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Old 11-28-2016, 03:50 AM   #1
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Hey y'all, longtime member here. I'm posting in the General Discussion in hopes of a wider audience than the mobility section. Anyone rigged their miniPRO with a seat yet? Is there a commercially available offering? I use an i2 equipped with seats for day to day mobility, but could use something smaller and lighter for in home use/travel. The weight of the miniPRO is highly attractive, as is the price. I'm looking to replace my p133.
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Old 11-28-2016, 11:08 AM   #2
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I'm in the process of finishing a prototype seat for the MiniPro. I'm in the same boat in that I use an i2 (with SegSaddle) for mobility. The seat for the MiniPro will tilt fore and aft. The design has adjustability for the COG as I'm guessing it will be crucial to get that dialed in.

One of the tricky design issues is trying to get everything (seat mount and feet) to fit on the tiny platform of the MP. The foot sensors will need to be engaged at all times (in which someone is on board) as the MP immediately switches out of rider mode if those aren't activated. So, finding the balance point where both the seat and feet activate the sensors will be important.

The seat can also be used with the handlebar that I made, but it wouldn't work with the aftermarket ones that are already available. Hopefully, I can have the prototype set up for initial testing today. If so, I'll take some pictures and report in. The design uses a bicycle saddle and seatpost, but I need to source a zero-offset post locally. I ordered one online, but it won't be here for a while. For now, I will try the post that I've got, but I think the offset will throw off the COG.
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Old 11-28-2016, 08:36 PM   #3
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This is really cool. I'm looking forward to your photos.
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Old 11-29-2016, 02:05 AM   #4
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My first attempt didn't pan out so well. I was trying out a tilting-seat design thinking that it would allow for smooth weight shift fore and aft. It just ended up feeling as though I was sitting on an apex. There would've needed to be far more force keeping it centered, and the rider would've ended up fighting against it to tilt (unless it was perfectly dialed in to the user's weight and center of gravity )

So, I am now making a quick mod that will just make the seat fixed in place. The prototype has a bunch of adjustment (for trying different positions.) Once I can field test the fixed seat, I'll try to determine if it's worth doing a sliding seat (like the SegSaddle/GlideSaddle.) Those two are/were very expensive, and I have a feeling that folks won't want to pay much for MiniPro accessories. If the seat is something that might make to sell, it's gonna have to be simple and cheap.

Please post any advice/suggestions/recommendations/insight that you'd be willing to offer. I hope the MiniPro can introduce more people to this cool technology.
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Old 11-29-2016, 04:47 AM   #5
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I took out the tilting mechanism and made the seat assembly fixed. It still has a lot of adjustment, and it currently sits more toward the rear of the adjustment travel. The original seatpost I used had some rear offset, but I switched to the zero-offset when I was testing the tilting mech (as I wanted the seat to be directly over the pivot point.) Right now, the whole assembly just rests on top of the foot pads. In order to get the foot sensors to trigger, I had to put some pieces of stiff foam in the center of the foot pads. So, when I was standing on top of the seat base, the whole thing would rock a little. The same happened when I was sitting on the seat. Also, as you can see in the pictures, it doesn't quite self-balance. I haven't tried adjusting the balance settings with the app. Perhaps when I have a finished version of the seat and steering installed.

The SegSaddle on my i2 is bolted right to the base. I haven't explored the base of the MiniPro to see if I could do the same. The SegSaddle has kind of a convoluted system that is spring loaded and presses the sensors down when someone is seated. The idea is that the sensors will be depressed whether the rider is standing or sitting. Without such a system, one could be seated and take the feet off the sensors, and the machine would go into its riderless mode. Not good! I need to make sure that a seat for the MP will have the same accommodation.

