So, a quick introduction before I jump into the actual meat and potatoes of what I want this to be about!
My name is Kyle, and I run SDESK8! I’m familiar with a decent number of y’all through my work with the org (and/or making unsolicitied comments on instagram, sorry gang) and while I’ve been lurking around these parts for a while, I’ve never actually been super active on the forum itself. One of my big goals for SDESK8 as an organization going into next year is a focus on performance, repair, and sustainability. And while I am generally knowledgeable-ish about DIY, it’s all very surface-level; I don’t have an ME or EE background, and everything I know about the DIY side of this sport is tied up in the things I’ve personally tried. I want to be a better resource for my riders and my organization as we expand our community programs in the coming months, and that’s where y’all come in.
I want to distill some of the information and experience in these forums, and bring it back to my riders in the form of some community pilot programs and content. To that end I’d like you guys to just… tell me about your experiences, really. Tell me about things you’ve tried that worked, things that didn’t work, stuff you’ve learned about building, changes to your process, anything and everything you can think of. These are just some quick prompts, but any and all information you can provide is welcome.
What would you have done differently in your first build/builds? What technologies or designs are you most excited for (EG VSS/HFI, PKP Drivetrains, tubeless tires, etc) What equipment or tools do you feel should be invested in early if you intend to build boards? What resources do you feel helped you the most as you started building your own boards?
There’s a tons of other questions I could ask here, but the gist of it is this: what information/advice would you personally give to someone who is just starting out and wants to build their own gear? Assuming that things like basic technical info is already understood (IE the hypothetical individual already understands what an ESC is, what a battery is, just assume they’ve already read the famed Intro-to-DIY thread).
Obviously it’s important to do your research but what often happens is that you get stuck in the planning phase for too long without really getting anywhere. Sometimes you just have to try things out.
Your first build wont be perfect anyway so my tipp is to build something that’s not to expensive to get experience.
That’s definitely something I think a lot of people learn the hard way; by the time the last part shows up, your build is never as close to done as you think it is. Thanks for the input, adding it to the list!
If you don’t mind my asking, is there any particular reason you put drivetrain ahead of wheels? I usually find myself selecting my wheels much earlier in the process just to avoid having underpowered motors/batteries, hangars that are too short, etc.
Also, I really like this concept/list; if we were to use this as a basis for something similar or a diagram, do you have a preferred citation? Maybe social media or something similar?
Wisdom I’ve acquired over the years in no particular order:
Threadlocking bolts is CRUCIAL. Especially using high strength threadlocker on bolts directly receiving force, like those that hold motor mount clamps tight.
Bolt-on pulleys are just not worth the hassle
The tiny grub screws in pulleys will get stuck, so don’t use them. Red threadlocker is enough to keep the pulley from sliding off in my experience.
A lower truck angle in the back is 90% of what makes a board stable at speeds
Battery drain is something you should really keep an eye on. Don’t leave boards turned on when not in use!
The Hoyt puck is still the only reliable remote available for purchase
SP-13 is the best charge port connector because the cap does not fly off while riding, it’s small, and can do up to 13A.
Reclaimed cells are not worth the hassle and risk
If your motors are close to the ground and unprotected, it’s not a matter of if, but when you will break a motor
Don’t trust new Vesc FW
Never trust pre-orders
Expect shipping delays
Metr and Davega are both very cool
Use adhesive lined heat shrink for bullet connectors. Otherwise the bullets will slide loose from underneath regular heat-shrink / tape
The kind of info/resources you’re talking about are definitely needed. These forums are packed full of info, but sifting through and finding the most up to date info amongst all of the garbage and social stuff is pretty difficult. The original intent of this forum was to be a discussion board for the esk8.news articles, which would be the main sources of documentation/info. The articles are well thought out, researched, and edited for maximum info density, however many of them are seriously out of date at this point, and there have not been many new articles lately.
I wonder if contributing esk8.news articles might be a good format for the kinds of resources you’re talking about? It would allow you to digest the info found on this forum into a more approachable form, while still keeping the info on this domain and providing an easy funnel for users with questions about the articles to get answers (rather than having people comment directly on your facebook post or whatever, putting the burden of replying entirely on you).
Just an idea! I’m definitely interested in seeing whatever you come up with! Hope you’re doing well dude!
-Benjamin
This is all really good info, a couple of clarifications if you don’t mind!
You mention high strength threadlocker; do you have a specific brand or formula that you like the most? I’m familiar with the blue and green formulas from Loctite and have generally liked those, but am curious about others!
When you reference bolt-on pulleys, I assume you mean the Trampa style pulleys that mount directly to the wheel hub via the same hardware that holds the two halves of the wheel core together?
As for VESC firmware, I personally am using 5.2; do you have any others that you recommend? Any that you absolutely avoid?
I have a decent bit of experience with Davega units, and really like them; I have none with METR units. I know generally about their logging properties, but can you tell me a bit more about what you personally find valuable about them?
I have been running various sets of MR60s completely out of spec for years now, and have honestly never used bullets. I always thought it made sense to apply a bit of solder to bullet connectors. Is this something you do, and does it remove the need for adhesive lined shrink?
Sorry, I know that’s a lot of questions and I don’t mean to be giving you homework! Please feel free to answer as many or as few of these as you’re able.
That’s right - they’re antiquated. There are plenty of press fit ones available now that are great.
5.1 had the duty cycle issue I think, 5.2 is what I run too. Generally new vesc firmware is riddled with issues so I usually stay away from latest version for a few months.
Having logs that show your whole route’s data can be helpful for diagnosing issues, observing hardware limitations, and other stuff. In general, they’re just really cool to look at and share.
That doesn’t really make any sense to me, since you’re supposed to be able to separate them. Just use them properly, use the good kind and not the springy kind, and either use heatshrink over the connection, or use electrical tape. Sometimes electrical tape can come loose tho so heatshrink is better. I’ve had bullets vibrate apart before, otherwise.
Ahahaha, too many irons in my fire, otherwise I would have been here sooner! Great to see you here!
I shouldn’t take too much credit for SDESK8, as Ryan pointed out I have an amazing team behind me and I wouldn’t have gotten nearly as far as I have without them!
Since it’s Brian’s list I’ll let him answer citation @b264. But I believe drivetrain comes first because that’s going to limit your compatible wheel selections.
Yes, 2-piece wheel pulleys suck because they’re hard to center, sometimes go off center, and can fall apart on you. 10$ more for a press-fit pulley with its own bearing to keep it aligned is 100% worth it.
I use Vesc FW 5.2 as well rn because I’m familiar with the known bugs it has and how to work around them. I’ll switch to 6.0 soon after more people have tested it. Some people got hurt on 5.3 so I don’t trust it personally.
What I love about metr is that it logs remote input, which makes diagnosing issues a lot easier, and it has a very nice online log viewer which makes sharing and viewing logs very pleasant.
Soldering bullets together is a pretty crazy but also pretty genius idea Maybe I’ll try that
You’d have to talk to @longhairedboy or his son @jamie, they are the admins around these parts and hold the keys to the wordpress. I’d bet they would be very excited about someone willing to contribute to the knowledgebase though!
Sure, drivetrain is first because there are a LOT more things that can be incompatible. You can almost always find a wheel to fit an otherwise completed drivetrain imho.
Picking wheels first can lead to many situations, only some of which are: nonexistant/incompatible pulleys/gears, wheelbite, enclosure scraping
To address your unanswered questions:
