The Broletarian - Bro 96 - Modular battery - Etoxx Maxi drive 1:6.25 - APS 6384 170kV - MBS 9“ tires

Didn’t really plan to start a build thread for it as it’s just another Bro build, but as it’s raining today and I do not know what else to build… why not to write something down.
So…
I didn’t really know where to go with this build,
But the one thing I did know from the beginning was that I want to build a modular battery pack.
Something I can use on different builds with a variety of size and range options.
But more to this a bit later.
Lucky me got one of the first Bro decks.
Plain with some grip tape on it.

First thought was to create a cruiser board.
6.5“ tires, 190kV motors with moondrives on Matrix2 trucks.
Something like this

But it just didn’t feel right.
So I switched to 8“ tires.

Still didn’t feel right.
So I made the decision to take apart all my other boards and swap parts for a totally new setup.

I ordered an Etoxx maxi gear drive 1:6.25
Changed to trampa infinity trucks from my light white together with the 6384 APS motors.
Took the 9“ 3DS hubs from my quad and put some 9“ mbs wheels on I had laying around and designed a new case for my ESCapes.

That took me a while as I needed to rebuild the two other boards after that again, but I think it was worth it.

Etoxx Maxi Drive for weight reference

Getting off the old motor gears was a pain, but with enough heat and a pulley puller everything is possible :sweat_smile:
Motor gears chillin with some loctite

With all that done I finally needed to start my battery.
I wanted to be able to get up to 12s10p of vtc6 cells to maybe one day use it on my quad as well.
I had a short conversation with @rich from who I know is riding a 12s6p vtc6 and after that decided to split my packs into
2x 12s3p
2x 12s2p
That will give me the options to run those packs as
12s4p 5p 6p 7p 8p and 10p
Always get some 5 extra cells and don’t forget to check the voltage of each cell as well as your nickel before starting to put your battery pack together :point_up:

Cutting corners (it’s 25x0.2 Nickel by the way)

The p-groups are glued together with neutral silicone. Fishpaper is inbetween of each group. From top and the sides are covered with a 3D printed sheet.

A 3D printed sheet is between of the two rows of each pack ad well but just added that after welding.

Each pack has its own main fuse.
I used 58V 40A fuse for the 2p packs and 58V 50A for each 3p pack.

The packs are going to be balance charged external via Sub-D plug. Would probably go for Gx12 plug by now, but the Sub-D plug just has a lower profile.

The boxes for each pack are 3D printed and the battery are placed and sealed with Sikaflex. Really started to like that stuff during this build. It’s a pain to work with sometimes, but it’s nice to sand down after it’s dry and as well no issues with spray painting it in the end.

For the deck I needed a dock to pop the packs in. Something that looks more or less clean and has the loopkey plug integrated as well.

First thought was to go with bullet connectors, but there was the risk that it’s somehow possible to touch the positive end and the negative end somehow in the worst case.
I did not want to risk that, that’s why I went with xt60 plugs instead.

I‘m missing some cnc riser I hopefully will get one day. The fw need to be setup and the esc case need some screws after that, but besides it’s pretty much ready to ride.

26 Likes

So slick dude! I love the modular battery!

4 Likes

Great build, I like the battery solution and the dock looks very helpful and clean.

I’m sure you gonna love the extra power with the higher gearing, personally I can’t switch back to 1:5. Only the top speed might be not the best with 170kv but also I don’t know how fast your average speed is.

2 Likes

The top speed will be a bit of a down side that’s right, but for now it’s ok.
I probably would have chosen a 9T motor gear if it would be available :sweat_smile:.
If the new APS 6384 seem to be reliable I might change to 200kV later on.
I usually try first to build as much as I can with parts I have at home to see how it performs and only than change what I don’t like.

4 Likes

Nice!
You gave me a crazy idea.

7 Likes

Really nice execution

5 Likes

Oeh cant wait to see what you come up with :smirk:

1 Like

looks amazing, very creative with the battery system. The bigger wheels definitely look better haha

4 Likes

Looks awesome, Andy.

4 Likes

Well done Andy, great execution

3 Likes

Awesome mate ! Nice you have test all you can before to state on a setup !!
It look very nice :+1: I like the full black with just camo grip ,with some little extra chrome !!!
Can’t wait to see news vids from you :stuck_out_tongue:

I was thinking the same and finally I just make a post on my last DartVapor build to say goodbye and that I will finally make a new thread ^^ haha

3 Likes

Very nice @Andy87. I just know I’m gonna end up with about 6 versions of the Bro deck.

4 Likes

Seems like you have enough decks for it for sure :joy:

3 Likes

Got two of the 9“ Trampa mudplugger and installed them on the back wheels.
In direct comparison to the 9“ mbs:

The mbs wheels are a bit wider and higher.
As the mudplugger wasn’t inflated in the first pictures, here one with mbs deflated and mudplugger inflated.

6 Likes

The mudplugger seems to have a much more aggressive tread.
I like it.
The mbs is very similar to the 8" Trampa tyres which have a very mellow tread. Good for the road and hardpack trails but not good for loose off road

Have you tried the board?

1 Like

Damn those mudpluggers look tough.

1 Like

I had a 20km isch ride a week ago. Unfortunately I couldn’t ride more as we theoretically still in lockdown.
First time on helical and I was a bit shocked how silent they are compared to my chains and straight cut gears :sweat_smile: I mean I knew they are silent, but it’s a different thing if you experience it by your own.

I definitely need more time on the bro deck to understand if I like it or not.
Coming from a 15ply trampa that’s a very big difference in how you feel on the deck while riding and jumping.
I also realized that my elastomer damper became super soft over time which makes the board not as stable as I want it to be.
Might change them out to fresh ones.

@Trampa there still different durometer for the elastomer damper in works?

3 Likes

They are indeed.
I think the mbs are a good allrounder and the mudplugger are a real off-road tire.
Will find out soon I hope.

2 Likes

Did you get the stiff version?

1 Like

I like losing traction, so the mbs T1s are perfect for me. But those mudpluggers look great.

1 Like