This build is the extension of the Pandora but too much has changed to be the same thread; I present the most overkill for a short range, level ground, low speed campus board…FoxTrot One! I have no justifiable reason to make this, but fuck it…I want a mountain board!
For the most part this is just for the rougher roads on the campus, I’m planning on getting a job near by too so every day is a mix of bricks and gravel coated roads day in and day out for the next 5 years. Supposedly something a little more plush will make a difference, the vibrations have literally eaten away threads on some of my parts.
This is all still in the works, I don’t think it will be operational until the end of summer
Parts List - about $1000 total
Basic Parts
- [$240] Battery: 12s4p 30Q | 8A charger | HCX-D223V1 | ABS sled
- [$210] Controller: FocBox Unity | mini remote
- [$175] Drive Train: 330mm TKP | 200mm pneumatics | crossbar mounts | 12:72
- [$180] Motors: dual sealed MayTech 6355 170kv
- [$55] Deck: 35" 10 ply MTB | MOB griptape
- [$40] Enclosure: sheet steel | 3/8" neoprene
Additional Parts
- [$100] Hardware: wires | connectors | inserts | bolts | conformal coating | silicone 2+ | fish paper | heat shrink | kapton tape | etc.
- [$50] Lights: 300+ lumen headlights | 144 pixel addressable under glow
- [$15] Crash bar: 3/8" steel | para cord
Theoretical/Expected Specs
- Range: 11 miles off-road to 28 miles cruising on asphalt
- Speed: 18 to 25 MPH on roads depending on voltage
- Weight: 27 lbs maybe?
So far I’ve purchased most of the parts but half of it comes international through eBay so it’ll be a while before I get everything and a much longer time before it’s all ready, estimate for functionality is end of summer.
I’ve done about half the battery work so far, I made the sled from ABS cell holders with steel contacts and 10 awg silicone current carriers, I know the contacts are good up to 10A when they use the tiny pins so this should support 20A with the larger mass of conductive material. The balance wires are also finished with 22 awg silicone and run neatly to the D223. I need to do all the wires for the D223 which involves coating the Unity and D223 with acrylic conformal coating, replacing the Unity phase wires with 14 awg silicone and MT60 connectors then running them through the layers of the D223 (it saves me space) with a fish paper liner, and connecting the D223 power in and out leads.
I got the Unity a while ago and proceeded to immediately break it, the USB-C port got ripped out so I’m relying on a stolen Moto G4 to program it over BlueTooth. It’s nice to know I have no reason to open the enclosure but it also sucks that I’m relying on a less stable connection. I may mount the phone to a bracket at the front and wire the charger cable to the 5V line of the board so I get constant feedback. For now I’ve got a mini remote but I think I’m gonna mod it to be wrist mounted and use hand positions to activate, open hand for brake so it stops when I fall and closed hand to go faster. It will be an exo-skeleton glove with a spring assist to hold at neutral and a mechanical dead man switch.
The drive train will be made from DickyHo’s new TKP off-road kit but I’m replacing the stock 6" wheels with 8" wheels and the motor pulley with a 12T, and most likely a new set of bushings and pivot cups from Riptide. Because of the way the 8" wheel is made, I need to remove about 8mm of material off each end of the hanger to get enough axle to hold the bearings, I’m praying to skatan that the axle doesn’t break because of it but it should be fine.
For now I think the body of the board will be the cheap mountain board deck with the steel enclosure but I will try to replace it with fiberglass when I have the time. I’ve got enough material to make the enclosure in a way that the components sit in the tray of the enclosure and the lid seals everything, so I don’t need to mount it to be water resistant. In theory I can use anything from a few loose bolts to a couple pieces of duct tape to mount the enclosure to any deck and it will always be sealed. I will also line the entire inside with 3/8" neoprene foam rubber (I ordered thinner but what the hell) and the wires will sit in channels carved in the foam. I’m going to try sealing all the corners with a MIG welder so it will be pretty strong and mostly water tight, but I’ll add neutral cure silicone to all the edges to be sure. I’m thinking of laser cutting a low poly fox into the grip tape and using foot stops. I think I will be okay without bindings since MOB grip tape has some serious gripping power.
Just for shits and giggles I’m adding a ton of lights, the current plan is a pair of high power LED bike lights for the front and 2 lines of addressable LEDs down the sides. For now the headlights are controlled with the stock buttons on the back but I am looking into getting a pair of LED street lamps on the front, don’t ask why but they should be able to output 6000 lumens if I have enough power for them. The addressable will run off a cheap remote control driver with the parts gutted and the buttons on the outside of the enclosure but I’ve got plans to get an Arduino tiny and a custom UART interface remote so the lights will run off that and be used as feedback.
Rather than lugging this around, I’m gonna try dragging it as much as possible. I think I can get the motors up high enough that I can use the front trucks to pull it. To serve as a handle for dragging, a shield for crashes, and a bracket for the head lights I’m gonna forge out a steel bull bar that bolts to the front hangar from 3/8" steel, it won’t be pretty but it should do the trick. I don’t know exactly how I will get it to mount but probably a pair of U-bolts since the hangars that go through the bar. Worst case is I use the bolts that hold the base plate instead, I’d loose the turning of the lights and close shielding but it would still work.
I’ll also try to get some wheel guards onto this but I’m not sure how, most likely I’ll make them from a single layer of fiberglass when I make the second enclosure, but they could also end up as just 3D prints
The electronics from this will be interchangeable with my other parts, which is another $300 parts for a 40" drop deck and 90mm ABEC ReFlys or 100mm MBS AT wheels on 195mm Paris II trucks with the corresponding mounts. The enclosure and motors will be removable since the enclosure is a sealed container and both decks will have the same mounting pattern so I can swap it over with about 30 minutes of work.
I’d like to know your thoughts on the build so far, any input would be greatly appreciated!
