Electrical Skateboard
During my freshman year at MIT, I joined MITERS, a student-run makerspace known for some of the most impressive and chaotic projects on campus. Eager to learn, I was excited to immerse myself into the community and absorb as much knowledge as I could from my peers. Every Saturday, MITERS hosts build nights, where members come together to work on their projects. There, I was guided by upperclassman to begin my first project at MIT – building an electric skateboard.
The goal was to repurpose parts from broken projects and transform them into a working skateboard powered by an electric motor.
Build
The deck came from an old skateboard. We also salvaged functional parts from a broken hoverboard.
After clearing the deck of leftover mounting features, we installed the motor and wheels. Along the way, I learned to operate tools such as the bandsaw, vertical mill, and drill to attach the components.
Electronics
I soldered the power connections for the motor and battery and integrated a thumb throttle to control the skateboard’s speed. During testing, we discovered that the throttle caused the board to move in the opposite direction, which we fixed by swapping a pair of motor wires. This trial-and-error process not only resolved the issue but also helped me improve my soldering skills.
Results
The electric skateboard performed as expected and could reach impressive speeds at full throttle. However, there were areas for improvement—at times, parts of the board dragged on the ground while riding, and steering was not particularly responsive. Also, one had to be careful to make sure the cable from the throttle didn’t get stuck under the wheels. Overall, I was proud of completing my first project and contributing something that still lives on the MITERS shelf!