If there isn’t there needs to be one. We all need lizard-dicks.
I’m excited about this build that I’ve been working on. I’m testing out Boardnamics AT drives and the BKB Zenith v2. I’m also giving the Boardnamics motors a shot. Interestingly they came in Flipsky boxes
The deck is a tomiboi custom. I used the same mold and shape as my 39" AT integrated deck. It has parabolic, hourglass concavity and a touch of camber. The nose and tail are angled at 30 degree. I used 7 layers of Bamboo veneer ( 5 long-cut + 2 cross-cut). The board is sandwiched between two layers of fiberglass cloth, 8 oz on the bottom and 6 oz on top. I weigh 175 lb and this deck has a medium level of flex for me.
I really like making and riding Bamboo/fiberglass boards. They’re super strong and have really consistent longitudinal flex. By using different weights of fiberglass on the top and bottom I can manipulate the flex incrementally while giving the deck a durable protective layer. There are certainly fancier materials to make skateboards/longboards out of, but bamboo and fiberglass make a stellar ride.
I frit the top by applying epoxy topped with an excessive amount of glass frit. It looks like a sugar cookie. Then after the epoxy cures, I shake off the excess and apply another thick layer of epoxy to set the frit in place.
The bindings are an exciting part of the build. I’ve been thinking about a ratcheting open-toe binding for a while. I finally got around to designing one and so far I like the results. The basic 3D printed models feel really comfortable and sturdy. I’m looking at quotes for Multi-jet fusion prints made with glass filled nylon so that I can test these out with a more “production-level” prototype.
I printed up a box for the zenith and I’m made a custom heatsink for it. This was my first real try at working with aluminum on my table router. I ordered all of the right bits and I got some 1/4" aluminum sheet for the project. Things went well. The heatsink looks sharp and I didn’t ruin any bits
I’m using a multi-jet fusion nugPuck. This MJF shit is dope. The texture is perfect for remotes. It cost about $25 to print this one.
Lastly, I maxed out my printer and made a custom battery box. It’s big enough for a 12s5p 21700 pack. and it’s also easy to interchange. I matched the pattern on top of the battery box to the heatsink. Also, I added a loop-key with a panel-mount XT-90 that I found at duckbatterysystems.com
I just wrapped this one up last night, charged her up and went for a ride (or three) today. I might be onto something with these bindings guys. They worked out really nicely. Made out of the right material, they could be legit.
The boardnamics set-up is a little loud at high speeds, but not too bad. I like having stuff like this available in the states and the quality seems really good. Speaking of having things in the states, I’m excited about the zenith. The price is right and I can get a new one in three days if it burns out. That is if BKB ever gets more in stock
Here are some pics.
I need to upload the most recent files for the nug. I made two different finger loop lengths. One for bare hands and another for gloves. I am also using a small screw to hold the finger-loop in place now.
Just an OCD thing but are you able to make a variant with the T button in it? To me it looks a bit odd with just 3 buttons. I like symmetry
Honestly, I was kind of thinking the same thing. Yeah, I can add the T button.
Have you considered selling non-integrated decks on your site? The longboard deck market might be a bit saturated, but the high-performance eMTB deck market could be ripe for a tomiboi special.
Depending on how much work they are for you/how much the final cost would be, I can see there being interest. Especially if you worked with the eMTB community and tailored a deck to what folks are most interested in these days.
Just a thought
YES! I’m putting a lot of thought into that right now. I’m going to be doing several of my decks non-integrated with the option to add a custom enclosure.
These would be a lot easier to make than the integrated decks. I could sell them for far less.
Nice dude! I think there could definitely be a market for another sweet eMTB deck! I mean, just look at how well the Haero Bro did/is doing. If you need a beta tester, I know a guy with an eMTB. The only catch is that he has no money, he thought it would be a good idea to start a duck-themed battery building company
I’ll def need some testers as it goes. I send people in your direction to have random batteries built on occasion, I hope it helps business a little.
The four button model is available here.
tomiboi78/t-boi-nugPuck: Mini enclosure for Hoyt St. Puck (github.com)
I had been looking into the possibility of getting some enclosures injection molded for deck + enclosure designs, but getting big-ass enclosures injection-molded is costly and I’d like more control over the process, so I’m going to be getting into some in-house, pressure-thermoforming.
I bought a plastic sheet oven that uses IR heat and convection to evenly heat large sheets of plastic and I can use my CNC machine to make quality sandwich molds for the project. So I should be in business.
Right now I’m researching materials. One of particular interest is Kydex. It comes in several grade. Many of which could make good enclosures. Kydex T is strong, flexible and highly impact resistant. It’s also fairly affordable. It costs about twice as much as ABS, but it also outperforms it substantially. One step above that is Kydex 100. It costs about 50% more than Kydex T and it’s super strong, but I don’t think it will be necessary. T should be enough. Kydex V is also interesting. It is priced very competitively with ABS and it is a recycled material which is attractive to me. I’ll probably do some prototyping with it, to see how it performs.
Beyond enclosures, I have other applications for thermoforming in mind. I’ve been looking at machinable and thermoformable foam-core materials. This type of stuff could take my decks to a hole new level.
Ohhhh boi. I am totally coming to visit your shop when i make it to the states one day.
Btw… I’m all about some speed-vent pulleys. That’s some good thane.
The first bit got me going, but when you say materials research I’m in!
Started here: basics of diff grades and common applications. They mention 100 being “rigid, tough, durable” and give an impact test result. But more interestingly discuss the fire ratings of 100 and T, the test doesn’t seem that applicable to to a battery fire, but it does seem that if an esc or other component catches fire the kydex will extinguish itself less than a min after the fire source goes out.
I found this cool product/sales guide that has a huge chart on page 6-7 of loads of kydex grades. page 6 having the mechanical properties listed.
Just because I went to the kydex website and looked through the products listing, a less easy to read version of the chart in the guide above, but does have the data sheets for each specific type. And what appears to be a general MSDS
So from the product guide and your suggestions I looked at
KYDEX 100, KYDEX T, KYDEX V. Here’s a short summary of what I found:
Between the 100 and the T they both have the same tensile strength. The %elongation of the 100 was much greater than the T and the 100 has higher values for the Izod impact. Otherwise for the flexural, compressive and shear strengths the T beats it out.
Not all mechanical properties were listed for V, I’m guessing due to the recycled nature they aren’t necessarily the same each time. All those listed were a bit lower, other than the was the tensile and flexural results which were the same as 100. Also the noted some degree of color variability.
None of the dives into manufacturing at all. That would be worth looking into while were here since obviously you plan to form this in one way or another.
So a bit more high tech than my foil lined box and heater with tilt switch removed
Keen to see your work here @tomiboi78! Sounds awesome👍
It will be an upgrade from the oven in my kitchen. I’ve burnt plastic to the side of that thing so many times.
The IR oven will hopefully help me get consistent results with thicker sheets.
Thanks for all of that info my man! Kydex is definitely an interesting thermoforming material. I’m going to get my hands on 100, T and V just to try out and see how it forms.
The main person makin binding mods for the Freebord and SBX bindings would love the .step files can I send his email to you?
I have the yobis bindings printed and ready to test and would love to compare against these. I should have my board done this weekend, but my 3D printer is in the shipping container somewhere over the pacific with the rest of my belongings, so I won’t have access to that until next month. If that’s not too late to test and provide feedback on your bindings, I’d have fun testing them for you.