Author: Paxson Lim

Posted on by Paxson Lim

Understanding Electric Skateboard Motors – How to choose?

While there are many types of motors (Outrunner, hub motors, direct drives), they operate on a similar basis, and once you understand one of them, you will know how each board compares and which motor to pick for your DIY build.

Outrunner Motors

Exway X1 Pro Riot

Every motor stats

Eskate manufacturer and motor manufacturers always throw around a few specs; they are the Sizes, Kv, and Watts.

For example, This is Flipsky motor

Size

The 4 digits of the motor denote the size of the motor. For example, the motor sample on the photo goes by 6384. It means 63mm in diameter and 84mm in length. This usually means the outer dimensions of the motor can itself; however, minor variations may occur due to can design.

Logic may dictate that a larger can size usually means a more powerful motor. However, the strength of the motor can come from a variety of many factors, such as internal construction methodology, type and shape of magnets used, airgap between the stator and can, and size of the stator itself.

It is usually a good idea to ask the manufacturer for the size of the actual stator itself instead of the motor can as that number in combination with the motor size is a better indicator of how powerful a motor is.

KV ratings

KV is the number of revolution per minute (rpm) that a motor gives when 1 volt is applied to the motor. That is when we let the motor spin freely without load. This means that the higher KV, the faster the motor spins. However, all other factors being equal, a higher KV also means a lower torque output.

The usual KV ratings found in an electric skateboard outrunner motor will range from 140KV to 220KV. This is different for a hub motor; however, as hub motors don’t have pulleys and gear reductions to final speed and torque. As such, they are usually much lower KV (80-100KV) to maintain comparable torque.

  • Lower KV – higher torque, lower top speed
  • Higher KV – lower torque, higher top speed

For example, Enertion Raptor 2, which is known to be torquest hub motor, has 85Kv, while generally hub motors have 100Kv.

Watts

As we all learned from high school, power is measured in Watts. And Watts is calculated by Voltage x Ampere. If you have a high wattage motor, meaning it can handle a lot more voltage and/or ampere, and this in turns means it can be more torquey or go faster.

In an electric skateboard world, the power of a motor can differ by a considerable number. A simple hub motor can only have a power of 250W or 350W each, but will still work pretty nicely. On the other hand, Enertion’s R-Spec Ghost, which is the most powerful hub motor on the market, has a power of 1680W each. (and it gulps down battery like nobody’s business)

Outrunner motor tends to have a higher power. The motor in production belt-driven eskate usually ranges around 600W each (Wowgo 3X) and those with AT wheels around 1500W (Ownboard AT).

For DIY, you can get motors ranging from 1000W to 4000W.

Ampere

Every motor has the maximum current it can pull. For example, 50A. You have to make sure the ESC max output is higher than the max current draw for the motor, by a small margin (5%). If the motor draws higher ampere than the ESC can provide, the ESC may be fried. Cutting it too close also hurts the longevity of the ESC.

So if your motors can draw 50A each (total 100A), make sure the ESC can support at least 5% above that, meaning 5% above 100A, meaning at least 105A. If you are using a VESC and can set the current limits, be sensible and make sure you don’t go over both the maximum motor current limits (this kills the motor) or the maximum limits of the VESC (this kills the VESC).

Voltage

Every motor specs will tell you what is the voltage that the motor supports. Generally, however, the voltage of the motor doesn’t matter too much as they usually support a very wide range of voltage – somewhere between 3s to 12s (4.8V-43.2V). (If you don’t understand specs of the battery, check out my comprehensive guide on the battery)

Sensored VS Unsensored motor

Some motors come with the sensor cable; some don’t.

Sensored motor allows the motor to detect the position of the motor at all times, which translates into a smoother start-up. Unsensored motor, on the other hand, often is jerky when starting from a standstill and often requires a kick push to have a smooth start.

Nowadays, practically every production board you can buy comes with sensored motor. And there is no reason to get an unsensored motor. By the way, a sensored motor will still work as an unsensored motor if you choose not to plug the sensor cable in.

For DIY-er, you probably should know that sensor cables are not all the same. Some come with 6 pins head (as it includes a temperature sensor wire), some only 5. You might need to change the pinhead yourself if the sensor wire doesn’t match with your ESC.

