I really like the utility and DIY aesthetic of @RunPlayBack’s boards so based this build off of his.
Having ridden Boosted and the Acton Blink I wanted to start with a deck that had a kick tail for maneuverability. I went with a JET deck with a tail that is long, but can still be kick turned. I also carved out a layer of wood from the deck to recess the case slightly into the deck.
A SPACE Cell Pro 4 10s4p battery fits nicely into this cutout, but I had to cut the corners off as the wheels were biting them.
Here is an early mockup of the wiring with the old 12s ESCs I was running, they ran strong, but I wanted more control so upgraded to Ollin VESCs
After a weekend of riding it hard, and sometimes towing a friend up hill, one of the ESCs burnt up. Fortunately I had already ordered the upgrade to VESCs. apologies for the electronics gore.
While waiting for the new ESCs I went to RadioShack to buy LEDs on their closing sale and wired those into the front and back trucks.
Now I have a BEC powering the low voltage electronics (2.4Ghz receiver and LEDs) and the VESCs just power the wheels. Cleaned up the wiring and all the connections to reduce risk of failure.
Here are the VESC settings (as of September 21, 2016) and I’m still not happy with them, if anyone has any feedback let me know. It doesn’t accelerate or brake as hard as the previous ESCs, but also feels much smoother. I had max input at 42v but that kept causing an error so bumping it up to 57 (VESC default) prevents the breaks from failing but I’m worried I’m overloading the battery.
In terms of safety I got triple8 elbow and knee pads and a T8 downhill racer full face helmet. I also have sector 9 slide gloves I hope to build a remote directly into, like power gloves, so that I can stay safe and wear gloves while maintaining good control over my board.
I’ll be up in NYC over the weekend riding with a number of friends who are in the esk8 community, mostly Boosted fans. If any of y’all know Sam Sheffer, gonna try to get him into the DIY scene a bit. Feedback welcome, especially on VESC settings, I’m learning a ton in doing this.