Board randomly turns off after 3 minutes of use (weird China Board issue)

Hi esk8 builders!

I got a little Chinese penny board to mess around on* and it’s been a blast these past few weeks, but now it’s got this completely random issue that I’m wondering if anyone’s ever encountered before.

Here’s the issue: the board shuts off 3 minutes after I power it on, every time, regardless of what I’m doing with it for the duration of those 3 minutes.

I’ve noticed that the auto-shutoff for when the board is idle is also exactly 3 minutes, so something must be not communicating to the ESC that the board is actually being used.

Things I have tested:

  • Thought it was something to do with the power button, so I unplugged it while the board was on and running. Still turned off.
  • Unplugging the hall sensor while running just causes the motor to seize, so I left that plugged in.
  • The board has two speed modes, and neither have an effect on the issue.
  • Tried known-good batteries in the remote, still no effect on issue. The board beeps constantly when the remote connection is lost, anyway.
  • The board’s battery charge level has no effect on the issue.
  • Double-checked every connection to the ESC and made sure nothing conductive is shorting or touching the PCB.

It’s almost like the board thinks it’s idle the entire time and auto-shuts off, even if I’m riding it or not. The board is, from what I can tell, a “Haitral”-brand board. Pic of ESC attached to bottom of post.

Figured I’d throw this out there in the off-chance that someone has actually had this same issue and/or had a fix.

* = Yeah, I know, false economy, etc…I impulse-bought the thing for $65 on craigslist, so I’m not too beat up over the fact that it’s acting up now. After a bit of research, I was most likely going to end up picking up a Meepo Penny Dual soon anyway, or building my own small cruiser based off a Landyachtz Dinghy deck, but figured I’d see if any ESC gurus were lurking here and could troubleshoot this odd (and kinda funny) issue.

it may not be worth your time to fix. alternatively you could swap the unit out with a more common esc and redo the wiring… id salvage the motor and board w/battery, and redesign it… could be fun!

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True that. Are there any common ESC’s that have integrated BMS (charging) and controller / receiver? Or are most of the DIY things all piecemeal? I’ve read up on the VESC and it seems like a great solution but a little overkill for a board that’s probably going to get replaced soon…

look at diyelectric skateboards shop… measure your cavity… go with a vesc if you have the space… if the deck is good, keep using it… try to keep your costs down, then plan a really nice build, that wont be your first experiment… (first time usually things go horribly awry and mistakes will be made)

I’m having the same problem. Did you find a solution? My thought is to get a new esc/controller and swap it out.