5 pin sensored wire’s head on the left, 6 pin on the right

Where to get your motors:

There are a few places you can get your motors.

If you are buying any DIY part, do check out our “discount code” page as we might very well have affiliated discount code for some of them!

Posted on by Paxson Lim

Understanding ESC & VESC in Electric Skateboard: How to choose?

Electronic Speed Controller (ESC)

Electronic Speed Controller (ESC) is the brain of your electric skateboard. It tells your motor how hard to push or how strong to brake.

An ESC can cost somewhere around $60 to $100, and they are most definitely not created equal. Good ESC can handle bigger battery packs, as reflected by “Series” of battery they can handle and the Maximum Ampere it can handle.

Option on the Series – 6s, 7s or 10s.
Description of the product mentions it can handle burst current up to 120A or 50A continuous.

On the contrary, cheap ESC will fry if you try to hook a battery too big for it.

A good ESC is more powerful as it allows bigger ampere and/or voltage to pass through it. A poor ESC might bottleneck your built no matter how big of a motor or battery you hook it up with.

A good ESC is a set-up to give smooth control both in acceleration and brakings. Poor ESC might be unpredictable, inconsistent, or jerky.

The availability of unique features such as kick-to-turn-on, Bluetooth, and apps to read and adjust settings are all dependent on the ESC you get.

ESC and VESC can be either ‘single’ – which controls a single motor, or ‘dual,’ meaning one ESC controlling both motors. Of course, most of the boards now have dual ESC, as it is cheaper to have 1 ESC rather than 2. However, if you use 2 single ESCs to power 2 motors, and if one of your ESC goes bad, you still have a good one.

Which to get?

Any old-timer will tell you that there was a time where the ESC we use are mostly RC car ESC and wasn’t explicitly made for Eskate. This has long stopped being the case with the emergence of Chinese budget brands and the LingYi ESC and Hobbywing ESC that they made popular.

  • LiYing ESC
  • Hobbywing ESC

Both of these ESCs are made for eskate and perform a lot better in an eskate than RC car’s ESC. There is absolutely no reason to go for an RC car ESC if you are building an Eskate with ESC.

You can buy both LingYi ESC and Hobbywing ESC from eskate vendors such as MeepoBoard.

With that said, there is little sense to build a DIY if you are not aiming for something substantially more powerful (you could very well buy a production board for less effort and money), and this brings us to the VESC.

Other ESC worth looking into:

VESC (Vedder-ESC)

VESC® was a type of ESC specifically designed for electric vehicles like the Eskate. It was designed by Benjamin Vedder, an engineer from Sweden, and hence the name, Vedder ESC. While he is generous to make this an open-sourced project, he partnered up with Trampa, who patented the VESC trademark, which meant all other manufacturers had to remove “VESC” from their product names.

Traditionally, VESC was often the most expensive part of a build, but the price has come down a lot more recently, especially with the popularity of ‘Dual VESC.’ Now a Dual VESC can cost somewhere from $150 to $300.

Examples of VESC derivatives not named VESC:

  • Enertion’s FOCBOX line of ESCs
  • Flipsky’s FSESC line
  • DIYelectricskateboard.com’s Torque ESCs

Why is VESC so great?

VESC is excellent because it allows tons of customization. It allows you to control the torque of the board by adjusting the current output to the motor and current input from the battery. It allows you to customize the acceleration and braking curve so that the board behaves exactly as you want it to while braking and accelerating.

You can also set some limits to protect your ESC, motor, and battery such as:

  • limiting the currents to the motor. (overcurrent to the motor fries it.)
  • limits the temperature of the VESC. (going too hot may cook the VESC).
  • limiting the minimum voltage to drain the battery. (over-discharge degrades the battery.)

VESC is programmed using the VESC-tool. To learn more about programming a VESC, you can take a look at our walkthrough. (coming soon…)

VESC Options

  • Focbox Unity
  • Flipsky Dual 4.20

Basically, nowadays, the VESC isn’t that expensive with the emergence of budget brands such as Flipsky, and serious DIY builds have no reason not to use VESCs.

