# Electric longboard



## Mpkauto (Mar 1, 2009)

So i just joined here and have been lurking for a while. im planning on building an electric longboard, i have access to a machine shop so i can make the gear housing and truck mount myself. here's some parts ive spec d out, what do you guys think?

motor 

esc

batteries (might buy 2 of these)

So my question is, what else do i need with regards to the electronics? do i need a separate power source for the controller? What about chargers? i have a receiver from a hobby class rc car that im gonna use to control the throttle.


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## sunworksco (Sep 8, 2008)

Mpkauto said:


> So i just joined here and have been lurking for a while. im planning on building an electric longboard, i have access to a machine shop so i can make the gear housing and truck mount myself. here's some parts ive spec d out, what do you guys think?
> 
> motor
> 
> ...


I think you are better off to use DeWalt Lithium-Iron-Phosphate batteries and charger.Try buying a complete DeWalt or Milwaukee hammer-drill kit on Ebay and either resale the drill or use it.There exists a cordless tool drive kit for your board.Here is the Youtube video link : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDvaXkDb1X4
You could also disassemble the drill and use a belt-drive with a speed control.A better cordless tool might be the Bosch radial saw.The trigger and motor is speed controlled.This will work on a bicycle too.


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## JohninCR (May 6, 2008)

Mpk,

I can pretty much guarantee that you'll want more motor than that, and look for a lower Kv for less noise and maybe even 1 less stage of geardown in your tranny.

Forget those NiMn's. You can get smaller, lighter and more powerful Lipos these days for the same price per wh of capacity. eg These and last week some 20c Rhino were even cheaper. If you aren't familar with lipo handling, please do be careful and heed the proper handling warning.

Here's the best deal in a safe chemistry of Lithium, Bosch fatpacks = $0.54/wh shipped compared to $.63 for those iffy sub C cells you linked. I use the Konion US18650VT cells inside on my ebikes. These are better in every respect than the NiMH batts you linked, safer, more powerful, smaller, lighter, longer life, and they are self balancing (so just don't over charge or over discharge). Sure the Dewalt A123 cells are the best, but over double the price, plus more required for the battery management system. It takes a bit of work to strip all that extra casing off, but it's worth it to shed the weight and size. If you need to run a lower voltage, then be sure not to remove the factory battery tabs when splitting the string in half. The one thing all lipos don't like is heat, so keep those tabs for connecting, and don't solder right on the cells.

Keep us posted on the progress.

John


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## kiwi_nigel (Mar 29, 2009)

Hi, I currently import, break, build, customise, electric skateboards as a hobby  I agree with JohninCR, LiFePO4 packs are reasonably cheap and offer amazing power to weight ratio. I use 36v 15Ah packs (5 kgs, sorry not sure what the equivalent weight measure is) to power the boards 800watt motor via a 100Amp controller (the motor draws a maximum of 46Amps when going up a steep hill and about to stall!). Range is approx 35km (20 miles?) with a constant speed of 30km/hr (20m/hr?) ... if you're interested in what the parts look like ... have a look at my website www.e4ride.co.nz and www.greenskate.co.nz for ideas, Cheers, Nigel.


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## deadmonkey (Jun 14, 2009)

Not to reserect a dead post, but I am also interested in doing something like this.

If anybody knows where to get the trucks for the Xkate or something similar that would be sweet. Or at least something similar, OR if somebody knows how to modify stock trucks to get an axle to work like the Xkate trucks.

With out something like that, I fear the turning radius will be VERY wide because two trucks that turn will give much smaller turning radius. I don't like the Idea of a fixed rear axle.


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