Permobil to native R-Net

[Burgerman]

Trying to help someone with a permobil via email. He has the usual permobil parts screwing up problem but is quite advanced and so already got on with it. So already dumped the permobil only parts and is refitting with proper R-Net bits. He has F3. Already has a R-Net gyro cheap, to replace the permobil stuff. Already sussed the programming by using a front drive sunrise/r-net chairs programming that I sent him. So it drives well. Now he is doing the seating. With the R-net CxSM in place of that huge box of permobil stuff. A few hours patience setting it up and wiring (days!). And he bought most from PG stuff direct at a sensible price. So he has un permobiled the permobil! And its all real R-Net stuff now. And the last part is replacing the Permobil switch box thingy. Its got 4 buttons. And plugs into the junked permobil seating gubbins box. So he will be using the Sunrise version insted on my advice. Since it just plugs straight into the R-Net bus, works on any r-net system. You just tell the programmer its a sunrise branded chair. And then use the sunrise OEM or DEALER software. And away you go.

But I started looking at the prices for him. In the US as thats where he is. As a part in the US its a absolutely rediculous $1334 dollars! The same part here is also rediculous at £510 pounds or (585 dollars) retail. And at a guesstimate £340 trade? Thats well under HALF the US price (why?). But still way too much!

This post was just to inform those that have permobil chairs that its quite possible to replace all their bits with R-Net. And other than the Ctrl+5 which isnt essential anyway its all reasonably cheap to do (and way more compact and presumably more reliable) as well. Should you ever need to in the future.

https://www.quickie-wheelchairs.com/rep ... switch-box

[ex-Gooserider]

The tough part is that it has to plug into the R-Net bus, so needs the circuitry to go from the switches (which are presumably (ON)-OFF-(ON) DPDT or possibly DPST switches) to speaking R-Net...

Obviously there is fancy packaging of the case, switch style and so forth, but electrically it has to be pretty simple and would be trivial to do a home-brew copy of everything but the R-Net comms, which I don't believe has been reverse engineered to the point of being able to duplicate it.

I've never played w/ R-Net, but I wonder if there are any sort of switch inputs that can be reprogrammed to do user designated functions? I know there are inhibit inputs, but can they be repurposed to use as control switches?

If so, it might be possible to do a box with a wire bundle that used the switch inputs and bypassed the R-Net comms....

If willing to not use the joystick for actuator controls, it would certainly be possible to do a direct wiring setup w/ a DPDT switch (and possibly a relay?) for each actuator. If doing this it might also be important to add limit switches so that the actuators won't be overdriven...

ex-Gooserider

[Rye]

Wow at that price you think they'd seal them better. They always get full of grime. I always remove them.