electric scooter- this is a convenient, modern and economically expedient equipment for everyday use, achieved by charging the battery with a conventional 220 volt socket. The only actual problem is the high cost of this gadget, no doubt all high-quality items have a high cost, which is manifested in the long-term operation of the charging battery and in the safe use of the transport unit.
An alternative solution to the cost of expensive equipment is to make a “do-it-yourself electric scooter”, but it is “extremely important” to have good experience and knowledge in the development of technical devices of this category of complexity. It is necessary to have sufficient knowledge and understanding of the principle of operation of an electric scooter, and most importantly, to have a clear idea and confidence in their capabilities.
The assembly of electric scooters can be carried out on the basis of the designs of various units. In most cases, two-wheeled equipment is used:
- mobile vehicles based on gyroscooters, far from cheap option, but quite easy to rework in terms of connecting electric batteries);
- equipment based on a cooled radiator engine, such can be purchased from auto dismantlers. The difficulty lies in the mechanical design, but the output is a powerful unit.
For convenience, you can develop an electric scooter with a seat, which will be very convenient for long-term use. For these purposes, you need the frame itself, but which you need to build a rack with a connection. After assembling the frame structure, the speed transmission is assembled, the wheel is fixed, the battery is installed and the engine is mounted. The best and budget option would be to build an electric scooter based on a disassembled electric screwdriver, control will be provided by a moped handle, which is attached to the trigger and cable from the screwdriver. To carry out the torque of the wheel itself, a chain two-gear rigid transmission with a friction nozzle is used.
To make the frame, an aluminum or steel channel is taken, the seat can be taken from a bicycle, the wheel is suitable from any stroller or scooter. Variations with a battery can be different: depending on the cost, lithium or lead. The battery power should be at 12 volts each. Alternatively, you can remove the battery from an electric helicopter or an old drill.
In fact, in addition to the above spare parts, bolts of sizes M8 and M10, a toggle switch with a 10 ampere supply of electricity are also useful.
The assembly algorithm for a homemade electric scooter will be as follows:
- Measurement of the supporting frame with the selection of an aluminum profile.
- Fastening the support beam to the frame of the scooter using bolts and nuts of sizes M8 and M10.
- Holes are made on the back of the scooter for installing the engine.
- The wheel coupling is mounted inside the hub.
- A clamp is attached and bolted along the wheel axis, and a plastic box is installed under the frame into which the wire is pulled.
- Based on the stretched wire, an electrical circuit is formed that allows you to switch the engine and battery.
The main notable feature of such a homemade scooter is a portable battery, which is located in the scooter driver's backpack. The connection is made through a stretched cable.
The practice of homemade scooters shows that in order to successfully complete the work, it is necessary to make a small amount of effort and it may not be possible to save as much money as expected at the beginning of the work.
How far can a person travel by pushing off the ground once? If this is one step, then on average less meters. If you run up and push off harder, you can make a jump of four or five meters. Therefore, imagine our surprise when a modest, no longer young man appeared in the editorial office and declared that he could move 50 meters from one push of his foot, and even with a load of 30 kg. In the hands of the visitor was some kind of strange cart. We, understandably, doubted.
When in doubt, they demanded proof.
Well, please, - the owner of a strange cart told us. - Let's go outside. Here, on the pavement, we are convinced that we are not being deceived.
Upon closer inspection, the "trolley" turned out to be a converted children's scooter. Our guest, engineer Sergei Stanislavovich Lundovsky, managed to turn it into an unusual vehicle for adults.
How did you manage to “grow up” the scooter how? What is the essence of his alteration? First of all, in the maximum allowable lowering of the platform on which the “driver” stands. The ground clearance of the converted scooter when loaded is only 30 mm. But this, as practice has shown, is quite enough for driving not only on smooth asphalt, but also on country paths. Hitting the bottom of the bumps in the road, the scooter simply slips forward. And if there is a larger obstacle, the driver can help his car by jerking the steering wheel up and thus raising the front wheel.
