Building the Campus Rover

Hi there!

I’m a current college student at UC Berkeley, and I’ve used my trusty skateboard to get around the hilly campus since August. But I want to turn my skateboard into an epic hill-eating machine over the summer. Of course, I’d prefer doing it the cheapest way possible, but I’m not afraid of spending a little more money in order to improve the quality of the build or the performance of the board. I’m hoping to get the board to around 40 km/h, and I’ve read a lot of threads on this website and watched a lot of videos online about how to do this.

Basically, I’m posting because I’m a first-time builder, and I want to make sure I’m building my board correctly (I’m not sure that the configuration I’m thinking of will kill the batteries if I push the board too hard, whether I’m missing any components, etc.). I’m wondering if someone could tell me if I’m headed in the right direction if I want to make my electric skateboard go 45 kmh.

Parts:

I’ve chosen a lot of parts from Enertion because I figured they’d fit together much better than any wheels/pulleys I could make by myself, and the motor was the only one of its kind that I could find online that wasn’t backordered (unlike the SK3 245kv ones that are so often recommended).

My biggest concern is how the four batteries I’ll buy will interact with the motor and vesc, and how I’d be able to easily charge all four of them with the charger (if it’s even the correct charger for the batteries I’m thinking of).

Please let me know if you think I’m headed in the right direction with this build, because I’d love to make it the best electric skateboard possible! So far, I’m about $680 deep after shipping and sales taxes, and it’d be great not to get too much more expensive.

Can’t wait to make this thing SHRED! Thanks very much, Nicolai

Quick sidenote: I already have the board I’ll be using. It’s going to be an Arbor Shakedown 37in

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Hey Nicolai,

Any reason you’re going lipo instead of li-ion? You could make your own battery packs in a much more customizable shape that would be safer and easier to manage and hold a charge better with 18650 cells. You can use this site to calculate your approx. speed (http://toddy616.blogspot.com/2013/07/electric-skateboard-calculator.html?m=1).

If you want to use lipo and have a single plug charge solution, you’ll have to rewire a bunch of stuff and get a BMS for it. Enertions Space cell battery comes with a BMS/charging port/switch already if you’re willing to drop the $$. Otherwise, you can build one yourself for a lot cheaper.

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Why buy all of ur stuff from enertion he has lots of backorders and u can easily get the same products for cheaper elsewhere.

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Did you already buy the 6374 and tx/rx? if you bought them from hobby king you would have saved $200

@Nicolai see what I mean? Lol

Get this charger instead …

Has a cord super easy…

Yeah a cord

More people will chime in with suggestions of what You picked out

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Hi @Jinra, thanks for the reply. To be honest, I’m not sure what the difference is between lipo and li-ion. Why would li-ion hold a charge better? I’m completely open to any advice, and the easier to install or configure, the better. And yes, a single plug charge would be ideal. I thought about dropping the dough on Enertion’s space cell battery but I thought there must be a way to do it cheaper.

I was thinking that the mechanical parts from Enertion would fit more easily together and be more structurally sound. I’m not afraid of tinkering with non-Enertion parts as well, I just thought I might as well save myself the trouble and go for something that already fits like the pieces of one puzzle. @NNGG I haven’t bought any parts yet at all, I started the thread so that I could get a good idea of what to buy before I went out and bought something I wouldn’t use anyway. Do you have a recommendation for a better, cheaper tx/rx? And thanks @Michaelinvegas! Why is this charger better, just out of curiosity?

That deck doesn’t have a very big wheelbase by the looks of it. How many inches is the wheelbase?

The wheelbase is 18.5 inches (or about 47 cm). I really enjoy riding short boards, so it would be ideal to have everything somehow tucked underneath the board, but I think I’m really going too have to think about it.

Check out diy electric skateboards or ollinboardcompany if u are in the US

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Li-ion skate battery packs are typically made up of standardized 18650 cells which are inherently safer than the polymer packs lipo cells come in. They’re also rated for a higher cycle life and more easily repaired if a cell dies or goes bad. There’s a bunch of videos on how to make your own pack, but the basic idea is to build a pack with a voltage/capacity in mind and connect it to a BMS. Here’s a good example. You can see a good setup diagram for a pack here

EDIT: see Enertion’s video here to see how his space cell looks like on the inside

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You are correct in your thinking…I’ve had Enertion stuff from the beginning … It works and it’s sturdy …as well as his belts … Pulleys …lets just say hardware… I’m sure DIYs and @psychotiller’s mounts work awesome as well…

For your control…start with this: http://s.aliexpress.com/IZjmm2uM

This is your best solution terms of price and size

And I say that charger…cause it’s easy …one power cord …not a laptop type power cord… Some of the cheap one you have to hook to a battery … I have it as well but you wanna keep your charging area free and uncluttered … Plus that other one can be dodgy … I would say best to avoid because you’ll end up buying something else

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If you can afford it and go LiPo… iCharger 208B + 350W or 550W Power Supply from HK.

