How to Choose Motors for DIY Electric Skateboard Building

There are many components and parts we have to choose when we decide to start an electric skateboard DIY. One of the most exciting parts to talk about is the motor such as how fast they go, how big they are and so on. Choosing a good motor is very important for any ESK8 build.
Before choosing motors, we can learn something about the motors:

There are three common motors for ESK8: direct drive motors; hub motors and belt motors.

Direct drive motors

It is a relatively new type of motor, and the direct drive motor takes into account the advantages of the hub motor and the belt motor.

advantages:

- Higher torque than Hub Motors

- Custom wheel selection

- Easy to install

- Low noise and quiet

shortcomings:

-More expensive than most of motors

-The distance between the ground is close, and it is easy to suffer collision blows.

Hub motors:

Hub motors have motors built right into the wheels. No belts, no pulleys, just hidden motors inside the wheels. 

advantages:

- Very easy to install

- Quiet, low-noise motor

shortcomings:

- Locked into wheel selection

- Less torque than belt drive motors

Belt drive motors:

Belt drive motors are motors which are mounted to an electric skateboard that runs a belt between two pulleys. (One on the motor pulley and the other on the wheel pulley)

advantages:

- Able to customize your wheels

- Able to customize your gearing ratio

- Superior torque

shortcomings:

- Must purchase motor mounts and pulley system

When it comes to choosing a motor, one might be confused by the numbers on the product page.

For example: If you look at our motor selections, you will see Flipsky brushless DC belt motor 6384 190KV. BLDC belt motor is one of the types of belt drive motors we mentioned above, let's analyze the specification data of the product.

Size

The size of the motor is determined by two sets of numbers, like "6384" standing for the size of the motor. You can divide these four numbers into two groups: 63 and 84. "63" indicates the outer diameter of the motor, while "84" indicates the length of the motor.

Common sizes are 5045, 5055, 5065, 6354, 6355, 6374, 6384, 63100 etc.. Generally, larger motors can run more powerfull and draw better.

Remember, the higher the number, the more torque the motor has.

KV

KV, not to be confused with the abbreviation for kilovolt, is measured by the number of revolutions per minute (rpm) that a motor turns when 1V (one volt) is applied with no load attached to that motor.

This is a three-digit number that determines how fast the motor will spin at a certain voltage. Higher KV means higher top speed at the expense of torque, while lower KV will give you more torque but lower speed.

Here's the simple rule of thumb we use:

Higher KV Rating: Lower torque, Higher top speed.

Lower KV Rating: Higher torque, Lower top speed.  

When we click through to the product details page, we see some data, let's get to know them:

Max PowerP: The power determines the output power of the motor; Power (W) = Voltage (V)*Current (W)

Max Current: Usually refers to the maximum input current that the motor can withstand, which is related to the continuous current output by the ESC.

Max Volts: Motor voltage refers to the input voltage of the power supply, usually a DC constant voltage source depending on the voltage of the battery pack.

Torque: The torque output of a motor is the amount of rotational force that the motor develops. The higher the torque, the faster the motor can accelerate to high speed.

Shaft: Generally, D shaft and round shaft are optional which does not affect the performance of the motor. It should be noted that you need to select a compatible pulley gear.

BLDC: Brushless DC: Some of the problems of the brushed DC motor are eliminated in the BLDC design. In this motor, the mechanical "rotating switch" or commutator is replaced by an external electronic switch synchronised to the rotor's position. BLDC motors are typically 85%+ efficiency, reaching up to 96.5%, while brushed DC motors are typically 75–80% efficiency.

Rotor: The rotor is the moving part that delivers the mechanical power. The rotor typically holds conductors that carry currents, which the magnetic field of the stator exerts force on to turn the shaft.

Stator: The stator surrounds the rotor and usually holds field magnets, which create a magnetic field that passes through the rotor armature, exerting force on the windings.

Pole number: The pole count of a motor is the number of permanent magnetic poles, North and South on the rotor. There is always the same number of North and South poles on the rotor.

This is the end of this time, we will explain to you in the next blog what you need to pay attention to when actually buying a motor.

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