I think this question can and will get answered in many ways. PERSPECTIVE.
You see it a few times a day, people saying they can make the lightest, fastest, most advanced e board ever! (for $400) They can’t and never will, but they persist. And suckers buy their shit without question.
You’ve built countless builds for yourself and others and you know without doubt to get 25-30mph, climb 6% grades and go for 20 to 25 miles your board will not weigh less than 17lbs and will not cost lest than $1500.
You are constantly reminded that you have to buy the good parts if you want a good build and that you get what you pay for, but you still think you can do it better for less.
-I think, that unless it delivers the capability to withstand 150a continuous, allow much more than 60k erpm and not burn out when a servo splitter is dangled over it that I’m going go about my business like it never existed.
I don’t care how good Vesc6 is, I’m not paying over $700 usd for a pair of them shipped.
I believe in buying quality parts and both of my builds cost well over $1000 but you gotta draw the line somewhere.
VESC SIX is made to last and perform under more extreme conditions and can be used with equipment having high amp draw and high ERPM, low resistance motors, high KV motors etc. The applications are endless. VESC SIX makes use of all the new firmware features like three phase measurement for super stable and smooth FOC. I’m pretty sure we will see a lot of different VESC designs soon, and some will be more expensive, and others cheaper. You can buy a smartphone for 70 or 700 these days. There are probably good reasons to buy one for 70, as there are good reasons to buy one for 700.
BTW: 150K ERPM is tested, up to 80A + continuous is not problem, depending on your heat distribution.
Motors with very low resistance do also work just fine now. Hardware 4.xx simply can’t handle that.
We have switched from full forward to full backwards in 0.05 seconds, using quite big motors in FOC under load. Some robots do such crazy fast movements. So you want the hardware to cope with that.
Not everyone uses these controllers for skateboarding! You have no clue for what these ESCs are being used for, other than skateboarding. The applications are endless. Benjamin is being approached by all sorts of startups and well established companies. So for sure he wants to show a hardware being without any compromise and up for many tasks.
Firmware and hardware need to go hand in hand.
Current pricing:
Assuming you are outside Europe, the VAT does not apply!
Without VAT:
Price is as low as 187 Pound if you buy it with a board.
If you buy a twin, they cost 216 each
If you buy 4 VESC SIX, you get them for 208 each.
If you buy 10, the price will drop to 187.
If you compare that to existing hardware, cheaper to make, the price is quite realistic.
Its is a superior design to hardware 4.xx and the price is simply according.
You also have to note that only a very few vendors donated something to Benjamin.
So they did not price in R&D and project support, but rather used Open Source availability to lower the price.
You can easily spend 500+ € on a single motor controller that is as smart as a potato, allowing only BLDC and voltage control. VESC-based hardware is very cheap if you compare that in the market - plus it can do all sorts of things other ESCs simply can’t. It is a full scale industrial grade controller at the price of hobby equipment. So you are all lucky that this piece of software and hardware exists for such a low prices.
I did get two of these for science and to support the idea…
Reasoning as follows:
The electrical vehicle industry is still budding, I want to see it make big advances and I feel this controller is a staging device for things to come.
I want to build with top notch parts. I have some money ( not a lot) and can afford to purchase such ammenities. I do not own a car, commute by public transport bike and e skate and value quality crafted goods and tools.
2.5. money talks, euros put towards the advance of things I love and value rather than a driving/flying vacation/ lavish dinner still seems like the best option.
Vedder is a fucking stud…I want to support him.
Trampa has been making some sick shit for a few years, I want to support them.
Can you build stupid awesome boards sin VESC 6.0? Totally.
Is it stupidly expensive and not for everyone? Abso-gawd-damn-lutly.
Is the naming debate rediculous? Somewhat.
Is FOCBOX a great name and did I have fun making up new names for VESC? You bet your sweet ass.
Having learned so much from ES and this forum Im now researching drones, 3d printed and considering building an ebike ( any of you see vector bikes new light frAme!!!) VESC 6.0 can be used with ebikes ! The possibilities of expansion are truly legit.
Ultimately I supported this project because I don’t have the know how /time to do it and I think it will lead to better things for our community, as I did when I bought the V1.0 gold motor mount and the original VESC Enertion produced, or the v1.0 of pyschotiller cases, or the VESC 4.10 from Ollin, or DIY V3.0 mounts. LHB I would buy your boards if I didn’t love tinkering so much and get joy from building myself. Beer/ garage time is the best. I grew up with that. I love seeing you get your family involved.
Time and money are needed for most growing industries. I’m happy and sleep well knowing I’m giving to the ones I believe in.
187 with only board? How? I thought i had to add the kit you supply toget that price? That would make me END up with small motors im not going to use (need 6374…)
Similar story as @monkey32. I have a pair of VESC Six from @trampa. I was able to get them during the initial beta price, and actually ordered on my birthday - as a bday gift for myself.
