Building my very first mountainboard! Help me out with selecting parts :)

Hi everyone!

This is my first time ever building a DIY electric skateboard, but I think I have done my research well enough to get on with my own thread now. I would really like your opinions and expertise to help me build the best skateboard for my needs :slight_smile:

And by the way, I’m willing to pay up to 2 000 EUR (~2 300 USD) for this board, all included. Less is always better of course, but I can also go a bit above that if it’s justifiable.

Let’s get going with what my expectations and needs are for this board: • First of all, I need to be able to drive off road. This is a must, since most roads I go on are crappy as hell and often full of gravel (Sweden…). • Secondly, I also want the possibility of switching out the terrain wheels for street wheels if I want to. I hope this is possible. • I want two motors. Plain and simple. That’s just what I want. I need that torque! • I have severe range anxiety, so my battery has to be big. I’m not a fan of Lipo batteries at all (they scare me shitless), so I guess I will have to go with 18650’s. I believe 12s4p or 12s6p is good for me. I want to be able to go at least 30 km (~18 miles) in one charge. • I want to be able to charge the board with a “laptop-style” charger. I take the charger with me in my backpack to work, so a big bulky charger is a big no-go. • Top speed isn’t that important to me. Torque is what I’m going all-in for. A top speed of 30-35 km/h (~18-22 mph) is plenty enough, but I want to be able to climb hills and go off-road like a beast. I’m also a bit on the heavy side (90kgs / 200 lbs) so it’s probably a good idea to have torque. • I think I want some foot straps on the board, but I’m not quite sure about that part yet. • I’m going to use the board mostly for commuting, but also for fun on my free time. • Lastly, all parts must be available in Europe/Sweden. I don’t want to import from the US if I don’t really have to.

So that sums up my expectations and needs of the board. I don’t really know exactly what parts I want though. That’s where I need your help. I’ve been looking alot at Trampa and E-toxx, which seems really nice, but I’m afraid that E-toxx might blow my budget a bit.

So, what are my questions for you guys to get me started with this DIY mountainboard build? • First of all, do you think this is possible to build with my budget? • What kind of motors should I get? I know I want low Kv, since I want high torque, but that’s basically all I know. • Should I go for direct drive, belt drive, or chain drive? • What controller should I get? I don’t want one of those bulky Rc-remotes. I want something a bit more like the Evolve R2 controller. • And please help me out with recommendations for any parts at all that fits my budget. I really am starting from scratch here, so I don’t have a clue :frowning:

Please help me out here as much as you want. I really appreciate all the help I can get! :slight_smile:

/Simon

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I am now studying to do an electric mountainboard … but I lack a lot of information I will also appreciate your topic a lot until learn as much as possible … (creating this I basically lack everything except the montainboard)

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Hi Morxy,

I think you could purchase the Trampa mountain boards. You will be able to switch to pneumatics or street wheels as and when you want. Just have to take note of the bearing as trampa either uses a 9.52mm or 12mm axle bearing.

as for batteries, it depends on which enclosure you choose from. @Kaly and @Eboosted have some awesome looking enclosures for the trampa boards.

to be able to charge with a “laptop-style” charger, you will require to purchase a BMS. most of the members here will usually go for a BesTech BMS.

foot-straps will be available to purchase from Trampa.

motors, pulleys and BesTech BMS are available at https://eskating.eu you can check out Alien Power Systems as well

@kaly do have motor mounts for the Trampa Spring Trucks as well. do a quick search on this forum and you will find some other members selling their motor mounts as well.

Going direct drive(geared drive) or belt drive will probably be norm. Chain drive tend to be a little noisy.

motors wise, if you are really a torque monster, maybe a lower than kv190 6374 motor will do. some find that 6355 is sufficient, it boils down to personal preference. you can easily adjust the gear ratio to increase your torque to your preference too.

ESCs (the heart of the esk8), do not save on these as it is one of the most crucial components. try to look out for people selling FOCBoxes.

Controller wise, there are multiple remotes that aren’t bulky. you can look around, some are using Maytech’s controller, some enertion nano X, some china-produced controller. If you are more adventurous, you can look DIY (firefly). But the DIY is strictly for those who are running VESC.

it will be easier to open a spreadsheet to list down the options of parts you have and see which will fit your budget easier.

there will be more members able to give you more feedback and opinions about the build as well.

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Will drive the price up, but would recommend @Nowind direct drive (gear drive) with 5:1 gear ratio and 149kv 6374 or 6384 170kv motors + trampa HS11 deck.

