NeoBox Testing Results V6 (serious)

@jeffwuneo A production update would be sweet to satiate all of our curiosities

Summary of my experience and thoughts

I got about 150 km on my v6 neoboxes and no problems. Would have wanted more miles on them but the corona situation limited my riding times.

Setup

Trampa board (200 mm wheels) with 12s6p 30q battery170kv, motors, e-toxx helical mini geardrive 4:1, centre mounted enclosure, gt2b remote, metr-pro, davegax.

Rider: 74 kg with gear.

Im using 3.58 fw since that was the last stable fw I had on my computer at the time. Motor setup FOC sensored.

Neobox experience

At first I didn’t really notice a difference between my old single focboxes and the v6 neo’s but after pushing them a bit further, I notice acceleration is smoother and torque at top end speed seems to have improved, since I really get pushed into my bindings when accelerating at high speed now. I can also confirm the neoboxes run a little cooler than the focboxes since I’ve had no thermal throttling, which I did sometimes have on my focboxes. They also got pretty toasty sometimes but no issues when they did. I also ran some decent amps (see metr pro logs in my previous posts in this thread).

I would also like to mention I broke my top speed (62 km/h) on them, which was quite stable. Additionally, I braked hard going about 50 km/h a few times and no issues there either, brakes are strong (-20 battery current max regen).

So, at this point I would recommend them (keep in mind I have just used them for 150 km, time will tell if they hold up).

I will now list some points that can use some improvement IMO:

Like others have mentioned, im not a huge fan of the structural case design its not very practical for unplugging or plugging in connectors (on the go), a tradeoff for a almost fully enclosed pcb (which will be waterproof in the next batch as I understood). The case does look stunning for sure, I really like the look of them in my enclosure :rofl:

Moreover, two connectors gave me some issues. The rx and tx on the uart connectors is swapped which made me swap the cables on the davegaX connector, not a big deal but maybe the rx and tx can be swapped on the next batch. For the metr pro this is not a problem btw, only for davega users. Anyway the leads on the davega connecter can be swapped easily. Furthermore, I had to solder on the servo cable leads from the remote receiver because the connector doesnt fit in the case.

Also, some of the brass standoffs in the case seem to extend beyond the heatsink part of the case which prevents the lid from being snug with the heatsink case. Also not a big deal but if fixed would ensure slightly better heat dissipation and a nicer look.

Its also a bit of a hassle to close the lid with the cables running through the case. I came up with my own heatsink/mounting plates which bolts to the lids and makes it easier to unmount and open up the cases when I need to. Plus adds a bit of extra heatsink.

To summarize the last two points, the heatsink side of the case (where the fets are placed against) does not have any mounting points. The mounting points (bolts) are placwd on the thin lid side, which makes placing a heatsink on that side less effective because there is a gap between the lid and heatsink part and its further away from the fets.
So at this point if you want a better heatsink than the stock case of the neo’s you will have to take the pcb’s out of the case and use a completely separate heatsink plate, which @Skatardude10 did i believe. Again not a big deal but its something to think about, since some setups are made to expose the mounting side of the escs to the air for cooling. With the current design this would be less effective, which I noticed in my setup. I run my battery and escs in a centre enclosure and the escs can get pretty toasty sometimes. Im sure if the fets were placed on the mounting side, I would have more effective cooling within my setup.

Jeff already took feedback and the case will see some changes, curious to see what they came up with. And im sure with the support of Jeff the neoboxes will be a great and affordable option :slight_smile:

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We are making the production batch of neoBOX now, we think it can finish in 1-2 weeks and then send out to everyone. We are taking extra time for QC to make sure everything is ok. We have build testing jig for test each one so we can be sure reliable operation.

I will share some more detail on Monday when I check with my production manager for status.

And for neoBOX case we made some design changes already. I will try to share photos and drawings in a few days.

You can see the summary of changes we make for production in the other thread.

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i can wait a week, dont worry. was just interested in when aprox they would go

Looking forward to getting mine. But it would have been nice to have these on my 2 week vacation. Suppose I still have the whole summer to enjoy them :slight_smile:

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Here is my hot take.

