Lincolnshire is beautiful especially in Autumn

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Lincolnshire is beautiful especially in Autumn

Postby biscuit » 17 Oct 2017, 12:54

Hello, I'm new to this site and I'll probably lurk on the forum and glean information from all you people.

I'm looking for a superb chair that does everything, requires no technical ability and costs nothing, and strange to say I can't find one! Something will have to give.

I've got MS and it means I have no sense of balance and my legs and arms are weak and my arms don't stretch forwards comfortably for a scooter tiller... My powerchair, a Shoprider Vienna, is fabulous indoors bar some minor glitches, but on the pavement it's woeful.

For indoor use my little Vienna (second hand dodgy chair, I've got a used up one too, actually) is great, though not comfortable for my legs. It's got a really small turning circle. I fold back the footplate and use it at max speed (4mph I believe) and it usually fits through my doors :D . I invariably spill my tea crossing onto the carpet in it. For outdoors where do I even begin, it's got so many problems! I'm going to have to get a better chair for riding to town and back and maybe not to use inside.

Question, if this is a good place to ask: what use are the anti-tip wheels? Could I get them chopped off the back of my Vienna to shorten it somewhat?

As good a place as any to mention the chair stopping in front of the cars while crossing the road - my AB brother was driving it (in the rain) and he had to pick it up and walk the other lane while the cars waited.
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Re: Lincolnshire is beautiful especially in Autumn

Postby Burgerman » 17 Oct 2017, 14:06

Anti tips?

Good question. I manage to flip 3 different chairsover the back on ramps, wheelies in spite of them. And once its tipping they lift the drive wheels so reverse stick cant save you.
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Re: Lincolnshire is beautiful especially in Autumn

Postby biscuit » 17 Oct 2017, 15:27

Ouch, Burgerman! I've never flipped over - my chair would turf me out sideways on the bends if it went any faster, but it doesn't. The only thing my anti-tips ever did besides hanging around behind me, was to make my drive wheels useless on ramps.
I've got a couple of ideas for making my Vienna work slightly better, like fixing the footplate, anti-tips and controller plug point angle, they're all to do with cutting and welding metal. But this chair is nearing the end of its life, with a grating wheel and I've been pulling at the plug often to undo it. The mobility dealer down the road says darkly that I'm probably overcharging the battery and the battery box has expanded hence the stalling.
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Re: Lincolnshire is beautiful especially in Autumn

Postby Burgerman » 17 Oct 2017, 21:39

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Re: Lincolnshire is beautiful especially in Autumn

Postby biscuit » 17 Oct 2017, 22:43

I love it! But my chair hasn't the power for that, or maybe I'm just too sedate, idk. It's probably just as well, seeing I can't balance properly. I'm thinking rwd Puma 40 for a useful chair outdoors, and Vienna again (when the time comes) indoors.
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Re: Lincolnshire is beautiful especially in Autumn

Postby Burgerman » 17 Oct 2017, 22:49

As long as you dont go up ramps or street crossing curb cuts etc then you can likely get away without anti tips. But you dont need to be messing about wheelying, to go over the back. A ramp or something could do it too.
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Re: Lincolnshire is beautiful especially in Autumn

Postby biscuit » 17 Feb 2018, 20:40

I doubt it would tip over backwards. The seat is centred on a post that is positioned on the intersection of two imaginary diagonal lines between the f & b wheels. The very centre of all centres of gravity.

But it has a very special safety feature. If you try to drive it up any gradient, the battery disconnects until you hunker down behind the chair and press the secret reset switch on the battery case. :|
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Re: Lincolnshire is beautiful especially in Autumn

Postby Burgerman » 17 Feb 2018, 21:55

Get a larger amp reset switch. Or throw it away, fit a 120A fuse which will never blow and be done with it as I do. I dont like those breakers... If you must have one replace it with the next size up.

