I contacted them and they can program it manually to be 3.3v
spudtastic!
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Sorry for the thread bump, but I wanted to throw out the idea of using an e-ink display. Would be perfect for a remote, so that you could see the screen in the bright sun!
Also – progress update?
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The e-ink is definitely a cool concept and I’ve worked on with implementing one in a different product. I don’t think it would be a great fit for esk8 however, due to the fact that at dusk or darkness, you can’t see s***. It works amazing as a secondary screen but not sure if that would be a good choice in this case. And the slow refresh-rate and shadow artifacts on partial refreshes are also quite lame…
We are working hard on our final hardware revision where we are focusing on these things:
- cost cutting (removing all development features and components, looking for better value components, etc.)
- final feature-set with some of the ideas that were brought up in the thread (mostly on the receiver end)
- adding some modability / futurproofing (we are routing some of the spare pins from the chip to bare pads, so you’ll be able to add some custom things along the way)
- trying to find the largest battery that we can cram in the remote that’s with the right certifications for flying (otherwise it’s practically impossible to ship them anywhere). So far 800 mAh is looking very realistic, hoping to possible fit close to 1000mAh if we find the right shape. We might need to increase the thickness by a millimeter or two I don’t think anyone will mind
.
We have also been working on software side of things which we are hoping to showcase very soon in an update video, or atleast lay out here very soon with some pictures.
4 Likes
Oh and also, since a lot of people look to be interested in a cheaper / still good remote, we are actually thinking of making a lite version with a super basic receiver and some of the fancier features removed and targeting sub 100$ range (closer to VX2 pricing). The casing and overall interface would be almost the same, just without the fancy features.
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giving options is good
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What’s the news on this? Ready for test guinea pigs?
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lol wut 
im also waiting for it
1 Like
Eriks: It’s been almost 2 months since our last update in the forum, I think we should do something about that…
Mikus: OH S***! 2 MONTHS?! Ok, give me a minute.
Overall project status update
For the past 2 months we’ve been 1) implementing a lot of the features (both software and hardware) that were discussed in this thread and 2) working hard to bring down the cost of the remote. Clearly this has taken a lot longer than we would’ve liked but we are not the kind of guys who are willing to ship a half-baked cake just because we’re pushing deadlines.
Firmware improvements
- Fully working over-the-air updates via phone app (iOS & Android). It was crucial to get this one right before shipping any remotes at all.
- Implemented cruise-control (same as on VESC Wand - fixed km/h speed with ability to increase or decrease speed) which automatically disengages on hard braking
- Display VESC settings under board INFO section (only the important settings like battery config, ratio, wheel size, version)
- New dashboard metrics (those in the top row like the speed, battery level, etc.)
- Top speed (during current ride but it will be possible to clear it with a shake)
- Odometer (lifetime distance traveled for the board - this is stored on the receiver and will only be reset when doing factory reset)
- Battery voltage
- Link (signal) quality
- Trip distance (resettable trip like in cars - work in progress)
- Distance since last charge (work in progress)
- Additional settings based on feedback
- Switch between KM and MILES
- Reverse joystick throttle / braking direction
- Reverse riding direction
- Joystick calibration wizard
- Dashboard configuration (ability to enable / disable any of the dashboard metrics)
- About section to view remote and receiver version
Hardware improvements
- Optimization of the design for production and lowering the costs
- We’ve gone through BOM list several times, cutting out all the unnecessary parts
- We’ve ordered samples for more cost effective components to see where we can cut down costs. There were a lot more of these parts than we initially thought that could be optimized so it’s looking pretty optimistic.
- Working prototype for wireless charging support which we feel confident we can implement in the design as an upgrade part with little added cost / complexity
- Added MicroSD card slot as main storage device for rides recording
- Revised connector layouts
- PWM output for universal ESC support
- Plug & Play compatibility with external “Power button pusher” extension that allows to turn off boards from remote with any physical push-type power buttons
- Headlight / Brake-light future compatibility
- Plug & Play compatibility with our recommended GPS module
- Support for reading battery level up to 14S for non-VESC boards
- Improved buzzer for a much louder sound (so it could be used as a mini-horn)
Other things that have taken up our time
- New anti-spark switch which is almost ready for BETA testing
- Based on a well-known design in the community
- Lower cost alternative and small size
- Configurable features
- Affordable motor-mounts for Caliber Trucks (mainly because we needed ones for our own builds) but we’ll likely put these up for sale soon since we have like 20 spare sets or so.
What’s next?
- We need to finalize the optimized components list - we’re waiting for the samples to arrive.
- Once the list is finalized, we need to finalize the PCB designs and make a prototype to validate the design.
- Produce a BETA batch with our chosen PCBA contractor and we can send out some BETA units for testing around the world.
Obviously there’s tons of work to do still and keep in mind that all of us are doing this as a side thing. I think it’s realistic to think that we could try doing the BETA batch of the final design early next year if all goes well. This would mean we could shoot for a proper release in Summer, 2021. 
P.S. We’ll do some quick UI improvements and post some pictures / video of all the updated stuff above.
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Bump
Any updates on this? 
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Where is the potato remote?
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They teamed up with Kamiboards. Lookout, world.