9 months failed prototypes
90 days printing 24-7
Injection system needs due to part volume.
100+ SLA Mold bodies
Originally thought I could just 3d print all the parts. Built this big ass printer to make them.
FML, it better work!
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Nope. I quit my software startup due to covid. Could not afford to pay google cloud 8k a month. Needed a break from software. Decided to try to get my kid in the snow everyday. Needed a job. Trying to make one.
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Your values are kind of similar to what I have but to rule out the fw, are you using 5.1 or not?
The Lime scooter motor is designed to have a top speed around 25kph at 36V i think.
I’m just assuming here that your new motor has different characteristics. Has a higher kv value and will require a higher motor current to produce the same torque. The new motor would also be a lot faster in that case (same battery).
30A motor current on my scooter cannot even move the scooter itself. 50A can barely accelerate it forward with me on it.
The squealing pig noise usually is a sign that the esc doesn’t like what is happening. Perhaps some over current/ voltage protection is kicking in. Do you get any faults? Under “terminal” press “print faults”
The motor seems to run fine when spinning in the air. It is quite loaded with that wheel.
If the esc is not able to shut off fast enough during a voltage spike, It will probably break… which is sad. I would go back to the 13s battery. Higher battery voltage will make you go faster but that is not your issue now. Its possible you are getting larger voltage spikes at 50A and they are triggering the esc to limit motor torque (cogging behaviour)
Focus now… I want to see this thing in the snow 
2 Likes
Its running 5.1
Think we might be onto something. I hooked up the 13s and found a fault that feels like it might be the root issue.
Fault : FAULT_CODE_ABS_OVER_CURRENT
Motor : 1
Current : 153.5
Current filtered : 120.2
Voltage : 52.47
Duty : 0.855
RPM : 17905.1
Tacho : 73477
Cycles running : 15451
TIM duty : 4787
TIM val samp : 2800
TIM current samp : 2800
TIM top : 5600
Comm step : 0
Temperature : 35.06
With 35 or 50A motor current max, you should not reach 153A. Something is not right.
Maybe the current controller is not fast enough. Try doing at detection with 500us time constant. That has helped me getting rid of that fault code.
Also it should be ok to increase the Absolute maximum current. Most have it set to 150A.
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Thought that would help, bumped max to 160.
positive ramp to 1.20s and the cogging goes away but we need the amps to kick the paddles into breaking the surface tension.
1 Like
@Fatglottis
Try doing at detection with 500us time constant. (didn’t understand this)
Which motor type do you use? How many poles detected?
Thanks
This value
You actually don’t need to redo detection, you could just change the value and hit “Calc apply old”
My motor has 15 pole pairs (30 poles). BLDC Hub motor.
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Most brushless motors are 14 poles (at least hobby rc 3 phase)
This thing is a cow I can get it to rip, just not ramp up.
I think mine detected 46 poles. 
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Go into app config To show what you are using at a remote
And are you going current control?
Because if you are without a load on it it won’t ramp up
I think you need to keep realistic expectations. Have you looked into the speedboard and 3sk8 projects?
They’re in the same situation as you trying to get something started by themselves. Message them and see if they’re willing to talk and give some insight on their hurdles and achievements so far.
Some thoughts after reading your posts:
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From what I gather, you’re trying to do this venture solo from your parents garage?
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You want to build these with friends? (You gonna pay them?)
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Do you want to bang out 10 and sell them and call it a day? Or is your goal making hundreds of these?
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Is this a ‘fun side project’ or a serious venture? Know this answer in order to allocate time/money accordingly.
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You’re from a software background. Got any experience with hardware and mechanical engineering background?
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Anyone else in this with you? (hardware guy, electronics guy)
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you have production samples “ready to ship”, but haven’t even tested it yet on actual snow?
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Is this going uphill, flats, (probably not downhill?)?. Have you don’t the power and efficiency calculations for the motor to climb slopes and the efficiency of snow?
This can be a great project! Keep it up and have realistic expectations. If you expect to have a “ready to ship” product in 5 months, but it took 9 months of failed prototypes, of course you’ll be discouraged.
The most important thing right now is to get a working prototype, and from there, decide what direction to head for the remaining 90% of the work 
8 Likes
@murdomeek
I run teams of engineers by day, ran my own businesses for 30 years.
Didn’t want a big investor. My last business failed due to investor debt. I could put a million in the bank tomorrow but would have my balls in a vice. No thanks.
My friends in the mountains have a hard time keeping full-time work. Who better to employ.
I plan to enjoy the mountain life.
My last venture tried to reverse engineer the internet, this seems within reach.
4 Likes
Instagram @powertraverse
40 units presold, been targeting core riders. They’ll take alpha units if they rip.
Plan to make 5 demo mules asap 100 hours on each. Make 100 hand made units. getting my riding buddies producing content.
We have 60/1600w, 60/2400w 72/3000 72/3600 motor options. Other vendors are willing to make our motors to spec.
Hired PCB engineer to fix the bugs in BESC-G2 controller, should handle 20s. (backpack with heatsink built-in)
PCB Vendor on standby.
Battery vendor engineers waiting on motor specs.
Hired product engineer to simulate parts and stops the failures.
Didn’t expect these motor issues but getting used to the hurdles.
I do this every day. Until she floats.
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How much weight is on the board? Im concerned about agility being severely hampered by the weight and the interaction of the paddles in the snow.
This concern is from back when teaching my boy to ride, we tried a leash style system, but quickly went another way because haveing a leash pull on the the back of the board did not allow for movement to turn.
Do you foresee this working better on hardpack or pow?
Happy to hear the power delivery system will be backpack mounted. The more weight not on the board itself the better.
I’m rooting for ya!
2 Likes
I just want to see it, Not very practical
The hills in the Midwest are all chatter and ice so the paddle design won’t work here
@PedroMcJimenez
The motor is 20lb with the paddles.
The motor is designed to float ~10mm above the snow line.
Arms offer 120mm vertical travel (We will test flexibility to get the right feel edge to edge)
1-6 degree wedges to apply under arm base plates. (120mm axle trimming travel)
Arms quick release (3 arm lengths)
2 paddle lengths 75m for trail, 115mm for pow. (this is all assumptions until further testing)
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@powertraverse this is one cool project, I had seem the videos before
Have you tried upping the sensor less ERPM by a lot? This way it would keep using the sensors until you have enough speed
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