(Help me with ESC and LiPo!) | Custom Deck/Trucks | Turnigy SK3 245kv | OG mount | 36&15T Pulleys | Flywheels | Nano controller

ESK8 Builds
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Ok so a bit of background - first build here, trying to make a relatively budget board as a proof of concept, before upgrading in future/doing more builds etc. Already bought motor, drive system, and wheels.

I have my trusty pintail longboard which I will be using, and upgrading to flywheels. Physcotillers mount should fit my trucks, but worst case i’ll either make it fit with encouragement or just get some appropriately shaped new trucks :laughing:

I’ll be using the nano controller but not stressed here, any problems and I’ll pick up a GT2B on the cheap.

I’ll have 15/36T pulleys and a 9mm belt, which I think should be fine but might experiment with 16/17/18T :yum: (Im ~85kg ( ~185lbs for you yanks) )

Questions I have are regarding ESC and batteries: According to the esk8 calc a 6s battery puts me somewhere in the 20mph range. So in theory if I wanted to stay cheap I could pick up a ZIPPY Flightmax 5000mAh 6S 30C for about £35, or even 2 3s’s, and an X-Car 120A ESC for £30, and that would work, all good.

However Im a ‘there’s always more’ type of person, and I know in future i’ll want to bump up the battery cells. Is it possible to get an ESC which can handle more, or is a vesc my only choice? Am i better off just having the 120a ESC for now to have a blast, and then when VESC’s are more freely available in future upgrade? I’d like to finish this build sooner rather than later.

In addition (sorry for the huge post) I’ve put a good bit of time into research for this, since I have 0 electronics background, historically not a maker type. My girlfriends actually gonna help on the solder front since she’s more experienced than I (I know, shame on me) so my last question is:

Can someone explain charging to me please? Is a BMS essential? Whats the cheapest/simplest way to go about charging batteries and what connectors etc will i need? Any form of diagram would be ideal.

Thanks in advance guys, this is a great community :relaxed:

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I was almost in the exact spot you were when starting out with this hobby. When I started out VESC’s, dual motors and a nice Lion battery pack was not relevant due to the cost so I went for 2x 3s 5000mAh, 6s ESC, hobby king motor and some cheap parts. It worked like a charm for about 6 months. However not having a bms, using some parts I had laying around the board is starting to show it’s flaws. Motor mout almost snapping, batteries lost some capacity and it doesn’t look too nice.

Here’s my build.

My Thoughts

If I knew how much I would love this hobby, I would have put more money on a nice battery, VESC and BMS from the start to ensure that my board can keep me going for a couple of years instead of having to build a new board after 8 months. However if this is just something you want to try out and see what you think. Go for single motor, 6s, a ESC from torqueboards and some Lipo batteries and it’ll be 1/4 of the cost and you will still have a blast and learn alot.

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Thanks man, will check out your build for sure :smile:

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