The lowering of the platform lowered the center of gravity of the machine, which had a positive effect on its stability and made it easy to reach the ground with the “jogging” leg, without bending the supporting leg at the knee. And thanks to this, the driver gets tired much less than when using a scooter with a standard (high) platform.
The car is made on the basis of the Orlik children's sports roller (cost 14 rubles). As shown in the picture, the fork legs leading to the rear wheel and the front of the roller have been cut off. From a steel corner 20X20X5 mm made new platform by shoe size in the drawing, its length is 320 mm, which is the most advantageous. The front part of the factory sportroller is connected to the platform with a clamp welded to the pipe and four M8 bolts. A plate with a thickness of about 20 mm is placed under the legs of the clamp, with the help of which the slope of the platform, which is most convenient for the driver, can be found.
The length of the steering tube should be increased in such a way that the driver can comfortably control the machine without bending.
The rear wheel fork is made from the same corner as the platform itself.
As a trunk, which is best placed above the front wheel, a stamped bicycle luggage frame is used. It is attached to the head of the steering column and to the front axle. It is impossible to put the trunk at the back, as the load makes it difficult to move the pushing leg.
Start learning to ride a roller skate on a flat, non-sloping asphalt site. The main attention is paid to working out a long and strong, but not sharp push with the foot, as well as mastering the movement with inertia. In this case, the steering wheel must be completely motionless, otherwise (due to increased resistance) the speed drops rapidly.
In training, it is quickly determined which leg is the most efficient as a support leg and which one as a push leg.
S. LUNDOVSKII, engineer
“In fact, life is simple, but we persistently complicate it.”
(Confucius)
Many probably still remember how in the 70s our fathers made scooters with wheels made of ball bearings. How this thundering miracle aroused extraordinary pride in us, and the neighbor boys - white envy. But, time goes by, everything changes ... The fashion for scooters has returned again, only our children are already riding them. And about four years ago, having estimated my capabilities, I decided to make a scooter from a small children's bicycle.
I will immediately warn you that here you will need: welding inverter with electrodes (preferably 2), a grinder and a meter of a rectangular profiled pipe. And since the scooter has already been made for a long time, I will only explain some of the nuances.
I got it like this:
It is quite torquey for overclocking and quite fast. And now in order. First, saw off the back and front of the bike. And in front we saw off the frame pipe parallel to the steering tube.
We measure the profiled pipe and make V-shaped cuts with a grinder at the bends. We bend and cook. We also thoroughly weld the attachment points to the rear and front nodes. We lengthen the steering column with an additional pipe, which we also weld to the native, bicycle one.
A bolt with a wedge assembly passes inside this pipe. The native bolt turned out, of course, to be short and I had to cut it in half and weld a piece of wire (6mm) into the middle. Cooked in a vise to make it even. Pay special attention to the distance from the site to the ground surface. It should be minimal, taking into account the bumps in the road. I had to redo it, I lifted the platform too high.
A board is screwed on top and the scooter is generally ready. The only thing missing is the brakes. They can be put from an old bicycle (regular rims). In general, you can leave the pedals, and lengthen the seat tube and get a hybrid, a kind of bicycle scooter.
If desired, an electric motor with a gearbox can be installed on the site, and a battery on the trunk. But that's a completely different story.
Homemade ski scooter
I probably won’t open America by saying that children know how to confuse their parents ... My daughter has a scooter with small wheels, which is no longer suitable, because of the same small wheels, photo from the Internet.
And a small bike, again with small wheels, which does not suit for a reason - the knees touch the steering wheel, a photo of a real bike.
So, the task was set from a bicycle to make a scooter already on large wheels. After scratching the top of my head, I scratched into the garage ... More on that later ... Since the scooter with small wheels is no longer available, and at the “technical council” with my daughter we decided to make a scooter on skis. What you need: free time (there is enough of it during the holidays!), scooter, pieces sheet metal and mini skis.
