Ownboard Zeus Discussion

Hey guys, dropping in after a while…so I took my time with the updated ESC install…wanted to share my experience so far with it and do an update on my post on page 392…

  1. I did about 500km on the Og Zeus ESC and 70Km on the new Pro ESC.

  2. As everyone said the acceleration and braking are improved to the level where it’s safe to ride now and all the modes are useful.

  3. The ESC is getting a bit if not much hotter than before(have a plan to attach a heatsink).

  4. Recently I had a pretty crash with the Pro ESC, was pretty banged up, scrapes and bruises…luckily due to the helmet the head is ok.

  5. I am sure it was not my fault, smooth bycicle asphalt path, full throttle acceleration in mode 3 the motors suddenly cutout for a brief moment and the deceleration force made me Fly like a Superman :man_shrugging:
    Probably it was a battery pack cutout or the ESC overheating…don’t know, few seconds after that I just rode away normally…

  6. With this I am going back to the text I wrote in my post on page 392 2 months ago…about a battery cutout midride not being nice…and am so questioning the Og battery pack Pro ESC combo…

  7. After several questions to OB on Fb about the type of batteries in the OG Zeus I didn’t get an anwser. Just got blocked from posting on the group for a while…

  8. Well I tried then via email several times, they said it’s the Panasonics 21700T…which I have a hard time to believe until I see it…

  9. The power delivery after the crash/power cutout on the board is by feeling weaker than it was…I suspect the battery pack a cell/s is/are damaged to a significant point where I can feel it…

  10. First I thought it was the bluetooth connection that cutout, as I had some connection issues along the way…but now afer feeling the weaker performance I suspect the battery Pro ESC combo…as my fears were in the beginning…

And due to this I believe Ownboard didn’t want to give a free replacement of the new ESC to the people that asked at that time/me included, as the original ESC was programmed the way it should be, to not pull to much current from the weak cells(which ever) are in there…

I just wanted to warn the community here to be careful, if you have the Og Zeus Pro ESC combo running…after about 500km on the Og ESC I started also feeling a definitely strong battery sag in the lower 30%…which was not there before…probably with the Pro ESC this got even worse…

Be safe and have fun out there :v::zap:

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For anyone curious here are some measurements for various parts on the Zeus pro. I was taking apart my drivetrain this morning to clean up my motor mount holes and wanted to check a few things. As already mentioned here I believe, the axles are 10mm to 8mm step down. Motor mounts are 7mm thick and 3mm thick in the recessed areas where the screw heads reside. If anyone wants any other measurements while I have stuff apart let me know and I’m happy to accommodate if possible.





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Another update on the build! Spintend ESC is here annnd - just like i predicted, it’s a tight fit. Deck definitely needs to be modified to accomodate it, and a new mounting plate/heatsink is required. Besides that, since the last update i’ve fixed the mismatch in height due to the different adjustable baseplate angles causing different ride heights front to rear with some cut risers (dropped the front ride height with some 3mm rubber risers cut to mount underneath the drop through baseplate), and added a rough calculator for anyone running BN adjustables in case they wanted to figure out roughly how much offset height is required to match front to rear. (sheet three of the link below) I’ve also added a second newbee footstop (shoutout to him by the way, fixed a mistake with my order and more than made up for it, amazing CS there), and have ordered a bunch more of the small bits and pieces to clean up the wiring once i finally finish this thing.

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Does anyone have a comparison between the OG vs PRO rear motor mount ground clearance? Is it much higher than the original version? Judging by their pictures, it doesn’t seem that much higher. Is it just the baseplate that we change out or entire hanger along with their motor mounts? Do other brands fit? If anyone has any idea, it would be greatly appreciated. :fist_right:

No measurements but I’ve seen the Pro model in person and it don’t look like it’s much higher

Better get these if you want clearances

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Thanks. I noticed the original Zeus has 2 mounting holes but 1 of them is unusable. But judging from the PRO’s has only 1 hole which is DEAD CENTER of the 2 original’s holes. I think that is the spot I will be hacking. I’ve had my early days of DIY TB’s mounts so I’m aware of “loose” motor mounts. Thanks for the photos. Really helps. Good .5 to 3/4" clearance I figure. I have no problem with the clearance when I am riding. I kinda like the low slung look of the drive system. My rear end is getting way too scuffed up from picking it up from the front, etc. Thanks again for the pictures!

