Most of this post can be considered Retcon, because I was too lazy to write construction logs.
Not that you should feel left out or anything, the story of this scooter, indeed the final construction, is almost insultingly simple:
This is the original plan, a 12" scooter bought for £35 on ebay, this is an unfinished Google Sketchup model as this idea was so bad I abandoned it before it could break one of my legs in some hitherto suspected accident.
<arse-kissing to prevent heated argument> If you are the seller, I am not faulting your sales conduct, it was second-to-none; it was me who should have known better than to buy bargain-basement when sending 3000 watts through one (perhaps two, if I had proven insane enough) wheel(s). </arse-kissing to prevent heated argument>
UPDATE 10/04/2012: The 12" Scooter
This is the Scooter:
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| Some Modifications were made (to no avail) to correct problems of braking and handlebar height |
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| Standard "BMX" Type bars which were too low, but could have been sorted with some welding |
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| The Single-Pivot Caliper Brake, the only effective braking system (in a dangerous-lack-of-stopping-power sort of way) |
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| The Rear V Brake which even after considerable tweaking failed to offer any slowing at all |
This I suppose is the disadvantage of internet shopping - you have no idea what you buy until you receive it; however, all is not lost: The frame has rusted a lot less than I thought it would, so it may be cut up for some other project at some point (welding/brazing practice at least). As for the wheels, I may use them for a Python Recumbent or even my second electric scooter.
Just to satisfy curiosity as to what I was to arm this scooter with, here is the specs and calculations (courtesy of ebikes.ca):
N.B: This was on level ground, 2800w was projected on a gradient of 13%.
Specs:
- Turnigy 80-100 180Kv Motor
- 120A Speed controller of some description
- 2 x 6s1p Zippy Flightmax 8000mAh 30C Flight Packs
Of course this was before I knew that A) Aircraft ESCs do NOT monitor the current they pass and will go bang should too much pass through and B) Li-Po batteries had a nasty habit of toasting themselves in the event of short circuits. Watch enough videos such as this:
Overcharging LiPo Battery and you will SHUDDER at the thought of a short circuit of one of those!
The next step I took was to abandon the 12" wheels and go for something a bit more compact:
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| There is no two ways about this, it's a wooden brick. |
The plan at this point was to hack up an obscure model of JDBug (Stunt Series with the 140mm wheels) to obtain the folding mechanism. I was hoping that I could haul this around as a nifty transport solution for the solitary trips I take to various british cities by train. This version was made of Plywood all around save for the folding front end.
Specs:
- Aeolian C4260 600Kv Motor
- Turnigy Trackstar 150A Car ESC
- 6s1p Zippy Flightmax 8000mAh 30C Flight Pack
At this point I scaled down my ambitions to 1500w power output since the knowledge of de-rating all components had still gone over my head. I had also seen fit to add a 60mm fan over the motor to keep it nice and cool:
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| Delta Fans: Ears not welcome within 100 yards |
I seem to have hit the limit of what one post can contain, see the next post for a parallel design in Aluminium.
