Arduino controlled wheelchair

[gcebiker]

Added signal diodes to DG419 V+/V- , filter cap

Large power supply cap fitted, not needed apparently with the Traco Power Vreg's but cant hurt.

All working with smaller form factor, nearly ready to wire in the distance sensors and fit to chair.

[gcebiker]

Going to use these joysticks, $20 roughly from ebay, very similar spring tension and response to factory Shark Joystick.
I have used them in the past for Sailability electric controls of a Liberty Sailing dinghy, in conjunction with a TReX Motor Controller.



More accurate build wiring with diodes, i am still trying to get the hang of Fritzing, planning on getting boards made that will let people plug in the stuff they want to use, so this is not final as i forgot the rail for the signal pins.

[gcebiker]

Oh and the output of the MAX485 is wrong in this version....Yellow/blue output need to be swapped, sorry...fixing it in next version.

IRL version is working, now working through designs that can be easily be hard mounted.

I am going to incorporate Tilt controls/drivers as the Shark i have is missing this and LED lighting control.

Having been 'written off' by the Aust Medical Scheme (for the next few years anyway)...for fixing my own chair...holy crap what a shit storm that was...
I dont intend to have a module that will in anyway 'modify' their parts...it will be in line, removable and...as far as is possible, non Technical.

[LROBBINS]

Can you provide a link for that joystick? Ciao, Lenny

[Burgerman]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1x-Joystick-P ... SwrklVaFhY

I may use one for testing purposes or a cheap RC system. But wouldnt be very happy with the build quality or strength or the cheap 10k pots for a powerchair that can run you under a truck. It would worry me. Or even risk a plane. Might be worth getting something contactless.

Bad pots that get noisy can often be problematic on RC systems and crash helis/planes. The ones in my RC TX are very high quality, adjustable, ball raced (4), metal, and pots are slightly expensive...

[gcebiker]

They work great in the TReX controller we have hooked up for Brendan's Liberty Sail Boat.

The TReX from Pololu has current limiting so for the first time in years, no more stress on the winches for the Jib and Main Sail.
- The mast is now not bending from over tight Main Sheet lines.
- Boat is heeling less and going faster = Brendan's having more fun

They are always going to be abused with salt water and corrosive air, in this application its a joystick that is semi protected by the rubber boot and its mounted position.

Its cheap enough to replace every year and we sail with support vessels in cases of needing assistance.

Its pretty cool being able to race able bodies.

[Burgerman]

Able minds always beat able bodies! Disabled or otherwise.

[gcebiker]

I dunno...some of us are pretty messed up

[Burgerman]

Well I speak to lots of typical able bodied people. On a regular basis. I am T4 paraplegic, full of metal, and have an ileostomy, and continence issues, suffer pressure sores as now, and muscle spasm. And I never met an AB that I would swap places with so far!

[gcebiker]

Dynamic Shark
- Arduino Wheelchair Joystick emulator with working distance sensors.
- sensor data modifys joystick data to avoid hitting shit...

This bit is so easy its really making me wonder why Dynamic have not fitted this to their chairs years ago...

[Burgerman]

Well you might say the same about:

Tubeless tyres because they are way more reliable.
Low pressure high floatation tyres so we dont sink on soft stuff.
Kevlar lined puncture free tyres so we dont get stranded.
Stainless bearings to replace the rustalot steel that die every six months.
Lithium...
Brushless.
Higher voltages.
Carbon frames/wheels etc.
Decent suspension.
Decent USER programability.
Fast charging.
12V charging at a sensible rate from a car.
Datalogging
Rear view cam on that wasted screen.
St nav/maps.phone built in.
Gyro stability that is USER programable.
Etc.

[gcebiker]

"Build it and they will come"

If we could get this thing i am doing done and available to plug in, competition will drive progress.

Brushless is coming along but slowly.

Lithium has its place...and its NOT in the majority of Power Chairs, people just don't know how to respect them...
and the weight (of Lead Acid) is often necessary for stability.

Not heard of reversing camera, it should be easily doable with an add on kit.
The sensor thing i am working on is kind of in the same vain but more automatic in its influence with object avoidance.
- could even write an app for a smart phone as a display and make a few bucks...

Sat Nav is available now on smart phones,
Phone holders are also available.

Higher Volts brings a whole nest of issues....I have had chairs that ran at 72volts.....

I am helping in my little world with vision/control issues by adding distance sensors.