I said I would start testing today/yesterday. I spent 4-5 hrs locktiting and adjusting a distance build.

There are always headaches with newish builds. I don’t mean to detail a build log here, but that the red pill v6’s were placed and powered without difficulty is instructive.

High points as mentioned by others
+nice anodized finish
+/- close but not exact fit of OG focboxes
-phase leads needed resoldering
-brass standoffs in case not ideal mounting scheme

My Bluetooth telemetry failed me completely. I don’t have logs. When they stop tinkering with stupid user feature requests, I’m sure it will provide amusing logs again.

There are already scattered pics of the pcbs from me here and there.

That @jeffwuneo could pull this off during corona times, is astounding. We, in America, can barely stock disinfectant on supermarket shelves, and even then, we need reminders not to drink it.

I’ll post logs later tonight if they record.

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Maybe swap the tx and rx pin on the connector of the module this fixed it for my davegaX

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Do you have HM-10 hooked up on new firmware? Metr Pro was plug and play for me on old and new firmware, and as @Creavenger said the Davega needs TX/RX swap. HM-10 stopped working for me from 4.x FW on. Good write-up.

:crossed_fingers: Hoping to see more of these in the wild soon.

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I was using a metr. Frustrating. Supporting the brisk changes in vesc firmware must be a lot of work so no knock on them.

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I couldnt even get HM10 to work on 3.62, works fine on Acks and that what I had to put my neoboxes on (v4s but still) for telemetry.

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What app are you using for telemetry?

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The Ackmaniacs android app on Android 9, not as fancy as the VESC tool app but its good for voltage and distance.

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My back up Japanese band Iphone 5s worked fine. :man_shrugging:

Tomorrow, I’ll charge pack to full, set limits to 120% (more? 150?) rated specs ( lol, what even are they?) And go for a long ride by myself.

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Max temp of 48C with your riding is impressive if nothing else.

I was riding on a purposely taxing gear ratio. 150mm tires, 58t hub, 18t motor, 200kv 6369, sensored.

Earlier I was on 60t hub, 16t motor. I weight about 165-170lbs. Board is 39lbs.

No bindings today. This means more continuous riding (bc I can actually turn now, amazing :wink: ) but no hard launches.

It’s maybe 65 degrees F out, I don’t usually See Esc temps in the 150s. Both Esc still have doubled up silicone pads.

I’m cool with these. I don’t intend to put 4 or 8 (:roll_eyes: of course mike , of course ) in a fast board, I’ll use them for my distance/buddy boards.

I understand the criticism from the other testers. We paid full price (right? It’s was like 240-260$?) with a confident assertion that they were tested.

The phase leads bugged me mostly bc the wire wicked up solder and was stuff and pointy 1-1.5 cm beyond the red housing. This is a recipe for a phase short when it pokes through the silicone. And, it takes up space. (Also did you know that carbon fiber is conductive?! :wink:)

I did not expect to actually get them, nor did I expect the communication or media updates through out the process. It was kinda my turn to take one for the team I supposed. (This was my take in early January, late December)

I didn’t get bent over by carvon, or have bent hexls (I have a theory about bindings and this, …later), or get left High and dry by Hyperion (in fact, the unities in my quick board are from them). Time to join the club.

what I’m say is, there is no way Jeff could have known the strange/dumb things we are going to do with our Esc’s, or how there are details we obsess about (tiny remote signal hiccups , sharp nickel on packs, dirty phase leads melting off PCBs during races, trucks that don’t truck). We don’t forget these fuck ups because the scars are still there.

@jeffwuneos good first diy Esc meant for consumer installation This was (still is) a growing hole in the market.

@BillGordon, you have ben made whole for the sacrificial focboxes that gave up their smoke, so that whe all could ride another day.

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76 kph on skateboard! Dude you have some balls.

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47.2mph in FUB

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unnamed

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LoL. Yeah, kinda

Except FUB means freedom unit bullshit

We’ve been trained to think wrong by those we trusted as a child

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@b264 i laugh everytime you type FUB, because in my head i hear an eagle screeching in the distance and will now forever envision the image @ShutterShock posted :crazy_face:

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