The story is I was sent a board to review.
I can cover the quality of the skate components well enough, but I was hoping to dig down and figure out if the electronics were decent, more specifically I want to at least make sure that all the things that SHOULD be there are all present.
I know a little bit about electronics in general, but I’m still new enough here that a lot of this is going over my head a little bit, and I certainly don’t know what to look for.
I’ve cleaned it all up so its a lot easier to see whats going on, originally every single connector was glued down, generously, and there was non-conductive cardstock covering the PCB
I was actually originally hoping that the components were just knockoffs. If they’re cloning something we know is good, well chances are its still pretty good. And that way I also might be able to use the BLDC Tool or something to learn even more. But it doesn’t look like it.
The Battery Enclosure is built into the deck, and I need to take off the grip tape in order to get to it.
I plan on doing that and having a look, seeing what cells they’re using etc. But I’ll need to get some good footage of it before I go messing that up.
Apart from satisfying my own curiosity, the thing I’m trying to get from this is an idea of how recommendable this complete might be. I know there’s a lot of other factors, but for context this is a $530 setup.
I noticed in the last of the top 3 images you label “Copious amounts of Thermal Paste”.
If it is in fact “copious amounts” of thermal paste then that is a VERY BAD thing in any electronic system. The effectiveness of thermal paste is significantly degraded when there is a thick layer of it between the heat generating electronic component (e.g. CPU, MOSFET, etc) and the heatsink. A large quantity of “something” may indicate it’s not even “thermal paste” but in fact a binding, electrically insulating, and/or vibration-dampening material of some sort.
@Exigent That’s largely a myth regarding thermal paste. Using too much is far better than too little, as it only increases thermals by 1-2°C. Consistent mounting pressure reduces thermal paste to the same thickness, regardless of how much was applied. IE: open up any stock graphics card, and you’ll see thermal paste splooging all over the sides of the die.
Both personal and professional manufacturing long-term experience and empirical lab data show differences in the temperatures of components under potentially high thermal stress can be substantially more than “1 to 2 degC” if there is a “thick” layer of thermal compound between the component and its associated heatsink. It can mean the difference between proper operation, delayed failure or out-of-spec operation, and catastrophic failure of the component. The chemistry of the thermal compound can also make a huge difference.
I do fully agree with the statement that “Too little on the other hand is very bad.”
I also agree with your statement about thick amounts of thermal compound. However in most use cases mounting pressure reduces thickness to a reasonable width. Improper use and thick application is definitely a bad thing.
In this case, seeing excess thermal paste splooging from the sides really is no indication of what thickness is underneath the PCB.
I partially agree with you on that at the base technical level. However, in my experience “splooging” thermal compound reveals a very sloppy manufacturing or rework/repair process with low quality control. Without testing, I would have very low confidence that the compound was properly applied and I would be concerned about a higher probability of latent component failure.
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Boring factors for any that might be interested…
Manufacturing Cost Issues…
Generally, good quality thermal compound is not cheap. It can cost $/gram even to OEMs. For comparison, it can cost more than a MOSFET for a single application (although the gunk used by some manufacturers is not very high quality and even manufacturers sometimes get counterfeit or wrong partnumber marked products),
Regardless, all manufacturers that I know try to keep manufacturing costs to a minimum, seeking ways to save even pennies on producing a circuit board. “Splooged” expensive thermal compound is a needless waste of money when you’re manufacturing thousands to 100’s of thousands of circuit boards. It adds up.
At The Forensic Level…
Such sloppy application can even be a clue indicating an inexperienced worker or DIYer has worked rather invasively on the circuit. Such clues can also indicate a potentially used and repaired circuit-board has been installed in a “new” product or someone is mis-representing an repaired/recycled item as new.
teamgee is About up luanch h9. it’s selling for $450 on indiegogo. I saw a Facebook link selling this board for $400 too. I wish I have the extra spending cash now.