We disassemble the skis and drill through holes 4mm in diameter.
Then we select the necessary sheet metal, 2mm thick, mark.
Before, to weld the cut off parts, I decided to do so.
We try on skis ... Normally!
This is the main mechanic and the initiator of all this disgrace.
We paint, dry, collect this "sandwich" in a heap
It took two evenings for 3 hours to build this scooter - this is with an assistant. And in one I think faster. There are not many photos without a description (as I said above, about this later) of our parallel project “Scooter on Big Wheels” with my daughter. The scooter is built from the back.
Post by user MishGun086 from the DIY community on DRIVE2
Make a scooter with your own hands from scratch
I go to a pretty exciting engineering college (Harvey Mudd) where most people use some form of wheeled transportation, from longboards and unicycles to scooters and freelines.
Step 1: Design
Before I get into actual modeling, I first sketch out most of my projects, including this one. I use them to figure out the basic sizes I need. After getting an idea of what I was going to do, I went around my campus with a laptop and a tape measure and took pictures of all the styles of scooters I liked. I ended up choosing the Razor A5-Lux for my scooter. I also decided early on that I wanted to make it out of aluminum, with a laser cut acrylic deck and maybe some LEDs for night cruising.
After 20 minutes of taking measurements on someone's A5-Lux, I had all the measurements I needed for the next sketch cycle. Then I went to Google SketchUp and made a full 3D model. Even though the fine detail construction details were not 100% accurate in the SketchUp model, I used this model to figure out what other stock of aluminum I needed and the specific cut length for some of the parts.
Later in the build (about 5 months later) I studied SolidWorks in an engineering class. By this time in the build, I had most of the parts done, so it was a lot easier to make an accurate model this time around. I used this model to figure out the exact length and location of the "foldable support bar", but I'll get into that later.
I used mostly 8-32 caps and 8-32 buttons caps, with a few 5-40 caps for small things.
After a lot of research online, I found that large wheelchair casters are cheap, durable, and fairly affordable.
At the beginning, I decided that I wanted the deck to be covered with transparent acrylic paint so I also ordered a 1/4 piece of clear green from E-Street Plastics. I use a laser cutter to cut the deck.
Step 2: Deck Support
I started with the support of the deck and worked it out with subsequent parts. The deck stand is the part that supports the base of the scooter.
I used two lengths of 1" x 1/2" x 20 5/8" 6061 aluminum as "rails" and joined them with two 2" pieces of the same material to create the support for the deck. I used band saw to cut them roughly to length, and then cut the ends to length on a cutter with a ~1" end mill (I did this for both the rails and the connecting sections). Each connection has two black oxide 1” 8-32 hex socket head screws with a counter hole to keep the heads flush.
For now, I just drilled one 17/64" hole (a little over 1/4") in the front of the rails to attach the steering column posts. I'll deal with the rear wheel mount later.
Step 3: Rack and Column Sleeves
I then made uprights that extend from the deck support axle to the steering column. I made this piece from slightly different stock, I used 1 1/4" x 1/2" instead of 1".
Anyway, I cut two pieces down to about 16 inches and ran into one side of each. The other side had to be milled at a weird angle, so I left one side rough for now.
I also cut out two 1" connector sections and looked at both sides for length.
Now comes the tricky part: handling that weird angle. It would be easy if the shop manager would let me change the vise of the mill to Rotary table, but he didn't, so I had to get creative. I ended up using conventional T-slot fasteners to attach the parts to the mill frame, and then put together a very sketchy system to make sure the parts were aligned at a 32.3 degree angle to the mill's z-axis. I had an angle gauge, but due to some physical limitations, I had to use it in tandem with two squares to make sure everything lined up. And I had to do it twice, once for each piece.
Fortunately, both parts came out well!