My range increased around 8 km compared to belt drive due to free coasting and decreased resistance in general. If you are concerned about noise when riding in nature, get the helical upgrade. Almost silent.

Tires are easily swapped compared to belt drive too. Mbs roadie tires are compatible with trampa hubs.

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This is basically what I am ordering parts for right now! Well I will be using Lipos with a bms but still very similar with EXACTLY the same end goals for it.

Here’s a link to my planning spreadsheet if you want to see an incomplete list of what I’m using. It doesn’t look pretty because its not finished lol I will be using it as a planning tool for my build log.

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Okay, so i have picked out all my parts now, and i would really appreciate som input from everyone here, especially Frank from @trampa and Alan from @Eboosted. You guys are my expertise right now :slight_smile:

Here are all the parts i’ve picked out (Direct link to Google Sheets).

My questions:

  • Can i reduce the price on this somehow? My initial budget was 2000 EUR, and now i’m up at around 2600 EUR. I can go that far if it’s really necessary, but i rather not.

  • What kind of range, top speed, and torque can i expect from this board? My absolute minimum range is 30 km! It has to go 30 km or longer!

  • Is it better to have a 118Kv motor with 15-66T gearing, or a 136Kv motor with 13-66T gearing? According to this chart (bottom of the page) they should both result in 41kmh top speed.

  • Is a 80 amp BMS enough? Motors pull up to 50 amps each.

  • After seeing this thread, i got pretty nervous about my build. It seems that the @eBoosted HS11 enclosure might tear on the battery cables during vibration and flexing of the board, which in a worst case scenario can turn the board into a flaming inferno. I absolutely do not want this to happen (of course), and this got me really anxious about my choice of parts. Should i go for a battery box on the top of the board instead? It seems safer, but it is just so god damned ugly! :stuck_out_tongue:

Check out these - https://mbseurope.com/product/mbs-f5-bindings/ I have found them to be a lot more comfortable than the trampa ones.

They’re much uglier though :grin:

Yeah but after 30 minutes you start not to care about looks

Have you seen the new Mountainboards we stock? Deck integrated cables, VESCs inside Battery Box.

136KV with 14 tooth pulley is a very good choice. Battery below the board has disadvantages when chasing the board down the trails. Impacts are guaranteed to happen sooner than later. When you ride, you don’t see your board. To have the weight of the battery in the centre of the board is also good for handling.

Frank

You could Get the drivetrain and motors much cheaper, without comprimising quality. For example you could buy motors from alien If you are in Europe, or from Torqueboards If you are in US. For the mounts and gears, check out @Idea or @Nowind , they make really great stuff!

Also is the 260€ price for 1 or 2 focboxes? If its for 2 ist a good price, but If it is for 1 its really expensive!

It’s for a kit of two FOCBOXes!

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The issue with my board catching fire was never 100% identified, but after a lot of invetigation, reviewing part connections and doing more and morre builds I came to realize I wasn’t doing a good job at the begining.

My batteries now have a complete different level than 2 years ago, recently I diassembled the vanguard pack, my first battery build and there were a lot of rookie mistakes, I didn’t took enough care on several parts prone to failure because I didn’t understood the possible weak points of failure.

On the board that catched fire I left the external charging port without isolation, really close to a bullet connector for the positive wire, at the bottom there was a neoprene rubber, very flamable, this was the part were the fire started, so my assumption is a positive bullet shorting with the external charging port firing the neoprene.

Never use bullet conectors to plug batteries Never use an enclosure made of kydex where the silicone wires can get stuck with the sharp border of the kydex Never use neopree where there’s a possible spark even if the plugs at well connected Never forget to secure batteries

Like these there are docens of considerations I take now to avoid posible fires

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Thanks, that makes me feel more secure about choosing your stuff. Let’s see how it goes. I still have to get the price down a bit.

@trampa can you help me understand your motor mounts? I really need to push down the price a bit, so i’m thinking of going with two APS 6384S motors instead and one of your separate motor mounts. But i’m really confused since there are so many mounts on your website. Which motor mount can i use with the infinity trucks and two APS 6384S? FYI it’s for 8" offroad wheels, so they have to fit that.

Urban carve mounts fit.

But they only have 33T or 37T pulleys? And it doesn’t say anywhere that they fit the infinity trucks?

Urban carve mount, not street carve.

You mean these, right? http://www.trampaboards.com/trampa-urban-carver-motormount-66-with-tooth-pulley-kits-p-13624.html

@trampa Ah okay i see now that the image is incorrect. It actually includes a 66T pulley in the description. But do you have any 10mm motor pulleys? I can only find 8mm which doesn’t fit the APS motor.