I am currently using a 27" Ownboard deck swap for commuting to uni since that’s all I could fit under the seat. However now I have a space to store and charge it there, so I decided to build one from scratch suited for my needs and wants.
To keep things short, I have main 3 requirements:
- Bigger wheels. The current 90mm are sometimes unforgiving for the London suburb roads.
- Range. I was hoping I could get about 25 miles on it. This means that I can cross out the pneumatics, so I decided to go with Dickyho’s 145mm solid wheels since I should hopefully get better range on them while still making the ride more comfortable than on 90mm wheels.
- Larger deck. I am not constrained anymore in terms for size, and I would need a big deck for the wheels and batteries.
Parts List:
- Deck: I was thinking to get the Hummie deck, but I couldn’t find any for sale, and I would like having the motor direction flipped so it would be a bit more stealthy (and I wanted to be able to hold it vertically and not have the motor mount hit the ground). I found a local guy who makes custom decks, and he will make me a deck to my specs. It would be 15ply so I will be able to route out a cavity for batteries and ESC, while maintaining it’s structural rigidity. Here are some renders of the deck (along with a crude model of the trucks, wheels and motor mounts):
It would have a logo laser etched in the middle. Undecided between laser cut black griptape just where the feet are, or clear griptape on the whole deck:
Photo of the cutout on the bottom. I will route it out at the end as I first need to work out the dimensions I would require:
The direction of the motors:
The board will not be uniform, with the front tip being shorter than the rear, to accommodate for the motors.
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Wheels: Dickyho’s 145mm solid wheels seemed to have pretty good reviews, and they are pretty cheap, so I ordered them. Worst case scenario, if they are not quite what I want, I can always resell them for a reasonable price, and buy something else (probably Trampa 125mm Gummies).
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Trucks and Motor Mounts: I ordered these from dickyho again, since they are the cheapest things on the market, and still seem quite decent quality. All I would need is new bushings and pivot cups since they are not too great, as expected.
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ESC: I’ve been using the Ownboard ESC for a while and it seemed pretty decent, so I decided to get the Dickyho’s ESC, since it was only about £50 including remote and power switch, and even if I don’t end up liking it, I could resell it without a big loss, and get VESCs instead.
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Motors: I am using 2x sensored 6354 170kV, again from dickyho, since they are cheap and the right kV for my setup. I am using 15/60 gearing, so I would be aiming at about 25 mph max, which is pretty much perfect for me. The roads here are not good enough to be trying to go faster, and I will not go offroad to justify bigger more expensive motors.
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Battery: The lipos are quite a bit cheaper than the liions, should handle higher current, and are somewhat more modular, so I decided to go with them. The best value, while having suitable dimensions, turned out to be the Hobbyking 5S 8Ah lipos, and I would be running 2S2P with them with a BMS. They are easier to damage than Li-ions, but I am planning to use individual Lipo fire bags for them, and also would use a fiberglass enclosure in general, so it should be pretty safe. Their height is 39 mm, and I expect the lipo bag and padding to add about 15 mm, but there will still be plenty of clearance due to the large wheels.
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Enclosure: It would be a custom deck, so I will need a custom enclosure. I got a CR10 that sits idle most of the time, so I am planning to make the enclosure out of fibreglass while using a PLA negative mold. There was a Youtube video where someone has done fibreglass parts using 3D printed molds and he achieved impressive results, so I would follow his instructions.
I will use this thread as a build log. It will probably take a few months to complete it, but I am in no rush due to being quite busy with university.
Feel free to add any suggestions or comments about it!
12.05.19:
I decided against the Lipos as they seem to last less cycles than 18650 cells, and also they are much easier to damage. I ordered a Boss spot welder (was going for the MiniA one, but I do need a new soldering iron as well), and a Bestech 80A BMS.
I will have space for dual stack batteries, so it will either be 10S6P or 10S8P 30Q with PCBs depending on how much space there is on the deck.
