Hoverboard

[shortcircuit911]

Been meaning to post some pics of my hoverboard (I know its not an actual but that's what they're called). I got it back in October and have been using it to get around SF when I'm not on my scooter. I have to say I didn't think this thing was going to last this long, it's pretty robust. I've had to bail off of it a few times at about 10 mph and luckily nothing has broken. I've been using it pretty heavily lately and have about 75 miles racked up on it. There have been many articles and news stories out about these things catching on fire. The D-bag that sold me mine said it had the Samsung battery in it (not true) but I still wanted some extra protection. I decided to open it up this weekend and see if it actually had a Samsung battery and it doesn't (at least there's no label on the outside), I decided not to cut the shrink wrap to look at the cells since I was limited on time. I dropped by Autozone today and picked up a glass tube fuse holder and some 2A fuses (the charger output current is 1.5A). I added the fuse inline with the positive wires of the charger port.After buttoning it all back up I set it on the charger, hopefully the house doesn't burn down.

 

[torqueboards]

You opened it up? Are they the chinese cells?

I got one too and it was suppose to be samsung batteries but I highly doubt it as well. I didn't bother opening it though.

 

[shortcircuit911]

Ya I'd assume there'd be a label on the pack so I'm guessing it isn't a Samsung . I wanted to open it up and look at the cells but ran out of time. This is my main source of transportation in SF right now because my scooter is down so I'll open the pack later and report back.

 

[tung256]

i saw someone riding it while texting.
some people really want to die....

 

[shortcircuit911]

Not gona lie I've done that a time or two, not worth it. I'm curious to see how much I get hassled by SFPD when the new laws go into effect next year.

 

[ElectricGod]

How fast can you on on that thing? How far can you go on a charge?

 

[shortcircuit911]

Top speed is about 10 mph (plenty fast on this thing). Range is about 5 miles on flat ground. I try not to run the battery down too low because I don't trust what ever battery management it has, and it becomes less responsive when it's low so it's easier to fall.

 

[torqueboards]

If your going 2mph and you got 500 miles of exp. I doubt you'd die riding and texting lol. I'll cruise at like 5-8 mph texting HAHA.

 

[MrDude_1]

cool, I didnt know these things had hub motors.

 

[shortcircuit911]

I feel pretty comfortable on it, I like to weave in and out of people on the sidewalk and have learned to deal with the bumpy sidewalks of SF. When the electronics burn out on this thing I'll use the hub motors for another project.

 

[MrDude_1]

I feel pretty comfortable on it, I like to weave in and out of people on the sidewalk and have learned to deal with the bumpy sidewalks of SF. When the electronics burn out on this thing I'll use the hub motors for another project.

Thats my plan too... once the "coolness" wears off from them, and the batteries die, I should be able to get one cheap.
yank out the hub motor, and make a dual motor razor scooter kind of thing. something lightweight and portable, like a hoverboard... but useful.

 

[shortcircuit911]

Ya I was thinking a 3 wheeler scooter with both hubs in the back and a really light front end. California just started enforcing a helmet law as well as some others for hoverboards. I'm not sure if other states will do the same but keep checking CL I'm sure something will pop up.

 

[kimboviper]

these things only get 5 miles? I was hoping for 10miles to bring on vacation but since alot of airlines wont allow it I'd prolly stick to my boosted

 

[shortcircuit911]

Ya, I'd say 5 miles max. The battery packs on these things are tiny (4.4 ah), there may be other models with bigger packs, but mine isn't one of them. I'd stick with the boosted board, these things are cool to mess around on, but I'd rather ride a boosted board than this thing, they're not as practical as an electric skateboard.

 

[ElectricGod]

these things only get 5 miles? I was hoping for 10miles to bring on vacation but since alot of airlines wont allow it I'd prolly stick to my boosted

Sounds like an opportunity to modify!!! I'm pretty sure I could get more speed and distance out of these toys. It's effectively a scaled down version of a Segway. Make the platform larger so more batteries can fit inside, Replace the tiny mosfets with much bigger ones and use bigger hub motors and this baby can probably do 20mph. Since I would be modding everything, the platform could incorporate a mount for a seat so you could ride it sitting down. Jumping off if needed would be exactly the same and making it move and turn would still be the same.

USe that seat post for a tricycle like machine. Your feet still sit on the platform to operate everything, but the seat sits back of top dead center and then you have a large trailing castor type wheel like is used on wheel chairs. The castor wheel just follows wherever you turn. There would be no handlebars for steering (maybe something small just to hold onto) and all braking would still work by tilting your feet back. This thing would be a kick to ride and would look really weird. THe looks you would get zipping down the bike lane. hahahaha

 

[shortcircuit911]

This thing is so sketchy at 10mph I can't imagine going 20. I guess the seat and 3rd wheel would help though.

Saw a few cops today as I was riding on the sidewalk with no helmet and didn't get pulled over. Hopefully I can avoid a ticket until my scooter is done.

The fuse mod also seems to be working well. I haven't blown one fuse yet, I also unplug it immediately after its done charging. I'm really amazed this thing has been problem free for this long.

 

[MrDude_1]

Saw a few cops today as I was riding on the sidewalk with no helmet and didn't get pulled over. Hopefully I can avoid a ticket until my scooter is done.

Its sad you live in a place so devoid of freedom that you don't even see a problem with this.

 

[shortcircuit911]

I definitely have a problem with it, but can't do much about it. I'll continue to ride it as I have and act dumb if I happen to get pulled over. I'd hope SF has bigger fish to fry than a guy on a hoverboard so I don't think I'll get hassled by them. I really do miss my scooter though this thing is a pain in the ass to carry on and off the train/stairs.

 

[shortcircuit911]

Almost spoke too soon when I said I had no problems. It's been raining hard in SF lately. I was going to work and had to go through lots of puddles on top of getting rained on. When I got to work I stood the board up vertically as usual, 20 seconds later it started beeping and I knew something was wrong. I shut it off then turned it back on and it started doing 360s lol, so I turned it off again. I pulled the bottom covers off and found water on the boards (not surprising). So I unplugged the battery and put the heat gun on low and aimed it at the motherboard for a while. I turned it back on and it worked fine. Before reassembling it I sealed it with RTV. I don't think it's completely sealed because there's a cutout for the axel, but it's better than it was. I also found replacement boards on eBay for $50 so that's not bad too bad. The next day i took it to meet Lyen at his house in SF to drop my controller from my scooter project off. I checked google maps and it said 2 miles, no problem so I hopped on my board. Little did I know it was 2 miles up some of the steepest hills in SF lol. Half way there the low battery light came on since 'I hadn't charged it since the day before. I decided to power through the hills which was pretty fun, going down the hills was also interesting, I got a good calf workout. I met lyen and headed back to work with the board beeping. I severely drained the battery and it charged right back up. I'm really curious to see if this thing has the Samsung cells that it was advertised to have.This thing has been a great investment, and it easily very close to the 100 mile mark.