Beast is an understatement!
2 Likes
You are so right! I have seen this board in action and it was a beast at 8s.
So how about Mega Beast!
3 Likes
Thanks for the kind words!!
This thing is definitely radical, yet it behaves as if it were an extension of my soul. I still haven’t been anywhere near full speed, it’s just too scary. When I switch back to the drop deck it will be more stable at speed.
4 Likes
Update time!!! After spending a lot of time and money on my recent side project (carbon fiber infusion), I am once again at a happy resting place in my build!
As you may know, I have some pretty heavy batteries. Until recently, they were mounted on the deck with some Velcro straps. The straps were never going to be capable of truly securing the packs, but they worked. They did however interfere with my foot placement, so I set out to eliminate them. The only thing that seemed strong enough to support the batteries was carbon fiber.
After numerous (like 12) failed attempts at the resin infusion process, I got it right!
After some trimming and drilling, I have support!!
The ride quality is completely different without the batteries bouncing against the deck (lol). Just feels so much more solid.
Also, I finally decided to shell out the cash for a set of the F1 107’s. I’m speechless. So big, so beautiful, so good. I just drive over everything, not a care in the world.
I’m waiting for @JLabs to provide his 44t pulley in a 15mm width too. Not that I need anymore torque, but I do want more 
. I can’t wait (ahem)
Cheers everyone!
1 Like
I have been 3d printing small extensions for the pulleys to convert them to 15mm. Your only talking about 3mm of plastic material, and the people running them have had good things to say so far.
PM me if interested
3 Likes
So stoked on this new Surf Rodz 45° RKP!! Thanks again @Deckoz , I just can’t get over the feelz! The carvs are so tight and sexy.
6 Likes
Nice man! Glad you’re enjoying it man :), but yeah it’s nice when you have a precision front truck. No truck walk is something you can’t unfeel after you feel it. 
2 Likes
How would you compare these to cast ronin’s?
Haven’t had a chance skate ronins, but @whitepony seems to like them! I can say, compared to the tb218, this sf truck has completely changed the ride experience.
2 Likes
I wan to try ride some ronins but damn they’re spensive. 
You can get the new cast 160mm ronins 42.5 degree/2.5mm rake now for $125 a set with 32.5 degree base plates coming mid summer… These have the same open bushing dish as the billet katanas. Or if you want the old 180mm, it looks like @chaka from Ollin still has them packaged with his motor mounts.
1 Like
@deucesdown I just bought a Wayne Giles esr meter!! After some thought, I caved in. Since the packs I’m running are probably at around 50 cycles now, I just gotta know how they’re holding up.
I’ve been running these batteries between 4.1v/c max. and 3.6v/c min. for about a year (except for that one fateful night). The drift across that range is around +/- 0.2 volts per cell, with most of the cells inline. Very excited to see the actual IR values after a year of use!! Should have the unit by next Friday 
2 Likes
It’s kinda crazy what a truck will do… Don’t even need a full set. Trust me I’m in love too. Lol
1 Like
Dude seriously, I can’t believe the difference. I’m trying, and failing, to talk myself out of starting a second build based on @psychotiller 's new mounts. Damn sure shouldn’t spend the money, but I’m thinking about it all day. Something along the lines of a 13s lipo (5-10Ah) setup (cause they’re superior 
)
1 Like
So I ordered the Wayne Giles esr meter, and received it yesterday and started testing my packs. I’m surprised to see such low IR readings on batteries that I’ve used every day for a year now! Each cell is reading between 1.2-1.8 miliohms, with the average being around 1.4! I’m pretty astonished to see this, but need to take the brackets off and remeasure the cells without compression.
Initially, it appears that these packs still have significant remaining useful life! They’ve spent their entire lives between 4.1-and 3.6 v/c, with a few exceptions, and I am very pleased with the value ($) I’ve gotten from them.
This data seems consistent with my original theory about the advantages of high capacity batteries and their longevity in terms of minimal charge cycles necessary for daily use. Pretty sweet! I’m going to update this thread in a day or two when I have the uncompressed measurements for these cells.
Cheers!
2 Likes
Some interesting data from the esr meter! My batteries are showing some pretty good numbers, as I mentioned above. The total pack ESR is measuring at 39.9mOhmms (12.9+13.2+13.8). Checking the formula R*A=V against real world data from ackmaniac’s app shows surprisingly accurate numbers!! The formula above predicts voltage drop for a specific amount of current drawn. So for a 50Amp load, (0.0399 × 50A = 1.995V ) I should see a voltage drop of 1.995V across the pack.
Some FOCBOX data from a Hill climb test: 
So according to the formula, at 56.3Amps, I should see a voltage drop of 2.25. According to the app data, at 56.3A the pack is dropping 2.4V!! Pretty damn close to theoretical! I’m very impressed with this level of accuracy, seriously.
I’m still blown away by the endurance of my batteries. And the ESR meter has proven to be a TREMENDOUSLY valuable tool. As @deucesdown said in a PM conversation, it’s great to be able to health-check the explosive devices, lol.
I have acquired a set of 4 Turnigy graphene 6Ah 6s “65c” packs, which I’ll probably wait to use for the next build. The preliminary ESR meter readings show very exciting results, even before the break-in process is completed. For a 6s2p test, these are reading 11.7mOhms! Little things are going to be savage at 12s2p😎
One of the features of the Giles esr meter is that for a lipo pack w/capacity <10Ah, it will measure the “true C rating”. As lipo C-rating is one of the most controversial things in history, it’s great to have a no-bullshit appraisal of the figure. This meter rates the true C rating as the max current that a pack can safely sustain throughout the pack’s charge, without overheating or compromising the pack’s health/longevity. This meter is showing the 6s graphene packs capable of between 180 and 195 sustained Amps per cell. That’s about 31 true-C vs 65C claimed, but still pretty damn intense, right?? I’m gonna start a thread specifically about this information when I get time and data, but for now these are preliminary results only.
TL? DR? If you are running Lipos, get an ESR meter! Thanks for reading
2 Likes
Update time! A couple days ago, I was careless with my remote and sent my board into a garage door at full throttle. Broke my deck, but fortunately that was all. Valuable safety lesson.
So, my second build project will be sidelined for a while. Meanwhile, I couldn’t stand not having a ride, so I made some moves and finished my original deck. A friend of mine does electric wood burning, so I asked him to help me decorate! Sanded, and stained it, polyurethane and glass grip (thanks @longhairedboy and many others!). Pretty great looking board in my opinion:
Transplanted all the hardware over last night!
A massive improvement I made came from (finally) reading the @Alphamail bushing setup thread. Ordered some kranks, machined washers and angled risers from Muirskate, and pivot cups!! Can’t believe how much of a difference they have made. Setup is all barrels, (bs/rs format ) front- 90/87 cupped washer roadside on surfrodz 45 rkp. Rear is dewedged 7° to 37, 218 hanger cal44 baseplate. 90bs 93rs-cupped. Totally different animal. Thanks Brad!! Your thread has changed everything for me!
Batteries seem to be holding up pretty well still! Probably going to test them later tonight to be sure, but last test showed normal IR drift from cell to cell.
Anyway, it sucked to lose the old Madrid deck, but the loss pushed me to improve my setup in many ways. The glass/poly grip is truly an amazing feel. Super easy too, great looking results for a first try
9 Likes
Really honored to be part of your build!
4 Likes