Drevious' E-Longboard

Drevious · Aug 25, 2013

Hi everyone. I haven't been reading the forums for too long but I've always wanted an electric vehicle. I had no idea that electric skateboards existed until I read this post on Hackaday: http://hackaday.com/2013/08/10/diy-23mph-electric-skateboard/

I've been building rc vehicles for some time and I've just recently completed my quadheli. After reading some forum posts on electric longboards I'd really like to give this a go. I've only rode a couple skateboards in my life but for $500-$600 I'm willing to crash and burn to get an electric vehicle. My only experience with gear ratios and belts have been mountain bikes and 3D printers. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I'm going to use this thread to document my experience during the build of my electric longboard. I'm going to make tons of mistakes so if you are learning too hopefully you can learn from my mistakes.

After reading forums and trying to get as much information as I can I've put together a parts list and a gear ratio calculator. It's an ODS document. The info I used to figure out gear ratio and speed calculations are from this post: http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=52839 Hopefully someone can point out if I've made any obvious mistakes. The variables on the calculator are marked in green and the calculated items are marked in blue. The parts list is on the first sheet and the calculator is on the second sheet.

Thanks everyone for the forum and posts

View attachment E-Board.ods

torqueboards · Aug 25, 2013

Looks like a great plan. Good luck

Post some pics when you get a chance. What kind of motor mount are you going to use?

Drevious · Aug 26, 2013

I am thinking of using an aluminum plate and cutting it to size with a hacksaw and drilling it on my drill press. I may even prototype it on my 3D printer before I commit to metal. I'm not sure if I'm going to weld it or use set screws. Any suggestions?

whilechukwuzout · Aug 26, 2013

Set screws can work, but make sure you use threadlocker. I learned that lesson the hard way last night lol.

Murfix · Aug 26, 2013

I haven't tried all the options, but I'd advise a clamp system in combination (if necessary) with a set screw. I mounted my clamp system yesterday without screws and there was no way I could ever remove it by hand.

Retkeilija · Aug 27, 2013

Hi, glad to hear about your project! I'm also planning to start my own electric mountain board project. I believe this thread comes in great help. Keep on posting!

Drevious · Aug 30, 2013

Clamp system sounds like a good idea. Plus I could prototype that very easily with my printer.

torqueboards · Aug 30, 2013

@Murfix - Can we see your clamp system?

Murfix · Aug 31, 2013

torqueboards said:
@Murfix - Can we see your clamp system?

Yes, check my build thread. I'm uploading pictures right now:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=52390

Drevious · Sep 17, 2013

I like the idea of the brackets. How fast does that board go?

I finally received my motor, pulleys, belt and new wheels for my board. I've updated my spreadsheet to reflect some of the new parts I'm going to use and I've also updated the speed/gear sheet. I'm hoping the ESC will be as kick ass as it sounds, hopefully I won't blow it up.

torqueboards · Sep 17, 2013

Very interested in seeing how your Aluminum mount looks. I'm currently working on one and hoping to get it done soon. I want welded on motor mounts to my trucks. Should be a lot more reliable and durable than bolted on kits. Are you going to do it yourself or get it completed locally?

Drevious · Sep 18, 2013

Please post some pictures when you complete your mount. I'm going to make the mount myself. I'll probably have a buddy of mine weld the mount to the trucks.

Drevious · Sep 25, 2013

I've printed some test pieces for the wheel. I'll probably use the standoff's in the final setup. The sprocket is just for test fitting.

Mounted standoff sprocket side

Mounted wheel

torqueboards · Sep 25, 2013

Nice work. What kind of material will you be using for your finished material?

Drevious · Sep 25, 2013

I'm going to use the 3D printed ABS for the standoffs. They should hold up fine and I'll use a fender washer on the outside for added strength. The sprocket is aluminum but I still need to part off the end with the set screws and bore the hole to at least 0.9". I'll have to either use a hacksaw and a large drill bit or go to a local machine shop and see if they will do it for a small fee. I need to order some M3 x 70mm machine screws to mount the three pieces together. I'll post some more pics in a week or so when I get all the parts for that. For now I'll work on the motor mount.

Drevious · Sep 29, 2013

Here are some pictures of the motor mount and test fits.

View attachment 2

torqueboards · Sep 29, 2013

Nice. Are you actually going to use the 3D parts? I made a set in 3D parts for a prototype. I wanted to use 3D Parts although they didn't hold up all that well. I'm currently working on getting a bolt on kit and welded on kit in Aluminum. Should be much more durable.

Question - How did you get the belt on with 2 flange ends on both pulleys? I thought you need 1 pulley with only 1 flange so you can put the belt on.

whilechukwuzout · Sep 29, 2013

Nice bracket dude! Im curious how the 3d printed part will hold up over time. Is it PLA or ABS? If PLA stay away from water for sure!

I wonder if the 3D printed bracket could be a permenant solution

torqueboards · Sep 29, 2013

I have a 3d caliber bracket and it definitely holds up a lot better than my holey trucks one. I'm going to give it a try 3d printed and see how it holds up. I also have an abec drive hub and going to try that too. If no good. I'll go ahead and just get It machined.

Drevious · Oct 1, 2013

Question - How did you get the belt on with 2 flange ends on both pulleys? I thought you need 1 pulley with only 1 flange so you can put the belt on.

The motor mount has room for the motor to slide. This will allow me to adjust the belt tension in the future. It also makes it easy to put the belt on when the motor is in a forward position.

I'm not going to use the 3D printed motor mount, it's ABS btw. I'll use it trace the design onto aluminum. A buddy of mine is going to weld it to the trucks. The only 3D printed parts I'm going to use are the standoffs.

torqueboards · Oct 1, 2013

What do you mean by stand offs? Which piece is that.

Drevious · Oct 2, 2013

They are in the first picture. They are on either side of the large sprocket. I call em' standoffs or spacers.

Drevious · Oct 4, 2013

Final test fit
View attachment 3

daverobson08 · Oct 10, 2013

Really nice job there mate, I love how compact the mount and motor is. I hope I can get my motor mounted as close to the truck as you have. Looking forward to seeing how your board runs!

PracticalProjects · Oct 10, 2013

Looks great! I really need to invest in a 3D printer, they are great for stuff like this

Drevious' E-Longboard

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