New chair!

[Burgerman]

Arrives tomorrow...

Already have 110/80-8 tyres... Need to widen rear rims to 3.5 inches. http://cdn.mkimg.carview.co.jp/minkara/ ... 610f63da33

And need black front tyres. Do they make them that size? Long term I want casters, caster forks, etc from the bariatric version as they are smaller 10 inch as I use now. The storm 4 maxx. That will allow the seat to go back, and centre power footplate to not hit casters.

Also discovered the 10 inch seat lift is faster than the much marketed 15 secs of the Quantum Edge2/Q6XXX2 chairs... And has done for years at 13 secs. Not that it matters its still about 12 seconds too slow to be useful.

[hank]

Hope all goes well for you tomorrow
Sounds like it will be a good chair
when all sorted how you want it.
What tyres you gone for Duro.
Is that 3.5inch rim in picture with 110/80-8 tyre.

[Burgerman]

Yep. It means I need a 1.75 inch spacer to add to the 1.75 stock rim half.

And a matching set of front casters/forks from the super wide maxx version: http://www.invacare.ie/storm-4-max-62sto4hden
Anyone got some?

[garriew]

Why did you buy one?

[Burgerman]

List?
With 57 years, I keep getting pressure sores, and so at times I need tilt, and recline. And I no longer have a chair with a seat riser to reach high stuff like washing my van. And because its 2017 and about time ALL chairs were brushless, gearless.

Why? They are silent. No gear backlash or gears, cush drives to fail, nothing to wear. And brushless motors are way more efficient. Even on GRP24 lead bricks and 8mph, it gets 59km OR 38 MILES... When converted to lithium in about a month it will go well over 3x that! 3x 38 miles = 114 miles or no need to ever get range anxiety no far how, how many airfields, pubs, or trips into town! Crazy range!

But its a long, nose heavy tank of a thing. So useless as it comes stock and has skinny tyres etc. And horrid invacare build quality. So needs some mods!

1. center electric footplate so it can sit back between caster wheels and allow me to shorten the chair by about 6 to 10 inches or more and allow the seat to be moved back by the same amount... So now more maneuverable and compact, and no corners, much shorter, and C of G further back. So it will use less battery too!

2. Reprogram... Have that sorted! Programmer awaiting. A better than OEM version...

3. Wider rear tyres, as those 3 inch ones sink on anything soft, and look crap! And hard ride. And smaller casters to stop the footplate/caster wheel colliding...

4. Under 7k delivered with many custom mods like power centre footplate, colour REM550 joystick to display my reprogrammed lithium battery readings etc. and electric everything possible...

Then I will likely only use it a couple of days a week depending on what I am doing.

[sacharlie]

110/80-8, roughly 4" wide by 15" tall. All kinds of name brand or cheap scooter tires for 8" wheels.

[Burgerman]

110/80 is 88mm tall sides. So is 88 x 2 div by 25.4 for inches, + 8 rim so is 14.92 nominal. 4.52 inches wide.

But its not... Thats the trouble with nominal!
Heres the 3.50 tyre same brand.
Both should be the same height! But the tall one is over 15, and the short one is under 15...

The 110/80 measures a diameter of 14.5 inches. But its really 115 wide or 4.52 inch on a 3.5 rim...

http://www.daxdodo.com/catalog/images/duro3508.jpg

The 120/70 is a more rounded tyre shape. Suited to motorcycles.
The 110/80 is a fat but flat shape, ideal for us. As we want to not sink, and to put the rubber on the ground in a straight line without leaning. Hence the wide rim, of 3.5 to 3.75 inches as here.

[hobie1dog]

Wow, that's a lot of money, wish I had those kind of resources, you are the man of the month.

[Burgerman]

Thats NHS money... Or most of it is.

I persuaded them to give me it. So every 3 years we have a discussion. They send me a cheque!
So that I get to buy what I wanted/needed. rather than give me whatever they decide!

Its called choice. It works better for everyone. http://www.nhs.uk/choiceintheNHS/Yourch ... dgets.aspx I got them to do me a wheelchair one...

It means I can choose used, build my own, buy new cheap (old design, 30% off, etc) and modify, lithium, cut bits off, whatever! My choice. Also giving the USER purchase power means better service. And better prices, and faster! 3 weeks from order, one off build in Germany, to my door delivered and examined before I pay £$£$...

[Burgerman]

OK chair arrived.
First quick test as I am supposed to be on bed.

1. Arms and swing away, are unusable. Not rigid enough. Once programmed properly it would be undrivable like that. Can they be serious? So modification one is to seriously sort out the arm mountings, and the swing away.

2. Programming. As expected, can only be described as pissed. Cant hit a doorway, cant aim for a gap at speed because you would be praying and guessing. Bloody dangerous. I forgot how bad stock powerchair programming was!!!

