LA Glide
 

It was indeed fun. It was also my first 'glide' experience.

I was on a rental.

I’m currently in the process of buying one. :D

Battery Replacement Day - November 18, 2006
 

I took a last glide with the original battery packs today. That equaled at least 690 glides on the original packs. All the glides were documented right here on Segway Chat. It has been an unforgettable adventure on that first set of batteries!

New NiMH battery packs were purchased for original performance and maximum clearance under the PT. Lithium-ions were considered, but the additional cost made staying with NiMH an easy choice. I stopped by at the Oklahoma City Segway dealer today after waiting about a week for delivery of the batteries.

Today's glide of riding in the house and outside for one city block brought the PT to a slow down as the new software upgrade prevented using the old pack for any distance. (I live in a 99 year old home, so it's normal for me to use something for a long time!) Today was the first time the battery packs were removed (one at a time) and some duct tape was used to remove a bit of leftover adhesive on the chassis where the old battery seal came in contact with the metal.

The midnight blue batteries look nice with the original gray color. It's the only color shipping in NiMH, so any photos from of the HT/PT from this day forward will feature the two tone i167. After a full charge, I will post my feelings about the upgraded software. It will be fun to enjoy a fully charged and a "like new" original Segway PT again!

Upgrade + New Batteries = Fantastic
 

I could not be more pleased with the new upgrade and new batteries. The original speed and performance has returned and the i167 is working great. The only problem was the time it took to discharge the batteries by gliding throughout the downtown area Sunday afternoon. All the original enjoyment is back and I look forward to many happy adventures on the second set of batteries.

With the old battery packs ready for recycling, it's a perfect time to close out the blog entries. One set of batteries gave me a lot to write about during the last 44 months! Someday I hope to republish the blog with the photos on .Mac. For now, enjoy the photos!

http://homepage.mac.com/mzokc/segway/PhotoAlbum42.html

Delivery day is a good place to start, but check out all the links at the top of the photo pages. Hope you have high speed internet access!

Bravo, Mark! What a great treat. And 44 months - longer for a set of batteries than expected, I'm sure. And you definitely gave them a workout.

Thanks for sharing your Blog with us -
Pam

Sixth Anniversary!
 

March 3rd, 2009 - Tonight I enjoyed a great glide to celebrate my sixth year anniversary of owning a Segway here in Oklahoma City. So many new places to eat within a few blocks with new sidewalks and resurfaced roads everywhere! With panoramic windows allowing everyone to check out the glide, the James E. McNellie's Public House features comfort food and hundreds of beers; a perfect place to park the HT and enjoy dinner. http://www.mcnelliesokc.com/

Segway HT, XT and i180's now appear all over the downtown area.

- Airport personnel check the tarmac and conduct security in the terminal. (6 years ago the first thing the police said to me was, "We need this at the Airport.")
- Police glide in our "Underground." A pedestrian tunnel system throughout the downtown area. http://www.downtownokc.com/Default.aspx?tabid=58
- OKC Ambassadors ride Segway HT giving direction and assistance. http://www.downtownokc.com/Default.aspx?tabid=69
- Midwest City has gotten into the glide too. http://newsok.com/midwest-city-polic...rticle/3343833
- A pair of Dr. Seuss grinches glided in the 2008 Ghouls Gone Wild Halloween Parade.
- Sonic Segway Santa visits Downtown events on his Segway personal transport scooter. Santa has lots of fun with treats for kids and adults. http://www.downtownindecember.com/ Segway Santa even got a national mention in USA Today in the December 28–30, 2007 edition.
- Everyone can enjoy a test glide at our OKC dealer: Segway of Oklahoma - http://www.segwayok.com/

The latest one to glide is our new "Thunder" NBA mascot "Rumble" who appeared on a Segway with flashing lights to celebrate our win against Dallas.
http://gallery.me.com/mzokc#100196/I...&bgcolor=black

We have come a long way since my first daytime glide when I was stopped by a newspaper reporter who said, "I never thought I'd see a Segway in Oklahoma City!"

Enjoy the glide!

Glad to see you back Mark
 

We have missed your posts.

It is amazing to see what has happened in this tiny world of ours in the last 6 years since we all began gliding!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
 

Our NBA Mascot traveled the St. Patricks Day parade route faster on his Segway!

http://thunder-nba.com/rumble/photos.php

Happy St Patrick's Day everyone!

Red Charge Lights
 

Well, that St. Patrick's Day glide was the last one on the second set of batteries. Running the NiMH cells down that evening (by parking with the Segway running) was a bad idea. After Blinky disappeared, I plugged the i167 back in. A week later I found two red charge lights and no amount of switching packs or re-plugging in would help.

Since only 50 glides were enjoyed over 30 months, I failed to get full use of the batteries when compared with the first set of batteries that were used every day. My local dealer successfully charged them using an external charger, and the problem seemed solved. Green lights appeared when I reinstalled the packs, but a week later while plugged in, the red charge lights were on again.

So it's decision time. Buy new batteries for my upgraded i167, trade in for a new one before May 15th, or sell the historic model to the city if they want one with original steering. Another option is to donate the i167 to one of our museums (if they plan on a Segway exhibit) since so many Segway PT's are being used by the city. The decision is more difficult with the upcoming move back to Orange County, California. While downtown OKC has been spectacular for using the PT, I don't know where I am going to be living yet. I plan to be out-of-state several months a year, so battery life may suffer no matter which model I own.

Meanwhile, thanks to all who posted their experiences with red charge lights, bad batteries and upgrading to new i2 and x2 models. Your expertise makes it easier to make these decisions.

This does not sound like a battery problem to me. Sounds more like the charging circuitry on the Segway has gone south. If an external charger provides a good charge and good range, the Segway should do the same.

Look forward to seeing you soon.

Its a problem for Gen One owners
 

What to do when the parts start to fail, and replacement costs equal purchasing a new machine.

Find and pay for a gen one part or trade up to a gen two.

And for an early I-167 is it the early hypertronics connectors (exposed wire pins) or the later elcon connectors (plastic covered pins?) If it is the early hypertronics, then you will have to go with the purchase of a new handlebar as well (moving you up a grand more in price) (As and FYI - Segway of Annapolis did have a hypertronics CSB on the shelf the other day)

Sounds as if you have emotional attachment to the machine, so you might just want to wait. Though trading in on a new machine may indeed be a good option. Only you can decide how to proceed.