PINNED - PROGRAMMING - Make it steer! R-Net + others
Posted: 02 Jul 2018, 20:19
So you want a chair that drives and steers correctly? NO stock chairs do. My advice!
IMPORTANT. Preliminary basic 101.
If you want to re-program a chair to steer and drive accurately and naturally with the sort of easy control that is just transparent, you never even think about control, then the following preliminary must be true also. Because after correct programming the joystick will change from a pudding stirrer that you just mash about and wait and hope, to a fully proportional control with no turning (or turn stop) delays. The chair will turn when told, and stop turning when told, at the exact rate and time you decide by exactly how much stick you give it. If you have poor hand control, we will come to that later. With R-Net some of this can be done with Dealer level tools that your tech will have. But not all, and with settings limits/walls. So ideally you will need OEM level access.
So:
1. It HELPS if you have good hand and finger movement, and good eye / hand coordination.
2. Its ESSENTIAL that the joystick is mounted SOLIDLY with no wobbles or movement in relation to the chair.
3. Its also essential that the joystick is positioned correctly. Most are way too low, and too outboard. ***
*** It needs to be slightly inboard of the chair arm centreline, not too much reach, and the body of the joystick housing needs to be slightly higher than the arm top. So that your hand and at least the two (or three) lower fingers and part of the hand can CUP the outer side of the Joystick body. IN COMFORT! While leaving your stablised hands thumb and forefinger to operate the joystick.
READ THIS POST!!! viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8954&p=140171#p140171
To achieve this may need a little attention from a tech with a drill, a few spacers, some reconfiguration of the arm, a better swingaway as most are frankly crap and also wobble, but its IMPORTANT! Dont allow the tech to tell you its OK. Its not! It must be correct. You just cannot drive a chair thats correctly programmed unless your hand can cup the solidly mounted, correctly positioned joystick in comfort. What will NEVER work is resting your arm on the chairs arm top, and just holding the joystick with your fingers -- which I see all the time.
More soon. You can post here, but for now, I will delete it, to add the next parts in order when ready.
Watch HAND POSITION and FINGERS only in video.
http://www.wheelchairdriver.com/gopro/control.mp4
JOYSTICK POSITION
Inboard, higher than arm.
Buy and convert to R-Net, cheap! viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8857
IMPORTANT. Preliminary basic 101.
If you want to re-program a chair to steer and drive accurately and naturally with the sort of easy control that is just transparent, you never even think about control, then the following preliminary must be true also. Because after correct programming the joystick will change from a pudding stirrer that you just mash about and wait and hope, to a fully proportional control with no turning (or turn stop) delays. The chair will turn when told, and stop turning when told, at the exact rate and time you decide by exactly how much stick you give it. If you have poor hand control, we will come to that later. With R-Net some of this can be done with Dealer level tools that your tech will have. But not all, and with settings limits/walls. So ideally you will need OEM level access.
So:
1. It HELPS if you have good hand and finger movement, and good eye / hand coordination.
2. Its ESSENTIAL that the joystick is mounted SOLIDLY with no wobbles or movement in relation to the chair.
3. Its also essential that the joystick is positioned correctly. Most are way too low, and too outboard. ***
*** It needs to be slightly inboard of the chair arm centreline, not too much reach, and the body of the joystick housing needs to be slightly higher than the arm top. So that your hand and at least the two (or three) lower fingers and part of the hand can CUP the outer side of the Joystick body. IN COMFORT! While leaving your stablised hands thumb and forefinger to operate the joystick.
READ THIS POST!!! viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8954&p=140171#p140171
To achieve this may need a little attention from a tech with a drill, a few spacers, some reconfiguration of the arm, a better swingaway as most are frankly crap and also wobble, but its IMPORTANT! Dont allow the tech to tell you its OK. Its not! It must be correct. You just cannot drive a chair thats correctly programmed unless your hand can cup the solidly mounted, correctly positioned joystick in comfort. What will NEVER work is resting your arm on the chairs arm top, and just holding the joystick with your fingers -- which I see all the time.
More soon. You can post here, but for now, I will delete it, to add the next parts in order when ready.
Watch HAND POSITION and FINGERS only in video.
http://www.wheelchairdriver.com/gopro/control.mp4
JOYSTICK POSITION
Inboard, higher than arm.
Buy and convert to R-Net, cheap! viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8857