Magnets were embedded in one of the wheels on the longboard in an alternating pattern to create a magnetic rotary encoder. In previous iterations the output of this setup went straight to a counter to shift the LEDs down the strip, future iterations will calculate speed first to create a more accurate effect with the LED's.
First iteration of the LED controller and it's case, this was the first time I had ever designed something in CAD to be 3D printed and the first time I had designed my own PCB. From these first projects I've learned to improve my designs, incorporating all the tips and tricks I've learned in the process.
3D representation of the two boards made for this project so far, I was able to reduce the size of the second iteration by half from what I learned during after designing the first iteration. Both setups involve similar approaches to my requirements, however the second iteration upgraded to a switching regulator for the output and simplified and corrected issues to the battery charger from the first iteration.
PCB layout of the second iteration of the LED controller, features a single cell lipo charger, boost converter and breakout headers for the LED strips, hall effect sensor used for the speedometer and a full set of breakout pins from the microcontroller.
The second completed iteration of the controller for the LED's. I reduced the size of the entire project by at least twice, along with a new design for the case and power supply for the teensy 3.1 microcontroller.
A current work in progress, this drawing shows the cad model for the 3D printed case for the electronics needed for the LED system.
A WIP image of a new housing for the LED controller. Better button placement and a better shock absorbing attachment system. A separate plate attaches to the longboard and rubber shock absorbers connect the two parts.
The Mess. A work in progress shot from when I was assembling the case for the batteries and other electronics for motorizing my longboard. Assembly here involved soldering wiring harness' to connect the two battery packs in parallel to the motor controller, adding the current/voltage sensor to report battery stats, along with adding a simple motor cut off using an additional connector as a disconnect.
Drawing out ideas for the next iteration of my project, the plan is to greatly expand the scope by adding in sensors and merging part of the controller for the motor end into one platform. As well as a possible android app to let me change LED color, check speed and battery stats.
Schematic for the third iteration of the project. This revision has improved battery charging and power regulation for the board as well as adding in a display, main battery pack power monitoring and an accelerometer for more elaborate LED options.
Future revisions will be merged into a new system that will integrate all the parts of this project that are currently completely separate. This will simplify the overall implementation as there should be fewer parts in total.
Schematic for a custom battery management system. Since any future version of the electric longboard will feature a much larger battery pack and a much faster charging method, a way of monitoring the batteries is required. This system will feature passive cell balancing and cell monitoring on a 10 cell battery pack. Based off this information and a power sensor the microcontroller will also be able to cut off the battery pack in case of over-current and over-discharge.
A WIP shot of the PCB being developed for the BMS. This revision will be replaced soon with a more decentralized design. This will entail the BMS being its own board, power regulation a separate board as well as a MOSFET cutoff to toggle battery power.
This revision has been superseded buy a more focused design.
Assembling two VESC motor controllers for the next version of the longboard project. These controllers, designed by benjamin vedder (http://vedder.se/), are vastly superior to the ESC's in use now on the longboard.
Finished assembly of the VESCs, all assembly was done by hand in the workshop I built in my basement.
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Electric Longboard Project
Not happy with just a longboard, ive spent a portion of my free time over the last few years working on LED lighting for my longboard as well as electrifying it. These days its capable of speeds of 20+ mph and has a range of 10 miles, but the project is never finished and always being improved.