Tyre help - the freedom one powerchair

[Williamclark77]

Simple no?

In theory, yes. In practice, no because nominal is code for "roughly" About like "universal" means "almost fits all"

[Irving]

Simple no?

In theory, yes. In practice, no because nominal is code for "roughly" About like "universal" means "almost fits all"

Like the 'universal' stacking kit for my washing machine and tumble dryer... universal for all except those manufactured by Bosch (which includes Siemens, Ariston, Neff and a few other high-street brands)!

[robnnorthaustin]

I think Alex with the Freedom One Chair should come back and give us some proof he is not a scam artist. His claims went way beyond hopes and wishes.

[Burgerman]

I actually have a little faith that he is genuine.
But puts the cart (money and bullshit claims etc) way in front of the horse.

The "horse" is actually my own chair, my claims, that he now dreams is his own. However his own material reads just like the emails I wrote back to him over 3 years or so...
His dream chair is here: (http://www.wheelchairdriver.com/BM-MK3- ... rchair.htm) with added "easy parts availability" modularity (impossible) and brushless motors! But he has no clue how to build it or how it works., Apparently that doesn't matter its "just" engineering. No big deal!

Now this wasn't a chair he had already built, since he was on here after claiming all its marvellous specs, trying to find out about lithium batteries (clueless), motors (clueless), 48V powerchair brushless controllers (also clueless) and tyres, wheels, and god knows what else! Equally clueless.

And then in the middle of asking frankly ludicrous questions and admitting he didn't understand any of this stuff claimed he was building his own motors, brushless controllers etc. from scratch, and his lithium battery changed size 4 times in 3 posts... And then claimed 2 weeks to go before he would reveal the prototype. Then his BOUGHT motors didn't fit inside the wheels that he didn't understand the sizing of...

I suspect that when he got down to the details with his "experts" (who already proved they were clueless) it may have taken a bit longer...

[robnnorthaustin]

If one (Alex) makes claims which he did of fictitious specs and all you listed....while....asking for investors and money then I don't see any other way it is anything but a scam. If he had not made the ridiculous claims he did or tried to mislead everyone on the status of "his" build then I could agree with you. Once he started asking for money based on his claims I think it could be time for law enforcement to investigate.

[Burgerman]

I think he's just a money, marketing, and "motivational speaker" type. See his site. All marketing, hype, and thin on substance. Well actually worse than thin. And a dreamer. He really genuinely thinks its the dream and the idea that matter and the engineering and physics are just a formality you fit to it afterwards...

He doesn't have a clue that physics and engineering defines the design, or how hard and complex it is to develop and get right. At least he claims its all just a technicality. Only maybe now he does...

[Burgerman]

And 2 years on, the ready to show prototype with all the wild claims made on his site and here still hasnt materialised!

Go back 2 pages on this thread and read his claims.

[steves1977uk]

Yeah, that chair will never materialise simply because Alex doesn't know how to. 2 years on I would've expected a frame to be built at least. Even some of the guys over on WCJ are annoyed at Alex because I think some of them invested in it or gave him a donation. I'd like to be proven wrong though!

Steve

[Burgerman]

Oh it will appear. Eventually in some form. Its just that it will never be:

3.6 kwh lithium, 48v, self designed brushless motors, self designed 48v brushless controller, or almost any of his other ludicrous claims. I can guarantee non of that will happen! Even though it was going to be here in a week, 2 years ago.

His chair was a wish list of stuff he heard about and learned about here. And mostly my BM3 chair.

When it appears it will be just a bad copy of my chair that he had in his head all along - even though he had no comprehension of HOW.
Using parts designed and built by others that dont match any of the claims or hype that has since vanished from his website.
In other words a chair anyone could have built for peanuts in a couple of months will appear to "justify" the ridiculous time frame and financing.

He had a design (mine) in his head, while not even understanding wheels or tyres. And was going to just put some of that easy "engineering" stuff in last!

[steves1977uk]

Just like your typical "student engineer" chair. That's how I visualise it BM.

Steve

[CPguy]

Indeed. Alex has failed.

[Burgerman]

I dont know if he failed.

