How do mobility scooters limit downhill speed?

[Scooterman]

The reason I ask is that mine no longer does. It used to but now it will continue on accelerating (due to gravity) to way above it's 4mph limit. And if I back off the throttle to slow down the rear wheels lock and the scooter tail-slides. The only way to navigate steep downhills is to crawl down at minimal throttle opening.

With a normal functioning mobility scooter is the top speed regulated by the controller monitoring the motor's back-emf and if it rises above a certain level the controller reduces the voltage to the motor?

I would like to try and fix the problem but I don't want to say replace the motor if it's the controller at fault and vis-versa?

There's a lot of secondhand parts for my scooter on eBay but I'm a bit dubious of secondhand parts and would rather fix my own parts if that is possible?

Could the controller have got it's knicker's in a knot and if so is it possible to reset it? I have got some factory software and a lead.

[Burgerman]

Dunno. Because it would seem that as it overspeeds it must rise above battery voltage, so should automatically slow due to the generator affect and the motor load.

[Scooterman]

Dunno. Because it would seem that as it overspeeds it must rise above battery voltage, so should automatically slow due to the generator affect and the motor load.

Thanks. I've done some googling but it's so hard any information that's why I like WD, it's an oasis in a sea of disabled/mobility equipment suppliers trying to flog their products.
I could replace it, a new one cost about £750 online which is quite reasonable compared to the price of wheelchairs. Trouble is the only colour they do nowadays is a boring grey, mine is Ferrari red! Well no quite but it is red with go faster scratches .

[greybeard]

Have a look at ProRider. Their Road King is only a couple of hundred more but far superior.
http://www.proridermobility.com/mobilit ... black.html

[woodygb]

Could the controller have got it's knicker's in a knot and if so is it possible to reset it? I have got some factory software and a lead.

I'd imagine that it's a controller problem.

Any chance of uploading your controllers programming file?

[Scooterman]

Yes if you could tell me how to do it please? I have one of your leads and the software.

[Scooterman]

Have a look at ProRider. Their Road King is only a couple of hundred more but far superior.
http://www.proridermobility.com/mobilit ... black.html

Thankyou It looks a nice scooter but is a little bit big as I need one I can hoist into a hatchback and also travel on the bus.

[greybeard]

It looks a nice scooter but is a little bit big as I need one I can hoist into a hatchback and also travel on the bus.

They carry a pretty extensive range from tiny ones to the one I posted, all at keen prices and top quality. I used to have one of their big ones and foolishly thought a big TGA 4 would be better. Although the TGA was nearly 4 times the price, I gained absolutely nothing by changing. If I ever need another scooter, Pro Rider will be my first port of call. Their after care was superb.

[Scooterman]

Thankyou, they do look like good scooters and if I do decide to change mine then I will definitely look at the range.
But if possible I'd rather fix the fault on mine, although it's clocked up quite a few miles and is a bit battered, structurally it's fine and I find it comfortable. I sure it's not as fast as it once was so whether that's linked to the downhill overspeed problem I'm not sure?

[Scooterman]

Could the controller have got it's knicker's in a knot and if so is it possible to reset it? I have got some factory software and a lead.

I'd imagine that it's a controller problem.

Any chance of uploading your controllers programming file?

Do you mean take a few screen grabs of the controller's settings and upload it to here?

[woodygb]

Make a save file of the settings and upload it ...you may need to zip the file before posting it.

[Scooterman]

Make a save file of the settings and upload it ...you may need to zip the file before posting it.

Will do thanks. It might take me a few days as I need to take the scooter round to a freiends who has a windows machine, I've got a Mac

[steves1977uk]

Why not get yourself a cheap laptop that runs Windows 7 or greater, then you are not limited by Mac OS Or use Bootcamp and run Windows 10 on your Mac.

Steve

[Scooterman]

Why not get yourself a cheap laptop that runs Windows 7 or greater, then you are not limited by Mac OS Or use Bootcamp and run Windows 10 on your Mac. Steve

Hi thanks I didn't know you can install Windows on a Mac. I've been trying to find out the price of Windows download and I think it's about £100? (My Macbook hasn't a disc drive). That would be cheaper than buying a Windows laptop but I don't know how it compares to a dedicated Windows machine?
I think one of them two options is the way to go as I have two mobility scooters and will always need some form of powered mobility equiptment, probably even a powerchair in a few years. The person I know with W10 is a desktop machine and they have to carry it down into their garage so we can hook it up to the scooter.