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Hey guys, so after installing the new ESC I have the old one lying around.
I would love to use it for a DIY cruiser board. The Zeus battery pack is a 13S. My question is can I use the old ESC it with a lower S count battery pack say a 12S or a 10S? Or will the voltage programming for the 13S be a problem?

no*

yes


*You can use lower voltages but the ESC will just think your battery is empty and engage voltage cutoffs as programmed.

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Dang…that’s what I thought…I guess I will need to get a 13S4 battery then…:man_shrugging:

Yet another update - for anyone looking to cram a spintend into a zeus pro or just follow my build so far, it is a LOT of custom work and i cant in all honesty recommend it unless you really want a built setup. After more progress in the build, heres all the issues and the solutions i need to implement.

Enclosure volume is too shallow to fit the vesc. Solution - cut out the stock heatsink hole to drop the vesc down further, and get a new mounting plate made.

Stock enclosure motor wiring guides are not large enough. Solution - entirely chop the area between the two wiring holes to leave the entire area open at the back, and 3D print a panel cover.

Power button hole is too small to fit the new power button. Solution - drill out power button hole.

Power button extends too far inwards, hitting the vesc. Solution - relocate power button, or redesign that area of the deck entirely to push the power button mounting hole further out.

Battery connector is not correct. Solution - remove stock XT60, replace with XT90S.

Stock motors dont have proper connector. Solution - replace motors with suitable ones, or chop a wiring harness off of the stock esc and repin the stock motors (not recommended)

Stock battery may or may not have a discharge BMS which would limit how much battery current i can use. Solution - Test it by trying to draw a crapton of battery amps while wearing full riding gear. If i eat shit, i’ll need to find someone to bypass the BMS on this battery… or just hurry up and switch to an even crazier battery setup.

BN adjustable truck baseplates use a bolt which protrudes outwards, which will interfere with the deck when you try and mount drop through. Solution - Replace the bolt and nut with a 27x6mm pin that doesn’t protrude, hand toleranced with sandpaper.

BN adjustable truck baseplates result in mismatched height when you try and run split angles. Solution - Measure height differences at all truck angles and use appropriate amount of risers to compensate. (I have the chart of all the measurements I took if anyone needs it)

If anyone wants internal dimensions of the stock deck before i start chopping and drilling, ask away!

Also, if anyone here wants the new Zeus Pro 9028 ESC, remote, power button all as a lot, let me know, i need to let my wallet rest a bit.

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Good cautionary tale. Is that your hobby shop? Kinda jealous.

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Sadly not haha, I just found it while searching for a place with a not garbage soldering iron. Didn’t even know it was here, it’s hidden off of the highway like 10 minutes from my house. My poor wallet is going to become a pile of ashes now lol.

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note to self…don’t think about upgrading the zeus.

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:joy: Yeah other than typical bolt-on stuff/wheel changes I am going to leave mine alone. I figure once I dive into DIY I will get to mess with whatever I want. This board is fine as-is for me for now.

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true, the Zeus performs really good out of the box, especially when you compare it to what was available 3-5 years ago. If you want more, just go dull DIY and forget using decks with this much space limitations.

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I mean, it’s doable but you have to be smart about it. Go with a stormcore, it fits better, dont switch the trucks out, etc.

I see you have the b-one brake light. Do you mind taking a couple of close up pictures of the JST connector that plugs in to the hobbywing ESC.

this build list is the reason why lacroix was made and why they’re successful. sorry but what is this list of parts youre pissing away money on… You’re past lacroix money if you put 6.4k in at this point. don’t know how you didn’t see any of this coming, you’re upgrading a china board… Maybe you can get it all to work but its still way overspent for what you get. Sell everything and do a 16s in the boundmotor… holy moly dude

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