First a bit about me. I am a student at a Washington state college. I have made some friends that will help us in the long-run because I am intending to be around this community for a while. This all started from wanting my own EBoard; this was only possible by building my own. Upon spending 100+ hours in research, I have caught the bug. Engineering my own perfect board is an ongoing process and I am stoked to work on my dreams. I am working with a few friends on my first proto-type. These people will be great resources (for people in my area). Names are removed until I get their permission.
Word of caution, if you want to save money on building your own EBoard. You will spend an equal value of time working on this. Especially if you have limited experience like myself.
The one guy that i am getting the most help form is a composite engineer. He built a longboard press as his senior project. So custom board designs are available! He would love to press decks for anyone interested. He has been working with carbon fiber. So far we have only added a layer to the top and bottom of the deck. I believe this only added additional stability(decrease in flex), I will report back with more information !!! Also we will make a custom enclosure to see if we can improve on the designs that are already out there!
My current room mate has been throwing around the idea of starting his own company Design Minds (a clothing company). He is an artist that I am going to collaborate with for graphics on the bottom of my deck.
My other room mate works with software and hardware. He built remote controlled vehicles in his past so he is stoked to help me out with the assembly. I had him check my wiring plan and he gave me the green light to connect all the parts that I have ordered. I will discuss the information he shared with me further along in this build.
The thing that I am looking at right now is the current laws that are in place. Currently in Washington State, there is no overt law that regards electric longboarding. Longboards are classified as a skateboard, which limits us to sidewalks only. Which is stupid considering that we go 25+ which bikes don’t normally reach. WE NEED THE BIKE LANE. The E-Board has been bunched into a unfavorable category that will take some time to prove that it is, by-itself, its own category (like the segaway).
I am still waiting on a few parts to be shipped. So this thread is open for discussion until the build starts to take shape.
A few things that I would like to discuss:
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The power limit of the VESC - What is the max motor kv rating vs max LiPo “S” rating. I have heard that running 12S on a motor with 200+kv is unwise. My build has a 245kv motor.
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What is too low of a kv?
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How to deal with cops where EBoards are quasi-illegal.