WIP | Loaded Poke | Caliber II 50 | HK sk8 6364 190kv | 10s3p 30Q | HK sk8 ESC

I’ve wanted a longboard to try and make the year long wait between snowboarding trips more manageable since doing a season between uni and growing up (getting a job). I used to skate a bit growing up but by no means an expert.

Living in a flat area of the UK has stymied me thus far, and Boosted boards are crazy expensive…then I saw this place and have been tempted ever since. Come 2018 and the dream is going to become a reality. Call it a 1/3rd life crisis if you will…

So here we go – build thread! The forum guidelines say the more detail the better…so this may get long. Haven’t thought of a name yet so Work In Progress for now.

Aims:

  • Cruisy/fun – practicality and enjoyment above high performance speed & power
  • Easy to transport – I usually cycle (London based) so the aim of this is last mile transport so able to go on public transport where necessary, and not too heavy
  • High build quality – I want to be proud of my handiwork so will be taking my time, doing my research and utilising all friends and family I have with tools and creative ability. @whitepony is my forum hero so I have been poring over his builds for months now, hoping to get somewhere near his
  • Good balance of price/performance – I won’t go for the most expensive components as I am not looking to make the most high performance board in the world, but will also try not to go too cheap to avoid getting something that will a) endanger me and/or b) break too easily

After much research I decided to go with the following parts:

e-:

  • Hobbyking – I quite like how it all seems to work together, and everything was in stock…and matches my colour scheme…it was too good to ignore. o sk8 esc 4.12 o sk8 6364 190kv motor o Motor mount (will likely need milling) & pulley cover with bearing o Belt, wheel pulley and motor pulley with key
  • Winning remote (have read mixed reviews so will see…the end goal is definitely a Firefly remote)
  • 10s3p Li-ion battery o Samsung 30Q – spot welding build to follow o Supower 10s BMS
  • @eLDoska anti-spark switch
  • Bluetooth module

-sk8:

  • Deck – Loaded Poke – a balance between fun and practicality. Whilst tempted by the snowboard style flex of the Vanguard, it eventually lost out to the smaller and lighter Poke. Pretty stiff deck so no split enclosure required – less need for hidden cable routing etc
  • Trucks – Caliber II 50o – will be assessing bushings whilst I non-electric skate prior to my build – blue satin purchased when I was in the US – I love the orange and blue colour scheme which will go perfectly with…
  • Wheels – Orangatang Kegel – hopefully won’t find I need the larger diameter flywheels - great colour! Bones Red bearings keep them rolling (FAST, as it turns out)

Thoughts on my parts list are more than welcome, and please point out any glaring errors in the diagrams below…

Quick (major parts to scale) diagram of my proposed electronics layout: image

Very simple wiring diagram – thick wires in 12AWG I think should be able to handle the 45A current from a 10s3p 30Q battery: image

Board all put together in unpowered mode – it is a whole lot of fun to ride, though the bushings feel quite soft; it is very turny! Most likely due to the wide trucks and big wheels on the deck aimed at a narrower setup. No wheelbite though, and I only have 1mm rubber shock pads (in blue…of course). I’m going to try to get some more time on it so I’m comfortable at speeds and stopping so I don’t have to rely on electronics. Really happy with the colour combo choices, and a bit gutted to have to cover up the graphic… :anguished: image image

Motor, esc and wires have arrived…as well as the mounts and drivetrain. It’s getting serious now! image image image

30x 30Q, insulator rings installed to be ready for when I have my welding solution in place: image

And that is it for the moment!

The next build stage is being held off until I can assemble my battery, which I am not going to rush. Also going away for a week so won’t be able to get much done.

To be continued…

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Several weeks later, and it is time for an update! This is in real time…so hopefully will be regular, subject to no bumps in the road. I’ve gone back to the family home for some father & son time, as my dad has a garage and more tools than you can shake a stick at, and enlisted his help.

Apparently people like photos. Not all of these are skateboard related…

First thing first - move this machine out of the way! IMG_20180817_114510__01

So we can get to the work station IMG_20180817_115047

And start prepping the spot welder - courtesy of @darkkevind 's YouTube video. IMG_20180817_113037

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Be very careful with this sort of spotwelder, if the timing is too long or short you will get a bad weld, or damage the cell

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Thank you for the warning - I’ll be sure to exercise extreme caution, I’ve been researching for a while and decided this method should be ok, I will be making practice welds before going for it, the switch is being held in a vice so as to be able to better control the (very short) time it is pressed for.

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So I couldn’t regulate the timing on my welder so wasn’t comfortable pulling the trigger on one of my valuable 30Qs… back to the drawing board and considering the Malectrics Arduino welder or maybe a Sunkko 737 (AliExpress have a sale…)

Meanwhile I dremeled a slot in my truck to allow the HK motor mount to fit with all sides in contact.

Also ordered a 44 degree baseplate so I have the option of that on the back of the board (clearance depending) to provide more stability.

Taking longer than originally hoped as I really wanted to make serious headway the other weekend… but decided that it is better not to rush and get a quality result than run in headfirst and cause more costly issues later on.

Next update - interim, looking for any thoughts/advice to check I am on the right track.

Received a large parcel. Got some funny looks on my 6 mile cycle commute through London: IMG_20180911_180219

Hot glued the 3p cells together. IMG_20180915_193508

Tah-dah! Sunkko 737G spot welder - ready to go. Screenshot_20180924-124024

The results are fantastic - a world apart from the previous Heath Robinson affair. 10 lots of 3p sets done. IMG_20180923_155021

Middle series connections done with 3 strips of nickel - following the gospel of whitepony. IMG_20180923_164924

Tops with pre-soldered spots ready for copper reinforcement. IMG_20180923_165010

And nickel plated copper braid ready to be soldered on the outside connections. IMG_20180923_165146

I feel like I am making progress!

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BMS question - I am adding one for ease of charging (I have bought a 42v CV/CC charger and corresponding port, and have a Supower 10s BMS).

Would people recommend:

  • Wiring this in and placing on top of the battery, then heat shrinking the whole thing together (takes less length under the board but could the battery heat the BMS with adverse effects?)
  • Heat shrink the battery with balance wires and 10AWG protruding, then adding the BMS outside and heat shrink this separately, allowing adjustment/removal more easily but using more length/leaving less space for ESC
  • Not using the BMS - can I still wire the charge port in for simple charging and just trust that the 42v charger will cut off and so not over charge the pack, the cells are of high enough quality to not drift, the ESC provides over discharge protection and I can test drift using my multimeter?

Thoughts/advice appreciated!

100w soldering iron purchased to minimise contact time on the cells, and nickel braid fixed for the series connection reinforcement, also fixed some tabs to the negative ends where balance wires will be required, to prevent strain on solder joints. IMG_20181007_125616

Checked voltages to ensure all are still the same - all good :ok_hand: Balance wires next and 10 AWG battery wires to go one next before heat shrinking - used an awl to remove them from the JST plug so I can shorten as required. IMG_20181007_214752

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