Industry leaders in VESC have to be the Enertion’s FOCBOX and FOCBOX unity. It is pretty expensive but more refined than most other options. It also has a pretty long wait time. 2-3 months ETA from the order date.

Recently, however, Enertion Unity has received quite a bad rep for having faulty units and also for very delayed shipping time. So for those who don’t want to brace uncertainty until the issue cleared up, look for other options:

If waiting is not for you, Flipsky‘s VESC is another widely used and cheaper option with the added benefit of being in stock most of the time.

VESC comes with two main versions. Version 4 and the newer Version 6, which saw some improvement. VESC version 6 generally allows higher series and currents than the Version 4, but for regular street builds, any VESC of version 4 should suffice. However, keep in mind if you buy a VESC with the reference 4.12 design, running FOC mode may break the VESC easily.

Below are the most commonly use VESC:

1) Enertion FOCBOX Unity: $299

The industry leader in VESC. Arguably the most refined. Used in premium DIY brands such as Lacroix, Bio boards. Infamous for its long wait time. However, as mentioned, recent batches of FOCBOX Unity seems to be ridden with problems.

  • Support up to 12S
  • 160A Continuous System Current
  • 80A Continuous Motor Current
  • 300A Max System Current

2) Flipsky’s Dual FSECS 4.20: $179

Probably the most economic of all VESC. Suitable for most street builds.

  • Support up to 12S
  • 100A Continuous System Current
  • 50A Continuous Motor Current
  • 300A Max System Current

3) Flipsky’s Dual FSECS 6.6: $279

A Good alternative to FOCBOX Unity. Only a little bit cheaper, but always in stock.

  • Support up to 12S
  • 200A Continuous System Current
  • 100A Continuous Motor Current
  • 800A Max System Current

Other VESC worth looking into:

Do you know any other good VESC options that should have been added to the list? Or do you have any trouble with your ESC/VESC that you would like to warn other people about? Let us know in the comment below!

If you are buying any DIY part, do check out our “discount code” page as we might very well have affiliated discount code for some of them!

Posted on by Paxson Lim

Backfire G3 Plus Review – Is the world ready for a premium Backfire?

Backfire has been making a lot of business moves in the past few months, creating waves with its release of the G3 Plus, Ranger X2, G2 Black and it’s IndieGoGo campaign for the Backfire Mini. But the G3 Plus is extra special, as at $999 it would be the most premium street-board offered by the brand, which is otherwise known for offering products that are polished but affordable.

So, the obvious question is: Just what are we paying more for? Especially now, when boards at the $600-700 mark, like the Wowgo 3, Meepo NLS Pro and Backfire’s own G2T are all already very good.

Backfire G3 Plus At first Glance

A quick glance through the product page will show off the most obvious improvements that Backfire has put into the G3 plus. A new carbon fiber deck, 12s battery and ESC, stronger hub motors, and the back truck has been upgraded to the Caliber II. Plus, there are some minor aesthetic upgrades, making it even more eye-catching than its predecessor. Looking at it closely, the G3 Plus does have the premium polish and looks that make it worthy of the price tag. Oh yeah! And they finally allow the turbo mode to be switched on without cooldown!

Riding Experience:

In the real-world test, all of this comes together as expected, to equal a pretty great riding experience. In my opinion, the carbon fiber deck plays a big part in it. The new deck has a better flex than the older Maple deck that the Backfire G2’s use. It also has a slightly more pronounced concave to it, which I like.

  • Nice Concave
Deck Flex

The carbon fiber deck also allows the Backfire G3 Plus to be surprisingly light, only measuring in 16lbs or 7.2kg. This adds to the portability of the board. You can comfortably carry it around with your AlterBag.

Video of this review is sponsored by our friend at AlterBag, which is a very cool yet practical electric skateboard rucksack!!

Combining the deck with the Caliber II front and back trucks, the Backfire G3 Plus rides very-very comfortably at any speed. Stability and predictable is what caliber II trucks are known for, and combining that with the predictability and precision of the Hobbywing ESC makes the Backfire G3 Plus a ride that’s so relaxing that you can turn your brain off.

