Arima wrote:I'm curious how you proved them wrong? Seems difficult to find people that will even listen to an alternate point of view. Glad you were able to convince them!
martin007 wrote:Burgerman!
Any reason to use Linex?
P.S. I'm not a shareholder of Invacare.
steves1977uk wrote:I got told the same BS when I got my Dietz chair part funded through Wheelchair Services here in the UK. The OT was like, "Any chairs that we pay towards have to be LiNX controls only since R-net is obsolete..." Until I proved them wrong! They just made themselves look like fools.
Steve
SweetBearCub wrote:I'm in the process of ordering a new chair and I'm trying to get a Bounder 300 with R-Net controls and the 8.5 MPH speed package. People here mentioned that it could be done as a custom order. This is the reply I received from the person at wheelchair dealership handling my order.
"I was about to start completing all the justifications for the items and noticed the speed package was only 6mph. So I called the factory and spoke to the owner and he explained that the R-Net is only capable of 6mph with their motors as it is not powerful enough. To get the 8.5 mph we will need to go with the LiNX electronics. Please let me know which is more important: R-Net or 8.5mph? I can still complete all the other item justifications until I hear back."
Assuming that I do not want to give up the top speed package, am I really screwed into using LiNX?
I wish that we could have personal mobility budgets here, but alas, that would mean giving up all insurance coverage for purchasing and maintaining the equipment. If I was rich..
Burgerman wrote:Linx and R-Net are BOTH 120A per channel.
Linx is 90A plus 2 seconds boost to 120A.
R-net is 100A plus 10 seconds boost to 120A.
expresso wrote:i find that very strange - the people at bounder are all very nice and helpful all the time i called - i am curious and will call next time to ask about that
but if thats the case and you have to decide - Get the Rnet - and then buy the sprocket chain set for the 8.5 mph speed - thats all it is that changes the speed
you will have the ST4 motors - which are good for bottom end - i dont see why it wont work at 8.5 and rnet -
thats one way around it - the only thing i can see that would make this difficult would be - would they sell you the 8.5mph chain sprocket set up and you install it yourself ?
or would they say they cant because you have Rnet - or would they ask or care - if you are paying out of pocket - thats something you have to consider can happen
it dosnt sound right to me - i will ask that also - if i get a new 300m with rnet can i get the 8.5 - if not can i buy the parts myself after the fact ?
i want to see what they tell me - i know they are working on a better front fork set up in the future - and the new 300m does have shocks that are angled unlike mines - am told they are much better than what i have -
i also told them about thinking of changing how the tire rim mounts to the hub etc, sounds like they may or are thinking of changing that set up so the studs are on the hub already and tire rim can be installed easier like all other chairs
its a work in progress since they have to go thru a transformation slowly if they want to stay in the game and work with Medicare Medicaid insurances
Burgerman wrote:In the UK there are several companies that cut sprockets for chains as a custom service. So probably same in US. These tend to be cheaper than you expect.
Its also posible to get these cut in aluminium alloy, which wear just as well and are lighter and quieter. And in PTFE which is much quieter and practically wear proof. You just send them a sprocket, and they copy it with however many teeth you want. And they will send you a matching chait of any length. Even O Ring chains (no lubrication needed as the grease is inside and sealed in with O rings like a modern motorcycle). O rings will use a little more battery, but no maintainance really needed. And they last a hell of a lot longer, never need adjustment.
expresso wrote:you were told correct about the Linx vs Rnet -
i was told its because of there motors - on hill step or other wise it has more roll before it locks up with there motors - no gears - Rnet dosnt give them the options to adjust for that - where i am told linx does and just works better with there motor combonation brakes when going with the High speed package -
also ST4 motor is not used for the high speed package - so if you get it with Rnet and ST4 motor standard at 6pmh - you can do it yourself if you wanted to try it - get your own sprockets made for it - they dont have the chain set to do it - or wont because they have not tested it or confirmed it to work with the ST4 and high speed motors
so your on your own if you want high speed and Rnet - or else its high speed and Linx - or 6pmh ST4 and Rnet - ST4 motors have more bottom end - with Rnet you can adjust volts also - gain a bit more - if your lucky maybe 7.5 after the volts - also remember on down hills - its full open - goes as fast as the hill is -
so you wont be limited to the stock speed on down hills - you may like it better with ST4 6mph rnet and make some adjustments - you will have best of both - power and speed
also they are adding a chain tensioner now - no more adjusting them - and changing over to silent brakes - here is a peak - i told them about the forks also - i think thats going to be the next modification to that chair going forward
I think there are two aspects to this. First, Linx senses various inputs and can adjust settings automatically as the chair is driven. There are youtube videos about this. I personally would not want this. I think it's creepy.
R-net has a setting called "Fast Braking Rate." On the Bounder I briefly had 21st Century Scientific set this to 200. Normally this should be set somewhere between 70 and 80. The effect of setting it to 200 is basically that the chair doesn't stop.
Now do I trust people who do something like that to tell me that R-Net can't safely be used to stop their chair on a hill? No, I worry that these people just don't know how to use R-Net.
Let's admit for the sake of argument that for some reason only on hills their motors brake more slowly. Do we really know that this difference is so significant that it's the cause of a big safety concern? If it is then how was the chair ever safe to drive before they added Linx to it? I don't know but I don't buy any of this.
Burgerman wrote:They are not talking about braking or rapid deceleration. Just fraction of a second it takes for the ELECTRO MECHANICAL clicky brake to be applied once the chair stops. And that shouldnt bother anyone. I actually disable mone as it annoys me much of the tme.
The faster that operates the more clicky it becomes as you shuffle around inside. So they may be able to adjust that to be faster in the linx programming, but not sure thats a great idea. Frankly if thats the only difference I wouldnt care which system was fitted. Except for the non availability of RELIABLE OEM level access (I have this now but cannot garantee it will continue as things move forward with new firmwares etc). And to say its non intuitive is a massive understatement. And it doesent even work properly in windows. Very frustrating.
So R-Net all the way if you ask me.
Isn't this just solved by deceleration settings? I guess that it's true that how a chair is designed makes it more or less likely to come to a complete stop sooner on an incline but for the most part that is such a trivial reason to choose a controller when you can just have the settings adjusted. All I am referring to here is the fact that Amy Alltrack chairs apparently stop sooner on an incline than other chairs because of some clever arrangement of the suspension. This is nice and everything but again rather trivial.
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