SegwayChat - View Single Post - Guide to reviving the Segway Gen 1 and Gen 2 battery

Notaguru · 09-27-2021, 10:28 AM

REVIVING BATTERIES AND AN OLD THREAD

I drive an I2, and was just given an old (NiMH and non leansteer I167) unit with three of the four batteries showing less than 10V. I built a simple (but admittedly unsafe, and yes output is halfwave DC) ~60V source:

120VAC > 0.5A fuse > 600 ohm wirewound resistor > diode > battery, with two circuits in parallel to enable independent charging of both NiMH battery packs in each unit.

Output was 54V, and current was close to 150mA, so about 8W total. No fires, smoke, or black helicopters.

It brought all four batteries (two battery packs) up to more than 30V. I installed them and got a red LED plus a green blinker.

I pulled the batteries and repeated the process, and got the same result.

The I167 is in good cosmetic condition, is fully equipped with three keys, original manual, tools, etc., and was fully functional when taken out of service. It deserves recovery, but I don't want to pay for batteries and then discover a non-battery problem.

Is there anyone in S California that would let me borrow a pair of NiMH battery packs? I'll drive to you, and as you know it's just a five minute experiment.

Or - is there a guru here that can suggest further steps regarding the existing battery packs?

THANKS!!

09-27-2021, 10:28 AM	#26
Notaguru New Member Join Date: May 2020 Location: Oceanside, CA Posts: 6	Partial success REVIVING BATTERIES AND AN OLD THREAD I drive an I2, and was just given an old (NiMH and non leansteer I167) unit with three of the four batteries showing less than 10V. I built a simple (but admittedly unsafe, and yes output is halfwave DC) ~60V source: 120VAC > 0.5A fuse > 600 ohm wirewound resistor > diode > battery, with two circuits in parallel to enable independent charging of both NiMH battery packs in each unit. Output was 54V, and current was close to 150mA, so about 8W total. No fires, smoke, or black helicopters. It brought all four batteries (two battery packs) up to more than 30V. I installed them and got a red LED plus a green blinker. I pulled the batteries and repeated the process, and got the same result. The I167 is in good cosmetic condition, is fully equipped with three keys, original manual, tools, etc., and was fully functional when taken out of service. It deserves recovery, but I don't want to pay for batteries and then discover a non-battery problem. Is there anyone in S California that would let me borrow a pair of NiMH battery packs? I'll drive to you, and as you know it's just a five minute experiment. Or - is there a guru here that can suggest further steps regarding the existing battery packs? THANKS!!