For those who are wondering how the new 12s Hobbywing ESC compares to the Gen 2 Hobbywing ESC on the G2T – Well, they felt the same – except, that turbo mode now lacks any sort of cooldown, which is huge! Changing speeds is still a perfectly smooth process. Braking strength too remains unchanged, which I feel is perfect for most riders. However, those who likes their boards to brake really strong are gonna bitch about it. You know who you are. =P

Compare to other boards of the same price, one other big change for the G3 Plus is the inclusion of 96mm wheels. Continuing the tradition of the G2T, the G3 Plus is going to ship with both 85mm wheels and 96mm wheels. This, again, is going to add to the versatility of the G3 Plus, catering to lovers of both small and large wheels. 85mm wheels are what many think are the optimum size and 96mm are practically semi-AT; many people, including myself, like the safety in size. The larger 96mm wheels and the flex in the carbon fiber deck combine to soak up vibration quite well, making the board less uncomfortable on rough roads.

Now, the lowlights.

Overall, I think Backfire did a pretty great job with the G3 Plus, but there are always things to nitpick on, and for G3 Plus that happens to be about the numbers.

The G3 Plus rocks a pack of 12s2p Samsung 21700 40T batteries. It’s a 346wh pack that has a marketed range of up to 25 miles or 40km, but I managed to kill it in just 15miles or 24km, riding in Turbo mode with the 96mm wheels on. While the battery pack is objectively large and good, the ability to Turbo the whole distance probably means you can drain it way faster than you are supposed to. You can get to the marketed range if you ride on Standard mode and on 85mm wheels, but power users will definitely need to lower their expectations when it comes to range.

The 2nd nitpick I have on the G3 Plus is the top speed, which is only about 27.5mph or 44kmh. Pushing for higher top-speeds was never Backfire’s forte, and the G3 Plus did nothing to change that.

“This post is sponsored by Visit Singapore 2020”

Many will tell you there is no value having a top speed higher than that of 27mph but for $999, I would prefer my board to have top speed ceiling that I won’t be able to hit. One good thing is that there is very little sag on the battery and the G3 plus maintains its ability to hit 22mph or 36kmh even at 25% battery level.

My final nitpick on the G3 Plus is that the LED ambient lights can be annoying. The G3 Plus also doesn’t come with the canon LED light like the G2T does. I guess that’s because the spot on the nose of the deck is taken, so you will probably have to go with shredlights for this one

Verdict:

At the end of the day, the Backfire G3 Plus is all about a comfortable and relaxing ride. It rides comfortably on any road surface, good or bad, at high and slow speeds. Although G3 Plus’s range and top speed is nothing to brag about, it is by no means weak. As long as you know what to should expect for the range, there is nothing not to like about the board.

If you are interested in buying a Backfire board, be sure to check out our affiliate discount link here and uses code: “ESKATEHQ” during check out.
It will help you get a small monetary discount and helps us out too. On top of that, you’ll be tagged as an Electric Skateboard HQ customer and probably be treated better. Cheers!

Posted on by Paxson Lim

Enskate Woboard S Review – A futuristic looking shortboard!

Enskate blipped onto the radar with the launch of its Enskate Fiboard Indiegogo campaign back in 2017. While the Fiboard looked impressive, the Shenzhen based company overpromised and delivered an underwhelming product.
Woboards is Enskates attempt at righting the ship and offering improved products. Fiboard was distinctive and memorable owing to its futuristic design that featured a small screen at the head of the deck, and the $466 Woboard S has adopted the same design. 

Unboxing

Woboard S comes in a double box, and once the box is opened, the board that greets the rider is much lighter than it looks. Woboard S weighs in at 15 lbs(6.8 kgs), has a simple finish that is not pretending to be premium.

First impressions:

The board uses a 10-ply maple deck that has zero flex, generic trucks that most riders would be familiar with and 83mm wheels which are decent in quality.

  • I call this generic truck type A

The charging port of the board comes with a twist cap cover, making the board more water-resistant than its predecessors. While the covered charging port is a nice feature, screwing and unscrewing this cap is a real pain in the ass and riders may find this feature clumsy.

This twist cap is super difficult to twist and untwist. Hate it.

