Home Troubleshooting & Repairs 🚘 Motor is Jittery / Not Smooth

🚘 Motor is Jittery / Not Smooth

Last updated on Mar 20, 2025

If your motor feels rough, jerky, or struggles to start smoothly, follow these steps to diagnose and fix the issue.

Step 1: Check Motor Wire Connections

Loose or improperly connected motor wires can cause uneven power delivery, leading to jerky acceleration or stuttering when starting.

🔌 How to check:

  • Unplug the motor wire from the ESC, make sure the arrows are lined up (refer to link below for visual), and firmly reconnect it.

  • Check for bent or damaged pins in the connectors, as this can prevent a solid connection.

  • Ensure the connectors are fully inserted and not loose.

📷 See how to check motor wire connections: Connecting the Motor Wires

Step 2: Check if the Belt is Tightened Correctly

If the belt is too loose, it may slip, causing the motor to feel weak or jerky. If it is too tight, it may strain the motor, causing hesitation when accelerating.

🛠 How to check:

  • Press down on the belt - it should have a small amount of flex but not be overly loose.

  • If the belt is too tight or too loose, adjust the motor mount position until the belt tension is correct.

📷 Step-by-step guide: Tensioning the Belt

Step 3: Tune the Motor for Smooth Acceleration

If the motor was not tuned during assembly, it may not be optimized for smooth power delivery. Running the motor tuning process in the ESC settings will help fix jittery movement.

How to Tune Your Motor for a Smooth Ride

📷 Watch the full tuning tutorial here: Tune Your Electric Skateboard

To ensure your ESC is properly controlling the motor, follow these steps:

  1. Find your ESC's unique ID

    • Locate your ESC and look for a small laser engraving that starts with LT-XXXXX (4 or 5 unique letters / numbers).

    • Write these letters / numbers down or take a picture for reference.

  2. Connect to the ESC using VESC Tool

    • Open Google Chrome on a computer (Chrome is the only supported browser).

    • Go to VSC.lectec.com and enter the 5-digit unique ESC code.

    • Click Connect, then Pair the detected device.

    • If nothing appears, click Cancel and then select Connect All, looking for the device starting with LT-XXXXX.

  3. Run Motor Detection (FOC Mode)

    • Once connected, navigate to the FOC tab (this controls motor settings).

    • Click "RL" and then "Measure", which will spin the motor slightly. Make sure the skateboard is on its back to prevent movement when the motor spins.

    • Click "Apply".

  4. Set Hall Sensor Values

    • Go to the Hall Sensor tab and click the Play button.

    • The motor will make a high-pitched sound - this is normal.

    • The system will generate a Hall Sensor table. Click Apply to save these settings.

  5. Save the Updated Motor Configurations

    • Click the "M" button with a down arrow to save all changes to the ESC.

    • You should see "Motor Config Updated" appear at the bottom.