I retired the Mini Remote Controller after the first test ride. The Nano Remote Controller however, has its own problem (other than the well known one which is a very short throttle throw): a pointed throttle trigger. It is not comfortable nor effective to put my thumb on top of the trigger all the time. My thumb would therefore normally rest behind the trigger for pushing it forward for acceleration. When it was time to apply a brake, my thumb had to move a bit to the front of the trigger before I could effectively pull it backward. That was troublesome and slow. Making the trigger bigger with a slight concave with Sugru was a good solution. The other half pack of Sugru was used to form a ridge around the power switch, making it less likely to nudge the battery switch on or off while carrying the board.
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The rims of the hub motors are sharp and I highly suspect that it would cut deep into us if we accidentally touch it and turn the motor on, like nudging the trigger while carrying the board. Two ways that I could think of: chamfering with a file or using Sugru. The problem with using a file is the metallic dust getting into the motors. The problem with using Sugru is well, which color? It won't look pretty but red is most alarming I suppose. So red Sugru that was.
It was a nice sunny day yesterday! Excellent for a test ride! For this test ride, I was using wrist guards and a helmet for the very first time. (I know, I know, use safety gear no matter what...) Everything was perfect until the time of an unexpected urgent stop. I instinctively applied a brake using the way I used to do with my E-Go remote controller, I pulled the trigger toward me and accelerated! Fortunately, I was not too fast and managed to foot brake.
With the new Mini Remote Controller, braking is applied by pushing the trigger away from me. With the old E-Go Remote Controller, braking is applied by pulling the trigger toward me. In an urgency when muscle memory takes over, I might end up injuring myself or someone innocent. Obviously, this is totally not acceptable. These are the two electric longboards that I have. The old one is a two-year old E-Go with a Sector 9 Deck. E-GO (2015) DIY (2017) with TorqueBoard VESC
Deck Sector 9 Slingshot 40.5" Rayne Supreme 42.5x10" (Trimmed to 40.5") Wheelbase 26.8" 30" Wheel Size 90mm 97mm Width (truck+wheels) 11" 10 1/4" Motor Single Belt Driven 400W Dual Hub (CarvOn V2.5) 2250W each Top Speed 19.3km/h (I tried 21) 40+km/h (to be tested) Battery Capacity 202Wh (7S3P) 360Wh (10S4P) (Enertion Space Cell Pro 4) Range 29km (Should be OK) 38km on dual motor (to be tested) I bought two remote controllers for this project - a Mini and a Nano (to meet the free shipping requirement)! The bigger Mini is much bigger than my E-GO remote controller (shown on the very left below) in volume. The Mini is way too big to be put in a jean pocket. However, since reportedly the Mini was most reliable, I was using it in my first setup. If everything goes well in the future, I will try the Nano. The connector of the receiver cable is way too tall. Fortunately, the deep curvature of my deck accommodated this connector. Running BLDC Tools on the left and Wordpad on the right side of the screen with notes that I prepared for using the BLDC Tools. It was my first time using the BLDC Tools. Everything ran as planned except that when I thought I was done and turned my remote controller off, the motor spun like crazy at high speed. I was totally surprised as I thought I had all parameters set to take care of this loss of remote control signal situation. This was a big problem that must be solved before going for a real ride. It turned out that binding of the remote controller with the receiver was an important step that I missed. (The remote controller worked well right out of the box with the receiver.) Anyway, my cramped workstation: After all parameters were set and the motors and remote controller tested, I secured all the VESC's and cables with Velcro and cable ties. Before the final assembly, I put thick padding strip around the battery enclosure to take care of the deep deck curvature and hopefully, prevent dust and water from getting inside as well. Spacers with measured height were inserted so that I would not over tighten the screws and break the enclosure. One of the VESC motor wires had excessive solder that cut through the heat shrink when I passed it through a hole in the enclosure. I removed that spot with soldering wick and put on new heat shrink. The motor wires were secured to the deck with adhesive fasteners. Spiral cable shield would be used once they arrive. The holes in the enclosure for the motor wires would be sealed with Sugru. When the Sugru set after 24 hours, more fasteners would be used to secure the wires to the deck. It is now basically done!
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DarrylTaking up longboarding... Archives
November 2018
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