Woboard S does have an IPS4 waterproof rating, but putting this to test isn’t recommended, as the previous Fiboard did not turn out to be waterproof despite having the IP rating. However, to add to this, Woboard S does have better water resistance than your regular eskate board. 

and finally, the cool bits

The Screen

The scratch is on the plastic cover part of the grip tape.

The feature that differentiates the Woboard S from the rest is its built-in screen that tells the speed, range, battery level, and temperature. While the plastic cover over the screen is somewhat easy to scratch, the LCD screen is bright enough to be visible even in bright sunlight. To take this a step further, the display units on the screen can be changed by downloading the Enskate mobile app, but many might have trouble getting the app to work.
I couldn’t register the app as I was not able to receive the TAC code on my phone.

The lights

Another exciting feature of Woboard S would be its head and taillights. The board has inbuilt head and tail lights and these lights function like the lights on a car, that is, when the lights are switched on, both the head and tail lights turn on, and brake lights will apply even when the main lights are off. The lights can be turned from the remote control, which hilariously looks like a dildo.

NSFW

Specs:

Inside the plastic enclosure, the Woboard S comes with a 90WH battery with Samsung 25R cells in 10s1p configuration. The board is marketed to go for 12 miles, but it actually got me to only 8 miles or 12.5km. Of course, the range you can get depends on the terrain you ride on, the riding style you have and of course your weight. (I’m 155lbs or 70kg)

Riding Experience:

The Woboard S uses the LingYi ESC with smart turn-on features. While the LingYi ESC is known to have thrilling acceleration and harsher brakes, the Woboard S configuration is pretty meek, and hence both acceleration and braking remain reasonably tame. Acceleration is gentle and smooth; the braking, while it doesn’t have the smoothest curve, isn’t strong enough to be a discomfort to the rider. 

The Woboard S trucks and busing set up makes the board very loose, turny and agile. In the odd chance that the board is still not maneuverable enough, the rider can always kick-turns with the kick tails. Being very turny also comes with a downside of reduced stability at high speeds, but this isn’t much of an issue here as Woboard S has only a tested top speed of 20.5 mph (33 kph).

The board also does not shine as the best carving board, as the bushings have little rebound and the deck is completely stiff. And of course, as expected, stiff deck and smaller, harder 83mm wheels made the Woboard S an uncomfortable board on rough terrain. The set-up just doesn’t absorb vibration well and you will feel every bit of vibration from poorly paved roads.

Verdicts:

Despite all of its limitations, the Woboard S is a good board for the purpose it aims to serve, which is a short commute within a city or a small area. It is light and easy to carry around. It has a kicktail, and so it is easy to maneuver in tight spaces or to pick up. It has smart turn-on, and hence it is easy to deploy. It’s limitations in acceleration, top speed, torque, range and vibration dampening aren’t too much of a factor if you are spending your time on flat sidewalks or good roads.

All in all, although the Woboard S isn’t the best performing board out there, it will still be a good fit for some people, especially if you like the LCD screen and the lights.

Visit Enskate by clicking here.

Posted on by Paxson Lim

Yecoo Boards gets updated

Yecooboards

New kid on the skating block: Yecooboard tries its best to improve continuously in line with customer preferences, Yecoo’s original four skateboards have become five, and each of its skateboards has its strengths. Three of its boards have been upgraded to match for skaters’ tastes.

Let’s have a look at what remains the same and what has changed:

Yecoo GT

Upgraded Battery

Working on the customers’ feedback on original Yecoo GT’s substandard battery performance. Yecoo has updated its battery from the originals Samsung 6s4p 8.8ah 25.2v to Samsung 10s5p 11Ah 36V and Samsung 10s5p 15Ah 36V.

Now, the marketed top speed goes up to 25 miles with the extended range battery (the actual range may be affected by road conditions, the rider weight, temperature, etc.)

Climbing proficiency of the board has increased from 20% to 30%.

The new battery will reduce voltage sag, allowing the rider to maintain high speeds, even as the battery runs low.

What is more, N5055 motor sees an upgrade to the high speed N5065 motor. 

