I remember years ago seeing ads while I was scrolling through Instagram for an electric skateboard that balances on one central motorized wheel, aptly named 'OneWheel'. I was shocked when I clicked the link and saw the price, and promptly filed the dream of owning one away. Later on when I got to college, my roommate brough two of them with him. He let me borrow his smaller one for just a few days, and I was hooked. I wanted one badly, but I still couldn't justify the price.

I had built an electric skateboard in middle school so I reasoned that I could probably just build my own version of a OneWheel. I decided that I would attempt to build one, and worst case I end up with a bunch of parts that I could use to build another project. I started as I always do – research, research, research. This led me to exactly what I was looking for on a website called Spintend.com. I ended up with a 125A speed controller with a built-in magnetometer and accelerometer to handle the self-balancing. The speed controller, or ESC, runs on an open-source software called VESC and allows for basically infinite ways to control the motor. In my case, I set it up in a "balance" mode which uses a PID controller to keep the board upright based on the input from the onboard sensors. There is a large community built around these motor controllers so it was easy to find PID gains for a good baseline, which I then tuned to my liking later on.

Initial Test of the Motor

An Array of Parts Scattered on my Dorm Floor

An Array of Parts Scattered on my Dorm Floor

For the chassis of the skateboard itself, I created a CAD model as per usual, utilizing as many off-the-shelf components as possible.

CAD Model of my One-Wheeled Electric Skateboard

CAD Model of my One-Wheeled Electric Skateboard

I went to the local metal yard and picked up a 6' length of 1x2 inch aluminum 1/8th wall C-channel. I cut it down according to my cad model and 3D printed the end caps that join the two sides. I also marked and drilled holes for the motor shaft and the power button, while using self-tapping sheet metal screws to hold everything else on.

In-Progress Picture of the Assembly

Initial Test of the Board

The pads for my feet were simple rectangles cut out of half inch plywood with a radius sanded into the corners. I mounted large pressure sensors to the front foot pad so the board could recognize when I am on it and when I wish to stop by lifting my front heel. This turned out to be a very fun and successful project in the end and I still use it to get around! For the first couple months of riding it around campus, I got stopped countless times by people wanting to know what it was, how I made it, or wanting to try it.

First Ride of the Board Around Campus

More Posts Coming Soon