I then attached the two pieces along with the connector pieces. For these connections I used 1" stainless 8-32 pan head screws, and drilled the heads with a .33" end mill. To finish off the piece, I drilled a matching 17/64" hole at the end to connect it to the deck support.
The next part was even more difficult. I had to mill the appropriate 1/8″ deep cuts in the steering column bushing (the thing that the steering column rotates through). Again, I had to press the part directly against the mill bed, which turned out to be heavier than before because it was a pipe. It also made it difficult to align the corner properly because I didn't have a clear edge to look down on since it was rounded. After much deliberation, I made cuts, and the joint turned out to be normal. You can see how the pieces fit together in the pictures above.
Step 4: Steering column
It was definitely the coolest part of the scooter. The steering column needs to rotate smoothly even under high pressure, and aluminum-on-aluminum rubbing is no good, so I had to figure out how to isolate all the aluminum in the rotating joint.
I used lubricated brass bearings that are located around the steering column and slide inside the steering column bushing to separate the column from the bushing, and a brass washer between the top of the bushing and the shaft bushing insulates the top of the joint. The lower pivot has to support a lot of weight, so I went broke and bought a thrust bearing to lubricate the steering gear.
I made the steering column itself from two telescopic tubes. The lower, larger diameter is about 1 1/4" outside diameter and the inside diameter is 1". I installed the threaded plate on inside inner pipe and drilled a corresponding hole in the outer pipe. These holes are at the right height and a threaded handle holds them together. In the future, I may cut a slot in the outer tube so that you can easily adjust the height, but for now I leave it at the set height.
I used a 1" end mill to make a rounded cut at the top of the inner tube so another 1" tube could fit through the top to make the handle bars. I made a cork out of a 3/4" solid rod and inserted it into the top of the inner tube so the handlebar would cut into that cork.
Step 5: Front Wheel Bracket
I made the front wheel bracket out of 2" x 1/4" aluminium, with two 2" x 1/2" connectors. I spaced the connectors 1" apart and connected them to the sides with the same 8-32 screws. After I drilled and tapped all the holes, I used a CNC router to cut a 1.25" hole at the top of the connector and a 1.25" recess at the bottom. Thus, the steering column can slide through the top and go deep into the bottom. This allows for easy welding alignment and provides additional rigidity. Unfortunately, my college doesn't have good welding machines and we can't weld aluminum at all. So, I had to take a few pieces home over spring break so I could weld them. I will cover more about welding in step 9.
I drilled a 0.316 hole to fit the 5/16" axle and then I made indentations on the axle to fit the circlips that hold the axle in place.
Step 6: Rear Wheel Bracket
This could be the simplest piece. I used a 1/4" x 1 1/4" stem connected with a small piece of 1/2" x 1 1/4", and attached them with four 8-32 pan head screws. I left the other ends uneven because I wasn't sure exactly where to place the bracket at this stage of assembly.
Step 7: Folding Mechanism
For the folding mechanism, I wanted a bar attached between the uprights and the deck support, creating a triangle around the main hinge and preventing it from folding. I also wanted to be able to pull the bottom pin, fold the scooter, and then attach the same bar back to the rear wheel so it folds up. Doing one of them would be easy, but doing both would be difficult because I had to satisfy the angle and length of both triangles. This problem was complicated enough that I knew I would screw up if I tried to just solve it, so I decided to redo the entire scooter in Solid Works so that I could get the dimensions right for this part.
Since most of the scooter was already built, it only took a few hours to build in Solid Works, because I already had all the dimensions and details determined.
After I assembled the scooter model, it took about an hour to adjust the drop bar length and hole placement before the scooter locked in the unfolded position at a right angle and locked in the stowed position so that the steering column was parallel with the deck. I took the measurements from the model and used them to make the real part.
Step 8: Welding
When designing, I tried to limit welding as much as possible, but there were a few more connections that simply could not be made with screws. This is the connection between the uprights and steering hub, steering column and front wheel bracket, and the ends on the drop bar.