I’ve spent over $200 (250 iirc) for an 8s Mamba 2 ESC - and it ran like crap (the squeal brakes, and none-to-throw-you adjustment). I stopped f’ing with car ESC’s and moved to VESC way back 4.6, and first 4 i got direct from Ben himself.
I’ve always tried to support Ben, not just use his work. I’ve split profits on his/fechter’s anti-spark switches (sold extras) and have contributed multiple times to what i feel is an underappreciated contributor to esk8. Money where my mouth is.
Similarly - i had a chance to get the new version, giving me ability to run 12s and FOC (to be tested - i’m slow), and most importantly support Ben as he tries to mature his offering. TM and partnership w/ expertise as provided by Trampa seems like a win. I feel like so many folks have ridden Ben’s work for their own benefit, not giving back, it’s overdue he does something to make his work sustainable.
I am excited to see the open source release of the VESC Six reference. Can’t wait to see the competition and improvements from Chaka, Enertion, Axle, and DIYes of it! Look forward to the price leveling out a bit with multiple options depending on your budget!
And i hope people still donate and help Ben continue to work on these! I am excited to see the VESC Tool start to support 4.xx hardware and simplify the configuration for v4’s!
tbh, i would instantly buy one if that thing could deal with 2 motors. but considering that i need 1 for every motor, thats not going to happen anytime soon.
Thanks for the responses. Everyone is making very valid points. Some which I disagree with but that’s just a matter of opinion.
A couple things stand out so far.
VESC6 can be an overkill for the basic eboard hobbyist.
VESC6 is meeting a higher standard to further support other use cases in robotics, EVehicles such as cars, scooters, bikes buggies, go karts, rockets, and whatever else you want to go fast as hell and not blow up the ESC.
We are buying them to support Ben. (&Trampa business cost)
So the VESC6 is roughly $80USD more than my VESC4.12+heatsink+warranty. Doesn’t seem like that much of a price hike if it performs as advertised and comes with a warranty.
There are always cheaper products on the market, but you get what you pay for. It doesn’t make sense to compare the VESC6 to the cheapest 4.12 on the market. It’s not cheap, but if it’s all it’s cracked up to be, it seems like a fair price. It’s not like you can’t pick up a cheaper 4.12 if you don’t need the extra performance. For those who need it, it’s worth it. I still overheat my VESC 4.12 from time to time. The VESC6 should solve that issue entirely.
Need some assistance in math because i suck. lol That and THe site is horrible with showing conversion to U.S. dollars and it doesn’t make sense when i select shipping in U.S. and it shows in UK pounds… Scratching Head
So in lbs conversion as it shows
The VESC6 is now out of stock! BUT we are making more & taking pre-orders for all that wish to be first.The VESC will be sent to you in the next weeks: Please supply me with 2 x VESC @ rrp £275 per VESC £260
£560
This would Equal $362 per VESC6. Am i Missing something because that is not $80.00 less than any vesc with or without heatsinks. Its over $100.00 more and that is a lot of money for powering one little motor.
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but what is this referring to? I’m about to do a dual build and plan to run 2 vescs with a servo splitter, but upon hearing this, I’m now slightly worried they’ll be burned out.
In all fairness, those are very impressive specs and I can imagine that they would be a real advantage for mountain boards
or even a street board for someone who wants to obtain insane speeds.
You might want to see about fixing your website because it did not remove the vat tax in the shopping cart when I tested it to see what the total cost would be, Thus the over $700 usd that I quoted.
Hi, @Jaraya92881, the website clearly states:
Price includes 20% VAT
NON EU customers purchase VAT Free.
Deducting 20% is not to much of a job, and we believe most people are capable of that.
@Namasaki: The VAT will be deducted, once you check out.
There is a simple reason for that: You could pick a shipping address in Europe, but have your billing address outside the EU. In that case we have to apply the VAT.
So please go forward and have a look at the bill that is being generated before you finally pay.
@DougM : The cheapest offer is 187GBP (excl. VAT) if you buy 10, or if you purchase them with a twin drive board.
We believe that is a very good price for a controller like the VESC 6. Well made motor controllers ain’t cheap
You could have a single strong motor, nearly as strong as a twin setup with lower spec controllers and motors.
It’s quite impressive what a strong single drive is capable of - more power than most people can deal with. Not everyone lives in SF or in Switzerland.
I’m not sure if Brexit will ever happen. Poor Theresa…
To bad when you promised the public something it can’t have. That tasty cake simply doesn’t exist.
People and politicians will get real as soon as some major companies/banks will start moving to some other EU countries because they need real cake for survival.
No matter what the outcome will be, it will not affect us to much.
