Reddit mentions of HGLRC FSESC ESC V4.12 50A SK8-ESC Open Source Project Compatible with ESC Software Electronic Speed Controller for Electric Skateboard E-Bike ESK8 Build EScooter

What I did right

• Bought high-quality parts (mostly)
  
• Laser-cut center logo
  
  • I originally tried cutting this out of grip tape. The results were... suboptimal. The laser-cut plastic looks amazing and was only ~$10 after free credits. I ordered it through Ponoko. New accounts get a $20 credit towards making stuff, and they have a huge range of materials to choose from. I used this material, which comes with adhesive pre-applied as well as being quite flexible.
    
• Custom fiberglass enclosure
  
  • This was probably the part of the build that took the longest. Due to me not sizing the enclosure correctly (see below), I decided it would be easier to make an enclosure rather than scouring the internet for one that fit. This was my first time working with fiberglass, so it turned out a little rough. But it does the job and conforms to my deck way better than any pre-bought enclosure ever would. It’s currently secured to my deck with screws threaded directly into the wood. The holes are strengthen with superglue. So far this has worked well (5+ screw in/outs), we’ll see if it holds up. If the holes start stripping I’ll just put some threaded inserts in.
    
• Installed a Bluetooth module
  
  • Although I haven’t gotten wireless configuration working yet, it’s really nice being able to see stats on your phone. I’m on iOS and use the Xmatic app which is very-well designed. It even comes with a companion Apple Watch app so you can easily check your speed and battery life while riding.
    
    

    Mistakes I made
    

    
    

1. I didn’t add extra clearance to the battery size when shopping for an enclosure. I originally bought this enclosure from MBoards. But either the enclosure or the battery was slightly bigger/smaller than the advertised dimensions and the entire enclosure bowed out when I tried shoving the battery in. Cables never had a chance of fitting. This turned out to be a bit of a moot point anyways, because...
   
2. I choose a deck with too much flex/bow. Even if the enclosure did fit the battery, attaching it to the underside of my deck would have severely warped it.
   
3. I destroyed two $10 42V chargers. The first was destroyed by plugging it in backwards to the battery (i.e. red -> black and black -> red on the battery connector). We don’t talk about the second one. ^(Ok maybe I plugged it in the exact same way expecting something else yes I’m an idiot)
   
4. I didn’t cut the grip tape very cleanly. Lots of rough edges, grip tape is harder to apply properly than it looks.
   
5. My paint job on the enclosure turned out a little sloppy because I didn’t properly secure the stencil.
   
   

   Potential upgrades
   

   
   

• New paint job on bottom (I might just go all-black and remove the design)
  
• New grip tape (with more consistent edges)
  
• Reverse-mounted motor (so I can use my dropdown like it was intended)
  
• Sleeker fiberglass enclosure
  
• Handle (I have no idea how to do this, any suggestions are welcome)
  
  

  Parts
  

  
  

• Motor Mount
  
• Pulley System
  
• 3250W 180KV Motor
  
  • This thing has an insane amount of torque, it chews up hills without slowing down at all. Very happy with this motor.
    
• Remote
  
• Caliber II Trucks
  
• Power Switch
  
• Longboard Deck
  
  • It’s cheap. Didn’t expect much, but it’s actually fairly nice (at least for a traditional longboard; as noted elsewhere there’s a bit too much flex for it to be a good electric board).
    
• Orangatang Kegel Wheels
  
• VESC
  
• BLE Module
  
• Charger
  
• 10S3P Battery Pack
  
  • This battery with its integrated BMS was plugged in to charge with its polarity accidentally reversed twice (see above), and it still works great.
    
    I spent a total of ~$770 on this board (including wasted parts). It's more than I wanted to spend but I expect it'll last a long time.
    
    Specs:
    
    
• Top speed: 28 MPH (in theory, I've only actually gone up to 16 MPH because of safety concerns :P)
  
• Range: 25-30 miles (extrapolated from the voltage drop on a ~2 mile ride, haven't had time to go on a ride that fully drains the battery)

1. I'd highly suggest buying from Amazon. Aliexpress might be cheaper, but you can't beat Amazons return policy, literally just buy everything and if it breaks/doesn't work/doesn't fit, just return it and try again. Amazon is a big company, they can handle it. Seriously, buy as much as you can from Amazon. The two day shipping is nice too. That being said, there are some things you cant get on Amazon. In my experience, Aliexpress can take over a month. I found that diyelectricskateboard.com had the best motor mounts and pulleys for me (the ones I originally got from Amazon - you guessed it - are getting returned). It was also impossible to find any kind of motor with prime shipping, so I went with Mboards.com.
   
   
2. Double and triple check the wheel pulley will work with your wheels, currently they don't. With the spokes of the wheels you chose, you'll need a pulley with a bolt pattern like this. I made this mistake, and guess what, I returned them to Amazon.
   
   
3. I'd suggest going with Caliber trucks. The one flat edge really helps with getting the motor mount to sit square on the trucks, with round trucks like you have I found it was almost impossible to get them to be seated properly. Made this mistake with the Paris trucks and Amazon got those sent back real quick.
   
   
4. You'll want an ESC with a higher amp rating if you want to use your motor to its fullest potential. There's going to be a lot of wasted power with only a 16A ESC. The ESC will likely be one of the most expensive parts of your build, you don't want to skimp out on it. I think you'll be very disappointed with the ESC you've chosen. I'd go with something like this for a single motor build. I know, its $80, and to top it off you'll have to buy the anti-spark switch and controller/receiver separate, but you get what you pay for... 50A is going to be way more fun than 16A.
   
   
5. A $40 6374 motor seems way too good to be true, I wouldn't trust it. Go with Mboards.com or diyelectricskateboard.com for the motor and you'll get good quality and not have to wait a month to start your build.
   
   
6. Like the other guy said, get a battery with a higher amp rating too, something to match or slightly exceed your ESC.
   
   For a single motor build, I'd expect to be in the $800-$900 range.
   
   Ultimately, the prices of Aliexpress might be nice, but everything is made super cheap, and your safety is quite literally determined by how well these parts hold up. I say don't risk it. Further, you will learn a lot more about your setup once you actually have the physical parts in your hands. Your time is valuable and if you are constantly waiting on shipping just to hold the parts and what you're working with first hand, it will take ages to get it actually running. No matter what there is going to be a lot of trial and error and a lot of returns. You'll thank yourself later if you avoid buying from China.