Got a boosted board a while back, and I have really been enjoying the experience so far. However, I really like to tinker, and build things which my boosted board doesn’t facilitate very well. I do have some 3d printed wheel hacks that I’m waiting to receive parts for, but this isn’t enough. I’ve been lurking for a while, and doing a lot of research but feel a little overwhelmed with options and don’t know which direction to go and how to meet my specification requirements.
Use case:
Daily commute 4 miles one way.
Road quality varies wildly from smooth to astrological impact event.
Body weight 230lbs
Desired specs:
flexy deck
25mph+ crusing speed
range 10mi+
skate or AT wheels
I’ve been trying to decide between Trampa or Loaded Icarus. Leaning toward Icarus right now. This parts list was largely inspired by: This build by @Mattmccrary8
Prospective parts:
deck - Loaded Icarus - $215
trucks - TB 218mm - $65
motors - TB 6374 190KV x2 - $240
mounts and pulleys - TB SINGLE BOLT ON MOTOR MOUNT W/ DRIVE WHEEL KIT 16/36 x2 - $216
wheels - abec 11 - already own
Nano remote - $25
Male to male service - $3
TB VESC 4.12 - x2 - $200
VESC canbus - $2
Vesc connector - $7
Still trying to figure out how to accommodate a 12s4p battery on a flexy board. This is the most intimidating part for me as I don’t have a spot welder, but I suppose if need be I can get one. However, the N.E.S.E. packs seem like a viable option. So for the battery I have:
2 very different decks. If you ask me, I suggest looking into the DB Longboards Coreflex decks. They’re wider than the Icarus, which makes for better/easier turning and carving. The trampa is a completely flat deck that will make your feet slide off really easily when you hit bumps. I personally believe the only way to use those decks is with bindings. Otherwise you have no business using them.
You are also overpaying for your 25R cells. Might as well get 30Q cells for the that price/budget.
This ia definitely a tricky thing to do. The two options are either a segmented enclosure, or making short, thick enclosures sitting close to the trucks. But be careful: flex and battery don’t mix very well. We got a few examples here of power cutting out, or even batteries catching fire.
I got a vanguard with split enclosures:
And I am really happy with the flex! On the Icarus and this type of enclosures you’ll probably get into trouble with the ground clearance unless you don’t drop-through your trucks.
Another thing to keep in mind is that split enclosures come with long battery cables, which is a problem for FOC or for unreliable VESCs, and at the moment a lot of people count TB’s VESCs among them. I recently blew two of them in BLDC mode. You might want to get FOCBOX instead. I now regret that I didn’t.
As long as the VESC is using the proper caps as designed by Vedder, there shouldn’t be too much of an issue with surges. I’d just stay off of FOC altogether, as it’s just another thing to potentially cause problems down the line.
Well, I even added two large caps plus I left the ones that the two TB VESCs shipped with in place untouched. FOC blew one within seconds. Seitched to BLDC since. One one of them kept holding up, two more blew after quite a short time. I’m not even alone with the problem. At the point when I started my build I had the impression that TB VESCs are just fine. But recently there have been lots of reports of TB VESCs blowing for no apparent reason. So I don’t know… Now I’ve been running one Ollin and the one working TB VESC for a long time, nothing changed in my config or my setup. But 2/3 failure rate is not exactly great (not even counting the one blown in FOC, which was supposed to work with 10s and the extra caps!).
The trampa is a completely flat deck that will make your feet slide off really easily when you hit bumps. I personally believe the only way to use those decks is with bindings. Otherwise you have no business using them
I would definitely do bindings with a trampa.
You are also overpaying for your 25R cells. Might as well get 30Q cells for the that price/budget.
30Q cells have 500 mah more capacity. In a 4P setup like yours, that’s another 2000mah of extra capacity or roughly 5 more miles of range. The 30Q cells also hold their voltage better versus the 25R at higher discharge rates.
Capacitors. The hight currents paired with high inductance (e.g. from long battery cables) lead to voltage spikes that can your electronics when the motor controller changes the current. That’s why the vesc needs protective capacotors that short out fast current fluctuations. FOC produces more spikes and is therefore much more dangerous to blow your vesc. That’s why for long battery cables (like I got it with the split enclosures) it’s a good idea to put extra caps/larger ones than the ones that your VESC ships with. Especially in FOC. With FOCBOX you should be fine without extra caps, at least in BLDC mode. FOC on FOCBOX with extra long battery cables might be a different story, though. I don’t know what’s the limit there…
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