With a change in the battery, the battery box also changes to occupy its upgraded tenant. Of course, the weight of the board also increases relatively; the current board weighs about 10kg.

Upgraded ESC

Yecoo has also refined the ESC algorithm to make acceleration and braking very smooth and optimized the efficiency with which electrical energy is converted into mechanical energy at high speeds.

The brake has four gears to facilitate the setting of brake flexibility.

The most prominent feature of the ESC is the smart boot, which powers on automatically when rolling more than 3 feet/ 1 meter, so you don’t have to bend down to press the power switch.

Price

Yecoo GT is priced at $719. Yecoo is doing a lot of promotions recently, and thus you can get 10% on your purchase. 

Deck theme

In the pre GT deck pattern, it was black grip tape with lines and spiders. Some skaters quite liked the old design as is resisted dirt. The new, improved pattern is yellow color-block covered by black lines, which still has a spider pattern in the middle.

Yecoo GTS

Upgraded Battery

The Yecoo GTS battery capacity has been increased from 6.6Ah to 9.0Ah and 10.5Ah. A significantly improved battery helps maintain high speed even when the battery is low. So the range of the board increases from 25km to 33km.

Upgraded Motor

Yecoo GTS upgraded the N5055 to N5065 high-speed motor, making the belt motor more flexible and torque more powerful.

Upgraded ESC

They have deeply optimized the ESC algorithm and made the acceleration and brakes very smooth; they also tuned the conversion efficiency of electrical energy to mechanical energy when it’s at high speed.

The brake has four gear positions, and these settings make it convenient for the rider to set the braking flexibility.

The most outstanding feature for this ESC is the intelligent boot which automatically powers on when rolling for more than 3 feet / 1 meter so that you don’t have to bend down to press the power switch.

Price

Yecoo GT is priced at $699. Yecoo is doing a lot of promotions recently, and thus you can get 10% on your purchase. 

Yecoo XJ

 Upgraded Battery

The Yecoo XJ battery capacity has been increased from Samsung 10s3p 6.6Ah 36V to LG 10s3p 7.8Ah 36V and LG 10s3p 10.5Ah 36V. So the range has increased from 25km to 34km (actual range will be affected by road conditions, the rider weight, temperature, etc.)

Upgraded Remote Control

The existing remote control has been replaced with a new model, from Hobbywing. From the original thumb ring structure into the shape of a more proper handgrip, making it more comfortable. 

Upgraded ESC

Now they use Hobbywing ESC to replace the old one, as we all know that Hobbywing is famous for the smooth acceleration & braking system.

Price

Now, the pricing of GT is $429.00. The actual price is subject to the website.

Deck theme

They have two choices of the deck themes, the beige pattern and the black classic.

Yecoo X2

The X2 is a basic model from Yecoo and features a high cost/performance ratio, with a price tag of just $399, this board’s a real bargain. All PCB electronic components of the upgraded Yecoo X2 are covered and protected by special solid glue to prevent damage caused by water, dust, or shock. 

Concave is similar to Yecoo 2S, and it is convex, black deck covered by shallow honeycomb texture, with hornet pattern in the middle. The deck is two layers’ bamboo+6 layers of maple with a size of 38*8.85 inches.

X2 wheels are available in two colors, black, and orange. It’s 90 mm diameter high elastic PU wheels are comfortable, anti-vibration, wear-resistant, and silent. X2’s wheels have 7mm larger diameter than ordinary wheels.

Look at its other specs:

  • Range Goes up to 12~19 miles(19.3~30km) with the extended range battery (actual range will be affected by road conditions, the rider weight, temperature, etc.).
  • Speed  Top speed of 23 mph(38km).
  • Hill Climbing 20%~30%.
  • Ride Modes 3 ride modes, from Beginner to Expert.
  • Battery Yecoo X2 provided battery is LG 4.4Ah, Samsung 6.0Ah, and Sanyo 8.5Ah. Aluminum alloy battery housing.
  • Remote The new remote has a display that measures speed, battery life, and mileage.
  • ESC Uses Hobbywing ESC which is famous for the smooth acceleration & braking system.

Checkout Yecooboard by clicking here.

This post is sponsored by Yecoo