I love it! But my chair hasn't the power for that, or maybe I'm just too sedate, idk. It's probably just as well, seeing I can't balance properly. I'm thinking rwd Puma 40 for a useful chair outdoors, and Vienna again (when the time comes) indoors.


Yes it has. Its just programmed badly. And so hard to drive, steer, or control accurately. Like ALL stock powerchairs.
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Re: Lincolnshire is beautiful especially in Autumn

Postby biscuit » 18 Feb 2018, 12:02

I would love to fix its controls, but I can't find a controller programmer. The Vienna service manual says it is a PP1 from p&g, but there's nothing about it on their site. It's got a pair of mobility shop batteries in it, 35Ah, that fill the battery box, and it is appallingly bad on the pavement. I'm happy with 4mph as that is a nice walking pace, but it feels to me more like 3mph, I can't keep up with walkers and I'm scared it'll stall while crossing the road - it has once done that. it's not all doom and gloom with that chair, it had a very small base area, super for indoor use in an un-adapted house. I'd love to make it into a good chair, but am hindered by my ignorance of how the thing works at present, never mind how to make it work better! I know zip about fitting better batteries and can't twist my head around how the colts get from the battery to the wheels.

What I have done with it, not professional looking but very convenient: replaced the seat that was heavy and basically bad in so many ways, with a lightweight plastic seat that is a whole lot better, and put a row of toggle clips around the battery box, as I can't manage the screws. So now at least I can change the batteries myself and the set is more manageable for transporting.

At present I am moving the socket for the controller plug, as it needs unplugging for transport and I can't manage the plug where it is. These are fixes that can be transferred onto a working chassis if (when) the current chassis dies.

I would like to give it bigger wheels, more poke, a better circuit breaker and a battery that lasts. I expect some of those things will be beyond me, but maybe not.

I've got questions:
1 Are bigger wheels a daft ambition given its other limitations?
2 That PP1 controller, is it something one can buy from elsewhere, as I can't find it on the p&g website?
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Re: Lincolnshire is beautiful especially in Autumn

Postby Burgerman » 18 Feb 2018, 13:39

I've got questions:
1 Are bigger wheels a daft ambition given its other limitations?


Well probably... They will reduce its limited torque further.

2 That PP1 controller, is it something one can buy from elsewhere, as I can't find it on the p&g website?


Technically PG dont sell to the public they are an industrial suplier. If they did sell you one it would cost in the hundreds. And would be a PP1A meaning its a dealer/end user level tool. So very limited. You need a PP1B. They wont mention that, but its the one that actually moves walls if set, allows advanced settings and alows it to drive sensibly. But those are not sold to the public.

However the PC software that does the same thing and can be easily found on the net, and a cable that woodygb can make you will do the same thing...
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Re: Lincolnshire is beautiful especially in Autumn

Postby biscuit » 18 Feb 2018, 15:40

Ok, I'll be less ambitious and give up on making that chair work nicely outdoors... but this exchange has pointed me to the very interesting page on this site about programming, now I'm reading it instead of scanning it.
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Re: Lincolnshire is beautiful especially in Autumn

Postby Burgerman » 18 Feb 2018, 16:54

What is your control system? Also read the PROGRAMMING LEAD thread that is pinned at top of forum.
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Re: Lincolnshire is beautiful especially in Autumn

Postby biscuit » 18 Feb 2018, 21:17

It's got a vsi joystick like this: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 2616604586

There's no controller box like the one your page on programming controllers mentions. It just plugs into the battery and the motors in some miraculous way with lots of wires leading hither and yon.

I'm going to the forum page on programming leads.
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Re: Lincolnshire is beautiful especially in Autumn

Postby Burgerman » 18 Feb 2018, 23:04

Thats a very low power controller. But it can be programmed in the same way. Same software.
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Re: Lincolnshire is beautiful especially in Autumn

Postby biscuit » 19 Feb 2018, 11:33

Many thanks Burgerman!
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