I don't have a TIG welder at home either, but I've read online that you can actually weld aluminum with a MIG setup if you use a special aluminum filler wire instead of regular steel rebar and use 100% argon as the shield gas. We also had to replace the sleeve, gun and tip because I don't think you can use any of the parts that touched the steel welding wire. On a chemical level, something is going on that messes up aluminum welding if your material or filler wire is contaminated with steel. Because of this, you also have to brush the material with a ton of stainless steel brush to clean it before welding (stainless steel is fine for some reason).
Most of the joints I needed to weld were pretty thick so I didn't have to worry about burning through or ruining anything bad (I actually had to add heat with a butane torch just to get it hot enough to welding) but the steerer tube is very thin and I needed to weld it to the 1/2" plate so I decided to just use a set screw instead of welding. If this connection fails later, I will go through the welding problem.
Step 9: Progress Photos
Here are just some progress photos.
Step 10: Acrylic Deck
I made the deck out of 1/4" clear green acrylic.
I used a Solid Works model to set up the deck dimensions and I ended up exporting the model to a .dxf file so I could cut it directly with a laser cutter.
Not the most fun part of this was drilling and tapping 20 holes for all 8-32 pan head screws that hold the deck to the rails.
I usually use a tap in a chuck milling machine and tap each hole immediately after drilling it, so that the mill zeroes just above the hole. This provides the best tap possible, but it takes forever because you have to take out the drill chuck and change the collets and everything and then change the Z axis height which is very tedious if you have to do it 20 times in quick succession, so, in this case, I decided against it and just tapped it by hand. My wrist was very sore after the last tap, although I'm glad I only used 8-32 screws instead of something larger or my arm might have fallen off.
I cleaned out all the coolant and attached the deck! It looks amazing!
Step 11: Finishing touches and plans for the future
Surface Finish:
I used 240 and 320 grit sandpaper on the aluminum in some places where the scratches were visible. I then used a Scotch-Bright overlay and finished the rest of the aluminum with this, providing a nice smooth matte finish.
Final build:
I went around each connection and cleaned the remaining coolant from the screw threads and threaded holes. Then I put Thread Lock on all screws before reassembly.
Results.
As always, there is work to be done, although I am very pleased with the current state of the scooter. Here are some things I'd like to work on so far, and I'll be adding updates as those parts are completed.
Add a battery pack and super-bright white LEDs underneath the acrylic deck.
Implement a rear PIN-lock mechanism so that I can lock the scooter in the stowed position.
Make some kind of brake mechanism.
Make a slot connecting the two holes on the outer steering column so that the knobs are adjustable.
Buy the best wheel bearings to make your ride easier.
Remove more material from inner part steering column bushings to reduce steering friction.
A powerful battery... And an impressive cost. Yes, there are economy options, but is it possible to spend even less? And if so, how to make an electric scooter with your own hands?
Where to begin?
Decide on the basis on which you will make your iron horse. There are three good, tried and tested options:
- From a screwdriver. Drills and screwdrivers are convenient in that the battery is very easily pulled out of them for recharging. In addition, most models have several speeds, which is also quite a lot;
- From hoverboard. Very good in terms of battery connection and control, but quite expensive;
- Out of the engine cooling radiator. Perhaps the most difficult option from the point of view of implementation, but the motor is quite powerful and almost free (you can find a suitable engine at any auto parsing).
If you do not have much experience with such tasks, we recommend making an electric scooter with your own hands from a screwdriver.
Broadcast
Have you chosen an engine? Now it is important to decide how you will transfer torque from it to the wheels. The following transfer options are available:
- Chain;
- Friction nozzle;
- two gears;
- Hard transmission.
Again: if there is not much experience, put the chain. The option is controversial, because the chain can fly off and, but in implementation it will be the easiest way.
wheels
Which wheel will drive: rear or front? If you choose the rear, it will be easier with the installation, if the front, the scooter will be better controlled. We advise you to still get confused with connecting the front wheel, it's worth it. The wheels themselves can be taken the most ordinary, with plastic discs. Garden cart wheels work well.
