Printed Parts Make DIY Electric Longboard Possible

Appalled by expensive electric longboards, [Conor Patrick] still wanted one, and wanted it now. So — naturally — he converted an existing board into a sprightly electric version at a fraction of the cost.

[Patrick] is using a capable 380KV Propdrive motor, capable of pushing him up to 30mp/h! A waterproof 120A speed controller and 6000mAh, 22.2V LiPo battery slim enough to fit under the board give the motor the needed juice. He ended up buying the cheapest RF receiver and remote combo to control the board, but it fit the all-important “want electric long board now” criterion.

Initially, [Patrick] wanted to buy a kit and slap the electronics on his longboard, but since that proved to be a headache to mount, he resorted to 3D printing the motor bracket and pulley. So far so good, as [Patrick] printed the parts out of nylon with 95% infill — solid enough to withstand the loads placed upon them. Unfortunately, the boosted board drive belts he used are designed to slip, so even though this is meant to prevent the rider from falling off if there’s too much torque applied, it also means that [Patrick] could be zipping along that much faster. Hills are also a problem because of this, so a second motor might be his next upgrade.

Heck, even the consumer models sometimes need an upgrade, but few of those can fold up for easy air travel.

Filed under: 3d Printer hacks, transportation hacks

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