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DIY 3D Printed E-SK8 : Part 1 (Overview)

Updated: Aug 10, 2018

1. OVERVIEW


Hoverboards, electric scooters, Segway, electric bicycles... Among various types of motorized personal mobility devices, the one I chose to make is an ELECTRIC LONGBOARD. The reasons include:

- I always wanted an electric longboard, but decent electric longboards on the market start around $1000 (Evolve etc.)

- Electric skateboards have a simple structure, which makes it easy to make

- Easy to carry around, convenient especially when entering buildings or using public transportation

- Light and fast (motor does not have to be huge since the board itself is not too heavy)

- Parts are cheaper than others


The final product with the battery cover opened.

2. Components


These pictures are cited on the end of this article.

Some people say that choosing which components to use is one of the hardest part. However, choosing components was the easiest, since I was lucky enough to find somebody selling a bundle in an online used-product market. The seller never used the components because he was too busy doing other work, hence I was able to purchase a brand new motor, brand new VESC, NYKO Wii Nunchuck (which I failed to use), and brand new batteries for about $200.


The motor mount and the gears that fit into the wheels will be 3d printed. I used the .stl files found in the following links:

- Motor mount: You only need "Motor_Mount_with_shell.STL" "Motor_Mount_V38.29.16.STL" (the last two) and

"Full_Assembly_-_Motor_Mount_-_Opposite-1.STL" for this build.


1) Longboard

I bought this random longboard (it does not have a name, and I do not know which brand it comes from) in an online flea market. Since I did not have any information about the trucks, it caused numerous problems later in the build. The only information I know is that I got the board for $40 and its deck is made out of maple wood.


2)VESC

VESC (Vedder's Electric Speed Controller) is an open source electric speed controller built by Benjamin Vedder. Controlling the amount of electricity that flows to the motor, the VESC acts as the brain of the electric skateboard. Unlike traditional ESCs, VESC is computer programmable through a USB cable and allows users to customize and make detailed changes of their settings. Furthermore, the VESC is equipped with regenerative braking: which means the VESC will charge your battery when you brake. However, since the VESC is not equipped with any cooling systems, overheating should be prevented by installing heat-sinks or external cooling fans.


3) Motor

The Ollin 5065-200kv motors were perfect for my build, since it gave me enough torque and speed. When choosing a motor for your electric skateboard, be sure to choose a motor that has low kv (<=300kv) so it can provide enough torque. The motor I used has a built-in sensor.


4) Batteries

I used 2 6cell 3000mAh LiPo batteries manufactured by You&Me. Frankly, I think this is too much voltage for my board because the motor accelerates too fast in this setting. You can control your motor speed not only using the VESC setting values, but also with the voltage of your battery. The higher voltage you use, faster you go.

It is crucial to use a lipo balance battery charger like this one, since lipo batteries are quite unstable. I also used a balance charging board like this one to charge both batteries at the same time.


>> Next Article: Part 2



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