Or was as it appears. Good at talking and bulshitting and convincing the ignorant, applying for awards and grants and doing motivational garbage. Or...

Finally figured out how little he knew. And that all that engineering wasnt just something that you pay someone to fit on as an after thought!

Either way it is as I predicted and as I told him. Wonder how many fell for the big talk? £££$$$ And how much he got in grants/awards/funding etc.

He also said that "thats the answer all engineers give". Well thats because they actually know what they are talking about!

[steves1977uk]

No word from Alex lately, he last visited here September last year. So it definitely looks a failure of his Freedom one chair I don't think he realised how complicated it was going to get, given he has no technical knowledge how to build a chair properly and was relying on other people.

Steve

[woodygb]

I did a fair bit of web based investigation and came to the conclusion that he used the Freedom wheelchair project as a means to fund himself.

[woodygb]

http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/ ... ing_round/

http://www.endole.co.uk/company/SC45978 ... fe-limited

[Burgerman]

350k and about 5 years to build a prototype from off the shelf parts? So far? Really? Thats a third of a million to do what you could do for 10k in a month.

[steves1977uk]

I'd like to see the specs of his built prototype Alex is sitting in.

Steve

[Burgerman]

Bought motors. Wheels also. Styled after my BM2 and lithium that isnt anywhere near what he claimed with a BMS and dumb charger sold to him by some battery vendor. And a mainstream controller. Or a badly developed one that's not suitable for the public.

[steves1977uk]

So basically no better than a stock Lead based chair. Just hope his bought BMS doesn't make the chair catch fire

Steve

[woodygb]

[woodygb]

[steves1977uk]

Interesting pics, thanks Woody!

Those cells look like the prismatic cells you can buy which are probably low C-rate. He should've used Headway cells which are far better! For spending £350k on a build like this is shocking to say the least!

Steve

[Burgerman]

Highly likely that most of the 350K was spent on himself. The 'prototype' is about 10ks worth. To keep his sponsors happy. And many years on, he's looking for a million in other peoples money to market what can best be described as the sort of thing I draw on beermats in the pub.

[LROBBINS]

As you can see from the pics, he's trying to use a Roboteq controller and brushless motors. However, despite extensive attempts to educate him, privately and publicly, he hasn't a clue about some of the most basic elements of motor control - e.g. the difference between positive and negative feedback, the difference between open and closed loop, the purpose and method of motor compensation, why brushless motors have a cogging problem. He's paying people to do all this for him, but, at least filtered through his ignorance, they don't seem able to do the job either.

[Burgerman]

Well nn of that matters to him. First you design the chair. Then you just put some engineering on. He said. Easy.

[Ogurs29]

anyone have tire and wheel places that can be ordered in the USA?

[Irving]

Hi all

Was at Disability Innovation @GDIHub London today and guess who was speaking... same old presentation, about his experience of breakdowns, his (unpublished) 'research' of issues of 100 power chair users. He was in #3 prototype apparently but declined to show on-stage. Kudos to the guy for speaking given his speech impediment.

Here's a pic of the chair... it's narrow but longggg, easily 30% longer than my Spectra and the seat position.... but it does exist!

[Burgerman]

So thousands of other peoples money, many years on after promising 2 weeks on this forum, and still no chair? Thats just a battered PG drives powered chair with no suspension. And a (very) old car seat. Worse, as you say its about 1 foot too long. And obviously not brushless, or 48V or 3.6kWh or any of the other stuff he claimed he was designing in house like a 48v controller and was all "easy" if I remember! And he is using 8 inch diameter rear (tube type) rims so has lost the give as they have small sidewalls. And no suspension. Or ground clearance. What was the point? Oh yes. All that money from other people.

How on earth could it take 4 years to make a decent chair with hundreds of thousands of pounds of other peoples money to play with? And yet he still hasn't. I suppose if they are gullible enough... That chair is about 20 hours labour, using off the shelf parts, and it looks terrible. It is nothing like his claims in his marketing money grabbing video. He should be embarrassed.

[steves1977uk]

That chair looks like something from a scrap yard! It certainly doesn't look like a freshly built chair like BM's. You would think with all that money Alex was "given", he would've had a nice seat...

Steve

[woodygb]