3. Joystick too far to the right. Needs some re-configuring and imaginative spacing etc, to make it sit about 2 inches to the inside of the arm. As it is its uncomfortable.

4. They set the seat wide enough for 20 inches and the arms are about 2 feet apart! What are they thinking? Again should be easily fixed.

5. I ordered with shortened (cut off) push handles. They didnt do that. So hacksaw or wait for parts... So hacksaw!

6. Seat is about 5 inches too far forwards. Making it feel like an oil tanker. Its not technically adjustable. But nothing ever is. Have hacksaw and drill so it will be soon!

7. Single footplate mounts too high, too far forwards. Again. I can figure a way to sort that out. And the separate footplates are ugly. Will spray black... And mount them 10mm apart instead of 25mm as now.

8. Lights are positioned where they hit every door frame. Are they retarded? Will be moved to a sensible place.

All actuators are very very quiet and pretty fast. Esp seat lift as its about 12 to 13 seconds. Much faster than the supposedly super fast i-level or whatever prides new marketing thing claims as fast! And 8years older... Stupid tiny grey tyres look silly. And it moves silently. Even the brake makes very little noise. They must have changed something.

So once those things are dealt with it will be at least usable.
Then, lithium, wider wheels, tyres etc. And 114 miles range!

[hank]

Nice one.
Basically shite in STD FORM then John.

[rover220]

Got some black front tyres here.

[Burgerman]

Sold!!!

PM me a figure!

The swing away is unusable. Its elasticated. Thats going straight in the bin if I cant figure a way to fix it. Or ebay... Will fit a sunrise one or make a better one. How the hell do other people manage? They managed to make it complicated and ugly, stupidly expensive and completely useless all at once! Must have too ages to design all that in! Useless.

And its likely going to get 10 inch rims and 130 tyres. Those 3.00 x 8 look ridiculously small! And give inadequate ground clearance for my tie down.

And I don't like the footplates. Too big, should be black. And will be smaller and black soon!

In fact the whole seating and mounting seems too flexi to me. I see some serious fixing and rose joints in its future. And the backrest too... Its got backlash. Rose joints will fix that too. Now long term, it needs seat moving back about 4 inches, centre footrest mounting further back under seat. And smaller front caters and matching forks.

[Gnomatic]

Congrats on the new ride!

Looking forward to the before and after photos

[LROBBINS]

John, I do hope that the new chair will not keep you from fixing the motor on the BM3 and thoroughly real-world testing the latest script. I hesitate to recommend it to others just based on behavior of the mobot and Rachi's slow chair.

[Burgerman]

No it wont. I have just installed my hoist again so I can get it lifted to take off a motor. But I am stuck on bed at the moment with a rapidly healing small sore in a different place! Since Xmas... My foam cushion great for coccyx bad for ischial tuberosity...

That chairs is done. But I decided I need something to let me tilt/recline for pressure relief at least on the days where I am stuck indoors sat still... Hence the new one. But based on the bot, its going to be perfect!

And once you tried 12 or 14 mph + it just sucks going back to 8 or less outdoors in summer...

[terry2]

Sold!!!

PM me a figure!

The swing away is unusable. Its elasticated. Thats going straight in the bin if I cant figure a way to fix it. Or ebay... Will fit a sunrise one or make a better one. How the hell do other people manage? They managed to make it complicated and ugly, stupidly expensive and completely useless all at once! Must have too ages to design all that in! Useless.

And its likely going to get 10 inch rims and 130 tyres. Those 3.00 x 8 look ridiculously small! And give inadequate ground clearance for my tie down.

And I don't like the footplates. Too big, should be black. And will be smaller and black soon!

In fact the whole seating and mounting seems too flexi to me. I see some serious fixing and rose joints in its future. And the backrest too... Its got backlash. Rose joints will fix that too. Now long term, it needs seat moving back about 4 inches, centre footrest mounting further back under seat. And smaller front caters and matching forks.

For someone who gets tax payers money to buy the chair you want. You don't half moan like a rabid women.

[Burgerman]

Its because they are all crap! You cant buy a good one, only a beginning! What can I say...

ONE obvious example. One item. Almost every single hi end invacare chair has a swing-away pod mount that is like this. Same design for eternity. How on earth do other people ever end up with a usable powerchair?

This was designed badly about 15 years ago, been almost universally fitted (at about £200 extra) ever since, to countless models and chairs in 50 countries. Never once has anyone noticed? Or complained? Or Invacare actually tried driving a correctly programmed chair? Obviously not!!! Because its impossible.