Other charges are unreliable and may not charge as well. Some are cheap and slow. iCharger is good quality and you won’t have to buy another one again :slight_smile:

I do want me a PowerLab 8 ($240) or PowerLab 6 ($175) but my iCharger 208B ($130) works so well I don’t need one.

Ok here we go

Motor: Excllent choice but know there are other options as well. DIY Skateboard @torqueboards have motors … Carvon Hub motors - best in the business imo @LEVer
hub motors new to the game but on a new version @jacobbloy (he has a sale going on)

But motor wise…Tunigy sk 63mm series (various KV options stay between 270-149kv) and Turnigy G160, Tacon Big Foot…You will find that a lot of what you will be looking for is not in stock or backordered when it come to motors… There’s a thread with a list of more stuff (ANYONE PLEASE FEEL FREE TO GIVE HIM THE LINK TO THAT Thread…cause I’m to lazy to look)

Mounts… Gave you my opinion - USE LOCTITE (I only use blue) on anything you screw

Enertion Controller: Would you have better control with your thumb or your trigger finger? Personally I use the trigger finger…I think it provides better control and a natural hand position … Also Enertion Controller looks like it should be used on “a girl on girl” porno …if you know wadda I mean? Lol

Vesc: Excllent option … Know that @torqueboards has a rock solid 12s ESC… ESCs above 6s are less in variety (again there is a thread listing the ESCs )

Pulleys: can’t go wrong … They’re pullys…

Let me add…belts…Get good belts … I can vouch for Enertions

Let me add this:

Use 70-75 efficiency and plug in the numbers = how fast you can go based on your set up

Don’t forget to back Caliber ii 50 degree trucks (get risers just in case - various sizes including angle riser)

Wheels; what size? 83mm 90mm 97mm 100mm please note change in wheel size will change your speed

Get good bearings I cheer for OUST

Batteries: looks like ur going 12s … In lipos … 6s packs easiest since it only two… Plus you can carry spares…with smaller packs … You need more batteries and connections …but depends how stealthy you want it to look… Your 3s X 4 will get you a slim look…this is how you charge them at once :point_down:t2: https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/311600418667

The 6s X 2…not so much but not bad …You mentioned space cell … DIY skateboard has one as well I think @torqueboards right? Or you can make one

The key to it l👀king legit (also to keep shit outta ur electronics and so you don’t puncture a battery)…, is the enclosure … Check @psychotiller @RunPlayBack not sure who else … Or DIY an enclosure …Or Ghetto Rig something ~ like a pelican case🤔

Misc stuff

Connectors (bullet and xt60) Soldering gun Glue gun (get colored glue sticks to match what you are gluing) A way to carry it and or hang it…

Get an action cam Get band aids just in case (cause you are gonna bust your ass at least once)

Hell I dunno … It’s late as all hell l8trs

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Ok here is the Thread that you want

on the topic of hub motors, hummie has some great motors on the way. His current design has some issues (which cause too much heat build up), but his next design sounds like it should be rock solid.

WAYYYY better torque than carvon duels in my opinion, and maxing out around 28 mph on a 12s, which is plenty fast for any city. Plus, 100% in wheel design, and rubbers are super cheap and easy to replace.

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I would suggest getting the “IMAX B6 AC/DC Charger V2” instead of the V1 since you will need a power supply with the version 1. That means that you only have to plug the cable into your wall and then into the charger. It’s is not the best charger, but for the price, it is very good. I have it myself and it works great. Here is a link for it. :slight_smile:

I would suggest that you buy your stuff from http:// instead. It’s located in The US where you live (NO extra taxes and fees!!) and I have a good experience with them. Their pullys is also made of aluminum instead of nylon/plastic that you get from enertion. They also have some very good KITs where you can save some trouble and some money! They also sell a very good controller AND some good longboard hardware; trucks and wheels.

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