Frame
The frame is made from ordinary steel pipes. Profiled steel with a thickness of 2.5 millimeters will be quite enough for a do-it-yourself electric scooter to withstand a load of up to 100 kilograms.
IMPORTANT: If you are making an electric scooter not completely from scratch, but on the basis of a conventional - not motorized - scooter, you will not have any issues with the frame and wheels. Just choose from durable and stable models: very elegant ones may not be ready for serious loads.
Battery
Do not take heavy lead batteries! You most likely won't be able to tuck them neatly under the deck and the battery will just break the whole balance of your scooter. If you do it on the basis of a screwdriver, there are no questions - use your own battery - if not, look at for electric helicopters, the same drills and similar equipment.
Also you will need
- wires;
- Button or toggle switch;
- Plastic box for battery;
- Fasteners (as a rule, these are bolts and nuts).
It is not necessary to use welding or similar technically complex fastening methods.
How to make an electric scooter with your own hands?
The best choice would be to watch a video on YouTube before starting work. Look specifically for the assembly of the scooter based on the engine you have chosen and with the gear you have chosen - there are videos for almost all existing options.
And, in any case, you will need some experience in working with your hands. Ideal if you have already worked with electrics and metal. If there is no experience, we strongly recommend finding an assembly partner or at least a consultant - a person who can look at your idea and project, give their comments on it.
If you do everything carefully, a do-it-yourself electric scooter will cost only 5-7 thousand rubles, which means you can save a lot. Good luck with the build!
Photo of a do-it-yourself electric scooter from a ready-made kit
Electric scooter- a toy that is interesting not only for children, but also for adults. It gives freedom of movement on roads with any surface, delivering a lot of driving pleasure. Of course, it is not worth considering this device as the main means of transportation, but someone will hardly refuse to ride it, having received a lot of pleasure. There are enough models of electric scooters for children and adults in the distribution network, so everyone can choose it according to their preference. If "hands are in place", you may want to do it yourself electric scooter. This is quite feasible work, the result of which will bring pleasure twice as much as when buying a finished vehicle.
It is unlikely that you will want to make an electric scooter for an adult. But, for a child, such a toy will be the height of dreams.
It is not a problem to purchase a motor for a scooter today, but if you have a screwdriver, then a motor will be enough. Then you need to decide on the preferred torque option: using two gears, a chain or a special nozzle (friction gear). The option of direct rotation is also suitable, that is, using a flexible cable, from a car speedometer, for example. The expensive option of the motor-wheel often disappears immediately.
Along the way, you need to decide which wheel to rotate? For a scooter, it is not so critical which of the wheels - the front or rear will rotate, but the second option seems to be more correct, since a brake can be installed on the rear wheel.
14V is enough for the design, which means you can choose the 4S1P configuration: having disassembled the grinder and the cordless drill. Having removed everything from the drill, we get a motor with a gearbox, and by removing the body from the grinder, you will have an axle with a rotor and a gearbox with bevel gears. The axis of the scooter wheel will be the axis of the rotor, and the part where the disc is mounted will be connected to the motor. Having done these manipulations, we can assume that the floor of the scooter is ready. The big problem is the battery. It is unlikely that heavy lead will fit here, so you need to go to the radio parts store for a lithium battery ( a battery from an electric helicopter LiPoly is perfect). You can fix it on the steering wheel, where baskets for small things are often installed. There is no need to invent a speed controller, since the standard speed controller button becomes it.
With a little more conjuration, you can get what most of the tools in the house were dismantled for.
Review
Having a technical education, I took the risk of "creating" an electric scooter for my son. I won’t say that everything went “like clockwork” for me, because I had to tinker. But, in the end, the toy is ready and already tested in action, which makes me feel a well-deserved sense of pride.
Nikolai Cherednichenko, resident of Ivanovo