[gcebiker]

Bench testing, this looks ok....

if (direction > 191 && cm < 10)
{
direction = map(cm, 0 , 10, 128, 191);
speed = 192;
}

In this scenario i am thinking someone is heading 45 deg towards a wall.

There is inertia and deceleration to take into consideration, 10cm may be to small a value, need to to physical testing tomorrow.
Could add a trim pot, users could just dial the trim pot to adjust the values to suit them selves...

People have good days and bad, no need to over compensate.

...and it sorta sounds counter intuitive but 'hitting the wall' is part of the thrill.
In our Sailability Racing dinghies we never over limit the sails, sailors are always at risk of getting a dunking...its part of the fun !

Having it user adjustable, hopefully people can decide for themselves.

[gcebiker]

Anyone with any helpful ideas ?

I think i need more than one sensor to make this work...else there is nothing stopping someone attempting a 360 next to a wall...

Ive got 2 sensors but the rest have been 'coming' since the 4th of January, so they say....
I have ordered new ones from someone else but they will be at least another week i expect.

I might see if i can find some of that code they use in the Roomba Bots.

[gcebiker]

Re - Boxed it



Tinkering with code.

[gcebiker]

..dud ESP8266 module...setting things back a bit.

Mainly because i have been spending time on it instead of the emulator.

Module is being returned for replacement, new ones coming in a day or two.

If all goes to plan....the ESP8266 will drive the chair...and with the flick of a switch.
Turn your chair into a remote media controller !

Concurrently working on.
ESP8266 wifi wheelchair
ESP8266 hydroponics controller
and a version for Sailability to put the boats into 'Race' or 'Fun' mode.

[gcebiker]

http://www.goldenmotor.com/wheelchair.htm

Brushless LiFePo4 for travel use...will not do "Burgerman Wheelies !"

[gcebiker]

Watch the video, explains it so much better than i could.

http://gettecla.com/

Awesome tech available now.
Probably should be a new thread...

[Burgerman]

Its battery pack uses headway cells. Albeit re-branded. Those are 2000 cycles to 80% DOD. As claimed for the single cells on the same page. But they claim 1000 cycles for the full battery pack. This is always the case, Do you know why?

I do! The useless BMS reduces the cycle life to about half or much less if you are unlucky! They all do. Yet everyone KNOWS you must have one!

Otherwise interesting travel chair. At least its not using those awful 500 cycle Lithium Ion (laptop type) LiCo cells. Although the battery is a bit small.

Mark these words. 5 to 10 years from now, the chinese will have the entire wheelchair market from the western manufacturers. They will go broke or learn to compete. Lack of innovation and way too expensive for old tech railway engineering levels, iron frames and seating built out of brackets, bad finish, unreliability, lead bricks, brushed motors that belong in the last century, restrictive practices regarding programming, parts, service, lack of smart electronic integration, tubed or solid tyres when we have had more reliable tubeless for 50 years and refusal to face up to reality. They think adding LED lights is some kind of major innovation. And charge crazy amounts!

Head in sand. Just like the british bike/car industry did. All this stuff should have ended by the late 90s. Its now 2016!

[gcebiker]

Been busy with ESP8266 stuff for my boat...trying to build a GPS lock for my trolling motor, ESP8266 + relay module + UBlox GPS compass module.

My zego sports boat now has a pontoon deck on the front

Video of my design for Wheelchair Zego sport boat pontoon deck here its not yet finished off, need to mount the removable center seat mount and clean up the welds.

This is the boat that is going to be towed by ...at this stage a mobility scooter i purchased for this purpose last week, I may be able to sit on the front of the deck (with the gate open) and just drive it like normal.



...but as it turns out my Factory Jazzy Joystick has an odd glitch, turns off when i press the horn now ...weird hey, so the emulator might come in handy while i am repairing the original.

Dogs been run over twice...the whole reason for this build of mine in the first place, neither time would the sensors helps as she came to me side on and got clipped.

Thankfully no injuries and she is a quick learner...still makes me nervous when she comes up to say hello.

Her Name is Hana, she is a Shiba Inu - flew all the way from Japan to Australia to keep me company and i cant imagine my life with out her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... asSIV8StDc

[Burgerman]

Its interested in what's happening. My dog used to get very annoyed and bark like crazy while running to where it went if you let water run like that and wasted it.

