there is flex. If the battery is subjected to any flex at all, no matter how little, then it’s totally different than a battery that’s not flexing at all.
Lots of people use it. It’s a feature that’s been there since very old versions and is well proven.
I have usually set this up as part of my metr profiles which is why I don’t know where the setting is in vesc tool but if you have fw5 then i Think the easy way is to set a Watt limit as part of a vesc profile.
Any suggestions for easy access to the VESC? I’m finding that it’s a pain in the ass to keep unscrewing 18 screws and nuts just to tinker in the VESC. Has anyone ran a cable connected to the VESC out and secured it to the motor wires?
