Battery Capacity Issue
 

I called Segway support about my two previous posts concerning battery capacity readings.

Apparently a few other owners have reported a similar condition where at a 100% charge, battery capacity is only showing 4800 mAh. in the app under Battery information.

He said this will be corrected in a firmware upgrade to the app I would assume which is displaying incorrect level.

He assured me I should be getting max range. If it was not winter, I may be able to confirm this lol or find somewhere indoors where I can circle for 25kms!

I bet the 4800mah capacity in the software is a holdover from the Ninebot mini software. The Ninebot mini had a smaller battery than the Segway Mini Pro. The Mini Pro (upgraded Ninebot Mini) has more power and capacity to carry fat Westerners whereas the Ninebot Mini was aimed at Asian customers.

My model airplane charger can track discharge energy and cell balancing energy, to calculate total capacity. That charger can also track the energy it puts in. I don't think the Segway Mini Pro can figure out true capacity and just relies on energy it puts in and what the data table says is on board. Voltage measurements saying it is 100% charged.

Thx for that, perhaps that is why they will be upgrading the app! I own a DJI Phantom 3 and am well versed with the use of Lipo batteries. I know over time that the capacity of the full charge will drop and it worried me that I was starting lower already. Only way to really test it would be to ride 25kms and see if it does that on a charge.

I wish i could get feedback from other owners to see what their machines show on a full charge.

Even that wouldn't prove anything and you would likely be pretty upset with the results. *If* a 25km 'range' was actually ever physically accomplished, it was done under optimal conditions of temperature, load, speed, tire pressure, road surface, elevation change and any acceleration or deceleration, so you personally riding yours would almost certainly give you a lower number than 25km - The manufacturers claim of 25km may never have actually been done . . . . it could be just a theoretical, computer generated, very optimistic number based on average amp draw of the motors at their most efficient speed. The power spent in maintaining balance (which subtracts from range) was likely never figured into the equation

We have two fully electric cars (one for 5 years now) and I can tell you that range varies greatly depending on changes in any of the above factors. At least with a car, the EPA has a set of standards for testing, so the claimed range isn't a 'pie in the sky' theoretical number like you usually find with many other battery powered devices

The good news with the cars is that after 5 years and about 40,000 miles, the battery capacity is relatively unchanged - The cars still go just about as far as they did when they were new, but they have a very sophisticated BMS and charging regimen with the aim of maximum battery life as the #1 goal. The batteries came with a 10 year, 100,000 mile warranty

Don

My battery shows this (roughly) after she rode it at the hospital a bit and I rode on the driveway a bit.

Current capacity: 4760
Total capacity: 5800
Battery: Full

Having her check the battery resulted in her playing with all the light patterns :( If you do use the phone display a lot, it will can access the camera to show you the view down the sidewalk as you look at the data. You can see where you are going and see the data. Safety feature? It only works if you are moving (and tap the screen?).

So perhaps the guy at Segway is right and even with a full charge current capacity is only going to read around 4800 mAh, because the app was originally designed for the Ninebot version with lower capacity battery.

Of course my only concern is that I just got the machine and was worried I may have to return it because the battery was flawed. Hopefully they will tweak the old app or why not just introduce one specifically for the Mini Pro.

Apart from that it is an amazing piece of tech for the price.

The Amazon reviews show a lot of owners getting a second one since they were happy with the first one. One of the last reviewers bought four. Two white and two black. I might buy a second one in white. I think I saw somewhere that the Mini Pro battery is $180 to replace so that isn't bad.

Don't pick it up by the control stick like the directions say. Lots of reviewers have had the stick slip off and drop the mini pro.

I'm not familiar with the Mini Pro or it's previous incarnations (I have X2s), so I need some education.

Can the Mini Pro be operated if I don't have a smartphone? If so, what are the disadvantages, etc.?

I don't think so. It is speed limited to 3mph and will constantly beep at you until you complete every step in the tutorial on the phone's app. The instructions aren't playing when they say these are the steps for quick start.

At 9:30 they tag why it is beeping:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZrZIZTOeKI&t=82s

amazon seems to like selling ones they dont actually have
they held onto my money quite awhile then "canceled"my order