[gcebiker]

She was mucking with the water stream while i was watering the gardens, so i put the hose down and filmed a bit for my wife (who was in Japan at the time).

[gcebiker]

I think with a GPS module attached to the chair i should be able to plot some GPS way points...not that i know how to do that but i have expanded my goals.
- GPS + Long range distance sensors + short range distance sensors + drop off sensors....compass and a few solar panels...and a pirate flag...a beer esky with peristaltic pump (or strong lungs...)... i am getting silly

Well i might have been thinking it was pie in the sky at the time but with the GPS trolling motor Arduino project i am working on ...it might be possible

[kef]

Hello dear friends,
I am a new member and I hope you can help to fix the problem wheelchair.
Due to limitations in Iran and the lack of access to the equipment required, please help to fix the problem (CMPJ+ joystick) using the Invacare TDX SP wheelchair.
I need to copy files from the (MK6 Pro SD card), Can you send me the files?
Thanks in advance for your kindness and cooperation.

[gcebiker]

Hello dear friends,
I am a new member and I hope you can help to fix the problem wheelchair.
Due to limitations in Iran and the lack of access to the equipment required, please help to fix the problem (CMPJ+ joystick) using the Invacare TDX SP wheelchair.
I need to copy files from the (MK6 Pro SD card), Can you send me the files?
Thanks in advance for your kindness and cooperation.

You need the special programing tool.
If you have this tool you will not need any files.

If you dont have the tool...you wont need the files either

[gcebiker]

Ive converted the code over to Remote Control.

Benefits of longer range and a fail safe, its also able to use off the shelf RC units and not tied to one brand.

This is a copy of the working code,
Dynamic Shark power wheelchair Remote - Arduino Emulator, with 2.4ghz Remote Control , large dead band and fail safe.

[gcebiker]

Video of the working RC controller for Dynamic Shark Power wheelchair.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x7QHqm ... e=youtu.be

[channe]

Hi sorry to butt into this thread.

I'm in the process of building an autonomous robotic platform using an Invacare Pronto M71 as the powered base. The robot itself consists of multiple Arduino boards dedicated to specific functions which interconnect using the I2C bus of the Arduino and the sensors.

I was wondering if someone could assist with the connecting the Arduino to the DX bus of the wheelchair. I have a Jaycar supplied 485 board, but I see from the thread that there are issues with connectivity to this bus. Unlike this thread though, I do not need to use another controller, I just need to work out the best way for the Arduino to talk to the DX bus and the M71 controller. The rest I can do with tokens across the I2C bus and if statements.

Thanks in advance

Charles

[gcebiker]

Is your chair using the Rs485 protocol ? If so, the code I have supplied should be all you need. If you have a logic analyzer, you will be able to see what canges to my code you need to make. Any max485 board will do, I have a few videos of my emulator board's if you are still stuck

[gcebiker]

The only issue with connecting to the bus is determining which protocol your Power Module is using.
-- If its CAN then I've no idea
-- If its a SHARK BUS RS485, the code i have supplied should help you a lot.
-- If its a SHARK and you are trying to influence the joystick via the bus...you cant, literally its one way. My code is a 'dumb' joystick emulator, in that it does not respond to any data packets send from the Power Module to the Shark Joystick.

There are cheaper ways to do what i did, but its my day chair and i had no other and WOODY'S BT joystick would not work with a Shark Joystick.

I have just purchased
1 x DK-REMD21 ( lights + 2 actuator model)
1 x GSM80234 1meter Shark bus cable
1 x DK-PMB21 (75A, 2 Act.)
So that i can have tilt and lights on the Power Wheelchair base that will go on my house power chair and the DK-REMD01 will be moved over to the Invacare Roller M1 that tows my boat to the car for me (either that or i will end up with a new Jazzy 623 Plus power base and ill use that)

As far as i know, the code i have posted should work with these Power Modules (cut and paste from the Dynamic Shark Selection guide)]
DK-PMB40 (40A) DK-PMB50 (50A) DK-PMB60 (60A) DK-PMB01 (75A) DK-PMC01 (90A)

DK-PMB60AL (60A, 2 Act.) DK-PMB11 (75A, 1 Act.) DK-PMB21 (75A, 2 Act.) DK-PMC21 (90A, 2 Act.)

DK-PMB31 (75A)

DK-PMB60AL (60A, 2Act) DK-PMB21 (75A, 2Act.) DK-PMC21 (90A, 2Act.)