The VESC Onewheel XR or as it should be described VESC XR is an XR where the stock controller from Future Motion has been changed to a VESC controller (VEDDER ELECTRONIC SPEED CONTROLLERS). This makes the board fully configurable and enables the possibility to customise the behaviour of the board, everything from tilt angle, top speed, and breaking force. There are even DIY Onewheel built on the VESC where riders use a controller while riding to change the tilt angle and or start the board without stepping on the sensors.
The Onewheel XR is one of the easiest boards to get hold of on the second-hand market. That’s why the board is the most popular platform to build a VESC board. The XR is now discontinued and can be bought for ~$800 if you are lucky. Another good option is to try and find a board that doesn’t work, especially if you are planning to do more upgrades like changing the battery to a higher voltage one forcing you to also upgrade the BMS.
VESC Controller for the XR
The best Onewheel XR controller replacement out on the market and the one recommended by most of the community is the VESC little Focer from makers PEV. This is a custom controller that’s built on the VESC platform.
Usually, you will need to change the stock controller box to allow the fit of the Little Foccer inside and at the same time enable the MOSFETs to be cooled. The most common way is to either 3D print a control box and a lid or to get a fully custom box or even a fully assembled kit like the Little FOCer Fully Assembled Flowglider Box.
Option A
Option B
Onewheel XR VESC Builds on Youtube
YouTube is a great source of information and there are a couple of pioneers in the field. Surfdado is one of the persons who has pushed the Onewheel VESC community forward during the last year. He has released his version of the firmware and has multiple videos that are well worth looking into.
OneWheel XR VESC Conversion – Step by Step Part 1
Information and Forums
Good resources for building your own board are Onewheel Forums, Facebook groups, and Onewheel Reddit. The VESC community is growing and there is a lot of information to be found. If you have a question there is usually someone who will answer and help you out.
- Onewheel Vesc Builders (Facebook)
- Onewheel VESC Reddit (Reddit)
- Ultimate DIY one wheel build by the Board Garage (Mario Contino)
What Is VESC? A Primer for Onewheel & E-skate People
Onewheel VESC Kits or Premade Boards
Before there were Onewheel VESC kits available to the market but after legal action by Future Motion they had to close. The currently best option is to get the Floatwheel adv from Floatwheel. The board is currently under production and will be available during spring 2023 to the market. It’s built on a VESC platform with everything custom like battery, motor and controller.
