Brrr... getting cold in the mornings....

So I just bought myself some cycling gloves to keep my fingers warm as I skateboard to the train station in the mornings. I did already have some thick gloves but I couldn't use them because with them on I couldn't fit my finger behind the trigger on the skateboard controller!

Bought these ones on eBay from seller Mammalz who's shop specialises in cycling and fitness gear. The gloves are made of Lycra material and are soft and stretchable. Does the job perfectly and only cost me a fiver! The material is thin enough that I can even wear them when carrying the skateboard by the lift holes.

Comments from the British public

I like to think off myself as a quiet unassuming person and don't like to make a big deal of things. But I have fast concluded that travelling on an electric skateboard certainly causes a stir with the public. The amount of comments received as I whiz by various pedestrians is quite surprising. I never realised before how vocal Joe Public is.

Mostly the comments are complimentary or I take them as complimentary. I am including a recent comment I heard one bloke say to the other as I overtook them. What they said actually made me laugh to myself, basically it was a comment going along the lines of "whoa that's an electric powered skateboard, he must be f*@king lazy".

Yesterday, I got a comment  on my outward and return journey from work. Whilst speeding along a cycle path in the early hours of the morning,  a well dressed older gentleman stuck up his hand and gestured to me to stop. Thinking there was an issue I did stop but you know what he said to me? He said "is that a skateboard you are on?". Yes I said wanting to face-palm and giving my excuses to depart as I was now late for my train. Then in the evening a cyclist in serious cycle gear sped past me and shouted "well that's flash".

Breaking in (the bike computer)

Taking X-ray images to understand the bike computer casing  didn't really help that much. See the example image below.  The bike computer was angled in different orientations in the X-ray machine in order to see how the two halves of the case were stuck together. It does seem the bike computer is stuck together by a very tight press fit  (see red circles in image).



Because these bike computers are made so cheaply I don't think they are designed to be taken apart. Rather, if they stop working they are just to be thrown away. The press fit is so tight I can't get the top and bottom casing seperated. Therefore I've had to take drastic action to get inside the case. Using long nose pliers I had to painstakingly remove the bottom case half by picking off the plastic lip. This lip covers the internal lip of the top casing. As a result I have been destructive and that if I wanted to I couldn't stick the two halves back together again (remind you of Humpty Dumpty?). Fortunately the top half which is screwed to the PCB and holds the LCD is not damaged.The image below shows the separated parts.The LCD is sandwiched between the top casing  and the other side of the PCB (not visible in this image).

Roadsafe for winter!

Lights are charged up through USB cable. Can have them on bright, med bright and very bright or in flashing mode. Consider these lights a success - they will do the job....

Lights arrived!

The fastest delivery I ever experienced on eBay!



Adding these will be the quickest mod yet made for my longboard....

Lighting up the winter darkness

Taking the longboard  on my daily commute and travelling through the park to the train station I really get a good impression of nature and the changing seasons. Its amazing that in October we are getting such good weather - good enough to skateboard in and enjoy it!

However, what has arrived in a stealth like manner is the darkness in the early morning. To be safe I think I need to be more visible. With this in mind I went on to eBay to see if I could find any bright lights to affix to my longboard.

After much searching I found the lights shown below and have placed an order. Although they are designed for a bicycle and use rubber straps to fix to a bicycle frame I believe the rubber  straps would also be suitable for fixing to the front and back longboard trucks on my board. They are reasonably priced at  11.69GBP  for the pair (white for the front and red for the back) but what particularly attracted me was the turnaround  - literally two days from placement of order. The timer has started..........

eBay:
Seller: prostoragers
Product description: USB Rechargeable COB Bicycle Bike Front Rear 6 Modes LED Tail Light Waterproof
Price:  11.69GBP
Location: Birmingham

Taking the bike computer apart - more difficult then first thought

The bike computer case appears to comprise a top and bottom half case. There are no screws holding these two halves  together so I can only assume the manufacturer used a press fit. I've shoved a screw driver blade in-between the small space between the top and bottom case, jiggled it about, but the case is not budging. Hmmm, I was hoping I could take it apart without damaging the casing. Next step take is to take it to a colleague who can X-ray it for me - I might then get a clue on how to open it

Incorporating the bike computer into the longboard – first thoughts

Ignoring the fact that the wheel mounted magnet flew of during the speed test, the actual proof in principle distance/speed measurement was a success. It’s therefore time to make the bike computer a practical and robust solution for a skateboard. At the moment everything is held on by blu-tack. But that’s not the problem since everything can be attached using glue and cable ties.

The real problem is the total height of the bike computer. The bike computer height alone is 10mm and has a further protrusion sticking out which is 5mm. This protrusion holds the battery and serves as the rail guide for sliding into the cradle. When the bike computer is docked in its cradle it sticks out approximately 20mm from the longboard top surface. There is therefore a high risk that it gets knocked off when I am carrying the longboard on the train or I may even kick it off accidentally  when jumping off the skateboard. 

The cradle part is provided by the manufacturer as a feature for the cyclist. The cyclist detaches the bike computer from the cradle when the bike is parked so it doesn't get nicked. This isn't needed on a skateboard. So ideally I can use the bike computer without the cradle. However, it’s not that simple because the cradle has two contact points that mate onto two contact points of the bike computer itself. The contact points on the cradle feed into the cable that connects the magnet sensor.

So the next step is to take apart the bike computer to see if I can bypass the cradle. My thinking is to solder wires from the magnet sensor directly onto the PCB of the bike computer. Likewise, a consideration is to remove the battery from inside the bike computer case and connect it remotely. In an ideal world all the parts could be embedded into a specially made hole on my longboard.