Unfortunately, the foot platforms for the MP are pretty small. So, there's not a lot of room to work with. The steering input on the rear of the machine doesn't help matters. If I didn't have to route the steering tube under the seat, I could make things a bit more compact and streamlined. I have considered making a cable-driven steering system that would be incorporated into a seating system, but those sorts of things add to complexity very quickly. One thing is for sure, I think the MP will do quite well as a seated machine. I only took it for a short spin as it is very cold and damp tonight. I look forward to taking the next steps to see if I can make this a viable seating solution.

So, I now need to take a look under the foot pads and see how things look. This whole seating and steering system is still just a prototype, so a "finished version" will be far more polished and refined. For now, everything is made to be adjustable and left with a "raw" finish. If I make a finished version, I will likely have all of the parts anodized. I sure am glad that I decided to spring for the MiniPro. What an awesome little device!
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File Type: jpg MPseatEdit2.jpg (147.8 KB, 57 views)
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Old 11-30-2016, 04:21 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ions82 View Post
I took out the tilting mechanism and made the seat assembly fixed. It still has a lot of adjustment, and it currently sits more toward the rear of the adjustment travel. The original seatpost I used had some rear offset, but I switched to the zero-offset when I was testing the tilting mech (as I wanted the seat to be directly over the pivot point.) Right now, the whole assembly just rests on top of the foot pads. In order to get the foot sensors to trigger, I had to put some pieces of stiff foam in the center of the foot pads. So, when I was standing on top of the seat base, the whole thing would rock a little. The same happened when I was sitting on the seat. Also, as you can see in the pictures, it doesn't quite self-balance. I haven't tried adjusting the balance settings with the app. Perhaps when I have a finished version of the seat and steering installed.

The SegSaddle on my i2 is bolted right to the base. I haven't explored the base of the MiniPro to see if I could do the same. The SegSaddle has kind of a convoluted system that is spring loaded and presses the sensors down when someone is seated. The idea is that the sensors will be depressed whether the rider is standing or sitting. Without such a system, one could be seated and take the feet off the sensors, and the machine would go into its riderless mode. Not good! I need to make sure that a seat for the MP will have the same accommodation.

Unfortunately, the foot platforms for the MP are pretty small. So, there's not a lot of room to work with. The steering input on the rear of the machine doesn't help matters. If I didn't have to route the steering tube under the seat, I could make things a bit more compact and streamlined. I have considered making a cable-driven steering system that would be incorporated into a seating system, but those sorts of things add to complexity very quickly. One thing is for sure, I think the MP will do quite well as a seated machine. I only took it for a short spin as it is very cold and damp tonight. I look forward to taking the next steps to see if I can make this a viable seating solution.

So, I now need to take a look under the foot pads and see how things look. This whole seating and steering system is still just a prototype, so a "finished version" will be far more polished and refined. For now, everything is made to be adjustable and left with a "raw" finish. If I make a finished version, I will likely have all of the parts anodized. I sure am glad that I decided to spring for the MiniPro. What an awesome little device!
This looks like exactly what I need for around the house! Now I want to get one and start tinkering!
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Old 09-04-2017, 01:20 PM   #7
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Really great metal work!

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Old 02-14-2018, 11:24 AM   #8
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Reviving this thread for the outcome.
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Old 02-14-2018, 02:22 PM   #9
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Seth (ions82) doesn't post here very often anymore

I know from exchanging e-mails with him that he was playing around with a mini-pro and that he pretty much gave up on it as a practical device for those with impaired mobility - Doubt he will continue work on a seat for the MP

Could be the following thread gave him some pause - The cheap Chinese imitation Segs just don't have the redundancy of the real things and are not as safe to ride . . . . especially for anyone who can't easily jump off when the thing shuts down unexpectedly. It for sure would not be good to be seated when it threw you!

https://forums.segwaychat.org/showthread.php?t=34957

Can't say for sure and don't want t put words in his mouth - Maybe he'll be here again in the near future and give us his thoughts

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Old 02-14-2018, 02:31 PM   #10
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I want one!
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