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Our Sprints

Access to all of our milestones and presentations
Sprint 1

Getting rolling

In Sprint 1, we spent the bulk of our time doing heavy research. Building an electric longboard from scratch is expensive, so we needed to spec all of our parts carefully before buying anything. We also spent some time learning how to ride a longboard!

We visited a local skate shop outside Boston and learned about electric skateboards/longboards that are currently on the market, and asked questions about going about this process on our own. We also bought trucks, wheels, and bearings there to ensure our board had a nice, smooth ride.

Presentation

Sprint 2

Building speed

In Sprint 2, we worked on making each of our individual components work. We finished our initial research to ensure we had the best and safest end product possible, and began to order components. Sadly, a lot of this sprint was spent waiting for components like the motors, ESCs, and batteries to arrive, though once they showed up, we began to understand how these unknowingly complicated components worked. On the mechanical front, we worked on optimizing a board design, sourcing material, and then using the ShopBot, a CNC router, to cut out our deck. With the trucks mounted on the new board, we began to learn how to ride, and were able to more accurately start testing electrical components, like the velostat (our pressure sensor), in their real setting.

Presentation

Sprint 3

MVP

In Sprint 3, we focused on completing our MVP. We learned how the ESCs and motors worked (and integrated with each other), calibrated the velostat, and integrated all of the systems into the board. We had many challenges, from frying an ESC, to building a motor mount that would allow the drive train to function even when the board is turning. The motor mount took several iterations to create a functional design, starting with sheet metal and ending up with a laser cut mount. The drive train components came in during this sprint, though we ended up 3D printing some of our pulleys anyway, as we broke the originals in an attempt to fit them to our needs. By the end of this sprint, we were able to drive the board with a remote control.

Presentation

Final Product

Ready for Expo

After many many hours of hard work, the end has come. Within the last two weeks, we built a new board, bought new strain gauges, replaced an ESC, and optimized the integration of our system. Only one of the new sensors we bought from a bathroom scale is functional, so we still ended up driving the board with a remote control. While a few bugs still remain, the board can drive with a person riding it.

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