Hello, I’m planning to build my first efoil and am looking to get some general advice on components & setup. I’ve browsed some topics, and pulled some common parts for the list below. Tentative components & materials so far (please provide feedback on better alternatives or combinations):
3D print mounts/etc - essentially free, I have plenty of filament from other projects.
Running total: $2,135.79
TBH I’d prefer to purchase a complete unit, but for a $2,000++ premium I’m willing to do a fair amount of work. I’m mostly concerned about the mystery prop that comes with the motor, and if the wing I found would be an adequate fit. I’m not interested in going very fast (for now) and the closest lake to me has a speed limit, so I’d also like to be able to enjoy this while going fairly slow (10-15mph/16-24kph). And with my poor timing, I’d like to avoid sourcing stuff from China and avoid 6+ week shipping times since it’s already spring and Minnesota has a limited season for watersports.
Have you drive or build one Efoil?
No… You write and write and write, but it is no work from you too see?
You just keep asking about pruducts and data, as you have already tried to get an engine from me. That’s not fine!
Greets Frank
I dont see any reason why the above won’t work. Just add a flite prop (cheapest, functional and quickest to get your hands on) to it and your good to go.
Search forum for ‘flite propeller’ and you should find a nice link
I think that when I write something, it is always useful information for a larger number of people. For example, here’s my work The Lift eFoil thread - info for the DIYer - #105 by Dynamik or here Lancaster Build Log - #18 by Dynamik or I’m about to post the basic shape of a paddleboard propulsion system (certainly better than SCUBAJET). I am now waiting for a reasonable price from a company that is able to make me a fiberglass hull/housing for the propulsion system, possibly for other interested parties.
If you post the motor specs, I might consider designing an ideal propeller for it. This could create an ideal propulsion for, say, e-foil, assisted propulsion, or universal propulsion, etc. Propellers are always designed to the specific motor and the material used (metal, fiberglass, plastic). The opposite is not possible!!! If an motor has good parameters, that’s the reason to publish them, show them off here, etc.
You’ve been talking about your magic propeller desigs for years (literally) and yet not a single proof/experimental evidence on how great they are compared to the “unscientific” approach that everyone but you follows.
Also, saying “So all the current wings are one huge improvisation, not the result of scientific research” and things like that, is a blatant lie. I don’t see how writing these type of things is useful for a large number of people. Your posts only show that you think you’re smarter than all the manufacturers together, but anyone who’s been on the forum long enough has learn to skip your posts.
So I invite you to prove me and others wrong and post back when you have your revolutionary design up and running and show us how you were right all along
Hey man, I know this is a long time after your post but I’m almost done now! I can upload some photos if you’d like. I took a fairly long break and when I restarted working on this I forgot about my post here.
Nice! Fiberglassing my board was way more work than I initially thought, and it ended up being a bit ugly as well. But the worst part so far has been trying to solder connectors to the wiring with my crappy $20 walmart soldering iron. It would have been worth it to get a nice $150 dollar one at the start, but I only have 3 more bullet connectors to solder to the motor wires so it probably isn’t worth it now.
For those 8mm bullet connectors I use a butane torch. Hold the connector vertical with a pair of vice grips or a soldering station alligator clip, fill it full of solder, get it molten, then just stick the wire down in it.
Thank you! I did end up getting the LiPo’s I listed in my top post. I’ve only connected them for just a basic spin test so far, hopefully that’s enough for a decent run time.
Thanks for the tip! Do you need to get the wire hot as well? I probably won’t do that right away since I only have a couple left, but if I find that the connections are getting hot I might have to re-solder them like that.
It definitely doesn’t hurt to get the wire end hot first, but I usually don’t have to, the molten solder will head heat the wire rapidly and lead to good solder flow. Just hold the wire with one hand, the torch in the other, and use the soldering station to hold the bullet connectors vertical, keep the flame on the connector as you stick the wire in.
Hot air blower can also be used to preheat the soldering spot. If you have bad solder connections on the motor wires and one gets loose under load, it is likely you destroy your vesc.
So last fall one of my two LiPo cells decided to start on fire, so I just built a 20s1p LiFePO4 pack from Headway 40152 15Ah cells and a cycle satiator to charge it.
Does anyone with a cycle satiator know what to put for the trickle charge voltage? From what I can tell LiFePO4 cells don’t need a trickle charge, just constant current to max voltage then constant voltage down to 0.1A or so. I didn’t get the programming cable, so maybe I missed something in the on-display setup.
Update on the satiator programming if anyone is curious. The trickle charge setting is for batteries below their typical voltage range. So if you have a 2.4v LifePO4 cell, it would trickle charge it at 0.1A until it reached 2.5v and then charge normally. You set the lower and upper limits for when it trickle charges, and the current. Once it’s above the upper trickle charge limit it continues normally.
Well my Flipsky FSESC 75200 decided to die on me yesterday. I got the board into the water and turned it on, no problem. Unlocked the remote and tried to give it throttle and got a loud POP. Looks like two mosfets decided to fail and melt through the package.
Not sure what I want to get to replace it, but I probably only need an FSESC 75100 with the amount of current I pull when taking off. Is there more reliable FSESC manufacturers around?
