Electric Skateboard

The challenge was to build an electric skateboard. The skateboard should be capable of speeds of 20mph+ and hold a charge capacity enabling at least 10 miles of travel. The charging and discharging should be safe as well as doable without any special equipment. Key design considerations throughout the process included customizable battery geometry, Watertight and shock resistant enclosure, programmable ESC for PWM translation, and integrated BMS system to ensure proper charging for long-term use.

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Images

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Video

What is the project?

This project is a Flask application built to test back trading strategies on current stock symbols.

What problem does it solve?

Electric skateboards are expencive but I still want one. The skateboard should be capable of speeds of 20mph+ and hold a charge capacity enabling at least 10 miles of travel. The charging and discharging should be safe as well as doable without any special equipment.

What components does it have?

10s3p Battery
Rear Motors
Electronic Speed Control w/ Remote
Enclosure

What is notable about the project?

Key design considerations throughout the process included customizable battery geometry, Watertight and shock resistant enclosure, programmable ESC for PWM translation, and integrated BMS system to ensure proper charging for simplified long-term use.

Rear Motors

A dual belt motor was chosen to enable a smooth acceleration and minimal wear on the motors over the item. The housing for the motors is aluminum. The housing material was chosen to reduce the overall weight of the board while carrying.

Electronic Speed Control

The ESC was programmed using a USB interface. Programming was a necessary step to generate a PWM sent to the motors from the power supply. Programming the ESC enabled customization of the speed limiter. (25mph max)

Battery Geometry

The battery designed was a 3p 10s battery capable of long-distance rides of over 20 miles at optimal speed. The whole battery was made with (30) 18650 Samsung cells providing 4.2v each. The choice of these cells was not to have the danger associated with lithium-polymer power supplies while also enabling high discharge required for the rear motors. A 10 series BMS was used to control charging to each cell block equally to remove the danger of burning out cells during recharging. By building my power supply, I was able to reduce the cost of the overall battery by 40% compared to equivalent after-market batteries. The terminals were connected with a modular battery system enabling the adjustment in scale the battery could take on.

Enclosure

The enclosure was made out of a wooden frame and aluminum shell. The wooden frame-secured both the ESC and battery and allowed cutouts for the charger and power button. The aluminum cover protected the components from debris and acted as a heat sink dissipating heat from the battery discharge. The aluminum cover also had a rubber barrier to create a watertight seal when closed. This enabled the user to charge and use the board without specialized tools.