Its exactly the same as driving your car while the brake, throttle, and steering wheel are moving about all over the dashboard at random! You CANNOT be accurate or comfortable /confident with the controls. Crazy. In 15 years nobody thought to fix this? It bends about all over like a spring! Retards.

And much of this chair (and every chair) is the same. Its going to take time and money to end up with a good chair.

[greybeard]

The swing away that comes with the Puma 40 is the best designed one I've seen. Don't know if other brands use this design. Have never seen one advertised on eBay though - which might indicate they're as good as I think they are

I'll post a pic if I can find a way to reduce it to fit.

[Burgerman]

If so I need one...


Then I need to fix the arm. Because that is exactly the same... We just chase the problem further along!!!

Am going to fit TWO arm uprights in place of one about 4 inches apart. By the time I have spent another grand on bushes, bolts, rose joints, reinforcement, re positioning stuff correctly and fitting better wider tyres etc it will be rigid enough to use and work properly! Which reminds me it needs programming very urgently! It has a mind of its own. Doesn't much care where I want to go!

[greybeard]

Puma swing away. Attaches with a 2 hole plate to the underside of the armrest. Swing arc is from armrest to armrest with detentes at 160 180 & 200 degrees approx.

[Burgerman]

Not pretty but very functional.

I may make one its easy enough and 200 pounds cheaper!

Black and white, really?

[Williamclark77]

Pictures! I gave up on modifying chairs. It's more difficult for me to fix one up properly than just start from scratch and build my own how I want it.

I look forward to this project, especially the motors. How do they interface? As in, what type of connection, how many wires, and what gages are they? Way farther down the pipeline (I don't plan to even start this year) I plan to do a whole new outdoor high speed oriented build using either these motors and 48v, a CVT type gearbox that I'll design and build, or a high/low range auto shift.

Anybody even know the source manufacturer of these motors? I would doubt that Invacare designed and built these in house.

Make a swig-away joystick. I tried enough to realize building my own was easier. Although, mine just swings on one joint, which is what I needed. Simple enough either way.

[expresso]

http://www.1800wheelchair.com/product/s ... t-qtronix/

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Quickie-Swing-A ... SwjDZYisD8

ebay dosnt look so good - but all my chairs have those swingaways and i love them compared any other chairs - its simple and works - i believe the newer chairs - with new Rnet joysticks have a different swing away arm - if i am correct -

i dont like how it looks - they went from the best one in my opinion to one thats just like the rest and uglier -

[Burgerman]

THOSE are what I use on my BM1/2/3 chairs.
Rock solid if adjusted properly.

And likely whats going on this chair.
It cannot be that only sunrise medical got this right? If I was a huge organization like invacare I would get it right on day 2, about 15 years back. WHY are they not embarrassed? Can it be that no invacare chairs can be programmed and drive properly, yet nobody knows?

Gonna do a page on this chair. You can see it bouncing about here without the weight of a hand or uneven ground... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-noeiMHMNw

[expresso]

i been saying this for so long to the vendors etc, about this sunrise swingaway - its simple strong easy - perfect - yes every single invacare chair i seen has a hanging joystick broken dosnt swing or swings too easy - hangs - drops - breaks - theres layers of stuff thats not even needed - just makes it clumsy - complicated and dosnt work

sunrise - simple - one long arm - no layer of screws etc,

[Burgerman]

Well I am going to fix it! And about 30 other things.

[Heygnow]

Has anyone else used the Retract 4 swing away mount.

I think it is the best swing away I ever had.

http://www.retract4.com/index.html

[shirley_hkg]

Pictures! I gave up on modifying chairs. It's more difficult for me to fix one up properly than just start from scratch and build my own how I want it.

I look forward to this project, especially the motors. How do they interface? As in, what type of connection, how many wires, and what gages are they? Way farther down the pipeline (I don't plan to even start this year) I plan to do a whole new outdoor high speed oriented build using either these motors and 48v, a CVT type gearbox that I'll design and build, or a high/low range auto shift.

Anybody even know the source manufacturer of these motors? I would doubt that Invacare designed and built these in house.
.

Too bad to hear that you won't make chair any more .

There is endless supply of these motors on ebay , at $250 /pair . Why bother to get new one ?

I've bought dozens of chairs with GB , and extra dozens of GB motors , 1st / 2nd generstions since 2004 , and NONE of them Damaged On Arrival .

They are indestructible to any sensible user .

However , we may have to wait a year or two to get get the new version one as parts , like BM 's , that claim to have more speed, torque and big leap 38% efficiency .

[Burgerman]

Has anyone else used the Retract 4 swing away mount.

I think it is the best swing away I ever had.

They look ok. But 300 for a couple of bits of bar. I can make one thats at least as good in an hour! I think...

Shirley, theres nothing to go wrong! 2 big bearings?