[Burgerman]

Nobody that understands computers ever pays for software unless they want to or use it regularly...

Theres 101 ways. That includes ALL software including windows. And you want 7 (or 10 if you have the time to fix it...)

[ex-Gooserider]

The P&G software runs very nicely on XP.... I have a box I use just for that. As long as you don't let it go anywhere near an internet connection, XP is tolerably decent - it's still Microsoft, but...

Main advantage is if you ask around, lots of folks will have old obsolete laptops that won't run the later Microsoft malware, and they can be had for little or nothing....

ex-Gooserider

[Scooterman]

The P&G software runs very nicely on XP.... I have a box I use just for that. As long as you don't let it go anywhere near an internet connection, XP is tolerably decent - it's still Microsoft, but...

Main advantage is if you ask around, lots of folks will have old obsolete laptops that won't run the later Microsoft malware, and they can be had for little or nothing....

ex-Gooserider

Ah, that's useful to know thanks! I think the PGDT software I have is something like 14.3.3? I might check out some machines on eBay. I know we struggled to get the software to run on my dad's old XP machine, but that was probably more a fault with his machine (slow and full of crap) than the XP software.

[Burgerman]

Strange how all my machines run 24/7 for year after year connected to the web with no problems ever though isn't it. And it runs all the stuff I need, use, buy properly. Viruses, trojans, etc bugs? Where? Perhaps a ID 10T error...

[Scooterman]

Thought I'd better update this. Well the scooter has gone and I'm quite happy with the price I got for it http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/262921423981? ... 1559.l2649. I shall miss it cos it was my first scooter and I had many adventures on it . I get quite attached to my mobility stuff cos it give us independence.

I hope the new owner don't crash into a tree and sue me! Lol

[finestfunster]

Hi,
Over speed downhill is often caused by a motor fault, I have managed to fix this sometimes by just changing the brushes but removing the motor and giving it a good internal clean up and new brushes usually does the trick. Sometimes though, this does not work and a replacement motor had to be fitted. Turning the speedpot right down will help control the braking but once the motor exceeds a certain speed it will just let go and the scooter will run off until you release the paddles, the magnetic brake will then activate causing you to skid.

[Burgerman]

What actually happens is that the bearings wear. At above a certain RPM (speed) the commutator vibrates the brushes off the surface... So no electrical EMF can slow the motor down. So while changing brushes may stop this temporarily the real answer is new bearings especially at the armatures brush end of the motor.

[LROBBINS]

My angle grinder did that to me this afternoon. It was the bearing at the other end though that gave up the ghost, the brushes started arcing, the commutator burnt - binned it.

[Burgerman]

Lovely! Smoke. You shouldnt be angle grinding stuff at your age! Good bearings, and balance, matters at high rpms. Arcing brushes rapidly destroy motors. Esp at higher voltages. The burning ruins the carbon brushes, and etches and oxidises the commutator surface. Which destroys the brushes more, which causes more arcing, etc. Can go from healthy to ruined in a minute. Everything goes bad...

[Scooterman]

Hi,
Over speed downhill is often caused by a motor fault, I have managed to fix this sometimes by just changing the brushes but removing the motor and giving it a good internal clean up and new brushes usually does the trick. Sometimes though, this does not work and a replacement motor had to be fitted. Turning the speedpot right down will help control the braking but once the motor exceeds a certain speed it will just let go and the scooter will run off until you release the paddles, the magnetic brake will then activate causing you to skid.

What actually happens is that the bearings wear. At above a certain RPM (speed) the commutator vibrates the brushes off the surface... So no electrical EMF can slow the motor down. So while changing brushes may stop this temporarily the real answer is new bearings especially at the armatures brush end of the motor.

The scooter is long gone now a guy bought for the transaxle and a few other bits. What you both say makes sense and in many ways I wish I hadn't got rid of it, I think I got £100 for it. But it was taking up room so I got shot of it and a bought an ex-demo replacement for £350. If I still had the old one I'd get it up on the bench, unbolt the motor from the transaxle and have look at the play in armature/commutator shaft and bearings. The ironic thing is the that after a few months the ex-demo showroom replacement that I bought began exhibiting similar symptoms but not as bad. So what you both say makes perfect sense in that there's probably bearing wear in the new scooter's motor as well, coupled with probably a poorly designed cheap rubbishy motor purchased by the scooter manufacturer in the first place!